In 1996, I embarked on a journey that would change my life as well as many others. As a young (very naïve, but eager) “man”, I went on a trip to Guatemala with friends from my local church. It was an eye-opening experience.  But to be honest, I never thought I would set foot back there after the trip. Upon my return, I started university as do many, and began to live my own life. After a while, I began to wonder what my life would amount to – what I would do to leave a mark on this world.  Would it be a stain or would it really be significant at all. In my introspection, something sparked deep in my soul that would lead me back to Guatemala.

 

At the age of 19, I went to work with an organization called Helps International. This involved interaction with the people of the villages, as well as the doctors, nurses and mechanics, who came in from all over the U.S. While serving, I was given freedom to explore a country rich in culture with indescribable beauty, a very exotic and yet, somehow comforting cuisine - with a fascinating history. This all intrigued a young man who only understood the culture of growing up in the rural Southeast section of the U.S.  But, above all of this, were the people I encountered. I was welcomed into communities, as well as invited to be part of families with sincere acceptance. They saw something in a young man I could not see in myself. I also saw pain - a lot of pain, along with hopelessness and desperation.

 

My early trips came on the rears of a 36-year Civil War.  My focused areas were in some of towns greatly affected by the conflict. Some of my experiences included peering over a United Nations worker’s shoulder as he “made sense” of mass graves being dug up and piecing bones together that would tell a history many wish they could forget or were never a part. I vividly remember the gruesome - yet endearing site, of a mother holding her daughter and a bullet going through the head of the child, while piercing through the chest of the mom. There were other moments I was able to witness, such as prestigious doctors giving up vacation time to step back in time to a world with familiar illnesses without the technologically-advanced tools they were accustomed to using.

 

As I have now traveled my entire adult life in Guatemala - filling three pages in worn passports, getting married to the best woman I know in one of the most beautiful hotels in Antigua, watching my children run through central parks, meeting lifelong friends - my heart has indeed been stolen by another country. Do not get me wrong - I love my home country and am proud to be a citizen of the United States, but am also captivated by Guatemala.

 

By trade, I am a project manager.  And - thanks to God, some awesome people and a wonderful company, I am able to work from anywhere in the world - which allows me to support the needs of my family. I do not take this opportunity lightly, nor do I take it for granted. We have had some incredible people come alongside us through the years and invest with us from a grassroots level. I am forever grateful for these individuals and hope they know the impact they have had on my life and so many others.

 

I live my life by a few quotes and thoughts:

“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing” (Edmund Burke)

“Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” (Frances of Assisi)

 

I believe my life to be a symphony orchestrated by God himself.

The most powerful and hated substance in existence is the blood of Jesus Christ.