In late April I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to travel to Guatemala. I was not headed there for tropical sightseeing, but to visit girls my age who were innocent victims of human trafficking. All had experienced horror at a young age, some as young as ten. Their true stories and lives touched me so deeply I now feel I have a thread of connection to a whole new group of people. Before leaving for my trip I was scared to visit a third world country, not even understanding the true meaning of the phrase. When hearing it I often thought of poverty, dirtiness, and violence. While unfortunately these tragic conditions do exist, that’s not the whole story.

My “mission trip” was to Casa Alianza, a safe place for young homeless girls who had been living on the dangerous streets of Guatemala City. This house is apart of a non-prophet organization that is very close to me. I went with the hopes of gaining a better understanding of people who live in other parts of the world. Covenant House has been apart of my life since I can remember due to my dads work there. He has helped to build up and has made contributions to this organization while changing thousands of lives. Having my dad work for such a remarkable organization allowed me at a young age to be exposed to a world that was far outside the realm of the one I have been provided. It also helped to illustrate to me that not everyone is as blessed to live in this country and enjoy what I can easily take for granted. As I set out on my journey little did I know I would be traveling to a place that would not only change my view on “my world” but on the world in general. As I traveled to Guatemala I brought with me nervousness, excitement and a lot of anxiety. I also brought along two very large bags of clothing donations that I collected from my friends at home. I was leaving my comfort zone and stepping onto what seemed to be a different planet. For me, this is where the true story begins.

I entered Casa Alianza, and was greeted by a young girl named Margarita. Her warm smile and soft touch invited me in and I felt so welcome. We entered a room and the girls living in the casa danced and sang for us, I was fully immersed in the Guatemalan culture and I loved it. As the girls performed for us I made eye contact with a baby boy. His face was so innocent and I glanced up and gave a smile to the young girl holding him. I had a feeling smiling and nodding would be essential tools for me to communication this trip. At the end of the welcome ceremony the executive director of Casa Alianza, Catalina stood up and spoke. She recited two mottos that the girls live by. The first was,
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

And the second,
“ We are not what has happened to us, but we are what we do with what has happened to us.”

As I looked around me and took it all in the joy these girls had amongst them when in reality they had no reason at all to hold joy in their hearts. I felt a pit in my stomach and guilt form amongst my body, not because I was upset that they were so joyous but because they had nothing: no family, no home, some even had a child not by choice and they were just 12 and 13 years old. And then to reflect on me in my life, I seemed to not be able to get enough. More than that, I was touched by their ability to transform their pain into joy and make it contagious to everyone in the room, what a gift they gave me.

The day followed with tours and laughs, lots of laughs. I also discovered my Spanish is less then sub par. But both the girls and I were able to share our stories through translators and lots of hand motions. Although most of the girls living in the Casa have faced struggles and hardships I could not comprehend (and I bet you couldn’t either), it surprised me how much we had in common. We braided hair and discussed the gorgeous Harry Styles. We even played in a soccer match and I scored! It may have been illegal but I think they felt bad for me so they just counted it anyway. Their spirit was always positive toward each other and me. But I was there during the day when the sun was shining, there were lots of activities and they had each other. I was not there at night when in bed with their thought and memories they had to live it all over again.

While there I met a friend, Kiley who lives at the casa with her 14-year-old sister who is mentally handicapped. Kiley is just four years old but lucky for me we became instant friends and she made me feel so welcomed in her world. I think what attracted me to Kiley was her innocence. She was just happy to be there with me and she didn’t even know who I was or the terror circulating outside the walls of her safe place, Casa Alianza. Kiley and I spent a lot of time on the monkey bars. She couldn’t reach and since I am almost six feet tall we made the perfect team.

When I entered the Casa I wanted the girls to like me, welcome me openly, and tell me their stories. It wasn’t until pulling out that last day that I realized how selfish I had been. Now I wanted the world to love theses girls, welcome them openly, and listen to their stories. It was no longer about me and how I felt, it was about them and what I could do to help. It is difficult to convey the full power of their story. You might have to go take a trip for yourself and visit these amazing girls to truly understand what I felt but I can tell you they are the most courageous people I have ever met and I will forever hold them dear in my heart. I have made a promise to them and myself to help the girls of Casa Alianza to take what has happened to them and change the world with their joy. After all, it is the least I could do for my new friends.