“What started as an ordinary spring break trip for 21 college students turned out to be a challenging, moving, and exciting journey. While sitting on our last plane, pondering how to sum up this incredible experience, I can’t help but think of the phrase, “brothers and sisters in Christ.” By stepping out of our comfort zones, and by immersing ourselves into another culture, we were able to answer God’s call to love, serve, and simply be with all of God’s children, as brothers and sisters.
We were able to experience this call of love and solidarity through numerous physical, social, and educational tasks. After a short briefing of some of Guatemala’s most important history, we traveled to the small village of Palá. Here, we were greeted with the most incredible welcome and hospitality. We engaged in several activities from playing games with school children to mixing cement for the Presbyterian Church’s new sanctuary. Our next adventure was in a much different community, where we built several chicken coups for women looking for a source of income, food, and survival. We even had the opportunity to stay overnight with individual families in the town of Panchaj. We ended our journey in the beautiful, historic Antigua, feeling like tourists as we ate Americanized food, hiked Volcán Pacaya, and stayed in a beautiful hotel.
While I can describe what we did on this journey, I can’t fully explain (at least in such a small space) what we felt and what we were given from the people of Guatemala. While we thought that we would be going to this third-world country to share our resources and time, we found that instead our family in Guatemala taught us what it means to be followers of Christ. We were greeted with hugs, kisses, and unconditional love with no qustions asked. How can these people have so much passion and faith in one another when their own survival is an every day struggle? After much reflection already, and more to come, I can safely say that we all have a lot to learn from our brothers and sisters. As we return to our materialistic, fast-paced lives, I hope that we can stop to remember that we are all God’s people, no matter our cultural differences. As so nicely put by our leader, David Wiseman, “it is necessary for us to slow down sometimes to let our souls catch up with our bodies.”
As we slow down for our souls, I encourage us all to strive to be loving brothers and sisters in Christ, just like our family in Guatemala.”