Analecia’s Eyes

I have to be honest: it was a little hard to look her in the eye when she was pouring out her heart to me. I felt weak, helpless, and I felt the sting of injustice in a whole new level; it was as if I was seeing my life for the first time from another perspective, and I was entirely uncomfortable.Hero Holiday Dominican Republic was now over for another summer. Vaden, myself, and three others had taken the long trek to the south, where the country borders with Haiti. It was hot, I was tired, and I was trying to process where I was: standing in the middle of the poorest neighbourhood in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. We were on the edge of Port-Au-Prince, in an area called Cite-Soleil, and my life was changed by what happened that day. As we crossed over the foot bridge that spanned over a river of deep black sludge, human waste, and rotting garbage, I held Vaden’s hand, and tried to imagine what a place like this could look like if it did not look like this – but the image eluded me. In truthfulness, it was a very difficult to conjure up an image of hope in that moment: my senses were assaulted by the pungent stench of human waste and years of refuse that has been allowed to rot in the sun, by the sight of numerous scantily clad children with orange-tipped hair, tiny limbs and partially bloated bellies, and by the ever-present feeling of sadness settling over everything. In a place like this, survival itself seems to be a momentous event to celebrate.As we walked up to the group of people staring at us, she caught my eye almost immediately. Her name was Analecia, and she looked so tired. Her eyes were sad, her hands weathered, and her  clothes looked like they were doomed to be eternally filthy. She was a single mother of 7 kids, but it was what she said when she looked me in the eye that struck me: “We have nothing and no one cares. We watch as our children starve to death in front of us, with no hope of feeding them enough to survive. Yesterday, 15 of us put our money together to buy one pound of rice between us for our families. Why does no one care?”I had no answer for Analecia, only the silent tears in my eyes as I bowed my head in recognition of her intense need.  I wondered what it would be like if, in that moment, her eyes were mine and mine were hers. What would I see differently? What would I view as important and worth giving my life for? What would I be willing to do for those whom I loved?During our Hero Holiday trips, we each spend many hours and days with incredible people in a very bizarre set of circumstances, always on journey together of self discovery and global awareness. Together, we build schools and houses, we hold orphans, we work in garbage dumps, and we aways find time to celebrate a house build or finished project with a community party, dancing, and singing. Each time I am in that place, I am always in awe of one thing more than anything else: there is nothing except birth that has separated my hands from theirs. My eyes see life from this view purely because of where I was born, and not because of anything I could have ever done to deserve it. I am privileged, and I cannot deny what this means. Analecia’s eyes held mine that afternoon because they were eyes that reminded me to keep going, to keep believing that something can change, to keep joining hands with those who love the poor and reach out to the exploited.Analecia, your eyes have told me of deep truths that I needed to be reminded of, and they have stirred a compassion that is not letting me sleep at night. I am left without a choice and I am now compelled to become a voice for you. I now see your pain as my own, your success as dependent on mine. Thank you for having the courage to look me in the eye. It was what I needed to realize that I need to look back into yours and recognize that I am not left powerless; I can be a part of the picture that can be envisioned for all of us. My eyes have met yours, and I am changed.
Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger. Every year 15 million children die of hunger. The world is going hungry. The numbers are too much, and the statistics make it seem insurmountable. But we see it differently: we see it as a possibility and an opportunity for each of us to be a part of the solution, both today and for the future. There is hope for change, and it starts with educating ourselves to educate the world. In 500 B.C., an anonymous Chinese poet wrote:“If you are thinking a year ahead, sow seed. If you are thinking ten years ahead, plant a tree. If you are thinking one hundred years ahead, educate the people…By sowing a seed once, you will harvest once. By planting a tree, you will harvest tenfold. By educating the people, you will harvest one hundredfold.” This year, through our Hero Holiday programs and with the help of our participants and partnering organizations, LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute) is endeavoring to finish another school in Dominican Republic, begin the building of a school in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, and complete a school in Baja California, Mexico. We need you! Please consider partnering with us with your time, resources, financial help, and even joining us on a Hero Holiday.”What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step.”C.S. Lewis

Elle is on the Road with Team 2!

The essence of music comes from the dew dripping off of a rainbow, wetting the unicorn’s hooves, deep within the clarity of the sun. It blinds every heart to pursue the truth of new beginnings. Now let me ask you a question: did that make any sense to you? It makes life changing sense…hope your life is changed even before reading this blog!!!Music is an incredible way to communicate a message. We are so pumped to be given the chance to do that through LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute). Elle started with that desire, to use music as a way to reach out. With vocalist Danielle (that’s me), guitarists Graham and Brendan, bassist Justin, and drummer Darryl, all of us have stories to tell through the music we play. With the recent release of our debut album entitled “Light of You,” the band has been working hard to pull everything together so we could hit the road for this four month tour with LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute).Elle first started with Graham and myself about 2 years ago. We began writing and creating our sound. From start to finish, the album took around one year to complete and it was an incredible experience. We recorded in a studio called the Night Deposit in Calgary, Alberta. It was there that our pop rock sound was solidified and we were all very excited about how the album turned out. Now that it’s released, we’re working hard on the road!Our tour began with LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute) at the beginning of February and my have we been having a crazy time! We arrived in Hamilton with a bang! Everyone on the team came down with some weird sicknesses. Darryl is originally from South Africa and he was definitely a frozen little guy; he got incredibly sick. Honestly, one night he started throwing up and it sounded like he was hacking out a small animal. Graham dropped something heavy on his foot and broke his toe. I came down with some kind of skin reaction to bugs or some environmental toxin!! Justin was deathly ill, making noises that would unnerve anybody.It was a hilarious couple weeks. Honestly though, going into the schools and seeing how the students react to our music and our message makes all our sick (not the cool “sick”) experiences worth it. Everything that comes with touring is all worth it when you see things like emails telling us how what we do changed their lives. Those emails and those conversations would cause anyone to be moved with passion to move forward with their dreams.We are so excited for the future of where we will go with this. Every song on our album has a purpose to affect people in positive ways: to make them think, to give perspective, to give hope. We love what we do, and we love that we have an opportunity to do what we love with LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute).Daniellewww.ellesmusic.com

House Dedication Day

Today was Dedication day, the day when we say our goodbyes to the families and hand over the keys to their new homes. Our group has gotten to know Maria, her family and all of her neighbours really well over the past week. We have seen that Maria is an extremely friendly and welcoming person, who always has a smile on her face. When we got off the bus today all the kids swarmed us shouting “Amigo’s, Amiga’s!” and doing the special handshake that they taught us this week. Every one of them had hugs for us too, it was so adorable.Once we had all greeted everyone, we took the groceries and dishes to the house, and set up the new home for Maria. We  then all gathered outside to start the celebration. The group gathered around the family and anyone who wanted to say something was given the chance to. Going around the group people offered words of encouragement to the family along with many thank you and farewells. There were quite a few tears involved in all this. We said a prayer for the house and family, and after this the family went inside to look around. When they came back out Maria told us how grateful she was, and to show us this she had prepared a meal for us, her family and all their friends as well. It was a delicious meal of chicken soup!When the time came to leave, getting back to the bus was a pretty drawn out process. None of us wanted to leave, and it was very hard to do so because everyone of us knows that we may never see these amazing people ever again. =(It is life changing to see how much these people love each other, and how caring and welcoming they are. I am so happy to have met them.~Katie, a Hero Holiday Participant

Better to Give

Gift Day Hey all, it’s Kristi again and I have to say I have really enjoyed getting to meet all the participants this past week and I am honored to have the privilege to report back to Canada what’s been going on down here. =) The house’s are all built and the families are all itching to move in, so on Monday it was time to turn these house’s into homes. And how we happen to do that is to make every girl smile, and head out…SHOPPING! Shopping day is always an interesting one as the teams get to try out their bartering skills, and hit up local grocery stores to buy all  the goods any family could hope for. Some of these items include kitchen tables, cooking stoves, beds, mattresses, propane, dishes and food. Everyone split up and headed in different directions looking for certain things to finally finish off this amazing project. I started off my day at the used furniture store with 2 different house groups, looking for some beds, tables, chairs and dressers. Let me tell you, this was an interesting experience. A hand full of people wandered around and with a list of what their families needed, selected what they thought would be then nicest options. While this smaller group was finding our furniture the rest of our group played on the exercise equipment, chilled out on the chairs for sale, and one of our leaders (cough-Jim-cough) even got distracted by a few fancy toys. This was a pretty quick trip, the groups gathered up their furniture for a reasonable price and even got delivery thrown into the deal. We all headed back to the sites, where the furniture was very quickly being delivered. When it arrived, the families already smiling faces lit up. They knew this was for their new home, and they could not look more excited if they tried. One of the families sat by and watched as the group unloaded their new furniture.When one of the staff gave the father a thumbs up and called out “Bueno?” the father replied with a huge smile, an exaggerated not of the head and a loud “Si!” This was a good thing, and no one was about to try and deny that.I can not begin to imagine what it must be like to sit by, and watch a bunch of Canadian strangers unload a better life for your family, out of the back of a truck. And all simply because they truly care for you.All the participants were very excited to be able to present the gifts to their families, knowing that they were offering these amazing people something they probably never would have been able to give themselves. Or at least not easily. Smiles, laughter, and excitement were abundant in the air on Monday. Not a single person on site could keep from seeing the good things that had been done this past week, and the families gratitude shows clearly on their faces.It’s been an amazing week, a lot of live have been touched and I am truly grateful that I have been able to be a part of it. The house dedications will definitely be the cherry on top of a great time, and I know all these beautiful Mexican families could not be more thankful for the compassionate young Canadians and the time they have spent with them this week.Buenos Noches, Good Night.Kristi

Time for some fun!

  After working hard for 4 days, we hit the weekend and time for some fun! Although everyone had lots of fun interacting with the families, they were all glad to get a day of rest and relaxation. Or…something like that. I don’t know how relaxing scaling a volcano is, but it’s definitely a fun experience none the less. We all settled ourselves onto the bus’s once again for the 45 minute drive out to one of our local inactive volcano and our entire group of 80 or more made the walk across the beach and down a very long, sandy road to the base of the volcano. We didn’t waste any time dropping our stuff, and bounding through the sandy trail to scale the side of a volcano (following a walking trail of course). It can be a tough climb, but not so tough that anyone turned back. Everyone who climbed made it to the top, and seemed very excited to have done so. Then, following our habits, after snapping a few pictures we wasted no time in heading back down.I think the group might have been excited for some beach time.Although the sky was cloudy, and the wind was not willing to let up too much everyone took advantage of the chance to relax on the beach. Give some young people sand and surf, and they can find some pretty interesting ways to keep them selves busy. We had people laying out under the sun, or rather clouds, a footrace or two, and a few people even braved the chilly water to play in the waves. One of the participants got buried in the sand, which offered up some amusement for many of us…as he refused help in getting himself out, and after lunch we even found a dead seal. (In my opinion not as fun, or enjoyable…but I’m sure it will be a story to take home regardless. Oh dear.) It was smiles and games all around, as everyone just took the day to enjoy the beautiful weather of Mexico (we have to admit that even cloudy, cold Mexico is better than snowy, cold Canadian weather). Everyone had fun, and after walked ALL the way back to our bus’s down that long, sandy road and across the beautiful beach … we headed back to the campsite for pizza & a dance party! We enjoyed a lovely dinner of pizza and salad…outside in the chilly Mexican evening, spent some good times hanging out and forming friendships, and at 7:30 the dance began.Everyone filed into the nice warm dining room, pushed some tables apart, listened to some sweet live music, and then danced the night away. Or well, danced until quiet time.I would say that rest might not have been the full point of the day, but that’s what Sunday is for. =) (Can anyone hear the beach calling again?)All in all it was a great day, and by Monday…we’ll all be ready to finish off the build and hand the keys over to some smiling families!!

Some extra help.

Our house is going so well Karemeos, we are such a great team!Since being on the house build, we have had lots of help from the father of our family, Jesus (pronounced Hey-Zeus). You can tell that he desperately wants to provide everything for his wife and kids. the other day some of us were tarring the roof, and he was helping to hammer down the roll out shingling. Daniel had instructed us to put the nails in about a hammer-head’s width apart. So Jesus would put a nail in, carefully measure the next spot with his hammer and gently but thoroughly pound another in another nail. His wife Miriam spends most of her day walking around the site with her son Oscar, wearing a joyful but modest smile. Both of her daughters wear the same exuberant smile as their parents, and are very sociable, helping us to nail the walls together and to paint them afterwords.Our entire group has been completely blown away, countless times, by the simple lives Mexican people live. And our entire group continues to be left speechless by the family we are helping this week. The other day Oscar was crying in his stroller. One thing I should explain before I tell you this is that he is an adorable little boy who is blind, can barely walk and is very sick. when he started crying, Emily walked over to him and took his hand. His response was to bring her hand to his face, to try and identify her by scent…using other senses to make up for his lack of sight. Quickly after discovering that she was not his mom, he threw her hand away and started crying again. Miriam came over and tended to him, and he quickly calmed down. It was such a beautiful moment, to see how he is adapting to life without sight and to see how his family cares for him. They would gladly give up all they have for him alone, and continue smiling just because all of their children are smiling.It’s things like this that are so inspiring. A child that is blind, and so sick that his parents are quickly going broke can impact a group of rowdy teens so incredibly deeply. We were privileged enough to enter into the families old house the other day, and once again we were put aback. It was very tidy, the family was definitely caring for what little they had, but it was cramped and small. There was a double bed in the corner, which the parents let their two daughters sleep on, while they humbly slept on a worn out mat on the floor. Ariela asked them if it gets cold at night, after noticing their were barely any blankets. Jesus closed his eyes and nodded, as Miriam explained how incredibly cold it really gets.To give you and idea, think of this. I get to sleep in a large, thick sleeping bag with an extra quilt while I’m here, and I still get pretty cold. I cannot imagine how they feel. They have a dirt floor, cardboard walls, and tarps for a ceiling. I cannot begin to explain how privileged I feel to be helping Jesus, Miriam and their family. They are so happy, even in their most desperate times. I feel that we can learn so much from them, and I love that we as a team get to experience everything that this trip has offered us. I am sure it will impact us all, and we will walk away changed for the better.We are all so grateful for you guys at home, and all the support you have given us in so many ways! Thank you all so much! =)Ashley

Stronger bonds and greater memories…

Fourth day of the build and all the teams headed out to the work sites, excited because all the houses are nearing completion. Everyone was getting excited after watching and helping put the walls up, raising the roof and watching the piles of wood and nails begin to look like a house. As some of the students were busy adding finishing touches, like fixing up the paint and building shelves and counters, the rest of their teams spent some more time with the families and local children. The local kids have all fallen for the teams, looking forward to a little healthy competition and time dedicated just to them. As I jumped from site to site I seen some groups letting the kids help with the painting, some groups starting up a soccer game or two, and some groups simply enjoying the children’s company. Nothing is more exciting for the little ones than to get a “capuchi” (also known as a piggy back) or play a ongoing game of tag. Whether they spent day 4 playing with the kids or working on the house, everyone put in a lot of hard work and a lot of love to make these house builds the best they could be. These teams work together amazingly well, proving that nothing can get in the way of their goals. In conversation with leaders and hero holiday staff I have found that every team is made up of kids from all different age groups, friend circles, and all have completely different personalities. From the outside looking in, I never would have guessed that these kids were not best friends who had spent their entire lives side by side. They are all friendly enthusiastic young people, their compassion for these families bringing them together in laughter and hard work. Whether they came here as friends, or only acquaintances I have no doubt that everyone will leave here on Thursday with stronger bonds and great memories together. All of our houses are almost finished, one more day of touch ups and furniture shopping to turn them into a finished house. (Shopping day on Monday) The families all have big smiles on their faces, knowing that the new friendships they formed this past week, have not only brought them joy this week but also a brighter future.  And the participants all have big smiles on their faces, knowing that they helped out a deserving family on their holidays.Buenos Noches.Kristi

Luke, The Motivational Speaker

Have you ever met someone who leaves you feeling like your life is much richer because you have met them? Someone who unknowingly inspires you to dream bigger and to look at life from a different angle? I had seen him around the garbage dump for the past 2 years, but not thought much of it. There are a lot of faces that I see here every day that I come out to this place – this place that  that has come to be a place of understanding, compassion, and friendship. His face, however, is hard to forget: there is a scar that runs from the outer corner of his left eye, down past his jaw. I can almost envision the machete that probably caused it and wonder how many times he has looked at his face and wished it wasn’t there.  That day, I saw past his scars on his face, past the sweat and grime, and heard the voice of Luke, the man who has impacted my life.We pulled into the garbage dump with our Hero Holiday team and were blown away by how much smoke there was; they were burning it off (no points for environmental friendliness there!) and wouldn’t officially allow any workers in. The dump here is huge and covers many acres of land. Normally there are about 50-60 workers picking bottles, scrounging for food and clothes, and just trying to survive. They are stateless, without identity papers, and without any other means with which to provide for themselves and their families. However, today, there were quietly about 7 men working behind one of the hills when we finally found them. Luke looked up from his work of trying to find some food for his family and waved when he saw me. He walked over and kissed me on the cheek. I asked him what was going on and he told me they were the only ones working today, as the rest were too scared to come for fear of the police being upset with them for being there and thus resulting in their deportation.Luke explained to us what that could look like for them: being immediately taken to the border and dumped off without anything to get you anywhere. The reality for them is that because they are without papers, they are without official identity. In short, they do not really “exist”.  Luke himself has been here in Dominican Republic for 25 years, but because he is stateless, he has no protection for him or his family, no hope of a better future for his children without those papers. But standing there, listening to Luke that day, we recognized something: the world can deny his existence, but after this, we know the truth.Luke was a wealth of understanding for us as we sat on that hill and allowed understanding to direct our compassion, and that day, in the middle of the stench of the garbage and the buzzing of the flies, Luke was our motivational speaker and we were his audience he had captivated with his honesty, truthfulness, and sincerity. He spoke to us of what it is like to dream of educating your children, of  being able to provide for your family, of feeling like you belong. He spoke to us of dreaming about the ability to afford simple necessities and of being treated as an equal. And then, Luke spoke to our hearts, as he told us that there is something different about the Hero Holiday groups that come out to this desolate garbage dump: they work alongside of them, and they make them feel valuable. He turned to me and told me that the workers at this garbage dump have come to value what we do to help them, and they trust us and want to welcome us into their world. Without knowing it, Luke spoke to the deep place in us that can often wonder if we are doing enough or if we are making any difference for them, and he reminded us that we have allowed them to know that they matter. Though the world may not know they exist, in our hearts and memories they are now a face, a smile, a hand stretched out to be embraced, and a dream to be cherished with hope for a better future.Luke, the 34 year old stateless Haitian man at the garbage dump has become my newest favorite motivational speaker. As we work alongside of him and the other 50+ people from his village at this garbage dump, I can only hope to make a difference. Luke taught me that it starts with this simple kindness.Thank you, Luke. I don’t know if you can even read or write, and I know you will never have the chance to read this brief tribute to who you are, but you have touched my life and sharpened my focus. You have allowed me the privilege to hear your story, and every day that I see you when I bring out the teams, I see your shy smile and am reminded of the depth of character that lies beneath. You are a man of perseverance, hope, and influence; you are a man who deserves an opportunity to leave your mark on the world.I, too, believe in your dreams for a better tomorrow, and like you, I hope to see you succeed in all that you put your hands to. Your dreams deserve to be heard because you exist in our world, and we want to hear your voice.Millions of children are born into statelessness each year around the globe. They are the children who are unaccounted for, and they are often left with gross limitations regarding education, health care, vulnerability to exploitation, and general welfare. Without our intervention, this number will continue to grow exponentially. Through our Hero Holiday program, LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute) helps to bring education, safety, and hope to some of the world’s stateless communities. In Dominican Republic, in 2009, we are hoping to finish another school for a community that is largely comprised of stateless Haitian families. This school will help to change the course of many children that have been unable to go to a school before this time.

Girl Power!

14 Completely different people came together in a small community, Kaleden BC, to change the lives of seven wonderful girls. Liliana, Isela, Maria, Gua Luz, and Joselyn are the most friendly, loving, charismatic girls I have ever met. Everyone knows how hard it is to raise five girls with huge hearts, but this single mom, Carmela, and grandma, Julia, do it with grace and easy. This family has touched my heart and will always have a special spot dedicated to them.Our team: Kevin, Kayla, Brooke, Josle, Dariene, Alana, Bri, Elly, Dilane, Jason, Jenny, and Louise and our two marvelous leaders: Les and Heidi all set off to Mexico with great anticipation. We all had to accept each others flaws and strengths very fast. We have now grown to be a strong and caring team. On Tuesday, we were all pumped to meet the seven girls we told all about before the beginning of the trip. This family meets the definition of GIRL POWER, right down to their now finished bright pink new house. Julia is the grandma, she is 64 years old and is in a wheelchair. Although, she is blind she sings beautiful songs. I can’t understand the words but they are pretty just the same. She has also suffered a stroke and deals with diabetes. The challenges that Julia has faced would have made some people give up, but she has hope and still holds strong.When I took a look inside their home, we were astonished to see what the family survived on. There was two chairs, one double size mattress (borrowed), small propane tank, and cardboard laid on the ground for grandma to sleep on at night. This brought many unexpected emotions to surface and broke my heart. However, the main focus of the family is on the 14yr old daughter, Isela. All day Isela works in the feilds to make money to feed her mother, grandmother, and sisters. When I think of how stressful and unfair that is , Isela would go up and beyond what she is already doing for her family.It is now the forth day we’ve been working to give this family a home, but for me I’ve mostly been playing with all the adorable kids. From playing soccer to hundreds of “capuchies”(piggybacks) our group has really bonded with the family. I asked some of my team what they would not take for granted anymore, most of the answers were things like a bed, bathroom, and a home with 4 sturdy walls. This is my third year on the spring Hero Holiday and every year it reminds me of how privileged we are. So, I would like to thank Mexico and the six most beautiful girls I have ever met for giving us the most cherished four days of my life.~ Bri

The second day…

Hey, my name is Nikki and I am a school of leadership student this year. This week I have been lucky enough to be a part of the 2009 Penticton annual trip to Mexico.  I have spent the last couple of days working with a few students who are a part of something so much bigger. While getting to know and chatting with a lot of students, who I am sure I will come to call great friends, I have been able to watch the full construction of a house. Although,  we are building a house for a family who was previously living in what could be called by Canadian standards, shambles,  we are building so much more, a future,  and a sense of hope. Within our group we are also building, friendships and for many students we are expanding their pool of knowledge about the world surrounding us. It is not difficult to see the process coming along, not just the walls going up but smiles growing on the faces of family members and children from the community.One the second day of the build, my job was   ‘site photographer’, what that meant was the I spent the day on the roof of the bus taking photos and admiring the progress being made on the house. I found it completely incredible to watch a very diverse group of people, some of whom have never been to Mexico before, or even held a hammer before working alongside those who are on one of many house builds. Together, the group went from nothing to something basically overnight.  From the roof of the bus, I watched the walls go up, and the roof carefully placed on top. It was a great way to see the entire build take place as well as work on a pretty solid tan. It is pretty safe to say that we have a very cohesive team because we are flying along,  we were even able to take the afternoon off of work for a little relaxation and a soccer game, Mexicans vs. Canadians. Inevitably, the Canadians lost haha.

I feel so lucky to spend time with so many amazing people. The students in our group are so enthusiastic about everything going on, well except painting, but the point is that their thirst for knowledge about the family and the Mexican people encourages me to learn more myself.  We have spent the last couple of days playing soccer, painting a few houses, nailing, putting tar on the roof and all over ourselves as well as shopping at the mini-Mexican market, long story short we are immersing ourselves into what is around us.