Father, son built roofs in Honduras
by ELIZABETH TAUFA Reporter

Daniel Cristler, an eighth-grader at SS. Peter and Paul School, traveled to Honduras to aid residents in the Yoro Mountains for a week in August. He is pictured with his father, Gerard Kawczynski, at the Mayan ruins in Copán.

When the idea of traveling to Honduras to aid the residents there was presented to the congregation at St. Peter United Church of Christ in Williamsville, resident Gerard Kawczynski jumped at the chance to go.

After some investigative work, he offered his 13-year-old son, Daniel Cristler, a chance to go as well.

"I barely had the words out of my mouth before he said yes," Kawczynski said.

In August, the pair spent over a week at La Laguna in the Yoro Mountains of central Honduras helping residents re-roof their homes, painting buildings and helping out in a clinic.

They went as part of NY/Help, a nonprofit organization composed of the New York Conference of the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ.

"We weren't the only group there," said Kawczynski. "Some of the others were Engineers without Borders and the Peace Corps."

Daniel spent most of his time working on roofs and painting window shutters and sills. Because the area is constantly battered by hurricanes, damage to the residents' homes is frequent and often devastating.

"The roofs are metal," Daniel said. "We put them on with the people who live there so they know how to do it themselves, rather than just doing it for them."

Other dangers the group faced were deteriorated roads and insects.

The trip wasn't all work, however.

The group was given two days in Copán. There they stayed in a hotel and visited the sights, such as ancient Mayan ruins.

"The bus races were fun," Daniel noted. "They're all independently owned, so they race each other to get to the next stop."

The culture shock served as entertainment for the eighth-grader and his father.

"There's not electricity or running water," Kawczynski said of the villages he visited. "And there's no public garbage, so people just throw trash on the road."

"And there are no speed limits and holes all over the road," Daniel added.

Upon returning to Buffalo and school, Daniel took photos taken by his father to SS. Peter and Paul School in Williamsville, where he is a student.

After hearing his stories, Julie Anian, a literature teacher at the school, put up an exhibit with photographs and information about the people who inhabit that region of Honduras.

"This is a great example for people of all ages, to show our faith by the work we do," Anian said.

"So far, all of the teachers have complimented me," Daniel noted. "My classmates like the pictures."

As far as returning to Honduras again, Daniel is enthusiastic about the prospect but unsure of the possibility.

"My mom doesn't want me to go again," he laughed, noting that his mother, Cheryl Cristler, was worried about the hurricanes that were approaching the area as well as the stories her husband and son brought back. But Cheryl is proud of her son's accomplishment regardless of the stories.

"It was the chance of a lifetime for him," she said.

e-mail: etaufa@beenews.com