All The World Needs is Beans, Rice and Pizza

Today, appropriately and almost poetically, we celebrated the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Liturgy was once again celebrated beautifully in several languages including Spanish, English, Greek, and Serbian. We then proceeded with a noticable skip in our step to break the fast.

After breakfast, three of our work groups had a stucco party with a nice portion of our back wall, while the fourth visited their worksite for the last time to bless their house. In the afternoon, the groups took turns visiting the beach for some fun in the sun and chilly Pacific water.
The evening debriefing session consisted of impromptu lyric composition, an informative and inspiring address from our dearest Val Yova, and a moving oration from one of our oldest boys about the suppport and upbringing that all those involved in Project Mexico have helped to provide. We would like to echo his words of thanks to you all, for it is only with your help and the grace of God that we can continue our ministry and service.

In the morning we will send our groups back to their homes across the country, in the hopes that they will carry out God´s word just as his disciples did.

Los Totopos Galacticos

On the 5th day we rested. Sunday morning comenzed with over 100 people filling our tent Cathedral for services. It was a joy to have 5 priests from all over the U.S. serving the Liturgy, assisted by a few of our young alter boys.


Spike! Basket! Gooooooal! Score! After Liturgy this morning we had an afternoon filled with sports-The Third Annual OBT Sports Spectacular! From watching Fr. Ted show his mad skills on the court to the enthusiastic show as point gaurd from one of our youngest boys here at the orphanage the day was a great success. To round out the afternoon we an epic showdown between the OBT All-Star Team and Los Totopos Galacticos*, the Orphanage home team sporting their flashy red jerseys. While the contingent OBT team did well representing the Americans, Los Totopos Galacticos won 8-5. Go Team!

*For those of you among our avid readers who do not hablar en español Los Totopos Galacticos significa Galactic Tortilla Chips.

The Icing on the Cake

It´s hard to believe that day four has already come and gone, but hard work and good company will do that. From foundation to framing, stucco to smooshed PB&J sandwiches, it´s been a wonderful few days of work here in Mexico. On stucco day, however, all of us that have been building begin to realize that the structure that we have simply viewed as ¨our work¨ is really a structure that will hopefully provide shelter for our family for years to come. It´s almost incomprehensible that we can actually give a family this type of gift. Praying for the family and handing over the keys is always an emotional experience, no matter how many houses you´ve built in Mexico. Today´s house blessings were no different.




According to Madi, our seasoned site leader, stucco day is like frosting a giant cake. The house blessing is like eating the cake - Mm, good! Glory to God.

A New Experience

Workday three has come and gone here in the Mexican sun, and some tired group members are now "rejuvenating themselves" by playing basketball and soccer with the boys all afternoon - crazy Americans!

The day began with some tired faces in chapel, but we gained some collective strength over breakfast and by the time we arrived at our work site we had hit our stride. Eager hands helped with the roofing and shingling, which we finished by lunch. While we ate, one of our group members gave his necklace to Christian, the son of the family for whom we are building. Christian, who had been eying the necklace since day one, suddenly became very quiet and teared up a bit. Although I've seen the mothers and fathers of our families show this type of emotion, this was a new experience for me, and I was very touched.

The afternoon of chicken wiring and door-fitting went smoothly, and we were able to finish ahead of schedule and make it back to the orphanage at around four o'clock. Sitting here on the stadium steps, watching the youngest of St. Innocents boys playing basketball against some of the older group members, I'm amazed at how Project Mexico brings people of all ages and walks of life together.

As my preceding blogger would have put it - today was a day that was spent following the rainbow to a pot of spiritual blessings! I'm looking forward to dinner, evening prayers, and the poverty wheel discussion, a fitting end to a great day. Hasta manana.

Over the Rainbow

As I sit outside the boys' Tiendita listening to "The Bamba" play inside, I listen to happy group members recounting their work days to each other:
-Dude, did you see me pounding that nail?!
-Yeah man, and I totally squared that roof.
-Awesome.
Framing day is my personal favorite as well. When we arrive, we have nothing more than a cement slab. But when we leave after a long day of nailing and sawing, we can already see the structure of a home. The excitement was not only mine and the group members'; it was evident in the face of the mother of our family as well as she witnessed the walls go up after much pounding. As I finish this post, the music coming from the Tiendita has grown stronger and changed to the much more American tune of "Somewhere over the Rainbow." I'm gonna follow that rainbow, in hopes of more beans and rice tomorrow, and another good work day.

Getting the Wheels Turning!

Ya comenzamos! Today was construction Day 1 for OBT 2009! Of course, the usual occurred: at 4 different sites, the land was leveled, cement was mixed, and a brand new, solid home foundation was laid. However, on a more personal note, it was a great day in that group members came together as teams and began relationships with families who will receive homes in just three days. And in the evening, everyone had plenty of time to meet and hang out with the boys of St. Innocent's. After prayers, Geoff Bray (Project Mexico's assistant director) talked about the numerous factors which contribute to poverty in Mexico. Overall, it was a day for "getting the wheels turning."