My week in Tijuana
 

Hey all. Nice to see not much has changed around here. I finally got back from Tijuana, and it's great to be back in the States.

Every year, my school's Campus Ministries department sponsors a trip called Potter's Clay, in which we do fundraising to go to Mexico, and build houses for families. The houses are small, about 24x12 feet, and would make for a pretty nice American tool shed, but are better than what a lot of the families have. This year, about 67 students went. We were divided up into 6 teams, and each team built a house. We had to do everything from leveling the foundation, to finalizing the roofing and trim, and even wire for electricity. It was a really great experience.

I've even gained a new appreciation for things we take for granted. Sewer systems, for one. It's great not to have to see raw sewage running down the middle of the street. Water (both drinkable and warm) comes out of a fawcet. We don't have to walk down the street to buy water. Flushing toilets are a God-send. Paved roads make travel smoother. Spending a week in Tijuana without a shower is pretty tough. I had to shower five times before I was actually acceptably clean. It was so gross.

On the upside, the people down there are so friendly. Even though I could hardly understand them with the little Spanish I knew. They were so happy to have us there and were so nice. It's amazing how different our two cultures really are.


H-D :razz:

WOW, good for you, H-D. It does make you appreciate what you do have when you see what others have to endure. And great for you for helping out others. That must have been very satisfying to give like that. That's really cool. Thanks for sharing that.

Hey Colin :D
Welcome back! I went to South Dakota back in 98 with my church at the time and did something like that, it was a lot of fun!
We ripped up tile floors and everything and put the new floor down.

Totally awesome, Colin. Glad you are back and glad you had a great time and feel wonderful about your trip. It's great to help out others.

:) Hey Sweetness, welcome back! What a warm, and caring man you are! That was a great thing you did, and what an experience! ;)

Wow, that is such a great thing to have spent your time doing. I for one am proud of what you did.

It's great to have you back, Colin. :) You're right, it's amazing the conveniences of everyday life that we take for granted. You should be very proud of what you did. I'm very happy it was such a wonderful experience for you.

You should be so proud of yourself. What a great thing you did. It's nice to know that there are still people out there willing to help others. Welcome Back. :bow: :kiss: :thewave:

glad to hear you had a good time. i went w/ my church youth group to cd. juarez, just across the border from el paso, tx, back in the summer of '01. it was a good time, definitely a unique perspective of how parts of the world very much unlike ours live. one thing i found funny though: the extended family for whom we built another house (more of an addition for, i guess, a daughter and her new husband) had a direct tv dish. it was also interesting b/c it was around election time there, and there were political banners hanging on street lights much the way many cities in the US do. it was a good time (certainly less humid than st. louis, even in late june/early july).

so, how many chicas made out with you? lol! j/k

Amem to flushing toilets! :D

And what a great experience Colin! Congrats for you and your buddies job!

That is so awesome!!
WOW...I am so glad there are people in this world like you...who help others in need!!
there just dose not seem to be that many people in this world who care anymore and it is so sad.