During our Global Village trip to Cochabamba, Bolivia with Habitat Para La Humanidad, we worked on building a home with the Moya Family. When completed, the home will measure 624 square feet and cost $14,240 US. The family made a $2,000 deposit, so their mortgage will be $214 per month over 6.5 years. The couple has one son and is expecting a baby in December.

My team helped shovel, wheelbarrow and place thousands of pounds of sand, stone, brick and gravel over five work days. We moved, cut, bent and twisted countless feet of rebar that will be used to fortify the walls of the home. Each task, though at times tedious and strenuous, was a labor of love.

For our cultural activities, we toured a center for abused and abandoned children, saw a breath-taking traditional Bolivian dance performance, visited the famous Cristo de la Concordia, viewed the Habitat national office, shopped at the Main Plaza and La Cancha markets, toured the Natural History Museum and the majestic Palacio Portales.

Habitat Para La Humanidad Bolivia has served more than 50,000 families and built nearly 11,530 homes over 29 years. Utilizing Global Village teams, like ours, helps to offset their costs and increase progress on the homes. For example, our team raised almost $15,000 in funds, almost the total cost of the home, using peer-to-peer fundraising for our trip. That doesn't include the offline funds submitted by our volunteers and their supporters. Also, our team of 14 people was able to move enormous amounts of materials on the site in a short amount of time, saving the small construction staff at Habitat and the Moya Family time, money and energy.

I'd like to thank my team members Jerald, Karen, Jim, Andy, Tommy, Amy, Marci, Lori, Kate, Meriem, Ashley and Pieter for accepting the call to service and putting love into action during this trip. I'd also like to thank my supporters, especially my top donors, Bob and Roderick, for their generosity and helping transform lives in Cochabamba. Your compassion has helped make the dream of home ownership come true for the Moya Family!

Please take a moment to view my short video recap of our experience in Cochabamba.

If you can not view the video, watch it here.

The benefits of volunteering on a Global Village trip

• You will have an opportunity to contribute to Habitat's mission of "Seeking to put God's love into action" by coming together to help "build homes, communities and hope" for those in need of decent and affordable housing.
• You will learn about poverty housing and how 1.6 billion worldwide need shelter solutions.
• You will experience the community’s culture, language, construction and social practices while working alongside homeowners and volunteers of all backgrounds, races and religions.
• You will take part in a transformative, lifelong journey that may ignite your passion for making this world a better place. 

What Global Village trips are like 
While every Global Village trip is different, you can expect to gain once-in-a-lifetime experiences and memories. Itineraries are balanced with plenty of work, rest and free time. During your trip, you will do more than help build houses―you will become part of the local community and participate in cultural activities. 

If this sounds like an adventure that you would like to be a part of, apply today to join my Global Village team to Bolivia in June 2014.

Want to learn how to cook authentic Mayan recipes during our Global Village trip? How about weaving a scarf or shawl as a souvenir using centuries-old Mayan techniques? Take a look at the brochure below and email me your top three choices from the classes and opportunities that are available. We will try to incorporate one or more of these activities into our cultural experience during the week. I'd like to have your choices no later than Monday, May 27. Thanks!

Here are some interesting facts about the affiliate we'll be working with in Guatemala:

• Founded in 1979, Habitat for Humanity Guatemala (HFHG) is Habitat's oldest and largest international affiliate.
• National office based in the western highlands city of Quetzaltenango.
• HFHG is a Guatemalan-run organization with only 13 of the 150 employees being international workers.
• An average of 1,400 international volunteers are hosted by HFHG annually.
• Build time is reduced by at least one week with help from International volunteers like you!
• 1,100 people are involved in HFHG nationally, including 700 national volunteers on 181 Local Committees.
• HFHG serves an average of 3,000 families per year.
• More than 35,000 housing solutions have been built to date.
• Services include financing, home construction, home improvements, disaster relief, and educational workshops.
• HFHG has the ambitious goal of doubling the number of housing solutions currently achieved within the next five years. With 14 years and more than 30,000 housing solutions under his belt, Executive Director Luis Samayoa said, “We must have faith.” We invite you to join us in our dream to serve another 16,000 families in the next three years, reaching a total of 50,000 families served here in Guatemala.

I'm so excited that our team will be making a difference and helping transform homes and lives in Guatemala.

Interesting fact: Habitat for Humanity has roots in the civil rights movement. Habitat was birthed out of an interracial, Christian community in southern Georgia named Koinonia. In the midst of segregation, Koinonia was a place where blacks and whites lived and worked together. They were paid equally. They farmed, ate, worshiped and held youth camps together. This was a radical idea at the time and consequently they were firebombed, shot at, received death threats, had their property damaged, were excommunicated from churches, and suffered under economic boycotts as the KKK rallied against them and many members of the community rejected them. Their response, "We won't be the first Christians to die for what we believe." In 1976, Millard and Linda Fuller founded Habitat for Humanity during their time at Koinonia. Since then, our ministry has helped build and repair more than 600,000 homes worldwide and has served more than 3 million people. You can watch a short video about it here: 

With its vibrant university population and rich history, Xela is known by many as Guatemala’s cultural hub. Orient yourself around the Parque a Centroamérica and take in one of Latin America’s only gothic-inspired city centers. Stroll through the always vibrant Pasaje Enriquez to get a feel for the city’s nightlife and culture. With a great local music scene and a number of intimate venues, attending one of city’s many daily concerts is a must.
If you’re curious about the massive volcano that looms over your every step in the city then perhaps a climb to the summit of El Volcán Santa María is in order. Or if you’re just looking for an escape outside of the city and don’t feel like summiting an active volcano, check out the less intimidating El Baúl. A trip to the nearby thermal springs of Las Fuentes Georginas in nearby Zunil is also an highly recommended and affordable trip. And if you want to take a break from the chilly highlands and get a taste of Guatemala’s tropical coast, drive an hour and a half to check out the top-flight aquatic and amusement parks of IRTRA near San Felipe, Retalhuleu or keep going and spend a day at the beach in Champerico.

Volunteers are welcome to explore the country before and/or after their Global Village trip - at their own expense and safety risk. If you join our team, you can make a difference by helping build a Habitat home with a family in need and then enjoy an adventure in the beautiful country of Guatemala!