Thank You to Guatemala Team

Our service team to Guatemala received the following:

First and foremost, I hope this e-mail finds you all in good health and condition after your time and travels to visit us down in Guatemala. Somehow I imagine back in the Chicago area, some of you might already be thinking about coming down for another week or two until the summer decides it is ready to hide itself away for good.

For a brief re-introduction, my name is Jesse Schauben-Fuerst. I am a volunteer who was fortuante to meet all of you at Ak'Tenamit during your trip. My current work is centered on teaching English and developing our educational model for the future.

For me, I must start with a personal thank you. The impact of people - who in the eyes of our students have so much - taking time out of their lives to give back was a truly special experience and sparked some wonderfully insightful conversation on their part. Many important seeds were planted during your trip in regards to service and I hope to be around long enough to watch them grow.

Throughout your week in Guatemala I was fortunate to speak with you all in a variety of capacities and contexts, and share both our stories and visions of the world. Doing a year of volunteer work with Ak'Tenamit has been one of the more rewarding experiences of my life. While I do not exactly know where my next stop on the journey will be, I am concentrating on the present, learning from the past, and envisioning the future. As each of you had mentioned to me in our conversations, it just might be that Rotary and I could work together to create some more positive change in the world.

However, this e-mail would not be just if I did not reiterate how much it meant to the entire Ak-Tenamit community (one that you too are a part of) the work, energy, and attitudes your entire group brought to us. It was a well needed reminder of how a small group of people can do so much with the right attitude and in turn inspire others to do the same.

My very best wishes to you all and safe journeys,

Jesse Schauben-Fuerst
Professor of English and International Development Advisor
Ak'Tenamit