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| The Last Sunday Send-Off |
"An awesome experience in serving God in a very practical way."
- Mike Walters
Arriving in Mexico made the experience all so real. We were finally there. A year of fundraising and preparation came down to this next week.
As soon as we passed over the border we were transported into an entirely different world. It not only looked different; it felt different.
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| Tijuana, Mexico |
Each house we passed was built of old (and usually rotting) wooden slabs, plastic, and spare breeze blocks. The foundations were more often than not built into the mountainside using dirt-filled, old tyres. Houses like those in this picture went on for miles.
Eventually we ended up at the campsite where we were greeted by the site of a yellow and white a circus tent. I'm not kidding.
The next morning offered a 5.30am start for a 6am pre-dawn youth leader's meeting. We all huddled around a campfire discussing and praying about what the first day would entail. Whilst we all enjoyed the small waves of warmth that the little flame produced that morning, we couldn't get away to eat breakfast fast enough.
Breakfasts throughout the week varied only slightly:
1. Tortillas with scrambled eggs and beans, with a selection of grapes and other fruits and a salsa on offer.
2. Tortillas with chorizo scrambled eggs and beans, with a selection of grapes and other fruits and a salsa on offer.
3. Tortilla with cactus scrambled eggs and beans, with a selection of grapes and other fruits and a salsa on offer.
You heard correctly: we ate cactus for breakfast one morning.
We arrived at the bottom of the steepest hill in Mexico (okay, I have no actual proof of that fact) and began to climb. The hill went on and round a large bend, feeling ever steeper. We had 3 igloos and our lunches in tow. An igloo, I soon discovered, is not just a home for Pingu and his family. They were large containers of water and ice to keep us hydrated throughout the day. One of the igloos contained something called 'Gatorade'. We had no idea what to expect. It was marmite: you either hate it or you love it. Sam hated it. 'Bleach,' he said whilst spitting out his drink, 'that's bleach'.
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I feel now would be a good a time as any to introduce the members of the WBC Furnace team.
This is Emma. She found out about Rebuild Mexico in 2014 and fought to get there; she surrounded herself in fundraising tasks for months.
She 'goes with the flow', she's got an amazing sense of humour, and she's one of the loveliest people I've had the pleasure of meeting.
This is Mike. He's the crazy 'responsible' leader that threw himself into the whirlwind that was Rebuild Mexico. He trusted we had a calling from God and served that calling with all of his heart.
He's a father-figure to more than just his own children, he's kind and compassionate, and he enjoys a good laugh.
This is Sam. He stepped right out of his comfort zone to join us in Mexico. He made his first ever flight one to never forget: over 10 hours from Heathrow to LAX as part of our journey to Mexico.
He's a world changer, he's got the amazing ability to keep everyone smiling, and he's a little man with a big heart.
This is Becca. She knew that there was some reason she needed to go to Mexico. She found the courage to join us and it wouldn't have been the same without her.
She's the queen of banter, she takes everything that gets thrown at her, and she's always laughing.
This is Matt. He joined us on our adventure right at the start, committing himself to Rebuild Mexico. His story from the trip is incredible. If you know him, ask him about it.
He's a giant with God, he's quiet yet outgoing, and he fought every battle that he faced along the way.
This is Amy. That's me. I heard about the trip at Detling in 2014 and I couldn't forget about it. I stepped up as a second youth leader so that we could fly out and build a house.
I'm not usually one to enjoy new and unknown surroundings but I thrived on the mysteries that Mexico offers. Joy is my favourite emotion and I value my friends so much.
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B a c k t o t h e s t o r y . . .
We greeted the family just before we clambered down onto our build site. By clamber I mean we grasped tightly onto spare tyres and breeze blocks in an attempt not to fall down the 10ft 'slide'. A ladder was later positioned to aid in the descent. We welcomed a new and improved 'double ladder' the next day: two standard ladders tied together by old cables and thin wire.
It turns out that hammering nails into large wooden sticks on an almost vertical hill is quite a therapeutic task and we were all convinced that we would be able to beat any fellow Briton in a an arm-wrestling match upon returning to the UK.
Levelling the soil and building a few wall panels took our entire first day from us (each day only gave us a total of 6 build hours with 3 travelling hours).This meant we were behind schedule by a day, but amazing things were about to happen...
Check back here for more later in the week.
I'll be explaining some exciting stuff like solar showers and baños.
To read our next Mexico post, click here.
Eventually we ended up at the campsite where we were greeted by the site of a yellow and white a circus tent. I'm not kidding.
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| #JesusLoversAndOthersInACircusTentInADesert |
Breakfasts throughout the week varied only slightly:
1. Tortillas with scrambled eggs and beans, with a selection of grapes and other fruits and a salsa on offer.
2. Tortillas with chorizo scrambled eggs and beans, with a selection of grapes and other fruits and a salsa on offer.
3. Tortilla with cactus scrambled eggs and beans, with a selection of grapes and other fruits and a salsa on offer.
You heard correctly: we ate cactus for breakfast one morning.
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| Please excuse the blur in the bottom right, disposable camera results are unpredictable. |
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I feel now would be a good a time as any to introduce the members of the WBC Furnace team.
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| Emma, 16 |
She 'goes with the flow', she's got an amazing sense of humour, and she's one of the loveliest people I've had the pleasure of meeting.
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| Mike, Leader |
He's a father-figure to more than just his own children, he's kind and compassionate, and he enjoys a good laugh.
 |
| Sam, 17 |
He's a world changer, he's got the amazing ability to keep everyone smiling, and he's a little man with a big heart.
 |
| Becca, 17 |
She's the queen of banter, she takes everything that gets thrown at her, and she's always laughing.
 |
| Matt, 15 |
He's a giant with God, he's quiet yet outgoing, and he fought every battle that he faced along the way.
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| Amy, Leader, 18 |
I'm not usually one to enjoy new and unknown surroundings but I thrived on the mysteries that Mexico offers. Joy is my favourite emotion and I value my friends so much.
______
B a c k t o t h e s t o r y . . .
We greeted the family just before we clambered down onto our build site. By clamber I mean we grasped tightly onto spare tyres and breeze blocks in an attempt not to fall down the 10ft 'slide'. A ladder was later positioned to aid in the descent. We welcomed a new and improved 'double ladder' the next day: two standard ladders tied together by old cables and thin wire.
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| Our 'double ladder' on the left. |
Levelling the soil and building a few wall panels took our entire first day from us (each day only gave us a total of 6 build hours with 3 travelling hours).This meant we were behind schedule by a day, but amazing things were about to happen...
Check back here for more later in the week.
I'll be explaining some exciting stuff like solar showers and baños.
To read our next Mexico post, click here.
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| Guest post written by Amy | Girl With A Dream |
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