Juarez - Meeting New Kids, Anahi Blanca Shopping

After dropping off the construction team at the El Paso airport, I headed to the back to the Colonias for a three o’clock meeting. Susie, our local librarian for Missions Ministries and the shepherd of our sponsored JCEP kids, had arranged a three o’clock meeting with the five new kids for 2008/2009 and their parents. I made it to the library a little before three and several people were already waiting.

We had a great meeting. I was assisted in translation by Susie’s husband Leo. I outlined the priorities of the program and the responsibilities of the parents and children. Mostly I focused on the need for the parents to commit to having the kids in school until they graduate from high school. I made them all promise to strive for this. I stressed how important for the girls to avoid sex and therefore unwanted children. All the parents nodded in agreement. I told the boys not to be making babies ether. The point being that they need to be responsible and put their future and education as a high priority.

I told them the three main goals are to graduate from school, to learn to use computers and to learn English. I also told them the kids must attend the twice-per-week English classes by Joel. Everyone agreed to the commitment. The five new kids are:



Perla (First Photo), age 12, grade 7. Perla is the daughter of Susana who worksin the Missions Ministries Kitchen.

Edith, age 14, grade 10. Edith has been attending English classes all year and is an excellent student.

Karla (Second Photo), age 15, grade 11, Karla has also been in English classes.

Angel (Third Photo), age 12, Grade 7, Angel is the son of Rosa from Missions Ministries kitchen staff.

Moises, age 14, grade 10, Moises is one of the best students in the English class.

As I left the class, I was glad to see that Blanca and Anahi were waiting for me. The were very excited about their upcoming trip to the U.S. Blanca had her hair cut and dyed for the occasion. Along with Anahi’s younger sister, Naomi, we decided to go shopping for some items they needed for the trip. We headed off to Soriana, the huge, WalMart-like store, about 15 minutes drive from the Colonia.

They mostly bought toiletries and hair stuff – and eye lash curlers. Apparently they needed to replace things that they share with their sisters and mothers. They were very organized and thoughtful. After we were done shopping, we sat down for some ice cream to cool off from the heat.

Juarez Mission Trip - June 25-28

On June 25, 2008 I traveled with a team of 32 people to Juarez to build houses for two families. As usual, we worked with our partners at Missions Ministries on this trip.

One unusual aspect of this trip is that we had one house built primarily by teenagers, called Team Red, led by my daughter Sara and her cousin Hanna. They were accompanied by friends from their schools as well as other teenagers who had signed up for the trip.

The other house was built by a combination of members from Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, several of whom came from our new North Campus. Kevin Kim, the youth minister there recruited may of them and led our construction team, dubbed Team Blue. My wife Patricia and my sister-in-law, Mary Jane Elmore were on tam blue as well.

Normally the weather in late June is scorching hot in Juarez. Indeed, when we arrived on June 25, it was pushing above 100 degrees. We did our usual stock up at WalMart for water and supplies, as well as house warming gifts for the two families. We then proceeded to dinner at the local Mexican restaurant, Carlos and Mickey’s. The food was great and it gave the team a chance to relax and bond after our flight. We then took the bus to the team center in the Colonias outside of Juarez, where we slept for the night.

(Team Blue puts up the first wall in the photo at right.)

June 26

We woke up early the next morning and had our devotionals 30 minutes earlier than usual at 6:30, in order to beat the heat. Winslow Yee gave us a great spiritual send off, reminding us that God requires us to serve others. Breakfast followed and we boarded the bus around 7:30.

When we arrived at the build sites, we were pleased to see that the skies were cloudy. In fact the temperature was quite comfortable. We would be building in Kilometer 34, a community carved out of the desert 34 kilometers from the boarder and about seven kilometers from the team center.

Team Red, with 16 teenagers and two brave adults would be building a house for Ruth and Ramon along with their six children and four additional extended family members. Although the house is only 12x36 with three rooms, it would be a big improvement to the shack they were living in. Ruth and her kids would work alongside team Red throughout the process.

Team Blue would be building for Carolina and Lupe. They shared the worst structure I have ever witnessed in Juarez with their son, his wife and four kids. The place was made out of a few sheets of masonite, a truck topper and what looked like pieces of an old boat. It had a dirt floor and ceiling that couldn’t have been more than five feet high. (See the photo below showing Carolina and Lupe's house with the new house we built in the background.)

The goal for each team is to construct the walls and rooms, put in the windows, door and insulation. All this happened the first day in about six hours of work. We are always fortunate to have the concrete slab foundation poured and the lumber cut prior to arrival. The team nails it all together with guidance from Missions Ministries construction leaders Leo and Jesus (Team Blue) and the rest of their team.

About the time we were putting the last nails into the composite roof, the sun broke through the clouds. We hopped on the bus and headed back to the team center for a great lunch.

Immediately we reloaded the bus and headed back to Kilometer 34 and the Marantha Iglesia of Pastor Luis. Luis is the pastor for the two families we were building for. At his church we had a craft fair for the children of his church. We made balloon animals, face painted and took pictures of the kids. They then framed the photos with popsicle sticks decorated by them. (In the photo below Erika Athens and Kelley Stanske get into the facepainting.)

The centerpiece of the craft fair was a project by Charlene Golding and her daughter Caroline. With the help of several other team members, they had children create art, and then photographed the art and the child. Along with a small bio on each child, they will compile a book of the art of approximately twenty children. They will sell the books to raise money for projects in Juarez.

Outside the church, a huge soccer game raged in the heat. Kids from our team and the local church mixed it up on the field of dirt. In the evening the team retired after another great meal and a full day.

June 27

The next morning we did it all over again. We were led in devotion by Charlene. Carlos the MM chef had prepared another great breakfast, but we didn’t savor it too long. We wanted to be back out at the site early again.

Day two is a bit easier than day one. Again we were blessed with morning clouds. We painted the outside of the houses and dry-walled, taped and mudded the inside. Then came the highlight of the trip - turning over the keys to the family. Kevin Kim did the honors for team Blue. Kevin hoped that the family would remember the house as an altar to God and a reminder of his grace.

I was very proud when Hanna and Sara handed over the keys to Ruth and her family (see picture below). As with Team Blue, we all ten prayed for the family and gave them housewarming gifts of blankets, pillows, bed pads, food and a couple of nice iron skillets.

After lunch we again returned to the church, this time for a food outreach. We made sandwiches of ham and cheese, served with chips, watermelon and a drink. The team prepared the plates and then served them to the seated congregation. The whole church and the MPPC team especially liked the finish with ice cream bars as the temperature had again climbed to around 100 degrees.

In the evening we returned to the church for worship with the congregation. The church is small, the same size as the houses we built. It was extremely hot with our 32 MPPC members and 50 or so of the congregation in the small room. Benjamin Kelly from our team played a clarinet song accompanied by Matthew Tsubota on drums. We then had Mark Lipinski, Brooke Hobbs and Winslow Yee, witness to the congregation. After a mercifully (in light of the heat) short sermon, the service was over. The team spent some time saying adios to our new friends and we returned to the team center, our evening complete. (In the photo below Jenny Buurma says shares a moment with a new friend.)


June 28

The next morning, Mary Jane Elmore, led us in devotions, helping us focus on how we had changed and how we would carry forward differently. It is amazing how much one can get from just a four-day trip and serving others. The team then headed to the airport for the trip home.

Getting The Visas for Blanca and Anahi, May 2008

Juarez trip report May 10 to May 14, 2008.

May 10

I travel to Juarez and spend the night at the Mission Ministries team center in the Colonia. I am here to get Visa’s for two of our students, Blanca and Anahi. We plan on bringing them to the U.S. in July to meet their sponsors and spend some immersion time learning English. We have an appointment on Tuesday the 12th, but a lot of organizing to do first.

May 11

I got up early this morning and decided to attend church at Pastor Jesus’ church. There were about 30 people there. He has a loyal flock. Susie taught the kids class. I could understand about half of the sermon. So I am making some progress on my Spanish.

After church, I went over to Susie and Leo’s and we mapped out strategy for the Visa appointments on Tuesday. We went over the list of all the documents we need. Susie arranged to have the parent of Anahi and Blanca meet us on Monday morning to get some things notarized.

Susie told me that Martha had her baby last month. She has stayed on school. Martha’s mother has been taking care of the baby. Martha will graduate in June with Anahi and Blanca. I am disappointed Martha won’t be coming to the U.S., but am glad she will graduate.

Anahi and Blanca are both applying to college at Universidad Autonoma de Cuidad Juarez. They took a test last month for entry. They are to find out on the 18th if they are accepted. This is exciting news, that they have taken the initiative here. Blanca now wants to be a doctor.


I dropped by Operation Amigo today, alias the Canadian School. (See photo at right) I met the founders Al and Miriam Carruthers. Very nice people. They have 385 kids I their school. I mentioned we might want to get involved in scholarships. We are going to have dinner tomorrow night and discuss.

Joel stopped by this afternoon. He is going to accompany us on our visa trip tomorrow and on Tuesday. He just got his visa and is optimistic that the girls will too.

May 12

Morning devotions with a team of folks from Colorado. They are here to build two houses with Mission Ministries. After a great breakfast, I met the families of Anahi and Blanca at Susie’s house. We were off to downtown Juarez.

First stop was BanaMex. We needed to pay the 1450 pesos (appr. $140) per girl for the visa application fee. This is non-refundable even if we are rejected. We quickly were helped and had our receipts.

Next we had to find a Notary to verify the signatures of the parents on permission to leave the U.S. The Notary we tried had an alarm sounding in the building the whole time we were there. The Notary was not in and wouldn’t be for several hours. We were directed to another Notary in an office overlooking the Rio Grande. We could see El Paso from here. My cell phone switched to the U.S. AT&T network from the Mexican network. That is how close we were.

They were very professional and one hour and $105 later, we had the notarized letters of permission. This rounded out all the documents we needed. Most I had written or filled out prior to the trip. We were now ready for our Tuesday visa appointments. To celebrate I took the whole crew to Wendy’s for lunch. Blanca and Anahi each ordered the Baconator combo!


Late in the afternoon, I attended our English class for the students. Joel, our English teacher, had me administer a verbal test he had devised for the kids. I would ask the question, in English, “what am I doing?” From a list of verbs on the board, the kids had to answer. For instance I would take a pencil from the table and say “What am I doing?” The student would answer, “You are taking the pencil from the table.” They actually did quite well with verbs like speak, take, open, close and put. I think Joel is making good progress with the kids by making them be ready for tests and actually grading and ranking them. Samuel seems to be the best.

To test Samuel, I took a folding chair, held it by the back and pushed the seat open with my foot while asking, “What am I doing?” He quickly said “You are opening the chair with your foot.” Joel tells me Samuel is our star English student.

After class, I had dinner with Carruthers and discussed their school. It is an amazing operation. 385 kids with a staff of 28. All the kids are on scholarship with each family paying a little according to their ability. Kids rage from pre-kindergarten to 10th grade. Over the next 2 years they will add the top two grades as their kids advance. They have an agreement with a local Juarez University that the kids can goal to school there for free after graduation.

The school director is a local woman who hires al the teachers, also local. They showed me photos of their impressive looking faculty. They have a fulltime English teacher, a music program and feed the kids lunch every day.

I asked them how we could help. They said as the school grows, they are worried about meeting payroll. Their donor base is god but always comes up a little short. I asked how much they need to sponsor children. $20 per month for grade school, $25 for secondary (middle school) and $40 for high school. This is less than the cost of our kids in the JCEP. They might need to add some amount for overhead as well as the school grows.

They would be willing to pair children with sponsors similar to how we do with JCEP. I told them how we do our kids website and they were excited. I think there is more opportunity to explore here.

May 13, 2008

Today was the big day at the consulate. Anahi, Blanca, Joel and I arrived at 9:45 for our 10 am appointment. We waited in line to get checked in and were able to have both girls have the appointment together. Next we were off to the photo area. Waiting in line again, we got the girls photos taken. Then it was off to digital fingerprinting. Joel and I took a seat while the girls waited. They finished with this around 11 am. We were given the number 1147 and sat down to wait. The number being served was 1033. There must have been 1000 people waiting.

At 4:30 PM, our number was finally called. Finally our interview. But no, we waited inside in a queue with two other families ahead of us. When we finally made it to the interview, it was with a very nice American woman. She was very thorough in checking all our documents and asking me questions in English and then verifying them in Spanish with the girls. My heart sank when she asked for a medical authorization for Blanca. Since she is seventeen, she would not be allowed to give consent for medical procedures.

The lady approved Anahi, but not Blanca. We will have to return on Thursday with a notarized medical guardian letter from Blanca’s mom.

Still it is a victory. Anahi is approved and our caseworker assures us that the letter would be all we need for Blanca. Then both girls will get their visas on Friday.

As we returned home to the Colonia, the girls peppered me with questions in Spanish. Will we see the ocean? Where will we live? What kind of restaurants are there? They are very excited.

Then in the evening I was blessed with one of my fondest Juarez memories yet. Anahi’s mom, Tomasa, cooked dinner for me and six of our students. Blanca, Anahi, Margarita, Samuel, David ad Claudia. Susie picked them all up and joined us as well as Anahi’s father Luis and Anahi’s sister. What a feast. I had mentioned how much I like mole sauce. So we had chicken mole, chile rellenos and some of the best tortillas and refried beans I had ever tasted.

What a fun evening sitting around and telling stories. Answering questions about the U.S. and laughing. I re-quized the kids on their career aspirations. David and Samuel want to be lawyers. Anahi, Blanca and Claudia want to be doctors. Margarita wants to be a Science teacher.

After dinner, they all prayed for me and all our friends in California that support them. It was a special moment.

May 14, 2008

Back to the notary for the medical authorization. Bertha (Blanca’s Mom) cheerfully agreed to come along at 8:15, after working until 1 AM at the Phillips maquiladora the night before. She makes ballasts for fluorescent lights. It is a good job in Juarez. Folks usually make about $10 per shift.

Joel, Bertha and I found our way back to the notary. $50 later we had the needed letter. I drop them off and decide how to spend the remainder of my day.

I check in at the Canadian school trying to find the Carruthers for a tour. They aren’t there, but I get a nice tour from the principal of the high school. It is a very impressive operation. Right now they just have the 10th grade. They will add the other two grades over the next two years as the kids graduate to the next level. The kids seem happy. The school is well stocked with desks, equipment and computers. The principal is sharp and in charge. I like the fact that the locals run the school on a day-to-day basis. Al & Miriam, encourage this.

Later I double back and get the tour of the middle school with Miriam. Grades seven through nine are hosted here. I see several of our JCEP kids here including Claudia, Margarita and Moises. The kids are excited because they are throwing a party for the teachers that day on “teacher” day. They school has a nice gymnasium which the kids have decorated. They have cakes ready for the teachers. All the kids look sharp in their matching uniforms.

At five o'clock, i get to attend Joel's "beginner" English class. There are 15 students in here, including 4 new JCEP kids for next year. Perla, Angel, Arcadia and Karla. I sit in the back next to Karla (See photo) and am impressed with how Joel engages each student and comes into the class with an organized plan. Our new students all know their stuff.

In the evening, the Missions Ministries team throws a party for the workers and their families. It is a joyous affair with 3 jumpy houses, pizza and most treasured of all – ice cream. This is a big deal for the families. Everyone comes dressed up. The funds come from donations from teams that come down to build houses. Jeff collects them in lieu of tips. It is a special evening.


May 15, 2008

Having extended my stay an extra day, we head back to the consulate again. This time we have Bertha, Blanca, Joel and myself. Having been told we had to wait an extra day after approval to get the stamps, we don’t bring Anahi.

We arrive at 8:15 and are told to wait in line again like before. After passing security, I talk the guard into letting us skip the next line to get a number. Having been assured by our caseworker that we would not have to wait again, we sit down for the anticipated short wait. Two and a half hours later our number comes up.

We head to the window and are not happy to see a different caseworker. The young man tells us that our person is not in today. He checks the computer for notes and then proceeds to ask all the same questions we answered the previous day. He asks for the proofs of permission for both girls and I remind him Anahi is already approved and that all Blanca needed was the medical permission. He finally relents and says we have everything we need and the visas are approved. He asks where Anahi’s passport is and I explain we were told we had to wait a day to get the stamps. He says, no, we could have gotten them right then.

Will he give Blanca hers since she is here? No, they have to be done at the same time since they are on the same case number. We will have to come back tomorrow. I decide that rather than blowing my top, I will be thankful for the approval. I ask him to write on our appointment slip for the next day that we are approved. He obliges. I ask him his name in case we have problems, and he demurs, pointing to a pamphlet labeled U.S. Constitution, he says that is his name. A bit confused, we leave.

Now I am faced with the same decision of whether to extend my stay another day. I decide to let Joel handle it the next day. He promises to call me immediately the next day and let me know what happens. “No problem” he optimistically assures me.

After dropping Blanca and Bertha off, I thank Joel and head for the airport. I can’t help but think I should stay. But it sure is nice to see Pat at the airport when I arrive back in San Jose.

May 16, 2008

I have trouble working all day, knowing Joel is probably waiting in line and being treated condescendingly by the consulate folks the next day. Noon rolls by, 2 pm and my heart sinks thinking they didn’t get the visas. I try Joel’s cell, but I have the wrong number. I call Anahi’s mom and she tells me they will be back at 12:30. Which was 2 plus hours previous. Must be my Spanish misunderstanding what she says.

Finally, after 3, Joel calls and says they got the stamps. The girls have a one-year visa and can go on the trip! We are all so excited. God has blessed again.

Article Profiling Team Member

There was a nice article published in the "Country Almanac" a local paper here in Menlo Parl. It tells the story of Izzy Hillburg's trip to Juarez in February with our Juarez team. I think it is a great perspective. You can see the article at almanac article.

Juarez – February 17-22, 2008

We traveled with a team of 48 people to Juarez to build houses for three families, do food outreaches and craft programs at a women’s shelter and local church and paint the inside walls in our new library. In addition, I stayed an extra 2 days to work on getting visas for our students to comes to the U.S. next summer for English immersion. We also got to give our new van to Susie, our children’s shephard after her van was wrecked last fall.

One of my favorite things about this trip was the team we took. We had several returning trip veterans as well as many Juarez rookies. My daughter Sara accompanied us for the fourth time. Also my niece Hanna and brother-in-law Bill. Sara and Hanna kind of became the leaders among the younger kids along with the Prioleau kids who had been several times as well. Bill and I enjoyed playing guitar and leading singing of songs along with our song-leader Sally Prioleau.

I got a great email from Katie Neider, who was on the trip with her family. Her husband Bryan, and daughters Megan (16) and Brooke (12). Typically, our church, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (MPPC), pays for one house per team. We wanted to build three houses so we needed to raise a additional $15,000. Below are the comments that Katie sent to people that she had gotten contributions from toward building the second ad third houses on this trip.

“We just got back from Juarez, Mexico where we have been for the past several days. Although it wasn't a vacation, I would have to say it was probably the best trip I have ever taken.

“The four of us went with a group of 50 people from our church. The church has teams of people who go to Juarez every other month or so to build houses for the horribly poor community there. We headed down on Sunday and spent most of the day just getting there. We stayed in a Team Center that they have built for the the teams of people who go down to build houses. The Team Center is surrounded by a tall cement barricade, topped with a layer of broken glass embedded in the cement with a final layer of barbed wire. It has guards 24/7 along with a not so friendly guard dog. We felt very safe. :-) Each family got to stay in their own room with our own bathroom and shower. However, you were lucky to be able to take a shower as water is a scarce commodity there. If the water did turn on, you were wise to be in and out within minutes as it would just shut off with no notice. There is a small kitchen staff who cooked all of the meals so we had all of our meals at the Team Center. (Katie is shown below presenting blankets to the family she helped build a house for.)



“On Monday morning, all of us headed out to the "construction" sites. We had raised enough money to build three houses. We broke up the 50 people into three groups, each group responsible for building a house. We learned that many families had gone to the church in town to put in their plea for a house to be built for them. Based on need, these families were chosen. When we arrived at our location, it took my breath away. Our family (like most in Juarez), was living in a two room shack. We met the family and worked side by side with them over the course of the next two days. When we got there, a cement slab was already there for us. The wood was pre-cut also. Our group of 18 people (10 who were kids) was headed up by a man named Chris who told us exactly what to do. It was an amazing sight to see all of us pounding away to create the frame of the house. Next we pounded away to nail on the siding. The most amazing moment is when we lined up and lifted up the walls to create the house. Next came the roof. By 2pm the first day, we had a little house built and had even finished roofing it. We had also "installed" the windows and put in the insulation inside. Throughout the day, this wonderful family helped us however they could. At 2pm, we all went back to the Team Center and had lunch. As soon as lunch was over, we were back in the van and went out to a battered women's shelter to make sandwiches for them and to play with their kids. These women and children were in such a tragic situation but still had the most beautiful smiles on their faces. Around 6pm, we headed back to the Team Center for dinner (yes, we all gained weight on this trip!). After dinner, a man named Jeff, showed us an incredible slide show along with a narrative about the situation each person in the slide show was facing. Jeff and his wife Jenny, had first gone on a trip to Juarez like ours three years ago. They became so passionate about the situation in Juarez, that they gave up their jobs and beautiful home in a gated community to live in the Team Center to organize all of this outreach. We all went to bed with our eyes widened to the situation not far from "home".

“The next morning, we headed back to the house that we were working on. We spent all morning painting the exterior of the house and putting up the dry wall in the interior of the house. Again, the family helped us paint. Even though they didn't speak any English, we had felt quite close with the family by this time. At one point, I had walked into their old "house". It is a feeling that I will never forget in my life. You can read many things and see many pictures but nothing will compare to standing inside the "house" that they had been living in. Their floor was dirt. Can you imagine never, ever being able to feel clean. Ever. Waking up and putting your feet into dirt the first thing. I will never forget the look and smell of the situation that they were living in. Water is so scarce that being able to clean is not high on the priority list. Up until the time that I had walked into this house, I had been "worried" about their new house because it was just a cement slab. Silly me, I had been concerned about how cold that cement would be for them. Not until I had stood in their dirt floor had I realized what a wonderful dream it was for them to have a cement floor. Very sobering.

“By 1pm the second day we had completed our house. We then got together with the other two construction teams so we that we could have a ceremony at each house to "hand over the keys". With the help of an interpreter, the family was able to share their feelings of gratitude and we were able to share our feelings of honor to be able to do this for them. Bryan speaks spanish quite well so he was the only one who was able to speak to them directly in their language. As you can imagine, it was quite an emotional moment after growing to care so much about these people.

“After these wonderful ceremonies, we headed back to the Team Center to have lunch, and then off to a local church for another food outreach. We again made sandwiches for them, gave out ice cream and played with the kids. The families who we had built these houses for were all at this outreach. By now it was dinner time, so back to the Team Center to eat, and then back in the Van to go to a church service. Again, these families were there among the church community. I had a little nine year old girl sitting next to me clutching my hand for the entire service. By now, it is late and time for bed to get ready for our flight home on Wednesday morning.

“I am so very thankful that we were given this chance. I would like to go back again next year with our family. We have gone on many wonderful vacations but nothing compares to this.

xoxo, Katie”

Katie’s fresh perspective, reminds me of the excitement I felt the first time went to Juarez. It is a rare person who is not equally changed by the short trip.

Another great thing on the trip was my friend Jonathon. A dentist here in Northern California, Jonathon decided to sign on for the trip after doing some outreach dentistry for the church last April. Jonathon brought his assistant Lydia along. He also brought $5000 worth of donated supplies and equipment. In two days he treated some 26 people, performing root canals, fillings, extractions and various other dental miracles. Jonathon and Lydia actually worked to long they burned out the shop-vac that is used for suction at the team center. (Jonathon and Lydia do their magic below.)








Another good friend Warren, brought along his son Brennon age 7. Warren lead the construction team on our house. Our team, dubbed “Team Azul”, consisted of lots of children including the Peterson triplets, age 8. We also had three high school freshmen, including my daughter Sara, niece Hanna and our friend Kelley. Kelley’s mom Cindy was a tireless worker as well, particularly gifted at the trim on the house. Cindy will be working with Joni and I on JCEP in the future, so it was good to have her see the colonia first hand.

After dropping the team off at the airport on Wednesday, I stayed behind to see if I could get some visas for the four girls we planned to bring to the U.S. next July for a month of English immersion. These are the four oldest girls in our JCEP program, Miriam, Martha, Blanca and Anahi.

I was sad to find out that our recent high school graduate Miriam had decided not to enroll in college and instead succumbed to the temptation of a job. $10 per day is a serious temptation for someone who has almost nothing. Even sadder was the news that Martha is now pregnant. Even though she plans on finishing high school this June, she is out for the trip to the U.S. for obvious reasons.

That leaves Anahi and Blanca for the summer trip. I spent a day at the U.S. embassy in Juarez trying to find out what we need to do to get them visas. The list is long, but after a day of frustrations, I finally got to talk to someone by phone who gave me the full scoop. I came home without visas, but at least I know what we need to do.

One highlight of my trip was the Wednesday night English class that we sponsor. I dropped in on our teacher Joel and his class. The English is proceeding nicely. Even from my last visit in January, I see improvement. Joel has been giving tests and it seems to have inspired the students. Two of our new students for next year, Edith and Moises were there. Also Anahi, Blanca, David, Samuel, Juana and Claudia. Margarita was out sick.

During the class I started quizzing them in English. “What is this?” I would ask while pointing at the air conditioner, wall or blackboard. The class got every one correct!

We also got our new van on the trip. It is a 12 passenger chevy van in excellent condition. It is a vast improvement on the mini-van we had. Susie will be able to easily fit all 12 students.

Finally, we painted the inside of our new library which was built in January. Thanks to the volunteers both days that volunteered to help. Including, Louis, Kevin, Warren, Brennan, Russ, Harry, Donna, Leilani, Alana, Marc, Isabelle and Brooke.

Blessed again, I never fail to have my faith strengthened each time I travel to Juarez.

SK

Juarez Mexico – January 20-23 , 2008 - Library

January 20-23 Joni and I traveled with a team 54 friends, family and Menlo Park Presbyterian Church members to Juarez. This was more than our usual trip to build a house. In addition to building a house for a deserving family in the Colonias, we were to construct a new library with funds we raised through the Juarez Children’s Education Program (JCEP) at our fundraiser last May. A medical team also made the trip with two doctors, a nurse and an eye-doctor, the first ever at the Juarez clinic.

The library was in Kilometer 30 (K30), one of the poorest of the poor neighborhoods outside of Juarez. Unless they are lucky enough to have a house built by our partners Missions Ministries or one of several other groups serving the areas, families live in shacks made of cardboard, pallets, and blocks or just about anything they can scrounge. The area is only partially served with electricity. There is no sewer system or running water. Families have an outhouse and get their water from the trucks that make regular rounds, filling their 50-gallon drums with water.

Recently a primary school serving grades one through six was built in K30. Additionally, we had built kindergartens last October. Now that the kids in the neighborhood have a school, we decided a library for after school activities would be a huge boost. Our partners at Mission Ministries (MM) have run a similar library for a few years. See previous blog at (www.jcepbolg.blogspot.com).

MM recently was granted the land for this library on a plot next to the primary school. They have also recently erected a medical clinic there. When we arrived, they had poured the slab for a 48x24 library with three rooms including a computer room, a classroom and reading and study room.

After a good night’s sleep, we woke up to a sunny day. After breakfast and devotions, the building crews set out to the site at 8 am. The medical team stayed behind at the team center clinic. Seventeen of the team members split off to build the house and the rest of us began the process of building the library. We were happy to be joined by seven of our JCEP sponsored children and Susie Pinada, the MM librarian and shepherd for our JCEP kids.

Day one was one of the longest we have experienced. We erected the walls, put in the windows, insulated, put on the roof, which was tarred and papered and trimmed out the structure. The kids on the crew loved doing the roof work. Those of us blessed with height got to hang insulation on the ceiling. The house team finished before us and many of them came over to help us get things done. Special thanks to Beth Kawasaki and Chris Henshaw for pulling double-duty on the house and the library hanging insulation. My shoulders couldn’t have done it without them. With just a short break for lunch, we finished around 5:30.

The short bus trip back to the team center ended with a great meal thanks to Carlos and the staff. An exhausted team showered up and reconvened later for a slide show by Jeff Piner, the resident American leader at the team center. Jeff regaled us with stories of sadness and hope - stories of people traveling to Juarez and how they have helped the local people. One particular story involved a young girl with a clubfoot. She was cured with surgery paid for by a teenager from MPPC, who raised the money after hearing the story and returning home.

Up again early the next morning, the team split up again to their various tasks. This day required us to finish the dry wall and taping inside the structure and to paint and caulk the outside. Our large team was able to complete all but the taping before lunchtime. Amazing work!

We then all convened over at the house for the key ceremony. The family of six, was given the keys to a beautiful new 12x36, three-room structure. The family had worked side-by-side with our team the entire time. Many tears of joy from out team and the family testified to the community created in two days.

After lunch the build team split again. About fifteen of us returned to the library to complete work. The rest headed off to a local women’s shelter to prepare meals and do crafts for approximately 40 women and children. The women’s shelter was founded by a local woman, abused since age six who later escaped the specter of prostitution by running away and making a life for herself. She raised the money to lease a building and with no salary, now takes in abused women and their children. Often they run low on food and have little support. Jeff Piner has adopted their cause and we help any way we can. We left behind large quantities of extra food and diapers for the families.

In the late afternoon, we had finally finished the library. We had a sunset dedication, handing over the keys to Susie. One of my favorite moments of the trip was when Annaliese Yukawa and Virginia Girard, seventh graders from Menlo School, presented Susie with 207 Spanish language books for the school. The girls had raised these books in a book drive. Following the handing over of the keys, we all laid hands on Susie and prayed that the library would be used to give community and opportunity for the children of K30, and maybe do something to help break the cycle of poverty there.

In the evening we had attended a rousing church service at the church of Pastor Francisco who had sponsored the family who go the house. Judy Hobbs led us in songs and spoke to the church of our great privilege to be there.

I sit on the plane home as I write this and can’t thank everyone who helped, but sure would like to. I particularly want to thank everyone who gave the money, more than $15,000, to JCEP to pay for the construction. Also, our team was great, paying out of their own pockets to travel to Juarez to build. All the kids, with their spirit of happily giving in service to others. Kari Hansen and her son Caleb who had a blanket drive at their school that garnered 100 blankets. Susan Siegel for translating at the clinic, food outreach, morning testimonial and for arranging transportation to the airport when the New Mexico police impounded our bus. Kenny Ludwig, my friend and Zen-like roommate for keeping a positive and flexible attitude of love at all times. Joni Cropper, my partner and leader of our trip, and her fantastic family who all made huge contributions to the trip. And all of you reading this who continue to support our efforts in Juarez.

A lot of things happened on this trip that I didn’t get to see or know. I thank everyone who came and blessed us with their love, sweat and dedication. But most of all I thank God, without whom none of this would be possible.

May God Bless You All
SK

October 2007 Trip - Kindergarten, Passports

I traveled to Juarez with a team of 14 from Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (MPPC), my home church. As always, it was a four-day trip to build houses and serve the poor in the Colonias outside of Juarez. We had a great team led by my friend Andrew Doolittle. A unique aspect of this trip was that in addition to building a house for a family, we would also be building the third of three kindergarten buildings in Kilometer 30 (K30). I also stayed an extra two days to visit with the children sponsored by our charity, the Juarez Children’s Education Program (JCEP). Another goal was to start the process of obtain passports for our 4 oldest girls, so they could come to the U.S. next summer for English Classes and immersion.

In Mexico, there are three years of kindergarten for children, starting at age three. They must attend the three years before they can go to first grade at age six. The government then provides school mostly for free through grade six. After that it costs about $700 per child per year to attend school through graduating grade 12. JCEP provides scholarships for children attending grades 7-12.

K30 is maybe the poorest of all the Colonias. People live in abandoned buses, shacks made of pallets and cardboard, cars, whatever they can find. Like all the Colonias, there is no running water and no sewer system. Unlike the others, most homes have no access to electricity. There is one main power line running into the Colonia. Our kindergarten was built close enough to this line that it will have power.

October 7, 2007

After flying into El Paso on Sunday the 7th, we took a bus over to the team center for Missions Ministries. They are the organization that makes it all happen in Juarez. They provide the lodging, transportation and food for the team. They also plan the houses, purchase and prepare the materials and with the help of a local pastor, select the family who will get the house. In this case, they also worked with local officials to secure land for the Kindergarten.

In K30 they have a primary school (grades 1 through 6) called “Primaria”. No middle school (grades 7-9), called “Secondaria” and no high school (grades 10-12) called “Baccileries”. It appears that kids that had attended kindergarten elsewhere are allowed to attend the Primaria. However, younger children, without the ability to go to kindergarten elsewhere, would miss out on Primaria and possibly on school completely.

October 8, 2007

Monday morning our team was up early for a fine breakfast and devotionals, then off to the sites of the house and the kindergarten. The family receiving the house was a wonderful couple that had fallen on hard time. Living with a relative, they had sent their kids away to live elsewhere, because there was no room for them. Now, they would be getting a house and the kids were to arrive Friday to their soon-to-be-completed new home. Eight of our team stayed to build that house and the remaining six us set off for the kindergarten site.

The weather was cool and windy with lots of blowing dust as we pulled into the site. To 12x36 foot buildings in rain-slicker yellow and green trim stood on either side of a slab of concrete of the same dimensions. Stacks of wood and other materials sat nearby. After the local pastor, Pastor Martin, blessed the site and the team, we pulled out our hammers and nail aprons and got to work.

The goal for the construction of a house, or in our case a similarly sized kindergarten, is to get the frame up with siding and a roof the first day. We also cut in windows and a door and put insulation in the walls and roof. The second day we drywall, and mud the inside as well as paint the outside.

Our team of five included the Dressler family, Don and Gail and their lovely 15-year-old daughter Sarah. Another member was Jack Marsal who I knew from Dads-Kids campouts with MPPC many years before. Greg Bowman, who I had met at the Café services at church, rounded out our crew. We received significant aid from the Mission Ministries construction team of 5 capable local men. Missions Ministries is a significant employer in the area with 36 employees including construction crews, kitchen and house cleaning staff. They also have three full-time missionaries in Juarez.

We pounded away at our 16-penny framing nails. It takes a while to get into the rhythm, but once we got going the walls came together fast. I managed to hit my thumb with my hammer, causing a fair amount of skin to peel off and blood to flow forth. None-the-less, we were tilting up walls in a few hours. With the help of the other house crew, we successfully fought the wind and had all four walls and the roof frame standing by noon or so. Later we installed the insulation, cut and mounted the windows. The local crew handled papering the roof. Day one ended with a great meal of chicken-fried steak and fajitas in fresh flour tortillas.

After dinner I headed over to the library that Missions Ministries provides for the children of Kilometer 27, near the team center. The library has three rooms, the largest of which JCEP funded last October 2006. A library room with stacks of books and reading tables is in the front. Behind is a computer room – sans internet – and a classroom. 9 of the children we sponsor in JCEP were there taking an English lesson from Joel. We recently installed Joel as the thirds in a series of tutors that JCEP pays for through Mission Ministries. Joel is by far the best so far. The kids like him and seem to be making steady progress. But nothing replaces immersion, which we hope to accomplish next summer.

October 9, 2007

Our crew rose again on Tuesday to do it again. Back at the sites the painting and dry walling began. A few local Moms joined us for painting. Around noon, more families of the kindergartners started arriving for the impending dedication. The second day building is always a little easier and more fun.

One of the crew found a small snake. They took turns scaring the local ladies with the snake. Don even elicited a squeal from Sarah. Their respective building crews had personalized the first two buildings. The Colorado crew had fashioned a rainbow out of children’s handprints. The Hawaii crew had done the same as a Palm tree. We decided to make a Golden Gate Bridge from handprints. We lined up the children. They dipped their hands in the paint and soon we had an orange bridge on the side of our yellow kindergarten.

The dedication followed. Maria Louisa was there. She had been responsible for helping us acquire the land for the kindergartens as well as another site. That site will house a library funded by JCEP and constructed by our MPPC team in January.

Our team then traveled back to the site of the now completed house. We joined the rest of the team for the dedication of the house. This ceremony is the high point of any team trip. The team speaks to the family and prays for them. Then the family expresses their thanks. Next the keys are handed over in the “Kodak Moment”. The mother was sobbing the entire ceremony. She said it was her hearts desire fulfilled. Many of our team was sobbing as well. The couple had helped build the house the entire time. Their gratitude to God was palpable. It was a very moving experience.

After a lunch we set off to a women’s shelter for a food outreach and craft time with mothers and kids at the shelter. The shelter was constructed with donations, but has no ongoing funding of any significance. Anita runs the place. Taking in mothers with small children who have been beaten, abused or kicked out of their homes. There were at least a dozen Mom’s and 30 kids sharing the eight rooms. Jeff Piner, the local Missions Ministries head, told me that he has taken food over, when their pantry in completely empty. Each week, they pray for food. Usually, their needs are met. Sometimes, they are not.

We grilled hot dogs on a portable grill. Each person got a dog, grapes, a bag of chips and a juice bag. There wasn’t much left at the end. We also brought staples like rice, beans, diapers and baby formula. The joy in the children in a place of such sorrow is astounding. I never cease to be amazed how children can put their misery aside and find joy in the moment. I held a little guy in diapers and a black t-shirt. (Being a black T-shirt guy myself how could I resist.) He was walking around with the base of his shirt in his mouth forming a kangaroo-pocket for three half-eaten bags of chips. He quietly sat on my lap for ten minutes or so without making a sound besides the occasional crunch of a chip. I saw him on other laps throughout the day.

The mothers have a lot more trouble looking joyous. I saw women who looked younger than my 14 year-old daughter. Many really have nowhere to go from here. If they are lucky, they reconcile with a reformed husband. But I doubt that is a common occurrence. I intend to find out more about the shelter on my next trip.

The craft fair was also a hit. The kids made tambourines, bracelets, and other crafts our team members had brought. Marina Clapp, who had packed it all in advance, expertly coordinated it all. Gaby Wolff, a German national and teacher at the German School in Menlo Park painted faces. The Mexican flag and flowers were two favorites. Normally, we do these craft outreaches at churches. Most of the kids have seen them before and seem to get board after a little while. These kids had not seen them before. They would have stayed way beyond our three hours if we could have let them.

We returned to the team center. I think everyone was moved by what we saw. We quickly ate another great meal and headed out to a church service with Pastor Martin. Pastor Martin is a very interesting fellow. He told me a story of how, before he became a Pastor, his appendix had ruptured. His family took him to the hospital where he was turned away, because they cold take no more patients. He went four days without treatment; finally an emergency room took him. But when they examined him the pronounced him dead. With his family praying the body bag was brought out and he was placed in it. Suddenly he came became conscious. He got his operation and a huge scare to show for it. It was then that he gave his life to God and became a Pastor.

The service was inspiring. Recently Martin’s church was broken into. His guitar, amplifier, drums and sound system were all stolen. Nonplussed, he put his foot on a chair, not having a guitar strap and thrashed away at an acoustic guitar. The whole congregation clapped furiously and one woman shook a tambourine. The joy in the singing is such as I have never heard. I could not help but get caught up, singing at the top of my lungs in my bad Spanish. Both Gaby Wolff and Duane Clapp spoke at the service. Their talks are inspiring. Gaby discovered the Christianity on her own growing up in Germany. Duane brings a grace and gratitude to Christianity that I hope to achieve some day.

October 10, 2007

On Wednesday morning the team returned to Menlo Park. I tagged along to the airport to rent a car, getting the last car at the last counter. I returned to the Colonias and picked up Leo Rios. Leo is a pastor and is lead builder for the Mission Ministries team in Juarez. Leo came to know Christ after years in the gangs of Juarez. He is probably the most servant-minded person I have ever met.

Leo agreed to head into Juarez with me. I wanted to find out how to get passports for the 4 girls we plan to bring to the U.S next summer. We found the office and waited our turn. Turns out we needed to bring the girls along. They must fill out the forms themselves. We found out what else we needed to do and headed back to the Colonia.

I went out with Suzie Pinara Rios to speak with the girls. Suzie is our shepherd for the children we sponsor with the JCEP. She also runs the library for Mission Ministries. We arranged to have the girls get their photos at school and return the next morning.

The hardest girl to find was Martha. She had just moved in with her sister in Kilometer 20, about 7 kilometers from the team center. Susie only knew she was in number 10, but not which street she lived on. There must be 150 identical government-built row houses on 10 identical streets. We knocked on every number 10 until Martha answered. Suzie’s daughter Estelle and I even made up a song in Spanish about our search.

Donde esta Martha
Donde esta Martha
Quiero Encantrarle.
Donde esta Martha.

October 11, 2007

On Thursday morning, Leo and I gathered up the 4 girls, Miriam (age 20), Anahi (18), Martha (18) and Blanca (16) and headed into Juarez back to the passport office. Blanca’s mother accompanied us, as she was a minor and needed parental consent to obtain a passport.

A passport is the first half of a requirement to go to the U.S. The girls will also need a Visa Laser to go. This is attained from the U.S. embassy after they get the passport.

The passport office is in a shopping mall. As we approached the office a security guard greeted Blanca with a smile and a hug. It turns out he is a neighbor in kilometer 27 where Blanca lives and the team center is located. He offered to help us speed things up by getting the forms we needed to fill out and skip the line. He also had some great advice.

He told us about a passport and visa consulting office upstairs. There, we could get passport photos, have copies of important documents made and consult with and expert on the process. We were assigned to Juliana - a lovely local woman who spoke very good English. I made a pointed out to the girls what a great job she had as a result of speaking English. Juliana organized each girl’s package, making sure that all the documents where in the correct order and that everything needed was present. She also made the copies so the girls could take their extra document back home. Three passport photos were taken. The whole service cost around $20.

Juliana also told us that when we came back to get the Visa Laser, that we should get visitor rather than student visas. They are easier to get.

Next we had to go to a bank to pay for the passports. We found a bank nearby and went inside, leaving the girls and Blanca’s Mom in the truck. The line was huge. There was one line for Bank customers and our line, which was for non-customers. We waited for 40 minutes while three women behind glass slowly serviced three or for bank customers to every non-bank customer. Finally making it to the front and paying our $153 (1630 pesos) per passport. We were given a certificate for each passport.

We proceeded back to the passport office. The girls waited in line while Leo and I took a seat. After twenty minutes or so they made it to the front. The passport official laboriously examined each packet of I.D.’s, Birth Certificates, school transcripts and other items. Only Martha’s passed muster. Anahi’s birth certificate cut off the A in her first name. Blanca’s Secondaria (middle school) diploma was missing a stamp. Miriam didn’t have her primary school certificate.

We had to head back out. The passport official had told us about a machine in another mall nearby where you could print out documents. It seemed unbelievable to me, but when we arrived, a brown machine stood there looking very official. We entered Anahi’s name, birth date and government ID number, put in 63 pesos and out popped a brand new replica of her birth certificate, in color and complete wit signatures.

We hoped we could get the other documents, but they were not listed. We were all hot and tired and decided to break for lunch at Wendy’s before heading back to the Colonia. Wendy’s in Mexico are cleaner and have as good or better food than those in the U.S. They are almost identical to U.S. Wendy’s except that they have sliced jalapeños at the ketchup bar.

After our feast, we headed back t the Colonia. The Secondaria was just getting out and Blanca ran inside to see if someone would stamp her graduation certificate. Our timing was good. Blanca got the stamp and the day was saved. We then dropped of Leo, Blanca’s Mon and Miriam and the remaining four of us retraced our path back to the passport office after picking up Miriam’s paperwork at her home.

The rest of the day was routine. We turned in the paperwork, paid the 120 peso processing fee and were told the passports would be ready the following Tuesday. Yes, three business days to get a passport - a far sight better than the current 4 to 6 months in the U.S.

That evening I had a great dinner with the kids at a local restaurant. David used my camera to take pictures of each kid.

After dinner, we walked back to the Biblioteca for English class with teacher Joel. Joel was delayed doing translation at the team center clinic, so I took on the role of maestro (teacher). I had a good time teaching the class mostly in English. The kids did better understanding me than I would have expected. We covered small talk like. “What is your father’s name?” and “How old is your sister?”. I had one child ask the questions in English then another would answer in English. They did better than I expected. Usually getting the hang of it after an example or two.

Next we did favorite colors and favorite animals. Finally, Joel arrived and liked what he saw, so I finished out the class talking about animals some more. They would tell me an animal in Spanish. I would write it on the board and then tell them the English word. I would have them repeat it. Then I covered up the board and had them tell me from memory the name of the animals.

When class was over, I took Miriam and Anahi home. One of my favorite moments on the trip was when I dropped Anahi off. In English, she told me, “Thank you for all you do for us. God Bless you.” I almost cried as I hugged her.

Other issues:

Both Juan Carlos and Nancy Margarita have left the area. No one knows where Juan Carlos went. Someone says he is at school, but I could not confirm. Nancy Margarita moved to Durango.

I asked Susie to look for two kids to replace them. Carlos, who runs the kitchen, told me that about two children of ladies who work in the kitchen. Angel 12 and Carla 13. Susie will check them out. She also has another child in mind.

Jeff Piner gave me information on Operation Amigo, a school run by a Canadian couple that might be a good partner for us in sponsoring other children.

While at the shelter, I met Anna and Kate. Two young ladies from New York that are living in Juarez for one year with a group called Youth Works. They were establishing a pre-school program two days per week at the shelter. They had very few materials to help them. I think this might be a good outreach for a team from the church in the January or February trip.

I met the team from Cherry Hills that came in after the MPPC team left. They had brought down mattresses for their family. They had also bought frames from a man in the Colonia who sells them for $29 each. We might want to do this for our families.

SK