Now that we are home, the project manager in me wants to share a status report:
Boys' Dorm: the team helped mix and pour 33 meters of concrete support beams, and helped cut, bend, set, and tie 100 re-bar rings in preparation for the next pour. This represents support for the ceiling for almost half of the first floor.
Irrigation Trenches: the youth team dug 40 meters of trenches in preparation for an irrigation system for the kids playground; not only will this give the kids a safe surface to play games and soccer, but it will also help reduce the dust flying around campus!
Dorm Bathroom Storage: the team replaced slider rails, refaced, and reinforced 112 drawers in six kids' bathrooms (18 drawers per bathroom).
Window Bars: our team cut, fabricated, and painted 760 bars to make nineteen grates to be mounted on the windows of the current kids' dorm. This will protect kids from accidental falls!
Director's apartment: Part of the construction plan is building a one-bedroom apartment for Marcella, the Director of Dulce Refugio, who currently lives in a room in the Girls' dorm. Our team helped build and trim out the two custom closet organizers (from scratch....no running down to Lowe's around here!!) for her beautiful and well-deserved new home.
Kid Lovin': every day, our team invested in 54 kids' lives here at Dulce Refugio through playing soccer, pushing swings, giving piggy-back rides and sharing in their daily activites. Our youth ran four days of VBS lessons and crafts, and showed these kids that while they may feel forgotten by their own culture, God has not forgotten them. Even with all the work that our team has contributed, the relationships and the transformation of our own hearts is the most incredible part of this experience.
Showing posts with label mexico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mexico. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Day 10 - The Long Road Home
4:30 AM is for the birds. Actually, the birds aren't even up at 4:30! But we were awake and beginning our long journey home. We scrambled for last minute showers and packing, finalized the huge donation piles in our dorms, and shuffled out to the vans at 5:00 for the 30-minute ride to the airport.
Upon check-in, we learned that our flight from Aguascalientes to Dallas was delayed by about an hour. Thankful that we had a long layover in Dallas, we weren't too worried about this turn of events. We settled into the little waiting area, and many of the youth grabbed a quick nap on the floor.
The flight to Dallas was uneventful, and we passed through immigration and customs quickly and smoothly....so far, so good. Because of time and routing considerations, we were scheduled to fly next to Chicago O'Hare, and then connect on home to Fort Wayne. We all got lunch, found our gate to Chicago, boarded the plane and thought we were good to go............but it was not to be. The plane had a mechanical issue with the engine that needed to be fixed before the plane could fly. By the time the maintenance crew got a lift over to the plane, the winds were too gusty to open the engine cover to repair the problem.
When they told us to all get off the plane and return to the terminal, we knew there would be no chance of making our connecting flight to Fort Wayne, so Mike started scrambling. Because all of the flights into Fort Wayne are small (between 35 and 50 seats each), our group made up nearly half a planeload. Twenty-one open seats on the next flight? Ha. We found nine seats on a later direct flight from Dallas for Fort Wayne, and grabbed them for Brad (whose wife was showing signs of starting labor) and eight other team members. The remaining twelve of us took our chances with catching a later flight in Chicago. As the flight to O'Hare boarded, we waved goodbye and prayed for our luggage!
Upon arrival in Chicago our fears were realized, as we learned the earliest flight into Fort Wayne that American Airlines had ANY seats on would be tomorrow morning....getting us home at about 10:30. Mike negotiated at length with the supervisor on duty, but learned that American could not rent us a van to drive home because of liability issues, so we were pretty much out of luck. After great debate, the team (with input from parents) decided to go ahead and rent a van and head for home. We hit the road by 9PM Eastern time, and cruised past downtown Chicago just before sunset.
The nine team members on the direct flight to Fort Wayne arrived home around 10:15PM, and the rest of us pulled in about 12:30 AM. We are thankful that everyone returned safely, and we are all looking forward to getting back together again to celebrate the trip, remembering how God blessed Dulce Refugio through us, and how blessed we were by them in return!
Upon check-in, we learned that our flight from Aguascalientes to Dallas was delayed by about an hour. Thankful that we had a long layover in Dallas, we weren't too worried about this turn of events. We settled into the little waiting area, and many of the youth grabbed a quick nap on the floor.
The flight to Dallas was uneventful, and we passed through immigration and customs quickly and smoothly....so far, so good. Because of time and routing considerations, we were scheduled to fly next to Chicago O'Hare, and then connect on home to Fort Wayne. We all got lunch, found our gate to Chicago, boarded the plane and thought we were good to go............but it was not to be. The plane had a mechanical issue with the engine that needed to be fixed before the plane could fly. By the time the maintenance crew got a lift over to the plane, the winds were too gusty to open the engine cover to repair the problem.
When they told us to all get off the plane and return to the terminal, we knew there would be no chance of making our connecting flight to Fort Wayne, so Mike started scrambling. Because all of the flights into Fort Wayne are small (between 35 and 50 seats each), our group made up nearly half a planeload. Twenty-one open seats on the next flight? Ha. We found nine seats on a later direct flight from Dallas for Fort Wayne, and grabbed them for Brad (whose wife was showing signs of starting labor) and eight other team members. The remaining twelve of us took our chances with catching a later flight in Chicago. As the flight to O'Hare boarded, we waved goodbye and prayed for our luggage!
Upon arrival in Chicago our fears were realized, as we learned the earliest flight into Fort Wayne that American Airlines had ANY seats on would be tomorrow morning....getting us home at about 10:30. Mike negotiated at length with the supervisor on duty, but learned that American could not rent us a van to drive home because of liability issues, so we were pretty much out of luck. After great debate, the team (with input from parents) decided to go ahead and rent a van and head for home. We hit the road by 9PM Eastern time, and cruised past downtown Chicago just before sunset.
The nine team members on the direct flight to Fort Wayne arrived home around 10:15PM, and the rest of us pulled in about 12:30 AM. We are thankful that everyone returned safely, and we are all looking forward to getting back together again to celebrate the trip, remembering how God blessed Dulce Refugio through us, and how blessed we were by them in return!
Ken at The Grill
As the oldest father on site, Ken Batt got the honor of running the grill and flipping nearly 150 burgers!
Day 9 - Now It's Time To Say Goodbye...
The intensity of this trip has been surprising, at least to a newcomer like me. We worked hard, we played hard, but most importantly, we invested a lot of emotions in a very short time. And because of that, today was filled with laughter and tears.
We began the day with a late breakfast and quiet time before the worship service in the upstairs rec room. Worship today was centered around praise songs and some amazing testimonies of how God has worked in the lives of the Dulce Refugio kids as well as some of our team and other volunteers in Aguascalientes.
We heard the story of a teenager rescued from drugs and the streets; we heard the story of a girl whose mother was murdered by her step-father; we heard the story of a young woman whose family was destroyed by abuse.
Many of the people we have met this week have experienced such heartbreak that it's sometimes difficult to find the hand of God, but it's through our faith in His mercy that we are able to trust that He is with us in every situation. While every story is unique, the common thread of God's grace and mercy is woven through each one, reminding me of Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
With this perspective, we focused the afternoon on connections with the kids at the park, and then on a very emotional "farewell" cookout. It so happened that it's Father's Day , which is celebrated in Mexico as well as the US. The kids sang a special song to honor the men who volunteer at Dulce Refugio, all the fathers on our team, and most of all, our heavenly Father who will always love us and be beside us.
With many, many tears, we said our goodbyes, held our team debrief meeting and went to sleep one last time under the Mexican moon.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Day 8 - Rest
After a long, hot week of hard work and focus on the kids, the team at Dulce Refugio blessed us with an afternoon to decompress from the intensity of our time here.
We piled into the vans and drove about two hours to Guanajuato, a historic town with strong European influences nestled in a valley between the mountains. We ate lunch, learned a bit about the town, and then walked down 275 steps to the town below.
We had about four hours to explore the town before piling back into the vans and heading back to Aguascalientes for dinner.
The highlight of the evening, though, was the opportunity to hear the life story of Marcella, the founder and director of Dulce Refugio. Her life has been filled with pain and hardship, but it's amazing how God has used her pain to bless so many children.
Marcy shared with us for over an hour, and then we celebrated our new friendships with dancing and singing around a bonfire.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Day 7 - Family Recreation Day
Dulce Refugio was blessed with an offer of significantly discounted tickets to a local waterpark, so today we were able to bring the kids for a rare treat.
The shallow pool was filled with small slides and fountains that offered a great spot for the smaller kids to play. We also found a deeper pool with a volleyball net and plenty of room to horse around for the older kids. The park also had two big waterslides and a zipline.
As we did at the park earlier this week, each of us paired up with two kids to supervise and play with, and we all hit the water. The kids played around for about an hour, then we took a break for lunch before returning to the water until about 4:00.
The kids were all exhausted from a day in the sun, and I'm sure they all slept soundly! We all chowed down a quick, delicious dinner, and then piled into the vans for the hour-long ride to watch the Dulce Refugio soccer team play in a nearby town.
We arrived in time for the boys to warm up, and as the lights came on, "our" kids took the field. They played their hearts out! One of our guys (Jeremy) filled out the team and even got in an awesome shot that made the other team's goalkeeper work hard! Even though our boys lost, their smiles shone across the field each time we shouted out for them.
Sitting there cheering these kids on, I realized how amazing it is for us to be able to participate and support them. These are kids who don't have a big cheering section. Their moms and dads aren't at every event with a video camera and team gear. They don't have community boosters who sell Nelson's Chicken to buy them all matching uniforms. But what they do have is worth sooooo much to them; they have a small band of committed adults who have *chosen* to give their lives to loving them and providing a home that their families of origin can't. And they have teams like us who partner with Dulce Refugio to come back year after year and support the leaders and construction team in their vision to help these kids that the rest of the world has left behind. We are proud to be part of the extended family for them!
We consider ourselves blessed to be a part of the physical work as well as the emotional and spiritual support for these kids! And it's through such simple actions like watching a soccer game that we learn how blessed we truly are!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Day 6 - The Final Workday
With each day that passes, we find ourselves dragging into the breakfast room a little more slowly and a little more banged up. I can think of nothing more tempting than a breakfast of Advil and coffee.
Busy schedule today! We planned another short concrete pour to get a couple more beams completed. We also had several projects underway that needed to be wrapped up, including the grates for the windows on the girls' dorm, and the trenches for the new irrigation system for the soccer field.
Another project we've been working on is reinforcing the drawers in each of the kids' bathrooms. About 16 months ago, sturdy, floor-to-ceiling wall units were constructed in each bathroom. The units provide each of the six children in that suite with three large drawer and three cubbies--to hold everything they own.
One cubbie is at the bottom and holds shoes and such, the three drawers hold clothes and other personal items. The first cubbie over the drawers are really where the kids show their personalities. Much like an American kid decorates her room, these are filled with pinups of Justin Bieber (really...just can't get away from that kid!!) or fancy cars. The problem, though, is that the bottom of this cubbie is about 4.5 feet off the floor and they are at least 30 inches deep.
Now any of you who have children know that they do not start out very tall. And while it seems that they grow very quickly based on the number of trips to buy longer pants, they do not grow quickly enough to reach this cubbie without assistance. Being the resourceful little kids that they are, they quickly discovered that drawers make convenient steps! But they also discovered that drawers that weren't built to double as steps quickly break when they are only held together with staples.
So we spent a couple days this week rebuilding the broken drawers and reinforcing all the rest of them, pulling each drawer out, removing the front, screwing and gluing support blocks in the corners, and then reinstalling the front, and putting them back. Oh, and removing the kid's stuff and the managing to put it back exactly how we found it. And today, we finished.
During our stay here, we've also gotten to know Marcella, the director of Dulce Refugio. Marcy has devoted her life to providing a home and showing Christ's love to the forgotten children of Aguascalientes. Marcy gets up every morning at 3 AM, chases kids all day long and collapses into bed when the last child is asleep...Marcy has a hard job and she loves it! She also is devoted to taking great care of the teams that come down to serve, proving amazing home-cooked meals for us all week.
To provide her a refuge inside the refuge she has built, the construction project team has designed a one-bedroom apartment for her in one of the central buildings (between the dorm and the cafeteria). Everyone here has grown to love and appreciate all Marcy has done, and in Extreme Home Makeover style (except a lot smaller and a lot slower, so, well, maybe not so much like EHM outside of providing a beautiful home for a well-deserving soul), Marcy's apartment is coming together.
This week, a couple of our guys have stepped up to the challenge of constructing closet organizers for her. Now this is not a "run to Lowe's and get a closet-tamer system and throw it together in an afternoon." Oh, no, my friends, this is 4x8 sheets of melamine and 1x10 pine boards, ripped, planes, and joined by hand into trim. But the men are gifted with creative use of power tools, and it's coming along.
This afternoon, the youth visited a house church in a poor neighborhood, where they set up a couple of tarps over the sidewalk for shade and invited the neighborhood kids and families...about 30 kids and 15 adults showed up! The youth shared their stories, performed a skit about the Good Samaritan, and then played with the kids and handed out coloring books and crayons. It was great to see so many people in the community, and for the youth to get to
experience firsthand what "need" really looks like.
We thank the Lord that we finished our scheduled work-week with no major injuries and with no outstanding illness! With temperatures nearing 100 each day and being about a mile closer to the sun than most people (well, at least a mile closer than we are used to), the thinner air and hotter sun often takes its toll on visiting teams. We are blessed that all twenty-one of us are whole and well!!!
Tomorrow.....off to the waterpark with all the kids!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Day 5 - Third Verse, Same As The First...
With the big pour behind us, today we focused on continued progress for the various projects we have going on. In addition to continuing the irrigation work, the youth spread out and got engaged in several of the ongoing construction efforts, helping with welding, grinding, painting, and carpentry.
The big event today, though, followed dinner, when we all piled into the vans and headed downtown. En Espiritu & En Verdad (In Spirit & In Truth) is a group that is very popular and plays Spanish versions of many well-known worship songs. Rather than a "concert," the event was more a mega-service, kicking off with a long worship set (including delirious?, Chris Tomlin, and David Crowder favorites), then a REALLY long message in Spanish about being a light in the darkness and focusing on the commonalites among Christians and not letting differences of opinion separate us from each other, then another shorter worship set, ending with an amazing version of "Our God."
Despite the fact that the gym we were in was boiling hot, and we were in there sitting on bleachers for 3.5 hours, I wouldn't trade it for anything. It was great to experience the familiar and the foreign simultaneously; a practical example of how Jesus is consistent everywhere, yet knows us in every language and always meets us right where we are at.
We returned to Dulce Refugio at about 10:30. The girls hung out or went to bed, but most of the guys decided that it was a good time to walk down to a nearby taco stand for a snack. What was supposed to be a two-block stroll turned out to be a marathon adventure, but they were rewarded with what was reportedly the "best tacos of the trip" from a little taco cart down the street (the marathon took them on a big loop and they ended up just a few blocks from the orphanage).
Our bodies are aching and sinuses are rebelling against the dry, dusty environment, but our spirits are great! We are getting to know the kids by name, and they are loving the attention!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)