When a group of ten Prep students tentatively stepped off the plane in Guatemala, they did not know what to expect from this service trip. Their team leader, Mrs. Lucille Richards, Director of the Center for Learning and Academic Success at St. John’s and a veteran of eight Habitat for Humanity builds, just stood back and watched. She knew that the week ahead would be an experience none of the students would ever forget and would change them in ways they could not imagine. Enjoy this video from the trip here!

Habitat for Humanity’s mission is to put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope. “It was a joy for me to witness the boy’s hearts open to the mission of Habitat for Humanity,” Mrs. Richards said. “I saw the students grow into global citizens. When they got off the plane they were apprehensive, typical teens, not really sure what lay ahead of them. Most of the boys didn’t know each other very well, if at all. Then as the week progressed, the team bonded and together their eyes were opened to the struggles of the poor.”

The St. John’s group worked hard to lay the foundation for a house and build two smokeless stoves during their time in Guatemala. Working side by side with local masons they shared Habitat’s vision: “A World where Everyone has a Decent Place to Live.” Once the house is complete it will be occupied by a mother and her three children. See photos taken by Mrs. Richards during the trip here! And images from Nik Patel ’18 here.

“Our team was truly blessed to work alongside our Guatemalan brothers and sisters for the week. In so many ways Habitat Guatemala has been a very special experience for all of us,” Mrs. Richards said.

The group working on the weeklong Global Village build included Mrs. Richards along with her husband Peter Richards, Dean of Students at St. John’s, and students Nik Patel ‘18, Julian Delgado-Figueroa ‘19, Robbie Burns ‘19, Ben Hunt ‘18, Rich Hart ‘18, Will Ganim ‘18, Luis Franco ‘18, Jamie Vande Water ‘18, Christian Bova ‘19, and Jake Schumer ’18.

Senior Luis Franco, whose family comes from Guatemala,  was able to visit with his grandparents, aunts, and niece one morning while in the small city of Antigua. “The trip itself was eye opening and impactful. As we lived more simply, it made us appreciate what we have and often take for granted,” Luis said.

Good Grows More Good

The week held a lot of surprises for the group – from experiencing a small earthquake tremor, learning to dance the salsa, celebrating Will’s 17th birthday with a traditional Guatemalan cake, making tortillas, visiting a Mayan ruin, and playing soccer with local children – the days were filled with work and play. The team stayed in simple hotels both in Antigua and Tecpan where they were greeted with kindness and shown hospitality.

“I feel the most important aspects of the trip were the relationships we built with the people we met and the service we did. The families we helped were unforgettable,” said Luis. “I believe when we think about Guatemala and Habitat for Humanity we will remember everyone we met including Kristyna, the Habitat for Humanity member that helped us, Doña Teresa's family whose house we helped build, and El Jefe and his helpers, the masons. The service we did was also great. Even though the house we were building would take about four weeks to complete, we were content to help in any way to speed up the process.”

Nik was also moved by the week in Guatemala. “The service trip can be described as riveting, educational, and inspirational. I witnessed the beauty of another culture, as well as the detrimental poverty of a third world country,” Nik said. “The trip opened my mind to the fortune in our own lives and opened my heart for the impoverished people of Guatemala.”

Mrs. Richards said that the trip left her with a feeling of joy seeing how deeply the boys cared about others, and how much they appreciated all that they have in their own lives. “My hope is that this journey opened the eyes and heart of our students to the struggles of the poor, not only in Guatemala, but here in the U.S. and around the world,” Mrs. Richards said. “Our team lived St. John’s charism of compassion. Each morning a team member read the compassion statement which calls us to journey with those in need, those who suffer, and those on the margins. Compassion calls us to act for justice and live lives of mercy and forgiveness.”

Students processed the experience in a number of ways, wanting to capture the way they felt on this journey of compassion and discovery. Many students kept a journal. Nik Patel ‘18 took photographs of the people the group met along the way, while Christian Bova ‘19 wrote poems about some of those images. We want to share a few of them with you here!

Antigua

From the first step I took,

and my eyes opened to look,

at everything around me,

the mountains, for no fee.

Ancient yet alive, 

even before we arrived,

was a beautiful town

by the name of,

Antigua. 

 

Bubbles of Hope

The air of life,

is given away,

and given to the bubble,

so that it can rise up,

higher than the clouds,

despite popping before then,

we keep blowing our,

Bubbles of Hope. 

 

The Upcoming Bend

In life, the bends shape us,

and make us who we are,

they are the challenges,

and problems we face.

The big ones and the small,

help us get through,

the Upcoming Bend,

in the Road.