My friend Michelle Cicotte had a connection to the directors of an orphanage in Baja Mexico. She and Toshia spent a year planning a trip that the older youth in our co-op could participate in and we pulled it off the first week of June. The kids had a year to raise $1,000 each to fund their way, and then the co-op spent a lot of time doing extra fundraisers to raise money so we could do service projects at the orphanage. I was lucky to make the trip as a chaperone and spend that week with Miles and Gwen serving and making memories. As a teenager, I had always wanted to participate in a trip like this but never had the opportunity, so this trip filled that hole in my heart- especially since it meant that I could help my own kids have this experience also.
This was the first time Miles and Gwen had been on a plane, so that was really fun. We flew from Boise to San Diego, then rented big vans and drove over the border. Our first stop was Costco, to stock up on food for the week. Then we drove about an hour into Mexico to a small rural town near Ensenada and Tiajuana and got settled at the Door Of Faith Orphanage. We got dinner at a very humble family owned taco shop, played some late night soccer with the kids and went to bed.
The next day we got to work. We had fundraised enough to provide concrete to protect one of the buildings from flooding every rainy season. Once we started working with the concrete, it was clear we didn't need all of us there, so most of the boys stayed to work with the concrete, and the girls worked in the office stuffing envelopes for fundraising purposes. Once the kids were out of school, we orchestrated games and activities to play with them. We ended every night with a devotional and then usually the kids played Mafia. :)
The next day was more of the same! Boys worked the concrete, girls stuffed envelopes, we played with and loved on the kids. For dinner that night, we hired a local lady who does catering out of her home to provide dinner for us. Authentic enchiladas and guacamole- YUM
The next day was our tourist day. We started the day at a market and the kids practiced bargaining and bought some fun things. Gwen bought some earrings, I bought a mortar and pestle and a wooden spoon. Some shop owners were trying to sell Miles fireworks, so they kept calling him Justin Beiber and gave him a few freebies to light off in the street. :) Then we headed to a very fancy restaurant called "Encanto". It was right on the beach and the atmosphere was super cool. Then we headed to the beach! We couldn't do much swimming in deep water because the lifeguards told us there were riptides, but the kids had fun in the cold water nonetheless, finding shells and playing frisbee. Some of the kids chose to ride horses on the beach. When we got back to the orphanage, we had another catered, local meal that was delicious.
The last day we woke up early so that we could to baptisms at the Tiajuana temple before our flight. This was a highlight for me, and not only because the temple had air conditioning and excellent plumbing. :) The spirit was so strong and I couldn't hold back the tears. We then crossed the border, and that was an experience in and of itself! On the way into Mexico, they barely looked at our ID. On the way back into the US, the lines were huge and long. The Mexican people there know you'll be in your car for a while, so they set up shop along the roads, selling all sorts of stuff. Elderly, disabled, young kids, moms with babies all hoping you'll open your window and give them money. It's hard. We had enough time to stop at the Mormon Batallion Historic site in San Diego before our flight, so that was a fun bonus! Then one easy flight and we were home! Richie and the kids worked so hard all week, covering our normal responsibilities in order to make this trip happen. Bless them.
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