Progress -

Our Progress

In the beginning...

Since 2001, Estuardo and Diane Dardón have taken groups into Guatemala on short-term mission trips.Their mission work originally focused on the needs identified by residents of the community of Retalhuleu (Reu), Guatemala.

Numerous projects were completed through the hard work of nearly 600 missionaries:
~ Tables, stools and book shelves were built and painted for a community library.
~ A senior center received a ceiling and the roof was repaired so that the senior men were safer and healthier.
~ One hundred desks and several teachers' tables were built and painted for a nearby jungle school.
~ Houses were built for two families whose situations were horrible. And the list goes on and on.

A dream unfolds...

As interest in short-term mission work grew, Estuardo and Diane—along with their young children, Brian and Cathryn--began dreaming about more permanent types of mission outreach in Reu. Several ideas were contemplated but none "felt" right. In June 2006, Estuardo, returning from a trip to Reu, suggested the family embark upon building a school in Reu. Without a moment's hesitation, the Dardón’s began sharing their dream with others.

Breaking ground...

Twenty five zealous young adults from two universities joined the Dardón family in breaking ground in March 2007. Many students returned a year later to find that huge holes they had dug--for the foundation of the school--had grown into the first floor of the school.

Moving ahead...

Much of the difficult labor of laying cinder blocks was done by local craftsmen (thus helping the local economy) with the help of missionaries and under the watchful--and most often distanced--eye of Estuardo Dardόn. The first floor of The School of the Saints was finished by June 2010, with classrooms painted and tiled and the outdoor courtyard seeded and exterior walls brilliantly painted. A grant from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Deaconess Community provided funding for installing a sewer system that is environmentally kind and economically feasible for others in Reu to emulate.

Getting ready to open...

Through generous gifts, funds became available so that construction on the second floor of the school began early in 2010. Moving forward with enthusiasm, the missionaries who work on the school throughout 2010 are very busy getting ready for a very grand opening of The School of the Saints!

Dedication date on the horizon...