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Fulfilling a Childhood Dream to Build a Home

San Antonio Del Mar, Mexico
This is the second of two blog posts from a volunteer home build with Homes of Hope
During the build, some of us gravitated to one another to complete tasks because we liked certain skills. I found painting very relaxing and I think most of us found that rolling the paint on the outside walls to be especially satisfying. This went fast and because we were outside, we could enjoy the beauty of the sky, the Pacific Ocean and the sun. Some of us forgot to put sunblock on and had bad sunburns. I coated my nose and face liberally because I burn easily, but then I had the stuff in my eyes by the end of each day. That burns badly.
Painting is very messy and when people are too close, the painters end up painting one another. The drippings fly this way and that way. I wore a bandanna on my head and looked funny, but I didn’t want paint in my hair. I thought that the cotton gloves that were given to me would spare my fingers, but the paint bled right through. Washing paint off was a challenge and most of us had to scrub in the shower to get clean each night.
Trim and moldings were also a challenge and tedious. We painted them Day #1 and then installed them on Day #2, but we had to cut the trim and molding to fit exactly throughout the home.
What made the home look so cute was the choice of gray paint for the walls and blue for the trim. It was very sporty. When I looked at the other homes that had been built in the months before though, I almost wished that there were other colors so families could feel as if they had a unique home.
Kids on the build had fun and worked hard
Over half the Red Team were kids, who ranged in age from 5 years old to 18 years old. And the family’s three boys also worked with us. They all worked fully engaged and diligently. None of them stood by and watched or got bored, in fact, all of them worked safely and with great care for the seriousness of the final goal. They connected and bonded with one another even though some of them met and worked together for the first time.
My son knew two of the kids in the group and I watched him make friends with the other kids. He genuinely enjoyed everyone. There was laughter and private jokes, and admiration for one another. Their behavior was quite similar to the adults, pairing off to do tasks that they enjoyed and were challenged by. Everyone I think tried all the jobs to learn and experience the entire build.

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