I have been an active member in the church as long as I can remember. I have
been part of my youth group and I was the first teen lector in my parish, but that is not
what my essay is about. I am not going to say that I am the head of the student body at
my school or that I have found a cure for cancer. But, I know that I have made a
difference in people's lives. In my parish, we have fundraised for Guatemala. I have
been raising money for the Diocese of Santa Rosa, Guatemala, an unseen entity that
was simply a good cause.
This past summer, I went to Guatemala to establish a relationship with the youth
in Santa Rosa. Seven other teens, some adult chaperones, and I were part of the first
delegation of youth to visit. I thought that I was going to help out by doing some
missionary work. Then come back and resume my life. I had never been to a third
world country before. Once I arrived in Guatemala City, I was impressed. The airport
was newly redone; the floors were finished in polished tile. What I was seeing was not
the image of Guatemala that was captivated in my head by the news. I thought that this
first-rate terminal was incredibly odd. Stepping into the tropical landscape outside, the
same idea swam through my head. As the luxury bus escorted us out of the airport, I
fell asleep on the couch-like reclining seats.
When awakened, I was told that we were in the city of San Antonito. I was totally
shocked when I opened my eyes. The houses here were nothing like the houses of
Guatemala City. I saw concrete one-story houses no bigger than ten feet by ten feet.
Some had doors and less than ten percent had tin roofs. The concrete walls were
chipped and broken and looked like that they have been up for at least a hundred years.
We were welcomed into a typical family's home fitting nine people. As I walked in, I saw
one all purpose room which contained the living room, kitchen, dining room, and family
room. There was a makeshift stove and bedroom crammed into a small living space.
These people were supposed to be better off than others! I could only imagine how
these living conditions could be any worse. I was then taken to the backyard. There
was a well but it was not clean. In order to make the water drinkable, chlorine needed
to be added. They do not even have money to put bread on the table, let alone spend it
on chlorine. In order to get food, these people have to walk three miles to another town
to get their monthly rations. Then they have to walk the three miles back carrying three
twenty pound bags of food. One cannot escape this devastating cycle of society.
These people are forced to live in the conditions of poverty. They are bound to working
in the fields for their whole life. Even if they do want to break out of the constant
struggle of society, how could they? Despite this, I was there to help bring hope into
these people's hearts. All the work that I did will help to benefit these people in the long
run. I planted tress which would bear them fruit in addition to giving them shade. These
trees will help to keep the soil fertile so that they could continue to farm there. I also
wanted to help out by playing with all the little children. They are raised in pits of
despair and sorrow, but when I was there I saw only faces of joy and happiness! Every
child that I interacted with was laughing while grinning from ear to ear. I even taught the
little kids how to play catch with a ball. They did not even know what a ball was! I
helped these children to escape from the evils of poverty for the entire time that I was
with them. And I loved it too!
I finally knew where my money was going. I was helping children break free from
these social tensions to have a better life. I was helping the people of San Antonito
drink clean water. I was helping to make their unfair lives more bearable. I was freeing
many from the struggles of their oppressed community.
Returning to the US, I am constantly thinking about what I can do to help the
poor people of Guatemala. I try to conserve food whenever possible and now I have a
jar that I put all my spare change into. I resist my consumerist urge to go out and buy
the newest shirt or pair of sneakers. I save that money and try to think about what I saw
in Guatemala. When the jar of coins reaches the brim, I take it to my church and donate
all my funds. I think about every face I saw when I was there. I think about how I am
positively impacting their lives, and that they do not even know my name. I am talking
about funding the necessities of food, water, and shelter. I used to take everything that I
have for granted and recognize that I am a privileged citizen. I know that I have more
material possessions and opportunities than other people in the world and I
acknowledge that. But at the same time I am humbled. Now, I am an advocate for the
people that cannot say they need help living their lives and surviving.
-Alexander Wojcik
Testimonies 
