Cobb EMC employees Matt Brown and Eddie Brooks were among 14 volunteer linemen from electric cooperatives across Georgia who recently traveled to Guatemala to bring electricity to Guadalupe de las Flores, a remote village in Guadalupe, Ixcán, that might otherwise remain without power. The team included volunteers from Cobb EMC, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Flint Energies, Jackson EMC, Habersham EMC and Walton EMC.
 
While building the new electric infrastructure, the volunteers worked alongside local residents and utility workers. Children ran to greet the crews each morning with huge smiles, and families closely followed the project's progress. 
 
During the two-week mission, the linemen and local workers built roughly three miles of line, constructing more than 40 primary and secondary poles and spanning wire. The massive undertaking brought power to schools, churches and 68 houses. Each home was wired with four lights and two electrical receptacles and switches, providing many families with access to electricity for the first time. The linemen accomplished this without their usual equipment, relying on battery-powered tools and climbing to get the job done. 
 
"Going into those huts, flipping the switch and seeing the smiles from parents, grandparents and children was unforgettable,” said Eddie Brooks, 1st class lineman. “Watching families experience electricity in their homes for the first time was humbling to realize that a few weeks of work could make a difference for generations to come.”
 
Brooks and Brown said the opportunity to bring electricity to people who had never had it before was one of the most rewarding experiences of their careers. Seeing the impact of reliable electricity on families and communities firsthand reinforced the importance of the work they do every day for Cobb EMC members. 
 
"You don't realize how fortunate you are until you see people living without things we use every day,” said Matt Brown, line foreman. “This experience reminds you how much electricity improves quality of life and how important our work really is." 
 
The linemen worked through language barriers and hot, 90-degree conditions to wire each home and building. While the Georgia linemen divided themselves into crews to complete the job within the allotted timeframe, they walked house by house to trip on the breaker because they knew how much it meant to the villagers, many of whom were unfamiliar with how to flip the switch.
 
Beyond the electrical work, the volunteers distributed school supplies, clothing and other personal items to local families. Brooks and Brown emphasized how quickly strangers became teammates and friends and described the effort as a "brotherhood" working toward a common goal. The experience left a lasting impression on the Cobb EMC employees, who said the trip reinforced the value of reliable electricity and the cooperative mission of improving lives through service.