Reflecting on the Week

Hello to all of our readers! This is Rachel Addington, I am a staff member at The College of Wooster, and wife of Nate Addington, who is one of the leaders on this trip.

We are now sitting in the airport, waiting to return home to our families.  As I think back on my last week, I am amazed by the experiences I, and our students, had on our trip to Tijuana.  My back may be aching, but my heart is full.  We were fortunate to meet many wonderful families during our time in Tijuana.  These families welcomed us with open arms into their current homes, so we could be a small part of making their dreams of a home a reality.  This week was some of hardest work I have ever done, but our students, staff, and the families rose to the challenges- and worked together to lay the foundation for their future homes.

My final thought for this reflection, after thinking back on my week, is that at the end of the day, everyone I met was simply wanting to have stability for themselves and their family- to have a safe place to eat… sleep... and thrive. This trip was a humbling experience, and I am honored to be a part of the story of how these houses came to be.

Pictures - Tuesday through the end of the week

Link to more pictures:

Click on link

Last Day

Dear blog readers,

Today was sadly our last day in Tijuana. We had a fiesta with the family, complete with cake and an emotional speech by our one and only Nate Addington. It was really moving to hear the family talk about how we had impacted their lives and how grateful they were, but we are also equally grateful for them. In just one week, we have bonded not only as a group, but with the community in Tijuana, and the families, as well as Esperanza as a whole. I know I am not alone in feeling as though I am a part of something here, even though we were just here for a week. We are now part of this Esperanza family. I look forward to coming back and seeing the completed house, although I was awfully proud of our 6 foot deep trenches, and seeing what color they ended up painting it and feeling proud that we contributed to it. I look forward to coming back to Esperanza every year for the rest of college, as well as hopefully one day coming back as a long term volunteer. This was the first week of something I want to be a part of for a long time.

Sincerely,

Allie Deyhle

College of Wooster '21
 

Hi all,

My name is Kay Schwab and this is my first time on the Esperanza trip! As the trip draws to a close today I'm extremely sad to be leaving this beautiful city. I've felt more at home here in this one week than I have anywhere else I've visited. The reason I feel so comfortable here is due to the hospitality and gratefulness of the people I have met. I've seen several communities this week and gotten to meet many families and community members that Esperanza is helping. All of the family members have been extremely grateful for the work we've done for them and have told us to come visit anytime. It's hard to put into words how much I love this place and why. Unfortunately, it's one of those feelings you have to experience for yourself to fully understand. I really hope that everyone one day gets a chance to experience the beautiful, vibrant culture that I have experienced this week. Despite many of the people here having very little, they are happy and grateful. This outlook on life is something that I hope to bring back with me to my every day life.

Friday morning thoughts

Good morning from Tijuana!!!

Today, Friday is our last workday.  It has been another great week working with Esperanza.

Last night during a euchre game with Steve, John, William (from OSU) and I - William asked me why we have come back so many times?  It isn't a very difficult question to answer....

I come back for a number of reasons:

- The families are always warm, welcoming and fun.  They always have a smile on their faces and seem to be happy.

- It is always good to re-connect with the Esperanza workers.  Eduardo is as crazy as ever - for those of you who have been down here and know him.  He is the heart and soul of Esperanza.

- It is great to bring new people down here.  Only two of our college students this year are returning students.  It is always one of my highlights listening to the new people's thoughts and impressions.

- The weather - normally it is about 10-20 degrees warmer - but this year is still warmer than Wooster.

- The food is also very good - both the lunches cooked by the families and when we go out.

that is it for now - we are headed for more digging today and the other van is heading for a cement pour with USC.  We will have our fiesta at lunch today and go to the soccer game tonight.

Phil Starr

Thursday night Jenn's post

Hello all,

My name is Jennifer Sanchez and this is my first time on the Esperanza trip. I have visited other parts of Mexico a few times, however, never to Tijuana. We have visited the migrant center and the soup kitchen as well as interacted with the family's from the work site. A common theme I have noticed is that the people here are extremely thankful for all they receive no matter how much. After, talking to some of the community members I have realized that the people are hard working and extremely hospitable. They will try their hardest to make sure you are comfortable and well fed. They also prioritize family and their well being. I have experienced such gratitude with the people that it has influenced my perspective on how I live back home. It is very possible to live happily with little as done by the people here. This trip has helped me see a different perspective to how people live in poverty in Mexico and the ways that they go about their lives. These people know how to make the best of any situation and that is an important lesson for us all to know. 

Esperanza Blog Post: Brittany

Hello world,

This is Brittany Leyda, and I am a first year at the College of Wooster. It is Thursday, March 15th, and I am currently writing this from Tijuana, Mexico. Before this trip, I have never been to Mexico nor the west coast, so this has been a great opportunity for me.

Today I had my first cement pour and was able to visit a place where people who were recently deported from the United States could obtain help to get back on their feet. There, I talked to and ate with a few men who shared their stories with us: One lived in the United States for thirty years and has several children in their twenties. Two other people I spoke to were from El Salvador with family back in their country of birth. Talking to those who are directly affected by immigration issues and deportation is a powerful experience, and it worked to strengthen the ideas I already have on the subject. The men were all kind, talked about their children and families, and even constantly offered us all more tortillas even though we were already stuffed. I wish that everyone had the opportunity to sit with someone who lives on the other side of that border. If that were the case, more people would realize that humans are humans, regardless of which country they are born in.

On a lighter note, I was able to practice my Spanish! That is something huge for me, and I have been working on and taking classes on the language for over five years, and it is my goal to become fluent. When I was talking to the men from El Salvador especially, I found that I could easily understand what they were saying as well as respond in Spanish. This has been an amazing trip for so many reasons, and I feel that I am lucky to have the opportunity to visit Mexico, help build houses, and meet people. It has been a great week.

Goodbye everyone, and have a great week!

Signing off,

Brittany Leyda

Wednesday Greetings

This is John Muskopf, sitting at Hannah's laptop trying to decide what to include in the blog.  As a person who has been coming here since 1999, I always mention what has changed since then.  It seems that that pace of change has decreased.  There was a massive amount of concrete poured on the highways, and improvements to infrastructure such as electricity and sewers in the mid 2000's.  There is continued growth and development of new colonias farther from Tijuana and La Gloria where we stay.  But some of the towns and roads we are familiar with are more dusty but otherwise relatively unchanged.

The town we worked in this week is similar to those from twenty years ago.  The town is Catalina del   Mar and consists of maybe 100 houses, a couple of mercados in peoples houses and a hardware store.  The hardware store is actually on the boundary of the next town farther up the hill, called Lomas Altas (which I think means High Hills).  The view from the check-out counter of the hardware store provides an outstanding vista of the Hotels, Power Plant, and homes in Rosarito proper, plus the beautiful pacific ocean with a large island shining in the sun.

The thing that we are glad has remained unchanged is the hospitality of the Mexican people.  Literally everyone we have waved to, nodded to, or spoken to has returned the gesture enthusiastically.  I was worried that the comments that have come from Washington DC in regards to Mexico would cause the people to be resentful or even hostile to us.  I think that they are even more welcoming now than they've ever been (to our group at least).

It was neat to see the farm land on the hills above Rosarito.  I wasn't aware how much space is still there, having spent most of our previous trips on the highways along the coast.  Today we saw lots of acreage planted in vegetables including prickly pear cactus in long rows.  We also saw many horses and hundreds of goats.

Despite a couple of rainy days, the weather still beats the March snows in Ohio.  We had a large colorful rainbow this morning.  I love coming to Mexico, but there's no place like home.

Wednesday Reflection

Hello pals!

My name is Marlee Pavlechko and I am a junior at The College of Wooster and this is my first time on the Tijuana trip, second time in Mexico. I absolutely love it so far. This week, I have gotten to work with the same family everyday, so that is a fun time. At the site we are working at, we have basically gotten the site ready for pipes/foundation, so that's super cool. My jobs have mostly been grabbing full buckets of dirt/rocks and emptying them, so I get to watch the progress of the trenches, so that has been a super cool thing to see and how incredible the transformation is when you take a step back for a minute. I also get to work alongside some of the family when passing buckets, so it's been super fun doing that. I can speak Spanish fairly well, so the conversations we have have been awesome and the people here are so incredibly welcoming and nice. I cannot wait to keep working and helping in the community here-it's an absolute blast. The team is doing incredible, and I'm excited to see all the progress we make by the end of the week.

Marlee Pavlechko

Half Way There!

Hello!

My name is Hailey Matrone and I am a Junior at The College of Wooster. We have reached the middle of the week and in this time, we have made so much progress on the projects that we are working on. It is exciting and satisfying to see everything and to see how well we all work together as a team. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to meet everyone on this trip and I am looking forward to the rest of the week, but am sad that it will be ending soon. The culture here is amazing and very dear to my heart, and the food is unbelievable. This trip has truly been unforgettable and the memories will be forever cherished!

We lay foundations that will need further development...

"This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development...We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that." -Written for the mass honoring Oscar Romero

We lay foundations that will need further development... This is a very literal image that has been sticking with me over the last number of days, as our group has been literally working to clear the way for a foundation that will be laid by another group that will follow behind us, and that one day will become a house. This sentiment doesn't stop at the literal however. Yesterday as we spent time with the Sisters of Charity serving a meal, I had a similar thought. The act of providing a simple meal, day after day, might not be system transforming, but is an act of resistance. A willingness to proclaim that even in the face of insurmountable odds, their is hope, their is another way, their is life.

And so I invite you to think about... what are the seeds you are planting that you will not see grow? What are you the seeds you are watering? What foundations have been laid by you, or for you, that one day will be built upon?

-Alex Serna-Wallender, Chaplain at the College of Wooster 

More pictures posted

Here is a link to John's pictures taken through Tuesday evening.

Link to Johns pictures

Tuesday Work Day

This is my first time in Mexico and I am enjoying my time here working with Esperanza. So far we have worked on digging for the foundation of a house and served food at a soup kitchen. The work has been difficult but rewarding. I certainly doubted my strength and ability to contribute to building a house before this trip, but surprised myself at how much I can do. It's wonderful to see how well our group has worked together and bonded in such a short time. The family we have worked with is generous and they have worked alongside us to build their home. Serving at the soup kitchen today at a Catholic mission was a good experience and it was interesting to compare with the breakfast program at Trinity. I am having a good time and look forward to seeing the ways in which we can continue to help in the community.

Jamie Shoots

Back Again

Hey y'all, 

Hannah here. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, I graduated, it's time to get on with my life, but the ironic thing was, if you forget, last year on the trip, I was preparing for my Long-term Volunteer stent down here. After spending 6 months here after graduation, I told Phil and Kevan I had to come back, there was no way I couldn't. Anyway, for those of you who don't know me, I'm from Pittsburgh, I went to Wooster, fell in love with Tijuana, became a long-term volunteer after graduation, and this is now my 6th time back with Trinity UCC and Wooster. 

It's already Tuesday, and let's just say I've fallen right back into the swing of things being a LTV with Esperanza, the only sad part is I'm only here for one week this time. My cohort, Rod, Esperanzas other LTV is still here actively until May, and this is the first week he's had with 3 groups, so he greatly appreciates my help. We're currently digging out a foundation in Rosarito, which I couldn't be happier about since I worked on a fair share of houses there while I was volunteering here. Needless to say, I've gotten to see the majority of my friends already, and I couldn't be happier. 

Coming back after being a LTV is a weird feeling, you fall back into the swing of things, and forget that this is no longer your home, that you'll be leaving again in a week, and that you've just gotta move on when you get back. However, it's not that easy of a feat to get over. I've been talking to Rod a lot lately about transitioning back to life in the US after being a LTV, he is leaving in May and is wondering how it is. Needless to say, I think about my friends, my experience, and my life here every day, and coming back so soon has been nothing short of a feat. When I left at the end of the year, it was hard to leave to say the least, but I left remembering that I would see everyone in a few months and not have to say my hard goodbye until then. Saturday will be extremely difficult for me to leave and not know the next time I will be returning to a place that was and is still so important to me. Being here this week is hard knowing that after this, I'm gone for a while. The week is flying by and I'm just trying my best to soak it all in, spend as much time with my friends from here as possible, and make all the memories I can before I head home for good this time. 

Well, time to go hang out with John, Steve, and Phil for right now, Kevan seems to be sleeping already, until next time. 

Link to Monday pictures

Here is the link to our Monday pictures.

Monday pics

My time here so far...

Hi! I'm Allie Deyhle, a first year student at the College of Wooster. I'm a potential psychology major, going into social work. This is my first time on this trip, as well as my first time out of the country. And I am loving it so far! Here are some highlights of my trip here so far: firstly, how absolutely beautiful la posada is! Today after a long day at work I took a little cat nap out by the fountain, the sun was perfectly warm, a nice 70 degrees today (mom if you are reading this don't worry I wore sunscreen), and I had one of the adorable little cats from the area on my lap. She's fuzzy and gray and adorable. Another highlight was yesterday, we went to friendship park and me and my friend, who has never been to an ocean, ran into the water and then walked along the beach. The art on the border wall was also incredibly moving, as well as heartbreaking at the same time, there was a man there who talked to us about how the United States deports its' war veterans. There's really not a word in my vocabulary for how awful that is. But it makes being here, and learning, and helping, all the more meaningful. Another thing I've really enjoyed about this trip so far is just driving around, with Phil blasting his cool rock music, and the windows rolled down, and the beautiful palm trees, mountains, and the ocean in the distance. The artwork around Tijuana is also remarkable. The people are just as remarkable, yesterday we met with one of the families that Esperanza built a house for last year, the house is bright pink and very nice, me and a few of the other girls on the trip had a very nice conversation with Arturo's daughter, April, she has lots of career aspirations, she also talked to us a lot about school and life in general. It was really a good bonding experience. We're all so unique but so similar. We all just want to support our families and follow our dreams, it makes the fact that there is a giant wall and armed men in cars patrolling the border all the more upsetting. Everyone needs to come here and see this, actually meet the people they are so convinced need to be blockaded from us. Today, we began our work to make a difference in these people's lives, most of the work was just digging and moving bricks and rocks, the simple nature of the work is really relaxing, especially for stressed out college students, it was a productive day and it's great to see that we've made progress so far. I'm so grateful already for the few days I've had here, and so excited for the rest of the week!

Work Day #1 Monday

Friends and followers of the Trinity UCC and College of Wooster Mission trip,

Our first day of work took us out near Rosarito, which is a resort town on the Pacific Ocean.  We were in a rural area just east of the active part of the city.  From the hill where our work began, we could see the Ocean.  We began as we always do when working with Esperanza, by meeting the family and making introductions.  The woman who is to own the house was not there but many people from the organization were there to help.  Many of them already had houses built and were there to help other members of the colonia build theirs.

Our task for the day was to dig footer for the house.  We began by moving a large stack of pre-made cinder blocks from the site to a place at the back of the lot where they can be retrieved when they get to that part of the process.  As is the case with many of the home that we build, there was a house on the lot at one point before.  As we began to dig, we pulled out many items from the old house including cement footer with rebar in it and wooden posts that were cemented in fairly deeply.  The soil was the same as many other places in this area, with many large rocks that needed to be jackhammered by one of our crew members.

All of our workers jumped in and worked until 1 pm before a meal was served which had been prepared by the Colonia crew.  They prepared a beef mole' with beans and rice.  Beans.  Not re-fried beans.  They also offered a vegetarian option with a mix of garbanzo beans, hominy and yellow peppers.  It was a good lunch.

The Jackhammer crew spent most of the day breaking up a cement floor and large rocks that were uncovered as the shovel and pick crews uncovered them.  We lacked buckets on the site, so we had to use a wheelbarrow and others had to carry large rocks over to a discard pile in the neighboring yard.  Several dogs watched these activities with interest.  It seems as though most homeowners all have one or two dogs.

After we called it a day of work, we returned to the Posada to freshen up before having our dinner at the local La Gloria Taco Stand which is a mission trip favorite.  Our plan is to have an educational experience after each work day, but Monday is our day off.  On Tuesday after work, we are going to cook and serve a meal for a local poverty shelter.

We closed out the day with a circle process where we shared how we are doing, what was our best discovery of the day and when was the first time that we can remember being involved in service,  We discovered that we all had someone who invited us and led us in an activity that gave us a different perspective on life.

Thank you for following our blog and remember to check back daily for updates on our trip!

Rev. Dr. Kevan S. Franklin
Pastor, Trinity UCC

Link to Saturday and Sunday pictures

Here a bunch of pictures to our Saturday and Sunday activities.

Saturday Sunday pictures


Link to all albums - includes prior trips

Visiting the Garcia’s

After visiting the border and lunch and shopping downtown we visited the Garcia family Arturo, Luz, April and Melanie.   Last year we worked all five days building their walls.   The picture on top is the group that came back this year that worked last year.   The lower photo is taken when the walls were up on our last day last year.   Nice to see a finished home.  They were happy to see us and we had a mini fiesta.   The families are why we come down here.  Phil

Sunday in Tijuana

After a very long trip and late night on Saturday, everyone was happy to be able to catch up on their sleep.  Saturday was cold and rainy, but Sunday's weather was pleasant and sunny.  The temperature broke 70 degrees midday. I walked around the Posada after breakfast  and found two varieties of snails.  Check out Facebook to see some of the pictures I took.  Part of the attraction of Mexico is the flowers and creatures that are not found in Ohio.  A large type of green Hummingbird visits the fountain in the front area of the Posada.  We are sharing the facilities with a group from USC and a group from OSU.

 Most of our group walked to the nearby Catholic Church for morning services.  They have a lively band that plays for Mass and an inter-generational congregation.

After worship, we traveled to Friendship park on the Mexico side of the Border wall at the Pacific Ocean.  This park has been renovated and is a popular place for families to gather on Sunday afternoons.  Some people exercise, others fish, some play volleyball,  others enjoy the food sold by vendors.  We were particularly interested in the border wall artwork, which changes from year to year. (Also on Facebook)  There is a home for deported U.S. Veterans located along the boardwalk and a "Veterans for Peace" group was holding a service near the wall to pray for justice for deported veterans and to garner support for their cause.  We took our annual trip picture at the border with a copy of the Wooster Daily Record and a College of Wooster flag.

After the Border immersion experience, we ate at a restaurant in downtown Tijuana.  This is a place that we eat at every year with a veranda that overlooks the busy city streets.  A Mariachi band came and played several traditional songs for us.  The band consisted of four musicians, a trumpet, a bass, a guitar and a violin.  We then took an hour and a half to shop in the downtown area.

We held a closing circle Sunday night where everyone shared a rose, a thorn and a bud for the trip so far.  My rose was seeing the family that we worked with last year,  It is always good to see how much a house means to a family.  The were so happy to have a home of their own.  They stuccoed the walls and painted them in colorful ways.  All of the families that we work with are so grateful for our help.We shared cake and refreshments with them to celebrate our reunion.  A number of us who worked on their house last year had a picture taken in front of the house in the same spot that our final picture was taken last year.  My thorn was the Haitian refugees who are still living in a small facility across the street from this house.  It is sobering to think about the millions of people in the world today who have no country to call their own.  With the help of faith communities and the Mexican government these refugees are trying to start over again in a new land.

Tomorrow we will get up early to walk to the street market in La Gloria.  The market is like a big flea market but also features large vegetable, fish and meat stands.  We will have a morning orientation with Eduardo, the main foreman for Esperanza, and find out where and what our work project will be this week.

Rev. Dr. Kevan Franklin
Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ

Expanding Your Field of Vision

On my way to Tijuana I remarked that I have not spent many St. Patrick's Days in the United States over the last ten years. Instead, the month of March often finds me leading some type of service or immersion trip in Central America. The work and the location has varied, and, by my count, I have lead well over 150 students to Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, The Dominican Republican, and Jamaica. In all of those trips one thing has remind constant, my desire to show students a new perspective on our national immigration conversation.

C.G. Jung once stated that "my voice is but one voice, my experience a mere drop in the sea, my knowledge no greater than the visual field in a microscope, my mind's eye a mirror that reflects a small corner of the world."

I suppose that is what this labor has been all about for me. Pushing others, as well as myself, to expand our field of vision beyond what it has previously known. In experiencing the new and the unexplored we are forced to reconcile our own preconceptions and ignorance. I think about this trip and the number of students who have participated over the years. How many conversations have they had since leaving this place that have been influenced by their time here. How many hearts and minds have been changed because of their experiences? I'd like to think that the ripples continue to grow outward. Beyond boarders, past walls, and over fences...

How we use our lives...

"When we are really honest with ourselves we must admit that our lives are all that really belong to us. So it is how we use our lives that determines the kind of people we are." - Cesar Chavez

As we crossed over the boarder yesterday, I was reminded of this quote from activist and community organizer Cesar Chavez. As we drove along the highway that traces the boarder I watched as mile after mile of militarized wall unfolds in every direction.

And I was left to wonder what does this boarder communicate about the kind of people we are? What does the work we strive to engage in this week communicate about the kind of people we are? How do we reconcile within ourselves and within our communities all of who we are, with all that we strive to be?

May all that we do this day and every day, speak of hope for a better way.

- Alex Serna-Wallender, Chaplain at the College of Wooster

We have arrived

We made it!!!

We arrived at the Posada around 3:00 pm.  Both flights were good and on time.   We spent a little time getting all moved into the Posada, went grocery shopping and headed down to Puerto Nuevo for shopping and dinner. 

Shopping was brief as it has been raining here since we got here.  I don't think it has rained on this trip in probably 6-7 years.  Tomorrow's forecast is much better. 

We had a nice dinner on the third floor of the restaurant.

We are back at the Posada now and headed to bed.  We've been up pretty close to 24 hours.

Phil
 

Getting ready

Esperanza Trip 2018

Our joint Esperanza Mission trip with Trinity United Church of Christ and the College of Wooster is this Saturday March 10 - March 17, 2018.  We have 19 members in our group 11 are College of Wooster students.

Check back often to this blog during the week as we will try to have two to three people post daily.

Phil Starr

Trinity United Church of Christ

150 E. North St.

Wooster, Ohio  44691

330-264-9250

www.trinityucc.org

www.facebook.com/trinityuccwooster

Big City Mission in a Rural Community - www.northstreetmission.org