On the morning of day one, they taught the villagers the concept of a bucket brigade and together they all hauled in another load of cement bags and blocks and dug a foundation for a new kitchen for the school. The volunteers helped install wash basins in several homes, a project villagers will continue for each family. They built a compost toilet at the village leader's house, hoping others will want one as well. The villagers grow and harvest their own corn, but the group helped them create and plant two new gardens with carrot, cantaloupe, zucchini and watermelon seeds.

"It's dirty and grimy, isn't it? Even on my Scout camps, I never get this sweaty and worn out but, yep, it's great to be here. You feel like you're really helping somebody that can be helped, that wants the help and that needs the help," said Lloyd Kartchner, who sells life insurance in Cedar City.

At any given minute, there were charming attempts at communication: Americans speaking English or even Spanish trying to make a point to Mayan villagers who use a dialect called Q'eqchi. Hand motions, smiles, even laughter accompanied the work. Side by side they learned from each other.

"Even though we don't speak the same language, it's amazing how far a smile can go or a clap or a woo-hoo, you know, to cheer each other on … we knew exactly what they were saying and they knew exactly what we were saying," said Cassandra Kerby of Orem.

For skeptics who say you can't make a difference in people's lives in three days or they'll never remember how to do it after you leave, these volunteers beg to differ.

Last year, the team built the foundation for a new school. As the group arrived this time, the building was finished and the villagers gathered to greet and thank volunteers for helping their children.

Teacher Juan Carlos Xol Cal credits the Beneficial expedition with changing the lives of a generation. "Nobody here in Chimaxyat has graduated from higher education," he said. "My hope is that one day, these students will return as my colleagues."

It was exactly what Jensen wanted to hear.

"The point of this whole program for us is to be able to build something that's sustainable, so it was nice to see that it continued, that it will continue on beyond us and that once we leave that village that we have planted a seed that will continue to grow," he said.

The team also installed a solar panel on the school roof. By harnessing the sun's energy, they watched the ceremonial turning on of a fluorescent light bulb in the jungle for the adults who attend evening classes.

Each Beneficial Financial employee brought a family member or a friend. Several teenage daughters assisted in both the medical and dental clinics. Eye-opening does not begin to describe the conditions or the needs. Dentist Brian Tavoian of Cedar City pulled 400 teeth, many broken, some abscessed, in three days.

"The Lord has blessed me exceedingly, and I just feel that we need to help others," he said with tears in his eyes. Dixon Brown, 17, of Park City, served as one of his assistants and expressed how good it felt to help people who had clearly been in pain for years.