Spring Break Missions Trip

Hello Everyone,

Spreading Boilermaker spirit throughout Guatemala

Spring break has come and gone and with only 5 weeks of classes remaining the semester will be over before I know it. This spring break I had a unique opportunity to travel to Guatemala on a mission trip with Filter of Hope and provide rural families with the gift of clean water. I went with about 10 other boilermakers involved in the campus ministry Cru(Campus Crusade for Christ). We had an awesome opportunity to get to know the people of Guatemala and teach them how to use the sustainable water filter. The filters we were distributing work on gravity and if properly cleaned can last for 10 years all while filtering out bacteria, parasites, and other harmful substances that are often present in the water of these communities.

Pedro and his family were thankful for the water filter!

Guatemala is listed as a developing country and it was most evident in the rural villages where we were spreading the filters. The people live off the little money they make from farming and producing clothing products. It was very interesting to see how they farm Avocados, coffee, white corn, tomatoes, and other crops. Guatemala goes through a season of precipitation and then another where it doesn’t rain for months so they must plan their crops according to the rainfall. We met a man who had his own greenhouse operation growing tomato and pepper shoots to sell to larger farms along with the typical maize and avocados. He was very open to sharing about his farm and it was evident the ingenuity he had apart from many other farmers in the area.

This is a trip I will not soon forget as it has really made me think about how blessed we are to live in a country with a blessing of material possessions and peace of mind. The people in these villages rely on their faith and each other to survive and even though they have “nothing” in America’s standards they seemed to have just as much joy. It just goes to show what really matters in life and the importance of supporting one another.

Now I'm onto the final round of midterms and the busy month of April!

God Bless and Boiler Up!

Andrew Chupp