I have traveled but I have never journeyed anywhere with the intention of helping others. However, my second year of college I decided to begin the adventure of a lifetime. I committed myself to a service trip to the town of San Lucas Tomalin, Guatemala. We spent our spring break in the village helping out with the San Lucas Mission. I am not a religious person at all, but this has nothing to do with religion. This is the opportunity to give your time and self to a cause.
What is the cause here? Learning about a culture and living in the land they love and call home. As my time as a visitor in their beautiful home, I saw the struggles they deal with every single day of their lives. However, these amazing people still were able to put a smile on their faces through all the hardships. I did some labor while I was there, but a vast majority of my time was spent learning and experiencing the culture. The Guatemalans truly have been through a lot and still are on a long, difficult journey. Poverty is high, and resources are low. They struggle with having homes for their family because the government does not give out enough land sufficient for the people.
The drinking water is not clean, and food is limited. In the village I went to, there was one hospital. It was placed by Father Greg Schaffer. They do get necessary help when needed but it is a small, lightly staffed area. They also do several operations in one tiny space at a time so that makes you wonder how sanitary it actually is. However, it still has made a huge impact on the community. They have a school, and a beautiful cathedral. I am so excited to say the first Catholic mass I ever went to was here.
Though I do not speak a word of Spanish, I could feel the passion of the people. Everyone in the village attended mass. It was a great show of family and community. These people have little, but they see themselves as having so much. In America, we take so many things for granted, such as our homes, clean water, food, and each other. With all the recent violence going on in today's society, it is so important that we understand the value of one another. I think more than anything, Guatemala taught me a lot about myself. I no longer think about what I want, I think about what I have. Guatemala taught me that we need to be kind to Mother Earth. We need to value nature, and understand how important it is to life. I am so fortunate that I do live in this country. We can learn so much from the beautiful people of Guatemala. They struggle all the time, but they know what the truly important things in life are.
