This past May, Cait Reid, a Human Services faculty member, led a group of eight BJU students on a two-week study abroad trip to Guatemala. While there, they were able to partner with ministries dedicated to serving children, families and vulnerable women. The trip combined personal interactions, cultural immersion, and hands-on learning to create a lasting educational experience.
Upon arrival, students enjoyed a visit around the city, including to the town square of Plaza de la Constitución, where students were able to visit museums, parks, marketplaces, and cathedrals to take in the Guatemalan culture. The next morning, after a few hours of training for the week ahead, the team ventured up the hiking trail to Volcano Pacaya, an active volcano that has erupted as recently as 2010. This was no walk in the park, but it served to illustrate a life principle that the team members would need frequent reminders of on this trip: “We can do hard things.”
While in Guatemala City, the team was able to work with a local church, La Reforma Church, and a group known as Alianza Cristiana para los Huérfanoz (ACH)—a Latin American orphan care network affiliated with Lifeline Children’s Services— to host Camp Empower. Camp Empower is a therapeutic day camp designed to bring trauma-informed care to children and families with emotional, academic and relational needs. Our team prepared activity stations focused on social-emotional learning, brain games, movement and sensory play. Then, they served as “buddies” assigned to campers and rotated among the various stations.
With school still being in session during the team’s time there, this first run of Camp Empower was limited to a single Saturday instead of the typical three-day event. However, this schedule adjustment allowed the team to host a Mother’s Breakfast for foster and adoptive moms. Students welcomed guests, facilitated icebreakers, handed out prizes and served as table hosts—often relying on Google Translate to bridge the language gap.
The second week began with the team joining other believers at the La Reforma church for worship and getting some rest before their travel day to Antigua. Here, the team would meet up with Dare for More (DFM) ministries. Some readers may remember that this ministry was the recipient of the 2024 Bible Conference fundraiser at BJU. This ministry, founded by School of Education and Human Services graduate Reba Bowman, supports vulnerable women and children in Guatemala through safe houses, work opportunities and training centers. Students toured DFM’s programs, including the medical center, baking program, sewing center and coffee roastery.
While in Antigua, Reid was able to do two days of professional development and training sessions for the staff, psychologists, and house parents in the mornings while the students worked with DFM team member Lisa Potter to facilitate activities geared toward connecting with the moms while their kids were at school. Then, in the afternoons, they were able to work with both mothers and their children in the Camp Empower activities. They ended this leg of the trip with fun Saturday activities of ziplining and an ATV excursion and concluded with Sunday morning church services before returning to Guatemala City.
Across the two weeks, the team facilitated three days of camp, connected personally with more than 20 children and their parents, celebrated five birthdays and built relationships with at least six key mentors. They visited two local churches, gained a deeper awareness of Guatemalan culture and the needs of vulnerable people there, and were shown that the skills that they are developing in their field of study at BJU can be used by God to minister to these communities.
