2004 Senior High MissionTrip Collective JournalThe following is a collective journal from the 2004 Mission Trip by the Senior High Youth of the North Hampton United Church of Christ. The entries are not made by a single person, but instead are a collection of journal entries made by everyone on the trip - Beth Bassett, Nancy Bergeron, Bill Boesch, Wendy Crowley, Zac Delcambre, Cassandra Dozet, John Dozet, Alex Huffman, Dani Huffman, Brittany Ridge, Heather Ridge, Alexa Rosenberger, Brenda Tharp, Rainbeau Tharp and Dick Tharp.
Sunday, April 25, 2004
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Ricarda welcomes us to Nuevo Laredo.
On her lap is a shawl from the NHUCC
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Today was a long travel day. We began early in the morning, meeting at the church at 6:30 a.m. We had a 9:00 am flight at the Manchester Airport, and going through Detroit we arrived in San Antonio at 2:30 p.m. Meeting us was Hugo Saucedo and Danielle Miller, who have helped us with our travel from San Antonio to Mexico each of the last three years. Mr. Tharp had two lobsters for Hugo, and Hugo had three dozen Krispy Kreme donuts for us. The donuts didn't last long.
Once Mr. Tharp, Mr. Boesch and Mr. Dozet got the van and truck we were off on the long ride to Nuevo Laredo. It took about three hours. We met Ezequiel in Laredo, Texas before we crossed the border. Noe's visa has expired and so he cannot help us across the border.
After a long day of flying and a three hour long drive from San Antonio to Nuevo Laredo, we would have been happy receiving a greeting of any sort when we arrived at Peniel (the church we stayed at), but we were overwhelmed with what we actually got. When we pulled into the familiar driveway we could see Noe, his wife Rebecca, their children Elioth, Jonathan, Linda, her son Luis, the missionary Anita, her sister, Ricarda, her daughter Claudia, Guillermo, his wife Gloria, Deanna, and many others.
I was really touched that Carlos, his wife and two children were there to say hi. They weren't around at all during our week last year which really disappointed me. I can remember sitting around during my first trip (2 years ago) and many of us would practice speaking English with Carlos. He was taking classes at night and could speak much more English than we could Spanish.
At the time he and his wife had a baby boy named Uriel, and they were pregnant with another child. This year Uriel seemed so grown up and we were able to meet their second child. I was amazed at the simple fact that all these people remembered us. They even remembered some of our names. I've always had a hard time believing that we actually touched these people's lives year after year. How can we leave such a big impression on them, only knowing them for one week a year? But this proved to me that we do make an impact. Arriving to a huge group of smiling faces that remembered us, that cared about us, that prayed for us, convinced me that we do do something, that this is a good use of my spring break.
Monday, April 26, 2004
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The group waits to enter the juvenile facility.
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Today was our first work day and it was a rain on the parade, literally, for the first day. We ended up having to work inside all day because of the thunderstorms. So instead of working on the roof as planned, everyone was inside painting the walls blue. Our plans changed a lot today. We were supposed to go and meet Mapy this morning, but because of the rain, the roads were too muddy. Instead we went to a juvenile jail, which I admit was quite scary for me in the beginning. This was the first time that Laredos Unidos has taken a group there.
After lunch and personal grooming time, we all head off to the HEB, a grocery store, again to get snacks for the guests of the juvenile detention center who we are visiting in the afternoon. This was not something any of us planned on and it was a little unsettling.
We were admitted into the jail and our cameras were taken away. ( The psychologist inside took pictures though.) Ushered onto a covered basketball court to meet and greet the young ne'er do wells, we kind of face off across the court from them. The 29 kids, aged 12-17, looked like normal teenagers but, we find out that they are here for various crimes including drugs, rape and murder. I wonder why we are here.
Zac plays a couple of songs on his guitar and it helps break the ice. Next, with Noe translating, we introduce ourselves to each other. After introductions, we split into a couple of groups and chat a little. The boys invite our youth to play soccer. That would be very different. It is interesting to note that at least a couple of the kids are US citizens.
It turned out to be an interesting experience, quite unexpected, but very sobering. The center is right next to a prison and I can't help but wonder how many of these kids will end up next door in the future. Relatively speaking, the juvenile facility is quite nice. For most of the guests it is undoubtedly a step up.
After we left, I realized it was a good experience overall. A lot of the kids were very nice, and the director has also said that they were going to school and they all seemed like they were cleaning up their acts. It showed me that kids just need positive role models in life. Someone to lead them in the right direction or even just a friend. Someone to help you understand and help you make the right decision.
There was one kid in particular that stood out in the group, maybe because he was the only one that spoke English very well. His name was Juan and he was 17 years old. He was from Texas, the reason he knew English so well. He and a group of boys had crowded around a group of us and just talked to us about everything. At one point they asked if we wanted to play soccer, which I definitely had no problem with but we couldn't stay that long. Maybe next year we will be able to spend more time there. It definitely was my biggest learning experience while I was there, and I was grateful for the unexpected stop we made to see them.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Today we were able to begin our work outside the Annex. A group continued painting inside the Annex, putting a second coat on what we began yesterday. Another group began working on the roof. They are going to put a new roof on the whole building. A third group began work to complete a wall around the Annex and Peniel.
We came to Nuevo Laredo to tear down walls and make connections. So it was ironic that my first job on Tuesday morning involved repairing a cement brick wall so that "thieves" couldn't get into the Peniel Church! Nancy and I were assigned to Brother Ezequiel and this job due to my extensive cement mixing experience last year.
Brother Ezequiel had been at Monte Sion last year as an observer watching us as we mixed the cement for a walkway that we were building. At first I had thought that he was rather frightening; he never smiled or spoke to us. But somewhere during the second day, perhaps as we were sweating and singing the cement mixing song as we mixed yet another bag of cement with sand, we got his approval through a smile. We didn't see him back at Peniel at all last year so it was surprising to have him be working so closely with Noe this year.
I didn't think he remembered me at all but as we started mixing our first bag and I was showing Nancy the finer techniques of cement mixing, Ezequiel smiled and said "mas, mas" - more more! Yes, this year was truly about reconnecting with our friends. Despite our language "wall", we were able to find ways of communicating through laughter, smiles, faith and of course, shared work.
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Everyone works making bead jewelry at the orphanage.
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Nuevo Laredo is a place beyond our little American town knowledge. It is a place where people greet you as soon as you step on their land. They smile with their eyes and welcome you into their homes. My favorite part of Mexico was probably when I entered the nursery at the orphanage on Tuesday. There was a baby girl sleeping in her crib on the far side. I looked at her and thought, why is she here? Why are they all here? She laid on her stomach with her black baby sweatpants and pink flowered sweatshirt. Her black hair was as smooth as could be. Her hands curled up in the natural little ball that all humans do when they sleep.
She awoke when the children began to make a lot of noise. She awoke and cried and I immediately got the courage to ask one of the attendants if I could hold her. She was perched on her arms and her big brown eyes stared at me. I reached for her and she reached for me. I held her for what seemed like a lifetime. I was trying to understand why she was so lethargic and why she had such lack of strength in her muscles. Mrs. Crowley said she probably had fetal alcohol syndrome.
She was very clingy like she hadn't ever been held like that. Her head rested on my shoulder and I supported her frail legs. When we had to go I put her down and she cried. I rubbed her back in the crib as I did when I first met her and I had to say goodbye. I headed towards the door and looked at her until the door was closed. I'll always remember her perched up on her arms with tears rolling down her face like it was the end of the world.
She had her diaper and pink flowered sweatshirt on and had a face like no other. A face that hurt you so much to leave and knowing you won't be able to hold her for another year. I don't know if she'll be there next year, but before I left I put my hand on her back and prayed to God that she would find a wonderful life and live like any child should live, happily. I took a picture of Mrs. Crowley and the baby together while looking at each other. The lighting is perfect and in the very right hand corner there is a burst of light circling the little girl's head like a halo.
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Today the roofing crew continued on the roof. They had to stop a little early yesterday because it was getting very hot and they were afraid of damaging the work they had completed. The first part of their work went well this morning, but when they moved over to the other half of the roof, they ran into some problems that required some extra work.
The painting crew finished the inside yesterday. Their reward was that now they get to paint the outside! They started on that today, and the wall crew finished up the wall, except for painting it.
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Brittany, Linda and Heather pose after the relay race.
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This afternoon we went to the picnic at the park. At first I didn't know what to expect, but we had an awesome day. It was a perfect day for a barbeque and picnic. When we first got there, I was amazed at how beautiful the park was. Since we are in New England there aren't many parks like this one, that you are able to find. This place was absolutely gorgeous.
While we were at the park we were able to mingle with people from the church and learn new crafts. Might I say the net weaving was different than I expected but it was so much fun. Anita's mother was weaving a hammock. Several of us tried, and it was much more difficult than it looked. Afterward we were able to play with the kids and talk with some of the adults.
During the service at the picnic Mrs. Crowley, Zac, Heather and Mrs. Bergeron talked about their experiences on the trip and how it affects them. It was especially nice to hear Noe translate for the Mexican members of the church as they talked about what our relationship means to them, because it's always good to know what they are really thinking. We said some prayers and sang some songs together before we started to eat.
The people of the church prepared a tremendous dinner for us. The beef and pork was prepared over mesquite wood. The salsa and guacamole were all prepared fresh, right at the picnic tables. Knowing how much the picnic must have cost them, it was very touching that they put it on for us.
After we were done eating, the games began. We had watermelon, so that meant playing many games with the seeds. We also played the name game but with special gestures. We played a game where Anita would yell out a number, in Spanish, and the number Anita yelled out was how many people should be in a group. After, the group had to squat as fast as possible to see who was left out of the groups. Whomever was left out could not come back in. It sounds very confusing but it was a very fun game to play and be with friends.
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Twiggy receives his payback from Anita
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After all this we had a relay race. There were a variety of different things. There were 5 different stations. The first station you had to take a rope that was tied together so it made a circle and put it over your head all the way down to your feet. You had to get all your groups members to do the same. Then the second station was where you had to chew gum and then with the gum, you had to make a tower as high as possible with toothpicks. We used the gum as glue and had to keep the tower standing together. The third station was a soccer ball and each team had to score a goal to go to the next station.
At the fourth station you had to bob for limes. Once everyone on your team got a lime you had to run to the last station. There were bowls filled with flour and you had to fish out a white ballon with only your teeth. It was a long and confusing relay race but so much fun.
Though, what made the night most memorable was when Mr. Tharp took a bowl of flour (let me remind you, a very full bowl of flour), walked over to Anita, looked right into her eyes.......and dumped the flour on her jet black hair. It was one of those times where you thought, "he wouldn't," but of course Mr. Tharp had to pour that flour!
This picnic was a great time for everyone to get closer to someone, whether it was a misson group member or a member of the Mexican church. I think everyone got closer to someone that day, but who ever it was, the memories will always stay with us.
Thursday, April 29, 2004
The roofing crew finished the roof today - approximately 2000 square feet of new roof. They finished just in time; it was getting very hot on the roof. The painting crew did not quite get done with the exterior painting today. The wall crew pitched in and helped the painting crew.
It's the last night in Nuevo Luerado and I'm missing it already. Tomorrow we are making Mapy a concrete floor. She's a lady who lives on her own and is confined to a wheel chair. I couldn't imagine getting around like that with a dirt floor.
I feel so bad. I want to help her but part of me wanted to go on to San Antonio. It sounds selfish but I feel like I've been working really hard over this April vacation. We decided on doing it after a long discussion. I don't mind at all; I'd love to see her happy but I just hope we can get to San Antonio by the end of the day as well. I've had an awesome time so far on the trip so either way I don't think it can ruin the trip as a whole.
I'm definitely going to miss little Jorge. He's adorable, he always has a smile on his face and it's so contagious. I'm already thinking of next year and how excited I'll be to see how much he will have grown up. I met his mother also. I'm hoping maybe to get an address from Noe when I get home... I would love that. I don't think I've had so much fun with little kids in my whole life. This has been an awesome experience so far, I can't wait for the next few days.
Friday, April 30, 2004
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Mapy's house, Mapy, NHUCC youth, Ezequiel and Ellia
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Today we went back to Mapy's house to build her concrete floor. At first it looked like we were going on to San Antonio, but we wound up deciding to do the floor and ended up going back on what I think the others called a guilt trip because we had the chance to do it and it would be wrong to not follow through. The thing I will remember most is that she would sell these little doillies that would sell sometimes for $20 or sometimes for $3.50 (she didn't know the price range). And the first thing she said to me after I started to get tired and show signs of fatigue, was to ask everyone if she could buy us some cokes. And with as little money as she had, she didn't hesitate for a second when she went in to get the money for our drinks.
Although there were many memorable moments during this Mission Trip, (teaching many to knit on the prayer shawl, playing the cup game, sharing information about our church while learning about Peniel with Anita and Noë, watching the "Youts" process the decision regarding Mapy's floor, and working on Mapy's floor), there is one moment that is uniquely mine.
On our last day four of us stayed behind to finish the painting at Peniel while the rest headed over to Mapy's. After the painting was finished I went to the cemento wall to finish the sign post that Wendy had started. She asked me to make sure everyone's name got on the sign. I was up on a ladder carefully painting the names while Anita and her sister Abelina watched me.
As I wrote the names I could hear them trying to decide in Spanish whose name I was writing. After each name I spoke the name and they would say in unison, "Ah, Cassandra" , or Richard, etc., while nodding their heads. When I got to Alexa I wasn't quite sure how to spell it and Anita made a cross with her fingers to tell me to use an x.
After all the names were added both Anita and Abelina showed concern that I had forgotten one. We read each name together and counted them in Spanish. Only then did they seem satisfied as it was very important to them to have all of us accounted for. And then we hugged, smiled and giggled a little bit as we walked back to the Annex.
Saturday, May 1, 2004
I am sitting in my bed right next to one of my favorite places in the world, the Peace Porch at La Casa in San Antonio. We just finished our traditional reflection time when Mr. Tharp asks us open-ended questions that everyone takes turns answering about the trip, and well, I have to go to Nuevo Laredo again; if there's an alumni trip. I cannot come up with any worthy excuses, because there aren't any. If I have the opportunity again, I have to go.
I talked to Mr. Tharp about not being able to be at the church service for our mission trip and I was really close to tears. I figured the seniors were in charge of the sermon last year, so it was my turn this year. It was my turn to stand up in front of the church and share with everybody why I go to Nuevo Laredo and why they should too. It's my turn to communicate to them everything I learn on the trip and take back home with me and everyone I meet and build relationships with, and how much fun I have, and how horrible and wonderful I feel at the same time. It's my turn to tell them what I feel is important in this world .
I can't forget this experience. I can't forget Deanna cheering for me to win knockout for her (which I still have to do). I have to go back to see Deanna, and Gloria, and Guillermo, and Noe, and Jonathon. I have to see Mapy's house, and how she has kept going. I must remember that I didn't properly get to say goodbye to Deanna. I must remember how horrible I felt when Noe told me that they could not come to say goodbye. I will remember that they remembered my name, and were waiting for me when the van pulled in.
If I have the opportunity to go and turn it down, I'll regret it forever. I know I'll regret it, because this is how I felt a year ago after the trip was over. Nothing matches this trip and the experiences and relationships I have in Nuevo Laredo.
Sunday, May 2, 2004
Each evening our meals were prepared by the women of the Peniel Church. Each meal consisted of traditional Mexican fare. One night we had flautas; another night was tamales wrapped and steamed in banana leaves; one evening we picnicked at the park while the men grilled pork, ribs and beef steak over mesquite wood chunks. These new friends of ours were always so kind and accommodating. One night we raved about the dessert, Carlotta de lemon, and the next night Linda Espinosa, Noe's daughter, did a cooking demonstration so we could observe and understand the recipe. (We'll bring some of this delicious dessert to the church picnic on May 16th.)
Another example of how they went out of their way to make our time special was to honor Bill Boesch's birthday with a feliz cumple anos cake. They don't have a lot of money for extras, but the church folk went above and beyond by making Bill's birthday one to remember! There truly is something sacred about a meal shared together in community.
Seeing the conditions that the people live in is unbelievable. I can't imagine living like them for 365 days a year. Going out in a wide-open land, away from the highways, away from the shops and cities and seeing a one-room house with a family of four is hard to understand. I've read and seen pictures of how people live in Mexico but it's nothing like actually being there. Teachers teach you that there is poverty in Mexico but you can't understand it until you are there. I saw homes made out of pieces of tin and wood, no cement floors and no bathrooms. That's why I went to Mexico to help out, like putting in a cement floor and repairing a roof.
It's nice going there because you meet new friends and they welcome you into their home with open arms, which is a great feeling. They teach us their language and we teach them. There are many things to learn in Mexico. I am surely going back.
These nine young people we have with us are not boy and girls. They are compassionate and responsbile young man and young women. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve with them on this trip. We learned more about Mexican culture, we strenghthened our ties with our Mexican friends, and, by the way, we accomplished assigned tasks to help make the lives of our friends a little better. Our group of fifteen has shared a venture that will forever bond us in friendship. I hope, but also doubt, that we will be able to impart to others what we have experienced.