The week before spring break at Campolindo High School feels like a long red-eye flight. Everyone is tired, irritable, and just waiting to leave. Then comes Saturday, March 28 – my departure day. This is my third time participating in the Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church mission trip to Mexico to help build homes for families in need.  

    For people like me, who are preparing mentally for a 14-hour bus ride ahead of them, it is a quiet day. Last minute shopping for tent necessities, a Costco run to hold me over for the week, and some quality dog time before heading to Tijuana where I’ll befriend all the wild dogs that I will explicitly be been told time again not to pet. 

    On March 28 at 11:30 p.m. sharp, the buses full of about 150 excited kids leave for our journey down to Tijuana. Fourteen hours later, we cross the border on foot with all our luggage and embark on the final stretch to our campsite – a peaceful area surrounded by beautiful hills. We spend the rest of our first day setting up tents, getting used to the porta potties, and meeting new people. By 10 p.m., we collapse in our sleeping bags, exhausted from the travel day. 

    The next morning, we are woken up at 6:30 a.m. sharp, ready to tackle the day. After breakfast, we board our buses and make way to our work site. This year, my team was building for a family with a 2-year-old named Naomi. Once we introduce our team and get set up, we dive head first into building.
 
    The first day is by far the most labor intensive. In order to be on track to finish the house by the end of the week, we have to finish our foundation. To do this, we need to make concrete. The method goes as follows: one bucket of cement, two buckets of dirt, and three buckets of gravel. Once the dry ingredients are mixed, we add water until the consistency is like oatmeal. Mixing is no small task. By the time we get back to the campsite around 4:30 p.m., my overalls are covered in dried cement. I take my filthy backpack off, grab my sunshower (a bag of warm water heated from sitting out in the sun) and head to the shower area. 

    After what seems like the fastest shower of my life, I head back to my tent to change and grab my taco money. In addition to the actual dinner that is served to everyone for free, a local family comes and cooks tacos, churros and burritos for us each night. Once everyone has had a chance to eat, play some Spikeball and talk to their friends about either their successful, or unsuccessful first day, it is time for worship.
 
    Worship is one of my favorite parts of the trip. The whole group gets together to talk about our mission in Tijuana, play fun games, (ask me how the hammer competition went this year), sing worship songs and of course, pray. By the end of worship, there are two groups of people: those kids who are ready for quiet and sleep; and those who feel like the night is still young. I am part of this second group and it’s around this time that I make all my new friends as we get up to random shenanigans on these nights. 

    Bonding with kids across all ages and from different schools is something so unique about this experience. After a while, we reluctantly make our way to the communal teeth brushing station to get ready for bed. The next days consist of wall building, sawing and nailing, roof building, chicken wiring and tar papering the walls, and applying three coats of stucco. The hard work put into these homes is truly astonishing. It is amazing what a group of high schoolers with no building experience or church membership required, and who have never met can accomplish in such a short period of time. 

    The most memorable part of this whole trip is gifting the house to the families on the last day. Each team hands over the keys to a safe, lockable shelter, as well as some other gifts like toys for the kids. 

    This trip is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I am so honored to be a part of someone’s life changing forever.