While many students spent their Spring Break basking in the sun, four Strom Thurmond High School teens quietly traveled to Guatemala on a mission trip of service.

They spent their time away from books working in an impoverished village feeding hundreds of children, installing electricity and bathrooms in a school and building beds for villagers.

Junior Taylor McClure, Junior Brynn Emmons, Sophomore Anna Logan and Stephanie Fletcher asked nothing in return except the sheer joy of knowing they had helped others less fortunate than themselves. The girls raised the funding themselves through donations.

“With all the negativity surrounding Spring Break (April 5-9 here) and teenagers in general, I think people need to know there are young people who do this sort of thing,” said Carol McClure, the mother of one of the girls. “They worked long hours in the heat, dust and filth. And by their own testimonies, they loved caring for the people there.”

Stephanie, Anna and Brynn had gone on mission trips before with their church, True North in North Augusta. It was Taylor’s first trip.

“I thought about going to Africa,” Taylor said. “But the shortest trip available was a month. I talked to Stephanie and decided to go with them through their church.”

A total of eight people went on the trip which included four adults. A contact from Costa Rica met them in Guatemala and they also partnered with a church there. The group stayed in Phinaltenango at a Bible seminary and worked in Yalu.

Katie Czapala, one of the adults on the trip, said True North has 16 teams which travel to Guatemala this year; two to Southeast Asia; and three to Water Missions International in Charleston.

“We’re a very missions-minded church,” she said. “Several years ago, we heard of the village of Mano con Mano (which means, “hand in hand”) in Guatemala, which has a high death rate. There’s a ministry there which has set up a medical clinic and a soup kitchen. We have a trip once a year known as the construction trip. We have a guy on the trip who does construction and he teaches us how to do the wiring.”

Czapala said the young people who go on the trips never cease to amaze her.

“This was not an easy trip,” she said. “There are so many aspects to it. The girls took it all in stride.”
Brynn said the people in Yalu dress very conservatively. There are about 5,000 people in the village and they live in lean-tos for houses.

“We couldn’t wear shorts,” she said. “We all helped cook for about 350 kids. Two of us built beds for the people there. We ate a lot of beans and rice that week.”

“In the city, you see McDonald’s and Pizza Hut, just like here,” said Stephanie. “But not in the villages.”

“It was like a movie,” said Taylor. “Women carried jugs on their heads and wore long skirts. Some of the children wore the same clothes while we were there. There is a central bath station for everyone. Animals—dogs, cows, pigs—just run around loose. There are no cars. They ride horses or walk.”

The people speak a Spanish dialect. The Guatemalan team translates for the Americans. The girls said they were particularly impressed with the large families and the fact that the older siblings took care of the younger ones.

Taylor said she worked with the group that put electricity in the school.

“The school only goes up to the sixth grade,” she said. “We were told some of the students could get scholarships to further their education. Some adults go back to finish middle school. It (the school) is made of cement block and has a tin roof. There is a wall around it with broken glass at the top for protection.”

The girls took Frisbees and chalk with them, which delighted the children there.

“They were ecstatic!” said Byrnn. “They played with them the whole week. They carried them around like they were prizes.”

There is no industry and the men go out and work in the fields, said Stephanie. Most of their clothes are donated.

The main religion there is Catholic, she said.

 “The teams had different jobs to do,” said Anna. “Everyone spent a lot of time joking with each other and having a good time. One thing I gained on the trip was a family. We got along great. Our leader, Katie, pushed us to step out of our comfort zone. We did daily devotions and prayers.”

On a free day while there, the girls experienced a Holy Week parade in Antiqua.

“There were carpets made of sawdust and flowers that looked like Persian rugs,” said Stephanie. “The people dressed up and had 4,000 pound floats.”

All the girls said they would like to go back again. Stephanie said she would like to go for two or three months.

“I fell in love with the place and being able to help people,” Taylor said. “We take so much for granted. What we call poor is nothing compared to them. People here have access to help. There are no government programs there. Most of the aid comes from Christian organizations here.”

Brynn agreed.

“I learned to appreciate my education as well as other things,” she said. “They wouldn’t know what it is to have the things we have. We whine because we don’t get what we want for Christmas. They get nothing. The poverty really struck me.”