Destination: Guatemala!

Welcome to the Guatemala Help Week Blog!

This site is designed to give viewers a personal, day-to-day glimpse into a process that is based on building--building homes, building people, building community. It is a process that begins with a decision to serve, intensifies over months of preparation, and culminates in a week-long construction project near Antigua, Guatemala.

The first Guatemala Help Week took place in May 2008, when five volunteers from the Catholic Parish of Sts. Andrew, Francis, and Paul in South Carolina helped build two homes for impoverished families living in the highland village of Alotenango. (The slideshow on the right side of the blog shows scenes from GHW 2008.)

Since 2008, our operation has grown. This year, fifteen volunteers will build a total of three homes near Antigua. Our first team of five volunteers will leave the States within hours and return on May 13. The second team of ten volunteers will depart May 13 and return on the 22nd.

During the months from last fall until now, the Help Week team has not been idle. We have planned and executed several fundrisers, including Clemson baseball concessions, a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper, and a spaghetti dinner. We have held meetings. We have worked hard to bring awareness of our cause to the parish community. And the parish has responded with an outpouring of time, talent, and treasure that has enabled the Help Week team to meet its goal of donating the cost of all three homes we'll be building in Guatemala.

As a participant in last year's Guatemala Help Week and as one of this year's Help Week coordinators, I have been priviliged to work with some of our parish's finest. Many of the volunteers are Clemson Universtiy students. Others have finished their education and have joined the workforce. A few are retired. Together, they offer a combination of dedication, spontaneity, and wisdom which is both exciting and inspiring.

This blog allows readers to see Guatemala Help Week through their eyes.

Adam Cross