Indiana Team Serves in Guatemala
Ten members of Grace United Methodist Church of South Bend, IN traveled to Guatemala to support Mission Guatemala in building a new kitchen for a middle school. Work included hanging light fixtures, hanging windows, plastering walls and underneath counters, building an oven door and laying tile.
As part of our journey, we were educated on many of the difficulties the indigenous Guatemalans face:
Poverty: 75% of indigenous people live in poverty
Education: Only 2 in 10 indigenous children complete secondary school; only 1 in 10 reaches university. Poverty and rural location compound the problem
Chronic Malnutrition: 60% of indigenous people live with chronic malnutrition resulting in stunted growth.
Access to Health Care: Indigenous communities, particularly in remote highlands, have limited access to health services. The nearest clinic may be many miles away and many times the costs are prohibitive.
Mission Guatemala is doing a fantastic job of addressing each of the issues listed above through their low-cost clinic, nutrition programs and their education and scholarship programs.
Each member of the team experienced the trip differently. For some, it strengthened their faith. For others, it challenged their long-held cultural assumptions. Some discovered talents and gifts they didn’t realize they had. Some were reminded of the importance of slowing down and truly seeing and being with the people around them.
One of the greatest gifts of this mission trip is when we realize that although we initially thought we were coming here to make a difference in someone else’s life, God was at work changing are lives as well. There is something very spiritual and satisfying working along old friends and new friends as we serve God.
We came home with stories and pictures, but more importantly, we came home changed. Our perspective on service was different. Our appreciation for what we have was different. Our understanding of other cultures was different. And for many of us, our faith felt more real because we had seen God working through us.