AHN High School Students Serve on Mission Trip to Guatemala

Below is a recap of the five-day trip, as shared by trip attendees:

Day 1: On this bright morning, we purchased food at the markets for families in great poverty. The girls ordered in Spanish and collected rice beans, fresh chicken, and household staples. Then, we headed to the small rural community of Santa Teresita, where we walked to four different homes and listened to the families' struggles to maintain work and basic needs. After lunch, we headed to a school construction site where we shoveled and moved dirt to level out the yard. 

Day 2: Today was a day of learning and cultural exposure as we visited all the programs funded by Friends of San Lucas: the Montessori school, hospital, construction lead team, Juan Ana coffee, and the women’s center. Touring the women’s center, we saw where women learn cooking, baking, sewing, and weaving—skills they can apply to sustain their households and or start businesses. Several women made us a delicious lunch that included stuffed chiles and homemade tortillas. After lunch, we learned about medicinal herbs and got to drink a homemade tea with basil, lemongrass.

Day 3: This morning, we hiked up the volcano where coffee beans are grown. As a team, we picked about 75 pounds of coffee beans in solidarity with the local coffee growers. San Lucas Juan Ana Coffee pays its producers 40% more for their crop than average, another way San Lucas Mission promotes justice. In the afternoon, we went to Peace Park and then La Iglesia Santiago, which holds relics of and a memorial for Bl. Stanley Rother. A priest who ministered to the Indigenous during the Guatemalan civil war and empowered the Mayans with education, catechesis, etc., Fr. Rother was assassinated by members of the Guatemalan military on July 28, 1981. Pope Francis recognized him as the first American martyr. Sobered by his story and that of the massacre in Santiago, we walked these grounds with great reverence. 

Day 4: God gifted us another sunny day as we set out to 7 am Mass at San Lucas parish church. Following Mass, we went to the Montessori school where we split ourselves among the classrooms of the 4–6-year-olds, companioning kids in their learning activities. After lunch, we returned to a construction site where San Lucas Mission has been helping a man build a home for his family. Making an assembly line, we hauled buckets of dirt to fill in the floors so that concrete can be laid tomorrow. It was a great team effort! The girls then danced on the dirt to pack it down! Before dinner, we had time to walk through town and make a visit to the cemetery, where American priest Fr. Greg Schaffer, founder of San Lucas Mission, is interred. We gave thanks for his impact and that of his followers on this town.

Day 5: We returned to the Montessori school this morning and then the women’s center in the afternoon, where we learned the traditional way of grinding corn on volcanic stone to make corn tortillas. After the tortillas cooked over a wood fire, we rubbed lime juice and sprinkled salt on them for a delicious snack. During our final evening of prayer, we shared all the growth, learnings, and experiences of Christ’s presence. 

As one student shared, the mission trip was an eye-opening experience of faith in action. The encounter with a Guatemalan father, dedicated to providing for his family despite hardships, exemplified the deep faith and trust in God that shaped their journey. The mission trip not only provided practical assistance but also strengthened the students’ connection to their Christian faith and to each other.

For more information on the San Lucas Mission and its ongoing work in Guatemala, click here.

AHN is proud of our students for their dedication to service and for embodying the spirit of Christ in all they do.