Mission trip to Guatemala impacts lives

 By RENEE WEBB
Content and Design Coordinator

A mission trip to Guatemala for nine parishioners of Divine Mercy Parish of Kossuth County proved to be impactful to those they served and the missionaries.

Among participants were Deacon David Penton and his wife, Amy. The deacon explained he always wanted to go on a mission trip to learn about pastoral care in a different part of the world.

“When I arrived, my heart was broken because the people had nothing,” he said. In time the deacon realized, “they had nothing but lacked for nothing. The people are full of joy, full of faith and so welcoming. The children would run to us and everyone wanted to hug us.” 

“My heart was shattered but immediately was soldered back together by the love the people have,” the deacon added, noting he is “forever changed for having been there.” 

Opportunity prevents itself
Deacon Penton stressed the fact that while Divine Mercy Parish has had a long relationship with its twin parish in Haiti, St. Jeanne of Chantel, offering support by way of money, food and even sending missionaries there when it was safe, presently mission trips there are not an option. Another tie to the parish led the deacon on this trip.

“About six months ago, I happened to be baptizing a gentleman’s granddaughter and he was talking about the mission trip in Guatemala,” said the deacon. “I told him I always wanted to go to Haiti but it’s not safe there.”

When the deacon and his wife were invited to take part in the next trip offered by A’KALA Family Foundation that is based out of Minneapolis, he thought it was a great opportunity although the thought of going to a Third World country was a little scary at first.

Tom Cink, a Divine Mercy parishioner who attends Mass at Wesley St. Joseph Church, is a six-time veteran of this trip. His sister Julie Cink, a native of Wesley, is one of three founding members of the A’KALA Family Foundation that has a mission to improve the lives of children and single mothers in San Lucas Toliman Guatemala. The name A’KALA means “of the children.”

Guatemala is a country located in Central America whose border countries include Mexico, Honduras, Belize and El Salvador.

It was Cink’s sister who convinced him to go on the trip the first time.

“I tried to get out of going I don’t know how many times before the first trip. Finally, my wife and I went down and I saw the good they were doing. I just loved it,” said Cink.

Now having a passion for this mission work, he was the one to speak with Deacon Penton about taking part.

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“I personally believe God had a hand in Deacon Dave going. He was amazing on the trip,” stressed Cink. “With Dave on the trip, it sent it home to me how much the families need that spiritual presence. He did an amazing job with that. There were families who asked him to go to their home to bless items or pray with them.” 

A mix of service
In addition to offering ministerial services, Deacon Penton is a critical care paramedic so he helped in that capacity as well. There happened to be a retired physician from Minneapolis and nurses including the deacon’s wife who were part of the 21-member group. They worked in a clinic called the House of Healing, which is also where the group stayed.

“A couple of groups went out to build bunk beds and a group that sorted donated items for distribution later,” said the deacon. “My wife and I did some home visits where we did some assessments and evaluation of patients who were unable to come into the clinic.”

Deacon Penton mentioned he was often working in one area when he was pulled from that task to serve in the area that was most needed – be it a spiritual capacity, something with healthcare or a different task altogether.

“That is what being a deacon is – to be called from amongst the people to work with the people with love,” he said. “I was 100% open to whatever the Lord was guiding me to. The grace of ordination flowed through me. I loved the people, loved every moment of it. It was so natural, I didn’t notice I was being called from A to B to C.”

The foundress pointed out that A’KALA makes three to four trips to this area per year. While they were able to offer more spiritual and medical service with this trip, Julie Cink noted typically the trip-goers are offering manpower to build items and spend time with the people.

“What we really try to do is build bridges between us and them so they know we care and God loves them,” she said, noting that she has been taking mission trips to Guatamala for 10 years. 

A’KALA has support staff in Guatemala who help run the foundation’s efforts between trips including helping to distribute monthly food baskets. 

“It’s important for us to make sure they have food every month, so we have sponsorships,” said Julie Cink, who noted the sponsorships help the people of Guatemala have food, shelter, clean water and education. “Those are our four pillars. We try to follow the beatitudes.”The foundation built one school for children with special needs – which the group visited - and is presently working on funding a second school as those with special needs are not welcome to attend traditional schools. A’KALA also recently purchased some land to build homes.

Hearts touched
For parishioner Melissa Johnson of Wesley, she was inspired to check out the possibility of going after seeing Facebook photos and information posted by Tom Cink and his wife from a mission trip last year. Learning that this trip was connected to Julie Cink’s foundation gave her the added assurance to go. Her sister also went on the trip. 

“It went over and above meeting my expectations. It was the most gratifying and heartwarming trip that I have ever been involved with,” said Johnson. “It was truly amazing to see the joy and appreciation on the children’s and mothers faces when they got their bunk beds.”

She pointed out that she was on one of the teams that built bunk beds with lumber purchased in Guatemala. As an added gift to the people, A’KALA provided mattresses, pillows and bedding which they delivered. Another Divine Mercy participant’s father made crosses that were put on the beds and then Deacon Penton blessed the homes and families.

“One of the things that just touched my heart is we went in and blessed one of the houses and the woman – the mother of the children that were there - just sobbed that we were there to pray for her,” said the deacon. “Though they have very little, the fact that we prayed with her was priceless to her.”

To communicate with the Spanish-speaking people of Guatemala, they had interpreters and he accessed Google Translate on the fly. Some Guatemalans did speak English as well. This has inspired Deacon Penton to work on learning Spanish.

A special blessing for Johnson was participating in daily morning and evening prayer with a reflection of the day that was led by Deacon Penton. 

An added highlight for participants was visiting Santiago where Blessed Stanley Rother, an American priest from Oklahoma, was martyred in 1981. They were able to go to the room the future saint was murdered and saw a relic of his still liquified blood.

“Deacon Dave gave a sermon there and that was one of the most emotional days for me – it all came to a head because that was at the end of the trip,” said Johnson. “It most definitely deepened my faith and brought my sister back closer to the church.”

The experience was so powerful for her that she plans to go back next year. She also decided to sponsor a student through A’KALA.It’s the children, especially those with special needs, that keeps Cink taking part in A’KALA’s mission trips.

“Probably the biggest reason we go down there is to show the children that they are worthy and they are children of God,” he said. “It’s an amazing thing to be a part of.” 

A faith-filled people
The strong faith of the people impressed them.

“The church overflows to capacity,” said Cink. “They have three Masses on Sunday and they are all the way in the courtyard trying to get into church. It blows my mind how they have nothing but they are extremely faithful.”

His sister pointed out she loves watching the reactions of new participants on the mission trip as they witness the faith of the people “who have nothing, but they have God.” Everything in their lives, stressed Julie Cink, surrounds God.

“When we come down it reorients our lives to focus on God instead of it being on material things,” she said.

Deacon Penton mentioned that in this country “we live on a sacramental schedule” – baptism, first Communion, confirmation and Mass but there it was “faith, belief and love infused in everything.”

Catholicism runs deep in the culture, he stressed, even for the Guatemalans who are not Catholic. 

Deacon Penton is going back next summer with others from Divine Mercy and the parish school including Father Zach Jones. 

“We at Divine Mercy Parish and Bishop Garrigan High School have been looking for opportunities for our outgoing seniors,” said the deacon. “We are taking a group of graduating seniors in August.”

The students will have the opportunity to experience mission work and do so with a group that is planned through a foundation with ties to the parish and school.

If interested in more information about upcoming mission trips with A’KALA, monthly sponsorships or donation opportunities, visit akalaff.org.
 
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(Cover photo is Deacon Penton blessing a woman in Guatemala. Submitted photos)