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Josiah and Sharla McCarty and Kyler (Josiah’s brother) and Chelsie McCarty love to help people, particularly in Guatemala.

Their history with Guatemala began as Kyler was part of an impact group that discussed types of sustainable, meaningful projects. One member of the group, Ryan Williams, had developed an out-of-the way resort in Guatemala to help lift the community through providing jobs and infrastructure.

Unfortunately, Williams died from a heart attack while swimming in Guatemala. Kyler attended his funeral and felt a strong spiritual impression to carry on his work. “I felt I needed to continue what Ryan began,” Kyler said. After Williams’ funeral, Kyler said to his wife, “Honey, I think I’m going to Guatemala to scope out opportunities.”

Kyler influenced Josiah and Sharla’s first trip to Guatemala in January 2021. They decided to give passports to their children instead of Christmas gifts and went with Kyler to help with a service project to honor Williams’ legacy.

Important questions emerged on their first trip to Guatemala. As they crossed the border, they found a different world and asked themselves, “What do borders have to do with anything? Just because they live on a different side of the border than we do, why don’t they have abundance? Borders should not define us.”

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As a result of their experiences, especially after their second trip in June 2021, the Abundance Without Borders Foundation came to be after lots of conversations among the two McCarty families.

“We often asked ourselves what our goals and purpose were, what did we believe in, and what do we want to accomplish. We talked to other nonprofits and then created Abundance Without Borders,” Sharla said. “Our vision is to create real human connections across borders that empower sustainable abundance.”

From December 2022 through mid-March 2023, Josiah and Sharla and their family lived in El Rosario, Guatemala, to learn Spanish, experience the culture and help build bathrooms and showers. While there, they also cared for a turtle preserve. Something special happened to their family during their three months living there.

“Initially, we thought our first trip would be a one and done,” Sharla said. “There is nothing like being in homes you didn’t expect to be in and experiencing what we did. Our children became passionate about connecting with the people.”

Partnering with communities and their mayors and involving the families is a key to success.

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“They know where the greatest need is, and we trust them to choose the greatest need,” Sharla said. “For example, on one project, the mayor and his council chose four families and introduced them to us. We visited the families, discussed the project and asked them how they could help us. Each family dug their own (hole) for the septic tank and gathered wood for the supports. We hired locals to do all of the cinderblock work.”

Before one of the trips to build bathrooms and showers, Sharla felt unsettled about what they should do. One evening, she couldn’t sleep. She began researching Sawyer water filters and knew that’s what they needed to do. When they went this February, they discovered a more basic need: clean water.

Of all the projects they have done in Guatemala, the water filter project stands out. On the first water filter project, the mayor had 100 families waiting to receive their own water filter kit. Plus, the McCarty family brought their own crew of 20 from a different village to help them.

“People started talking, and our line became longer and longer, and we never ran out of buckets,” Sharla said. “We gave out 100 water filters and two buckets for each filter, one for dirty water and one for clean water. Amazingly, $40 pays for a complete water kit, and the people can have clean water for 15 years.”

The McCarty families also discovered that many community members want to create businesses. For example, Kyler discovered a woman who makes beautiful bracelets and told her he could help her sell them. Other women make purses and other things. “Now, during our annual October fundraiser, we sell their handmade items,” Sharla said.

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One young man wanted to create a doughnut-making business. They told him if he would help them with their projects, they would bring down two doughnut-making machines. “This young man began helping us,” Sharla said, “and we bought two doughnut-making machines. He is now making and selling doughnuts and still helping us.”

Helping people develop businesses creates a whole new mindset in the community. “It is actually part of building relationships,” Kyler said. “If we can help them create a business to help people in need and channel it, we help improve families and entire communities to see options in their lives.”

Another way of making human connections is stopping by people’s homes and saying hello. “We just stop by someone’s home, ask them if we can come in, share a treat with them, and play a game,” Sharla said. “We have made really good connections, and they have become like family.”

Abundance Without Borders also sponsors children to go to school. “One of my favorite things to do is give our scholarship to students,” Chelsie said. “Education is a big deal! We want to help reinforce education and its importance.”

Many people donate money and school supplies. “Each time we go, we take backpacks and all sorts of school supplies for 50 children,” Sharla said. “We go door to door with our children and find those who need these supplies to go to school.”

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Another project occurred when two nurses accompanied them on a trip. They set up health clinics at a local school pavilion to teach basic wound care and healthy eating and handed out first aid kits.

“Initially, no one came to the clinic, so we sent people door to door and invited people to come to a health clinic,” Sharla said. “Before too long, the pavilion was full and people lined up. We shared peanuts and fresh fruit.”

Volunteers are key to Abundance Without Borders’ success. “Our trips are on our website, and people let us know if they are interested,” Sharla said. “Our annual October fundraiser at Rowley’s Red Barn in Santaquin, Utah, helps attract volunteers.”

The future of Abundance Without Borders is clear. The McCarty families will continue to help in any way they can during their two trips per year. “Even our children think about the future,” Sharla said. “For a school project, Addi, who is 13, wrote a eulogy that laid out how she and her future family would continue projects in Guatemala.”

The McCarty families’ lives have changed through Abundance Without Borders. For Aspen, a Brigham Young University student, it broadened her perspective and helped her realize how blessed she is. “Doing humanitarian work has increased my desire to do more and find ways to help people, even people here in the U.S.,” she said.

“What we have discovered is that a little impact will become a bigger impact,” Josiah said. “The best part is connecting with your own children and becoming more unified.”

For Brindley, a BYU freshman, it has created awareness. “While we were there, we got out of our shell and talked to random people,” she said. “It was big ‘aha moment’ when I realized how much we took things for granted.”

Caedence, a sophomore, thinks about Guatemala and her friends every day. “Thinking about them helps me because they are such good examples,” she said.

For Sharla, the happiness came after a family received running water to their home. She heard a little boy singing “I love water” while showering.

For Chelsie, she was more consistent in learning Spanish and being unafraid of the language barrier. “I am a lot braver about practicing my Spanish with others,” she said.

Kyler’s thoughts have hovered around whether he is using his time the way he is supposed to. “I have discovered I am making an impact, looking outside of myself and making connections with others in a meaningful way,” he said. “You only get one life, so I want to spend mine trying to make as much of a difference as I can for other people.”

If people want to connect with or donate to Abundance Without Borders, go to abundancewithoutborders.org, send an email to awbnonprofit@gmail.com, connect on Instagram and TikTok @awbnonprofit, or connect with Facebook at Abundance Without Borders.