After spending 34 hours in a caravan with 25 other people from Colorado, I arrived at Project Mexico during the big OBT(Orthodox Basic Training) session. Starting out the week I had the assumption that I was there to give to others, show them hope, service and love. This has been my goal, having been on countless mission trips. As the week passed I was surprised to notice my many faults, and selfish tendencies, and realized that I had so much to learn and receive.

I was impressed with the friends I made so easily, how approachable other workers from around the country were, and how humble and positive the interns were about all the hard work. Also known as “the Ranch”, Project Mexico over many years has created workers, and leaders who have developed a sense of peace and an aspiration of hope. Even when one of our drivers in our caravan got pulled over for taking pictures of the police in Rosarito, the courteous and stress-free attitude of our leader Niko amazed me. With no tension or worry and with a huge smile on his face he approached the cop and smoothed over the whole situation. His optimism showed me the effect Project Mexico has on a person.

In my experience, many past mission trips have stressed quantity more than quality. “How many houses can we make, how many people can we convert?” Even though our house building group was large enough to build two houses instead of one, that was not the goal. Project Mexico works on developing friendships with the neighborhood kids and building hope for families in Mexico. I thought I would feel a sense of encouragement for the people living in poverty, but I actually received more encouragement from them. Noami, who we built the house for, had so little and yet gave us sacrifice and service. The quality of her giving was better than building an extra house. She was out there working with us during the only hours she had away from work, and even made lunch for us on our last day.

These two experiences of optimism and service gave me the assurance that I can change. One week is never long enough to completely set me free from my faults. But it did give me a glimpse of who I am and what I can be. I don’t want to forget what I learned and I don’t want to be the same person I was when I left home. Project Mexico will always need volunteers, donations and prayers but to continue the work that Project Mexico really does is to continue to grow and change within ourselves. I once thought that we were supposed to only give and serve, until I found that I was given more. Now I’ve seen and understand what Project Mexico does, it gives everyone the desire to transform themselves.

“The rich man is not the one who has collected many possessions but the one who needs few possessions and the poor man is not the one who has few possessions but one who has many desires” ~ St. John Chrysostom

“We are not to look on the people here as less than us with pity and condescension, but to view them as equals having different struggles and a different path of salvation…we are only here to give them what we can. ‘To whom much is given much is expected in return”. – Niko (an intern at Project Mexico)

Rachael Billings
Project Mexico Colorado Team 2010