And Then There Were The Children: A Highlight of a High School Student’s Trip To Guatemala (new)

As an Impact Global Health volunteer, I enjoy featuring those who are fortunate enough to witness its work. In this article, a youth volunteer will share her experience…but first some context. Five youth/young adults from the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina area participated in an Impact Global Health Alliance volunteer trip to Guatemala last month. They were accompanied by Lisa Hoskins, Impact Global Health Alliance Volunteer Coordinator, Felix Flanders, Youth Director of Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Durham and Sonya Schofield, the Duke School of Nursing instructor I wrote about in an earlier story. The primary purpose of the trip was for service learning and cultural exchange, although several of the students already had an interest in healthcare. But as Lisa Hoskins noted, “they were particularly interested in just learning and having some hands-on experience where appropriate. They wanted to remain open to the experience.”

I attend Umstead Park United Church of Christ (UPUCC) in Raleigh which has had a long-standing relationship with Impact Global Health Alliance. In 2016 and before CoVid in 2019, the church participated in two youth and adult volunteer trips to Guatemala, so I was very excited when I heard a trip was being planned again for the summer of 2026. When Merry Zhang addressed our congregation right before the trip, I asked her if she would be willing to share her experience with me for a story when she returned. When she said “Yes, and I love to journal,” I knew she’d come through and she did!

Here is her beautiful story:

“From car washes and bake sales to generous donations from members of our congregation, we were finally able to make our dream of an international service trip a reality. After two years of fundraising and anticipation, five members from Pilgrim United Church of Christ and myself, the sole representative from Umstead Park United Church of Christ, were finally ready to journey over twenty hours to Calhuitz, a remote village nestled in the Mayan highlands of Guatemala.

There I stood, gasping for air over seven thousand feet above sea level. But I couldn’t help myself as sisters, Graciola and Ana peeked their heads out from behind a grassy bush. With my arms stretched over my head, my hands in the shape of claws, and a childish vigour that had woken out of hibernation, I charged at the children. The sound of joyous screams filled my ears.

Soon over a dozen kids filled the hilly terrain, transforming the Casa Materna into a playground. Dr. Mario’s truck was no longer the pickup that barreled down bumpy mountainsides transporting us to neighboring worksites. It became a sanctuary I crouched behind as I worked to catch my breath, planning my next sneak attack. I had no idea what game we were playing, whose children I was playing with, or what anyone was saying. I lost track of time as we rolled down hills together, showed off our cartwheels, and as I became the source of countless piggy back rides. As I tentatively watched the sun creep behind the mountains, the kids seemed to know. As each of them wrapped their tiny arms around me, I felt my heart swell. Through my fragmented Spanish, I managed to muster out, “Mismo tiempo manana” “Same time tomorrow”.

The children of Calhuitz, their laughter, their hugs, and their screams will always stay with me. I imagine that their memory of me and the other “Americanos” will fade as their young minds absorb the vast world around them, but I will never forget how they showed me what it means to be a child again. I will never forget their fearless curiosity when they approached a complete foreigner and embraced me with their whole heart. Isabel, Ana, Graciola, and Yanette, you guys have taught me that despite borders, languages, and ages we all just want to scream with joy.”

It is obvious that this experience had a significant impact on Merry and I’m sure the other volunteers. I’m also quite sure that they made a positive impression on those they visited, like these beautiful children. But although we are all globally connected in our humanity, there remains a great disparity in our respective resources, such as available healthcare to prevent morbidity and mortality. So, thank you Impact Global Health Alliance for making a measurable difference in the lives of so many throughout the world who are underserved, while offering opportunities like this for us to learn, grow and give back. And thank you, Merry (the one with the dark T-shirt!), for sharing your story.