Macungie Mission Team Goes Global for Former Alburtis Resident

Editor's Note: Some readers may find this story's photos to be strong and/or graphic in nature. They may not be appropriate for younger readers.

For some, distance means nothing when it comes to helping a neighbor.

A group of volunteers from Macungie and the surrounding areas recently trekked 2,000 miles to Guatemala on behalf of Field of Harvest Missions, a nonprofit organization sponsored by Macungie Christian Community and Harvest Fellowship in Boyertown. The group has been leading missions groups into Guatemala to evangelize and work with underprivileged children for the past eight years.

Headed by Rich Leister, founder of Field of Harvest Missions, the group of teenagers set out on June 17 for a two-part, month-long journey that included stops at a feeding center and a three-week stay at Manos de Compasion (Hands of Compassion), a children’s home in the Bay of Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, where nearly 20 abused and abandoned children are cared for by former Alburtis resident Dave Reichard and his wife, Deborah.

At Manos de Compasion, the volunteers helped the Reichards dig ditches, carry water, cook food, and care for the children.

“It’s nice to see some familiar faces from home,” Dave Reichard said. “This is how I started out, and look where I am now.”

As a former FHM volunteer, Reichard knows firsthand what a life-changing experience missions work can be. He went on several trips to Guatemala between 2003 and 2008. In 2009, he married Deborah, the daughter of Tom and Sue Stukenberg, the previous directors of the children’s home. In 2010, the Reichards officially took over as the directors of the home.

“You cannot go out into the mission field and not come back enriched,” Leister said, adding that Reichard is a prime example of how missions work can transform lives.

Emily Schell, a sophomore at Kutztown University who volunteered at Manos de Compasion for the entire four-week trip, agrees.

“If there is anything you are forced to take home from an experience like working with children in a third world country, it's the amazing capacity for love in your heart that you would never think imaginable. Love takes on a whole new meaning when you are spending time with children who are overly grateful for a hug, being read a book, or someone to play soccer with,” Schell said, adding that she has never seen children who are happier than the children at Manos de Compasion despite the many hardships they endure.

“I think what distinguishes us from other children’s homes is that we’re more like a family,” Reichard says. In addition to the Reichards' own two children, they care for 17 children, 15 of whom are in their permanent custody.

In 2008, Guatemala closed international adoption, resulting in the permanent placement of many children in orphanages and children’s homes like Manos de Compassion.

The home receives no money from the Guatemalan government, so the Reichards rely on volunteer groups, outreach programs, and financial donations to take care of the children and maintain the home.

FHM is currently arranging another trip to Guatemala scheduled to occur in December. Any person or group interested in the trip should contact Rich Leister at (610) 682-4453.

If you would like to sponsor a child, click here.