By Carol Stender
Mayme Hofland of Fergus Falls is passionate about helping the children of San Pedro, Guatemala. Her bond with the families there led Hofland to founding the nonprofit Ninos de San Pedro or Children of St. Peter.
The nonprofit has helped bring hope and an educational opportunities to children to the community. The mission has been rewarding and filled with great joy... but her personal journey in his mission definitely had a rocky start.
Hofland worked for Our Lady of Victory’s mission trips in the early 2000s and was asked to lead a group of 14 people from the area on a mission to San Pedro. Everyone was excited for the two-week Guatemala mission. Everyone, it seems, but Hofland at the time.
“I cried for seven days,” she said. “I wanted to fly back to Minnesota, but I couldn’t because I had to stay with this group even though everyday I was crying. I didn’t want to be there.”
She turned to prayer in her frustration.
“I cried and said, ‘Fine, You win. I am done.’” Hofland said.
The next morning when she opened her eyes, she woke up to the world around her.
“I saw the Volcano Fuego from my window,” she said. “I heard the birds. They were there everyday, I just didn’t see them before.”
She saw a lady sweeping dirt from her home. Another woman smiled on her way to see her children.
“She smiled at me and said, ‘Hola,’” Hofland said. “That’s the moment I fell in love with Guatemala.”
Her vigor renewed, Hofland made lasting connections with the people. “I learned how tough and difficult their lives were from us,” she said. “There was a three year old who had never had a doll in her hand. She had never left her little shack where her family lived. I gave her some chocolate kisses. She was so scared of me. She squeezed the candies and it melted all over her hands. It was so foreign to her.”
When the group left Guatemala, Hofland left a bit of her heart in the community. She made several trips back and sponsored students from the village. The original organization she worked with in Guatemala disbanded. Those who had worked with it turned their efforts towards a soup kitchen in the community. Hofland, however, was more of an educator and wanted the youth to learn.
She received a call from someone from San Pedro informing her two of the children Hofland was supporting couldn’t go to school. Money was needed for their support.
While primary school is technically free in Guatemala, the government spends less than three percent on education. The students must pay a registration fee, monthly tuition fees, books, materials, uniforms and other supplies teachers require.
According to Children of St. Peter’s website, only four out of 10 children who enter the Guatemalan school system graduate from primary school. About 2 million children in the country never attend any level of formal school.
Hofland’s heart had been touched by the children of San Pedro. She sent money and supplies.
“Then someone said to me, ‘You think sending money to Guatemala is a good idea?’” She said. “I just logged on to the internet and did some research on what would be involved so I could put the donations on my taxes.”
That opened her mind to all kinds of possibilities. Through her work she looked at non profits in Minnesota and creating a business within the state. She moved forward creating the nonprofit Children of St. Peter, making sure it would meet Minnesota and the Federal Government’s guidelines for a nonprofit. And Children of St. Peter was born.
A key to the success of Children of St. Peter is Ana Vasquez of San Pedro. She worked with the original organization and contacted Hofland about the students’ needs. She works with children of San Pedro and guides and cares for the families who are part of the mission program.
When Ana needed a new computer, Hofland worked to get her one. When a vehicle was needed, Hofland did her research on how to acquire it and getting it to San Pedro.
Hofland has made many trips back to San Pedro and recalls one visit when she walked through the town’s central square. A child ran up to her and gave her a hug. The youngster thanked Hofland for sponsoring her so she could go to school.
“I have seen kids cry because they are so excited to go to school,” Hofland said. “They say school is free for Guatemalans, but it is free to sit on the floor. They don’t get a desk. We have 13-year-olds in first grade. Most graduates are in their early 20s.”
In the last five years, Children of St. Peter has had 10 youth graduate from high school. They have become chefs, accountants, electricians and nurses, Hofland said.
One student completed the eighth grade and is running a successful bakery with his father.
Their graduation is similar to the students receiving an Associate Degree, she said. Obtaining it, however, is unrealistic for many families.
Their goals may not be the American goals, but the true goal is for the youth to graduate.
Currently there are more than 80 children sponsored through the program.
Hofland’s husband, Ron, and their three children ranging in age from 26-30, have all visited San Pedro. Ron is, she said, a big reason why she is able to continue the mission. “If I didn’t have him backing this up, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” she said.
“Lots of people ask why I am doing this,” said Hofland. “It took me a long time to figure it out because it was too hard not to. I can’t not do it. It’s very weird in life when you find something that you are truly supposed to do. If you would have said 10 years ago that this is what I would be doing, I would have said, ‘No way.’”
She recalled being the person who was scared of everything. She was apprehensive to do things. “I felt I was being pushed to do something I didn’t want to do,” she said. “I tried to get out of it several times and it was my job. Now, it is my life. It brings me joy. It brings me sorrow, too. I love doing all the aspects of it. I love the smells, the sounds, the languages and the smiles. I love doing the work.”
It is what she is meant to do.
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