In February of 2017, our church generously sponsored a mission “immersion” trip to Guatemala. Seven individuals traveled to Guatemala City where we were the guests of CEDEPCA, the Protestant Center for Pastoral Studies in Central America. We were exposed to the “big picture” of Guatemala through meeting the people and seeing the way they live, work, and worship. We learned of their struggles with the issues of poverty, corruption and violence that cause many to leave their home country and migrate to the United States. Many now live and work in Salem. Our church has welcomed our Guatemalan and Mexican neighbors to events in our church yard and playground and we look forward to establishing deeper relationships in the future.