In the interview below we take a look at the story of a mission trip from one of our students, Morgan Meier, who is a senior at Columbus East.

• Where did you go for your mission trip?

Santiago Zamora, Guatemala

•  How did you manage to go on this trip, what program was this mission trip through?

“I missed a week of school, I was gone from September 24-30th, I had to make up homework before and after. I went with my church, St. Peter’s Lutheran and we stayed with a missionary through the organization LeadaChild. I saved up money from working all summer, selling my goat in the 4-H auction, and I received help from family to pay for the trip.”

• What were your thoughts on this trip before you left? Were you nervous at all?

“I was kind of nervous, but mostly excited. It was my first time going outside of the US and it has always been my dream to go on international mission trips. I wasn’t sure what to expect, I had seen some pictures but I had never experienced anything close to it before. I knew that God had a plan for the trip and I had to trust that it would all be good and work out according to His will.”

• Did this trip meet your expectations?

“The trip exceeded all of my expectations. It was truly amazing. I had the opportunity to share the love of God with so many amazing people. It was mind blowing how thankful and welcoming the Guatemalan people were. They had nothing yet they wanted to give us all they had. Guatemala is breathtakingly beautiful, even though it rained a lot while we were there. It was amazing to experience a new culture.”  

• What are some activities you did while you were on the mission trip?

“We went to a Lutheran church/school called Redentor Del Mundo and led daily chapel and Bible classes during the school day. In the afternoon we did a vacation bible school with all the community kids. We also did home visits to welcome and build relationships with the families of the kids St. Peter’s sponsored to go to school for the first time. When we weren’t at the school we got to explore more of Guatemala, like the beautiful city of Antigua, or hanging out at the mission house.”

• What was your favorite part about this trip?

“My favorite part was definitely working with the kids. They were so full of energy and so much fun to work with. I loved interacting with the people it was so easy to see God at work through them.”

• What part of this trip was most challenging?

“The language barrier could be really challenging. My spanish skills are really lacking and sometimes it was really hard to communicate when I wasn’t near a translator. It was also intimidating to try and speak spanish at first because I was afraid people would judge me if I messed up, but it wasn’t like that at all. They were very understanding and patient. Even though we could not speak the same language I was still able build relationships and make so many new friends. We found new ways to communicate without using words.”

• What are your thoughts on mission trips in general after this trip?

“I think mission trips are a great thing and incredibly important. They can positively  impact the lives of so many people. Mission trips give people are eye opening experiences that allow people to step out of their comfort zones, experience new cultures and make the world a better place. “

• If you were to go on another mission trip, where would you like to go?

“I really hope to go back to Guatemala some time in the not too distant future. I would also love to go to other Latin American countries.”

Gallery • 4 Photos

Morgan Meier