Inquiry Orientation

1. TIJUANA MINISTRY July 13 – 20, 2013 Inquiry Orientation ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:39-41

2. Prayer Lord Jesus, Carpenter and Healer, we ask that you look upon those multitudes in Tijuana who have too little to eat, have too little shelter and struggle each day to find work and ways to care for their family.  We pray for the sick who have little resources to be healed.  We ask you to guide us and open our eyes and hearts to their plight. Help us to hear their voices and learn from their faith and wisdom. Show us how we can help.   In your name we pray. Amen. ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:39-41

3. Agenda • Introductions • Our Purpose • Why Tijuana? • Program Overview & Detail • Build Sites for 2013 • Requirements & Cost • Fundraising • Registration & Paperwork • Safety/Security • Help Us | Join Us • Q & A

4. Introductions

5. Our Mission We foster friendships and spiritual growth by reaching across borders to bring God’s people together. By putting our faith into action, we build lasting and vibrant communities in collaboration with San Eugenio Parish in Tijuana. We provide opportunities for education, immersion, and commitment to promote human dignity.

6. Why Tijuana? • Tijuana, Mexico, Eastern suburbs • One of poorest locales in North America • 400,000 people living in poverty • Melting pot of nationalities • Minimal government support for the poor.

7. Why Tijuana? • Because we can and because we are called • Overwhelming need for help with few organizations who serve Tijuana. • Tijuana gives us an up close experience of the global issues faced by the poor • We do not get a global perspective for solving issues of justice for the poor if we only address our local community needs.

8. Program Overview • Mother's Outreach Program • Children's Outreach Program • Building Program • Immersion & Education • Established at St Julie’s in 2005 • Everyone is invited to volunteer– not limited to parishioners but traditionally we have many participants from St Julie & St Simon Parish and beyond

9. Program Overview • Stay on one team or rotate throughout the week • Evening reflections and sharing • Transformative experience - “Conversion through immersion” • Post trip: testimony and spreading the news “When Jesus was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24: 30-32

10. Mother’s Outreach Program • Building community among families. Often families do not know each other very well • Respect the value of community, working together – empowerment • Activities include: • Group discussions on nutrition, financial planning, health, family, faith • Doing crafts, skill based activities

11. Children’s Outreach Program • Continuation of building community among families • Respect children’s desire to be included and learn • Activities include: • Coloring books, crafts, reading • Sports and physical activities • Catechism • Lunches and snacks • Gift at end of program on last day

12. Building Program • Families for build sites selected in cooperation with St. Eugenio parish • Some pre-build done in San Jose • Yerba Buena High School students help to construct walls • Community invited to participate in two pre-build days ~ May/June • Completed sections transported across border on trailers • Assembly & construction finished in TJ • Doors, windows, electrical, insulation, sheet rock, roofing, plumbing, painting • Some material donated here. Most purchased in Tijuana

13. Building Program • 2 experienced construction leads per site • 12-18 total volunteers per site • No experience necessary • Safety is paramount

14. Home Site | Cook Team • Prepares breakfast & lunches • Works with local cook team to prepare dinner • Helps Mother’s & Children’s teams • Shopping, coordination, logistics

15. Immersion & Education • Mass with community • Visits to Casa del Migrante – men’s shelter for recently deported from US • Visit to the Border Wall – La Frontera • Evening visits with the community • Evening Reflections and Sharing

16. 2013 Build Site Home for Mireya Juarez Angeles / Jose Angel Medina (+ 3 daughters, Karla( 10 yr), Nidia( 8yr) and Tania (3 years). Mireya cannot walk and doesn’t see well following surgery to remove a brain tumor mid 2012. Although she is in remission, her left side is very weak and partially paralyzed. Her daughters take care of her while the father Jose Angel works in a local factory 6 days a week. An aunt helps a little with meals and house-cleaning. Mireya’s greatest wish is to provide safety and security for her children. The current house is made of garage doors with a very bad roof that leaks in all the rooms. They have ownership of the land. Their lot is 29’ x 50’ on flat, firm ground, with a septic tank, illegal electricity and no drainage. We will build our standard 16’x32’ foot house on a 24’x32 slab, plus it will have a small piece of slab from the front door going around to the cement patio on the side of the house (for washer, etc) and a ramp at the front door for easy wheelchair access. Handicap accommodations for the bathroom will also be needed. This home is near Terraces I location next to the open area.

17. 2013 Build Site Roof for Marta Patricia Ibanez / Jorge Castro Quntanilla Terraces (+6 kids) The family has been on their plot for 8 years, but they do not own the land. In fact, their property stands on a government access road to a future development/housing complex that the government will be building. Therefore, it is possible that as soon as that development starts, their house will be demolished. So we cannot build a full house for them at the current location. The floor in this house is new (paid for by the government), but their roof is in very bad shape and leaking. There are no public services (plumbing or electricity). Although there is a vacant plot nearby which they could purchase, they do fear that they may not be able to make the monthly payments (they earn 1,200 pesos per month), so they will not purchase it. So for now, we have agreed that we are building them a roof which is like a carport structure over the existing home. The roof structure will be 24’x22’ plus 9 beams. There are many homes in TJ that need this type of shelter so we are looking forward to this project to see how we can accommodate more roofs when we are in Tijuana.

18. Prospective 2013 Build Site Home for EITHER of these two families. This project has not been decided yet. Guadalupe Salivar (Lupita): this is a family of 6 living in two small rooms in bad shape. However, they do not own their land. Lupita’s husband makes 800 pesos/month. Ideally, they wish to buy the plot of land nearby and have us build on it. Total price of the land (8 x 20 meters) is ~ 130,000 pesos ($10,000). They do not have the down payment. San Eugenio Parish is considering a way to help them with the down payment. They also need to determine whether the family can make the mortgage payments long term. If this is not a possibility to replace the house on new property, then we may provide a roof structure since the current roof consists of tarps.

19. Prospective 2013 Build Site The second alternative project is a House at 9129 Durazno Oeste owned by a woman (Adelaida Saldana Estrada) taking care of two adults with mental disabilities (her son and her sister). We have also stopped by this property during our 2012 scouting trip but back then we could not enter the home due to security reasons. However, we saw their house this year and it is a good flat piece of land with easy access. One existing structure toward the left-front of the property is made of brick and could be left standing, while other structures on the property are in bad shape with leaks and we would tear them down to build our standard 16’ x 32’ home toward the back of the lot. We would also need to remove the front cement ‘overhang’ for safety and to move the electrical wire that runs through the bathroom. The family have lived and owned the land for 15 yrs. They came from Guadalajara to Tijuana for work. The Owner is Adelaida Saldana Estrada (~ 60 yrs old). She works in a factory earning approximately 700 pesos per week. Her son is Gabriel Saldana Estrada (~ 24 yrs old), who works as a cleaner, earning approximately 500 pesos/week. The Sister is Maria de la Paz Saldana (approx.. late 30s) and she is unable to work.

20. 2013 Build Site Expansion of San Francisco Real Chapel There are approximately 1,400 families in this area of San Francisco Real Chapel, and approx. 100-120 families worship regularly at this chapel each Sunday. There is insufficient room for them inside, so they often have to crowd outside in the heat, rain or cold. There are ~ 116 children preparing for first communion, and a strong youth group of about 15. On Wednesday, they have a charismatic assembly, Holy Hour on Thursday, mass on Saturday, and RCIA on Sunday. During the week, the chapel is used for youth group, liturgy and music practice and special community events. This building was here for 5 years. Previously, they had 1 small building which served as a chapel and is now used for catechism. They have an additional structure containing 6 small classrooms for faith formation classes. The existing chapel is 35’ wide by 50’ long. We will be adding 34 ft to the 50 ft length, going to the east. So final chapel dimensions will be 35’ wide by 84’ long. Prior to our arrival a slab can be laid. We also discussed the potential for building an additional 12’x24’ structure which will be used for kitchen

21. Prospective 2013 Build Site Shade structure in Terraces II. This is a potential project and has yet to be finalized. We have been using Terraces II as our home site area for the past 9 years. We run the Mothers’ and Children’s Programs here in July when it is very hot outside. There is currently no shade structure here, so we usually bring our own shade pop-ups which are heavy and cumbersome to bring down, put up and take down. Chris, Jesse and the build leads want to explore building a more permanent shade system/structure, which would consist of cemented beams and wires surrounding the outside patio area. Tarps or shade covering could then be attached to this structure in the spring/summer-time but removed in fall/winter due to wind and rain conditions. We need to assure the community agrees with the build concept for this project, hence it has not yet been finalized.

22. Requirements • Age • Youth must be 14+ years old (or entering high school) and approved by the organizing team • Youth 13 and younger must be accompanied by adult • All participants should be in good health • Cost • $300 total Travel Fees, includes food, lodging, transport • Goal: Fundraise additional $500 from personal sources • Must participate in group fundraising events • Limited scholarships may be available on a needs basis • US passport or green card valid for 6 months after return • Age 18 and older  Fingerprinting (background check) by Diocese of San Jose • Age 13 and older  Complete a 90-minute online course • ‘Shield the Vulnerable’ from Diocese of San Jose

23. Fees & Fundraising • Personal Fundraising • $300 travel fees • Letter-writing campaign • Company matching • Goal: $500 additional • Group Fundraising • Carwash • Parish-wide garage sale • Taco sales • Donut & coffee sale • Movie nights • Other

24. Individual Fundraising - Suggestions • Ask everyone, friends, family, neighbors, teachers, co-workers • Facebook/Twitter/MySpace • Direct them to website for donation info • Find donors for garage sale • Match dollar-for-dollar donations • Ask employer if they have donation / grant programs • Ask your favorite place of business • Just ask, ask, ask

25. Registration & Paperwork • www.TijuanaMinistry.org > Apply (top-right corner) • Submit Online Application • Pay Travel Fees • Get Passport - Everyone needs a current US passport which expires October 2013 or later • Visa not required if US Citizen • Some resident aliens must apply for visas ASAP • Fill-out Medical Information & Release forms • Fingerprinting (LiveScan) from Diocese of San Jose for age 18+ • Online Course (90-min) from Diocese of San Jose for age 13+ • Driver's insurance (drivers only) • Code of Conduct (minors only) • Orientation Mtgs and Fundraisers

26. Safety / Security • We do not leave the compound except for scheduled events and programs • We stay in groups when outside the compound • We use the buddy system • The compound is enclosed and gated; 24-hr security provided. Cars also stay within the secure compound. • Communication via radios and cell phones between sites, compound • Site has a local parish leader • No 1-on-1 with teens | “Shield the Vulnerable” class • Men and Women sleep separately in 2-story building • The surrounding area is relatively safe. No other groups who go to TJ have experienced any incidents of crime or violence

27. Help Wanted • builders • teachers • drivers • cooks • Spanish-speakers • helpers with the children’s & mother's programs • organizers • fundraisers • financial support • donations of building supplies & tools • help at pre-build days • anyone will a willing heart and willing hands • prayers

28. Come as a family | Become a family

29. Find Out More www.TijuanaMinistry.org tjmissions@gmail.com

30. Q & A Thank you for your interest in the program