The following story was published in Issue 1 of The Paolite, 2017.
Many churchgoers today have the opportunity to go on mission trips around the world to lend a hand and help those less fortunate or suffering loss.
Seven students from PHS were able to experience this amazing opportunity over the summer. Seniors Dietrich Sears, Livia Sullivan and Zach Giles, junior Michael Perez, sophomores Parker Sullivan and Adalie Giles and freshman Sam Giles traveled to Guatemala City, Guatemala with sixteen other members of The Mennonite Church.
“The Mennonite Central Committee gave me a great opportunity in traveling to Guatemala to help,” said junior Michael Perez.
The team of workers left Paoli on May 26 for their ten day stay in Guatemala. Upon landing, the group began a life changing experience they will never forget.
“I thought Guatemala was pretty awesome and I saw a lot of cool stuff there,” said Perez.
Guatemala is primarily a Christian nation, and the team was there to spread the word of Christ and make improvements to the current situation of Guatemala’s Pentecostal church.
The eleven teens and eleven adults visited many parts of the country and interacted with hundreds of children.
“We got a lot of interaction with the kids and played a lot of soccer with them,” said Perez.
Every day was a new adventure for the group. While visiting, the team painted the church, gave out food, and interacted with children. The team was also awed by the country’s beautiful scenery.
“We visited Lake Atitlan, which is surrounded by three volcanoes. It was extremely cool,” said Perez.
The trip was an amazing experience for everyone involved, and many plan on returning next year.
“The trip was an all around success. We helped a lot of people and we got a lot of stuff done. We also made a lot of new friends,” said Perez.
For anyone interested in learning more information on mission trips or possibly thinking of going on one; talk to The Mennonite Church or others you know of doing missionary work.
Story by Hunter Hamilton
