Break With a Purpose

The total cost per student is $2500 for this trip. However, thanks to generous Pres House donors, we are able to subsidize 80% of the cost so students are only responsible for a $500 registration fee. We recognize that students have varying financial resources, so we invite you to prayerfully consider one of three options when you apply:

• Standard Registration ($500)
• Standard Registration ($500) + Donation: Families who want to support other students with financial constraints can donate an additional amount. Any additional funds donated are tax-deductible.
• Scholarship Registration: Students with financial constraints can request a scholarship from Pres House for up to half ($250) of the standard registration fee. 

We will be staying in hotels and hostels vetted by our travel partner, Naturally Smart Travel. Visit their website to learn more.

Sunday, January 7
Travel from Madison to Guatemala City (Flight departs from MSN at 1:20 PM)
Monday
Safe Passage Tour, travel to Panajachel, learn about towns around Lake Atitlan
Tuesday
Meet lending partner ADICLA and end borrowers, boat to San Juan la Laguna, lunch at Alma de Colores, walking tour, boat to Iguana Perdida
Wednesday
Optional sunrise hike at Rostro Maya, boat to Santiago, visit La Puerta Abierta, boat to Santa Cruz, Mayan cooking class with Amigos de Santa Cruz
Thursday
Visit Iximche and learn about Mayan cosmology and introduction of Western religion, travel to Antigua, walking tour
Friday
Visit VIDA school to learn about school system and distribute supplies, travel to Caoba Farms, hike to Cerro de la Cruz, Jade Museum
Saturday, January 13
Travel from Guatemala City to Madison (Arrival at MSN 4:36 PM)
* Each evening will include team reflection times; itinerary is subject to change.

BWAP is not a mission trip. We do not go in hopes of evangelizing, converting, or otherwise colonizing the places we go. Rather, we seek to come alongside, listen to, and learn from folks who are part of the communities we enter. We believe that we have more to gain from these experiences than we have to give. As we partner with and bear witness to God’s work in unfamiliar places, we become more equipped to do so in the places we call home.

We also acknowledge that opportunities to learn and grow in this way are a mark of our privilege. As Christian folks living in the United States, we are complicit in many of the systems and structures that create the problems we see in the world. So along with an eagerness to learn and excitement to serve, we also come with humility, knowing that we are not the solution to all the world’s problems. We engage this tension directly and intentionally in our team trainings and trip reflections.

To be part of the BWAP Guatemala team, you must complete the registration form below and submit payment. There is no “deposit” for this trip. Your registration is not complete until we have received your registration form AND your full payment!

There are ten spots for students on the team. Applications are reviewed and approved in the order of submission; we strongly encourage you to fill out your application as soon as possible. Once received, Pres House staff will review your application and respond within three business days. If all ten spots are filled, you can submit your name to the BWAP waitlist; we will reach out directly to folks on the waitlist if a spot opens on the team. Registration fees are non-refundable unless your application is not approved by Pres House staff.

Passports are required to travel to Guatemala. The current processing time can be up to 13 weeks (not including mailing time). If you do not have a passport, you will need to apply for one before October 1. You can apply for BWAP without a passport; however, if you do not have a passport and your BWAP application is approved, you will be required to submit proof of your passport application within three days to secure your spot.

Vaccination against COVID-19 is required for all team members.