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Saratogans make a difference by building houses in Mexico

By Shannon Burkey

Instead of lounging on a beach or skiing down the slopes for spring break, some Saratoga residents will spend their time off making a difference in the lives of several families living below the poverty line in Mexico.

For the past eight years, Saratoga Federated Church has led a trip to the outskirts of Tijuana to build homes for the poor.

The trip was started by Tim Galleher, pastor of students and children, and was originally planned as a way to expose young people at the church to other cultures and teach them about life beyond Saratoga.

"The idea was really simple; we were going to build a house, leave it there and leave the community a better place," Galleher said. "When you take people away like this, they learn a lot about themselves and about each other."

The trip was a success the first year, with 60 students going to Mexico. But over the years, other people at the church began to see how important the work being done was and more people wanted to get involved.

"A lot of families began thinking that this was something they could do as a family," Galleher said. "This is a huge statement for many families, to say, 'Hey kids, we're not going to Hawaii this year; we're going to build houses for the poor.' "

Over the years, the trip has evolved into so much more than Galleher said he could have imagined.

Last year, about 150 people ranging in age from 8 to 55 went on the trip and were able to build eight houses for families in need during the week they were there. This April, 200 people will make the trip, including entire families, and they hope to build 12 houses.

Although Saratoga resident Doug Hurrell has been on the trip for the past four years, this year will be the first time that his family will make the trip together. Doug's wife, Marlene, and the couple's youngest son, Jimmy, 9, joined him last year for the first time. The couple's oldest son, Jon, 14, has gone on the trip four times but did not make it last year.

"There are very few things that you get to do that have such an impact on a family--the one you're serving and your own," Hurrell said. "This trip is not only about bonding with the other people you go with, it's about bonding with your family."

The first time Jon went on the trip he was in the sixth grade, and he said it was a little confusing to him.

"I didn't really know what poverty was until I saw these people. They had so little, but they seemed so happy with what they had compared to us who take everything for granted," he said.

It was a different experience than any he had had previously, but Jon said he couldn't wait to go back the next year.

"I felt really lucky to be able to build houses for those people," he said. "It was pretty emotional."

During the week that the group is building houses, they get to meet and interact with the families, who often help build the houses.

Marlene Hurrell said the sense of fulfillment she gets from seeing the families share in the experience is beyond description and seeing the keys handed to them for the first time brings her to tears.

"It ranges from laughter and happiness to tears of thankfulness and joy from these families and their kids," she said. "Watching them walk into their house for the first time is amazing."

When Dorothy Vidlock thinks about the trip to Mexico, she thinks about how thankful the families are.

"The homes we're building are so small--they're just teeny places--but the families are so wonderful and so thankful," Vidlock said. "Sometimes you come home feeling so guilty. We have so much more than them, but they are twice as happy."

Vidlock's husband and two children have also been on the trip for the past four years, and she said her children have taken so much from it.

"My kids have gotten to see that it's not the material things that make you happy, it's in the heart."

Seventeen-year-old Laurel Hilt learned something very important the first year she went on the trip--no matter what language you speak, a smile is universal.

"It was so empowering to learn that I can build somethµing that is a legacy for a family that will love and cherish it forever," Laurel said. "It left such an imprint on my mind how helping people can really make a difference."

March 19 will be Saratoga Federated Church Day at Lupretta's Delicatessen. Owner Daryle Lupretta will donate a percentage of all proceeds from that day to the church for the Mexico house-building trip. Lupretta's is at 14480 Big Basin Way and is open from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information on this fundraiser, call 408.484.0004.