Today we continued our building project. Returning to the work site after a nice restful sleep, we admired the progress that was made long after we left on the prier day. So we started where help was needed, we reformed some assembly lines and got to work. We started by moving sand so it could be sifted to mixed for concrete. We helped pass the time by singing and making up games to get the work done faster. As we were finishing up with the sand we heard a truck coming up the mountain, we looked over and noticed it was carrying the lumber and roofing sheets that will be used on the roof of the school. Due to high spirits the team worked steadily through out the afternoon and was able to move the materials from the truck to the work site. While three quarters of the team worked on moving material there were also a few members who helped with mixing cement so that the smooth coat could be applied. Anticipating up to 600 people for the community party on Sunday it was decided that we should remove the pile of the rocks that had accumulated from the excavation.Filling a few bags with candy and coloring books we traveled to the work site. It was decided that we would travel to Calvaire in two teams so that we could still be productive at all times:Team 1Including kids of all ages we were able to bond through basketball, football, patty cake and duck duck goose. Besides the physical interaction there were moments to just hang out with one another. Even though we could barely speak there language it was comforting to see how a simple wave, high five or hug could bring two people from other cultures so close. At the end of the time together we were able to hand out “silly bands” as a reminder of our time together.Team 2The second team got down to the kids and immediately broke out the skipping ropes, basketball and football, the kids were so excited! Then we brought out the coloring books, and everything dropped. There was a mad dash for the crayons and a picture to color in. When they were finished all the kids were so proud to show off their new colorful creations. At the end of all the coloring and fun was over we headed back up to the work site to finish up the day.The work day was finished so we started our trek home eager for showers and a bed to take a nap in. Upon finishing supper we busted out the many suitcases full of donations collected by the team. We sorted them by gender, then age, and then by who it would be going to. We will be giving some of our donations to the community we are building for and some to an orphanage in Port Au Prince.By Chad, Liz, and Shannon
The Beginnings Of Another CMU Group! Nice To Have Them Back On The Baja!
The Beginnings Of Another CMU Group! Nice To Have Them Back On The Baja!
Written by trip participant – Mark Rosvold4:12 am, Saturday night, or Sunday morning. In the hotel lobby I see my cohorts standing around, bleary eyed, but filled with a undeniable energy, a silent excitement, and a bewildered look that can only come from the exhaustion of travel coupled with a mid-night wake up. We are leaving shortly, catching a shuttle to the airport. The air outside the hotel lobby is tight and chilled, our anticipatory breath hanging visibly in the air as we shuffle out onto the bus. A kindly gentlemen gets out of the shuttle bus and begins to load our luggage. His face bears an amiable countenance and his hair is slicked back, white as the snowy north from which we are leaving. After a quick ride, the airport looms in front of us, a behemoth of modern technological prestige. We have met the other half of our crew at this point; they come from UBC Vancouver. New faces; however there eyes are identical to ours, beaming with excitement. Check in a security flows smoothly for all of us…well, Adam has his body wash and sunscreen taken away, but apart from forcing the rest of us to share our anti lobster lotion with him, it all goes well. On the plane we are much like small children. Not that we behave as they do, we are not childish (not mostly), but childlike. A stewardess comes by and says we have bright cheerful faces. I do not disagree. Touchdown. Safely landed. God has brought us to San Diego. From the dreary cool Seattle to the north we have arrived in the southern United States, and the sun beams down on us like a smile from God, welcoming us to the warmth of our trip. Shortly after, Matt and Andrew arrive along with their wives. Bob and Sarah are there as well, from Hero Holiday. With the six of them, and Andrew and Dawn’s son Anthony, we students from the north pile onto a bus and begin winding our way south through the beautiful summery city of San Diego. Andrew informs us we are going to stop in south San Diego right before the border. We will be going into a posh store called (phonetically) ‘tarshay,’ he announces over the bus’ intercom. It is actually the superstore ‘Target’ that we stop at. This reminds me of the power of pronunciation, and simultaneously shows Andrew’s rather clever sense of reality.After spending some time buying supplies at ‘tarshay’, and having lunch in the surrounding area, we get back onto the bus, better acquainted with one another, and with no division of campus’ remaining. From here, it is but a quick vehicular jaunt to the border. As we close in, there is that slight tension in the air: will we be stopped…hassles, large guns, it is on our minds. No issues whatsoever!Now in Mexico, the reality is devastatingly clear. Opulence and prosperity give way to sharply visible stratification, where mansions dot one part of a hill and structurally unsafe slums ensconce it. This Tijuana is real, it is not the poverty of studies or of textbooks, it is the poverty of reality, and it is a shock. But the colors are vibrant and Andrew informs us that these people we see sitting about looking dejected and sunbeaten, are warm, kind and loving people, with an inherent cultural altruism. I would find out later that evening, that the majority of us were fairly touched and shocked by this disparity, one created by a fence and a notion of non-united nations.The trip down from the border to the hero holiday compound was nothing if it was not beautiful. For me, it reinforced the idea that beauty is not perfection, but that it is the essence of the truth of reality, and that was what the day trip through the baja was. We stopped at a beach at one point and took our first steps on Mexican soil. The wet sand squished between our toes and the waves lapped up against our feet, powerful but soft. That night as we sat around the fire discussing our day and debriefing for the week ahead, someone would bring up the issue of cultural differences, specifically one that was manifested in the beach. In north america, we go to the beach with friends, and to project an image of self for others to gauge and judge. At this beach though, we mostly saw families spending a sunny afternoon together laughing and eating in unity. Before we headed to our home to be for the week, we stopped to meet the family who we would be serving this week. They had kindness in their eyes, and poverty around them. Again, the reality of our trip struck us all. We were impacted by our shared humanity, and by the desperate economic separations.After a long day where we were all up from at least 3:30 am, until 10 pm, we all happily shuffled off to bed, with brains, soft, like porridge, and hearts grateful. I personally must interject here ( into my own writing..) and say that i was unconscious of my own sleep. I must have passed out of regular consciousness and laid still like a sack of extremely exhausted potatoes. Basically, the sleep was wonderful. A new day. Monday, the first day of building. It was hot, it was dry, the wind was whipping strongly around us, and the sun lotion and water coated our insides and outsides…respectively. There is so much I could say about this day that I am finishing as I sit here and type with a semi groggy mind, but for the sake of concision I will mention just a few amazing points from our day. Sitting around the fire as the hot day descended into a cool night, reflections on the day were shared. There were many comments, but a few recurring themes. We were all struck by the reality of what we were doing, and how blessed we are to have the wealth we experience as north americans. Not that we necessarily relished our large homes and myriad vehicles and gadgets, but we did recognize the opportunities this wealth affords us. We are all in extended programs of education and most of us have cameras that cost more money than these families make in a month. It is hard to tell whether these realizations were high points or low points, perhaps they were simultaneously both. Personally I am being humbled and being shown a truth that can’t be recognized in the snapshots we see in magazines, but must be experienced firsthand.
“Friends” – Final Thought From School Of Leadership Community Build In Mexico
“Friends” – Final Thought From School Of Leadership Community Build In Mexico
Thursday was our last day of building and consisted mainly of spreading and smoothing skim-coat on the walls. We had a late start and then spent the day filling all the corners and cracks with cement, of course there wasn’t much to do so we got off track a few times. Onesimo and I got in minor water fights all day. I decided to end the day by dumping water on Onesimo and then running to the van as it drove off, I got him nice and soaked and then ran off. However, we realized that we had taken all the drills and they needed one for the door. When we got back Onesimo was waiting with a bucket but got more water on himself than me. A great end to a great day. It was a honor to work along side the community of Zapata and to get to know these incredible people as our dear friends!
How Many SOL’s Does it Take to Build an Ambulance Station?
How Many SOL’s Does it Take to Build an Ambulance Station?
We aren’t Metalica, but we do have a lot of metal… literally. In the time it took me to actually come up with that joke, we would’ve had two walls built already. While driving back up to the work site this morning, I realized just how much we actually got done yesterday. Still knowing that we had much more to do, I got out of the van, put on my gloves, and picked up a drill. If you knew me, you’d know that power tools are not particularly my cup of tea, but after drilling all day yesterday with only one injury (a sliver to be exact), I was ready for round two. Should I mention that I actually enjoy it?With the roofing under our belts come lunchtime, we headed back to the house for some food. As soon as we got back to the site, we were ready to put the roof on! A few of us left early on in the afternoon to make 99 bags of popcorn for our movie night at the wonderful school in San Quintin. Trying to avoid work you might ask? I guess I forgot to tell you that this isn’t your regular microwavable popcorn, it was all made on the stove top! After our hours of work, the popcorn was gone in just minutes.Sitting on a tarp under the stars, watching Megamind on the side of the school, listening to the chomping of popcorn, and having kids giggle while sitting on your lap. That’s something that is irreplaceable. Much like any building project, in this case an ambulance station, we won’t fully understand how much of an impact we have just by setting aside a week to use our hands and feet to help others out. Today, while on the work site, one of the paramedic’s that’s helping us build this week received a message on his walkie-talkie about a car accident that happened: a car rolled 100 metres. The ambulance came to take the patients to the main hospital, which was hours away, and found out that one of them had passed away in the vehicle on the way.I will never know how much the four walls I’ve been building mean to them, but it feels good knowing that I’m helping to play my part. It’s not hard to pick up a tool and just do it, and trust me, if I can do it, anyone else can.Mucholovefrommexico,-sarah! : )
Yesterday we got to sleep in so that was a nice change. After breakfast we went back to the build site to dedicate the school. It felt good to be a part of something that could possibly change countless lives. We gave them a better and safer place to be educated and it felt great. After the dedication we got to play with kids for a short while and then we had to say our goodbyes. It was very hard to let go of our new friends that taught us so much about life. We came down to build them a school and a family a house. We built so much more than that, friendships and memories that we will always carry with us. We built them a new life. Later that day we went to the orphanage and played games with the kids. Cody and I took part in a game of marbles and got our butts whooped. The imagination and creativity of the children here are so much greater than the ones at home. Everyone has changed a little from being here, all of our hearts have been touched by someone. I will never forget the faces and new friendships I have made. I hope that I can come back one day and see them again.-Jeremy: Group Participant
Orphanage, Dance Party and Road Trip! – Final thoughts from our Penticton friends
Orphanage, Dance Party and Road Trip! – Final thoughts from our Penticton friends
The story of how the orphanage in San Quintin came to be is an inspiring one, a woman turned her life upside down, just to follow her heart and help those in need. Those kind of morals and the passion she had is still displayed today at the mission. We visited the children at the orphanage on Monday, for a few hours we played soccer, jumped rope, painted faces and drew some pretty epic sidewalk chalk masterpieces. It was interesting to see the contrast between the children at the worksites we had been at and those at the orphanage, you can tell that they are in better living conditions and have nicerclothes. It made me happy to see that they were cared for in such a loving way, and that the people watching over them were there to help and love, these children come to the orphanage with such tragic stories, and have lost their parents through situations that some of us could never imagine. It was a great thing to tour through and see that even though they had been through hard times, they’re in a place of happiness now.Monday night we had a little bit of a fiesta for Ben, one of the guys who had his birthday during the trip. We broke a pinata, roasted marshmallows and danced to a pretty interesting mix of mariachi and dub-step. We all enjoyed ourselves, but one of the things that struck me most was the sense of comfort we all found in one another as a group. Coming into this, not a lot of people knew most other people and most socialization consisted of small talk around the dinner table, and shy smiles on the bus. But after just a week and a half together, there was a full throttle dance party happening on the porch, and it was amazing to see.We’re now heading back, after stopping in Bakersfield Wednesday night, we drove all Thursday night and we’ve finally arrived in Abbotsford. We have duck taped a girl to a seat, given enormous groupgoodbye hugs to our newly-made friends and almost made it through a Starbucks drive through in a shopping cart. All in all, we’re a pretty great group of friends now. It’s been really incredible to see how these experiences have affected the people who had never seen or walked through poverty before. Lives have been changed, not only those of the people we have helped, but also those of the ones who have given their time and love to those in need. Its been an awesome trip and I’m so grateful to have experienced it with everyone.
Dedication = a ceremony in which something (as in this case, a house) is dedicated to some goal or purpose. That’s what we did, we built a home for a family for a purpose. A family filled with heart and faith. Seeing the mom’s face when the keys were handed over was a life changing experience that I will never forget. However, the moment that touched my heart the most was when little Ayaceli (age 6) ran into my arms and whispered the words, “thank you”. Her and her sister, Yolanda, were so overwhelmed with joy at even the thought of having a bed to sleep on, something we take for granted everyday. The saying is true that even if you are just one person you can make all the difference in someones life. Whether it is deciding to go on a trip like Hero Holiday or standing up for something that you feel is right when everyone else turns away. When everyone looks back on that day I hope that they will remember to “keep their dreams alive”. Understand to achieve anything requires faith andbelief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe! And you truly can make all the difference .
As a first timer, I didn’t know what to expect. I was told all these times, dates, and activities, anticipating what will happen when I get to Mexico. The first day on the bus was already not what I was expecting. When we finally arrived at the Hero Holiday house, it was twelve o’clock with our tummies already filled with fine Mexican cuisine. (Side note: I don’t really like tacos or Mexican food, but these tacos are delicioso!). Even though it was midnight and most of us were half asleep, we still found the will to talk. We wanted to get to know some of the School of Leadership students staying in Mexico. After a good seven hour sleep, we woke up and started the day all over again with a plate filled with fresh pancakes and fruit. The energy in the house was good, with no one complaining about the three day long bus ride, but rather chatting it up with the “experienced” and talking about what to expect and who they are mucho excited to see. When we arrived at the building site, we were all greeted by many children. Most were already covered in dirt. At first, I was shy to play with the children but my walls came tumbling down once I started to share smiles with children who I have so little in common with. My mind was blown when I saw how all these children live. With close to nothing, these children were the happiest people I have ever seen.After a nice afternoon filled with smiles and laughter, we left with the promise of coming back again tomorrow. Once we left, we were off to a grave yard. Once we arrived we were told about the realities of the high rate of infant mortality here in Mexico. We were also told about a personal experience that one had with this reality. The story was very upsetting and opened my eyes to the problems of an average citizen in Baja California. DAY DOS (2). We finally started to build the house and school. As much as I would like to say I worked hard, I will admit that the eager little Mexican boys worked harder at hammering down nails in an hour than I did the whole day! It’s not that I didn’t want to work, it’s that there was simply not enough hammers and tool belts for everyone. Not only did I learn how to properly use a hammer on this day, I also learned how to use a chop saw thanks to Cody. Even though my day will filled with lots of smiles from the children, my favorite part of the day was at the very beginning. While I was listening to Les teach is how to use a hammer and telling us which part of the nail goes down, I was greeted by Yolanda. Yolanda is eleven years old, and one of the daughters in the family receiving the home this year. While I was standing, I felt a little hand creep into mine. I have only spent a couple of hours with this girl the previous day and she ready feels comfortable enough to hold my hand. In Canada we are taught not to associate ourselves with people we don’t know. In Mexico, you know everyone! DAY NUMERO TRES (3). I worked on the family’s house instead of the school. I helped assemble a roof and improved the number of hits it takes to hammer a nail in. I went from about fifty hits to around ten. After a full day of building and playing, we headed back to the house to eat dinner and then got ready for the movie night Hero Holiday hosts for a small village of kids. With a kid or two in everyone’s lap, together we watched Toy Story 3 en Espanol under the stars. Even though I miss my mom and dad very much I wouldn’t give this experience up for anything. I have learned so much on this trip and will probably keep learning. Sure, two weeks of skiing and partying would have been nice, but this is so much better.~ MarissaP.s. Mom, don’t be surprised if I don’t come back.
Penticton Students Head to Mexico For The 7th Consecutive Year!
Penticton Students Head to Mexico For The 7th Consecutive Year!
It is a pleasure for us to host students from Penticton again this year in Mexico. For the last 7 years they have been faithfully coming and have made an incredible contribution, building over 20 homes and a couple of primary schools in the Vicente Guerrero Area.One of the unique things about this group is that every year they insist of traveling to and from Mexico on our Hero Holiday bus! They can share countless stories with you about the good times on the road together! They left Penticton yesterday morning and were slowed up for a few hours with traffic at the border in the Seattle area. After getting out of that they spent a few hours of the side of the road this morning in Northern California because one of the mountain passes were experiencing some poor weather. They just texted me from the road a few minutes ago to let everyone know that conditions have improved and they are on the go again. The delays were insignificant and they should still arrive in San Diego this evening as planned. Stay tuned for more updates of their trip, both here and on our Facebook page (FB-livedifferent.com).Not only are we anticipating another successful year of building and fun, but this group has many local friends in Mexico who are eagerly waiting their arrival!
On our second day at our work project, I was asked to carry water to the work site from this big brass or iron tank that looked like a submarine. This town does not have any waterlines to it so they have to get water shipped in and stored in large containers like this. It’s hard to imagine life like this…we had to dip the bucket in it and sink it to fill it up. After we took our filled bucket back to the work site it was dumped into a metal barrel. From here the workers could use it to mix cement. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this water transporting job! On our fifth trip back to the water container, Cole told us to place the water buckets on our heads and support it with our hands. All the women who were outside washing their clothes started laughing. I don’t blame them, it was funny! You see Haitian women everywhere here carrying things on their heads.In the afternoon we were split into groups of 3 and asked to prepare an English lesson for the local school. My group decided to teach numbers and fruits. Other people taught the colors, animals, and members of the family. It was fun and the students were fast learners. We drew posters and stuff to make our class more interesting. It was cool because some of the students could speak French so were able to speak a bit with them. Over all we had a great day and it is awesome to see the progress our team is making on the washrooms and showers facility.~ Sophie
