GUATEMALA
MISSION REPORT 2005
Click Here to go Straight to the Pictures!

Guatemala Missions Trip - March 28 to April 5, 2005
Guatemalan Mission Trip a Success!

When we think of mission trips overseas, we think that we are going to touch “other people” lives, which is true of missions’ trips. However, the people that we touch are the ones that impact and enrich us the most by being nice and kind to us even though they might not have anything. First Baptist Mission Team—a group of eighteen went to Guatemala, City to construct a house, hand out a thousand sandwiches, and distribute bags of non-perishable foods to about fifty houses in the community around the dump.

The Report

We had a team of eighteen that was inter-generational in nature—there were pre-teens, teens and adults in our team. On our way down there we were trying to figure out who was going to do what, however, when we got there everybody got busy right away—since none of us knew how to build a house, the three local helpers showed us what to do. One group began to work on the wooden frame of the house; another group consisting of our teenagers began to work making cement (we all learned to mix five wheelbarrows of sand, four rocks and three bags of cement). They enjoyed making cement so much that they began to chant, (wait a minute, no, they were not enjoying it) “We hate cement, we hate cement with a passion,” but could not stop making the cement because this house was going to be for a wonderful family who needs it. There was a group who painted the house inside—the color of the paint was light green, which Casey McCormick suggested. It was amazing to see how the team worked together in all the projects. One of the highlights of the trip was as we worked together we had to wait for each other. We walked several blocks from where we were staying to where we needed to go to build the house. We had one person that we all came to like and love, and that person was Betty Snyder. We called her “La Turtugita,” the little turtle, because we had to either wait or go look for her because she was not there where we were supposed to meet. I think waiting for one another brought us together as a group. What a lesson for the church! As we continue to walk the Christian life in our church, some might get the message or get how the new structure works and some of them won’t get it but regardless if they do or do not get it, the key is to stay together demonstrating the love of Christ in our community. 

The Prophetic Voice

There was a little girl name Stephanie who four teenagers played with. One day they were playing when her mom (who was a Mayan indigenous woman) came to take her away and spanked her in front of our teens. Our teens could not understand why this mom came so full of anger and took her daughter away so violently. One of our leaders went to talk to Stephanie’s mom, and she basically said that usually there are some Americans that come and steal their children to sell overseas. She also said that the leader of the community favored certain people. We were a little bit surprised to hear this, but for that day we let it go. The next day we had about fifty bags of non-perishable food, we went to Stephanie’s house and met her mom and told her that we had a present and that we wanted to pray for any needs that she had. She welcomed us into her house. Her house was filled with smoke because she was cooking and she did not have a chimney where the smoke could go out. So we prayed, and one of our teens gave her one bag, and she was really grateful. She apologized to us for being rough with her daughter like that. We said that we forgave her. About two hours later, these indigenous people brought her daughter to play with our teens at the site where we were building the house. 

Later on, I thought, this lady complaints against the other leaders was the voice God through her. At first, we took her as a cynical old indigenous woman. But then I thought, this lady is representing the over all injustice done against the indigenous people, who today does do not have an identity with the Guatemalan government. So the voice of God cried out through her suffering, pain and anger saying, “They used to be a proud people with lands, houses and they used to be happy—now they are nothing, because the (European, Latinos (mix)) people have stolen their lands, rape their children, and completely destroyed their culture.” Is not the voice of God saying enough of the injustice against the indigenous people?

Overall, the mission trip was a successful in the sense that everybody had something to do, some of them connected with the teenagers and children in the area. Most important, it was successful because our team members were able to appreciate and understand to a degree the loneliness that poverty can bring to a human being. So for everybody that supported financially and prayerfully this mission trip, thank you so much for all your support. For the team that went on this mission trip, I hope this is the beginning of more mission trips to come.

Quotes from Some Team Members

“The Mission Trip was transformational and eye opening for me, I can’t wait to go again in a mission trip” - Lauren Clarke

“The Guatemalan mission trip was an answer to a prayer from God to have the love of the children in Guatemala. I experience this love in my grandson here in the USA, Gabriel Reyes.” 
- Ronald Harris

“The mission trip leaves me with a feeling that I was sent on this trip to help many less fortunate people in many ways. This was done in God’s name. I also appreciated the closeness of our mission group in this endeavor.” - Betty Snyder

We want to thank our congregation for your prayer and financial support. The mission team expresses our gratitude for what you have done for this mission trip. We could not have done it without all your support. Also, special thanks to the Outreach Board for sponsoring and supporting this mission team.

Photo Gallery
To make it easier to view the pictures, photos have been divided up into four pages of about 50 each - CLICK BELOW to navigate between pages!

Here are selected pictures from the four Photo Gallery pages:

More Photos - CLICK BELOW!

See What American Baptists are Doing Around the World!