This March, Maddie and I went to Mexico for Spring Break Mission Trip. Papa Bruce had invited Maddie to go and I pretty much invited myself because I really thought she would need me to go that far. This was Papa's 5th trip with Amor http://www.amor.org/ so we felt pretty adventurous knowing what was ahead of us. The plan is to build a home for a family in Juarez, Mexico within the week and camp out with over 30 other people on between.
We got up about 5am and took the last shower we would have for 5 more days. It was cold, but our hair was clean. Maddie was pretty excited about this adventure, and I began to realize that I had to be there for her on this trip and not concentrate on my sickness. I loaded up with a ton of every NyQuil and sore throat/cough medicine I could find, and prayed it would last for the next few days.
We attended a church service that morning, that was really beautiful. I am really taken my Mexican architecture and it is so cool being outside, feeling like Spring is on the way. The church was Lutheran and we just did our best to enjoy the positives that were coming from being with so many neat people and listening to messages that could make sense for us. Maddie and I have been going to a Unitarian church for several months and it is a different atmosphere and message happening, so we had to adjust a little. Papa Bruce was really happy and that was neat to see. Not to mention, there were 8 other Kester family members, so we were loving being with so much of that side of the family. I did often feel that John should have been in my place because he knew so much more about all of this and may have really enjoyed it in a different way...
We made it into Mexico that afternoon and drove to our campsite with hundreds of other campers there for the same thing. The group proceeded to put up a 30-40 person tent in 70 mile an hour wind. The dirt was blowing so hard. Not trying to complain, but the dirt went down my lungs so deep that it hurt to breathe in and out. I was getting a little scared at this point about my condition. It probably took 3-4 hours to get the tents together and stuff put inside. Maddie did what she could and I kept her in a van quite a bit just to keep her out of the wind/dirt.
Papa Bruce organized a ton of the cooking and prepared most meals for the entire group. That first night I got onto my cot pretty early and cried because I really thought my lung was going to collapse. I was exhausted but still needed to make sure Maddie ate her dinner and got her cot set up and ready for the moving in.
The house was built from scratch. No power tools were ever used to show the people that they too could do this with the tools and supplies they have available to them.
This picture is of the exisiting home a family of 5 lived in. The roof has carpet on it to protect it and it is pieced together from materials that have come come their way. The door says "The Great Pumpkin Roll"
She gave her two Barbie dolls on the second day and I then realized why it is hard to have nice things in this enviornment. Those Barbies looked a year old after the girls played with them for one day out in these elements. The way the wind blows and the dirt make it impossible to hang on to "things." It gave us an opportunity to talk about why things are so important to us and what we can do without in our lives...
When we asked her grandmother if Erica could take the walk, she was mostly worried about the wild dogs. Erica had lived there for five years but had never walked down to realize another girls show knows lives down there.
Maddie and Erica had a good time and Maddie really had to be creative to think about what to do each day. No tv or Nintendo DS, no bicycle, no eating out, no nothing. Except for wood, leaves, dirt, one coloring book and crayons, two barbies, and just themselves. It was quite a lesson.
Then...we got to shop! Yeah! That is our favorite part! In Juarez, there is a very large market that is a one stop shop. It was funny because I love to bargain and get stuff for cheap. I often low ball pretty bad. Little did I remember but that we were with a church and a faith based organization and here I am being the cheapskate. So much for my good will toward men...that doesn't count when it comes to bargaining!
We took three 15 passenger vans all with trailers attached. We packed our things in one big plastic tub and one "carry-on" bag. The first day we drove to El Paso, Tx and spent the first night on the floor of a church with about 300 others. It would not have been so bad if I was not coming down with a serious case of bronchitis or some other lung-crushing illness. I was hoping that I would just fight it off and by the time I got to Mexico, the air would be dry enough to just take away the pain...it did not work out this way. That first night on the church floor, I put my head down and had this worry about Hannah at home. She was starting to come down with this too.
We got up about 5am and took the last shower we would have for 5 more days. It was cold, but our hair was clean. Maddie was pretty excited about this adventure, and I began to realize that I had to be there for her on this trip and not concentrate on my sickness. I loaded up with a ton of every NyQuil and sore throat/cough medicine I could find, and prayed it would last for the next few days.
We attended a church service that morning, that was really beautiful. I am really taken my Mexican architecture and it is so cool being outside, feeling like Spring is on the way. The church was Lutheran and we just did our best to enjoy the positives that were coming from being with so many neat people and listening to messages that could make sense for us. Maddie and I have been going to a Unitarian church for several months and it is a different atmosphere and message happening, so we had to adjust a little. Papa Bruce was really happy and that was neat to see. Not to mention, there were 8 other Kester family members, so we were loving being with so much of that side of the family. I did often feel that John should have been in my place because he knew so much more about all of this and may have really enjoyed it in a different way...
We made it into Mexico that afternoon and drove to our campsite with hundreds of other campers there for the same thing. The group proceeded to put up a 30-40 person tent in 70 mile an hour wind. The dirt was blowing so hard. Not trying to complain, but the dirt went down my lungs so deep that it hurt to breathe in and out. I was getting a little scared at this point about my condition. It probably took 3-4 hours to get the tents together and stuff put inside. Maddie did what she could and I kept her in a van quite a bit just to keep her out of the wind/dirt.
Papa Bruce organized a ton of the cooking and prepared most meals for the entire group. That first night I got onto my cot pretty early and cried because I really thought my lung was going to collapse. I was exhausted but still needed to make sure Maddie ate her dinner and got her cot set up and ready for the moving in.
The house was built from scratch. No power tools were ever used to show the people that they too could do this with the tools and supplies they have available to them.
The concrete was mixed in big tubs from the existing dirt with an added substance to make it dry hard. This was used for the foundation.
The first day, we laid the foundation and built the frames to the home. We were very ahead of schedule and making good time so everyone was excited about that.
This picture is of the exisiting home a family of 5 lived in. The roof has carpet on it to protect it and it is pieced together from materials that have come come their way. The door says "The Great Pumpkin Roll"
Maddie made friends with a little girl named Erica that was her age. Although they did not share the same language, they both understood the nature of play. When Maddie was asked about Erica and their friendship she replied "she's great, but she always changes the subject!!!"
She gave her two Barbie dolls on the second day and I then realized why it is hard to have nice things in this enviornment. Those Barbies looked a year old after the girls played with them for one day out in these elements. The way the wind blows and the dirt make it impossible to hang on to "things." It gave us an opportunity to talk about why things are so important to us and what we can do without in our lives...
The girls are walking next to a big fence that was actually a rehab center being built. It was the nicest place for miles. The group we were with actually built two homes in 5 days and the girls were walking in between the sites.
When we asked her grandmother if Erica could take the walk, she was mostly worried about the wild dogs. Erica had lived there for five years but had never walked down to realize another girls show knows lives down there.
I was struck by the fact that we take children with us everywhere we go. Sleep-overs, play dates, sports, whatever. We take for granted the safety we have in America and our children are able to ride bikes down the street and walk to the park...
Yeah, I still can't breathe...I spent most of my days with a hankie covering my nose and mouth so I could breathe. My lungs hurt from so much dust.
These are John's aunties, Mary, Denise, & Amy. They are so close with one another and they definitely watched out for Maddie and I. They gave us extra medicine and made sure Maddie was taken care of. Awesome ladies.
Maddie and Erica had a good time and Maddie really had to be creative to think about what to do each day. No tv or Nintendo DS, no bicycle, no eating out, no nothing. Except for wood, leaves, dirt, one coloring book and crayons, two barbies, and just themselves. It was quite a lesson.
Then...we got to shop! Yeah! That is our favorite part! In Juarez, there is a very large market that is a one stop shop. It was funny because I love to bargain and get stuff for cheap. I often low ball pretty bad. Little did I remember but that we were with a church and a faith based organization and here I am being the cheapskate. So much for my good will toward men...that doesn't count when it comes to bargaining!
Maddie loved these girls and they were so patient with her and nice to her. She got to listen to their stories and make jokes like high school kids do. They even bought her a little necklace at the market.
This guy painted Maddie's name on a piece of rice along with a little cat. John joked when we got home that the guy had this big bag of rice and thought to himself "What can I do to get the most money out of this rice???AHHH...I will sell each grain individually!"
This is how we took a shower. Although the sun is shining, it was probably in the low 50s in the afternoons. We would get a bucket, dip it into these "shower" basins and take it into a communal outdoor bathing area.
I just told Maddie to stick her head into the bucket and I would help her rinse. I was too scared to dunk my head becasue of my illness, I was afraid I would make it worse. So I just used a rag to wash off.
...now that is a good clean feeling...not!
...now that is a good clean feeling...not!
My little camper girl. We had a good time and she realized about the differences in what kids have. She felt somewhat sad for her new friend Erica. She left her a pair of tennis shoes and a couple of shirts but she knew that was not enough. It was hard to say good-bye.
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