Personal Narrative: My Mission Trip To Guatemala

I have never known a time in my life where I have not gone to church. With that being said, it’s not my largest priority. I tend to get distracted during the school year with deadlines and hanging out with friends. It’s when I’m able to go on a mission trip that I can truly show and see what I believe in. I have been on four mission trips altogether and this summer I took a leap of faith and left the country for the first time to serve. Nicaragua held the same focuses as trips in the United States, but what I consider a mission trip from my experience in the past was not what this trip had in store.

The classic saying, “There’s always someone who has it worse than you” (Shaggy- Keepin’ it Real), didn’t come true to me until I had first-hand experience. As a child, I grew up in the lower middle class. So I wasn’t rich nor super poor. My mother came to the United States from El Salvador in the 1980’s. She has never taken my brother and me to her home country.

The country was foreign, a first for me. Dilapidation and ruin scattered the horizon as far as one could see. Guatemala is a place where poverty has a strong grasp on its people. We traveled tirelessly for hours to reach the poorest of the poor. Upon arrival old, young, and natives of all shapes and sizes formed receiving lines, eager to welcome us with gifts of smiles and gratitude. It was an experience that forever changed me. This was the first time I had stepped outside the boundaries of the American culture into a world where nothing is taken for granted. Each day spent on my mission trip brought a fresh awareness of gratefulness. Any pre-trip reluctance quickly became a vague memory as my emotions welled within bring a fresh change to

As I stepped out of the airport, followed by my family, I was unprepared for the snowfall and icy pavement that is so commonplace in January in Michigan. If I had thought enough about it, I would have worn winter boots on the plane and maybe brought my puffy white coat to block the wind. Instead, I stood shivering in brand new, pink ballet-flat shoes, while snowflakes filled my eyelashes.

In January of 2015, I experienced a mission trip in Guatemala. Although the trip taught me a lot about both myself, and the people and culture of Guatemala, one of the more prominent realizations I had was that the Guatemalan children had so little resources to get a quality education in life, yet they were still eager to learn. For example, each child was required to wear a pair of black dress shoes to school. Since many could not afford to pay for these shoes, they each walked to the missionary compound, no matter how far, to get a free pair of shoes that were offered. Additionally, many of the kids were more inclined to attend a short church lesson after eating dinner than play with their friends. After experiencing this dramatic change

What was the process of my conversion like? I’ll begin with this year, all the way back to my trip in Guatemala. I struggled to understand what belief was and what being a follower of Christ really was. I was trying to understand the faith with my own intelligence, which constantly failed me. On top of that I was living without morals, saying, doing, and thinking whatever I pleased. This all, plus sickness, made my trip to Guatemala very challenging. As the year went on I still tried to live in Christ on my own will, which isn’t living in Christ at all. I would read his word but only some days instead of every day. What I didn’t realize is that I need his word every day. Because this world is evil and unclear, but his word gives ultimate clarity.

What’s it like being in Guatemala? What’s it like being on a plane? I asked these questions to myself. On June 29, 2012 I had the opportunity to find answers to these questions, however in a way that I wished would have not happened. My reason for going to Guatemala wasn’t to rest and have fun. It was for my grandpa’s funeral, a day that changed me forever. A day where I learned what it really means to be grateful.

All throughout my life I felt as though I was lacking knowledge on the outside world. Outside world meaning, the world that surrounds me outside of the county or “the bubble” as I like to call it, of Westchester N.Y. Now don’t get me wrong, I love living here, I always find that I have something to do, there is a lot of great places to eat, and a lot of great people here, and I love that…I feel safe here. But I’ve always felt as though Westchester being known as one of the richest counties in the nation, deceives ones view of the rest of the world… maybe I don’t want to always feel safe. Living here, you never see things such as people having a shortage of food, no place to live, children going a Christmas without any gifts. You pretty much have everything you need right at your fingertips living here.

On a recent trip to Nicaragua I encountered events that were life changing. It was a totally new experience for me, from the people, the culture, and the environment. This time gave me a new appreciation for the environment in which I live, a variety of eye opening experiences, and led to life changing personal growth.

We went to this place where there was a horrible storm. I don’t remember what place it was and what storm that they had, but there village was destroyed. But when I got there I started to get cry, because I saw all of there houses and everything destroyed. What we wanted to did was to help them. We tried to help them find there families. Whenever I saw a kid or someone find one of their family member, I start to cry. When I see one of the kids, adults, teen don’t find their family's, I hug them as long as they want me to; till they stop crying then I would stop crying. But sometimes they don't stop crying then I wont stop crying. But either way I would always have that feeling in my

This service trip was in collaboration with my school and a Holy Child school in the Dominican Republic. The school is located in one of hundreds of impoverished Haitian communities named bateys. Prior to going on this trip, I was fully aware that we would be aiding the poor and had already seen poverty while volunteering in New York City. In the city, an extended line of homeless Americans waiting for hot food and bagged

My grandparents have special celebration. They have married 45 year. My mother, my brothers and sister and me make long trip to Guatemala to celebrate. We carry a special gift it is a picture of all family. My tio, tia and primos going to. We like to visit our grandparents and especial celebration. Our family cooks special food of Guatemala for celebration. I remember we all had good times together. I miss my abuelita and abuelito. This is the name we say for grandparent in my country. The celebration is fun we see friends and play. My grandparents very happy. I want to stay in Guatemala but my Mom say we come back to America.

I recently embarked on a two-week long community service oriented trip to the distant and tropical country of Nicaragua with a group of eleven other teenagers and two teachers from my high school. Preparing for the trip earlier in the year, I really did not know what to expect when we eventually would land at the airport in Nicaragua’s capital city, Managua. I knew that it would be sunny, hot, and probably humid, so I packed plenty of sunscreen and several pairs of shorts—but not enough as it later turned out.

I have traveled various times to Guatemala in Central America to visit my parent’s families that were living there, since I was child in elementary school. I mostly visited my mother’s family since most of my dad’s family was here, though I did visit my dad’s house and family that was still there once. One thing that is true for all my visits over to Guatemala; I always had some culture shock every time I visited. As time passed by and I visited again and again I became accustomed to the shock, sometimes the shock was not that bad. Next time I visit Guatemala, I will probably have a bit of culture shock again, though now it is not that much, and I think that anyone traveling to Guatemala for a vacation will have a great time

In spring of 2016, my youth group and I began planning a trip to a neighboring city. This wasn’t just any trip however, we were going on a mission. Each of us there were bound and determined to