I have been so blessed in my life and I truly believe that the secret to living is giving. Being of service and making a difference in other people’s lives is what life is about. When I found out that a group of men from my church were traveling to the jungles of Guatemala to help the impoverished communities there, I wanted to be part of it. Since then, we have made an annual trip with the mission of securing orphanages for young girls who have been trafficked, building homes, and on the last trip in 2019, we built a beautiful church. My first time in Guatemala was shockingly sad and heartwarming at the same time. Watching the children who lived in the slums of this little town called “Limonada” forage through the huge garbage dump and fight vultures for scraps of food broke my heart. But seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter of the children as we gave them clothes, soccer uniforms, equipment, and toys, was so beautiful and touching. Once I made the first journey, I knew I would return every year to make a difference in the lives of these people who had touched my heart.During my trips to Guatemala, I have had the opportunity to help build a home for a woman who was living in nothing more than a little shack with a dirt floor, secured a girls’ home by placing razor wire around the perimeter to keep predators from kidnapping the girls, and repaired their leaky roofs, broken toilets, and showers. Not only that, but through the Knights of Columbus, we raised money to build a church in a community whose church consisted of a few benches set under a leaky tin roof on the side of a muddy road. Now stands a beautiful new church for the community to worship in. How can you help? You can help by donating to the cause. All funds go to the girls’ homes through the Knights of Columbus. I hope to be returning soon once it’s safe to travel again