This past June, a group of Benet students joined the proud tradition of going to Guatemala on a mission trip, a yearly Benet event since 2014. Each June, seven groups of volunteers travel to Guatemala for eight to nine days to help build homes for families in need.
Such a huge trip cannot take off without planning. In the fall, interested students attended informational meetings and then applied to be a part of the trip. Once the teams of volunteers were selected, the adult leaders of the trip booked airfare and other accommodations. In the spring, the teams held meetings to become more familiar with the construction process and the culture of Guatemala.

The trip to Guatemala was jam-packed with service and fun for the volunteers. They arrived in Guatemala on a Saturday, only to get up at 6 a.m. on Sunday for Mass in a beautiful church. They spent the rest of the day touring Antigua and visiting an orphanage. From Monday to Thursday, they worked on building houses for their assigned families. The Benet students started each day having breakfast with their host families then driving in pickup trucks to the worksites where they built the homes. They talked and enjoyed lunch with the families whom they were helping. Once the hard work was done, Friday and Saturday were filled with fun activities such as hiking, zip-lining, shopping in the marketplace, and making homemade tortillas. The volunteers headed home on Sunday. Not even a delay at the Miami airport nor a lack of running water due to an erupted volcano could dampen the spirits of the volunteers after such an impactful week in Guatemala.

Senior Meghan Gibbons, one of the volunteers, said she would recommend the experience to anyone able to go. Thanks to the trip, she says, she now has lifelong friends, near and far, at Benet and in Guatemala. Mr. Steve Frey, one of the organizers for the Guatemala missions, says Benet plans to hold two more mission trips this year, one over spring break and one in June. Informational meetings will take place in the fall for those interested in a trip full of cultural immersion, service, fun, and friendship.