In 2008, Deanna and I went to Guatemala on our honeymoon, with no idea that we would found a non-profit organization that would work there for decades. I’ve just returned from a ten-day trip there (maybe my 36th?), and it was truly inspiring to see the difference this work is making in folks’ lives.
Every year, Senderos (formerly PEG Partners) hosts a trip to introduce people to Guatemala and our work there. It’s not exactly a mission trip, and it’s definitely not tourism. We call it a “learning journey.” The focus is on relationships, and on education about Guatemala, the U.S., and our own places in the world. The most common descriptor among people who have been a part of it is, “life-changing.”
This year, a dozen folks from all over the United States joined us, and it was a rich and beautiful experience. On the trip, we have presentations at CEDIN on Guatemalan history and women’s issues, visit La Casa de Memória, which gives an unvarnished view of the history of colonialism in Guatemala. We also visit a women’s weaving cooperative, a Macadamia farm that is working to be environmentally sustainable, spend time at a nature preserve, take walking tours of Santiago, Atitlán and Antigua, spend a lot of time with Guatemalan friends, see a lot of beautiful vistas and eat a whole lot of great food. I also lead reflections each night where I play a song and we talk about what was hard and what was beautiful in each day we are there.
The main purpose of the trip, though, and the main content, is visiting the three primary projects that Senderos supports — the Escuela Comunitaria David LaMotte, a pre-K through 2nd Grade school in the Maya village of Tz’anchaj serving 114 local children, The Music Program in El Tejar that teaches music theory, performance, and a multitude of instruments to a little more than 80 children, ages 9 through 18; and the Brillaguate program, which currently serves 21 youth who are under-resourced, providing them with tutoring, mentoring, and small stipends to help them get through school and find sustainable and meaningful work. It’s really beautiful to see the impact these programs are having, headed up by local leaders who are visionary, and are good at what they do. I believe what my friend Gareth Higgins taught me, that there are two rules for community: 1) bring what you have, 2) ask for what you need. I am consistently moved by what happens when people do those two things.
This year, a dozen folks joined Sarah and me in Guatemala. The pictures below tell just a tiny bit of the story.
If you would like to know more about our work, donate, apply to join us on next year’s trip (July 19-29), or even have us organize a trip for your civic group, friends and family, or faith community, please check out senderosguatemala.org.
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