On September 1, 2020, Mission Guatemala celebrated 10 years of serving our sisters and brothers here in San Andrés Semetabaj and beyond! Throughout the fall, Mission Guatemala staff, friends, and special guests looked back on these ten amazing years and shared their excitement for the years to come. And although "virtual celebrations" weren't how we ever imagined the festivities commemorating our 10th anniversary, we're excited to share in conversations and activities as we remember the past decade!
Join us in celebrating 10 years of "doing all the good we can together" with Mission Guatemala!
At the beginning of September, for the first time since the pandemic began, we gathered our staff together in one place at our clinic property in San Andrés Semetabaj. While we take seriously the importance of limiting risk by social distancing and reducing exposure, we felt it was important to come together to begin the celebration of Mission Guatemala's 10th Anniversary and to dedicate the clinic property that Mission Guatemala has now purchased.
Our hope for the day was that we could recommit, both as an organization and as individuals, to the mission of loving and serving our brothers and sisters and to "do all the good we can." We also wanted to honor Tom Heaton, the founder of Mission Guatemala, without whose leadership and vision throughout this past decade the organization would not exist. And most of all, through the day's activities, we desired to honor the Mayan culture, history and traditions of Guatemala and to give thanks for all that has been accomplished.
Tom has reminded us of this since the very beginning of Mission Guatemala, and with each passing day throughout this decade of working to love and serve our brothers and sisters here in Guatemala and to be a part of the communities of San Andrés Semetabaj, we have seen this to be true.
We celebrate the miracle that Mission Guatemala is, thanks to the support and generosity and tireless work of each and every one of you who have been a part of our family and who have helped to write Mission Guatemala's story over these past ten years!
Click here to see more photos from this day!
Throughout the past ten years, our initiatives in health, nutrition, education, and community aid have developed and shifted to best match the needs of the Guatemalan communities we serve. Click each photo below to read more about what a decade of doing all the good we can looks like in each of these areas!
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When Mission Guatemala first began, our primary focus was on setting up a small medical clinic and pharmacy, where we could provide quality, respectful and loving medical care to improve the health of our brothers and sisters in San Andrés Semetebaj and beyond.
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Due to a clear and pressing need, from Mission Guatemala's very beginning, partnering with the communities that we serve to help provide nutritional support to children has been an integral part of our vision and focus!
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Throughout the years, Mission Guatemala has had the opportunity to support the public schools and the educational system as a whole throughout the San Andrés Semetabaj area in a variety of ways, helping to ensure that the communities that we serve will have strong and able leaders in the years to come.
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Since 2010, Mission Guatemala has had the privilege of working alongside 3,700 team members from 304 mission teams from all over the United States, realizing construction projects benefiting communities across the municipality of San Andrés Semetabaj and the surrounding areas.
"I learned that God dreams bigger than we can dream, and that God has bigger ideas than we can conceive."
We kicked off our 10th Anniversary with Mission Guatemala's founder Tom Heaton and co-founder Dave Burns sharing memories about the early days of the organization!
As Mission Guatemala began 10 years ago, there were so many individuals who played a vital role in making the vision of what Mission Guatemala could be into the reality of what it has become. We're thankful for the leadership and support of each member of Mission Guatemala's board of directors. Click each board member below to watch our "From The Boardroom" video series!
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Fran Black, the secretary of Mission Guatemala's Board of Directors, has been a part of Mission Guatemala's board since its inception, selflessly serving as secretary for much of that time.
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Ken has been leading teams to serve with Mission Guatemala since 2011, and began serving on the board in 2016. Ken has served as board president the past two years.
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Tricia served with us on the Mission Guatemala’s staff team in 2013-2014, helping to coordinate volunteer groups who served with us in-country. She joined our board earlier this year.
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Over the last decade, Bob, along with the other dentists who have served alongside him, have impacted numerous lives through their dental work with Mission Guatemala, and we are grateful for the impact Bob is now having as a member of the board!
2020 has been a year filled with uncertainty as the whole world has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. And, even though it has been a difficult year, it has also been a year to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Mission Guatemala! Here you can read stories from our staff members, each of whom has adapted to the changes required by this unprecedented time, and who are contributing in so many meaningful ways to Mission Guatemala's goal of "doing all the good we can!"
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A story from Devora Cumes, Mission Guatemala's “Becas con Misión” Scholarship Program Coordinator.
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A COVID-19 Update from Dra. Lidia Balán, Mission Guatemala's Clinic Doctor and Medical Programs Supervisor.
