September 12, 2005

Teens gain more than expected from mission trip to Mexico

Several Campbell high school students help to build home for needy family

By Athena Burgueno
Special to the Times

On August 10, 2005 a group of eleven high school students and five adult leaders from a south San Jose Christian church packed up their belongings and took an eleven-hour journey south of the border to Tijuana, Mexico.

The Crossroads youth group gathers for a picture before leaving San Jose for Tijuana, Mexico on August 10th. Standing (l. to r.): Rob Trunkey, Kyle Guichard, Ezra Gordon, Randi Weisner, Esther Gordon, Amy Obenour, Joshua Millitante, Derek Floyd and Kyle Emberland. Kneeling (l. to r.): Athena Burgueno, Jessica Snyder, Jessica Launspach, Sarah Curcio and Katherine Petersen. In front: Nick Berry and William Whitney.

Their mission was to build a house for a needy family, but what they gave to the family and received in return was much more than either expected. Memories and friendships were created that would last a lifetime.

After an exhausting drive they spent their first night in a church in San Diego. The next morning the Journey Crossroads youth group awakened with the excitement of knowing they were only moments away from crossing the border into a foreign land. Once they crossed the border, they quickly arrived at the orphanage where they would stay while they spent their days building the house. As they looked around their dismal surroundings they would quickly realize they were no longer in the comfort of their California homes but were in fact in an area of Mexico that is rife with poverty. Only a few members of the group, such as leaders Ezra Gordon and Robert Trunkey and students Sarah Curcio and Esther Gordon had ever been to Mexico, so the majority of the group was struck by the juxtaposition of the two cultures.

The group quickly bonded with the appreciative Limon family so it was easy for the group to put aside their discomforts and homesick feelings to help build a house for the young couple and their two darling little children. The group worked together in unity, even throughout the hardships that they faced with the blazing sun and new tasks they were learning because they only had three days to build the house.

William Whitney takes a break from carpentry work to pose with Samuel Limon.

Several of the students are from Campbell schools. Joshua Militante, Nick Berry and William Whitney are all students from Westmont High School, and Derek Floyd attends Del Mar. They spent their days working hard side by side with their youth group peers, playing with the children and bonding with the family. Every night they went to bed exhausted.

The Limon family had lived in a very tiny “shack,” that they called home, which was the size of the average American bathroom, up until the arrival of their “miracle.” Out of the hundreds of people that were in line to get a home, they were the selected ones, which they considered “a blessing from God.” The loving family, not only welcomed the group with open arms, but also physically helped build their very own home. Daniel, the husband and father of two, stated that “[He] builds houses everyday for people, but never did [he] think [he] would get one of [his] own.”

Oftentimes American teens are portrayed as spoiled and many have the luxury of private bedrooms larger than the Limon’s newly built house. But many of the students and leaders felt very thankful and appreciative for all that they had and all that they had done for the family after the experience, yet wished they could do more. Although, to Americans, whom always like to “super size” everything, the house was like a “dollhouse” because of its pink coating and small size, to the family it was a beautiful mansion.

The Crossroads youth group proudly poses with the Limons in front of the Limon family home in Tijuana, Mexico that the group built in August.

However, the Limon family were not the only ones to get something out of the experience, the youth group had shared a common bond together and the family allowed them to learn not only appreciation for their own lives, but humbleness as well.

“Everyone did the best they could,” said Joshua Millitante. “We all had ups and downs, but we all got a lot out of the experience.” The group went on the trip as acquaintances but ended up having the positive experience that comes along with doing something for the greater good of others and ended up feeling as close as family. Only those that were involved with the building of the tiny pink house will be able to fully understand the shared experience, as well as being able to revisit vivid memories close to their hearts for years to come.

The students and leaders arrived home safely five days later with a newfound respect for the beauty within their own backyards.

As William Whitney shared as he greeted his family, “It was a great experience! I can’t wait to go again next year.”

Athena Burgueno is a junior at Valley Christian High School.