The House that Love Built

Down a dusty street in an outback town in Baja California Mexico, a man named Salvador bought a piece of dry, sandy property. He worked hard to pay for it, and he worked even harder to make that piece of property into something that would be a place of welcome and shade from the hot desert sun. Over the 30 plus years that he has owned that property Salvador has loved his garden and the people in his life. 

Salvador’s first wife died many years after he bought the property. The two of them never had any children together, but always there was the garden. Salvador poured his love and resources into that garden and made an oasis around the little rickety tin and cardboard house he had on that property. 

After his wife died, life began to move on, and he focused on work and his property. 

Until he met Maria. 

Maria had been widowed years earlier as well, and she was in a predicament. Her children lived far away and she didn’t actually have a home to call her own. The two of them met at a seniors event in the town hosted by a local woman named Gina. Gina works and lives to serve the people of her community and her heart holds a special place for the senior citizens within it, ensuring that they have their rights maintained, that their voices are heard, and that they have access to as much as she can help them get from the government. Gina is a light of leadership and hope in a place that sometimes lacks both, and her fingerprint can be found on so many of the families we work with in the area. Maria had been staying with Gina at the time, and as fate would have it, the houses were across the street from each other. 

Soon Salvador and Maria could be seen out together, grinning from ear to ear, clearly enamoured and in love. Theirs was a love born out of wisdom and kindness, and was like a gift earned after many hard years of struggle and loneliness. They were married at the age of 70 and 74, and when we met them last week, they had just recently celebrated their fourth anniversary. 

On the first morning we were on their property and working on what would become they beautiful new home, I stood in the doorway of Maria’s old “kitchen”. In reality, you wouldn’t have even recognized it as such: it had an open clay baking hole, a wooden tortilla press and a cardboard and chipboard countertop that was broken and rickety. Her walls were made of cardboard and a had a rusty tin roof over it to keep the elements out. I had been walking by with a paint brush in my hand and I could smell her tortillas baking. I tucked my head in to say how good it smelled and I was met with her beautiful smile and kind eyes as she held out a fresh, hot tortilla to me to sample. It was delicious. Maria loves to serve others and make them feel at home and she succeeded in every way possible with each of us in a special and unique way.

During our time with them, Salvador was torn between two things: making sure we made the house to his liking (he told us he fully approved!) and to keeping an eye on Maria, answering her every beck and call. He loves her with his words, his actions, and his service. She gives him the same and we were all witnesses to it during our time with them. Every night we would sit and talk about how beautiful it was to watch them together, encouraged by their love and commitment to each other.

As we handed the keys to them on our final day, each of our team had the chance to tell them of our wishes and blessings for their new home. Their previous homes may have only looked like a dry stack of wood, tin and cardboard, but it was the only one they had and it was filled with love, warmth, memories, and kindness. This new home we built them doesn’t hold those memories, but it holds hope and that hope is built on the same substance that their lives have been built on for all this time. It was built with love in mind, and I am confident it will see much love over the years ahead. 

I have heard it said that when you find love the second time around it can be even sweeter. Perhaps it is true.

There is something very beautiful, freeing, and hopeful in that statement. Who knows? Perhaps we are born for one true love, perhaps we are born for more. Whatever the eternal truth is, I know that we are born for what love provides for us. Without it we lack depth, meaning and connection. With it, we soar to limitless heights and depths of our humanity, and it is always worth it. 

Perhaps tonight Salvador will sit in his rocking chair on his new front porch, looking out at his garden and thanking the heavens above that inside that warm, cozy house is a woman who loves him. And I hope that together they will sleep knowing that they are not forgotten.

Christal – LiveDifferent Co-Founder

Mi Familia

Hop on a plane; no seriously run through customs and hurry up and get on that plane because it is close to the time that that little ticket displays at the top corner. Now sit in the pit of the bird’s belly, shoulder-to-shoulder with girls you just met two weeks ago as it reaches up to cut through the clouds with its wings. Laugh, tell stories, and get to know the girls beside you to pass the snore-worthy trip by. Cry a little as the ringing and popping makes your ears and brain feel like a punching-bag used in a professional wrestling gym. Then walk out (clenching your jaw and swallowing constantly to bring your hearing back to its normal ability) to the hustle-bustle of the airport. The solid ground is a relaxing moment for your body to realign itself, but the travelling was not over. Prepare yourself for about a 5 hour drive through military checkpoints and an air-conditioner-wind that will wind your stomach into an angry turmoil. Now, finally, welcome to Mexico.    

I guess you could say that I sounded a little more traumatic- it was only a plane ride and drive really – but my love for travel and adventure doesn’t seem to hit my stomach, ears or nervous mind sometimes. Either way I was in a new country with new people that little did I know was about to come to be my second family. And a new house that has now become a home of zingy-fresh foods, ab-crunching laughter, and a space of pure adventurous learning. I guess you could say that it was home, within a school, within a community of accepting and generous people. With a blank paper, crayons, and this idea my childhood mind would re-surface and the page would be filled with heart-warming colours and a home filled with people of all kinds embraced by a large red heart. So now, welcome to my family – my very…very.. extended family, but just as loved. 

The family that I am most excited to introduce you to is a dedicated, and ever-smiley Mexican family of five. Three young girls with two loving parents who easily opened their hearts to the six teenage girls that spoke little of their language and I am sure did not look equipped to build a chair – let alone a home in 4 days!  We met them and told them the date that we would start building them a new home – a home with space, painted walls, and a leak-proof roof (as the scrap-wooden one they had suffered from a lack-of all of these.) The father, Timoteo was a field-worker and worked hard to bring money to the family whenever the work was available, as was the mother, Ricarda. The girls attended school. The youngest girl (age 3) Maite – who wore a purple velvet-material dress that reached down to her ankles – had a smile that could steal your heart and a shy nature. It is not hard to love this girl and soon her shyness disappeared and her tiny hugs would wrap around me when the day was over. She was an artist at heart as she would pick up the paintbrush everyday and help us paint their house a bird’s egg blue. As a young artist her canvas expanded form the walls of her soon-to- be-home to her arms, face, and hair. The two other girls, Karen and Rocio went to school most days while we worked, but when they came home they did not hesitate in picking up a brush and adding their hard-work to the building of their home. They both wore their hair in straight ponytails with a coloured band and were most excited when we brought them funky hair accessories and stickers to stick all over our faces and theirs. Rocio loved to giggle and take pictures of us by her side. Karen was shy, but extremely ticklish (not so shy when it came to tickling back either). Ricarda was a quiet woman who did as much work as possible on the house and was excited to attempt her hand at hammering a wall together – I think she was better at it then most of us! It is not a forgettable moment when her shy smile and laugh looked down on her successful nail as it lay perfectly in place, unlike mine which seemed to be somewhat sideways and bent in a forceful shape. She was a very happy mother who smiled and listened carefully with a silent respectful manner. Timoteo was full of life with a sense of humour so strong that he could make you laugh without a single word leaving his lips. All day he would work beside us, hammering away. He would come up beside you and gently urge you to let him finish your nail – as you came no closer to getting it in on what seemed to be the one hundredth swing of the hammer. Following that he would hit it once and it was right were it needed to be. A version of the saying “I loosened it!” became the new joke.

The building in my mind seemed to go impossibly fast, as if a movie set in fast-forward was my reality. Before I knew it the house was together and we were rushing around on day 4 to do some finishing touches. And then we were filling their new home with furniture, toys, clothes, and food. 

And then it was there. All there to hit me – 6 inexperienced, Canadian teenage girls had built a home in less then a week. I had built a home for a family – my family. And as we all gathered around the front of the house in a large circle tears prickled the back of my eyes and my over-stretched smile threatened to push them out. It was time to hand the family their new set of keys and let them see the finished project of all their hard work. The home that keeps them safe and dry. We call this dedication day – and we slowly went around the circle telling the family the impact they have had in our lives. I was the third one in to speak. I had thought long and hard the night before about all the things I wanted to tell this family. I had so much to say; I wanted to tell them about their inspirational strength and hearts, and about the experiences we had together. But as I stood there, maybe silent a little too long as everyone stared at me to share my thoughts, looking into the faces of everyone who had worked along side of me and the beautiful family those words failed me. New ones took their place; better ones. Although I stuttered and the tears biting my cheeks made me far from a professional speaker, every word I said was true and were a lot more than words. I couldn’t repeat to you the words I said, my tears seemed to have wiped them clear from my mind. But I still have words in my mind that spring forward at the thought of this amazing family: Strong. Funny. Warm. Loving. Worthy. Dedicated. Beautiful. Fearless. Silly. Family. My Family – Mi Familia. 

It was hard-work, building was. But I don’t remember the sore muscles. I remember tilting my head back in laughter. I remember the hugs that were long, but not long enough. I remember seeing the smiles of the people I loved. 

-VIctoria, LiveDifferent Academy, Fall 2013

There’s No Place Like Home

It can be overwhelming to travel to a foreign country, to work with people you’ve never met, and see things you’ve never seen. However, after coming to Mexico as a volunteer two years ago I knew that I had to come back, and deciding to be an intern in Mexico this summer was one of the easiest choices I’ve ever made. Although the choice was easy, I cannot say that I did not have concerns about being here for a month. So many thoughts went through my head before leaving; would I make friends? Would it still be new and exciting? Would I get homesick? Not long after arriving though, all my questions were answered. Within five minutes of meeting my fellow interns, I knew it was going to be an amazing month.

Being an intern was different than volunteering, it gave me an opportunity to work on leadership skills, but it also allowed me to see the trip from a different perspective. Watching the volunteers grow, change, and appreciate life during their week in Mexico is such an awesome experience. It really brings me back to when I was seeing and experiencing all that hero holiday has to offer for the first time. Listening to all the open-minded conversations during the debriefings is such a rewarding experience, and something I love doing every night.

It is such an amazing feeling be able to wake up every morning knowing that you will be one step closer to changing the lives of the families who are receiving homes. I always find it interesting that in Canada doing labour that we do here is strenuous and something I would more than likely complain about, but when you are building a house for a family in need, it barely feels like work. Every day you experience feelings you’ve never felt, and every build is unique. Being able to hammer all day, while laughing hysterically with the family and team is such a humbling feeling. Watching the families open up throughout the week is always so wonderful to watch, and their smiles are what keep me going each day no matter how tired I am. Coming on this trip you expect to change the family’s life, and you have no idea how much they change yours in return.

The relationships that you build in Mexico are something that always stand out to me. It’s hard to believe that people you spend so little time with could become your best friends, and people you confide in once back in Canada. Although provinces may separate us, I am confident in saying that I could call up almost all of the volunteers at any given moment and have a friend to talk to. After being on a Hero Holiday, you are filled with so many emotions and dealing with them can be hard, especially at home with people who don’t always understand. But because of the tight bonds I’ve made down in Mexico, I always have someone to help me through hard days.

Summing up all the emotions I have about Mexico is fairly simple. Mexico is a place where I feel safe. It’s where I know I’m not judged. It’s where I find myself, and who I want to be as a person. Mexico is where I’ve made memories and friends that I’ll never forget. Mexico is my home, and like everyone knows; there’s no place like home. 

– Emily, LiveDifferent Intern 2013

A Day Worth Waiting For

• Intern week is dedicated to community projects and intern-community bonding. It’s a five day week that not many get to experience, and this year I was one of the 12 people who got to experience it in Mexico. We took part in projects such as painting the Las Aves community centre, checking in with previously built for LiveDifferent families, a community soccer game, and a community garbage pick up. Each day was different and life changing in its own way, and they were all able to teach us skills and lessons in life that no high school, university, or other schooling could teach us. We are just 12 people that were lucky enough to get this opportunity, and none of us will ever forget it.

   

  Las Aves is a community that all of us interns have had a chance to get close with this summer. When we were told that we were doing a community clean up, all of us were excited to get started, and get cleaning. Upon arriving we were told that there may be a few locals there, and that if we could pair up with someone if we wanted to. To our surprise, nearly all of the people from the side of community we were cleaning showed up. To see that many people taking time out of their lives, forgetting their problems for one morning, to join together with us, was genuinely touching and there was nothing to do other than smile.

   

  

  Right off the bat, I saw an elderly lady struggling to open her garbage bag. So I walked up and asked if if I could help her with it, and I opened the bag for her after she said ok. I then handed her one side of the bag and I held the other, and we started to walk and gather garbage. Although there was such a huge language barrier between us, we didn’t need to communicate through words, we were able to communicate through smiles and nods. For me it was such an uplifting experience, to help Marcella-Carmen clean her community. Although we moved slowly though the community because she had and injured foot, we still made our way around the whole community, and she even made sure I knew where her house was, because she was very proud of it.

  

  Although I do not speak Spanish, I am able to understand the jist of it, and know a few words to speak. One moment that I will never forget is when Marcella-Carmen and I had been working for about an hour. The sun was beaming down, and we were getting near the top of the highest hill in the community. When we finally got to the top and had a second to take a breather, we simply looked out, and from there we could see the whole community. I couldn’t let the moment pass without telling her that she lived in an amazing and beautiful community. So I said “Bonita ” (which means beautiful), while over looking the community, because as I said, my Spanish is very broken. She looked back at me with the biggest smile on her face, and agreed, “Si, gracias”. This moment topped it all, it was such a momorable moment in my day, and I will never forget it.

  

  At the end of this amazing day, we played soccer in the afternoon on the community soccer field built by LiveDifferent. All the little boys came out dressed in their soccer jerseys, and played against us, and some other kids, and even some parents from the community joined in on the game. It was a great time, with many laughs, smiles, and a little friendly teasing from both teams. Everyone worked as hard as they could to play against these kids who were superstars at the sport. In the end we all came together and shook hands, played around on the field for a little while, and then took some pictures all together. It shaped up to be one of the best, and most memorable days of the whole trip so far!

  – Jeremy, LiveDifferent Intern, Mexico 2013

Eager to grow, be used, and come back changed!

A Day To Remember

The LiveDifferent Academy students have spent two days working in Mexico in the raspberry fields as part of their shack experience. They got up at 4 am each day and worked long days alongside the locals picking berries and weeding the plants and then went home to their shack in the evening.  Keep reading to find out more about what they thought and felt and to hear some stories of a few of the amazing people they met along the way!

The field was an interesting experience.  I don’t want to imagine what it’s like getting up every single day and doing that kind of work.  After two days I was done.  My knees were toast.  I am truly thankful to have had my eyes opened to how hard people work for such little money to feed, clothe, and provide for their families. Unlike yesterday, today we were able to keep up the pace with the rest of the workers and got a chance to work in rows beside the locals.  When I think about how much time the locals spend in the fields, it’s overwhelming.  It’s cold here in the morning, gets very hot in the afternoon, and the work is very physical.  Yet somehow, they manage to get up and do it everyday with a smile.  I was unprepared for how welcoming the local fieldworkers would be.  They not only shared smiles among themselves but even with us.  They happily helped us learn our jobs and didn’t hesitate to share their lunch at mealtime.  Not only were the people I worked alongside determined, but they were so many other things as well.

We met many people today.  Here are a few of their stories:

I met Eva, she has four teenage daughters who are fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen years old.   Today she was working with the youngest one.  They were sharing one pair of gloves between the two of them.  They were so sweet and  I ended up giving them my pair of gloves at the end of the day.  Eva asked me lots of questions and I told her that next year I will be going to university in Canada.  She got really excited when I told her this and started asking me what I wanted to study.  I told her that I wasn’t sure yet and she gave me a strange look and started listing all the possible choices: doctor, lawyer, construction worker etc.  I just smiled and nodded.  Wow.  That was a big “aha” moment for me.  It really put things in perspective and the contrast between my life and Eva’s life was unbearable.  Living in Canada I have the incredible, amazing opportunity to study whatever I want so that I can have a job to make money and be successful.  Eva is stuck working here to provide for her four children who are destined to a similar fate. I can only imagine her greatest wish is to see her kids go to school, get an education and build a life for themselves that is better than the one she is living.  I am no different than any of Eva’s daughters, yet I seem to have the world at my feet simply because I was born in a different part of the world.  And even upon knowing this, Eva and the rest of the workers treated me only with kindness and grace.  I have gained a whole new respect for field workers and their families. 

I also met Jose today.  After talking with him I thanked him for helping me so much with the berries and teaching me what to do.  He simply said, “That’s what we do.  Help others.”  And it made me realize that raspberry picking and the people that I met at the field have taught me so much in such a short time.  I learned about teamwork and how everyone can’t move on to a new section without finishing the prior section completely.  Even if you have finished your row, you go back and help someone else with their row.  And so we help each other and there is a joy from being helped and helping others and seeing their eyes crinkle up in a smile as they acknowledge this.

I met Rosio and Anna when we were picking alongside each other and they were arguing over who was going to ask for my name.  Finally one got the courage to ask me and they asked me many more questions.  It was refreshing because it seems that we as foreigners always initiate most of the smiles, waves, and “Holas”.  But at the fields, everything felt different and I felt so much more like myself and I truly experienced what I’ve heard everyone say about Mexicans being helpful, sharing, and happy.  I found out Anna has worked here for a year and Rosio for 2-3 years.  We talked about music and when they asked who I listened to, I told them I liked Taylor Swift, and guess what, Anna loves her too!  They also like Justin Bieber.  It took some time for me to understand who they were talking about because they pronounced his name “Hoostin”. 

It was a little sad saying goodbye today because I knew we wouldn’t be back again. I won’t forget those who are at the raspberry fields.  When I wanted to just stop working under the heat and the strain of my back I remembered that those around me do this everyday.  At one point, Rosio and Anna asked if I liked working here and I said “Yes” because I could not bring myself to say otherwise.  I asked them back and they said “Yes” as well.  I can’t help but wonder, there must be something else they would rather be doing with their lives.  They have so much potential.  It was truly an honor to work alongside these people today and get to know them.  They show such perseverance and strength and are still able to find joy in life.  It was definitely a day to remember.

LiveDifferent Academy Students, 2013 Spring Shack Week

Hamper Shopping in Mexico

The first weekend that we here in Mexico, “hamper shopping” was introduced to my vocabulary. The Give Different Campaign over the winter holiday had raised enough money to give every family that had received a new house in 2012 an opportunity to receive a generous amount of groceries and other household supplies.

We picked the families up in our mini-bus and brought them to the local supermarkets. Our role as Academy students was to follow a family and help keep track of the amount that they were spending. Even though grocery shopping seemed like a very mundane task, I wanted to learn something from it. My passion in life has always been to connect with others through empathy (the ability to identify with another person’s situations or feelings), so I set a personal goal to be an interested observer of how a Mexican family’s shopping list might differ from my own.  If nothing else, I would get to see what constitutes the ingredients for Mexican food!

Armed with a calculator in one hand and a shopping cart in another, I followed the families as we navigated the narrow aisles of the crowded store. Fifteen families later, there were some noticeable winners of the “most sought after items”. Flour was incredibly popular because tortillas are such an integral part of their daily meals. The majority of the houses were without electricity so few of the families bought meat and milk because there wasn’t anywhere to store them. I never stopped to think about the role that a fridge played in my life but it allows me to keep foods fresh, whereas that day, the shopping carts were being filled with mostly nonperishable items.

Other than the basic necessities of food, the families also got to buy things that might otherwise have been more luxury items. So many loaded up on cleaning supplies and I reveled in each item’s potential to add more comfort and health into their lives. I was told that the price of eggs had recently gone up thus making them less affordable. But, on the bumpy ride home, most families kept safe a tray of eggs in their laps.

At the end, we helped unload bags and bags of groceries into their kitchens and each family expressed the most sincere gratitude. I tried to imagine what must have been going through their minds as we shopped.  How did they feel having more groceries than they could carry? Do they have more pressing things in life that they are now able to pay for like land payments and other bills? My mind worked frantically wanting to get to the bottom of exactly what an impact receiving a hamper made to these families.

In retrospect, I realized that the entire experience was made up of moments of shared gratitude. It was the perfect way to get right into the community. We got to visit the family’s houses and took in the additions that they had built to make them their own. We shook many, many hands, and played with the kids. Our newly learned Spanish phrases were put to the test. Finally, we smiled as the families told us how their lives have changed since living in their new homes.

Throughout it all, I could hardly wrap my head around how lucky I was to be a part of the shopping process. Food is such an essential part of a human being’s daily life. Thanks to the generous donors of the Give Different Campaign, we were able to be with the families as they picked out exactly what fulfilled their greatest needs and desires.  I witnessed money, something that is so commonly associated with greed and consumerism in our society today, being put towards helping people who are now the first friends that we made in the community. I held on to their names and faces because even though I could not absorb quite what this gift means for the families, I felt joy knowing their stomachs will be more satisfied and that their houses will be cleaner. A week into Mexico, I already felt so at home because of the people that I have encountered. These are the people who made an ordinary, everyday process seem extraordinary.

Love beyond measure

The experience we’ve had seeing the contrast between the drastic living conditions and amazing hearts of the people of Vicente Guerrero is one that words can hardly encapsulate. One can barely fathom how a family could have next to nothing, and yet, in terms of hope and love, everything. Those we built for were a beautiful family of seven: Javier and Silvia, and their five children, Isabel, Araceli, Susanna, Javier, and Silvia.

The gratitude they displayed to us was beyond measure. Not only were they thankful for the house they would, and now do, have, but they eagerly participated in helping to build it. Even Javier, the three year old son, grabbed nail after nail to pound in alongside his dad. Wistfully and sadly he cried “More!” when he was told the row was finished. It’s one of the sweetest memories from the build. Every moment of the time we spent with this family, we saw a smile on all of their faces. When the kids fell while playing, they laughed. When the heat inside their old house was unbearable, not once did they complain.

I think is safe to claim that Dedication day was our entire team’s highlight of the week. Sweet Silvia holding back tears in her thanks, the young girls’ sheer excitement at their brand new bedroom, and all that was laid out for them, and Javier calling out “Mi casa es mucho forte!” (My house is so strong!) was a heartwarming experience that we will never forget. Seeing them walk from plastic and cardboard to a building that would brighten their future, and the awe and joy they beheld, was indescribable.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned from this week was the irrevocable joy present in the humblest of circumstances. Going home felt like going to a foreign country – the widespread consumerism, disruption, and indifference in our culture is something our family had made me forget entirely…and, moreover, not want to remember. Every member of the family we built for changed my perspective in a way I had not known possible. The way they opened up to and trusted us, and showed us such love and appreciation, was so touching. I want to live as thankfully, lovingly, generously, and simply as they and my biggest wish with that is to return to see them someday.

Michaela ~ Hero Holiday Volunteer 2013

Laughter and Tears

For some of us, this trip was a new experience. For others, it was a return to a “home away from home”. Regardless, the impact has been substantial for us all. Upon arrival, we learned we would be building a home for a very deserving family of four. Fidel and Leticia are the proud parents of thirteen year old David, and two year old Jesus. Immediately, the entire team adored little Jesus. Like many families before them, they had very little and lived in a manner which many would see as unimaginable. Their previous “house” was composed of cardboard boxes and plastic bags.

When we arrived on day one, many mixed emotions were present. In one way, there was an intense emotion of excitement; however, at the same time there was an overhang of shock and sadness. The conditions which the family and the community were living in were outstandingly different compared to those we were used to in our home nation. However, the family took great pride in their possessions and this was clear to us through the immaculate condition of their double plot property. The fence which Fidel had built consisted of sticks and plastic. Although this may not seem to be much in words, the detail was astonishing. On top of this, they had planted gardens around their house and property.

Throughout the week, the family took part in the build. Hammering, sawing, cutting and tarring, they took ownership of their new home.  Even little Jesus got some painting done, not only with a brush, but also his hands! Relationships with the family and the team blossomed beyond anyone’s expectations. Another highlight for the team throughout the week was playing with all the neighbor kids. They would come up to us saying “capuche, capuche” and calling us “monkey loco”. We had so much fun playing soccer with all of them.

When dedication day finally rolled around, many of us were filled with emotion. As we began to share our thoughts with the family, Jesus decided it was his turn to have the floor. Speaking and gesturing with his hands, he brought laughter to each of us through our tears. This experience has taught me to not only be thankful for all that I have but to also be thankful for all that I can give. The family was truly grateful. We as a team have definitely been challenged by LiveDifferent to actually LiveDifferent. A desire to help others does not have to stay here in Mexico, but rather should follow us home, and wherever else in the world we may be. 

Aaron – LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Volunteer, Mexico, 2013

LiveDifferent Reunion!

It has been an amazing experience being back in Mexico again.  The highlight of our trip so far has been visiting with the beautiful family we had the chance to build for last year.  The connections that we made with Jesus, Katherine, and Abdiel were beyond our expectations.  It was the greatest feeling seeing them standing outside this year’s house build after walking all the way from their home to see us.  Even though it was a quick visit, it was a breathtaking moment seeing their faces after a year. 

Later on in the week we got the opportunity to go visit them and see how they’ve turned their house into a home.  Unfortunately Jesus wasn’t home, but we were able to speak with Katherine.  Walking around their home and seeing how well they are doing brought tears to our eyes.  The fact that they have bought a car, a fridge, and many toys for Abdiel, goes to show how we’ve given them a hand up instead of a hand out.  Being able to talk with Katherine and hearing her say she hasn’t forgot about us, and how grateful she was that we hadn’t forgotten about her, was a feeling that words can’t describe.

Not only did we get to know Jesus, Katherine, and Abdiel last year, but we got the chance to know Katherine’s brother, Jonathan, as well.  For our recent house build, knowing that Jonathan was our translator was exciting, but when we saw him for the first time in a year it didn’t seem real.  We were so overwhelmed with happiness that we got the chance to reconnect with him.  Overall, we’ve had an amazing time, but nothing beats the feeling of being reunited with a family that made such an impact on our lives and seeing the progress that they’ve made in a year.

Tayler and Sarah – LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Volunteers, Mexico,  2013