It is so hard to leave a place you love, where there are people that you love. Jessie cried an hour before bed our last night. i told her next time we come we are not going to make any friends so its easier to leave. She laughed so that helped. It is easier to leave knowing we will be back. We have loved being here this month.
Our day to leave began at 4 am when we got up, dressed, packed the Yukon (Charles let us drive it to SD as he needs it for the next group). We departed at 5:20 am and drove forever. Stopped in Ensenada for breakfast. Jessie was sick yesterday but fine today. Tyler threw up overnight and still not well this am. I threw up overnight and am medicore today. We drove to the border, sat for 2 1/2 hours there.....frustrated. Then to Hertz to get our car, met Charles there to give him back his Yukon and to say See you later to him and Issac and Rose. What fun. Then a long drive to LA as the traffic was slow. Finally arrived at our hotel at 4:30. We rested up a bit, showered, and are so happy to see Kevin and Henriette arrive to visit with Subway in hand. A great short visit and we are off to see Shrek the Musical which was awesome and wonderful and fun and oh so enjoyable. A long day ended well. To bed late after 12:30! So happy to see Kevin and Henriette XO
Monday, August 1, 2011
Remainder of the week
We had a wonderful last week in Mexico. We swam at the beach, visited with some of the families we built for during our first week here. We had dinner with great friends/family, we went to the beach, we helped get ready for the next group, we searched for a mouse, we went to Ensenada to shop at Costco, spent most of that day in Las Canatas where we swam and played in a water park and Shane and Pearl and Rose went on a Zip line and bridges. Awesome fun. We had dinner at Chewy's, shopped at the pharmacy, went to the market one last time where kids begged us to buy a bracelet, went out for dinner on our last night to the Mission Restaurant which was so much fun, had a pinata party for Jenna's birthday, had lunch at Catelina and Varello's, saw that Glen's grandma had her eyes looked at and they look perfect, ate a fish and shrimp taco, took money to Rafael and Carolina for school and found them walking home from the store, hung out with Edwin, got sick and left for LA!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Monday July 25th
Woke up today again after a bit of a sleep in. It is amazing how tired we are after the week of building and assisting with hosting the group. So fun but so tired. We did an inventory of the kitchen in preperation for the next group and then headed off to a pool for the afternoon. Shane, the kids and I went on our own after lunch. Most of our trip has been with others so it was kind of cool to go the pool as a family. I did not know there was a pool here. I would have thought it was too dusty for such a thing but sure enough right near the Mission orphanage in VG there is a pool. In fact it is a large one and there are 2 small ones that were not filled. It cost 3.00 per person to attend and so we spent the afternoon swimming and playing. It was a hot hot day and the kids had a ton of fun. They played in a plastic boat for the better part of 2 hours which is hilarious! Shane and I sat on a towel at the side of the pool until a couple of chairs became available. We enjoyed our time there. We arrived back at the house late afternoon and we decided to have a fiesta. Today is Santiago's birthday and because they were busy yesterday we did not see them for Tyler's birthday. We had burgers and potatoes and carrots all on the bbq and Santi and Julia bought a cake which we all sang to Tyler and Santi and enjoyed the cake. Rose's boyfriend Pedro was over as well with his 2 daughters so it was quite the night. The evening ended with a round of tequila shots to celebrate!!!
Sunday....Tyler's 13th Birthday!
Happy Birthday to you Tyler....Feliz Cumplianos to you. We had a nice sleep in as the group left at 6:30 am and we did not get up to see them off. We decided to rest and then we needed to get packed up again as it was time to move back to the big house because the group was leaving. We had wished and sang happy birthday to Tyler this am at his time of birth which is 12:09 am. We had just gotten to our beds and so the timing was perfect. We wished him again and went over to the big house. Our first job of the day was to order a birthday present for Tyler. One of our presents to him was tickets to go see Shrek the Musical while we are in LA. I tried ordering the tickets online yesterday to no success so this am I needed to call Ticketmaster. Unbelievable but the guy on the phone selling me the ticket was in Winnipeg so we had a good laugh that I was in Mexico, trying to go see a show in LA but lived in WPG and got him from WPG on the phone. Well it was funny if you were there. Anyways off the the big house and we had delicious left over french toast for breakfast. Well it was more like Noon but it was still our first meal of the day. We continued to relax and decided that Tyler would like to spend his birthday at the beach so off we went. We went to a beach we had never been to before. It was close by our house off the road that IDT has their head office at. A short 10 minute drive and we were at the beach. It was a gorgeous beach with lots of sand, sand dunes and very little seaweed. We jumped in the waves for a few hours.....even I got in the water too. The waves were beautiful, not too harsh but still good waves. The water though is cold so it takes some getting used to! Prior to going to the beach we headed to Mikassa for a smoothie! Delicious was to begin the afternoon on the beach! Another of Tyler's birthday presents. We so enjoyed this beach and Tyler declared it the best beach we have been to in Mexico. After the beach we headed back to the house to get ready for dinner. We are taking Tyler out for dinner for his birthday to a nice restaurant that has seafood and other items. We gave Tyler his birthday card and he is getting Shrek tickets and Wicked tickets and money towards a camera. He was thrilled. Off we went to dinner where Tyler and Jessie had spaghetti with a fettuchini sauce and Shane had a variety seafood plate and I had shrimp stuffed with crab and cheese wrapped in bacon...wow delicious. The waiter then brought us some fried ice cream and a free one for Tyler and we sang Happy Birthday in English, French and Spanish. We went for dinner with Rose and Pearl which was very awesome and very nice for Tyler to be able to celebrate.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Another visit to the volcano
We drove gus to the volcano today and we took Gus because we needed an extra vehicle to accomodate those who are ill today. We are hoping they can last the day but it is hard to say because the ride in is bumpy and there are no washrooms anywhere. The sand dunes are our toilet! Again its a long ride in....nice highway ride but not so nice 18 km ride into the beach area with the washboard roads. We arrived to a still cloudy morning so the group took the opportunity to do the volcano climb first. Jessica, Shane and Tyler all did the climb while I stayed back and visited with some of the group as well as Santi and Julia. Then Julia and I prepared lunch for the group. As you remember the walk into and up and down and out of the volcano is around 2 hours. After lunch the sun came out which was a huge blessing because today we were going to witness something awesome. 6 young women from Calgary Grace Baptist are being baptized today in the ocean. Their pastor Doug will do the baptizing. Last night in front of the group they each needed to do a testimonial which was very interesting to hear. The girls range in age from 12 to 17 I believe. Then today they did a video testimony which will be played later for the remainder of the congregation who are not here in Mexico. They then began the baptism. In the Baptist church young adults or I guess any person of any age decides to dedicate their life to God by becoming baptized rather than parents deciding baptism for their kids. What a great thing to witness. They also practice full immersion baptism so the young women were dunked completely in the ocean. We were very pleased and honored to be able to be a part of such an experience and appreciate very much being made to feel a part of the group from CGB. We returned from the volcano to the house and went to the taco stand for the group's last night in Mexico. A lot of fun as we visited and ate tacos together and one last stop at the candy store, our kids went to the ice cream store for an ice cream. Lots of fun. Back to the house for a last chat together and a lot of hugs good bye. This group from CGB is a very special group and we will miss them very much. They will be leaving Sunday morning at 6:30 am and driving to Barstow California where they will spend the night and then drive straight through to Calgary. It will be very quiet around here as Trish and the kids are going to San Diego to hang out until Charles returns to SD on Tuesday night. They will then spend Wednesday in Legoland and return to VG on Thursday. Looking forward to our last week in Mexico. We will help with some things for the next group and have some vacation time for us after a very busy week.
Dedication Friday with Calgary Grace Baptist
So Friday is dedication day. We had the opportunity to sleep in today because the shopping has been completed and the houses are built. We had breakfast at 9 am and then while most of the group organized the donations a small group of us left to go and buy a bunk bed. We headed out to San Quintin to look for bunk beds and after viewing about 5 we settled on the one we liked and the price we liked and the mattresses we liked. We found it at a market and we were able to enjoy some very fresh fruit while we were there. We then grabbed some lunch at the Pemex as we had missed lunch at the house and we then met the groups at the homes. Each group spent some time putting together the homes for the families and we looked forward to the dedications. We began at the home built by Dallas and the gang. The group that built the home stood closest to the family and the remainder of us stood in the back and listened. The second home we dedicated was the home we participated in for the build and then the last home was the home that Rose and her gang built. All of the dedications were beautiful....each family sharing the experience they had with the build and the group and then each of the group were able to share their experience with the family. There was a lot of love and tears and heartfelt statements about how people felt this week. It was very obvious the impact on the families and then even more so there was an incredible impact for the group. At the last dedication the family had prepared some food of salad and chicken and tortillas. We thought it was to be for the group that built but it turns out there was enough food for everyone to take a little bit. The groups headed back to the house while I took a small group to Martin's house....we built with CGB there 2 years ago. We were bringing him some photos the group took when they were there the other day. It was a great visit as we could see how improved things have been for them these past 2 years. Their oldest daughter is going into her 2nd year of law school. Both Marisol and Rosa look great. We then headed back to the house for flautas compliments of Julia! A last debriefing with this group and lots of emotions after a very busy and emotional day. We are headed home to hit the pillow!
Monday, July 25, 2011
More from Calgary Grace Baptist
What a wonderful group from Calgary. They have embraced us as if we were a part of their group and this is so appreciated. We are into our 3rd and 4th build day and the houses look wonderful. Our family is still very shy but the youngest gal about 1 year old has seemingly warmed up to us slightly. Beatrice who is seven is painting, hammering and joining in all the time. Manuel who is the neighbor age 14 is a huge help and having a wonderful time trying to learn more English as each day progresses. We are fortunate because Shane and I and the kids are kept busy helping in any way we can. Today, I left the site early to drive one of the ladies back who was ill and then helped Julia in the afternoon prepare for supper. We had Tostados and they were awesome. Thursday we had Pecole soup which I had not had before. It is a chicken broth base, with corn and then you add your own toppings such as chicken, tortilla chips, salsa, cabbage, cheese etc. Quite delicious. Thursday night we did something very neat. We went back to San Quintin where we are house building in the evening and we set up a movie screen on the side of the school.. We showed Rapunzel in Spanish with English subtitles. About 60 kids showed up and we all had popcorn and watched the movie. It was very breezy so many kids including ours were under sweatshirts and blankets. Much fun and entertaining.
Thursday we also spent the morning shopping for furniture at Sami's and then shopping for a bike for one of the dad's and then the propane stoves and then the groceries. All done a day early this time in getting ready. Wednesday was a finish at 6 day as the group stopped to visit a family from 2 years ago....Martin and family....daughters Rosa and Marisol.....I missed it as I was at the house with the ill folks. Then Thursday was a bit shorter day of working but also a stop to visit the families that the group built for last year. It was nice to see their home and all the wonderful new things added to it. As we were leaving that visit a man stopped Tyler and I in the street to say hello and it was Rafael and Augustine....from our build 3 years ago. Remembering we say Alberta and Carolina a week or so ago but Augustine and Rafael were not home. We visited a bit which was awesome to see them. A really great 2 days....early mornings and late nights but great. Each night when the Calgary group debriefs they sing hymns first which I love. Tomorrow (Friday) is dedication day.
Thursday we also spent the morning shopping for furniture at Sami's and then shopping for a bike for one of the dad's and then the propane stoves and then the groceries. All done a day early this time in getting ready. Wednesday was a finish at 6 day as the group stopped to visit a family from 2 years ago....Martin and family....daughters Rosa and Marisol.....I missed it as I was at the house with the ill folks. Then Thursday was a bit shorter day of working but also a stop to visit the families that the group built for last year. It was nice to see their home and all the wonderful new things added to it. As we were leaving that visit a man stopped Tyler and I in the street to say hello and it was Rafael and Augustine....from our build 3 years ago. Remembering we say Alberta and Carolina a week or so ago but Augustine and Rafael were not home. We visited a bit which was awesome to see them. A really great 2 days....early mornings and late nights but great. Each night when the Calgary group debriefs they sing hymns first which I love. Tomorrow (Friday) is dedication day.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
A new group arrives
So today was a great day.(Sunday) We greeted the group from Calgary Grace Baptist Church. We met a few of them 2 years ago when we were here so it was great to see some familiar faces. It is also great to see that there are others who keep wanting to return here as we do. This group is 42 people who took the bus from Calgary. They are all family units with parents and kids so a great mix of ages. We spent the day cleaning in anticipation of their arrival. It was a busy day of making beds, sweeping and mopping and laundry. Much fun. We had Jumbo pizzas and salads for dinner which the group enjoyed. We met the 3 families for whom we are building. The family where we will be spending our time is Mom Celerina, Dad Vellario, 2 daughters Beatrice age 7 and Elizabeth I think maybe 1 year. Very shy family but you can see their excitement. We will be learning from Charles in terms of building and leading a house. We did it before but it was a long time ago and we will take better notes this time!! We can assist and then Charles can go to the other 2 sites to assist. We will be there to fill in as workers whenever needed. We sat around the fire and the group sang some hymns and shared some first impressions. A very beautiful day.
On Monday we were set to work! Both Tyler and Jessica put their work clothes and and Jessica within minutes was assisting with the painting. She painted the better part of the day which takes great focus. Tyler hammered a bit, took some pictures and wandered between sites visiting. Shane and I worked with Charles to learn which we did and was much fun. The morning was a bit cloudy and cooler which was nice but the afternoon became very warm. We worked till about 4:30 and returned home for Julia's delicious burritos.....WOW can she cook. We enjoy her cooking so much!! Again a nice evening, chores done, people visiting, and a nice debriefing,. We left part way through the debriefing as we were one tired group!!
Tuesday.....bright and early to assist with making breakfast of pancakes and sausages. A good start to the day. Today we put the house up...all 4 walls and the remainder of the day was spent painting, and painting and painting. We had a young helper today named Charlie who was a neighbor to our family. he lives in a wheelchair and came over to help. He was a huge help and painted for most of the day. He also has a developmental disability and enjoyed spending time working very hard. Hero Holiday built a homme for his family last year so it was nice t see him wanting to continue to help even after his house was built. There is another young man on site again a neighbor. he is 14 and named Manuel and works very very hard and has a bit of English. He is enjoying learning more English as we work together. There was a huge soccer game going on in the community for a while in the afternoon and the kids loved it. We are showering and relaxing a bit and then off to Smokies taco stand for tacos....then maybe a trip to the candy store for more chocolate....I ran out after our last stop at the candy store.
On Monday we were set to work! Both Tyler and Jessica put their work clothes and and Jessica within minutes was assisting with the painting. She painted the better part of the day which takes great focus. Tyler hammered a bit, took some pictures and wandered between sites visiting. Shane and I worked with Charles to learn which we did and was much fun. The morning was a bit cloudy and cooler which was nice but the afternoon became very warm. We worked till about 4:30 and returned home for Julia's delicious burritos.....WOW can she cook. We enjoy her cooking so much!! Again a nice evening, chores done, people visiting, and a nice debriefing,. We left part way through the debriefing as we were one tired group!!
Tuesday.....bright and early to assist with making breakfast of pancakes and sausages. A good start to the day. Today we put the house up...all 4 walls and the remainder of the day was spent painting, and painting and painting. We had a young helper today named Charlie who was a neighbor to our family. he lives in a wheelchair and came over to help. He was a huge help and painted for most of the day. He also has a developmental disability and enjoyed spending time working very hard. Hero Holiday built a homme for his family last year so it was nice t see him wanting to continue to help even after his house was built. There is another young man on site again a neighbor. he is 14 and named Manuel and works very very hard and has a bit of English. He is enjoying learning more English as we work together. There was a huge soccer game going on in the community for a while in the afternoon and the kids loved it. We are showering and relaxing a bit and then off to Smokies taco stand for tacos....then maybe a trip to the candy store for more chocolate....I ran out after our last stop at the candy store.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Friday and Saturday!! Not work days!!!
What a great couple of days. We did a tiny bit of work, for example laundry, making up some beds for the next group but the remainder of the time was more relaxing and resting and visiting. With Becky and Mandy and Rose and Pearl here we have had some great times just hanging out. Friday after some making of beds and a quick lunch we headed off to the Costo Bravo beach again so the kids could so some more wave jumping!! So much fun for them as the waves today were fairly gentle so they can go out a bit further without us being too worried. The wind is still blowing a fair bit so it is quite cool on the beach but I still love the beach.....the sun and sand and water!!! After the beach the kids played in the sand....we went to the beach with Trish and the kids, so they all have other kids to play with. Oh ya.....went grocery shopping in the am so we will have some food and snacks for the next couple of days until the group arrives. I should not have gone hungry as I came home with more than we needed. Upon arrival home we were delighted to see Becky in full cooking mode. She was making dinner for the whole group of us. We had to call Santi and Julia to come as they had fallen asleep and we were wondering where they were for dinner!!! We were treated to a delicious supper of shark on the BBQ with a pineapple salsa that the pineapple also was cooked on the BBQ. As well as a wonderful shrimp rice dish, a tossed salad with fresh cheese...(there is no better cheese) and a great walnut coleslaw. What a treat. The kids were not really interested in shark so we made them cheeseburgers and turkey dogs. What a fun night!! Thanks Becky for the great meal. She is going to Culinary school soon and will make a wonderful chef!
Up about 9 am on Saturday.....wanted to enjoy it as when the group arrives on Sunday it is 6 am wake ups for the whole week. We threw in more laundry and I made french toast for breakfast....yes it really was me who made it. I even made enough for tomorrow. We set off at 10 am....all 14 of us in the grey van named Gus and Trisha's Yukon which by the way drives much better than the grey van or the truck or any of the buses!! We drove to San Quinten to the market which is kind of like a flea market with some new and some used stuff. We bought school shoes for Tyler and a couple of jerseys for Shane. Not a huge selection at this market. Kids bought some fresh fruit to eat....delicious and I bought some fresh coconut to eat and a tomale. We then went to California Hot dogs for lunch for the kids but it was closed so we settles on Nachos and cheese from the Pemex gas station. We then drove to the sand dollar beach where we were met with Rose's boyfriend Pedro and his 2 daughters, his dad and a couple other young gals. We had met Pedro and his daughters last night for Becky's dinner. We arrived at the beach which has gorgeous sand, gentle waves, almost no seaweed and sand dollars everywhere and sand dunes for the kids to play in. For the next few hours the kids alternated between the sand dunes and the waves having a great time. Pedro spent over an hour in the water clamming.....or should I say catching our dinner. He caught 8 dozen clams in just over an hour....what a talent. Rose and Pearl joined him for a bit and caught 2 but both were too small. We arrived home about 6 and Pedro arrived shortly after with clams and various other grocery items.....he cooked us an Iron Chef dinner of clams.....clams 3 different ways......clam soup, clam cerviche and clam creme.....all very delicious. he was in the kitchen for about 2 hours slaving away so we could enjoy the dinner which we all did. What a treat again....we could not have gone to the store and bought clams and made anything close to what we ate tonight. How wonderful. Off to bed as tomorrow is clean, clean, and more clean for the group that will arrive. And we need to move out of the big house to make room for the group. Good night all!!
Up about 9 am on Saturday.....wanted to enjoy it as when the group arrives on Sunday it is 6 am wake ups for the whole week. We threw in more laundry and I made french toast for breakfast....yes it really was me who made it. I even made enough for tomorrow. We set off at 10 am....all 14 of us in the grey van named Gus and Trisha's Yukon which by the way drives much better than the grey van or the truck or any of the buses!! We drove to San Quinten to the market which is kind of like a flea market with some new and some used stuff. We bought school shoes for Tyler and a couple of jerseys for Shane. Not a huge selection at this market. Kids bought some fresh fruit to eat....delicious and I bought some fresh coconut to eat and a tomale. We then went to California Hot dogs for lunch for the kids but it was closed so we settles on Nachos and cheese from the Pemex gas station. We then drove to the sand dollar beach where we were met with Rose's boyfriend Pedro and his 2 daughters, his dad and a couple other young gals. We had met Pedro and his daughters last night for Becky's dinner. We arrived at the beach which has gorgeous sand, gentle waves, almost no seaweed and sand dollars everywhere and sand dunes for the kids to play in. For the next few hours the kids alternated between the sand dunes and the waves having a great time. Pedro spent over an hour in the water clamming.....or should I say catching our dinner. He caught 8 dozen clams in just over an hour....what a talent. Rose and Pearl joined him for a bit and caught 2 but both were too small. We arrived home about 6 and Pedro arrived shortly after with clams and various other grocery items.....he cooked us an Iron Chef dinner of clams.....clams 3 different ways......clam soup, clam cerviche and clam creme.....all very delicious. he was in the kitchen for about 2 hours slaving away so we could enjoy the dinner which we all did. What a treat again....we could not have gone to the store and bought clams and made anything close to what we ate tonight. How wonderful. Off to bed as tomorrow is clean, clean, and more clean for the group that will arrive. And we need to move out of the big house to make room for the group. Good night all!!
Friday, July 15, 2011
2 work days!!
So Wednesday morning we reviewed the to do list, menu and grocery list with Charles in preperation for a huge day of shopping in SD. Visited, hung out, made HH booklets, and had lunch. Then off to the beach for a bit this afternoon. It was a beautiful day....a bit breezy by the ocean but that did not stop the kids and some adults from jumping the waves!! Beautiful water, sun and sand. the beach is called Costa Bravos and it is just 15 minutes from the house. The whole gang of us went to the beach so it was a lot of fun....the roads are bumpy and winding to arrive but worth the trip. The kids were skipping rope on shore with a very strong piece of seaweed which was hilarious!! They made sandcastles and then the HIGHLIGHT of the day!! A sea lion arrived for a visit just a feet from us. He was swimming right at the shore and wanted to come onto the beach to sunbathe. We watched him and chased him for a while and then when we finally left him along he climbed onto the beach to sunbathe. At one point Tyler was about 3 or 4 feet away from the sea lion and could have touched it...not that he would!! It was beautiful and what a gift to be able to see. After the beach we took off with Charles to SD as he has to catch a flight in the am for Calgary and we are staying in SD for the day to do a ton of shopping. We went through the Tecate border as the Tijuana border has been 3 or 4 hours of waiting. The Tecate border is only an extra 1 hour of time but you save all the border time as we were in line for 10 minutes. We arrived to the Vagabond Inn around 10:30 pm and off to sleep for the night!
Up early on Thursday as Shane needed to drive Charles to the airport to catch his flight to Calgary. They stopped at Napa Auto parts to try to find a piece for the bus but were told it was elsewhere. After Shane dropped Charles off he picked us up at the hotel and off we went. We went to Fuller Ford and ordered the bus piece, McDonald's for a quick breakfast, Costco for a huge shop, Walmart for a big shop, Smart and Final for a small shop, Best Buy for a look for a new camera....the GPS sent us to 2 places where there was supposed to be a Best Buy and there was not. We ended up buying a new camera at Target after some "phone a friend" to Uncle Kevin for advice. All day Jessica has not been feeling well with some fun diarhea....not fun but she is a trooper. We left SD about 3:30 pm and on the road home. Border no issue although we were stopped because we had a truck full of items. We explained what we were doing and off we were sent. We stopped in Ensenada for a late lunch, early supper and arrived home at 7:30 pm. Angelina and kids were all here so all the kids played a rousing game of Hide and Seek which was much fun. Had a great Skype with Mom and Auntie Sue and then later with Dad and Uncle Ted. Overall a very good day!
Up early on Thursday as Shane needed to drive Charles to the airport to catch his flight to Calgary. They stopped at Napa Auto parts to try to find a piece for the bus but were told it was elsewhere. After Shane dropped Charles off he picked us up at the hotel and off we went. We went to Fuller Ford and ordered the bus piece, McDonald's for a quick breakfast, Costco for a huge shop, Walmart for a big shop, Smart and Final for a small shop, Best Buy for a look for a new camera....the GPS sent us to 2 places where there was supposed to be a Best Buy and there was not. We ended up buying a new camera at Target after some "phone a friend" to Uncle Kevin for advice. All day Jessica has not been feeling well with some fun diarhea....not fun but she is a trooper. We left SD about 3:30 pm and on the road home. Border no issue although we were stopped because we had a truck full of items. We explained what we were doing and off we were sent. We stopped in Ensenada for a late lunch, early supper and arrived home at 7:30 pm. Angelina and kids were all here so all the kids played a rousing game of Hide and Seek which was much fun. Had a great Skype with Mom and Auntie Sue and then later with Dad and Uncle Ted. Overall a very good day!
Reconnecting with an angel
For those of you that followed our blog 2 years ago you may remember our friend Angel whom we spent time with helping him with his mission called Mobility Angels. Angel is a man who lives in a wheelchair who has devoted his entire life to assisting people with disabilities. The Mexican government does not have a lot of support for people with disabilities and Angel has taken them under his wing to help along with a small Board of 2 who live in California. Angel receives supplies from California and reconfigures wheelchairs to fit people and to survive on this tough Mexican terrain. He also makes prosthetic limbs for people who are amputees giving many the opportunity to walk again. He does this with skill and talent and love and we were fortunate to reconnect with him during our trip. Shane, Tyler and Jessica and I along with our new friend Jenna ventured out at 7:20 am to the work space of Angel which is one hour north of us in a town called San Vicente. Angel was waiting for us and was very happy to see us as he said that many who say they are coming to help don't actually show up. I told Angel this was not our style. Angel was as patient as ever as he walked the 3 kids through the making of limbs. They mixed cement, poured the molds, and helped shape the legs that we eventually made into 3 legs for 3 different people. Angel is behind in his work because he is the only one who can truly shape the actual leg so that it will not be painful when the person begins walking on it. It is shaped especially for each person. No 2 are the same. He can teach us to make the leg but shaping it is a craft. He has people who have been waiting since January for a limb and yet Angel works many days for 12 and 16 hours at a time. He also fits wheelchairs too and visits all the people he is trying to help so that takes time too. Angel sings while he works and he has a wonderful sense of humor and he is so great with the kids. He has a great sense about him and the kids love to work with him. After 4 hours or so of making the limbs we cleaned up the shop where we were working and headed off to lunch. A beautiful spot in San Vicente where we all had delicious Club Sandwiches. We had a wonderful visit as we caught up on what was happening in Angel's life since we saw him last. After lunch we went to Ensenada to investigate the story of a young man who apparently needed Angel's help. Angel had received a call from a women named Sharon who heard that Angel helped the disabled and she wanted to know if Angel could help. Ensenada is another hour north of San Vicente we kept getting farther and farther from home. When we arrived we met a young 27 year old man named Fransisco but Angel kept calling him Fernando which was very funny. Fransisco is a man in a wheelchair paralyzed from the waist down and his wheelchair he has is broken. He is very depressed as he is sqatting in a home that the bank owns and the neighbors are feeding him. He has no family as he was adopted by white Americans as a kid and as a young adult left them as he felt he was not treated well. He has been completely alone and wandering on his own for 3 years and Sandra who is one of the neighbors is trying to help. Angel will bring him a new wheelchair on Friday and we will try to send Sandra some money each month to help with food costs for Fransisco. Sandra has a good heart but not a lot of money. We left Fransisco after some much needed support and hope in his heart. We went and met Becky and her friend Mandy and Charles at the harbor in Ensenada. Becky and Angel knew each other well when Becky lived in Mexico and she is here visiting for a week. Charles just picked her up in SD today and we happened to be in Ensenada at the same time. After a short visit Angel took us to an orphanage that has 38 young kids who all have intellectual disabilities and many with a physical disability. Angel used to be a part of this mission but they had a parting of ways as they philosophically did not support people the same way. This orphanage was small and the kids were eating when we arrived. They were happy to have some visitors even for the short while we were there. A very huge eye opener to the difference in how we support people in different countries and especially in a mission with clearly very little money. Onward we went and arrived home for dinner of left over Chinese food and Shane got to enjoy some today as he was feeling a lot better. Rose and her sister arrived late evening also flying into SD today. Rose is in charge of the SOL students for Absolute and is from Winnipeg. We had a nice visit and the kids ran around playing after all the long drives today.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Once the Scouts left Mexico
So the day the Scouts left Vicente which was Sunday we were up at 4 am to see them off hoping that the few who were still ill would not be too sick for traveling as they had a long day in store.
We went back to bed about 5 am and slept till 10 which was glorious as it was a long week with early mornings and late nights and busy days. Wonderfully busy days but tiring. Sunday and Monday were spent lazing around, relaxing, helping with laundry for the house, tidying up, kids watched movies, played outside, swam in the tiny pool, napping, Shane feeling ill and in bed most of the 2 days, visiting, walks to the local store, reading, and Monday night out for Chinese dinner with Charles, Trish and the kids. A very nice, relaxing, fun 2 days. Weather is fabulous....warm during the day but breezy and cooler and still breezy at night.
We went back to bed about 5 am and slept till 10 which was glorious as it was a long week with early mornings and late nights and busy days. Wonderfully busy days but tiring. Sunday and Monday were spent lazing around, relaxing, helping with laundry for the house, tidying up, kids watched movies, played outside, swam in the tiny pool, napping, Shane feeling ill and in bed most of the 2 days, visiting, walks to the local store, reading, and Monday night out for Chinese dinner with Charles, Trish and the kids. A very nice, relaxing, fun 2 days. Weather is fabulous....warm during the day but breezy and cooler and still breezy at night.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The volcano
Today was a day off but we were still up early and off to the volcano and the beach. It is a half hour drive up the highway and then only a 10 mile ride to the beach but the roads are so bumpy that 10 miles took a whole hour! We arrived and did the walk from hell. We walked a half hour in to the area on the sand uphill, then a half hour up the steep volcano and then a half hour down the crazy steep volcano and then a half hour walk back in the sand, My ass was killing me. In all the times we had been to the volcano this was the first time I walked it and I was proud of myself. Tyler and Shane did the walk no issue and Jessie stayed behind at the beach with Issac and his Papi and they swam. We had leftovers on the beach for lunch from the whole week and it was great. We then sat and relaxed, listening to the ocean, feeling the warm wind on our cheeks and the warm sun. My absolute favorite way to spend time. The kids jumped in the waves while we watched. So much fun for them. On our way back to the house we stopped by Alberta and Augustine's house and Carolina and Rafael....our first family build from 3 years ago. They remembered us of course and Alberta had Carolina run out for drinks as soon as we arrived. Santi came with us to help translate and their life is wonderful. Augustine is in good health and working and Rafael is working but not loving school, they have electricity, more furniture and the house looks wonderful. Carolina was full of hugs and apparently she loves school. It was great to see them. We went to Don Diegos for dinner and de briefing which was a fun way to spend the last night with the group.
Dedication day
When we were here last time for the summer we participated in many builds but because we came and went from the sites we did not get a chance to bond really tightly with each family. We had the bonding experience when we met our family the first time we came to Mexico and this time we were part of a building group so we are fortunate to have bonded. What a wonderful experience. Mom Catalina, Dad Vallerio and 6 daughters ranging in age from 3 to 13. In 5 short days we felt very close to them and them to us.
This morning started with shopping for groceries, chicken feed and stoves for the families. We waited for the furniture to arrive and then like Santa Claus under the Christmas tree we hid in the house and prepared the home for the family. Beds, quilts made from church friends, prayer shawls made with love from the church, gifts for each girl and a kitchen table and chairs and at least 100.00 worth of grocery staples. How beautiful. As well the Scouts had prepared a wonderful photo of our group in a frame to leave behind with the family as a reminder of our new found friendship. We of course had our cameras but the family had no photos....just the reminder every day of this new home. We went as an entire group to each family where the group that did the build did the dedication with the family and the remainder of us watched. Our family was third and it was incredibly humbling to be a part of this. The group of us got to speak about what this meant to us and to wish the family health and happiness in the future. Then the family spoke and they spoke with tears in their eyes and love in their hearts as they tried to describe what this gift of a home meant to them. Then the 12 year old daughter spoke which is highly unusual. The kids are quiet and in the background but she spoke boldly about what this meant to her family and with tears streaming down her face she said gracious, gracious, gracious. We then went to the 4th house which was the house Tyler built for and it was also a beautiful dedication. The family all week had been so shy with the group but today they could not stop talking and saying what this meant to them and how thankful they were. They could not believe people from Canada would come and build a home for poor people (grandpa's words). Our group made it clear that we did not view them as poor people but that we were here to assist good people in getting a hand up in the world and that we valued them as equals. What a beautiful message. We had a potluck lunch with all 4 families contribting the food and the food was awesome and so much of it. Such generosity from the families.
After some very tearful goodbyes we took a ride to the beach and relaxed there by walking on the beach and breathing in some good ocean air. Oh ya,,,,my favorite memory of today is when each family was presented with the receipts of the money paid to land titles. The look of disbelief was so touching and they appreciated the gesture so much. We arrived home for a debrief, some amazing floutas.....I think all we did today was eat!! Overall a beautiful but emotional day.
This morning started with shopping for groceries, chicken feed and stoves for the families. We waited for the furniture to arrive and then like Santa Claus under the Christmas tree we hid in the house and prepared the home for the family. Beds, quilts made from church friends, prayer shawls made with love from the church, gifts for each girl and a kitchen table and chairs and at least 100.00 worth of grocery staples. How beautiful. As well the Scouts had prepared a wonderful photo of our group in a frame to leave behind with the family as a reminder of our new found friendship. We of course had our cameras but the family had no photos....just the reminder every day of this new home. We went as an entire group to each family where the group that did the build did the dedication with the family and the remainder of us watched. Our family was third and it was incredibly humbling to be a part of this. The group of us got to speak about what this meant to us and to wish the family health and happiness in the future. Then the family spoke and they spoke with tears in their eyes and love in their hearts as they tried to describe what this gift of a home meant to them. Then the 12 year old daughter spoke which is highly unusual. The kids are quiet and in the background but she spoke boldly about what this meant to her family and with tears streaming down her face she said gracious, gracious, gracious. We then went to the 4th house which was the house Tyler built for and it was also a beautiful dedication. The family all week had been so shy with the group but today they could not stop talking and saying what this meant to them and how thankful they were. They could not believe people from Canada would come and build a home for poor people (grandpa's words). Our group made it clear that we did not view them as poor people but that we were here to assist good people in getting a hand up in the world and that we valued them as equals. What a beautiful message. We had a potluck lunch with all 4 families contribting the food and the food was awesome and so much of it. Such generosity from the families.
After some very tearful goodbyes we took a ride to the beach and relaxed there by walking on the beach and breathing in some good ocean air. Oh ya,,,,my favorite memory of today is when each family was presented with the receipts of the money paid to land titles. The look of disbelief was so touching and they appreciated the gesture so much. We arrived home for a debrief, some amazing floutas.....I think all we did today was eat!! Overall a beautiful but emotional day.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
June 29th to July 7th, 2011
June 29th Wednesday
So today we left for our vacation at 4 pm Winnipeg time. It was tough to leave work as things got a little busy and unexpected before leaving. My Dad, Shane and the kids picked me up at work and we all went to the airport. We flew to Calgary with Kendra and had dinner at Harvees and then onto LA. We rented a Hertz car which was great as K and H have to go for some doctor appointments in the am. We got to the Hilton at 1 am which is 3 am our time so we are tired. Great hotel though. They may have remembered us from our last experience which was with our trailer and laundry baskets so we are currently already making a better impression!! So looking forward to seeing Kevin and Henriette!
June 30th Thursday
A bit of a sleep in. K and H are at the hospital for the tests. Very concerned and worried for them. We are going to IHop for breakfast and then to Universal. Kevin and Henriette’s friend got us free tickets to Universal which is so wonderful. We met Kevin there at Noon as he had to get us in. Henriette still in hospital so Kevin will spend the day there. Universal was very fun and enjoyable. Kids loved it. It was hot in there but there was a Curious George water area so Tyler got soaked. Great attractions and rides. Jessie and I went in the Horror House and both just about didn't make it out!! Heart pounding terribly! We met Kevin for supper at the soup plantation.(delicious) We are tired and so is he but Henriette is still in hospital at least overnight depending on what the doctor says. We went back to the hotel and the kids had a quick 20 minute swim and then to bed.
July 1st Friday
We slept in again! We went to the grocery store to purchase some breakfast, lunch and snacks. Then we had lunch around the pool, swam all afternoon....very hot. Henriette is experiencing some difficulties with her kidney and so she will need to stay in the hospital for 3 days and get pulse steroids to try to reverse the rejection concern. Very upsetting to both Kevin and Henriette and we are so upset for them and are praying that things begin to get better. The kids relaxed in the room a bit and Shane napped and I still sat at the pool. We then went downtown to the hospital and met Kevin for dinner. Very nice time but he is tired and so worried about Henriette. Shane, Kendra and the kids went down to the Hollywood and Highland area and Kevin and I went and visited with Henriette. It was so great to see her. She is in good spirits and I am praying very hard for her and her kidney. It was so wonderful to visit and to hug her!! Back to the hotel after a 2 hour visit and 2 hour walk around downtown. The pool is closed much to Jessica's dismay....that kid could live in a pool.
July 2nd Saturday
Slept in again.,,,10 am...good thing we do it now because we are not going to be able to do that when we are in Mexico. We had a bit of a swim and then packed up. We drove around looking for the Hollywood sign and it was so funny because the GPS was giving us instructions to go where the roads were closed. We eventually found it and it is the highlight so far of Tyler’s trip! Photos were taken so all is well. We went to the hospital cafeteria and had lunch with Kevin and then he and I and Tyler went to Hen’s room. We then all visited for a couple of hours in the 7th floor lobby. It was great for the kids to see Henriette and it was great for Henriette to see the kids. I think it lifted all of our spirits. We left at 5 and started our drive to SD. Coffee Bean (Love the Caramel frapp) in tow we arrived in SD at 8 pm. Checked into the hotel and then off to the campground which is where the Scouts group from Winnipeg were going to be and they are our traveling group for the next 7 days while we gear up to build 4 houses together in Mexico. Aside from some bus issues the Scouts arrived fine and we visited a bit and they are all in great spirits. Returned the rental car and off to McDonalds for dinner and then to bed!
July 3rd Sunday
Left the hotel at 8:30 am...Andrew arrived with the bus at 7:30 from Vegas. Poor guy. (The original bus had a breakdown do the Scouts arrived on a different bus). We loaded up the Scouts and off we go to Vicente. Bordeer no issue and then to the lookout where there was nothing to look at as it was so foggy. We continued onto the town of Ensenada where we stopped outside of the town to eat lunch. The Scouts made us a delicious lunch and we rested and stretched. We were on the road again as everyone was very exicted to arrive in Vicente....actually the town is Zapata. I felt so at home as soon as we drove up. I have missed being here very much and am so looking forward to being here. We right away went to meet the 4 families which was wonderful. Our family is mom and Dad and 6 girls....13, 12, 11, 8, 6, 3. Beautiful family with tons of energy and very social. They are so excited to have us come back tomorrow. It was so great to see Santi and Julia....and to finally meet Edwin. What a cutie. 1o months old but he has a cold. It is so hard to believe that it has been 2 years since we have been here. What a great feeling to be back. Pizza for dinner, a short orientation and then we are moved into our new home...Angelina’s house. Julia and Santi cleaned up the whole house which is awesome. We have 3 beds and a kitchen, living room and bathroom.; How wonderful. Excited to begin building tomorrow.
Monday July 4th
Up early as breakfast is early and the idea is to get to our job site at a good time. Shane and I are assisting from the Hero Holiday side of things with running errands, helping Julia with cooking and prep and whatever else is needed but this week as well we are part of the build of the 4 houses with the Scouts that we have been fundraising with for over a year. And what a group they are. They are on time, help with everything and generally a wonderful group. We have met so many great people so far. Shane and the kids off to the build and I stayed back with Julia to make lunch and so some laundry. Loved hanging the laundry on the line! Met all the groups at the Pemex gas station for lunch that we brought and heard the excitement in people's voices as they began to describe their morning. I spent the afternoon at our build and the 6 girls in this family are so sweet and friendly and I am trying hard to remember my Spanish....little as it is. I have discovered something TERRIBLE> There is a mouse in my house. I am terrified of mice and hence Tyler has also become terrified of mice......we set some traps but tonight for sleeping I am very concerned that we will not sleep. Oh ya and we had the most amazing and delicious burritos for dinner courtesy of Julia and her friend Reina who assists.
July 5th
Shane is off to SD. It turns out that Andrew needs to fly to Saskatchewan to get another bus to then bring back to SD to drive the Scouts back to Manitoba. So Shane drove him to SD to catch a flight and was gone all day. The 4 house builds continued and the highlight today was getting all the walls up. For the family of 8 we are with this was so special as they could see the reality of what was soon to come. The 6 girls continue to bond with all of us and especially Jessica is having so much fun with them. Tyler is at another build and has bonded with young Glen who is 6 years old. Tyler's family has 9 dogs, 20 rabbits, some goats and chickens. The dogs are there to mostly guard the area and are not super friendly yet. Tostadas for dinner and a bonfire....Happy to report there is one dead mouse.
July 6th
Yay....2nd mouse dead. Still hard to sleep at night. We have 2 beds that we have pushed together and sleep the 4 of us. Very tight but none of want to be alone where the mice might see us!! Ridiculous I know but I can't help it. I can at least breathe when I go in the house now. Today we saw Angelina and her 3 kids who we got to know last time we were here. We are living in their home as they live at Angelina's work which is the orphange so she can be close to work and plus she is studying to be a nurse so it is closer to her schooling too. Her 2 dogs live outside our house now,,,,named Blackie and Chica!! 2 very sweet dogs but they are not allowed in the house. The build today was great. Roof is on and our family had to tear down their old house as it was too close to the roof of this new house and so was in the way. I felt badly as I think they wanted to keep it up but I later learned I think they will move it forward a bit and rebuild and maybe cook in it. The youngest daughter is 3 and has taken a liking to Shane who teases her all the time. Off to the taco stand and the candy store! Delicious!
Thursday July 7th
No more dead mice…….all quiet and no squeaks! Up at 6 am to cook Mexican eggs with Julia although by the time I got my ass to the kitchen they were 90% done…delicious with guacamole and tortilla. Off to the houses at 8:45 as some homes have a fair amount to do and others are almost complete. Each family is anxiously awaiting their new home. Sharon and I and Santi went to exchange some money. After a discussion last night where we understood that the family with the store (this is our family with the 6 kids) was behind in their land payments we decided to pass the hat this am and then go to the land titles office and see how much each of our families owe and then try to help. Once at the money exchange we ran into Charles and a few who were going shopping for furniture so we joined up with their group, stopping first at Mikasa for fancy coffee and then to Sammy’s to pick out beds, dressers, couches and kitchen table. After some serious bartering by Charles….he got them from 22,900 to 19,000 pesos and they will deliver in the am no problem. He drives a hard bargain. After Sammy’s we stopped at the greenhouse to buy our 20 fruit trees….Oh ya I forgot at Sammy’s we also ordered the chickens which will be delivered in the am as well. The fruit trees we had a choice of 13 different kinds….we ended up with 25 and then they donated 2 extra which Cindy asked if we could get for Santi and Julia…..and we shall give them to them. The greenhouse was wonderful and smelled great. We then went to the Pemex for our lunch….today Charles went to pick up the lunch and Shane picked up the group at house 4 and we all met at the Pemax for lunch….sandwiches etc. After lunch, the groups went back to complete the houses….likely very little to finish now. Santi and I and Sharon went to the land titles office and discovered that all 4 families were behind….1 family was behind to Dec 2010 and their payment is 250 pesos a week and another family is behind to December but their payment is only 150 pesos per week and another family at 250 pesos per week are behind to March 28th and the last family with 2 lots has paid until June 1 andd each lot is 250 pesos per week. Wow…..so we as a Scout group passed the hat and raised 752 US dollars which is amazing and we ended up helping each family with 2000 pesos and then the family who was most behind we helped with 2350 pesos..
We then returned to the sites and helped all 4 teams comlete all the homes. How exciting!!Back to the house for burgers and dogs and then to Mikasa for more fun coffee and our debriefing. We have been debriefing as a group every night around the fire so this was a fun change.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)