Youth Bakery Trip is Cooking Again!

By Carrie Saathoff, Co-Chair of the Guatemala Partnership

This weekend after Thanksgiving, I am grateful to be heading to Guatemala to help lead the Utz Pan Bakery youth trip for a third year. If you are not already familiar with the Utz Pan bakery project, here is a quick recap:

Pastors Emerson Morales and Mardoqueo Perez of Jesus es El Camino church (Jesus is the Way) in Guatemala City initiated a bakery project in their church aimed at offering local teenagers a safe space to learn new skills and earn extra income, often to help pay for their traditional schooling and family expenses. The initial investment for the bakery equipment and supplies was funded with a grant from Self-Development of People, a mission program of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Utz Pan bakery project was born. Utz Pan, meaning Good Bread, has been a smashing success, graduating a new group of skilled bakers every two years.

These young people live in an area of Guatemala City known as a “red zone” due to its high levels of poverty and drug-related crime. Gangs and violence are a way of life. There is little opportunity for these youth and many have never traveled very far from home. Inspired by these teen bakers, members of Westminster Presbyterian Church (Wilmington, DE) have generously funded an annual week-long “field trip” designed to broaden the dreams and aspirations of eight Guatemalan teenagers while also giving them a chance to relax and have fun – a rarity in their lives. The primary focus of this trip is to give the bakery students a behind-the-scenes look at other bakeries and restaurants and learn more about the business. The itinerary also showcases the incredible beauty and history of their country and creates space to strengthen friendships – both old and new.

During the coming week, my goal is to send several updates to share highlights of the trip with you. They may be basic posts with lots of photos, as the internet connection is not always ideal and the days with these active kids are exhausting, but I will do my best to have you travel along with us.

Thank you to all who have supported these amazing teens over the years and for following along with us!