Saturday, May 24th, 2025
My name is Ross Roloson and our photographer’s name is Jack Hirshorn. We are both travelling for the first time with Juan Mesen’s Faith in Practice Group 863.
Today marked the first travel day to Guatemala. Our team met up with thirty one travel boxes packed to the top with life changing medical supplies at the check-in line at Tampa International Airport.
Our travel to Guatemala City was smooth, but the day consisted of more than just logistics and travel. It was also one of powerful stories- one of which left a lasting impression on us all.
One of our team members was fortunate enough to hear a story of a man who was on his first ever flight and it was bringing him home to Guatemala from Naples, Florida. You may be thinking to yourself how he got to Florida in the first place? He walked. All the way from Guatemala City to Florida in 2008 in search of a better life. Today he saw his family for the first time in 17 years. Greeted by 12 members with balloons and cameras cheering at the site of their relative it was nothing but impactful for our team members. It immediately illustrated the dedication and hard work the Guatemalan people have.
After our team members shared this story we loaded the buses up and traveled to Antigua, Guatemala. Climbing up large, windy hills and eventually reaching the cobblestone roads of Antigua. The culture and happiness these people spread was easy to feel with many of the Guatemalans waving to us as we passed by with large smiles on their faces as if they knew the desire our team had to change their lives.
Once the gates to the hotel opened we were greeted with smiles and picturesque views of the Guatemalan environment. Many of the team members soaked in the scenery and walked around the beautiful gardens before sharing past mission trip stories. When dinner was served, the lively conversation gave way to a gentile silence as exhaustion and excitement settled over us. One by one, we drifted off to our rooms motivated and enthusiastic about the impact we hoped to make in the days ahead.
