54 Years of AdP: Reflections on the 2026 Summit

Greetings Boyz and Ellie,

Thank you for everything you did to make our 2026 Summit the most impactful one yet. For me, it was a powerful reminder of why we do this. I’m also copying several friends who share our passion for Guatemala and may be interested in joining our future efforts.

Steve said something that has been ringing in my ears all week: “You can’t make new old friends.” That truth applies not just to the people in this group, but to our relationship with the communities we serve. Some of my personal highlights from the week:

• The Coffee Reality Check: Watching a 15-year-old boy bring his 105-pound bag of coffee to the scale—carried by a mecapal (head strap) and representing five years of his family’s labor—was a sobering moment. His pure joy at receiving a $50 payment was beautiful, but it highlighted a harsh shift in the AdP mission landscape: fifty years ago, an acre of coffee could lift a family out of poverty. Today, it is a precarious existence. It underscores why our work in water and infrastructure is more vital than ever as a foundation for these families.

• The Power of "Trabajo Comunal": One of my favorite sights was the contingent of volunteer laborers struggling to span a 150-foot-deep canyon. They were rehabilitating AdP’s very first water system, which I helped design in 1972. It was intended to last 20 years; 54 years later, the community is still fighting to keep it alive. That is the definition of "sustainability."

• A 51-Year Quest Fulfilled: I have been trying to spot Guatemala’s national bird, the Resplendent Quetzal, since 1975. To finally see four of them up close felt like a blessing on the work we’ve done for over half a century.

• Navigating Local Partnerships: We batted .500 with local government—a Hall of Fame average. The tepid reception in San Lucas Toliman was a reminder of the political hurdles we face, but the enthusiastic embrace by the Mayor of San Andres Semetabaj reminded us of the progress possible when leadership and AdP align.

• The Bridge Between Generations: The ultimate highlight was seeing the "Class of 1976" and the "Class of 2026" working side-by-side. Watching current students from our alma mater engage with the mission 50 years after we started was a "full circle" moment I won’t soon forget.

• A Final Supper with a View: We closed the week in Antigua overlooking three volcanoes (two of them active!). It was a picturesque reminder of the beautiful, volatile, and inspiring land that AdP calls home.

Looking Ahead: AdP’s work is never finished. I am already looking toward 2027.

• Should we aim for another Summit next year?

• What is the best window for travel?

• How can we better integrate the "next generation" of Summiteers into the mission?

Please share your ideas and reflections. Let’s make the next 50 years as meaningful as the last.

In service,

Bruce Clemens

Artist's biography:

Ottoniel Chavajay was born in San Pedro in 1976. He has seven brothers and sisters. His father was kidnapped in 1980 when Ottoniel was 4 years old - a victim of the civil war which was devastating to almost every Mayan community on Lake Atitlan. Ottoniel said that art has helped him a great deal with this great loss which he and his family suffered.