Today was the last work
day to complete the houses our teams have been building. The day started out
with a trip to the “From Houses to Homes” out-patient clinic. This clinic was
built in 2011 to provide medical care and dental care to the families that receive
a home through the organization. For me this was a great experience because I
study architecture and healthcare at Clemson University. It provided another
worldview for me as I continue in my studies. After the tour, we traveled to
our work sites and prepared to paint the interior and exterior of the houses.
This was the first day that we divided the teams by university to work on the
two individual houses. Clemson painted the upper house melon and Scranton
painted the lower house red. I couldn’t believe that five days earlier only an
empty lot was were each house now stood. 
Lunch today was provided
by the families that were receiving each house. We had chicken, rice and
homemade tortillas. I am thankful that they shared this food with us and we ate
inside the house for the first time. After we finished painting, the whole
group gathered with both families and “From Houses to Homes” organization in a
key ceremony. This was the greatest part of the day for me because I could see
the gratitude and excitement from each family. During this time, joy came from
the young girls that had previously prepared lunch in their new house. It is
going to be a wonderful home for them tonight!
Kirsten Staloch
Joy. That is the only
word that can express what this trip and these families have given me. I came
here to help these families to have a better home, but as it turns out, they
helped me as well. It’s been incredible this week to see how joyful and
lighthearted these Guatemalans are. They never failed to welcome us into their
home and to share what they had with us. Today the families that we built the
houses for even made us a delicious lunch (which was much more substantial than
the sandwiches we’ve been having all week). They never fail to show joy. The
kids are always smiling and willing to play with us. Their situation says that
they are poor, but their joyful expressions say they lack nothing. Even the
workers that were with us always managed to find time to be goofy with us, and
make us feel like we were long time friends. Tomorrow we return to America,
where we’ll be surrounded once more by the distractions of cell phones, social
media, school, careers, expectations, and “first world problems”. We always
seem to have so much, yet never be satisfied. We are always stressed by the
lack of a better career, the newest phones, the most friends, or the nicest
car. Luckily this week these people have taught me to remember that joy is
never dependent on our circumstances. Love is all we need, and it is freely
given to us by our Heavenly Father through our loved ones, the sacraments, the
Church, and His own love. This is what the Guatemalans have given me this week
in exchange for a house, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. 
Peace through Christ,
Daniel Toro
Here we are, the end of the week –
A time where everyone reflects on their experiences during the past few days.
There are emotional goodbyes, giving of gifts, and, of course, lots and lots of
pictures. Having gone on Guatemala Help Weeks last year, I was pretty familiar
with the whole process. I’d say it’s pretty common on mission trips like this to
be overcome by emotion on your first time – I certainly know I was. Think about
it: You’re in a new place with new people doing new things and (clunkily) speaking
a new language. Who wouldn’t have trouble taking it all in? One (of many!)
reasons I decided to come back this year was to try to catch what fell through
the cracks last time – the little things that slip by in the blink of an eye
without any warning. Last year, I focused heavily on the differences between us
and the Guatemalans – Their culture, their family structure, the poverty, etc.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with noticing all of that – it’s human
nature to notice differences first. This time, however, I tried to focus on
what all we all have in common. Today during the key ceremony, both families
came together to receive the keys to their new home. Like last year, we bought
a ton of supplies and gifts for the kids (which they loved). This time though,
I kept an eye on the parents. When Oscar handed them the keys, the question
came to me “What if that was my mom and dad? What if that was me? Are we really
that different?” Seeing that family come together, celebrating a joyous event
in their lives, I felt like a light came on in my head. We are not different at
all. There is no “us” or “them” – They are our brothers and sisters, mothers
and fathers, aunts and uncles, cousins and friends. As beings created in the
image and likeness of God, we really are family – this is why we are called “children
of God.” It is so easy to turn on the news from the comfort of our couch in our
air-conditioned houses and see poverty in far-away places and feel sorry for
the people. Who isn’t at least a little bit moved when they hear stories of
refugees in Syria, or starving kids in Haiti? The real question is, how often
do we read about the suffering of others and really suffer with them, the way
we would if it was our own family in crippling poverty, or living in a warzone,
or drinking polluted water, or facing discrimination and persecution? This is
what Christ did when he suffered for us those many years ago, and this is what
he continually calls to do – to see the poor and the destitute, the “other”, as
our own families. Until we get past this “us” and “them” nonsense, we will
never be able to see God. He’s right there in front of us, all around us, we
just need to open our eyes. – Steven Pasternak
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