“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” James 1:27

For information
contact our trip coordinator:

Dustin Smith (hola_dusty@yahoo.com)

Objectives

We seek to care for the poor. To follow in the example of Jesus we seek to reach out to the poor. And with the gift of a home, hopefully change their place in society, helping to lift them from the bottom. The individuals we build houses for have no notable means of support from family or community to obtain a home on their own.

We seek a cross-cultural mission experience and to use or discover our talents to strengthen our bond with the community.

We seek to support the global church and create community that extends beyond Solomon’s Porch.

We seek to get to know each other and have a fantastic time!

Location

San Juan la Laguna is on the shores of Lake Atitlan, 3 hours Northwest of Guatemala City. We chose Guatemala because of its proximity to the United States. About a 6 hour plane ride from Minneapolis, it affords us the time and energy (no time change) to accomplish a significant amount of work without spending days on travel.

San Juan was chosen because it is an easy and relatively quick trip from Guatemala City. San Juan is a community that has not been inundated by North Americans, yet many coffee farmers have been left poor and without opportunity.

The People of San Juan are wonderful and have much to teach us about following God in the way of Jesus. Through our partnership we have the opportunity to create community within San Juan without fighting the stereotype or impression (whether good or bad) left by past groups/organizations.

The Homes

There are many in San Juan whose living situation is very poor and without many resources. It is our intention, through the Homes for Guatemala Partnership, to help the poorest people in the village by providing them a home.

The recipient families provide labor and part of the building materials. The provision of a home is a significant contribution to the family and in many cases allows the family to break the cycle of generational poverty. The families who will receive these homes are selected by the churches of San Juan, in cooperation with OCI, a coordinating organization that Solomon’s Porch has worked with since 1999.

It is our intention to build one home for every four people on the trip. Each home costs approximately $800.

The homes are made of concrete block, with a metal roof and poured concrete floor.

Our crews serve as assistants to hired Guatemalan masons who are responsible for the project. Through this partnership we are able to employ local workers as well as provide a home.

Food and Accommodations

During our time in Guatemala we will be staying at a variety of places. Our first two nights in San Juan we will participate in family homestays. In groups of two or three we will share meals with and live with a Guatemalan host family. The homes are comfortable but rustic; you may have to go a day without a shower and sleep on the floor. The remainder of our time in San Juan we will stay at La Estrella del Lago, a little hotel near the shore of Lake Atitlan. It is also very modest; we will share one shower and two toilets. The last two nights of our trip we will stay in a nice hotel with hot showers and “all the comforts of home”.

Participation & Contributions

The Guatemala experience is like none other and we hope you consider being part of it.

You will be rewarded with seeing and participating in activities of God, experiencing incredible bonds within the Solomon’s Porch community and the community of San Juan.

The cost of the trip is $1,300. The breakdown is:

• Airfare - $600
• Building costs - $200
• In country transportation, food, lodging - $500

We encourage participants to raise support for the cost of their trip in order to include others in this wonderful opportunity.

If you are interested in contributing, you may send your contribution to Solomon's Porch at 100 W 46th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55419. Please put Guatemala in the memo of your check.

Participant Expectations

We expect all participants to be open-minded, ready to face any situation, however daunting or distasteful, with a gracious attitude and a willingness to learn from unexpected situations.

Participants are expected to attend all planning/training meetings before the trip. We expect all participants to be contributing members of the team, and to be prepared for the trip with an understanding of the team’s goals and expectations.

We expect all participants to be prepared physically for the possibility of labor as well as prepared mentally for the lack of physical labor.

This is a home building partnership between the churches of San Juan, Atitlan, Guatemala and Solomon’s Porch.

For information contact our trip coordinator:

Dustin Smith (hola_dusty@yahoo.com)