Porch de Salomon offers the best student mission experience I know. The trip is carefully planned to maximize student safety, yet students can still fully participate in the lives of the people they serve. The food, accommodations, and extra activities make Porch feel like a home away from home, and the people you meet will become family. Our school plans to partner with Porch for years to come!

I discovered the Porch de Salomon in 2016. It changed my life. Without exception, the entire staff is full of joy and a passion for helping others. My annual week at the Porch has become vital to my life. It recalibrates my gratitude for how blessed I am and my obligation to help those who are less fortunate.

Porch de Salomon is guided by God's commandment to "love your neighbor." Caring for the sick, feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, providing for the orphans, widows, single parents, and the elderly by building them solid, safe homes, funding education and occupational opportunities are just some of the ways to bring indigenous people of the region out of poverty with dignity and respect. With a focus on building relationships and sharing God's love, Porch de Salomon joins stateside churches and other mission partners with their dedicated local staff to fund their humanitarian services and host short-term mission team volunteers to fulfill the calling to be the hands and feet of Christ. Serving with Porch de Salomon has been a great blessing in my life.

Porch de Salomon is an open and inviting non-profit organization that allows people from all walks of life to participate in hands-on mission work in Guatemala. Their staff is welcoming, kind, and committed to serving the people of Panajachel and rural Mayan communities. They are skilled at building relationships with the people they are helping, ensuring a long-lasting impact. Porch de Salomon makes it easy to share the love of Jesus with others I’m so grateful to have served with them for the last eight years!

Porch De Salomon is more than a simple short-term ministry group. They are a Jesus-centered, forward-thinking ministry that connects the church with the real needs of the people of Guatemala. It is a ministry that is working to change the lives of both Guatemalans and those who come to serve. Spending a week serving hand in hand with indigenous Guatemalan people in the Western Mayan Highlands of Guatemala with Porch De Salomon will change you, your church, and your community. It will have an impact in Guatemala that will last generations. Porch De Salomon is a forward-thinking, post-colonial ministry that connects people with the real needs of the people of Guatemala While serving hand in hand with indigenous Guatemalans, you will find yourself transformed. This transformation will impact you, your church, and your community. After a week in Guatemala, you will see through new eyes. Eyes that see God’s image in people that prior were seen as other. This trip will break down the us and “them” disconnect and will restore “we” to our global relationships. While serving with Porch De Salomon, you will come face-to-face with people in need. The Guatemalan immigrant and the Central American refugee will move beyond a face on a computer screen or a problem at the border. In your time in Guatemala, the images and labels that dehumanize people will be replaced with the image of God, as humanity is restored through tangible service alongside the beautiful people of Guatemala. People like Sergio. A Guatemalan, a Mayan, a dad, a husband, my friend, and a man who loves God.

Porch de Salomon, Panajachel Guatemala, is where I can see people's souls through their eyes. A place where hopelessness and despair, as well as the Love and Goodness of Good God Almighty, take on a tangible element. The Porch family is an amazing team immersed in the messiness of a 3rd world setting but are steadfast in clinging to the King of the World for their power source in being the Hands and Feet of Jesus there. The Porch family brings hope to those they serve, including me, and I love my brothers and sisters of Porch. We have extended family in Panajachel, and I will go back often (Good Lord willing) to serve with our Porch family. I praise God and thank Him daily for allowing my son Harry and me to know these beautiful people.

I have been a pastor for over 20 years and have worked with numerous outreach organizations. I can say, without a doubt, that Porch de Salomon is heads and tails above the rest! Our church is honored to be a partner in ministry with them. The things that we look for in an exemplary outreach program are a strong connection and trust with the locals "on the ground" where they serve, evidence that the mission work is making a real difference in people's lives, sharing God's love with ALL people, no strings attached; immersion in and reverence of the local culture; a solid organizational structure with a clear mission statement and transparency; ability to have fun while serving. Porch checks all these boxes and more! We thank God for our partnership and are blessed by them.

My heart has grown and my empathy for those less fortunate has deepened through my relationship with Porch de Salomon. Since 2015, the FSU Speech and Hearing Clinic has partnered with Porch de Salomon, opening the door for my students to connect with indigenous families in Guatemala and expand their perspectives. Our joint efforts have led to the annual Help Guatemala Hear service trip, where we provide the gift of hearing to those who would otherwise go without. From the outset, our goal has been sustainability, and our collaboration with Porch de Salomon has made it possible for us to fit hundreds of hearing aids, offer hearing services, and provide ear cleanings. Our success would not have been possible without the support of our many sponsors and supporters, as well as our invaluable partnership with Porch de Salomon.