September 29, 2005

Backstage PassThe Times’ Teen News

Teens gain more than expected from mission trip to Mexico

Several Almaden school students help to build home for needy family

By Athena Burgueno
Special to the Times

On August 10th a group of eleven high school students and five adult leaders from a south San Jose Christian church packed up their belongings and took an eleven-hour journey south of the border to Tijuana, Mexico.

The Crossroads youth group gathers for a picture before leaving San Jose for Tijuana, Mexico on August 10th. Standing (l. to r.): Rob Trunkey, Kyle Guichard, Ezra Gordon, Randi Weisner, Esther Gordon, Amy Obenour, Joshua Millitante, Derek Floyd and Kyle Emberland. Kneeling (l. to r.): Athena Burgueno, Jessica Snyder, Jessica Launspach, Sarah Curcio and Katherine Petersen. In front: Nick Berry and William Whitney.

Their mission was to build a house for a needy family, but what they gave to the family and received in return was much more than either expected. Memories and friendships were created that would last a lifetime.

After an exhausting drive they spent their first night in a church in San Diego. The next morning the Journey Crossroads youth group awakened with the excitement of knowing they were only moments away from crossing the border into a foreign land. Once they crossed the border, they drove into the hills of Tijuana and arrived at the orphanage where they would stay while they spent their days building the house. As they looked around their dismal surroundings they would quickly realize they were far from the comfort of their California homes but were in fact in an area of Mexico that is rife with poverty. Only a few members of the group had ever been to Mexico so the majority of the group was struck by the juxtaposition of the two cultures.

The group quickly bonded with the family that whose house they were building. The Limon family was friendly and appreciative so it was easy for the group to put aside their discomforts and homesick feelings to help build a house for the young couple and their two little children. The group worked side by side in the blazing hot sun for three days put aside their differences to form a strong bond.

The Limon family not only welcomed the group with open arms, but also physically helped build their very own home. Here the group constructs the roof.

“I was expecting the other people in the youth group to not change and to remain cliquish,” said Sarah Curcio of San Jose.“I didn’t expect to grow as much I did or that we’d be able to build a house ourselves. We all talked, even the people I barely talk to. We felt like a family when we were there. The group bonded so much and we all became really close. Mexico was an awesome experience.”

Several of the students are from south San Jose. Kyle Emberland, Jessica Snyder and leader Randi Weisner are from Almaden. They spent their days working hard and every night they went to bed exhausted.

The Limon family had lived in a very tiny “shack,” that they called home, which was the size of the average American bathroom, up until the arrival of their “miracle.” Out of the hundreds of people that were in line to get a home, they were selected, which the father, Daniel, a pastor in Tijuana, considered “a blessing from God.” The family not only welcomed the group with open arms, but also physically helped build their own home.

Almaden’s Kyle Emberland shares his musical talent as he plays an accordion he found at an open-air market in Tijuana.

Oftentimes American teens are portrayed as spoiled and many have the luxury of private bedrooms larger than the Limon’s newly built house. But many of the students and leaders felt very thankful and appreciative for all that they had and all that they had done for the family after the experience, yet wished they could do more. Although, to Americans—who always like to “super size” everything, the house was like a “dollhouse” because of its pink coating and small size—to the family it was a beautiful mansion.

The Limon family were not the only ones to get something out of the experience, the youth group had shared a common bond together and the family allowed them to learn not only an appreciation for their own lives, but humbleness as well.

“The Mexico trip changed my life in many ways,” said Curcio. “The family was very humble, and that influenced me a lot. As an American teenager I deal with materialism everywhere and it hit me right in the face that things are not important. People are.”

The mission trip wasn’t all hard work. The girls still had time to prank the boys one morning. Here Rob Trunkey is getting punk’d.

“Everyone did the best they could,” said Joshua Millitante. “We all had ups and downs, but we all got a lot out of the experience.”

Many members of the group went on the trip as acquaintances but ended up having the experience of a lifetime. Only those that were involved with the building of the Limon’s house will be able to fully understand the shared experience, as well as being able to revisit vivid memories which will remain close to their hearts for years to come.

The students and leaders arrived home safely five days later with a newfound respect for the beauty within their own backyards.

“It was a great experience!” said Emberland as he greeted his family. “I can’t wait to go again next year.”

Athena Burgueno is a junior at Valley Christian High School.

Talking Turkeys

By Margo Consul
Leland Senior and Backstage Pass correspondent

We asked kids at the Almaden Art and Wine festival about the world of online blogging (Xanga, myspace*, etc.) what company they use and why they even have it. Jen Ngo and Gina Sotelo are seniors at Leland High School.
Erin Quint is a senior at Lincoln High School and Michael Lane is attending a local community college. All four use myspace.

Pictured, from left: Gina Sotelo, Jen Ngo, Michael Lane and Erin Quint.

BSP: Why do you have a myspace?
JN: To find old friends.
GS: I have no idea, to keep up with friends I guess.
ML: To keep up with friends.
EQ: To look at people’s pictures

BSP: How much time do you spend on myspace?
JN: On a school day I’ll spend 30 minutes but on the weekend I probably spend no time.
GS: I go on just to check it. Probably 20 minutes a day.
ML: Probably 15 minutes a day.
EQ: Five minutes, just to check it.

BSP: Have you ever been dissed by anyone on myspace?
JN: No but I’ve been hit on. (Agreement by all the girls)
GS: Nope.
ML: Nope.
EQ: No.

BSP: Have you ever met anyone through myspace and made a real relationship out of it?
JN: No, but I used myspace to get to know Michael. We used it to break the ice. (They are currently dating)
ML: I found a girl I had not seen in a long time and we talked. The problem was that she lived in Ontario, so I only saw her a few times.
GS: No.
EQ: A guy from my junior high that I did not remember found me.

*Myspace is a good way to keep up with friends and find old ones, although having a profile is dangerous because you are not sure if the person is who they say they are. Despite the dangers, myspace and other online blogging sites stay popular because they are an easy way for teens to stay in touch with each other.

Songs, albums, short stories, poems, novels, jokes, art exhibits, your home, your attitude, your parents.

We’ll examine it all.
Backstage Pass
Please contact Justin Petersen at (408) 386-7373
or by e-mail at justin@timesmediainc.com with items to review.