Monday, February 9, 2009

Mexico Trip report

Hello all!
I know it's been a really long time since I've been posting, but since I actually have something noteworthy to talk about, I'm back.  For those of you who don't already know, my family and I went on a trip down to Mexico this weekend with YWAM to build a house for a needy family.  
We left this Friday morning and drove down to the San Diego base where we met the three other families and drove down in two large vans across the border to the base outside Tijuana.  This base that we were staying at for the weekend was their brand new base, so we were the first team to stay in it...it was so nice that it barely felt like being on a missions trip at all :)  We had heaters in the rooms, oh so comfortable mattresses, flushable toilets (nonexistant in Mexico), and potentially hot showers!  Friday night we had a very American dinner (chicken and mashed potatoes) and played some icebreaker games with the entire team. 
Saturday morning after breakfast we drove out to the work site where we would be building the house.  It was about an hour's drive, partly along the beach and partly up in the hills...it was some of the most gorgeous country out in the hills, especially after the rain.  Yes, it did rain...almost the entire weekend.  It was raining pretty steadily when we arrived and only stopped occasionally before starting up again throughout the entire day.  The house building was able to continue despite the rain, but the painting had to stop each time, only to be resumed again to touch up the paint the rain washed off.  Twas quite an adventure to be sure, working in the mud and rain and freezing cold.  Before stopping to go back to the base, we had the walls up and most of the roof on, and had started painting the walls outside.  Although typically the house would be much further along by that time, we were still over halfway done.  Getting back to the base, we were dismayed to learn that the water was out and that there would be no showers for us.  Praise the Lord for the base director's wife...she graciously allowed those of us who wanted to, to come over to her apartment and use her hot showers.  Wonderful!!!!   After a delicious meal of carne asada tacos, we hung around and played card games until bed.
Sunday morning dawned cold but sunny.  Driving out to the house was much easier this time around as the roads had dried up quite a bit.  Although it rained some, it was quite a bit drier than Saturday.  Finishing the house took a bit longer than expected, so we weren't completely done until 4 or 4:30.  When we gave the family the keys to their house, it was absolutely amazing to see their reactions as they saw the house, and the furniture and groceries.  It really made me stop and think about how much we are blessed with here in America, and how much we take for granted.  Since we left the site about 5 or 5:30, and still had to pack up our things back at the base, we didn't get home until after midnight...but it was an amazingly wonderful experience for the entire family.  
Also...pictures will be up shortly at www.flickr.com/photos/elizabethbush/   

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