Over the past year and a half or so, I’ve been so blessed to find a deep sense of purpose in volunteering internationally. As you all know, this is primarily in Ukraine-which would have never happened without the incredible example my parents set, but they’re not the first generation of volunteers I look up to. As long as I can remember, my Dad’s parents have been going to Mexico and Guatemala. Shortly after graduating high school, I went with them to Juarez on my first international volunteer trip and it was amazing; this past week, I was blessed to be able to come with them to their mission in Guatemala. This week was way too much to put into words and I cannot tell you how much love and respect I have for all the work my grandparents do here. I’ve heard about this mission since I was a kid but never could have imagined how special it is until seeing it firsthand.
Lviv feels so much like home and I’m so comfortable in my routine with the work I do there, I realized that I’ve stopped fully appreciating the impact volunteer work has on real people and God’s hand in it. Spending this week building a house for and with a beautiful family here, along with seeing the impact my Grandma has had in this community, has changed that. All week, Juana (the incredibly strong woman who’s so deserving of this house and so much more) along with all three of her kids worked along side us to build this home (in her name) that will change all four of their lives. This wouldn’t be possible without her father-in-law, Miguel, breaking social norms and stigmas to gift her the land. Or the incredible work of Greg and Rachel at Porch de Solomon. Or the donations of time and money from churches like Memorial. Or my Grandma putting in the work year after year to make sure teams continue to come here. Or even three-year-old Edwin laughing as he carried his small buckets of rocks or riding with his brother, Felix, in the wheelbarrow with a couple cinderblocks- giving us the energy to play with the work and not get tired as we put in our biggest day. All of this coming together to create such a real, tangible change in the trajectory of an entire family is something only possible through God and I never would have seen this if not for my Grandma and Grandpa.
While I worked at the construction site, they were in the clinic using their skills as a doctor and nurse to give over 120 people a day (mostly kids) healthcare that is sorely lacking in this part of the world. Meanwhile, many team members and their granddaughters were playing with the kids in the waiting room, keeping order and giving the mothers a much needed rest- even if only for a few minutes. I’m so grateful I got to meet Carmen, an amazing woman with an incredible story that my grandparents sponsored through school and is now a great mother to a first grader whom Grandma and Grandpa now sponsor. I know Carmen and her daughter wouldn’t be doing so well if not for Carmen’s strength and resiliency but also if not for my grandparents’ support, which has directly changed the life of not only one generation but two. So far. It’s one thing to talk about the ripple effects one person’s love and passion can have but seeing it first hand is too much to put into words.
The way everyone from Porch de Solomon as an organization to the individual volunteers from churches from all over the country put Guatemalans first, follow their lead, and make an active effort to avoid any sort of white-savior complex is extremely admirable. The example being set here is something I’ll truly try to emulate in all my work going forward and I’m so honored that the strongest of these examples is my own Grandma. This week, she’s shown me what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ; it’s something I wish I had seen so long ago but now realize is what I’ve been witnessing my entire life. While this was her last trip as Team Lead, she’ll continue coming down here and the Porch isn’t going anywhere. I cannot recommend this mission enough if you get the opportunity and if you don’t, they can always use your money. It goes a long way here.