Category: Uncategorized

Today is the Day!

11.23.25
We’re starting the build of a new home for a family. Excited—and still a little tired from traveling—Tanner and I woke up and headed straight for the coffee shop on base. I was excited to get a Monster and an iced churro latte. After coffee, we made our way to breakfast, which included Eggo waffles (my favorite!), eggs, and sausage.

Once breakfast was finished, our team met for an overview of what the day would look like and to meet our staff builders. Our group is so big that we split into two teams: Team Yellow and Team Purple. Each team would be building a home for a different family. Tanner and I were placed on Team Purple, building a home for a single mom of three kids. She adopted her nephew and two nieces awhile back. She and the kids attend The Hope Zone—a ministry within YWAM that Tanner and I both have a huge heart for.

After our morning meeting, we split up and headed out to the colonias where we would be building. Let me just say… the roads are VERY bumpy! When we arrived, we met the family, introduced ourselves, went over instructions, and then prayed for our day.

Right away, our team got to work—painting, building the frame and walls, and starting the roof. Right before lunch, we took a short break to put the walls up, and the family helped lift the walls of their new home. It was such a sweet moment to witness.

Shortly after, we took lunch, rested for a few minutes, and then it was back to work.

I loved getting to talk with the mom. She is truly amazing—so kind, welcoming, and eager to help. It was also really sweet watching all the kids play together, even without sharing the same language.

We ended the day with the walls up, the outside painted, the windows and door installed, and the frame of the roof in place. Our team made incredible progress. By the end of the day, we were exhausted and more than ready for dinner!

When we got back to base, we had about 30 minutes to shower and get ready. Thankfully, dinner was on base tonight, so we didn’t have to travel. Tanner and I really liked dinner, and we even ate some fresh-made churros! Afterward, I was tired and just wanted to lie in bed, so I didn’t mingle much. Tanner went out with some of the team to hang out and chat.

Now it’s time to turn off the lights and get some sleep so we can be refreshed for day two of building this sweet family their home!

We Have Arrived

11.22.25

Tanner and I started our day bright and early at 3:30 a.m. We made sure we had everything we needed, said goodbye to the dogs, and headed to the airport for our 7:13 a.m. flight. Thankfully, TSA was quick, and we made it through with plenty of time to eat and grab coffee.

Our flight ended up being delayed about 40 minutes for maintenance reasons, but soon enough we were off to San Diego! We arrived at the airport and sat around for about two hours as our team slowly arrived. At 11:30 a.m., we headed to lunch with our very large team. We had three options for food: Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out, and Chipotle. Our team split into three groups and got to munching on some lunch.

Afterward, we got Handel’s Ice Cream. To Tanner’s and my surprise, we both ate all of our ice cream. After lunch, we hopped back on the bus and made our way toward the border. We all had to get out and go through security once more before we finally entered Mexico.

By now the day had felt EXTREMELY long and we are all very ready to rest. We had an hour to spare before we had orientation on base. Majority of us took naps, while the kids played soccer and volleyball. During orientation, we learned everyone’s names. Watched the got an overall overview of Homes of Hope and what we will be doing tomorrow at the build site. Afterwards we went to dinner to get some REAL tacos.  We had a great time chatting with the team at dinner and eating some quesadillas! Our van ride to and from dinner consisted of blasting Taylor Swift, Rhianna, and Justin Bieber “Drummer Boy” which our driver Omar made very clear was “cringey” 🤣 so he skipped it. After dinner we came back to base and got to talk with some of our friends who work at YWAM. It’s always amazing getting to catch up on life and share with each-other! Then we were off to BED! 

We had a good first day, we made it safely to base. Got great food and stayed well hydrated on the way. We are beyond excited for what tomorrow holds and the family we will be building for!