June Trip 2025 -Cobán, Guatemala
After Josiah and Sharla visited Cobán back in December/January earlier this year, they felt the desire to return to the area again this summer. Cobán is located up in the mountains of Guatemala, where many of the people only speak Mayan languages such as Pokomchi and Q’eqchi. We were fortunate enough to visit three separate villages on this trip: Paz Molón, Chojol and Chamelco.
Due to generous donations this past year from individual donors as well as from our biggest supporters at Rowley’s Red Barn, we were able to provide 100 water filter bucket kits in total, divided between the three different villages! The beautiful people in these communities are working hard to provide food and shelter for their families, so these clean water filters truly make a huge difference in day to day life! When drinking dirty water, your immune system is attacked constantly due to bacteria in the water, leading to sicknesses such as stomach pain, diarrhea and vommiting. Work days are prolonged or halted, no one feels healthy and strong, and day to day activities are much more difficult to accomplish. We are so grateful to Sawyer Water Filters for their creation of these incredible bucket filter systems, as well as for their non profit discount on our bulk orders, so that we can better help our Guatemalan friends avoid these sicknesses in their day to day life, and make the donation money we receive go much further.
On this trip we were also able to share important nutrition information (shout out to our medical professionals Janelle and Erica,) distribute reading glasses to adults who needed them as well as provide hygiene kits to many families, thanks to many donations of time and resources from friends and family here in the states!
No matter what we do or give while in Guatemala, we end up feeling like we gained so much more from the amazing friends we make in Guatemala. They are always so willing to talk with us, share their homes and food with us and show us so much love and kindness. Plus they are always so patient for those of us with weaker Spanish speaking skills!
We love getting to see the creative ways they come up with to grow their food, make their clothing and bedding as well as design their homes and schools. Every time we go, we are always reminded of just how much Heavenly Father loves all of His children!
One last shout out out to the many wonderful humans who helped us during the trip as well, our dear friend Maria from the Guatemalan coast, our tour aides Antonio, Melvin, Edwin and our super fun and helpful bus driver Alex! This was an incredible trip, and we’re so grateful to all who helped make it happen!
