Project Mexico has welcomed Spring Break groups many times in the past, but this year stood out to me. The family chosen to receive this home waited two full years after being accepted to our program before we could build for them. To say they were excited to receive my call announcing the build date is an understatement.

I met with the wife numerous times prior to construction. The family of four has been living with her parents and siblings in a trailer, slowly making payments on their land each month. Like many of our families, their wages can cover monthly land payments and food, leaving no surplus to invest in building materials. This has been the situation for many low-income families in the area for as long as we have been here building homes in the community. With the price increase in construction materials in recent years, the need for secure housing is even more critical.

After the initial call and visit the family prepared the land so we could build. Throughout the build, dozens of people approached us inquiring about our homebuilding program. Project Mexico and other non-profit organizations have built many times in the area with as many as four of our volunteer-built homes visible from the site. Due to the pandemic and subsequent border closures our programs were put on hiatus as such the community was thrilled to see us back in action.

The last day on site was charged with a special energy. Various people drove by expressing their gratitude in a mix of English and Spanish. A blue pick-up truck parked across the street and the Driver had a contagious grin. His eyes lit up as we put on the first coat of paint and he said, “Wow, it’s so big!”

Then, I noticed the woman who we were building a home for exit the truck. The man was her husband. He was seeing his brand-new house for the first time!

Much to our satisfaction, the family chose our newest Project Mexico-made paint for their new home. We all secretly hoped it would be the color chosen. We are thrilled this beautiful family has a safe and secure home to raise their family.

Homebuilding is back and we can’t wait to welcome the first groups this summer.

A total of 18 families were accepted to our program in 2020. One-by-one we have been able to build for seven of them through our Community Build Program along with smaller groups over the course of the last two years. The remaining families will be first on our list for the upcoming summer and we will finally be able to complete our long-waited promise to them.

Over the past few years, I have worked in several different capacities. In some ways, this work for Project Mexico has become normal and routine. However, this week was a beautiful reminder that the only way this program and my job exist is through kindness, generosity, and God’s grace. I’d like to thank our donors, volunteers, and community family for your kindness, time, generosity, and for your prayers.

Anna Cunningham is an OCMC Missionary and is funded via donor support, if you would like to contribute towards her mission with Project Mexico follow the link to OCMC’s donor portal here https://secure.ocmc.org/site/Donation2?df_id=2182&2182.donation=form1&mfc_pref=T