“I will live here one day.”
That’s what Calley Jackson told the lady at the Eagle’s Nest when she was little. Skeptical, the woman dismissed her, saying people claim they’ll live here all the time, but do they actually have what it takes? Not many people come back to Sololá, Guatemala.
Jackson was a child the first time she flew to Eagle’s Nest, a small non-profit orphanage in a little Guatemalan town called Sololá. Her family adopted a young girl named Miley from there, who became a beautiful part of their family.
The process was long and strenuous, especially because the president of Guatemala was closing intercountry adoption. But upon return to the United States, Jackson knew she was going to come back one day.
“I came back on a missions trip with my family some years later,” Jackson said. “My sister got to experience her culture and loved it. After that trip, I became dedicated to learning Spanish.”
Time passed, and Jackson found herself at Liberty University, sitting in Convocation completely entranced by the prospect of going back to Guatemala with Liberty’s Spanish department for a portion of the summer.
However, it was no easy task. That summer forced her to learn Spanish to a higher level of proficiency than she had imagined possible.
With strict rules of no writing, speaking or reading in English, Jackson found herself thinking and even dreaming in Spanish. Even her host family noticed how quickly she was able to pick up the language.
“Once that excitement came (for comprehending and using Spanish), it just never stopped,” Jackson said. “The Spanish institution is just incredible at Liberty. They have the best professors, and they are so ready to help you.”
Jackson became the president of Liberty’s Spanish Honors Society following that summer. She was also selected as one of two student leaders to take the next year’s group back to Guatemala.
However, COVID-19 had other plans.
Jackson would end up serving in Ecuador in 2021 (the 2020 trip was cancelled) while Guatemala was locked down. As she worked on her double major in strategic communications and Spanish, Jackson shifted her priorities to joining the FBI while studying at Liberty. She slowly pushed Eagle’s Nest to the back of her mind.
It wasn’t until former campus pastor David Nasser’s final Convocation with singer and songwriter Chris Tomlin that Jackson’s childhood dream came flooding back. As Nasser and Tomlin’s message of helping orphans and widows echoed through Williams Stadium, Jackson found herself in tears, drawn back to Eagle’s Nest.
“I asked my resident shepherd, ‘Is this stupid? To put aside my career for something that I’m going to have to raise funds for — not getting paid for. Is that crazy? To be a missionary for a year or two,’” Jackson said.
After considering it, Jackson called her father and said, “I have to do this.” He replied, “I have been waiting for this call for so long.”
She packed her belongings and, after speaking to a representative on the phone, she landed a media communications and translator position at Eagle’s Nest, utilizing her double major. She started her time there in January of 2022.
Jackson’s new life at Eagle’s Nest wasn’t easy. She had to overcome elevation sickness at 7,000 feet above sea level, the presence of hundreds of Brown Recluse spiders , limited bulk-style groceries while only cooking for herself, few people with American culture, loneliness and homesickness.
“I’m a person who likes closure … but having that open-ended, I just picked up and left. It was very difficult for me,” Jackson said. “I had to learn that even though people are moving on with their lives, (getting) married, (moving) out of town, graduating and things (wouldn’t) be the same when I get back, it’s worth it.”
Now, Jackson is living in Sololá, Guatemala, where she has committed herself to a year’s stay to continue working for the Eagle’s Nest. She translates for the orphanage and also runs its social media, sponsorships, marketing and newsletter updates.
“My advice to other students is take the risk. Just go. If you feel the Lord putting a little voice in your head or you keep seeing signs … take those things. It’s the little things where the Lord is trying to give you peace to go,” Jackson said.
“The Lord puts passions in your heart for a reason. Follow them. Take them. Don’t wait till Sunday. ‘Sunday’ is a dangerous word. Do it now. … Go until you can’t go anymore,” she added.
For more information about the Eagle’s Nest, students can visit eaglesnestint.org. For more information about Jackson’s fundraising for her continued stay in Guatemala, they can google Calleys Mission to Eagles Nest.
Wallace is a feature reporter.