Nearly two dozen Nueces Electric Cooperative employees recently completed a three-week mission to bring electricity to 152 homes across two remote villages in Guatemala.
The three-week trip wasn't about relaxation — it was about changing lives through basic amenities many people take for granted.
"To provide electricity to the houses that never had power," said Manny Piña, a journeyman lineman who has worked in the electrical business for nearly two decades.
For Piña, traveling to Guatemala for the first time, that became a personal mission. The team wired houses, ran power lines, hung transformers and even installed streetlights in communities that had never experienced electric power.
"Because we take it for granted. Cause we have it and other people don't have it. So, I felt I needed to go and be a part of that project," Piña said.
The impact was immediate and emotional, especially for children seeing lights for the first time.
"It was kinda hard seeing the kids. The way they lived and struggled without electricity for so long. And they were excited to be able to get electricity. To hit the light switch and the light would come on," Piña said.
NEC AMI Tech Oscar Medrano Jr. said the trip opened his eyes and made him thankful for the life he has back home.
"The villages - for one - the majority of the houses were mud huts. You know - poorly built. Cooking over open fires, mud floors. They were making it with what they had," Medrano said.
The moment when families first experienced electric light was unforgettable for the crew members.
"You know - they were looking at the light bulb and their faces lite up just the way the light bulb did and it was, it was a good feeling," Medrano said.
What started as routine electrical work for these crews transformed into something profound — flipping switches that brought both light and hope to entire communities.
The employees said the impact wasn't just on the communities they helped, but on themselves as well. The next trip to other villages in Guatemala is planned for 2028.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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