Most people take food and water for granted, however, there are people in other parts of the world who are not this fortunate.  There are students at Liberty taking steps toward changing that.

During the spring of 2016, senior Gibson Mitchell went on a mission trip with Living Water International to Guatemala. Living Water International is an organization that helps bring clean water to countries in need.

Mitchell decided to get involved because he was adopted from Guatemala and he wanted to make a difference to people in more limiting situations. Their main purpose while they were there was building a well for a village to help them get clean water.

“The whole week we were there was dedicated to building a well,” Mitchell said. “We ended up digging it in a school yard under this giant shade tree. We finished it on Thursday but stayed till Friday to make sure that it actually worked.”

The well they built can serve up to 100 families at a time, but in the village there were around 900 families. So this is just the beginning of their long journey towards better living.  

They also brought the village basic first aid supplies and dedicated an entire day to teaching the families basic first aid and cleansing. They taught them what to do when you get a cut, how to wash their hands correctly, and other basic needs.

“For the kids, we had fun activities, we taught them the same things as everyone else but in a fun teaching sort of way, through little booklets, puppeteers, streamers, and markers,” said Mitchell.

The people there have been living in terrible conditions for so long they were thrilled to have even the smallest of amenities.

“The biggest thing I took from this experience was that people need to learn how to respect others and get along because that is what is in the best interest of everyone,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell is not the only one working towards making a difference in other countries.

Sam Schreiner, a sophomore, has also gone on multiple mission trips. On the summer between his 7th and 8th grade year he went to Machu Picchu, Peru and helped the people of that community. He went with a group and was there about a month. They helped by visiting the people in the city and giving some positive support.

“The hardest thing was seeing people living in so much poverty,” Schreiner said. “They live in huts and it’s difficult to imagine living that way.”

He first got involved because of his parents and went on his first mission trip in the 6th grade. He says he likes to do them because it feels good to help others in need.  

“It makes me sad to see people living in those conditions and I want to help,” Schreiner said.

But helping others is not the only thing he does. He is also a hardworking student.

“He’s a quiet kid that sticks to himself, but he busts his butt in class to get his work done,” his teacher Mr. Barnes said.

Both students are looking forward to going on more mission trips to help even more people in the future.