Prince of Peace: A Home for Girls in Guatemala

At the end of June 2026 I traveled to Guatemala with my church for a mission trip to Prince of Peace, a Christ centered home for girls who have been removed from their families by the courts due to trauma, abuse, or neglect. For over 30 years, Prince of Peace has been giving these girls a safe place to live and heal while caring for their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. I want to share what that week looked like, but more than that, I want to share what God did in and through it.

It was our second or third day at Prince of Peace, and we were sitting on the floor of one of the "casitas," the homes where the girls live, with Josi, the team coordinator. Room by room, she walked us through each girl's story: how she ended up at POP, what she'd been through, how her court case was progressing, what she was still struggling with, and what she was overcoming. After each one, we prayed over that girl by name, asking God to meet her specific needs.

Later that same day, I saw those same girls laughing and playing in the courtyard, and I saw them differently. Not with pity, but with a deep, quiet compassion I hadn't fully had that morning. That's the kind of trip this was, the kind where you leave a room and you're not quite the same person who walked in.

This experience was so life-changing that I felt in my heart I had to write about it, even though putting it into words almost feels like an impossible task. I'm trusting God to help me find the words, because I want to do more than share what I experienced. I want you to see the incredible work God is doing at Prince of Peace, both through the teams who visit and, most importantly, through the staff who are there around the clock, loving these girls day in and day out.

Why I Went

This was my first time attending a church that even offered mission trips, and honestly, the whole idea was new to me. But I've always loved traveling, and I'd been feeling a pull toward serving others in a more intentional way, so a trip that combined the two felt like it was made for me. When I read the description for Prince of Peace, something clicked. It's a ministry centered on building relationships with young girls in Guatemala, most of whom speak Spanish, which I do too. I prayed about it, felt peace, and said yes.

A Home Built on 30 Years of Faithfulness

For over 30 years, Prince of Peace has been a safe, Christ-centered home in Guatemala for girls who've been removed from their families by the courts due to extreme trauma, abuse, or neglect. Their mission is to care for the whole girl, psychologically, physically, and spiritually, with the ultimate goal of helping each one open her heart to a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ. Spending a week there, I got to see that mission lived out in real time, not just talked about.

You could feel it in the way the girls were cared for. They live in spacious rooms with two or three bunk beds each, clothed well and fed generously, bathed daily, and every single day, someone takes the time to do their hair in pretty braids and bows. It's a small detail, but it says everything about how deeply they're loved and seen, not just looked after. Beyond the day to day, the girls have access to therapy with a psychologist, ongoing medical care, and daily discipleship, every part of their healing held with the same level of care.

Everything is done with care and intention. Every person on staff at Prince of Peace treats this as more than a job, and honestly, it has to be that way. You cannot work at a place like this and simply clock in and out to collect a paycheck. These girls carry real trauma, and they need to be surrounded by people who are fully committed to them, not just supervising them, but genuinely loving them. What moved me most was learning that several staff members were once young girls who grew up in that very home. They could work anywhere. Instead, they chose to come back and pour into the next generation of girls coming through those same doors. I believe God placed them there on purpose. Watching these women thrive as adults, some with families of their own, is such a powerful, living example to the girls still there: that a good, hopeful life really is possible on the other side of everything they've been through.

Meals, Prayers, and a Play About the Prodigal Daughter

Some of my favorite moments were the simplest ones: arranging long folding tables in the salon into a big U shape and gathering for breakfast and lunch and dinner each day. Those were the best moments for connection, over a meal.

But one evening in particular stands out above the rest. Our team led a devotional and performed a short drama based on the parable of the prodigal son, reimagined as the prodigal daughter so it would land close to home for the girls watching. The message was simple: no matter how many mistakes we've made, and no matter how badly life has wronged us, Jesus is there to wash us clean and love us fully.

After the drama, we invited the girls to accept Jesus into their hearts, and six or seven raised their hands. During the altar call that followed, I had the chance to lay hands on and pray individually over five or six girls, the first time I'd ever prayed over someone that intimately. I don't have the words for how holy that moment felt. God was undeniably present in that room.

What Changed in Me

This trip didn't just confirm my faith, it deepened it in a way I wasn't expecting. I watched the love of Jesus move through the staff and through the girls themselves, in how they cared for one another, prayed before every meal and every activity, and constantly gave thanks to God for what He had provided, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I already believed God was real before I went. But now there's an urgency in my heart that wasn't there before, a real conviction to keep serving, to keep showing up for others, and to keep telling people about the work God is doing in places like this.

How You Can Be Part of This

If any part of this story has tugged at your heart, I want to invite you to respond to it. The first and most important thing Prince of Peace needs is prayer. Beyond that, as a nonprofit that has operated faithfully for over 30 years, POP relies on the generosity of people like you and me to keep its doors open and its girls cared for. God has provided for this ministry for three decades, and He'll continue to, often through ordinary people simply saying yes. For as little as $55 a month (or any dollar amount, no amount is too small), you can help sponsor the needs of these girls in a real and lasting way. You don't have to fly to Guatemala to be part of their story. You can be part of it from right where you are.

While we sat in that room hearing the girls' testimonies, one of them shared John 10:10 with us, a verse that captures exactly what's happening at Prince of Peace: the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but God does not let that be the end of the story. Through Prince of Peace, these girls are being given a life that is abundant and good. And getting to be even a small part of that, for one week, is something that will stay with me forever.

If you'd like to learn more or support Prince of Peace's work : https://princeofpeacegt.org/