Day 3 – June 2-8
Unlike yesterday morning, everyone was moving a little slower this morning. It took a little more umph to get the students out of bed and going. They have all been great and working hard.
Today was another good day of service and conversation.
Team Canyon – We had two teams of people go north to Tijuana to the old trash dump. One team prepared and serve a meal to families and children on their way home from school. Most people in this community only go to school until 6th grade, if they are lucky. If a family has more than a few children, chances are not all the children will go to school due to the cost of school. Each child needs a clean uniform and shoes without holes. This expense alone can keep children from going to school. Also, in this community most families wake up with two questions on their minds…where will I find food? Where can I get clean water? So the group today provided a meal that may be their only meal for the day.
Anther team went to work at Martita’s house. Martita is an older woman who volunteers at a local ministry that provides for the immediate needs of the community. Martita lives in the community on the old trash dump as well. Her faith and commitment to her community is amazing. She has a small house. Our team of students worked on improving her house (she calls it her palace).
Team Sal – We continued moving dirt and rock. We mixed and poured a little concrete as well. After lunch a big dump truck of more dirt was delivered and we were tasked with spreading the dirt around the house to level the ground as well as spread the dirt inside the house so it can be leveled for a future concrete slab. Anther part of the team traveled to a local “rock quarry” (the quarry is really just one man busting rock all day) to get the stone needed to build the walls of the house. These rocks were heavy!
Team Open Arms – They continued framing the lower story of the house. The hammering is getting better with fewer bent nails and taking few swings of the hammer to get a nail into the wood. The progress has been good an on schedule.
Team Johnny and Melody – They have been able to get a lot accomplished in a short amount of time. Today they finished constructing the cabinets and they also did some landscaping. Now we need to find other work for them tomorrow. They will begin framing the roof on Thursday.
This has been a great group of students. All of them have been ready to serve and work when asked. No complaining. It has been a joy getting to know each student.
Phil
Today at the Canyon, we made hot dogs, cut up fruit and vegetables, and poured juice for the residents of the community of the old Tijuana Dump. It was shocking how poverty-stricken these people were. They barely had enough money to put food on the table at the end of a long work day. It was really heartwarming how much they appreciated our work in the kitchen.
-Abbey Rootes
Going to the Canyon today was an experience I will never forget. We helped out the members of this community by preparing food for them, and rebuilding a lady’s home. Learning about how these people live their daily lives really helped me reflect on my own.
– Miya Macnew
