Students Return from Housebuilding in Tijuana

So how did local students who are members of  spend their spring break?

They were part of a group of more than 90 students and adult leaders who headed to Cumbres—a small neighborhood west of Tijuana, Mexico—on a home-building project for the needy.

Families apply through the Doxa Program (formerly Homes without Boundaries) and are required to have employment so they can purchase the land on which the homes are built.

"The trip to Mexico provided me with the opportunity to see God’s work through our Mercer Island youth," said Donald Costa, an adult leader who accompanied his son, Chris, on the trip. "They were insightful, invigorating and a source of learning about my own faith life."

Student leaders from MIPC work with adult leaders on each site, leveling the site, preparing a concrete slab foundation, framing walls, installing windows and finally laying rafters on the center beam and topping it off with plywood and roofing material. The building process is mentally challenging and when mistakes are made such as  making the wrong length wall or cutting out the wrong size for windows, fixes must be found because building supplies are limited for each site. 

Volunteer builders most often work alongside the families who will move into the homes they're building. Stephanie Smith, Ciarra Vu and Allie Ritcey enjoyed playing with their family's 3-year old girl while the mom touched up orange paint and the uncle nailed down roofing material. The reality of a slice-of-life in Tijuana gave Mercer Islanders a chance to explore the differences in perception versus reality.

"While it may not be fair, my impression of the Tijuana area is one of lawlessness and escalating violence," said Mike Hartmann, whose son Josh Hartmann was on the trip. While his son was in Mexico, Hartmann heard news about a shooting at the San Diego-Tijuana border crossing, occurring in the early morning hours a day or two after the group crossed over to Mexico.

"Without being down there and seeing firsthand where the group was and what it is like, your mind tends to go to the worst-case scenarios quite fast," he said.

The "Mexico housebuilding trip" is well-known on Mercer Island as a life-changing experience for the students as well as the adult leaders. This year's theme, "Lost and Found," was emphasized by personal testimonies given by both students and adult leaders. Associate Pastor Lindsay Harris Murphy and Pastor Paul Barrett create the perfect petrie dish for bonding: a combination of challenging physical work, sharing personal stories, great music (thanks to Nicola Davidson) and worship.

The group has returned to the same neighborhood for three years, allowing many on the trip, including some of the students, to visit families and the homes they had constructed in prior trips.