Personal Narrative: My Trip To Guatemala

One grand adventure that I went on this summer was a missions trip to the Dominican Republic. It was probably the best two weeks of my life and not a day goes by that I don’t think about it and want so badly to go back. I didn’t always have those feelings though… The first couple days were pretty rough from lack of sleep, being in a totally new environment in a country I have never been before, being way out of comfort zone and being slightly home sick. The first full day at our site I nearly had a panic attack because I just couldn't get over the language barrier and that was the first time I have ever worked with kids. I just felt so helpless and that I was’t showing these kids God’s love. But I was because just being there for them showed them God’s love.

There is a great quote by Blake Mycoskie about mission trips that says, “Trips like this aren’t vacations…they are so much more. These experiences show you what’s possible and challenge you to examine the paths you’ll take in the future.” Claude and Kelley Nikondeha have spent five years running a community development mission in Burundi, a landlocked African country. Kelley Nikondeha tells of how they prepare their mission teams for the week and when they return home after a short term mission trip experience in Burundi in an article entitled, “Story-telling and the Short Term Mission Trip.” Kelley Nikondeha elaborates on the four points she expresses to all groups, “Give me a word. Tell me one moment. Take a break to rest. How was your trip?”

In March of 2016, I took a missions trip to Gonaives, Haiti. This trip impacted me deeply. The people are poor but are still very happy with life and love God very much. I made lots of friends while teaching dance who I will remember forever. My most memorable moment was the Friday night service. Their dancing was cultural, traditional, excited, and energized. It made me feel connected to my African roots. This trip allowed me to receive the Silver Award from the Girl Scouts. I am most proud of

I remember my first time going to El Salvador at ten. It was like stepping into a new world. The way people lived was completely different than what I was used to. The food, language, houses, and even the people were dissimilar to me. To say the least in the beginning I wasn't happy to be in such a “filthy” and “dreadful” place. My first night there I shared the bed with my mom a fly net surrounding us. A rooster kindly woke us up at 6:00 a.m. and to my surprise everyone was already awake having started their day long ago. My grandparents were sitting having eggs, beans, and tortillas and I remember asking myself what kind of breakfast food that was. My aunt was down at the chicken coop grabbing fresh eggs for us and I quickly realized I was going to be eating the same thing. My mom took my brother and I to this strange place for two months and at the time I was wondering if everyday

One of the many impactful times was when the realization how happy the kids are with so little. Going into the trip you are told how they live in poverty, but the realization of how little they have does not seem real until it is experienced in person. It would have been normal if the kids walked in with glum faces and an ungrateful heart (it is what we are used to in America, after all- being ungrateful or sad about what you have/given), but instead the room lights up with the smiles of the children who are so grateful/proud of everything they have. One instance of how happy/proud they are of what they have is when we visited the homes of a student and teacher from Hope for Guatemala. When visiting Hadie’s home- one of the teachers at Hope for Guatemala- and meeting some of her family was an eye-opening experience. Hadie’s mom was 40 years old and has had 14 children and could not stop smiling, even though two of her children had died tragically just a couple years ago. Hadie’s mom ran her business- a tortilla shop- from the front of her house which was a considered nicer for that area. It had a 3 room house that was being renovated to have a bigger area than the hallway to sell tortillas and another room 2 rooms that 4 people could sleep/live in instead of 5 per room, and the renovations was affordable because of the donated money through the church and

My parents are unable to care for me because they are not in this country they are in Guatemala. They can to provide for me in Guatemala because we are financially unstable. My father is in charge of providing for the family, his occupation is farm work. My mother cannot get a job since in Guatemala there is not a lot of job opportunities and she has to take care of our home. To be able to further my education I would have to have to be financially stable, but we are not able to do that since I am not an only child. I have siblings that need the care and attention as myself. Where I live it is known for the violence that has been going on. There is no respect for one another. The gang violence has increased throughout the years. When recruiting

What better way to take advantage of summer than by going on a mission trip to Guatemala. A mission trip to Guatemala satisfies the soul in a way no other trip could. In Guatemala there is a captivating orphanage called "Casa Shalom" meaning House of Peace. This orphanage is located in the heart of San Lukas, Guatemala and once one arrives they will see this is an establishment truly touched by the hand of God. This orphanage's mission is to meet every spiritual and physical need of children who were not treated with the best conditions one should have growing up. Spending one week in this delightful environment of love and peace will leave all constantly wanting more time to remain in the orphanage. The deep relationships one establishes

Moving to another country is something that for the majority of people it might be a challenge. The toll of cultural defiances, unfamiliar traditions, society, and language are the most important and consternating struggles that people faced. But changes occur every minute, every second, and everywhere. Changes bring doubt, fear, and even pain to most people. But changes are something that I always look forward to because they alter my perspectives on things. Changes remind me of unpleasant memories, but also about learning experiences. The question of why here and not there, was something that I answered 6 years ago.The answer lied in a series of actions and childhood memories. My life is separated into two geographic locations. The first

I will never forget some of the things I experienced on the mission trip. I became friends with many people whom I had never talked to before. I strengthened

Going to Guatemala I only expected for me to be the one to make a change, I had no intention of them being the ones to change me. I achieved a fresh perspective on life, obtained more self-awareness, and sharpened my personal-insight because of this trip, and there is nothing more I could have asked

This past summer I was able to go on a mission trip and it changed me forever. I went on this mission trip with my youth group because we like to take one mission trip every year for the purpose of helping people for one week who are less fortunate than us. We went with the mission group CMT, Carolina Mission Team, which sends groups of adults and youth to locations which are in need. This year we went to the city of St. Louis, Missouri. Most of us worked at a site called the CAC, Christian Activities Center. It’s an after school center for children and young teens to go and do homework and work on hobbies without being in fear of danger or judgment. The thing about the area we were in is that it has been deemed the 7 deadliest miles in the

When I was in 9th grade, my family went on a missions trip to Nicaragua. This was not an ordinary one though. Instead of just going for a week or two, we went down for six months as a whole family. My parents, my brother, my 3 sisters and I all went into this experience wanting to serve, but not knowing quite what it would look like. When we got there, we encountered extreme poverty unlike anything we had seen here in the United States. While there, we painted countless schools, did art projects at countless others, worked with the local lending libraries, and simply loved on the kids down there to the best of our abilities. When the trip was over, I left with a feeling that I had somehow failed. I felt as though I had not given my all to

When I was 14 years old, I went on a trip with my church to Guatemala. The trip was full of interesting experiences, but this is one that I will never forget.

Much to my surprise, it had not taken a lot to convince my dad to let me tag along on a mission trip to Guatemala with him. The company my dad worked for, Family Christian Stores, held multiple mission trips each year to various locations. My dad had already been to Mexico, and was assigned to a group going to Guatemala next. Upon learning that I wanted to go, he assured me that it would not be a trip full of sightseeing or activities, but rather a time to give back to a community in need. After promising that I understood the hard work that would be involved, my dad agreed to let me

Have you ever been on a mission trip? A group of 27 from my church went to Baton Rouge, Louisiana this summer. This trip took lots of things like planning, getting the money I had to have, hospitality, and kindness. I knew going on this trip was gonna be an amazing experience and I was right. I got to spend the whole week with 26 other people who mean alot to me and help me when they can.