Families Helping Families (Puerto Penasco, Mexico)

12/27/2010

Today has been a pretty incredible day. My feet hurt. And my arms are a little sore. And my hair…what a mess. But how it got that way was totally worth it. Oh, was it worth it.

We (the entire Families Helping Families organization) all got together at the construction site bright and early in the morning. There was nothing except for piles and piles of cinder blocks and two cement foundations. Our goal for this week? To build two houses—for two families that need a home.

As we were driving to the construction site, we passed shack after shack—small RV’s converted into a house, pieces of wood nailed together with a scrap metal roof, homes missing an entire wall. I knew that the people we were building a house for would really need it. Somehow, that made the project seem so much more special. For all of us volunteers, this project could be seen as just a week of our time. For these families, it’s home. And it it’s going to be home long after this week, home long after we all return to the states, and home even long after I become absorbed once again in a life full of credit hours, church, and friends. That’s pretty incredible to me—and it’s also incredible to me that there were families from Arizona, Utah, Missouri, and who knows where else—all so excited to come spend their break here to build these homes.

We began by moving the piles of cinder blocks onto the foundations for the houses. We formed long chains and just passed blocks from one person to the next to the next. It was tiring, but I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Everybody was just so happy to be there and so friendly. Even the ten-year-old kids stood in line to help pass cinder blocks.

After we’d finished getting the blocks into the houses, we all got a lesson on how to lay them. And lay them we did. I was absolutely clueless, but thankfully, there were enough people who knew what they were doing and somehow the beginning of the shape of a house began to appear. I got the hang of it after a while. Now I’m actually decent at slapping mortar on cinder blocks. I was able to talk to and meet quite a few people.

Then I got the chance to practice some Spanish with a Mexican man who was standing near me. We talked about all the basic stuff at first…and then he started to tell me a bit about his family. I told him a bit about my life in Utah and he told me that his dream was to someday go to Salt Lake City and attend general conference. He introduced me to his son and later on to his wife. It was so cool getting to speak Spanish again. Then one of the men around us asked if he was excited about this house we were building for him. I had had no idea that we were building this house for this man—I was so amazed. The Mexican didn’t understand the question because it had been in English, so I translated the question and he told us that yes, he was excited. But most of all, he said he was happy for his wife.

Later on throughout the day, I heard that this man had helped on many other houses for other families. I was so excited that we were finally helping him to get a house of his own. As I was laying block with his son, his son expressed his gratitude for the work we were doing. They were truly incredible, humble people. I got to talk quite a bit with the family because even though my Spanish isn’t that great, there aren’t a whole lot of people in our group who speak Spanish at all. It was AWESOME speaking Spanish again, but even more than that, it was just plain fun. They all had a great sense of humor and were extremely patient.

We went to a taco stand for lunch and I got to speak a little more Spanish with the owners of the stand. I hadn’t realized how much I missed that since coming home from Guadalajara. It’s a challenge, but I love it. I also hadn’t realized how much I’d missed the food.

We worked on the houses till the sun began to set. I looked back on what we’d done and I was thrilled. It wasn’t just a cement slab anymore. The walls were past my head in some spots and I could see doors, windows, electric outlets—it was becoming a house. I was so happy.

We drove home, exhausted and filthy. There was a beautiful sunset over the ocean…it was gorgeous. We showered. I’m clean and totally content. I can honestly say I’m really excited to start work tomorrow.

12/31/2010

We did it. We built two houses and finished an addition to another house. It was a humbling experience and one that I hope I won't ever forget. The electricity, plumbing, and stucco-ing should be finished in the upcoming months and the families should be able to move into the houses around March. I wish you all could see what kind of living conditions so many people here have. The family for whom we built the addition had half of their living quarters under the shelter of a tree. I'm so glad I had the chance to come back to Mexico and participate in this project and I'm glad that the Boyles were kind enough to let me come with them.

Here's some pictures!

First day of work. We started out with cement slab foundations. We started out by moving piles and piles of cinder blocks--our arms and shoulders sure felt that by the next day. We also started putting up the walls. By the time the sun went down, we were over half-way done with the walls of both houses.

the house beginning to take shape.

Second day of work. We were able to finish up all the walls. It was super windy that day and the grit got into everything. Hair, eyes, clothes, eyelid creases--everything.

The Boyles and I next to one of the finished walls.

Third day of work. A third of the groupd group began to put the roofs on the houses. Another third finished roofing the addition. Our group transported lumber and picked up some of the mess from construction. We went to the house that we were adding the addition to and helped them to clean up their place a bit. We took all the trash to the dump. We got back in time for lunch--shrimp and fish tacos. Delicious. Then it began to rain, so everybody just had to go home.

Fourth and last day of work. We helped to finish roof the houses--we tarred and nailed away--really messy work, but it was fun at the same time. We also framed the inside of the house. It really looked like an honest-to-goodness house. We picked up, reorganized the shed, and took one last good look at what we'd been able to do. Our part of the deal was finished!

Roofing away.

One of the almost-finished houses.

Pretty cool, huh.

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Day.

I just love the feel of Christmas. It's so joyful and so reverent at the same time. I mean, we're celebrating the birth of the Savior. It goes without saying that Christmas is much more than presents, decorations, and cookie-giving. It's even more than spending time with family and friends. I've been thinking about Christmas a bit over the last couple days. C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors of all time and he expresses some of those thoughts perfectly in what he writes.

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"It was a sledge, and it was reindeer with bells on their harness. But they were far bigger than the Witch's reindeer, and they were not white but brown. And on the sledge sat a person whom everyone knew the moment they set eyes on him. He was a huge man in a bright red rob (bright as hollyberries) with a hood that had fur inside it and a great white beard that fell like a foamy waterfall over his chest. Everyone knew him because, though you see people of his sort only in Narnia, you see pictures of them and hear them talked about even in our world--the world on this side of the wardrobe door. But when you really see them in Narnia it is rather different. Some of the pictures of Father Christmas in our world make him look only funny and jolly. But now that the children actually stood looking at him they didn't find it quite like that. He was so big, and so glad, and so real, that they all became quite still. They felt very glad, but also solemn." The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

"The Son of God became a man to enable men to become the sons of God." Mere Christianity.

"Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see." God in the Dock

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The first quote captures the joy and magic of Christmas. The second reveals how the birth of Christ has literally changed the world forever. And the third is a reminder of how all the little miracles and blessings we receive are really a retelling of the biggest, greatest miracle of all--the very one we're celebrating today. Merry Christmas!

The Wonder That Is Arizona.

I can't even begin to tell you all the cool and exciting things that have happened in my life since I've been in Arizona. But, here...I'll try.

1) I stepped out of the car in Phoenix...and it was like 60 degrees outside. At night. I didn't need a jacket or ANYTHING. Plus, the car we rode in to Arizona was super gas-efficient...and we only had to pay $20 for gas money.

2) I picked an orange right off the tree. And ate it. Yum. In fact, my roommate has multiple orange trees in her yard. It's hard to express in words exactly how cool this is. As an added bonus, she also has three cows in the backyard.

3) I also picked a fresh lemon off a tree for lemon zest for linzer cookies Cool? You bet. Plus, we got to make fresh lemonade. Delicious? Oh, you bet.

4) I had real Mexican food for the first time since Mexico, straight from the local Rancho market. It was pretty legit and pretty tasty as well.

5) For the past two nights, I've slept in till almost ten. I haven't done that since...last August. It's as good as I remembered. 

6) I GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE CAMBRIDGE SUMMER PROGRAM!!! This means I will get to spend my entire summer in EUROPE. This=dream come true. I'm so excited I can barely stand it. ah, Ah, AHHH.

7) I went for a run for the first time since finals. In 65 degree weather. Really, could life get any better?

8) I watched How to Train Your Dragon for the first time...okay. OKAY. This movie is adorable. I loved it. And if you haven't seen it yet...you should. :)

9) I get to leave for Mexico in only  5 days. I can't wait. I've missed Mexico so much. Even though it won't be Guadalajara (oh, LOVE), it will still be thoroughly amazing and I can't wait to get started on some volunteer work.

10) Lara and Haley made linzer cookies and chocolate crinkle cookies--both very very labor-intensive... but  also incredibly, exquisitely delicious.

11) I had a great convo with a friend last night who might be able to travel all over Europe with me next summer. If there's something better than traveling, it'd definitely be traveling with a friend.

12) A friend of mine in the air force told me about survival week. They survived for eight days on dandelions, ants, and a boiled rabbit. Although, to make it perfectly fair, before survival week, they got a two-week survival crash-course so they wouldn't have to resort to cannibalism. Even during finals week, I survive on more than ants. There's a reason I'm not in the air force. Here in Arizona, I could probably survive for eight days on just cookies and candy should the need arise.

13) Embarrassing fact: I forgot my passport in Provo. I know, I KNOW. I couldn't believe it either. But I did. I even paced the apartment before I left, because I knew I was leaving something very important, but couldn't remember what it was. Thanks to my other amazing roommate though, I'll be able to  have it express-mailed to me in time.

14) I get to watch Tangled. Which I've heard great things about.

P.S. I just got back from seeing it. It's great. Really great.

15) Even though I'm not with my family, I can still feel their love and support for me. They're awesome. I just love them all so much.

That's all.

:)

A Rather Sad Story

Well, let's just get the rather sad story out of the way. Here it is, in all its glory.

Thursday night:

I was thrilled about having finished finals. I was also thrilled that I finally had time to pick up my tickets. What tickets? Well, a couple weeks earlier, my friend had told me that she had two free tickets to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir/David Archuleta concert Friday night. Would I like them? Well, of COURSE I'd like them. And thank you, thank you, thank you. I picked the tickets up (still in the envelope) and stuffed them in my wallet. My roommate and I were SO excited. In fact, Haley spent all night studying so she could take her exam early on Friday so we'd have plenty of time to get to Salt Lake.

Friday afternoon:

I did a couple errands, Haley took her exam, we rushed home, cleaned up a bit, and got a ride with someone to Salt Lake City at two. Since we were so early, we did some shopping at Gateway (an outdoors mall). It was SO pretty there. And the lights were gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.

Friday night:

We were waiting in line to get into the conference center. I dug the tickets out of my purse and handed one to Haley. We finally got to the point where we had to walk through the metal detectors. The metal detector went off as Haley was walking through it and so we stopped. The elderly man who was looking at our tickets looked at Haley, and said, "You can't go in."

I looked at him. Ha....ha? You're kidding... right? 

I seriously thought he was joking. So the metal detector went off...Haley could find whatever was causing the problem and we could resolve that problem.

Then he pointed at the tickets. "They're for the wrong day."

"No way..." I looked. They were for Thursday night. I am an idiot. Why didn't I look at the tickets before now?

I couldn't believe it. We walked away. The standby line was huge...and it was cold. Haley and I decided we would just go home.

We took the train from Salt Lake City to Sandy. Then we took the bus from Sandy to Provo. It was a first time experience of two and a half hours--an adventure of public transportation--that did not completely make up for missing the concert, but was an adventure nonetheless. We figured out how to buy tickets, waited by the bus stop for twenty minutes in the snow, tried to avoid questionable characters, found the correct bus route, and arrived at home safe and sound. :)

Were we still a bit sad?

Rather so.

Finals=Finally Finished :)

In the past 18 hours, I have...

finished two books.

stayed up till two.

woken up at 9:30.

stayed in my pj's.

updated my blog.

not studied.

eaten a cookie.

written a letter.

revamped my schedule for next semester.

If you can't tell, finals are over. I finished my last one at 4:30 yesterday. I'm. so. happy. they're. done. :)

My no-sugar diet is over too. It wasn't too bad, actually. I think I'll still keep my sugar intake pretty low, but all things in moderation, eh?

As a side note, I'm a huge fan of Train. After a week of studying with just classical music, they're especially great. :) Their songs are solid. Love it.

Of Finals and Food.

Good news: We're almost to the end of the semester. It's a Friday and there's no class.

Bad news: That means...it must be a reading day. Reading days=Upcoming finals. Uh-oh. Yup.

As my roommate pointed out to me last night, I blog during my most unproductive moments. It's how I justify procrastinating my homework, not cleaning my room, and checking facebook (for inspiration, of course). I am in one of those unproductive moments right now. I SHOULD be finishing my portfolio for Writing Fellows, but I don't WANT to.

I really shouldn't be complaining about finals though because my finals week this semester isn't looking too bad. I've already taken my final for my Spanish convo class and I've finished my final for NDFS 191 (it was that research paper I talked about earlier). I will have to study for a really long time for my Span206 class, but I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to handle the final if I study hard enough. All I have to do for my advanced writing class is create my portfolio and give a presentation. That will be a lot of work...but I'm not worried about it, per say. That leaves me with just chemistry to bite my nails about. Oh, chemistry. Chemistry will probably kick my butt, regardless of how much studying I do. Nonetheless, study I will. Long and hard.

Tonight, I'll be studying for my Spanish final. Haley and I are planning on staying at good ol' Harold (the library) until the music comes on...forcing us out the door at the hour of 2:00am. This=tradition. Let me tell you, it's agonizing. And awful. And tradition. There's a certain camaraderie between you and all the other miserable souls in that place that time of night. You're all stressed, cranky, frustrated, and for heaven's sake, in the library. It's almost comical. I remember the first time I accomplished this singular feat. I don't think I'd ever understood the phrase "Misery loves company" until then. You know what's going to get me through tonight?

This.

This, right here, is a j-dawg. A j-dawg is simply phenomenal. You probably don't understand unless you've tried one. A j-dawg is one of the best AND cheapest stress-therapy treatments around Provo, Utah. Therefore, they're perfect for preparing for finals.

Just saying.

Yes. Oh, yes. Mhmm.

Just a quick note about this no-sugar diet. So...I made this deal with myself to try to go off-sugar for two weeks (You think I'm doing this over Christmas? NOPE). I'm sure it's really healthy for me. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. :)  I've been placed in the midst of temptation many times and have successfully withstood sweets of any kind. Quick note: Haley barely saved me last night when I was about to drink some chocolate milk. That was a sad moment.

Today, we have our Writing Fellows closing social. Basically, it's a cookie social with the best cookies of the semester. It lasts for two hours. Do you think I'm happy about this no-sugar diet? Do you think I'm going to cave in and eat some? The answer to both, my friend, is a resounding no.

And this is how I feel about that.

:(

aaaand she's out on the floor. again.

I walked into work this afternoon.
My boss told me that there wasn't a whole lot to do...so I could have the day off if I wanted.
I was thrilled. Two whole extra hours?
What was I going to do with all that time?
I decided to go to the Wilk and get something to eat...maybe work on some homework...and then. And THEN, as I was walking through the Twilight Zone, I saw a sign advertising the blood drive that was going on right then.

Perfect. Seriously. Although I'm not a huge fan of needles, as long as I look away, I think donating blood is an awesome way to do some service for the community. It usually only takes about an hour or so and it saves lives. How often do you get the chance to make that kind of anonymous impact for so little of your time and energy?

I walked through the door, signed in, and before I knew it, I was sitting in a chair. I've given blood at least five or six times before so none of this was really a big deal anymore. Back in high school, when I gave blood for the first time, I definitely felt way hard-core. Looking back, I'm not so sure that the nurses were thinking the same thing. Here at BYU, I definitely know they're not thinking about how brave and great I am while I await the needle.

The donation process went smoothly. After I'd finished, I walked over to the canteen (where they have chairs, snacks, drinks, etc), and drank some orange juice. Then I started feeling super nauseated and I decided I was going to walk to the bathroom. Dumb idea? You bet.

I passed out about half way down the hall. I remember walking down the hall and my vision started getting blurry. I also remember thinking Uh-oh. I just have to make it to the bathroom. (There's a room off the bathroom with couches and stuff). And then I remember hitting the wall and then the floor. Some girl ran over and I could hear her asking me if I was all right. I opened my eyes, mumbled something about how I'd just given blood, and asked her if she could help me up and walk me over to the couches in the ladies room.

Apparently I got up and started walking with her help, but passed out again about fifteen seconds later. I woke up on the floor of the hallway in the Wilkinson Center. I wasn't quite sure what happened, but man, I was so embarrassed. The girl who had helped me was sitting next to me and she told me there were some people coming to help. The nurses from the blood-donating organization ran over and then the building supervisor arrived. Because I'd passed out in the hallway, they had to call the EMT's and take a couple statements about what had happened. I was vaguely aware of the girl telling them how she'd come across me and I remember apologizing profusely for all the trouble.

I was still feeling pretty light-headed, rather nauseous, and slightly incoherent, but I knew I wasn't a fan of this entire lying on the floor with my feet propped up and being taken care of by five different nurses and EMT's. I don't think I've ever attracted so much attention in my life. Too bad that that's where I stayed for the next twenty minutes. To top it off, I realized half-way through that I was standing up a friend of mine whom I'd agreed to meet up with. But by the end of all the ice treatments, feet propped up-ness, juice-drinking, blood pressure and pulse taking, and other various blood tests, they decided it would be okay to help me walk over to a couch where I wasn't nearly so conspicuous. And about ten minutes after that, they said it would be all right if I wanted to leave.

Despite being rather embarrassed, I am so grateful for all the help they gave me. They were so incredibly kind and caring. Shout-out to the girl who first helped me: You're awesome. And thanks so much for helping out a total stranger. I still don't even know your name, but your concern for someone you didn't even know says a lot about you.

I love that there are people like that in the world. It just makes me smile. It's almost enough to make this thoroughly embarrassing experience worth it. Okay, maybe not.

But to all the anonymous people, nurses, EMT's who help out equally anonymous people...thanks. You're appreciated.

P.S. The friend I stood up wasn't even upset. Although he did threaten to tell everybody I was a faker begging for attention if I passed out again.

1 John 4:10-11

10) Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins,
11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

I was reading in 1 John last night and came across these two verses. I love them. Especially now as it's getting closer to the Christmas season, these verses really hit what the spirit of this season should be all about. It's a celebration of the love Heavenly Father has for us in sending us His Son and the love that Jesus had for us in his willingness to come. That's true love.
But it doesn't stop there. Being recipients of that kind of love, we owe it to each other to love one another as well. And that's what really makes Christmas special--everybody trying to show each other that kind of love, that kind of charity.
John also talks about how when we love one another, we are coming to know God, because God is love. Maybe that's what makes Christmas such a magical time. Because every time we show our love for our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, our families, friends, and even strangers, we are taking a single step forward in our relationship with God.
And when you think about it, that's what's Christmas is really all about.

Voces Inocentes.

It's coming to the end of the semester...everything's due. One of those things is my second cultural activity. I decided to watch a movie in Spanish with a friend. 

I just watched this.

It is so much more than just a Spanish movie.

I don't want to spoil anything for those of you who haven't seen it, but it's a movie that will make you cry, smile, and cry some more. It's set during the Salvadorean civil war in the 1980s, and follows the story of a struggling family caught right in the middle. It's horrific, poignant, and unbelievably, unforgivably real. But I'm not writing a movie review here. I'm writing about what happens after the movie.

Because a movie like that will make you think. It had better make you think. It'll make you think about the role America should play in international affairs, about your relationship with your family, about love, about hate, about whether there's a "right" and a "wrong" side, about child soldiers, and about how lucky you are.

How lucky you are. Mhmm. Don't tell me you see this

and the thought doesn't even cross your mind. Because yeah, you are lucky. But it goes further than that. It has to go further than that. You can't just post "Wow, I'm so glad I'm an American!" or "Man, that's rough. I can't imagine living like that." And then go your merry way.

There's just something inherently wrong with that. Being so blessed gives you the obligation to try to bless others. You might just be this poor college student, with an overwhelming amount of homework to do and exams to study for, trying to make tuition, rent, and groceries. Your cupboard might consist of ramen and mac&cheese. But you're still so so blessed. Books like The Kite Runner and movies like this weren't created to help you appreciate your iPhone, your Thanksgiving dinner, and the family you're going to go visit over Christmas break. They're about making you see the problems of the world so you can change the world.

It just makes me want to DO something and it seems like I can't and that's just really really frustrating. Because even though the Salvadorean civil war ended, there are still 40 countries that use child soldiers. It happens every day. Based on a true story, Voces Inocentes is not just an emotionally manipulative movie. These kinds of societal problems aren't any easier or less awful in real life.

So. I made a donation to a legit organization to help prevent and rescue child soldiers. I can't do a whole lot. But I'm going to do what little I can. And I encourage you to do the same--maybe not even to this cause. But to some cause that you feel strongly about. Start changing the world. Now.

Run hard, be strong, think big! (Percy Cerutty)

Running.
There's something about it.
Maybe it's the way that the air is just cold enough...and not too cold.
Maybe it's the sound of pounding feet all in unison.
Maybe it's the wind in my face and hair.
Maybe it's knowing that we're are in this for more than the three miles. We're in this for the future 26.2.
Maybe it's the way that I can feel the music with every single step.
Maybe it's the way that everything suddenly becomes simpler.
Maybe it's feeling the burn and the best exhaustion possible.
Maybe it's the feeling that I can conquer the world.

Jesse Owens said, "I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs."

Seriously.
Run hard. Be strong. Think big.

It's so worth it.