In the dining hall, I held paper cards in my hand as I read the heavy words written by the children and teen moms. “I pray to be adopted” and “I pray for my child to be adopted.” Around me, children were constantly laughing and playing but the prayer requests told a different story— one of loss, pain, and abandonment.

In the dining hall, I held paper cards in my hand that read, “I pray to be adopted” and “I pray for my child to be adopted.” Around me, children were constantly laughing and playing but the prayer requests told a different story— one of loss, pain, and abandonment.

During the summer, I traveled with my church youth group to Guatemala, along with many of my friends. Although I felt nervous going into the trip, I was driven by a desire to serve others and grow closer to God, despite not fully understanding what the experience would entail.

Our group stayed at Village of Hope, a protected community that provides care for children and teen mothers who have experienced severe trauma, including abuse, abandonment and poverty. Surrounded by high concrete walls topped with barbed wire, the facility offers safety in a country where crime and instability are common.

Despite being in the middle of poverty, I felt completely safe. It was beautiful — flowers everywhere, mountains in the distance and even a volcano you could see from the property. I felt a sense of relief knowing the kids at Village of Hope were safe here.

Just outside the walls, however, was quite the opposite. I witnessed families living in makeshift homes made of metal slabs, people sleeping on brick roads and large families crowded into single-room shacks — scenes far removed from my life in Texas.

The first morning began with breakfast and a meeting with Village of Hope staff, who trained our mission team on the realities of the children’s pasts. The organization rescues children from unsafe home environments and provides schooling, therapy and job training. One of its most unique initiatives involves building tiny homes for teen mothers who age out of the program at 18.

During the week, our team helped construct one of these homes. The program allows young mothers to live independently so they can start a life outside of the village. The mothers pay rent, which is returned to them when they move out, giving them financial support to begin a new life.

In addition to construction work, the group painted, gardened, sanded and led Vacation Bible School for the children. Despite language barriers, connections formed quickly through games, music and worship. The joy there was overwhelming. Even with everything they’d been through, the kids were dancing, singing and worshiping with so much faith.

One of the most difficult moments for me came while reading prayer cards written by the children. Many asked to be adopted or prayed for parents who had abandoned them. I could picture the kids who wrote those prayers. Seeing them every day made it impossible to forget.

The moment that defined me was witnessing teen mothers my own age raising children due to horrible trauma. The experience forced me to confront my own privilege and changed how I viewed the world. I realized how good I’ve had it my whole life, and how much suffering exists outside my little circle back home. I wasn’t guilty of my life, I was grateful.

Saying goodbye at the end of the week was difficult, but I returned the following summer. This time, I recognized the children’s faces and saw the impact of the work done the year before. I saw the house we built that would someday house one of the girls. I recognized many of the children and teen moms and I saw how much happier they seemed a year later. I also noticed that some of the kids that weren’t there anymore. I could only pray that they were safe with a loving family.

Village of Hope will always be a part of my life. It showed me that even small acts of service can make a real difference. Even though sometimes it felt like I wasn’t doing much to contribute, just playing with the kids made them so happy.

Now back in Texas, I often pray for the children I met and feel a strong calling toward future mission work. My time in Guatemala left me permanently changed and now I get the opportunity to go to Bolivia this summer. I have learned how to put my own wants aside to serve others and to step out of my comfort zone to make a real impact.

I will never be the same. That week showed me both the brokenness and the beauty of the world — and reminded me that faith can exist even in the hardest places.