In 1984, Dave and Betty Huebsch left their home in Minnesota, USA to work in Guatemala.  Until then, Dave had taught English literature in the local high school, and Betty managed their photography studio and stayed home with their children.  Spiritually motivated by a desire to help people less fortunate than themselves, Betty and Dave made the difficult decision to leave family, friends, and a peaceful lifestyle to see what they could offer the people of Guatemala.

Dave and Betty spent the first year in Guatemala working with the San Lucas mission, which was sponsored by the Catholic Church.  It was there that they learned Spanish and the intricacies of the native Mayan culture.  However, their attention became focused on Santiago Atitlán, a remote village where 40,000 people lived in stark poverty.  Godchild Sponsorship Corp. was formed in 1986 to provide formal education for the children of Santiago Atitlán.

In addition to educating the children, The Godchild Project also initiated adult education programs.  A vocational school taught woodworking as the students built school desks for the children.  Another program taught adults to read.  And a third program taught widows how to raise chickens, which supplemented their meager incomes and raised the level of protein in their families’ diet.

In January 1988, Betty and Dave were forced to leave Guatemala because local political violence endangered their lives.  Within days, they left their friends in Guatemala and traveled back to Minnesota.  Even though their project was forced to stop supporting the schools in Santiago, the schools continued under local leadership.

Dave and Betty resumed their life back in Minnesota, but it would never be the same.  Soon they were planning to return to Guatemala.  It was then that Betty unexpectedly died.

New Beginning in Antigua

In June 1990, Dave returned to Guatemala with his son John, who had been involved with Godchild since its inception.  They re-established their project near the small city of Antigua, in a poor mountainous area of Guatemala.  It was much safer than Santiago.  Their work prospered again as the network of people who had previously supported the project responded eagerly to the news that it had reopened.

Two years after returning to Guatemala, Dave decided to take a step in another direction.  He entered the seminary to study theology, and his son John took over the direction of the project.

The project, now called Common Hope, has grown from a small family-based project to a powerful force helping thousands of families rise from poverty.  It is governed by a leadership team in Guatemala and an active Board of Directors in the U.S.  All of the board members have traveled to Guatemala and worked directly with the project.

Common Hope has developed a comprehensive set of programs and works personally with the poor.  It serves the poor within the areas of education, health care, housing, and family & community development.  It has built the Family Development Center and New Hope Village.  Common Hope also works with other small projects in Guatemala.  Its diverse and growing staff includes Guatemalans and volunteers from around the world.

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