Greetings Bourgade Catholic Alumni, Parents, and Friends. I hope everyone enjoyed their spring break and had a blessed Easter. Over the break, Bourgade Catholic held its annual Mexico Mission trip. This year’s voyage to Rocky Point, Mexico marks the 11th consecutive Mexico Mission trip on behalf of the Bourgade Catholic community. Eighty-one members of the BC community, including 67 students, participated in the construction of homes #26, #27, and #28. Similar to last year, I thought I would share some of my experience with the BC community. Many people work hard at putting on the trip, but a special thank you goes to Carol Caruso and Rich Browner for their leadership.
Rocky Point, Mexico—Day 2 of Building
For the third time in as many minutes, the rooster next door crowed another roaring cluck while he waltzed around his makeshift cage. As the students unloaded their tools and building materials from our truck, I wasn’t sure if our crew could withstand the constant cackling for a second straight day. However, as the hammers began to swing, the students of Bourgade Catholic made it clear who would rule the roost. Before long, the pesky little bird became nothing more than a backdrop to a melody of pounding, sifting, and sawing. Across the sand road, three boys stood atop the roof of their fragile home, courageously flying their kites in between dangling power lines. Their new toys were courtesy of Mr. Boles, Bourgade Catholic’s Kung Fu Instructor. The ease with which they flew them was courtesy of a steady wind—the same wind that was dumping piles of sand into many of our tents back at the campsite.
As I climbed the ladder onto the roof of our house, the view was like something out of a science fiction novel. Scanty homes made from plywood, tarps, and loose debris stretched as far as the eye could see. It was almost as if 5,000 homeless families stumbled upon a landfill and built their community out of their findings. On occasion, you could spot a ‘normal’ house interspersed among the vast assortment of flimsy huts. But, just like the towering collection of fancy hotel resorts that lined the beach a few miles away, they only seemed to remind us of the disparity that brought us down to Mexico in the first place.
The location of our three construction sites, in relation to each other, was noticeably different than the previous years’ design. This year, I could hit a 7-iron from my site to either one of the other homes we were building. Last year, I never even laid eyes on either one of the other homes—we were all playing on different courses. Our close proximity seemed to intensify the deep sense of purpose that already permeates the trip to begin with. You could almost feel the others nearby, and the elevated view I had while we assembled our roof allowed me to see it. With the Williams house to our right, and the Caruso house directly ahead, it strengthened our belief that we were bridging a gap to those resorts over to the left.
Last year I was amazed at how a bunch of teenagers could possibly build three houses, from the ground up, with no power. Correction: from the sand up. It was so astonishing to me that I never got past the mere fact of how they accomplished the end result. So this year I decided to pay more attention to the manner in which they were doing it, which is equally impressive. The spirit of collaboration among these kids is unbelievable. The passion they exude is inspiring. The pride they take in their work is distinct. They are just as determined as they are organized. When the desert sun, hung high in the cloudless sky, began to take its toll on them, I watched as they drew strength from their faith. And when that ran out, they drew strength from each other. As several of the seniors reflected fireside on the final night, they “just keep on coming on.”
The highlight of my trip this year, aside from presenting our family their new home, was having a chance to visit the family we worked with last year. I formed a strong connection with Karen and Magdalena, the two sisters of the Valenzuela-Cisnevos family. On our final evening down in Mexico, a carload of us meandered up and down the unmarked streets searching for their house. On our third attempt, we finally located their house and pulled up along side it as we parked the van. Just as I was going to knock on the door, Magdalena came around the side of the house, the younger of the two girls. There was something uniquely soothing about the look on her face when she saw me. Without hesitation, she calmly said my name out loud as she gave my right leg a hug. If there was ever a moment confirming the power of the Mexico Mission trip, this was it. She remembered me.
The hour-long visit back to their home is one of the many examples of why I feel blessed to be apart of the BC community, because you can’t put the look Magdalena had on her face into a paycheck. The fact the girls remembered me certainly made my day. However, what they really remembered were the students of Bourgade Catholic, and how they changed their lives. I just happened to be the guy kicking a soccer ball around with them while they were doing it. Even at such a young age, they realized the impact a group of high school kids had on their family. Their delight in seeing the group of us back at their house is a testament to what an extraordinary experience the Mexico Mission trip is, both for the families we serve and for the BC community alike.
If you think of Bourgade Catholic as a giant machine, then the Mexico Mission trip would be one of those hidden gears tucked away in the middle of our contraption. While it occasionally goes unnoticed, it’s vital to the engine that is Bourgade Catholic, and it’s constantly in motion—long after these students return back to campus. Sure, the trip is centered on the construction of homes for the less fortunate. But these kids don’t just build three houses. They build more character in four days than most people do in a year. They build relationships, not only with the family they are assigned, but with each other. Most importantly, every time that parade of vans and trucks makes the trek to Mexico, they build our community.
Most high school students sit in a classroom and talk about the mission of their school. Ours live it.
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