Ten Days Spent in Poverty

My volunteer experience in Juarez, Mexico, that changed my outlook on life.

A street in Juarez, Mexico, that is very similar
to the street that I lived on for ten days.
Picture taken from James Florio's personal blog and photography page.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Juarez+Mexico&view=detail&id=969622EAFE2FDD038F68942ECB6ECE59E1F93F99&first=0&FORM=IDFRIR

The best job I have ever had was in the summer of 2005.  I had just gotten confirmed at Calvary Lutheran Church, my childhood church, the previous fall and signed up to participate in a mission trip to Juarez, Mexico.  The year I decided to go was the first and only mission trip thus far that has traveled out of the country.  There was some skepticism from my family and friends at first, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions that I have ever made.  My best friend that i have went to school with since elementary school, Kacey Malterud, came with me on this trip.

Juarez is a city of 1.5 million and lies very close to the United States border.  I stayed in a rundown church that is owned and operated by a company called Youth Works.  the church is only a couple miles away from the border.  Inside the church there are bunks made of boards where I slept.  there is also a huge kitchen and a sanctuary in the basement of the building.  Outside of the church there were houses made of sticks and did not have roofs.  Children often ran in the streets barefoot with puffed out stomachs due to malnutrition.  I attempted to play soccer with them frequently, the usual response was laughter and calling me a "loco gringo".  A correct English translation would be crazy foreigner.  

One of the responsibilities that i had during the mission trip was to help run the American equivalent of a summer Bible school.  Every morning I woke up at around six a.m. to get supplies ready, plan and organize a small skit or song to teach and sing to the children.  Throughout the day I played with the local children, took them to the park, colored with them and taught one of the young boys names Jorge how to say, "What's up?" in English.  The language barrier was almost nonexistent; body language and smiles were how I communicated.  My day ended at around five or six in the evening.  I was in bed fast asleep by eight or nine p.m..  

The second project that I participated in during my mission trip was helping build a small school ina downtown area of Juarez.  My friend Kacey and I were in the same group for this project.  Our group made our own concrete (that means mixing all ingredients together with a  shovel, not a machine) and helped construct the first half of a wall to that school.  It was hard working in extreme heat (around 102 degrees.)  Good humor and positive attitudes made this project and working as a team much easier.  Working on this project was very rewarding because of a family that made my work group a home cooked meal voluntarily and welcomed us into their home.  That meal was my favorite evening that I had the entire trip.  

My mission trip to Juarez, Mexico, taught me that volunteering can be just as rewarding as getting a paycheck.  The memories that I have from that trip will never leave my mind.  the trip also made me more appreciative for the luxuries that I have in life.  simple things like food, shelter, education and a family that loves and cares about me are not as common in other parts of the world.  I was very thankful when I stepped off the bus and saw my whole family waiting for me. Not to mention when i arrived home and had a comfortable bed and a lot of food on the table.  This is why my mission trip was the very best job I have ever had.