Levelled and Trowelled

Every year since 2005, to mark the 100th anniversary of Grace, Calgary, a group of us has driven down to Mexico to build homes. The smallest group was 11, the largest counted 94; with children from age 11 to young – at – heart in their 70s. Grace and Westminster, Calgary, have partnered on this mission since 2006; with involvement of folks from St. Andrew’s, Calgary, and St. Andrew’s, Lethbridge, along with Anglican, Baptist and Roman Catholic friends. It’s been one of our most effective intergenerational and inter – congregational activities. For every 15 of us, we can build a home—putting a solid, dry roof over a family in need. Over the years we have built homes for more than 20 families.

This year, three 15 – passenger vans with trailers hauling tools, camping gear and luggage left for the 2,700 – kilometre drive to Tijuana, Mexico, on March 22. It was filled with great conversations, new friends made, old friendship deepened.

Three days later we were at the offices of Amor Ministries in San Diego, California. Established 30 years ago to help address the acute shortage of basic housing in northern Mexico, Amor now has pastors and community workers on the ground in the most needy communities along the U.S. – Mexico border. A notable exception is Ciudad Juarez, which has become a drug war battleground for the last few years and is unsafe for mission teams. Through volunteer teams like ours, Amor has facilitated the building of over 20,000 homes, an average of almost 700 each year. Groups come from all over Canada and the U.S., and some have even come from the U.K. and South Africa.

We cross into Mexico and settle in at the Amor campsite at a farm on the outskirts of Tijuana. The team enjoys a great dinner prepared by La Concina, a catering team of local pastors’ wives and community workers, followed by stories and songs around the campfire.

March 25, 6:30 a.m.: Breakfast, devotional, into the vans and off to our build sites to meet the families and start work by 8:30 a.m. Each recipient family works with us to build their home. It’s critical on the first day to get the concrete pad completed, a demanding and sweat – inducing task. The site has to be cleared and leveled, a form made for the concrete, cement and aggregate mixed by hand and poured into the form to be levelled and trowelled.

While some of the team focus on that, others are measuring, cutting and assembling lumber for the wall and roof sections. This work takes the whole day and must be done correctly for the project to continue.

At 5:30 p.m., a weary and dusty team piles back in the vans for the trip to the camp where lukewarm showers and a delicious dinner await. After that it’s campfire time and most are dead to the world by 9:30.

March 26: Up at 6:30. Today we finish the wall and a roof section. The roof is sheathed with particleboard and covered with tarpaper and rolled asphalt shingle.
March 27 and 28: Each house receives a mesh of medium – gauge wire tightly secured with nails. Next a layer of tarpaper is stapled over the wire mesh. Then overlapping layers of chicken wire are stretched tight over the tarpaper (it’s hard on the fingers; blisters are common). Two windows and the door are installed. Once that’s all in place, the first coat of stucco is hand mixed and trowelled onto the walls, a messy but fun job as long as none is dropped on you from above! The recipient family receives the keys to their new home, along with the handmade quilts and other gifts we’ve brought for them.

The next day we start our travel back home. Ten days, 5,400 kilometres, and three families who have received dry, secure homes, and wonderful friendships and memories made. Thanks be to God!