Paul and I recently returned from a week long mission trip in Mexico. We went down with a group called Lutheran Border Concerns. The purpose of the trip was to build three houses for three needy families in Tijuana. Nine of us spent eight days building the nicest houses these families may ever hope to own, which is shocking indeed.
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| A typical neighborhood street in Tijuana |
Being in Mexico was a very eye opening experience. I have simply never before seen the kind of poverty that is so common place in our own North American corner of the Third World. There are no building codes, so people erect shelters where ever they can using whatever they can find. Some "houses" are little more that a tarp stretched across the sides of two other houses. Many homes lack foundations and solid roofs, and a great number of them look like they are falling down the sides of mountains. The houses we built were of superior quality because they had concrete foundations and waterproof roofs.
Even amid the abject poverty, the Mexican people have a strong sense of hospitality, and they know how to have a good time. Everywhere you went the streets were filled with Rancho music and the strong scent of fresh corn tortillas being cooked over fires. The families we build houses for had almost no money, but they fed us lunch everyday. The widow my group was building for, Tarhabia, even bought us soda the first day we were there- a rare treat reserved only for honored guests.
It was great fun getting to know Tarhabia. She had turned every available inch of her marginal plot into productive garden. She grew most her own food, including corn which she ground into tortillas and fed us every day.
Learning to build a house was also lots of fun. I enjoyed the process far more than I expected to. My favorite part was working on the roof, but I also loved hammering nails anywhere they
would let me. They also let me use the skill saw, but that was not one of my favorite things...
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| Surprise birthday party! |
The pastor's family that ran the mission was great.The pastor's wife's sister is a doctor, so they are much better off than their surrounding neighbors. Mexican's know how to have a good time: They
made us fish tacos one night (delicious), and on the last night we were
there, they threw a surprise birthday party for one of the guys!
Mexicans know how to party. ;-)
Enough talk, here are some pictures:
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| On Sunday we took the day off and went to a little tourist town on the beach. Paul and I ordered this to share. |
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| These are "Gringo Chilis." We thought that meant they would be mild, so I
stuffed a whole one in my mouth. They were not. mild. at. all. The
whole table had a good laugh, and my mouth has almost regained feeling.
;-) |
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| Safety standards we high of course ;-) |
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| The mission where we stayed- a little rustic but very livable |
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| Markie, our wonderful cook! |
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| Our group's fearless leader, Pastor Burch |
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| Good lookin' guy on a roof ;-) |
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| A pelah- a typical sink in Mexico |
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| The whole group |
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| Our team (with the addition of Carolina, who worked at a different site.) |
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| This was another family we built for. They needed somewhere to put all those kids!!! |
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| The finished house |
Even amid the abject poverty, the Mexican people have a strong sense of hospitality, and they know how to have a good time. Everywhere you went the streets were filled with Rancho music and the strong scent of fresh corn tortillas being cooked over fires. The families we build houses for had almost no money, but they fed us lunch everyday. The widow my group was building for, Tarhabia, even bought us soda the first day we were there- a rare treat reserved only for honored guests.
It was great fun getting to know Tarhabia. She had turned every available inch of her marginal plot into productive garden. She grew most her own food, including corn which she ground into tortillas and fed us every day.
