Church missions to poor in Guatemala

An average tourist would find Guatemala City, Guatemala, to be a historically pleasant vacation.

Surrounded by mountains, streams and lush vegetation, the country’s capital is home to more than 7 million people. With a wide variety of hotels, restaurants and shops, tourists won’t experience a dull moment, especially with the city’s art galleries and museums on the itinerary.

But those sights are not the reason Jim Pennington, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Navarre, travels to Guatemala City.

Out of all 25 zones in the city, Pennington visits the poorest one, where the poverty level is just above 29 percent.

“We head down there on mission trips,”  Pennington said of the congregants that he traveled with.  “We do different types of things, like home renovating and pastor trainings.”