Guatemala Has Changed Us

By Maribel Gonzalez, School Social Worker and Foster Care Liaison, Phoenixville Area School District, and Kristen White, Licensed Behavior Consultant, Chester County Intermediate Unit

As we sit in our hotel rooms on our last night in Guatemala, listening to the sounds of the city one final time before we return home tomorrow, we find ourselves reflecting on all that we have experienced together. Our suitcases are packed, but our hearts are overflowing. While this journey is coming to an end, we know its impact is only just beginning.

As CEDEPCA famously says: “One week is not enough time for you to change Guatemala; but one week is enough time for Guatemala to change you.” And that has certainly been the case.

This morning, our final visit was to a unique school in Santiago Atitlán. Somehow, it felt like the perfect ending to our week because it reflected everything we had witnessed throughout Guatemala: hope, resilience, creativity, faith, and an unwavering belief in the power of education.

As we walked through the school, we saw classrooms filled with books, art, music, laughter, and curiosity. Every classroom has its own library. Children borrow books to take home each week, along with activities to share with their families. Reading circles bring together not only students, but parents and members of the community. We learned about their mobile library, which carries books to neighboring schools, and how teachers are trained to make stories come alive for children. They are even creating culturally relevant books so children can see their own language, traditions, and history reflected in the stories they read.

One program especially touched our hearts, a reading space dedicated to empowering girls through literature and encouraging them to see themselves as leaders, creators, and changemakers. Watching the children eagerly explore books reminded us that education is so much more than academics. It is about opening doors, nurturing imagination, building confidence, and helping every child believe that their future is filled with possibility.

Our group of fourteen came from different backgrounds but shared one common purpose. We are school social workers, teachers, and community partners who serve immigrant children and families in Kennett Square and Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. We came to Guatemala to better understand the communities, culture, history, and experiences that have shaped so many of the students and families we are privileged to serve.

None of this would have been possible without the incredible people who guided us.

Our trip was led by a remarkable volunteer, Carrie Saathoff, whose love for Guatemala has been evident through a decade of faithful service. Through her church and the countless relationships she has built over the years, she has walked alongside communities, not to change them, but to learn from them, support them, and help create opportunities where they are needed most. Her love for the people of Guatemala shone through in every introduction, every embrace, and every story she shared.

We were also blessed with an exceptional interpreter, Andrea Ramirez, who did far more than translate words. She helped us understand the heart behind every conversation, every tradition, and every smile. Alongside her, Pamela Liquez, of CEDEPCA, facilitated our trip, making sure every travel detail was taken care of.

Throughout the week, we visited organizations serving Indigenous families, met women who transformed traditional weaving into thriving businesses, learned about community development projects, and witnessed how small loans have helped families create sustainable livelihoods through farming, sewing, baking, raising livestock, and environmental initiatives.

We explored the ancient ruins of Iximché and were reminded that Guatemala’s story stretches back thousands of years. We stood beside the breathtaking beauty of Lake Atitlán, surrounded by volcanoes, and visited villages where traditions remain deeply rooted. We enjoyed fresh coffee and handmade chocolate, experienced music, worship, laughter, and extraordinary hospitality wherever we went. We gathered around tables to share traditional foods and even modern favorites like Pollo Campero, discovering once again that some of life’s deepest connections are made over a shared meal.

Some of the most meaningful moments happened inside schools, where we were welcomed with open arms. We played games with children, practiced English together, learned words in Mam, shared school supplies, and laughed more than any language barrier could ever prevent.

As educators, we left inspired by the teachers. They accomplish extraordinary things with limited resources. We never heard complaints about what they lacked. Instead, we witnessed creativity, perseverance, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to every child. Their classrooms overflowed with possibility because their teachers believed deeply in the potential of every student.

That same determination extended throughout every community we visited. We met people who continually sought to learn new skills, often teaching themselves through YouTube, community mentors, or simple perseverance. They reminded us that learning never ends and that opportunity often begins with courage, curiosity, and the willingness to keep trying.

Perhaps what touched us most was the faith. It wasn’t merely spoken, it was lived. Faith was present in the gratitude expressed around every meal, in the songs that welcomed us, in the hugs exchanged before we left each community, and in the quiet confidence that tomorrow would bring another opportunity to serve, to grow, and to give thanks. Even where resources were limited, hope was abundant. Joy was abundant. Love was abundant.

As we prepare to return home, we realize we haven’t simply learned more about Guatemala. Guatemala has changed us.

We return with a deeper understanding of the families who entrust us with their children every day. We return carrying stories instead of assumptions, relationships instead of statistics, and gratitude instead of sympathy.

We will remember the mothers building businesses with their own hands, the fathers working tirelessly to provide for their families, the teachers who inspire with so little, the children whose laughter echoed through every classroom, and the communities whose greatest resource is their unwavering belief in God.

Most of all, we bring home hope. We want every student and every family we serve to know that we see their strength more clearly now. We have seen where that resilience comes from. It is rooted in generations of perseverance, strengthened by faith, sustained by family, and nurtured by communities that refuse to give up. Those gifts cannot be measured by income or circumstance. They are treasures no hardship can take away.

When we walk back into our schools in Kennett Square and Phoenixville, we will do so with renewed purpose. We will greet our students with greater understanding, listen with greater compassion, and serve with deeper humility. Behind every child is a story, a family, a culture, and a legacy of strength that deserves to be honored. Guatemala has given us the priceless gift of seeing that more clearly than ever before.

As our journey comes to an end, we leave Guatemala with hearts full of gratitude for the people who welcomed us, the friendships that now connect us across borders, the lessons that will shape us forever, and the reminder that some of life’s greatest teachers are not found in textbooks, but in the courage, generosity, faith, and love of ordinary people.

Thank you, Guatemala, for opening your doors, your homes, and your hearts to us. You did more than welcome us. You transformed us. And because of you, we will return home committed to seeing more deeply, listening more carefully, serving more compassionately, and loving more fully.

This week’s journey may be ending, but its purpose is only beginning. For that gift, and for the countless lives that touched ours, we will be forever grateful.

A special thank you to New Castle Presbytery’s Ignite team and Trinity Presbyterian Church for providing us a grant of $15,000 to help subsidize this trip. It was such an overwhelming success we plan to offer a second trip for other teachers in June of 2028. To meet this year’s travelers and hear more about their experience in Guatemala, please join us for a dinner and presentation on Thursday, September 24 from 6-8 pm at Trinity Presbyterian Church in North Wilmington. Details to follow!