My Nonprofit Reviews

Our team of 12 had a wonderful week (Feb. 10-16) serving at Mission Guatemala in San Andres Semetabaj, Solola, Guatemala. We got to see the completion of the 2-year project on Casa del Maestro (offices for teachers) that we worked on last February. Plus, we started a new all-weather athletic field for a local girl's school closer to the medical clinic. This was my 6th year and it was a real pleasure to again work with the dedicated staff, most of whom live in the community where they serve. Mission Guatemala asks communities to define their greatest need, and then they bring together volunteers and resources to help meet those needs. The communities participate in completing the projects so that it is a win-win when a project is finished. MG is providing employment for staff workers, which helps their families and communities. We are signed up for next year and I am looking forward to another opportunity to serve my friends in Guatemala.

This is my fifth year at Mission Guatemala and our team had a great week serving the people of Guatemala. Every year the program for serving the local community expands. The key component is that most of the staff is local that are paid a living wage to run the medical and construction projects that accomplish significant projects that serve their neighbors. Our team did carpentry work this year on our project. The MG team are like family to us and it is a privilege to work with them to improve their community. Accommodations, transportation, and housing are excellent and I look forward to returning again next February.

Mission Guatemala has been a blessing to the Mayan people in San Andres and the surrounding communities. Most of the MG staff are from the local community and are paid to provide services to the mission team members. This is my 4th year to work a week on community school projects (concrete play area, classrooms, and 2 school bathrooms). We work alongside local skilled personnel who are very willing to teach us their construction methods. The school children are so much fun to play with on breaks. The MG feeding programs provide healthy food for school lunches. Hosting more than 40 mission teams a year, MG can complete large projects that benefit the whole community. The medical, pharmacy, and vision programs at the MG clinic serve many families from San Andres and the surrounding Mayan communities.

Mission Guatemala hires local staff to identify community needs and then helps provide resources and people to meet those needs. I recently returned from my third trip to work on schools in small communities. We worked on all-weather play area (2014), bathrooms to replace a pit toilets (2015), and new classrooms this year. By combining multiple volunteer teams over several months, MG has also built school kitchens and other facilities that Mayan community leaders have deemed their highest priority. MG also provides medical, dental, eye care, and inexpensive medicines to serve people in these communities. Housing, food, and transportation are provided so volunteers can totally focus on serving Mayan people in the Guatemalan communities.

Mission Guatemala does amazing work with the people of Guatemala who live in small rural communities. Their clinic in San Andres Semetabaj provides inexpensive medical with pharamacy, dental, and eye care to whoever needs help. Some ride the bus up to 2 hours to get low cost health care at the clinic. The MG staff is mostly native to Guatemala, which helps the communication with those being served.

Our church helped MG build an all-weather soccer/basketball court at Sucun last year and with constructing a new restroom for students at Marie Del Carmen school this year. The restroom replaces the current pit toilet being used by the students. The MG team provides good construction supervision and uses local materials that are purchased by the volunteers. Working at 8.000 feet in small mountain communities can be a challenge building things, but the MG team always found ways to overcome or work around every construction problem we encountered. I plan to return again next year to serve the wonderful people of Guatemala, and I thank God that Mission Guatemala provides us this opportunity to "go into all the world" for mission work.

Mission Guatemala provides a bridge of hope that allowed our church to connect with Native Guatemalans and help meet their needs all while making new friends. MG is well organized and works hard to focus on projects requested by leaders in the rural communities. Interpreters provided by MG allowed good communication with the children and adults in the communities being served. I grew in my faith through serving the wonderful people of Guatemala. The MG team members worked hard to make certain that all our needs were met, regardless of the hour of the night when a run to the pharmacy was needed. I will return again next year.

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