A letter by Leslie Carmichael and Bob Leer
Building Homes in Mexico
We are pleased to report another successful Mission Trip building a home in Mexico. Los Altos UMC began organizing these trips in the 1980s as a youth trip and has done these trips almost annually since 1997 as an intergenerational trip. The Mission was in cooperation with AMOR Ministries.
The 13-person Team, including members of Los Altos UMC and Eureka UMC, worked with a Mexican family to construct a new two-room home to replace their current structure, made of wood scraps with a dirt floor, a tarped roof, and doors. The family was able to work side-by-side with the team as the Dad works the night shift at the Taylor Guitar factory, and the children, ages 11 and 9, were on their spring break from school. The Team also made time to have fun with the children, including playing soccer, chess, speaking Spanish, and listening to the 11-year-old play the violin.
The Amor program requires that the family has purchased the lot or is making payments on it. But the wages in Mexico, $165 per week for this family, make it very difficult to build a house without assistance.
We know that when a family has a weather-tight home, it affects more than just their quality of life – it also directly impacts their ability to invest in health, education, and food for their household. This year, one of the teens on the Team had done additional research and reported that the benefits of homeownership extend well beyond income. Children of families that own homes are three times more likely to remain in school. Homes with solid flooring reduce parasitic infections by 78 percent, lower rates of diarrhea by 49 percent, and significantly enhance children’s cognitive development.
On the last day of work, housewarming gifts and handmade quilts supplied by the two participating churches were provided to the family, along with prayers for years of health and happiness in their new house. The Team was invited to visit the family next year, which will definitely be part of next year’s plan!
The Trip in a Nutshell:
The purpose of our house-building trip to Mexico is two-fold: (1) to provide a basic home according to the standards and needs of the village in which we work, and (2) to build a community of love within our team and with the Mexican families who work with us for the week.
We sleep in tents pitched in a basic campground operated by AMOR Ministries, work full days in the Mexican sun, rain or wind and shower with water warmed only by the sun. This trip will change your life as you get to know and fall in love with the people of Mexico who live in these conditions every day. We are guests in Mexico; although we have much to give, we also have much to receive from these inspiring and loving people.
We will work with AMOR Ministries, who have been operating in Mexico since 1980. The AMOR house we will build is a simple wood-frame/stucco structure that requires no power tools – so that everyone on the team can do just about any task. No previous construction experience or skills are necessary. The trip is open to ages 5 and older.
You can see a slide show of our 2024 trip here (thanks to Terry):
Cost of the trip:
Aged 9 and under: $350 ($100 deposit due at signup)
Aged 10 and over: $500 ($200 deposit due at signup)
Do not let money stand in the way of your participation!
Ask Leslie Carmichael (see contact information below) about available mission scholarships for LAUMC participants.
A 3% charge will be added to all credit card payments to cover the cost of processing.
We do accept ACH/checking account payments for no additional fee.