Through the relentless fundraising efforts of the Hwarang Youth Foundation over this past year, 19 members from various chapters and districts were granted the opportunity to take part in a medical mission trip to Guatemala with the purpose of providing humanitarian care to the less privileged. Led by Howard Park, the Hwarang Youth Foundation’s Chairman, and the assistance of chaperones Sukhi Lee, Ian Kim, and Mina Chung, Hwarang members embarked on a one-week excursion from June 16th to June 22nd. Seeking to serve the underprivileged community, Hwarang members visited local hospitals, downtown cities facing harsh conditions such as excrement on the floors, unstable housing, and crowded living areas, and towns in the high mountains. Despite the feelings of uneasiness in the foreign environment, the members' dedication and compassion allowed them to persevere and provide medical aid and treatment to these groups.
The 2024 Hwarang Guatemala Mission team’s dedication revealed itself in the various settings of the mission trip: urban areas stricken with poverty and hardship, crowded hospitals, and rural towns high up in the mountains. Throughout these aid-focused visits, members were assigned various responsibilities as well as roles: some assisted dentists with cleaning teeth, while others traveled from door to door delivering medicine to adults and toys to children. Some members even entertained young children by creating face paint designs and painting their nails. Through this wide range of activities, members not only addressed immediate needs but also worked to satisfy the playful nature of the children to the best of their ability.
The Guatemala Medical trip proved to be an enlightening experience to many of the attendees. “As we interacted with the children through our organized activities, I was struck by their respectful and kind attitudes, said Sunnyridge Chapter President Elysia Kim, who participated in the Guatemala mission trip., “They remained patient with us, overlooking our meager nail painting skills and bearing with our extremely broken spanish. Through these collective feelings, within me grew the earnest wish that I could have had more to provide for them.” said Elysia Kim, Sunnyridge Chapter’s President and a participant of the Guatemala.
Written by Toby Lee (Temecula Chapter)
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