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Published: August 6th 2007
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Note: The details here are woefully lacking. Most of the group was at the 2nd site, and so I don't know much about what they did (except that they were working on a classroom for special needs children... painting, installing insulation, doing trim-work, and so forth).
This was my third mission trip to Mexico and second with First Presbyterian. As with last year, we spent two days in-transit to Valle Hermoso with a night stopover in Texas. I was exhausted most of the way down... up too early... drive all day. By the end of the first day (and being on the road over 15+ hours), a lot of us were not, um, in the best of spirits. The second day in-transit was better as there was more to do... shopping for groceries at Wal-Mart, crossing the border, getting to the hotel before sunset, etc.
We had 18 total in our group and worked on two classrooms for special-needs children. We were split into two teams... one team for each classroom (which were at different schools). The team I was on worked on built a support structure to pour a cement roof... we also installed the rebar ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebar)
for the cement roof.
The first day of work was probably the toughest. The temperature was around 36 degree Celsius weather. We had to adjust to the heat and drink plenty of fluids.
The additional classroom that we were working on was in-between two existing buildings (classrooms). The support structure consisted of using 2x4's to support a plywood roof... upon which rebar was be installed and concrete later poured on top of to create a roof. Every two square feet of plywood surface had to be supported by a 2x4. And each 2x4 had to be adjusted with the use of shims (small pieces of wood) to ensure that the roof would be even once the concrete was poured; we did this by using a jack to prop up areas of the roof... to level it... and then sliding the shims underneath the supporting 2x4's before removing the jack.
Once the support structure was in place (see photos) we installed a grid of crisscrossing rebar. We used tie-wire to secure the rebar. The rebar was installed on the last day, and later that day (after we had left) Fidencio worked with some other people to mix and
Los niños - 2
Water Balloon Fight pour the concrete roof.
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Children. Each group was at a school and children were all around during the day... sometimes a lot less (like during class), and other times seemingly everywhere (probably around a hundred during recesses). A good reminder of why we were doing what we were doing. And they were all wonderful children (except this one kid who was making fun of me in Spanish... so I told on him to Louisa... and then we were both in trouble and had to go sit in a corner... and... anyway 😊. So, yeah, it was great.
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Food. Food is a big part of the mission trip. A few of the nights we cooked/grilled dinner (chicken, pork steaks, etc.). Kathie made excellent guacamole a few of the nights. Most of the nights, we had margaritas and Mexican beer (only the ones over 21). On two of the days, the parents and teachers of the special needs children prepared a home-cooked lunch for us... and it was very, very good. The tamales... oh, I will miss them all year. One night the motel restaurant prepared dinner for us. And then we also went to a
restaurant for lunch in Nuevo Progresso.
In the evenings we ate, played games (Jenga, Mexican Train... or something like that, and soccer) and swam in the pool. Swimming was a big part of the evenings, and almost everybody took a dip in the pool during our trip. The pool has a big concrete slide, a regular diving board, and a diving board about six feet high. A lot of us tried all sorts of ways going down the water slide... forward, backward, on our knees, on our bellies, standing up, and sliding down at the same time. Only minor injuries. 😊
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Music. Okay, I don't know how many hours we spent in the vehicles during the mission trip, but I'm guessing around 60 in total. This year, Ellen H. brought a lot of CDs she made for the trip (12+). I think we listened to all of them at least once and lot of them twice or more. We didn't give people songs like last year, but we did listen to last year's theme songs along the way.
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In the Car/Van/Suburban. Well, I was in the van most of the time. Lots of
music. Lots of sleeping. Lots of reading. Lots of snacking. Lots of games - coloring contests, some sort of hand-slapping game (I forget the name), determining our futures... serious business... the outcome for me is that I'm going to get married in a red tux, live in an apartment, honeymoon to a small town in Missouri, live in Auckland, New Zealand while also being a Senator. My wife's profession will be a movie ticket sales-person and we'll have seven children. Not really placing any bets on that... if any one wants to bet FOR it... please send cash to my address... 😉
While it seems like a long time to be in a car/van/suburban, it greatly depends on who you are with. And I enjoyed the trip a lot... I enjoyed being around and spending time with everyone on the trip.
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The motel. This year, the room I was in (with Tom and Elliot) didn't have loud crickets like last year, but they were around. We had a shower-head this year. 😊 Our air-conditioner worked great until the last night and we had to switch rooms -- we ended up in the one Elliot and I
stayed in last year (which now does have a shower-head).
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Intergenerational. The wide-range of people's ages on the trip really adds multiple-dimensions to the trip. It was awesome, in short. When the ages mix on equal ground, mutual respect, and in Christ it is a beauty to behold.
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Shopping. We did make a stop on the way back at Nuevo Progreso, which is a little tourist town on the border just before crossing over into the States. Lots of street vendors selling a lot of stuff that, well, is more problematic to obtain in the States -- Cuban cigars, medicine without prescriptions (Cialis, Viagra, Amoxicillin), switchblades and brass knuckles, low-cost medical care, pirated DVDs, and so forth. There were also many regular shops, tattoo/piercing parlors, restaurants, and other various shops.
After popping some mind-altering pills I picked up from one of the pharmacies, I smoked a Cuban cigar and drank tequila while getting a neck tattoo and my nose pierced while watching "Surfs Up" a few days before it hit theaters in the States... well... I could of at any rate. 😉 New Progress! (Nuevo Progreso!).
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Another note related to
post trip digestion: Life is way too short to not be free... each one of us has something in us... a person that is unique and beautiful yearning to express... to fly... to dream. And yet, we often compose our own prisons frequently and frequently allow others to construct them around us. For me, when I allow (and sometimes even when I fight), God shatters them and it is scary... it gives me reason to fear... because, for whatever reason, a prison can become a crutch... a safe place of control... and freedom - dreams - horizons... they aren't in that "safe" area.
"Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;"
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Augusta
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Deep Thoughts
Your post was very deep this time....made me want to bust out of my limited horizons....and stuff.....or.....um...let me think about that one. I'm surprised that despite the detailed reading of your future, they neglected to tell you WHEN you might get married in the red tux to the ticket-taker girl...?? I'd ask for my money back.