Lori's Guatemala Mission Trip

Lori's Guatemala Mission Trip

Updated February 2009

After having participated in Margaret's Mission Trip, I am convinced more than ever that I've chosen the right country to bring a child home from. There is tremendous need in Guatemala on several levels. I have never seen such crushing poverty while at the same time witnessing people with such richness of spirit. I left Guatemala with warm feelings as well as a feeling of connection to the country, if that makes any sense.

While I did have some trepidation beforehand about traveling in Guatemala without my husband, the EAC staff, specifically

,

and

, allayed all of my fears. Kala handled all of the pre-trip details (which I REALLY appreciated); Jose and Juan couldn't have been warmer and more helpful. I really felt taken care of and I'm looking forward to a return trip sometime soon.

New Dawn is a grand, Spanish-style home with breathtaking views. The few children who will call it their temporary home will be fortunate. But it does need your help to be operational soon. Margaret, Katrina (the other volunteer on the mission) and I brainstormed about things that need to be done in order to accept babies and toddlers soon. We organized rooms, closets, and dressers. We labeled shelves, diaper pails, toiletries, and medicines in Spanish. We washed and hung a lot of clothing. We shopped at the local Wal-Mart and Dollar Store for additional items and, lastly, we created a Needs List (please see the link for more information).

Whether you've adopted in the past or are contemplating adopting a child from Guatemala, I urge you to go on one of the next trips. It will be a life-long memory and you'll be doing something worthwhile to help out children who desperately need it. And, if you can't make the trip, you would still help a great deal by donating items from the Needs List . Your effort will bring EAC one step closer to opening the doors of New Dawn.

Regards,

Lori