By Sandra Irish
Hello, my name is Sandra, and it was such a joy and a blessing to have been a part of the Guatemala Mission Trip. I met Jesus in Guatemala from the smiles and giggles of the children. They were happy to see us act out the Bible stories and they loved making beautiful cross necklaces and sun catchers. 
While making a bed for a little boy in the town of Santa Maria de Jesus, he just giggled and giggled when I caught a toy car he threw to me. 
I guess my silly face and spinning around to catch the car just made him happy that he wanted me to catch the car over and over again. Then, he helped me tuck in his sheets and comforter and put his pillow on his new bed. His smile seeing his new bed showed his joy. Then, there were the children on the playground at Steps of Hope yelling out “Otra, Otra, Otra!” when they wanted to see us do yet another bottle rocket launch! God is in the hearts of all the Guatemalan people through their open expression of their Faith. For Lent and preparing for Holy Week, the town is adorned with purple and white banners in the parks and squares, with purple and white draperies and flowers in the windows of homes and businesses, and large draped hangings from the high ceiling of their cathedrals. At Steps of Hope, the children prayed before the Bible story and after the Bible story.
After a bed is completed for the children, a special prayer is said to bless the new beds and bless the children and families. We were also lucky to have experienced the First Sunday of Lent Procession in the streets of Antigua Guatemala. All the community is involved in carrying large statues of Jesus Carrying his Cross and the Mother Mary with prayers and music. They adorned the cobblestone streets with sand art of Jesus with his crown of thorns and colorful art displays. These are all such beautiful expressions of their faith. 
It was an amazing trip, an experience that I will never forget, filled with beautiful moments and learning opportunities. I’m truly grateful to have been a part of this journey together with my incredible teammates, with our compassionate leader Dawn, and with the teachers, children, and families of Steps of Hope. All of us that went to Guatemala this March are looking forward to sharing the experience with new participants in coming years. Thank you!
