Don’t let pride get in the way…

The first March Hero Holiday group is now gone sadly; this past week was amazing!  The group of people we had was very unique, fun, and although small, had lots to offer. We all got to know each other quite well and were able to form some  pretty great friendships by the end.  (Which makes it incredibly sad when alarm clocks don’t work and you aren’t woken up in time to say good bye!!)  Being able to help build a house for a man like Isiais is an experience I will forever remember.  He and his family was such a humble inspiration of what it really means to be thankful for what you have. Eric, one of the participants, mentioned pride once in our debriefings, and how men in general usually have a lot of it (speaking from a personal perspective:).  For Isiais to ask LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute) to build him a house, you know his family must be in desperate need. To swallow his pride for the well being of his family and their future, takes a great amount of courage. Letting a bunch of inexperienced teenagers from Canada build you a house isn’t something many men around the world would like to experience, but many people can suffer from one man’s pride, so it is uplifting to see such great character within the man we were able to provide for.  He definitely maintained his dignity though, by being the hardest worker on the site and one of the most gracious, friendly and deserving men I have ever met.Every person we meet has the ability to affect our lives. The entire group was blown away by this man, and I know he has affected each of us in one way or another. This was my second Hero Holiday and it was definitely far different than my first experience. No better, or worse, just different, yet equally valuable.  Teaching me new lessons, along with driving deeper my desire and passion for taking the privileges and opportunities I have been given to help those less fortunate.I am excited for the months ahead, for the families that will recieve a sturdy set of walls and for the relationships that I have yet to develope.  I realize that each group holds with it a brand new experience and after personally growing so much after the first two, I can’t wait to discover what I can learn by the end of this program!~ Tara, a School of Leadership student currently living in Mexico