History Creates the Future

Since this will be my fourth trip to Guatemala, let me give you a little background of my journey to and from Guatemala over the past few years.  During my sophomore year of college, my always wonderful mother suggested I look into the mission internship with Buckner International, specifically in a Spanish-speaking country.  She said on more than one occasion that I would regret missing out on opportunities to learn another language.  (She also said this about my piano lessons when I wanted to quit in middle school due to my increasing social agenda.)  After meeting the intern director at the bookstore where I worked, I decided to give it a go.  Through a series of interviews, Buckner placed me in Guatemala for July 2008.  Spring semester of my sophomore year was rough, and I did not want to go for a month to another country with eight strangers.  My parents dropped me off at training, and I held back tears the entire time.  Summer camp, anyone?  However, those short four weeks changed my life forever.

For the first time in a long time, I was surrounded by a community of strong Christian fellowship with the other interns.  We served each other and the people of Guatemala because of our deep love and commitment to God.  Although each of us was drastically different, we came together as a team.  We journeyed together across Guatemala to Huehuetenango (Huehue), Quetzaltenango (Xela), Zacapa, Lago de Atitlan, Panajachel, and the cobble-stoned Antigua.  We worked with other church teams as an extra set of hands on their trips to different orphanages.  Each week we left with a bigger hole in our hearts for the children left behind.  It got me thinking.  I knew from a young age that I wanted to work with children.  I chose psychology as my major to pursue therapy for children.  How were these children able to process previous trauma when there were only five workers for over 100 kids?  I knew someone had to do something.  Guatemala shaped my vocational career towards helping at-risk children and youth, in whatever way possible. 

During my internship, we had translators from Guatemala City who were around our age.  We all quickly became good friends.  They taught us about real culture and life in this country.  Because of our relationships, I learned to love the country.  I had the opportunity to visit these friends the following year during spring break.  I continued to learn what it meant to be a chapin(a), or a guatemalan - the values, the customs, and the nuisances.  I became a student of Guatemalan culture, and it was fascinating. 

Finally in January 2010, I was able to return to Guatemala with Buckner.  Samford University, the college I attended, planned a trip to Huehuetenango for two weeks during Jan-term.  I was in.  I talked some sorority sisters into going as well, and we were off to the same orphanage I was at my first week in Guatemala.  I was able to continue relationships started two years ago and of course begin new ones.  This last trip confirmed how God commands each believer to share the gospel to everyone, everywhere.  And that is exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life.  Specially, I want to serve and teach at-risk children.  God, in His infinite wisdom, used this small country just south of us to shape who I am for God's glory.