Personal Narrative: My Trip To Guatemala

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

“Melissa, don’t you want to experience a whole new culture? Guatemala has one of the most beautiful resorts in the world--hell, you can even the stars in the sky unlike here!” my step dad exclaimed, his hands gliding in the air in excitement.

I have been praying for God to give me an opportunity to go on a mission trip this summer. Many opportunities have gone by but I did not feel God calling me to those places except for Africa but I talked to you guys and you said no, you would rather keep me alive lol. But anyways, about a week ago I was scrolling through Instagram and one of the summer mentors at First Baptist Woodstock, Natalie Priest, had posted a picture with a caption saying that her church Zion Hill Baptist Church is going on a mission trip this summer to Guatemala. When I first read this I thought to myself, oh my goodness that is so exciting!! Well, that entire night I could not stop thinking about this trip. So I started pouring myself out to God asking Him over and

It is the balmy months of summer in Pennsylvania as I return home from a long day as a lifeguard at the local YMCA. I feel tired, and somewhat uncomfortable as my stomach protests with a series of groans. I am hungry having not eaten since lunchtime, just a few hours earlier. My phone abruptly rings and my mother is on the line."I am going to be home from work late tonight, so I ordered a pizza it should be at the door any minute now." Five minutes later, a feel a sense of anticipation as the doorbell rings. The pizza had finally arrived. My two siblings and I immediately swarm towards the pizza box gorging ourselves until only two slices remain. No one could eat any more, our stomachs filled to the brink with stringy cheese and warm zesty tomato sauce. My brother picks up the last few slices and throws them into the trashcan nonchalantly . No one stopped him, my sister and I went on with our evening routines, ignoring the fact that considerable quantities of food had just been unceremoniously disposed of.

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.

“You better be ready because as soon as we get off the plane we will be going straight to your grandpa’s house!” I knew my mom, wasn’t talking to be because when I looked beside me and saw my sister still sleeping like a pig. It seemed like my parents ran as fast as rabbits. Once we got the plane we waited impatiently for 20 minutes to get our bags. Already in the city airport (Guatemala City), we decided to eat first then get a lot of water because the way to my grandpa’s

My semi-open, almond shaped eyes felt the burst of energy as the sun's warm rays pierced through the diminutive window. Believe me, three hours on an aircraft cramped into a minuscule seat while cruising over the Caribbean is quite treacherous. The thought of being immobile for an extensive amount of time made me feel like a caged animal. Throughout the plane's descent, I felt the butterflies flutter in my stomach, my eagerness to get off the plane and hear the noisy streets once again was unbearable. However, the notion of experiencing a new country and relaxing in the rural towns made my heart pound with excitement. Traveling through the Central American country of Guatemala portrayed the idea of cherishing the least and most valuable things in life.

As soon as I return to my country I will start to pursue a career in the government sector, specifically The Security Secretariat of Honduras. At the present time, Honduras heads the list of countries in the world where there are more violence and crimes that cause thousands of deaths per year without been in an actual war. Most of the crimes and murders get focus in two of its major cities, San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, this last one is where I live. Many of these crimes are planned and executed by the authorities that were supposed to provide security to the citizens and this is because they are linked to racketeering. This a major cause of immigration and the decrease of the foreign investment. This is what I want to change, I would use

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.

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.

Nervousness and uncertainty entered my mind while sitting in Newark Airport, I reflected on how this experience would impact my life, as I entered the aircraft I felt tenser and very excited at the same time. It was time for takeoff, I read a book for 1 hour, wrote down things I wanted to see, and then feel asleep until we landed. When I came through Customs in Arlanda Airport I was greeted by my mom’s uncle Robel and two of my cousins, I was surprised how fluent they all were in English.

My trip to Guatemala helped me realize how great my life really is,and showed me how strong I really am.Many people around the world take Missions Trip every year to the nations of the world. A mission’s trip is mainly meant for missionaries to reach out to the people of other nations and not only share “the truth” but also help them with their struggles in life. Some ways missionaries reach out are building homes, churches, getting clean drinking water, volunteering in orphanages, donating secondhand clothing, giving health screening and checkups, etc. All these not only help the people but in the end give the missionaries a good feeling inside. It takes a special kind of person to go out and serve the people of the world as well as a lot

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

“Mom this light is making me look up at it,” I said calmly. From a distance she saw my eyes rolling up, and started to approached me slowly. She simultaneously ran towards me and yelled for my father’s help. “Her eyes, her eyes!” she yelled repeatedly. “Carry her down the stairs while I start the car.” It all started on the summer of 2013, we were on vacation at Guatemala. I felt like I was starting to catch a cold. After I realized I was getting sick I went to see what I had. I got to doctors and I remember him asking me a lot of questions. Once we were done, the doctor gave me a prescription for medicine. Little did I know he had given me adult medicine, which basically means he had given me a drug overdose.

There are tons of activities one can do if one travels to Guatemala. Most of these activities are related with historical and natural attractions. First attraction is the Lake Atitlan, tourists are fascinated with the beautiful sunset view it offers. This lake is framed by three volcanoes and also one can enjoy the many restaurants and bars that are near the lake.