Supply the Love: Guatemala

In 2017 we launched Supply the Love! We supply the camera and film and you supply the love.  We would love to have you be an ambassador of Print the Love! If you are traveling to an under-resourced community anywhere on the globe in the next year and would like to participate in spreading random photo kindness to the local people, lets chat! Together we can make a difference! Application is online.

The Supply the Love program is 100% supported by donors. If you are not travelling, you can still donate funds towards the camera and film for those who are.

As part of the program, we ask that ambassadors write a short description of their experience. All the words are their own.

Kelsey in Guatemala

Grace Lutheran Church of Apple Valley is a part of a program that partners communities from the United States with communities within Iglesia Luterana de Guatemala. Our church sent a  group that traveled to Guatemala to visit a congregation in a rural community that our church is in partnership with. While in the community our group participated in many activities with the kids and adults. Activities ranged from playing games, to taking a walk through their fields and crops and learning to speak their native language, Q’eqchi. We also helped them install new stoves into their homes that will help them reduce the amount of wood needed and improve health by better ventilation of smoke.

During our time in the village, we took pictures of all the families in the community. The people from the village asked us many times to take their photo on our phones and cameras and were delighted to see the picture afterwards. It was a special opportunity to be able to take photos of each family and give it to them to keep in frames. Every person was excited and very grateful.

We also visited the community school and were able to take pictures of the students and donate some school supplies.

After our visit to the village, our group traveled around Guatemala. We visited Tikal, the ancient Mayan ruins where we learned and explored the history and culture. We visited many other towns and in each place, we got to experience a new piece of Guatemala’s culture.  

Also, on our trip we visited a center for young women and a school in Guatemala City. At the women’s center, we met young women who came to the center to have the opportunity to further their education and life skills. We were able to spend time with them and get to know about their lives and ambitions. The young women are grateful for the opportunity to have control of their lives and the outcomes. It was inspiring to see their drive and the courage they have to be taking this step that not many other girls their age are able to take. We were so happy to be able to take their pictures and hopefully leave them with something to remember this time in their lives.

We also visited a small school and were able to spend time with the kids for the day. This school sits in a part of the city that is literally about to fall off of a cliff. While there we were able to see where they learn and play, and meet the extraordinary people that make their education possible. While at the school, we were not only able to leave photos with the school children, but we were able to leave photos with those people who contribute to making it the best place it can be for those kids.

We met very wonderful people and saw amazing things during our time in Guatemala, both of which will never be forgotten.