Katrina Lee: Guatemala!

This past summer I had the awesome opportunity to travel to Guatemala with a group of students from my church. We served in Huehuetenango, a small town in the mountains. The majority of our time was spent at an orphanage called Fundacion Salvacion.

Fundacion Salvacion is an orphanage for newborns through the age of 18. After children turn 18, they are sent to college or go through the orphanage’s new bakery certification program. While my group was there, we spent each morning constructing the bakery on site of the orphanage-making and painting tables and chairs, cleaning the building, setting up, and helping to teach to use the equipment. This is an incredible program as every child who leaves Fundacion Salvacion leaves with a skill making it much less likely to fall into drugs and sex trafficking.

In the afternoons, my group put on a VBS for the kids completely in Spanish. This was an awesome opportunity that helped us to really connect. Finally, each evening we put on a special activity for the kids. This included a pizza party, bonfire, movie night, and even a carnival.

The bonds we formed with these kids are unforgettable. Leaving after a week with them was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do. Below you will see a picture of Antonio and Alan. These guys were my buddies for the whole week. We played together for hours and hours each day. We continue to write one another and I think of them daily. They touched my life and changed my perspective more than I ever could have helped them!

After our incredibly exciting week of service, the group headed to Lake Atilan for some R&R. Here we explored the city, experienced the culture, had the opportunity to shop at a Guatemalan market, and got to go swimming/boat jumping in a volcanic lake!

The 10 days I spent in Guatemala were, hands down, the best 10 days of my life. They were full of adventure, new experience, new relationships, service, fun, and eye opening experiences. If I could, I would go back tomorrow.

#Travel #Endeavor #BFP #Guatemala