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SALT LAKE CITY -- During a recent trip to Guatemala, a group of Utahns stopped their humanitarian work one afternoon to pay tribute to fellow Utahns who died in a plane crash while doing humanitarian work.
On a quiet mountainside in the jungle of central Guatemala, newly-planted avocado trees stand in memory of those who died in a plane crash on a CHOICE Humanitarian expedition. The plane went down 60 miles east of Guatemala City last August. Fourteen people were on board; 11 were killed.
In April, Salt Lake-based Beneficial Financial Group joined CHOICE expedition leaders in paying tribute to their friends. Rich Pinto, a Beneficial Financial adviser, placed a lei at one of the memorials. "It represents respect, love, admiration for people that gave their lives for this cause. That's why we're here," he said.
Their emotion comes from the loss of dear friends, for others the loss of family members. Jen Jacobs lost her sister-in-law, Liz Johnson, the leader of that expedition. "She had been involved with CHOICE since she was 15 or so. It was her life. So, she gave her life doing what she came to do here, and that's improve humanity," Jacobs said.
Josue, Daniel and Laura Rabanales lost their parents in the crash. Javier and Walfred were well-respected CHOICE humanitarians in Guatemala. Now their friends in Utah are caring for their children.
Daniel said, "I think the legacy that they leave was love the people because at the end, that's the meaning of life."
Abel Estrada, a friend of the Rabanales family said, "You could see that Javier and Walfred were working to their full potential. Their vision was beyond their comprehension. They understood service, I think, more than anybody else."
The Rabanales children and the Estrada family in Utah, and their friends who travel to help the Guatemalan people, are determined to carry on the work started by those they love.
Josue has left Utah to begin serving a mission in Honduras for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His siblings, Daniel and Laura, have received scholarships to attend school in Utah this fall.
E-mail: cmikita@ksl.com
