Mexico: Homes of Hope

May 27-30, 2011

My brother James works for a company that sponsors the Youth With a Mission (YWAM)/Homes of Hope programs. His company paid for several employees and some of their family members to go to Mexico for 3 days to participate in a home build. Derek and I had the opportunity to go with the group to Ensenada Mexico. It was an opportunity that we will never forget.

Derek, me, my Mom, my brother James, my sister Kate, and my sister-in-law Audi.

We flew from SLC to San Diego, CA (where we met up with Audi) and then rode a bus across the border into Mexico. It was a very strange feeling to cross the border and immediately see the obvious differences. As we went up one side of a mountain we could see the border for miles - a tall concrete wall on the U.S. side, a wall made of almost anything of the Mexico side - and for a brief moment Derek and I felt a brief sense of insecurity being on the Mexico side. However, even with the travel warnings and worried family members that we left behind, we never felt that insecurity again. Prayer and good works go a long way.

YWAM bus ride and a quick view of the city

From there we went to the Youth With a Mission mission home in Ensenada to have an authentic Mexican dinner and to meet our building crew and the mission members. They are wonderful people with big hearts and a great sense of humor. Each day we met at the YWAM Center. We ate all of our meals at the center and were given instructions as to what would happen each day. For 2 days we would work from morning until night, only stopping for meals. The first day we painted walls, framed, wired the electrical (for future use only), added windows and the door, and put up the sheet-rock. The second day we added shingles, painted the inside, added all the trim, and completed the home with furniture, cleaning supplies, food and decor.

Each morning we began with prayer and got to work.

Derek was constantly busy, his building skills, height and ability to do electrical all came in handy.

When the walls were all painted and framed in and the roof pieces finished, we all worked together to raise the walls. That was really cool!

James, Kate, Derek and I all had the opportunity to lay shingles for the roof.

YWAM also provided a bunk bed with bedding, a dining set with table, chairs and dishes, a new propane stove (they were previously using a single propane burner in the trailer), curtains, and food items that the mother chose on a shopping trip into town while we put everything in the house.

Before and After

It was very humbling to imagine living in a 20x30 building with no bathroom, no running water, no electricity, no refrigerator, no washer or dryer, not even enough bed space for each person and yet the family was so excited and grateful to have everything we were offering them. When the home was finished we all stood in a circle and shared the moments that impressed, touched, or just meant something to us. After each person spoke, we passed the home keys around till they eventually ended up with the new homeowners. Afterward, they got to see their finished home for the first time. We then knocked on the door and they were able to invite us in.

Top: Our family with the Vasquez-Mejia family

Bottom: our building group

Maria, the 13 year old daughter in the family, and her friend Edmi kept glancing Derek's way and giggling throughout the 2 days. As we were cleaning up to leave Maria found the courage to speak to Derek and said one word "facebook". He nodded and they exchanged names so that they could friend each other on facebook. Then she got really brave and started acting out "take a picture". With my very limited Spanish I was able to interpret between the three of them and get a picture and say some thank you's and goodbye's. The girls were giddy!! By the following Tuesday (when the girls were back to school where they could be on a computer) Derek had friend requests from both of them.

James had been to Ensenada a few months before our trip so he took us to his favorite churro shop.

They were wonderful!

Our last view of the family as we drove down the mountain