Mexico Mission Trips Recap

3/27/2025

To read about our mission trips to Guatemala and Matamoros, click the title.

BELIZE:

We had an incredible time in San Antonio, Belize! Our team of 25 students and 6 leaders partnered with Just 1 Global for a week full of ministry and educational opportunities. We were warmly welcomed by each of the joyful Belizians we encountered.

Our team spent our days sharing the love of Christ by serving in many ways: painting a school cafeteria, staining and installing screens for a new kitchen for Showers of Glory camp, raking leaves and shoveling dirt, building and painting picnic tables, delivering groceries and baby blessing bags and praying over new moms, and giving out solar lights in a small village. We led chapel at an elementary school and made crafts with all of the children, and we led two afternoons of kids’ camps - which was our students’ favorite part of the trip. We met many local believers who shared their stories. Our team was impacted greatly by their joy and faith in God despite their circumstances.

We also were able to learn about butterfly and coffee farming, tour a Mayan temple, and visit a beautiful waterfall. Experiencing and learning about the culture of Belize throughout the week helped us to better understand and love the people there.

Our students served so well, and they were joyful and eager to help each day. We all left Belize with full hearts and a deep sense of gratitude. The connections we made in the small community of San Antonio will stay with us forever. The power of kindness, love, and serving others created a bond that transcended borders and showed us the impact we can have when we come together with open hearts.

GUATAMALA:

I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to lead the Guatemala mission trip this year. Hartfield Academy has partnered with Jaime Lopez and his team for ten years now. We have seen a deepening in the relationship with communities in and around Guatemala City over the course of the ten years our students have been serving in this country. Guatemala has been a part of so many of our current and former students' stories, and this year was no different.

During their time in Guatemala, the students embraced the opportunity to love and play with elementary children. Through simple games, laughter, and acts of kindness, they demonstrated Christ’s love in a tangible way. Despite the differences in language, the interactions between our Hartfield students and the children in Guatemala clearly communicated the love of Christ and the Gospel. In addition to building relationships, the students had the opportunity to boldly share their stories of faith. The students would voluntarily stand in front of a couple hundred students and share what Christ has done in their lives and why they came to serve in Guatemala. This was one of the many ways I saw students really step out of their comfort zone. Many students struggle to get up in front of people and share, so stepping out in faith to share their story with the help of a translator was really encouraging to me and the other leaders.

Over the past several years Hartfield Academy has also been serving in a church called Centro de Restauración Sarón. Our Hartfield students walked through the community surrounding the church, inviting children and families to join them for the afternoon and evening services. As families arrived at the church, our students continued to serve by connecting with the kids, sharing in their excitement, helping lead worship with songs, and sharing their testimonies during the evening worship service. Our students were impacted deeply from the relationships that have been built over the years. I am most proud of our students and their willingness to get out of their comfort zone. I am grateful to be able to watch our students be led by the Holy Spirit and grow in their own faith throughout the week. This is always a very special trip for our students.

MATAMOROS:

From March 5-9, 26 students and 7 adults were blessed to serve the children and staff and tha Matamoros Children's Home in Matamoros, Mexico. The mission trip started out early at 4am on Wednesday morning at the Jackson airport and finally arrived at the Children's Home that afternoon. After getting settled into our lodging accommodations students were "officially" welcomed by the Dr. Saul Camacho, who has been the Children's Home Director for 40 years. Students then began to spend time with the children that live there by sharing names and ages, basketball, soccer, bracelet making, sidewalk chalk, and lots of bubbles. Each morning started out with quiet time for all students and adults engaging in devotionals written by team leaders and each night completed with a time of worship and reflection of the day.

There were two main work projects for this trip that Dr. Camacho wanted us to complete. The first was on Thursday morning to apply a protective layer of a lime mixture to the bottom of all the trees on campus to help guard against insects and disease. There were a lot of trees on their campus, however our students got to them all. The second was on Friday morning to paint the exterior of a house being renovated on campus. Again, our students set out to accomplish the task and got the work completed. After work projects both mornings our students again just spent time with the children till the day was completed. Our students did a phenomenal job the entire time! They represented HA exceptionally and more importantly made a Kingdom impact.

Students were able to see the joy and contentment from the children living there and were impacted to see this each day. The smiles and the laughter from the children will be something our students remember for a long time. Another way our students were impacted was with the bracelet making. We took kits on the trip with us to make with the children and for the children. The children were making bracelets and then giving them to our students. This was something that several students mentioned as being impactful for them. This group had an amazing experience and I hope that future groups will also be able to experience this as well.

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