Guatemala
Mission Trip

When God is All Around

A small glimpse into the heart of Paradise Bound Ministries during a Guatemala Mission Trip: This is what it looks like when God is all around you. When God Is All Around from Adam Richter on Vimeo..

THE MOST AMAZING WEEK

of your life

Home Construction, Medical Clinics, the Gospel… and You

Your Paradise Bound mission experience is eight days long yet will live in your heart through eternity as you encounter and share Jesus Christ with those He calls unto Himself through You! You do not need construction skills, medical training or a Spanish speaking background. Let us handle everything; just come ready to serve, be served, and experience the joy of being the hands and feet of Jesus.

Our home construction, medical clinics, and Gospel presentations are designed for you to participate at whatever level you can, no matter your age or ability. Our Guatemalan staff will handle the verbal Gospel presentation and invitation to accept Jesus Christ, however you will be right alongside us and alongside Him as he wraps His loving arms around His precious children for eternity.

Youth Pastors & Team Leaders

Paradise Bound schedules mission experiences for churches, organizations, adults, youth, families, couples, individuals or any combination of the above. To find out how to join or form a team, please contact us today.

If you are unable to attend a trip, there are still several ways to get involved with PBM.

  • Pray for our ministry
  • Become a financial partner
  • Provide medical supplies
  • Become an Open Doors Partner

WHO ARE WE?

We, the founders of Paradise Bound are fully hands on with every mission team that comes to serve beside us. That includes picking you up at the airport, building homes, conducting medical clinics, sharing team devotions, and presenting the Gospel. We even live in an apartment within the Mission Base where you’ll be staying! We count it a privilege to get to know you personally. After all we will spend eternity together.

We recognize the incredible potential of each team member God ordains to send our way. You and your team are as much a missionary and a part of Paradise Bound as we the founders are! Short term missionaries reach thousands of lives each year. We need you to accomplish the calling of our Lord Jesus Christ!

We know that your prayers, a week of your time, and your financial resources are precious. Together we will make a difference in Eternity.

Your Missionaries, and His Servants, Dan, Heidi, Malachi, Ben, Haven and Elijah Smith

START TO FINISH?

Our Lord has blessed us with a home design that allows a team, even without construction experience, to start and finish multiple homes for the oppressed during just three days of construction. Upon completion of the home the Gospel is shared with the family whom you have built a close relationship with. That is tangible on this earth and in Eternity.

YOU MATTER!

We only invite one team at a time to minister alongside us. We handle no more than 40 persons per team, with 30 being a much better number. You will build deep relationships within the team, our staff, and those whom you are called to minister to. There are hundreds of individuals and churches that return repeatedly to Paradise Bound to continue the ministry our Lord began within their hearts.

ALL THAT BEING SAID…

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” —1 Corinthians 3:5-6. We recognize that we are absolutely nothing and give all the glory and honor to our Almighty God for allowing us the privilege of being a part of His kingdom through salvation in His son Jesus Christ, and as a small part of Him fulfilling His great commission on this earth.

Involving Others - SIGN UP FOR OUR MAILING LIST

Encourage your friends and family to sign up below for our mailing list. They can also visit this site and follow you on your personal and team blogs once you and your team are in Guatemala. The excitement is contagious: A recent team had over 20,000 hits on their blog during their week with us. There are many people in the U.S. wishing to support others following their heart and serving on short term mission trips.

MISSION TRIP FAQ

1WILL MY LIFE BE CHANGED?
We have not met one team member who God has called to work alongside Paradise Bound leave here without being changed deep within. If you allow it, our Lord will change you beyond what you can even imagine. You do not have to be perfect or even have a relationship with Christ right now, but if you let Him He will embrace you and lead you home. He longs for lives changed and waits now for you and those lives He will touch through you.
2WHAT IS THE TRIP DURATION?
Unless otherwise stated, all experiences are eight days. Two are travel days, three are Kingdom Building (construction), and two are Medical Clinic/Outreach. You're last day in Guatemala will be spent participating in team building activities at a local coffee plantation and the final evening team devotions could possibly change your life forever.
3HOW DO I FORM OR JOIN A MISSION TEAM?
Contact Maureen at info@paradisebound.org for open dates/teams and additional booking information. If you are interested in joining or leading a team and you have missed the application deadlines please contact Maureen for availability and more information.
4HOW WILL WE BE TRANSPORTED?
Paradise Bound has several extreme duty 4×4 passenger vans especially equipped to carry us safely where no other mission groups go. We reach villages most do not even know exist. Others call us extreme. We are simply following our Lord wherever He goes.
5IS THE WATER SAFE TO DRINK?
Absolutely not! We provide purified water for all drinking and cooking needs. Please bring an empty water bottle along to fill from our large water containers.
6WHAT IF I HAVE SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS?
If you have special dietary needs or food allergies, we are not equipped to meet these needs for individual team members. We operate in a remote area of a developing country, and do not have access to many special dietary foods. We encourage you to still consider joining us, but please know that you will have to bring adequate food and resources to meet your special needs. Due to regulations, team members are not allowed in our kitchen so any special dietary food items should be in pre-made form, not needing refrigeration.
7DO I NEED TO SPEAK SPANISH?
Absolutely not! Though Spanish will help you communicate, we actually enjoy it if you cannot. If you do not speak Spanish, you cannot hide behind words like we do so often. Smile and they will smile, love and they will love in return. You’ll be amazed at how God will open your heart and theirs through the lack of communication!
8DO I NEED BUILDING EXPERIENCE?
It certainly helps, but is absolutely not necessary. We have designed our homes so anyone, young, old, or anywhere in between can help with the construction; just come ready to be used and changed forever.
9WILL I HAVE TO SHARE MY TESTIMONY?
Though that opportunity may present itself, no one is forced to do so. Many church going team members come to Guatemala not having a real or deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ and therefore have difficulty sharing a testimony. For others it may scare them to think of sharing. However, many team members who never thought they could share have done so and their lives and those hearts listening have never been the same.
10WILL GOD USE ME TO CHANGE LIVES FOR ETERNITY?
Absolutely, our Lord promises that His word would not return unto Him void. Though most teams experience many people coming to know Christ, know that even if we do not see it ourselves, we can stand on the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only eternity will fully reveal the everlasting difference that your decision to come and minister alongside of us will make.

Testimonies from Team Members

Below are just a few representative testimonies of mission team members who have worked alongside us in our Kingdom Builders and Medical Clinics programs. For more detailed information on each team, view the blog page of prior participants. If you have a testimony about your Paradise Bound experience and wish share with us, please submit your story to info@paradisebound.org.

  • A unique encounter with the Living Word transformed my spiritual life on our second mission trip to Guatemala in 2015. In the remote village of San Ramon in the central highlands, we were the first group to stay in the village for a week. Our team leader Dan Smith encouraged us to go beyond just reading our Bibles and to connect with the living Word each day. During a morning devotion, I had a vision of the water trickling downhill from its place of emergence in the ground--itself a mystery, to have a spring at the top of a canyon. All 50 families who perched at the upper reaches of this remote woods used this water. I knew they could not survive without this spring. We drank the water, too. Then I realized that bringing the gospel to them was an offering of Living Water, an eternally renewable resource. All of us depend on both kinds of water to really live, a humbling awareness of our common needs. This simple focus for reflection showed me how God changes us from the inside out. This powerful strategy keeps me connected to God everyday now, no matter where I am.
  • Our group built a house for a younger family that had 2 small boys about 2 years apart. I also have 2 boys that are 2 years apart, though they are in their teenage years now, I remember when they were that young. Looking at that young family, I thought what if that was me and my family....what if no one came to tell me about Jesus? How would I be able to tell my kids about Him? Puts a desperation in my heart to bring others to Christ...
    Lisa Dirkse
  • The family that I had the awesome privilege to work beside in building their home had a 14 year old boy just as I have back at home. I feel God placed us together because that commonplace helped us connect. I was able to genuinely tell him that I would pray for him as I pray for my own son on our parting day. This brought a big smile to our faces as we both felt a part of the larger family of God.
    Tami Nysse
  • I saw God in so many ways through my trip to Guatemala. I saw him through the joy of the people. The people in the villages had so little, yet they were so joyful and thankful for what they did have. We have so much here in the US, but it still isn't enough. They taught me to find God and find joy in everything. I also saw God through answered prayers. God answered so many prayers and he answered them quickly. I truly learned the power of prayer and saw how important it is to pray. I saw God at work in Guatemala and I pray that I will be back soon.
    Melaina

A GLIMPSE OF A WEEK WITH PBM

Mission team participant L. Bauman recently sent us a reflection on her week-long trip to Guatemala with Paradise Bound. Click the link to download and read her firsthand account, “A Glimpse at Our Week with Paradise Bound”.


READ FULL TESTIMONY

FORM A MISSION TEAM

Have questions? Are you ready to form a team, or join a team? Email info@paradisebound.org or call 616-499-4905 for more information.


MISSION TRIP REGISTRATION

We are excited to have you become a part of the incredible work our Lord is accomplishing in Guatemala. We look forward to working and growing alongside you as we Love “…the least of these” in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! If you are interested in joining or leading a team and you have missed the application deadlines please contact Maureen (maureen@paradisebound.org) for availability and more information.


anya

All the Summer Mission Teams have been cancelled due to COVID-19

FIND OUT MORE

Want to read more about our mission trips or discuss possibilities with someone directly? Browse our Mission trips section for details and get in touch through info@paradisebound.org. Thanks for your interest!