This summer, a group of students from Seton School in Manassas embarked on a weeklong mission trip to Antigua, Guatemala. The team consisted of students Julia Starrs, Amelia Geary, Lily Griffin, Annaliese Orr, Camila Lopez, Seth Kellogg, Monica De Micoli and Gabriela Brown, accompanied by chaperones Ann Martella, Aminda Lopez and Marylin Brown. Their mission was to support the children of Gotitas de Amor, an intermediate school in Antigua, by engaging with them and providing companionship.
At Gotitas De Amor, each Seton student was assigned a homestay where they had breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their daily routine began with walking to a Spanish school in Antigua, where they received four hours of personalized tutoring in Spanish. After classes concluded around noon, the group returned to their host families for lunch and participated in various daily activities.
During their stay in Guatemala, the students explored the country’s rich culture and natural beauty. They climbed a volcano, visited a coffee plantation and learned the art of chocolate-making.
In interviews with the participants, several students shared their motivations and experiences. Brown decided to join the mission trip to become more fluent in Spanish, a sentiment shared by Kellogg and De Micoli. Starrs, on the other hand, saw it as an opportunity to embark on an adventure.
What they liked most about the mission trip varied. Brown enjoyed the shopping and spending time with the children. Kellogg cherished the chance to experience a foreign country, help at the school and immerse himself in a new culture. For De Micoli, the highlight was interacting with the children, even if they spoke Spanish quickly. Starrs found joy in playing with the children and practicing Spanish with them.
Guatemala left a lasting impression on the students. They appreciated its beautiful architecture and jewelry, the diverse experiences it offered and the country’s resemblance to other places they had lived or visited. They particularly enjoyed exploring the coffee plantation, climbing the volcano and visiting the chocolate museum.
Martella, the organizer, explained that she chose Guatemala for its well-rounded program that combines a faith-based Spanish school with homestays and community-focused mission work. She also appreciated the country’s beauty and friendly people. She enjoyed witnessing her students actively engage in mission work, including their generous book donations. She also appreciated the cultural exchange between Seton students and the children of Gotitas de Amor.
The mission trip to Guatemala was an enriching experience that left a profound impact on both the students and chaperones, setting the stage for future adventures and cultural exchanges.
