By Dave Gladson, Year-Long Intern

It’s funny when the student whom you thought wasn’t paying attention is the one who teaches you something…

It gets pretty busy down on the worksites, trying to show everyone how to do all the different jobs that come together to create a house, while at the same time trying to keep them safe and making sure that the house gets built well.  It’s easy sometimes to focus on the ones who are eager to learn and who seem to get it.  When there is a student who seems to lack a desire to work it’s easy to lose track of them while you are running around doing everything else.

Last week there was a girl in one of my groups who seemed like she would rather be anywhere else than in Mexico working on a house.  I tried showing her some of the basics, like how to hold a hammer, and found her some projects to work on.  But about ten minutes later I would usually spot her sitting down playing with the children from the family and after 3 or 4 attempts at this I shifted my focus onto other participants.

On day four we finished the house and spent some time praying with the family.  Then it was time to head out.  Guess who the family said the warmest goodbyes too?  Yup, the one who I had thought wasn’t very engaged in the project.  She had spent a lot of time hanging out with the family and playing games with their children, and she had built up a great rapport with them.  It was then that I remembered the house that we build is not the most important part of the trip.  The relationships with the family and with the local church are way more important than the actual building that we build.

That girl, who I had been trying to teach all week, taught me a great lesson!

This post is the last in a series of six written by our Project Nexus team members. Project Nexus is a 10-week summer internship experience for anyone ages 18-25. These Project Nexus team members are splitting their time between three of Amor’s locations working with groups in Tijuana, Rosarito and San Carlos.  To read the last post in this series click here.

By Leah Stewart

Last week, I worked with a group from Dunellen, New Jersey whom I had a ton of fun with. This group was mainly made up of people who have never been on an Amor Mission Trip before.  Two of the sons of the family they were building for worked in construction for a living, so the group was able to work along side the family all week.  Having the ability to work with the family allowed for the connection between the group from Dunellen and the family to grow quite strong.  It was definitely enjoyable to see the relationships grow between them throughout the week.

My favorite part of the week came at the end of the week when the group dedicated the house to the family.  This dedication was especially exciting since the group had gotten so close with the family.  The group became emotional as they reminisced on the memories they had made throughout the week.  When the group handed the keys to the family, everyone was filled with joy for the family and their new home and sadness for the departure of their new friends.

This was the first house dedication I was able to be apart of this summer which is why I was so excited about it.  For me, the house dedication is the best part of the entire trip.  The dedication allows you to look at the work that has been done during the week physically on the house and spiritually and emotionally in the hearts of the families.  At this point in the week, I always remember how little I am and how big God is. Still, He uses me to build this home for a family in need; He allows me to be apart of His story.

This post is the fifth in a series of six written by our Project Nexus team members. Project Nexus is a 10-week summer internship experience for anyone ages 18-25. These Project Nexus team members are splitting their time between three of Amor’s locations working with groups in Tijuana, Rosarito and San Carlos.  To read the last post in this series click here.

By Leah Melvin

Last week was the Project Nexus week of service. Service Week is where we spend the week working around the office or at camp rather than in the field. We spent the week doing yard work with Howard Major and making phone calls to past donors. At first I was nervous to call people and thank them for their donations because I am not a good phone person. However, everyone was really nice, and I ended up loving it! I got to personally thank at least 15 people for their financial donations to many of Amor’s programs. It was a fantastic experience. When it came to the yard work, I was really excited because it was something new and sounded fun. I love getting out there and doing the work for myself. We did a lot of clean up around the front of the building such as raking leaves and debris, taking out bushes, and replanting Lilies of the Nile. It was great being able to work with Howard and others in the office.

The Friday night before Service Week, Howard stayed at camp with us and asked the questions, “Why is this week considered ‘service’? What have you been doing all summer?” This really got me thinking and I came up with a few differences that I saw:

• We did the serving rather than helping participants serve.
• We are considered “servant leaders” in the field but at the office we served the staff.
• We got to see a different side of the Ministry.

As Nexus, when we work in Mexico with groups, we work along side them rather than going in and doing the work ourselves. When working at the office for our Service Week, we are the ones doing all the work and get to see the office side of the Ministry. Normally when I come down on Amor Misison Trips with my group, I do not even get to see this side of the Ministry and all the logistics that go into coming on a trip. It is amazing to be able to see the love of God and hard work in the workplace. I loved every second of work that I did in the office. However, I also love what I get to do week after week in the field. It is great to be able to see all the different aspects of Amor and get to know how everything is put together. Service Week was a great and Project Nexus is the most fantastic experience I could have ever asked for!

This post is the fourth in a series of six written by our Project Nexus team members. Project Nexus is a 10-week summer internship experience for anyone ages 18-25. These Project Nexus team members are splitting their time between three of Amor’s locations working with groups in Tijuana, Rosarito and San Carlos.  To read the last post in this series click here.

By Greg Lesnewich, Project Nexus Intern

Two weeks ago, I had the chance to visit a house that my home church, The Presbyterian Church at New Providence, and I built back in 2009. It was in Maclovio Rojas, a neighborhood due west of Rancho camp, centered around a giant, 30 foot or so statute of the Lady of Guadalajara. Most of the houses were built on extremely loose dirt, and supported by retaining walls made of tires. Going back to see the family, especially in such a memorable neighborhood, with the Lady of Guadalajara statue and hilarious moments experienced by my group was amazing to re-live by itself.

Walking up the crumbling dirt towards the sites I had worked on brought on a feeling of accomplishment, but not for what I had done. Seeing what God had used me for, and for those blessings that were evidently multiplying in all of the Amor houses in the neighborhood was incredible. Coming up to the house seeing the stained glass cross my church had given them still hanging in the window, two years later, made me incredibly happy, especially to know that the house is under the Lord’s protection, and that the family has not forgotten that He has blessed them with a home.

Knocking on the door and entering the home to see a family completely living in, using and appreciating the house my group built was indescribable. It literally made me feel warm and joyous and just… awe-struck. It was awesome in the true sense of the word. I remember floating for the entire rest of the day. The daughter at one of the houses the group built remembered me, which was unreal. To be remembered, to be appreciated, to see our hard work put into use… indescribable.  Easily the highlight of the summer, which is ironic, seeing as how I can barely describe what occurred that day. I will forever make sure that groups nail their fire blocks in straight, after seeing the family use almost every fire block for storage or display inside of their house. They had set up a kitchen in the front room, and a bed area in the back with a crib for their 18 month old toddler. They had art, posters, flowers, bottles, a refrigerator and a television, but they said that the walls were the most important part and the most beautiful thing in the house.

To have the rare chance to go back and see the work of the Lord multiplying and bringing joy to those who served and who were served was just plain awesome. The happiness and laughter brought from both sides of this mini-reunion showed how evident it was that God really made a change in the hearts of both me as a builder and the family. Just know, after you complete the house, it will continue to bless the family, day after day, for years and years to come, and let that be a source of encouragement, to know that the Lord continues to work, before and after we have leave.

This post is the third in a series of six written by our Project Nexus team members. Project Nexus is a 10-week summer internship experience for anyone ages 18-25. These Project Nexus team members are splitting their time between three of Amor’s locations working with groups in Tijuana, Rosarito and San Carlos.  To read the last post in this series click here.

By Sarah Woods

I have a playlist of songs that I put together after a very challenging and life changing Amor Mission Trip exactly three years ago.  It contains the songs that we had listened to and focused on during our week in Mexico, songs that came to mind during those bittersweet moments that brought our team together and made us a stronger family.  As I’m listening to these songs tonight for the first time this summer, I’m taken back to that trip and I can remember it like it was yesterday.

I participated on one more Amor Mission Trip after that year and I somehow felt even more connected to Mexico and the integrity of the trip with my youth group.  I missed the annual trip in 2010 because of a summer job opportunity, and I was really bummed.  When I made the decision to apply for and later accept this Project Nexus opportunity I was really excited that I was going to be experiencing this week-long mission experience that I loved for a whole summer.  It wasn’t until two weeks into the program when we were building our training house that it really hit me: I get to be a part of something bigger this summer, because not only do I get to witness God’s love being shown to these families every week through the house-building process, but I also get to be a part of a new group each week experiencing that same love and camaraderie that I loved so much about my Amor Mission Trips in high school.

It has been an adventure these past five weeks working in the field, but I have noticed one common pattern.  The Mexican people are full of never ending hospitality and over flowing joy, no matter what their situation.  This past Sunday two other Nexus and I went to Pastor Cesar’s church in Rosarito and were invited to lunch at his house after the service.  Pastor Cesar serves on Amor’s Ministry Planning Board in Baja California.  I speak very limited Spanish so there wasn’t much I could do at this lunch except eat the wonderful food and just watch.  Even though I had no idea what was being said for the most part, I could feel an overwhelming sense of love and fellowship to the point where I had to join in on the laughter even if I missed the joke.

I’ve realized this summer that coming to Mexico is about so much more than building a house and bonding with your team.  It’s also about building relationships with the Mexican people, even if there is a language barrier.  Because God’s love overcomes any barriers.