Reflections on Guatemala Missions Trip

In February 2025, a small team of young people from our Hamilton church were blessed to be able to participate in a mission trip to Guatemala! Most of our work was done in the AMG (Advancing the Ministries of the Gospel) compound in Cubulco, where we helped with roofing, painting, bringing bags of food to the needy, and playing with the local children at various school programs.A lot of fundraising took place several months in advance to make this trip possible and the Lord blessed us with more than enough funds to cover our expenses!

When I first started working on this article, several questions rose to my mind. What kind of effects or influences did we experience during our mission trip? What really struck us, not just mentally, but spiritually? Did we even experience “impact”, and what exactly is “impact” anyway? Impact is defined as a strong influence or effect that something has on a person or situation. So, what effect, or influence, did our mission trip have on us?

I would say the first thing that our visit to Guatemala brought to our attention was our tendency to ingratitude. This became especially apparent when we were visiting some of the impoverished families in the mountains. We have so much, compared to the little they owned, yet we still so often find reasons to complain.

Everyday we find excuses to exercise our sinful nature in our complaints, whether that be being late to an appointment, or the homework we have to do. It’s so easy to get caught up in our own lives and complain about the things that bother us. To actually stop and realize how much we have compared to the vast majority of the world, takes a real shift in perspective!

As Charles Spurgeon once said, “You say, ‘If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.’ You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.”

One visit to a family in the mountains struck me. Despite having ten mouths to feed, and with very little to share between themselves, they happily offered food to our entire group. It’s one thing to share and be grateful when it costs us nothing, but quite another to give with thankfulness to others, when you have almost nothing to give.

If I learned anything on this trip, it’s how necessary true gratitude is in our lives. It’s not just about being thankful for having daily items, but it’s about who we’re grateful to for these blessings. God has given us so much! Let us be daily thanking Him for it!

"And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her poverty hath cast in all the living that she had.” (Luke 21:1-4)

Seeing these people cheerfully sharing what little they had with us, helped us see the need to be more thankful for the blessings God sends us.

Another thing we learned together as a group was the role and calling of a missionary. Each evening we closed with bible reading, prayer and a group discussion. The overall main topic throughout the week was “being a missionary”, and within that, we discussed callings, giving tithes, and how the Lord works through his people. One of the elements of being a missionary that we discussed is the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. How can we bring the Gospel in truth, if we don’t know that truth ourselves? And if we are in Christ, it is important that we share the message about salvation with others.

Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick......Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

The call to be a missionary, and ultimately, the call to be a Christian, is a call to self-denial, a call to “pick up our cross and follow Jesus”. Even though we might be afraid of sharing the Gospel, Christ commands us to do so, and he promises to equip us and provide opportunities to serve in His Kingdom! We have every reason to ask Him for his help and for His Spirit to lead and guide us. Throughout the week we discussed how to encourage one another in this, and various ways we can serve others.

It can be so easy to just say the words, but to also live out the truth of God in our lives requires the work of the Holy Spirit in our souls. Be prepared to share the Gospel with others - not just in a foreign country on a mission trip, but also here at home. Show gratitude to God for the blessings he gives us, not just the big gifts, but also the daily grace he provides us with.

Our mission trip was an amazing experience, not just for what we saw and participated in, but also for what we learned about God. Truely, “Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.”

Mia Vandermaarel (Hamilton FRC)