Encountering Joy in Guatemala

Encountering Joy in Guatemala

Reflection by Xuan Le ’24

In June 2023, I had the privilege of my life going to Guatemala on a PVI mission trip. I arrived at the airport at 3:45 a.m., the Saturday following the week of exams, oblivious to the fact that that was the rough start to the best week of my life. After a four hour flight, we landed at the Guatemala airport, which was not air conditioned. That was the first of two discomforts of the week. We next experienced a three hour bus ride in a cramped chicken bus with our luggage either on the roof or in our lap. Conditions were not what I expected. But then, we arrived at Hogar de la Niña—which is essentially a haven, run by 14 religious sisters, for girls ages 4-12, who come from the darkest places—and all the prior discomfort was met with a love I have never encountered. We were greeted by a Guatemalan storm, along with a line of girls excited to see us. I later learned that this was only a preview of the true joy that these girls embodied. This mission trip taught me two valuable lessons in life:

Know Who You Are and Whose You Are.

After spending a few hours at Hogar, I went to the chapel, and said to Jesus, “I’m sad and my heart is heavy. I had expectations of how I would feel on this trip and sadness wasn’t one of them. These girls are the happiest people I have ever encountered, but they have nothing. Here I am, with everything and more that I need to live, but I’m still not satisfied.” I carried this thought with me throughout the trip. One day at Hogar, we helped the sisters around the property, cleaning gardens, pulling weeds, and painting walls. After the hot and tiring day, I went into the chapel and there was all-day Adoration. I walked in on maybe a second grade class laying right in front of Jesus in the monstrance. I sat down behind them and then it all made sense. These girls don’t have “nothing.” They have absolutely everything that they need and it’s Him. They know who Jesus is, and they know who they are in Jesus, and that is all that matters. They radiated a joy that reflected Joy Himself. I believe that if we all knew this, we would be unstoppable.

The Human Person is Valuable.

Every time I walked up the stairs into the pavilion where we spent most of our time at Hogar, there were girls waiting for me at the top. From the moment we met them, to the moment we said our goodbyes, they valued us for who we are. The sisters, the girls, and the people we encountered in the surrounding villages, respected the dignity of humanity like I have never seen before. They desired to know my name, where I was from, what my family is like, how I know Jesus, and so much more. They greeted everyone with a hug and generosity. Whenever we entered a village, they lit fireworks, and came out of their homes to welcome us. They just had a strong desire to love that I have never seen. The people of Guatemala loved with no strings attached and it showed. And they desired to know, so that they could further love. If we all valued our neighbors the way they did, I believe the world would be a better place.

“The girls radiated a joy that reflected Joy Himself.”

—XUAN LE ’24