Mexico 2024 – Justin Cai
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On Tuesday, the building began. We woke up extra early as the concrete trucks were scheduled to show up at 9am, and the ground must be prepared before concrete can be laid. For Devin’s team, the ground was already mostly level and only a few minor adjustments were needed. The concrete truck arrived around 10, and we worked diligently to level the concrete in the frame we had created. In the afternoon, we built the walls of the house. The weather was cloudy and rained off and on, but not enough to disrupt work. This year was the first year that a bathroom would be added on the outside of the house, and we built a door into the back wall so that another team could construct the bathroom after us. Despite this slight change, we were still able to finish work incredibly early and a group went to play soccer at the park again.
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Stucco and drywall were added to the house on Thursday, as well as the electrical system. We held a small VBS, where local children folded paper airplanes, played soccer with some of our team members and received bracelets with colors corresponding to the gospel message and New Testaments. The Sanchez family fed us again with some amazing burritos. The house was finished on Thursday but the dedication ceremonies were held on Friday morning. Both families were presented with keys to the house and signed copies of the Bible…relax, they were signed by the respective team members. It was an emotional time for both the families and our teams, and tears flowed freely.
After the dedication ceremony, we returned to clean the Rose of Sharon church and then set out back to Colorado Springs. The return journey
went smoothly and we arrived back at VGBC on Saturday afternoon.
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As Monday night’s devotion had us do, our team members asked themselves how God would use this trip to impact our own lives, and answers ranged from seeing God’s plan more clearly to a deeper understanding and compassion for the poor. Many discovered a new and better version of themselves brought out by serving others. For a large portion of the team, this was their first mission trip of the sort, and they were deeply impacted by this experience. It is safe to say that no one walked away from this trip without learning valuable and important lessons for their lives. We are grateful for another productive and wonderful trip to Juarez and look forward to future opportunities to serve others.