I can remember the glowing greens, the bright blues, the jumping colors and scents as the cool Guatemalan morning breeze rushed across my face. I embarked on my first mission trip in April 2017. I was a junior in high school and I was only looking to make my college resume more competitive and diversified. Little did I know that I would fall in love with one of the most beautiful places on the planet. After hiking through the mountains where I could overlook the Lago Atitlán, an entirely different world was introduced before my eyes.

I was marked by this mission trip not only because it was the beginning of my life as a Christian but by the people of the village my team and I visited. Life in Guatemala is a complete culture shock to an American who has never seen anything less than the latest and greatest advertised and plastered everywhere I go. Many of the Guatemalan people no nothing other than the village in which they reside, but I was taken aback by how welcoming and loving they were two twelve Caucasian missionaries.

The language barrier seemed daunting at first, but laughter, hugs, and smiles broke that barrier in an instant. I can remember to this day the niños running around the playground area, playing tag with me and wondering why my eyes were the color of the sky!

My experience in Guatemala transformed my view on how to make people laugh. A simple smile goes around the world when it comes to impacting someone's day. My goal is to live out this goal daily, just to bring some light to someone who may need it.