The best thing I’ve done so far in my seventeen years of life was a mission trip to a foreign country. It changed my outlook on the world and made me realize that my life is not as bad as I might think. Yes, there may be some rough patches that seem too hard to overcome, but nothing compares to what I witnessed while spending four days with a family in Antigua, Guatemala. This trip was far from just a fun vacation where one goes shopping and explores the surrounding landscape.
The ten days we spent in Antigua consisted of work with a sprinkle of fun activities here and there. On a mission trip, that’s how it’s supposed to be. The work consisted of cutting and laying cement blocks for the foundation, mixing cement by hand with shovels, bending and cutting rebar by hand, painting and cutting the wall material, installing windows and a door, hooking up electricity, pouring cement for the floor and laying tile, placing the stove and connecting a chimney, and finally nailing the roof down. All of this took four days, and a lot of it was done by hand. All the materials we used were made specifically for the environment in Guatemala. Monsoons and flooding frequently cause houses to be washed away. Our work site was on a steep hill that caused water to flow down and potentially flood their previous home. We built the foundation of their new house to prevent this from happening. Another problem that occurs often in these villages is smoke inhalation. The wood that they burn puts off toxic fumes, and many families don’t have a way to clear the smoke. The air becomes unbreathable and makes everyday life even harder. For this reason, we put in a chimney that connects to the stove we installed so the smoke is directed up into the air and not into their living space.
I was on a build team with my dad, sister, and three others. We had the honor of building the two-hundredth house for ImagininGuatemala. The family we helped lost their former home during the eruption cycle of the volcano Fuego, which began in 2002. Their residence was built on the side of the volcano and the lava ended up swallowing their home. Luckily, they all got out alive. The family consists of the father (age 65), the mother (age 38), and their five children (ages 5, 10, 11, 13, and 15). Seeing their previous living conditions made me all the more excited to begin building. I will always remember seeing their reactions to their brand-new home. It’s a feeling that I can’t find the words to describe. This feeling only grew when we went to a remote mountain village named Mano De Leon. While there, we got our butts kicked in an intense game of soccer, and Ava and I got to meet a set of twin girls. We served pepían (a traditional Guatemalan stew), fresh tortillas, and rosa de jamaica (hibiscus tea) to the families.
Not once did I consider this a vacation. Sure, we did some fun things like a beach trip and a tour of the city, but the real reason we were there was to help people and make a difference. I made memories that will stick with me until the day I die. For example, I will never forget the moment when I first saw this family truly smile. We were painting the drywall, and Ava took her brush, dipped it in the paint, and put a splotch of it on my clothes. So, I retaliated by taking my own brush and drawing a smiley face on the back of her shirt. The joy on the faces of that family will be permanently etched into my brain. After that, the family was ready to come out of their shells and paint with us.
During the last day with them, while we were waiting for their bunk beds to be delivered, we played catch with a little football and colored in a coloring book. Kids are always kids no matter where you go. They will always love to play games and create things, but it can look a little different because of their environment. Despite their tough lives, they are happy and playful. If one feels inclined to, they can apply to sponsor a child to give them a little boost up in the world. I am happy to say that one of my group members chose to sponsor Edgar, our family’s youngest boy. This sponsorship will get him the food that he and his family need, school materials for himself and his siblings, and medical assistance when needed. Due to some households living off of only one or two dollars a day, these sponsorships make a huge difference in these families’ lives. It gives their generation and the generations following a chance to achieve great things. Every kid deserves an opportunity to change the course of their life, and sometimes, all it takes is a little compassion and unconditional love.
I really want to stress the fact that the event that I have recounted is not a fun little trip to a tropical country where one can drink margaritas on a beach. While one can go for that reason, if they choose to go on a mission trip like this, they must realize that it is a time to help others. It may not be relaxing or easy at times. It could consist of manual labor and breaking a sweat, but that’s just as fun. I highly recommend going on a trip like this. It doesn’t have to be outside of the country either. It could be going to a different city or state to assist in rebuilding after a natural disaster or working in a soup kitchen. Whatever it may be, just go out and do it. Blood, sweat, and tears went into changing people’s lives (including my own), and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
