During the Christmas season, the adage “it is better to give than to receive” is about as prevalent as the high-caloric menus that fill dining room tables.
But for Twin Rivers graduate, Crista Dillinger, that sentiment echoes like a church bell throughout the night.
Dillinger recently returned to the United States after spending a week’s-long mission trip in Guatemala, June 26-July 3.
“I was part of a mission’s team from Faith Community Church. We partnered with an organization called Send Me Guatemala,” Dillinger said. “We went down and built two houses for two separate families in the area, and some light construction work for the organization, and also did a Vacation Bible School with some of the kids, as well.”
The homes are made possible by partnerships, Dillinger said.
This marks the second trip for Dillinger.
Said Dillinger: “I have been to El Salvador to do similar mission work with a different organization. It wasn’t a construction project, but we partnered with The Abagail Association.”
Each experience has its own narrative, one that won’t escape Dillinger’s memory.
“Faith Community, the church in St. Louis, works with an organization that partners with local churches in Guatemala to identify families who are in need of homes and housing,” Dillinger said. “Many times, it is women who have lost their husbands and don’t have the means to have secure housing. We built houses for two women and their children.”
Faith Community travels to Guatemala each year, and Dillinger attends One Family Church — both of which are in St. Louis.
Word-of-mouth throughout the congregations serve as a precursor for the trips.
“I am friends with some of the people at Faith Community. They are always looking to partner with additional churches, or get other churches to partner with Guatemala,” Dillinger said. “They take team members from other churches in the area so we can go and see what it is like, before taking an entire team down to Guatemala.”
Approximately 25 volunteers made the trek south.
Dillinger is 29 and works in marketing, and she says the jubilation and humanitarian feelings she gets and brings to others makes the journey a memorable one.
The trips have a way of humbling Dillinger — highlighting the very things most Americans take for granted.
“I think for me, missions are really close to my heart. It gives you the opportunity to experience your faith outside of your comfort zone, an environment you are used to,” she said.
Seeing God’s country in other areas of the world simply is icing on the cake.
“Seeing other parts of world and being able to encounter people who have very different lives” gives Dillinger perspective. “We are blessed to live here in the United States, it is something that is very humbling. I think it is safe to say that … I think we all would say that it blesses us more than we bless the people when we are there.”
The trips typically occur in the summer, and Dillinger is fortunate to work for a pro-active employer in Arco National Construction.
“They are a charitable company, and they actually offer paid vacation time for their employees to volunteer,” Dillinger said. “They gave me a week off to take the trip, without using my paid-time-off (PTO).”