This camp promises to
be a true mission experience. Mission is not about ‘doing’. It is about
‘being’ . . . being with the people, living their lives, experiencing
their culture, eating their food and building relationships. Our
experience includes learning about Mexico; the reality of the border,
women’s rights, immigration, factories, coops, community kitchens, and
small faith communities by two locals Frans and Boni Ingelberts.
Fans & Boni
Under the Bridge
Community
Kitchen
We will be serving in Piedras Negras,
Mexico, a city in Coahuila state,
Mexico, located north of Saltillo. Piedras Negras (Spanish for ‘black
rocks’) is just across the Rio Grande from Eagle Pass Texas. This
welcoming city that invites stories of progress and friendship is called
La Puerta de Mexico (Mexico's
Door) because of the flow of commercial traffic and people that pass
through it. Throughout its history, the enormous ability that this city
has had for adaptation has been the essential factor that has given shape
to the Piedras Negras of today. The door to our country, its strategic
geographical location has been unified with the attributes of its land and
people to create an attractive destination with very unique qualities. Its
complete tourist, business and service infrastructures are part of the
current, modern image of a city in constant transformation, and yet it
still maintains a great potential for development and things to offer.
The inhabitants are mostly factory
laborers, and earn meager wages for a day’s work. The relative remoteness
and isolation creates real human need. Government resources are sparse,
and inadequate to deal with the problem. The people themselves are
victims of circumstances of life that they are powerless to change. They
are poverty stricken of material goods, but a gentle, faithful, proud
people with personal dignity and a gracious, hospitable spirit.
Church groups
will remain together for the week. Some will be living in individual
orphanages, eating their meals there, working there and building
relationships with the children. Others will be living at the retreat
center, eating their meals there, working in the community there and
building relationships with the local children and families. We will come
together each night at the retreat center for Glory and Praise, prayer and
reflection.
We will be
interacting and working in 4 different orphanages, each housing different
numbers of children ranging in age from 6 months to 13 years old. Many of
the children in the orphanages are not adoptable. They have parents but
may have been taken from their family because of drugs, abuse or
prostitution. Others may have been abandoned. They are all beautiful
children of God longing for love and attention.
We will be building
faith – we will be sharing God’s love.
What are
your travel options?
Sunday
groups will need to either drive to Eagle Pass Texas or fly into the San
Antonio International Airport or the Del Rio International Airport and
rent vehicles. San Antonio International Airport is about a 2 ½ hour
drive to the border. Del Rio International Airport is located about 1
hour from the border. Someone with CHWC will meet groups at the border
and guide them to the retreat center for check-in and registration. If a
group does not have their own transportation a bus will take campers
across the border to the retreat center for check-in and registration.
Orientation and Mass will take place at the retreat center in the evening
after everyone has settled in.
Who
should go on this mission trip?
This mission
experience is ideal for mature teens and their adult leaders. We prefer
veteran workcampers. We recommend those entering 10th grade and higher
register. We ask for one adult for every five teens.
What about
background checks of adults working with the teens?
All adult campers
will have to verify they have had a background check according to their
Diocesan policy. All adults working with Catholic HEART Workcamp are
required to have a background check in order to assure the safety of the
young people.
Where will
be housed? Where will we stay?
Groups will be
housed at different locations. Some campers will be housed at “Perpetuo
Socorro” Perpetual Help Retreat Center. Others at one of the local
orphanages: Casa de Nazareth Nino Hogar (Boys Catholic Orphanage), Casa
De Nazareth Nina Hogar (Girls Catholic Orphanage) ,
Casa de Misericordia (Methodist Orphanage), or
Casa Embajadores de Cristo (Baptist Orphanage). All missionaries
will come together at night for Praise & Worship, Prayer and Reflection at
the retreat center. Some campers will have a bed of their own while some
may crash on a mattress on the floor or on an air mattress.
Perpetuo Socorro Retreat Center
Casa de Nazareth Nino Hogar
Casa De Nazareth Nina Hogar
Casa de Misericordia
Casa Embajadores de Cristo
Where will we eat?
The
meals are Mexican cuisine prepared by local cooks. Everything is delicious
although not always what we are accustomed to eating in America. Each
group will eat their meals at the location they are assigned for the day.
How many
teens and adults will be in each location? Are the girls all
together and guys all together regarding the sleeping arrangements?
The number at each
location will vary according to space available. Youth groups will be
assigned together for the week. Girls, boys and male and female
chaperones will have separate sleeping quarters. Each orphanage or
retreat center is diverse in size and will sleep a different amount of
people.
What will
the days consist of?
Keeping in mind
that this is a mission experience, Monday through Thursday will include
minor work in and around the orphanages or surrounding community in the
mornings and spending time building relationships with the children in the
afternoons which may include planned activities such as crafts and
activities, movies, and one afternoon at a local water park. Thursday
afternoon will include a fiesta at one of the orphanages which will
include competitive games, music, soccer, basketball, music and a weenie
roast. Friday is a free day at the local market and Saturday is a travel
day to your home town.
Are there
any dress code guidelines?
Dress guidelines
follow all other CHWC rules. Campers may wear shorts but t-shirts must
have sleeves. No tank tops or sleeveless shirts are allowed. Swim suits
are needed for the water park but girls must wear one piece bathing suits
only.
What about
camper safety?
Safety is a primary
concern and CHWC is very focused on providing a safe, secure and protected
environment. Any mission journey traveling out of the country though,
involves an element of risk and hazard. There are some necessary
precautions that CHWC takes in order to ensure your physical and emotional
safety. A journey out of the country often involves more hazards than
staying in one's local town to do service work. Poverty and living
conditions in Mexico are far below American standards. For instance: the
average Mexican lives on less then $40 USD a week. One of the beauties of
traveling out of the country on a mission trip is to experience first hand
poverty, to see how blessed we are in the USA and how much work needs to
be done to overcome the social injustice that is so prevalent in other
countries.. The "have" and "the have not" is obvious. The mission trip to
Mexico will not shelter the campers. They will see first hand poverty and
the effects it has on a country.
What about
Crime/ Drugs/Alcohol in Mexico?
Campers are
responsible for their actions in Mexico just as they would in the U.S.,
only in Mexico the court systems are different and you have no rights.
Under NO circumstances is a team member to accept, purchase, handle,
touch, or use illegal drugs or alcohol, responsibility of such actions
will be left to the individual and handled by local authorities. Trust us,
you do not want to be thrown into a Mexican jail. CHWC is not responsible
nor can we represent you in case you are charged or arrested while in
Mexico.
What about
emergencies that might come up?
An American
interpreter will be present at each orphanage and retreat with phone and
immediate transportation access to local medical facilities. At any
given time we are only 10-20 minutes from the border, therefore if at all
possible campers will be taken across the border to the U.S for medical
treatment.
What about
construction materials on the Worksites:
In other countries, construction and work project materials take on a
whole new meaning than experienced in the U.S.A. At times this will
be frustrating, you will have to adjust to limited tools and inconvenient
and inefficient methods of construction. For example, when it comes to
cement mixing it normally involves a high degree of manual labor.
Mexico has a limited supply of cement mixers or cement trucks that can
pour concrete. In Mexico to mix cement, we will use buckets to mix water,
rock, and cement, and then pass it from person to person before it’s
poured to make a cement floor.
What happens on the
FREE DAY ?
We will be going to
the Zaragoza Market for the free day. This folkloric
commercial center contains over 150 shops where one is able to buy a
variety of original arts and crafts from the state: vases, leather
articles, crystal, clay and ceramic, as well as regional candy. All at
very reasonable prices. The
Market is within walking distance El Santuario de Nuestra
Senora de Guadalupe Church (Built in 1859 of
ashlar, cement and wood, this church has survived the battles of the
Cristero movement in 1927 and an explosion in 1934, leading to its
renovation in 1935. The construction of its current towers began in
1950). Across the street is a nice little plaza and there are many
small shops for shopping and window shopping.
(campers will have to pay for their own lunch and souvenir shopping)
Zaragoza Market
El
Santuario de Nuestra Plaza
How much
will this trip cost?
Deposit $75.00 (non
refundable).
Registration
$395.00 (minus deposit) - transportation including airfare not included
What does the cost include?
Practically everything! Included are lodging, food, ground transportation
in and around Piedras Negras, insurance, tips, cultural exposure events,
work project materials (tools/supplies), departure taxes, CHWC t-shirts,
CHWC staff, donations to orphanages, water park, free day for campers, and
various other costs. You will have to pay for one meal (fast food) on the
free day at the market and any souvenirs you want.
What do I
need to bring?
Passport
Mexico is a foreign country and in order to leave the
United States you will need a passport.
Please take care of this early this process may take longer than
expected, sometimes up to
several months. For more information, passport acceptance facility and a
passport application go to
www.travel.state.gov/passport/passport
Bedding
Air mattress and
sheets are needed. You might want to bring a beach towel for the water
park and a towel is needed for showers. You may bring your own pillow
but it is your responsibility to carry and care for it.
Clothing
It is very warm and
humid this time of the year in Mexico so bring lightweight clothing.
Please remember CHWC has a dress code and this still applies in Mexico. No
tank tops or sleeveless shirts at all, sleeves must be present at all
times. Remember to bring clothes for working.
Luggage
You are limited to
one medium-size suitcase and one carry-on bag for all belongings. Please
plan on leaving room in your luggage for some team materials. You may
carry snacks or candy with you but it must be able to be sealed against
insects. No fresh fruit or produce of any kind is allowed between
countries.
What to
pack?
___ air mattress
___ shower stuff
___ writing materials ___
personal hygiene items
___ spending money ___
comfortable shoes
___ special medications ___
hat
___ sunscreen and lots of it ___
passport
What NOT
to pack?
___ hair dryers
___ curling irons
___ straighteners
Please keep in mind
that resources such as electricity are limited therefore we need to be
mindful of items that need electricity so that we do not blow a fuse.
Food:
Part of our mission
is to experience a cross-cultural lifestyle and enjoy all that the country
we are visiting has to offer. You should not drink the water in Mexico
therefore we will provide you with your drinking water. We will be
blessed with cooks from that country and they will be blessing us with
tropical foods of their culture. You will primarily be eating the same
foods in-country that you eat at home, only prepared differently. We
would certainly not want to do anything to offend these servants of God as
they bless us during our missionary journey. Therefore, you need to try a
little bit of all that is served. If you don’t really care for a
particular item, you don’t have to eat any more of it and, at the same
time, you haven’t left food on your plate to be wasted. If you do like it,
you can always go back for more, assuming there is any left. In serving
yourself, please remember that you are part of a team and there are others
on the team that will need to be served. Please keep any derogatory
remarks about the food to yourself.
POINTS TO
REMEMBER:
-
The people of the country you are visiting are just as proud of their
country as you are of yours. While things may be done differently
here than in the U.S., that is not to say we do them better. This is a
beautiful country of beautiful people …do all you can to encourage them.
-
For the duration of this missionary journey, you will be a part of a team
of many members. Everything you do reflects and affects each and every
team member. If one of us is late, all of us are late. If one of us
offends, we are all seen as offensive. Begin to think of yourself even
now as a member of a team. Encourage one another, be sensitive to each
other’s needs, and pray for one another. See how you can be a servant to
each other this week.
-
While we will be doing a variety of activities on this mission trip, this
journey is about relationships. If we do everything else well, but fail
in building relationships with the people in the orphanages and in the
community and with each other, then we will have failed in what we came to
do.
