Julie Costa Shoe Drop Journals

It all started with a simple email from Jill,

"Shoes for Mexico

Gather old shoes or good shoes ask others...

doing a collection and I am helping

and want you both to help me also..

We have a couple of weeks… can you make a point to gather some...

goal is 100 pairs I say that is not enough..

We can come by and see you if you help me with this."

This message was all it took before Shannon and I had over 40 shoes collected between the two of us. A special thanks go out to the coaches of San Diego Mesa College, Point Loma High School girls physical education department-where I frequently substitute- as well as friends Layla and Khalisa and my parents Paul and Denise for their contributions. Although our numbers in donations were fewer than a hundred, it served as a special occasion when each pair of shoe was donated to a special boy, girl, or even adult at the orphanages. I was able recognize the particular pair and would smile as each fit a perfectly to a small boy or girl as I helped find a perfect foot for the perfect shoe. Upon my arrival home I shared the personal story of a shoe with those who donated making it more personal for the donator to feel a connection to the experience. They too felt they were on the trip, experienced the smiles and gift of cultures reciprocation and appreciated our efforts even more.

I had "skipped" my Spanish class Thursday evening to take part in this adventura. Which is certainly what it turned out to be in the end. In fact, the moment I saw the printed "directions" to the orphanage once we crossed over the border, I was beginning to notice at the end of every important command it followed with a " ."
Yep, it was blank.

For example, Follow the road past the farmacia mas borato but be sure you don't go__________.
When you get to the next street there will be a split in the road make sure you stay to the side of the road that reads "_______________."

It was at this point in our juncture where I threw out all of the expectations I had for the trip and began to ENJOY the ADVENTURE. Fortunately for me, our team were well seasoned travelers with high spirits, positive energy, and just enough Spanish to get us around the block a few times (even if it was the same one three times in a row). I new this trip for humanity was well worth missing a little class for a real world experience. It was also evident after hours of driving in and around Tijuana, this project was in the hands of a unique and perfect group and although we were realistically only 30 minutes from my home in San Diego, I felt like I could have been continents away.

I am speaking in a world of generalities in my thoughts because my memories, so fond, were well described by my companeros. Some highlights that spoke loudly to me were the orphanages themselves especially the one far removed from society deeply hidden in the burning trash of the hillsides where the paved road ended long before and a dried river bed was the only evidence leading the way.

This orphanage was so far removed it was obvious of the lack of resources feeding basic needs.

One particular observation I made occured with my need to use the restroom after we had arrived (the 10 minutes just down the road, actually was much longer in hind sight). I went up stairs where most of the children were told to wait their turn to claim a new pair of shoes. The room I walked through was crowded with children, clothes everywhere and splotches of blood on the floor leading to the bathroom. The facilities were in desperate need of proper hygiene...but to them it was home. It was all they had. This was life, and so, this was my new home and I was not embarrassed nor did I think twice about the bathroom. If they go there, I will too. (Sort of the mind set after living in Tanzania). The opportunity share their home for the couple hours we were there was a blessing that otherwise would be very hard to find. I feel very good about venturing into an unknown valley of burning garbage to come out on the other end knowing we can help out at that site again in the future.

I feel fortunate to have been apart of this teams event and look forward to our travels ahead, helping where and when we can. Thank you O.T.A.Y.!

Jill Hudspeth Photog - Valentine 2009

Jill Hudspeth - it is not what we do or how much we do , but how much love we put into action, because that action is our love of God in action.

Australia Fire Victims

Friends from OZ, near Victoria, had reached out to our team for assistance with goods. They are looking for any donated clothes, shoes, etc. So far we have 200 shoes in stock, which is ready to be donated. Now, the big trick is, how much can we really ship, and the cost of shipping. The cause keeps going...If you would like to help, contact us at comment in there Australia donation assistance.

Follow our story as we plan to do some drives for goods and donations.

Favorite Quotes From Our Volunteers

Kisha

"The most visible creators I know are those artists whose medium is life itself. The ones who express the inexpressible - without brush, hammer, clay or guitar. They neither paint nor sculpt - their medium is being. Whatever their presence touches has increased life. They see and don't have to draw. They are the artists of being alive/

-Jay Scott, Satiris


Jill

Sow an act and you reap a habit

Sow a habit and you reap a character

Sow a character and you reap a destiny

Unknown



Jill
You will find as you look back upon your life

That the moments when you have really lived are the

Moments when you have done things in the spirit of love

-Henry Drummond



Julie

"When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision"

-the alchemist

The Morning After

Most of us woke up pretty early on January 30th, mostly because we were excited to meet the kids for the first time. Because we arrived late last night, this day was our only chance to get to know most of them. The objective for the early part of the morning was to help make breakfast with the cook (Teresa). A side note about the cook, she alone makes meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a house full of 40 kids. Day in day out, she has dedicated herself to helping these kids.
While the girls helped with the breakfast, I took my camera and started taking shots of the neighborhood, to help visualize the environment. Sunrise came you can start seeing some of the story the “barrio” Geographically it’s located is near the beach, which provides a nice breeze. But aside from that, as you look through the buildings you will see the darker side of the community. Graffiti, trash, and old mechanical parts thrown just next to the orphanage, make it seem like a rough place to live at. But in these types of places, even though there is not much to look at, it was still rich in culture. Corner streets with open shops, restaurants, and eatery stands give it some of that flavor. People make the most of what they have there, utilizing every corner of their neighborhood to live, work, and socialize.
Come breakfast time, it was time to serve. We couldn’t help notice the portions being served; scrambled eggs usually about 2 spoons full for an adult. Then maybe 3-4 spoon full of beans. But overall, the kids looked very healthy. Jill had woken up early to help with making breakfast, she really got to know Teresa well. The Julie came after to help with distributing the drinks. Little by little the kids started to come into the dining room, and we were able to meet them. Some were shy, and some were eager to meet us. After breakfast, the kids even participated in cleaning up, from washing the dishes to helping pick up any other trash.
After breakfast we were excited to hand out the shoes, as well as the kids. They knew we had something in the van, so many of them had a sneak peek inside the van. Until to a point the van was filled with kids. No getting around to it, we just told the kids we would place the shoes in the tables so they can better see what fits them. One by one unloading the bags and placing them on the table Jill, Julie, and Kisha placed them. The kids looked so happy and excited to get a new/used pair of shoes. As soon as they started to try them on, it was instant connection and emotional experience. Imaging how far these shoes have traveled, who donated them, and who is receiving them was “awe” experience. One must see to fully appreciate the power of giving and receiving. We tried to document as much as possible to share the images with the donors from the US side. As it was winding down, the team realized the inventory that we had was plentiful; we had more shoes to give away. Then we asked Roberto if there was another orphanage which we can go to that we can donate the rest of it.

As we packed up from the first orphanage, and headed for the next one, little did we know what is ahead of us. As I look back, sometimes unplanned situations or spontaneous decisions are the best experiences in life. While in route, we started off thinking the orphanage was just down the street from the other place. 10 minutes into the drive we notice new developed homes lined up, as soon as you pass this area a road that leads into the mountains was reeking of trash and smell. It was a site to see having a developed area in one side, and mountains of trash on the other. We then started to drive down this hill, and the deeper we went into the mountains, we kept on driving into unpaved roads with big huge holes, and a river flowing next to the road. Literally, this type of road condition is good for horses or 4x4 trucks. As I was thinking to myself, this was a great off the beaten path situation. I decided to really capture the moment and got off the van and started to walk, really not the smartest idea as burning trash filled up the air, a cloud of black smoke. The road went on like this for about 20 minutes, and the van was just paraded wit trash, dirt, and smoke.
As soon as we arrived in the orphanage, we noticed the backdrop view of the place. Lush green vegetation, and wide open space, different from the trek that we just recently went through. Looking from the outside, we noticed this house, thinking maybe they had a small number of kids. Little did we know about what’s in stored for us here. Roberto had gone in first and gave them a heads up on us brining in shoes. Faces of kids where sticking out of the window and the doors, they were curious as to what we had brought. The team lined up the remaining shoes on the table, instructions was given to the kids; 4 at a time they were able to see and pick out a pair. I took a quick tour of this place, I first noticed the kitchen, small, but plenty of soul, per say. It was dark, but having the kids come in numbers at a time to eat felt like the place to be at. They had some of the kitchen needs from pans, some plates, shelves, canned foods, but no refrigerators or stoves. Anything that had to be cooked was on open fire just outside of the house. Just watching the kids eat, you can see how little they have, but they were for the most part happy. Portions of bread and shared soup made a great lunch for them. Open canned goods of corn, beans, peas, and others, was ready to be made into something really tasty. Once I found out the number of kids living there, I was instantly surprised by the food they had to share for 70-80 kids plus a few adults living there. Day in and day out they have 3 meals a day, and some of the shelves I seen was pretty empty, only saw maybe 10 cans at the most. What makes it more interesting is the location of the place. Because it was so remote, it was hard to get to, and I was thinking how they often get supplies for their basic needs. Sure they had the nice view, but really to get to developed areas they would need access to supermarket or stores. This alone was a challenge for them. Outside of the home we saw live stock, which maybe they also try and live a sustainable life style. The team would’ve loved to stay longer and get to know the staff and kids, but considering the time we had to depart after an hour later.
On our way home, most of us shared our thoughts on the experience. Ultimately this was an eye opening for everyone. The power of giving was forever engraved in us, and was avid to do more like projects. Plus, we the spirits high, the team was able to pseudo come up with a non-profit organization name.
On a personal note, looking back on this project, it took a lot of work, but work that was doable. Considering my own busy schedule I was able to manage some time for this project. Having an amazing team helped tremendously make it easy all around. I wonder also if others can also do more for their community or human brothers and sisters.
Jill, Kisha, Josie, and Julie thank you kindly for your generous support and time on the project. I look forward to doing more in the near future.
“Everything is going to be O.T.A.Y”

Casabuilders.org

At first glance when you look at the website casabuilders.org, it would seem like they are ordinary construction company. But when you really get to know the people behind the .org there is something more to be said. A few men part of an organization are on a mission to help build houses/orphanage in TJ area. For 9 years, every month, for one week at a time, they make their trips. Little by little pieces of the new place is being built. They are very well loved and appreciated by the kids at TJKids.org. Just watching them mentor and guide the kids brings hope to each and every one of them. Plus having come for 9 years, they are like fathers to these kids, as they have seen them grow.

Upon completion of the new orphanage site, the goal is to provide accessible resources for at risk kids and teens. It will be fully equipped with spacious sleeping dormitories, activity places, medical facilities, and many more. We look forward to teaming up with this organization for future Medical Mission trips.

The Church That Showed Us the Way

After crossing the border, we have been driving for about 1 hour or so, and it was getting pretty late. Because we were unable to cross on the first location, we had been detoured about 20 + miles away from our original route. As we were driving and asking for directions to random strangers, it would seem like we were going in circles. Maybe because we were not asking the right questions, of basically, we were lost. Until we have hit a point of frustration, we saw a church cross about 4 blocks up. The cross stood out prominently as if it was calling us to go inside. For some reason everyone had the same idea to go inside the church and ask for proper directions, and be in a safe environment. Kisha the driver, just floored the gas, by passing traffic and on-coming traffic, just so we can just get there already. Afterwards, we went inside to try and ask for assistance. We met a guy who was working there, at first, he did not have a clue where this location was. We tried telling him the name of the barrio, but still nothing. Then we tried calling the organizer of the place, and with luck he picked up the phone. While in the process of getting direction, a family had walked in. Diana, Marco Antonio, and Karla had over-heard our frustration and our challenging navigational moments. She had really made an effort to try and help us, so we decided to ask her to come with us and help us find our destination. So we loaded up the van, and off we went again. At first, it looked like she was very sure of the location, and we hit traffic along the way. We noticed that we were going in the outskirts of the city, which could be good or bad, knowing the situation on the city. Diana tried her best to get us to our destination, and as it turned out, the location given to us previously was different from the actual place. Diana tried very hard to talk and ask people in the street. After 2 hours later, we managed to find the place, which co-incidentally, we had just driven in circles. She said her house was just over the hill, and we could have gotten here in less time if the right directions were given.

Getting to know Diana and her kids, while in the van was a blessing, we all grew a friendship, even if we just met hours before. Afterwards, she had trusted us enough to even invite us to her home. She offered to make us dinner and spend the night. Off course, we were all embarrassed but we did take her offer for drinks of ice tea. The generosity of this family is something to be recognized, even in times of hardship, people with kindest of hearts will find away to help. Marco Antonio, her son, is also someone we have grown to respect, at 15 he was a leader in training. He was determined to make sure to help guide us and find our ways in the city. He was very helpful in so many ways. In return the team had offered several bags of shoes to donate to their church. Apparently, they too also coordinate events for poor kids on Saturdays at the church. They had mentioned that food is scares, and if there is a way to assist in this, we would try our best to bring it in the country. Overall, with this part of the story, we were really grateful to meet new friends who helped us find our way, and offered their home to us.

Jill Hudspeth Shoe Drop Journals

2-2-09
I am so glad that I waited to compile my thoughts about the project until now..
What inner peace I feel when I think of the project. What a start to a great program ahead.

I am blessed to have a network of women that support me and think as I do.. When the note on facebook came out I was just reading a book called "crazy love", putting …love into action…
It was to well timed, I could not ignore the direction to jump and see exactly what God was planning.

Russ had a vision of 100 pairs of shoes… my first fear was he would not see the value of used shoes… Every time I brought up a idea he was always 100percent supportive.. I appreciate the way he was able to look bigger and see we could accomplish more at this time .. I knew that God had more shoes in mind..



I put the word out to a few women..
Sally from Tehachapi jumped into it right away volunteering to spread the word in her area. Connie in lake Hughes, Angelique at Higher Vision Church. Shannon and Julie from San Diego.

It was awesome to see them all respond back in such a positive direction.
Some brought the shoes up to me, other women volunteered to meet me with shoes..
Once again the timing was coming together.. It was no stress…

With the women of higher vision on board I was able to drop by the church and fill up our car.. More than once we completed filled every inch of the SUV with shoes. Angelique and another gal Dannae both asked their works to get on board.. More shoes piled in..

The weather in January was awesome ..Josie was home from college all month and was instrumental in helping with the project.. Purchasing laundry soap, washing shoes, laying them out in the sun. Working at Canyon Creek Sports Camp we have the privilege of having a laundry room with 5 washing machines. This allowed us to get the work done in a fraction of the time

She then helped with Cleaning the ones which could not go in the wash..
Next came Organizing by type…bagging them up..

Lastly she took the first load down the hill to Russ .

Once the shoes were gathered and organized the excitement of a trip was hard to contain..
I was impressed with Russ and seeing the organization that He and Keisha both had preparing and dividing up responsibilities for the trip.. They were flexible and willing to adjust to the many changes …

Before leaving the camp I made sure that a group of women were praying for safe travels and for God's hand to direct our path.. I was confident the whole time that we were under his care.
Thursday morning arrived and I was up and ready to go and meet Julie..

Keisha had to pick up the van and then meet Russ together they loaded up all the shoes for the trip. With a rattling window they happily approached the two of us in San Diego running on little sleep they were both up beat and not discouraged my timing set backs..

After switching the vehicle out in san diego we were off and running for the boarder..

Julie was so helpful with directions the whole time she was thinking ahead…keeping her eye on exact where it looked like we were going.. Or even not going..

When we arrived at the gate we were directed to stop and meet with the officials …They explained that it was not possible to bring this many shoes in.. exactly how many they asked..
The one official was very polite and kind with giving us directions to a different boarder which we would have to go . They stopped traffic and opened up a gate to show us out of their country.. As we sat in traffic we began to regroup with ideas of what we could do..

We were not without hope.. Willing to make changes to make it work
The first pair of shoes were given to a women at the boarder with a child in her arms with no shoes m she was happy enough to have a few pairs for her daughter..
Maybe we were to give them out one pair at a time.. Time would tell…
A man named Javier was walking between cars a missionary asking for money …he was helpful with suggestions and willing to share what he knew. From his own experiences




After a delay at the gate… someone a few cars away was being detained… watching guns drawn we were happy all we had on board was shoes..





After a bathroom stop we headed to the next boarder crossing.. thinking of our options we decide the worse case was being turned away again and thought it was worth a try.. Not exact remembering why… Russ and myself changed seats .. As we drove thru the gate I waved at the officer and no one motioned for us to stop…Julie kept repeating do not slow down keep going keep driving.. It took a half mile before we were all laughing and excited that we had made it.. Now onto rethinking our path in mexico to reach the location of the instructions.. The tricky part was the computer print out has a unusual way of printing and some very important directions were cut off.. Lucky to have Keisha fore sight in using her cell phone and paying for the extra charges she was able to follow along as to where to head,… as we arrived near down town we did not seem to have any idea where to turn.. Not afraid to ask we asked for help on more than one occasion.. We came across 3 teens , (Picture – Shoes)they were at first hesitant to stop and see what the large red van was asking .. But the girl was willing to answer a question…After some discussion we were able to share a few pairs of shoes with them and left them all smiling ..
It seemed we were heading in circles…some what .. The afternoon was slipping away..
We turned right down one street and headed straight to a cross.. The direction was too hard to not miss. Keisha headed straight and parked at the front door. Russ and myself jumped out to see what kind of help we could get.. Not speaking the language I was not much help for sure..
A man was inside and not much progress was being made..

Another family a mother and her 2 children could over hear the conversation.. She seemed open to us and brought us over a newspaper with the churches address.. While Russ attempted to make contact and let the orphanage know where we were at.. I again went to grab a few pairs of shoes.. Minutes later the family was jumping into the van to show us the way … how long we asked … maybe 15 minutes.. Hallelujah.. Up the hill we went

With shoes packed on the seats Julie and I were both sitting on each others lap.. Happy we were sharing the experience together.. As we continued up the hill Julie started taking notes since we would have to return later to bring the family back to their car.. This is no easy tasks being that we continued to take turns and then go back around the same spot again.. The beauty of having them with us we were more encouraged that we would find our destination sooner or later.. What trust was shown bringing her children along with strangers… would we do the same for a stranger?

It seemed a hour later we were making more stops and asking questions.. Having the family with us we were able to ask better questions and get better answers since she actually knew the area.. It was comical to see us heading back to a area she called home.. We stopped a few times with the directions being written it seemed more unrealistic to follow.. we saw the end of a beautiful sunset and the onset of darkness. With excitement for all of us we had found our location …Roberto came out to assist us on our return trip to town.. We now had bonded with our new friends and were invited to see their home close by.. Believing we were on a adventure it sounded like a great plan after they rescued us from the city ..

Again I was impressed with Keisha she had been driving since 8am and now well after dark was maneuvering up and down tight streets even in reverse she handled that van like a bus driver.. Our group followed the family into the house and for a second Keisha did not know which way to turn.. I called to her and we laughed , it was easy to get confused with all the houses looking alike on the block..

We shared a glass of juice and a few photos.. Then headed back to town again.. Roberto was not rushing us at all and we enjoyed the trip even more having a guide to get us back home. It was great to hear dianna and Roberto also connecting .. The church was doing something special on Saturday for children and she had invited his kids to join in.. another connection was made.. When we arrived back we gave hugs and shoes for their program..


Hunger had arrived and a well deserved beer was needed.. Close to the church we were able to find a great meal .. being a night to celebrate Russ's birthday the restaurant employees even sang a song in celebration.. Julie practiced her Spanish with Mark Anthonio since she was missing her Spanish class we felt it was a much better learning lesson by far.. Walking back to the car we marveled at how the day had turned out.. Everything was in place… the kids were already down for the night.. Roberto asked for volunteers to help with breakfast and we were shown to our quarters .. Very nice accommodations .. Hot water even.. Keisha again was full of surprises for the girls .. She had done a REI stop and had gifts for us to make the experience go better. The rooms was comfortable and we had it all to ourselves… Julie was the only one with out a sleeping bag and probably will not try that again.. Luck we were in mexico and not Canada giving out shoes

Early in the morning I could hear mens voices coming from the outer room I was ready to meet the neighbors that were staying in our same accommodations.. Even Russ was up at the dawn.. Catching me off guard since he had worked all night before ..camera in hand he was catching the first day light and watching the city come alive..

The beauty of the neighbors was that coffee was brewing and I was able to have morning coffee …just another blessing that God had provided.. The men were from San Jose and were down building. They had been coming for 9 years and felt it was their calling to come .. They had land and were planning on building a orphanage near by.. I especially was touched by their kindness for the children giving a hug and attention to some of the little boys who came for hugs . They knew the kids names and you could feel that the connection was genuine. They encouraged us to connect again and wanted to know we were welcome to help them in future trips ..

It was 7am and time to head to the kitchen.. I was meet by Teresa who was friendly and willing to take a rookie which had limited Spanish as her assistant. First hot cakes were planned but soon after with minutes short the menu changed to eggs.
I was cracking and asking questions.. She would give me a English and Spanish lesson..
Eggs with diced catcus and onions …then on to the chocolate milk…
Powder milk with powdered choc milk and a ½ cup of sugar which she insisted was necessary to my despair.. The kids started piling in at 730 julie was there to help with getting the food out and making sure their glasses were full.
We noticed they sat with kids their own age and segregated ..

Girls had the clean up chores helping get the dishes done..
We had chores ourselves getting the shoes ready to give away.. It was show time… tables were brought (Picture – Shoes)out and shoes laid out.. Kids were excited with their choices.. As well as the adults … with soccer cleats it was fun to see the boys trying them on… the women who helped at the home were equally excited to have new shoes…
Julie would take extra care getting the right size for each child that came her way…more good Spanish practice.. They were even helping her get the words right..
once shoes were given we packed the rest up for our next home to visit.. Roberto agreed to take us to the place outside of town in the country side.

After a photo shot we jumped back into our red carriage and our trip to places unknown .. We were encouraged to have another place to share .. The scenery was unique.. Green mountain sides, wild flowers a seasonal stream.. amongst a mount of trash sometimes burning.. The sharp contrast was hard not to miss. As we bounced along the dirt road russ opted to walk and take photos.. Again with out the help of a guide we would have had trouble finding our destination.. The road was a ride in itself.. fun to bounce along and await the next turn … soon enough we saw children watching as we approached..

This home was much bigger with over 80 children awaiting us.. We again set up the location to lay out our shoes.. They were very organized and had a certain number come to see what we brought them.. One large man with big feet was equally happy to see a pair of shoes fit his feet.. One college basketball coach was teased for sending his shoes with us… it was a blessing to see the man pose as if making a basketball shot in his new shoes. The feeling was awesome to see his excitement … this home had more younger children … it was great to put some baby shoes on a baby in a swing..
The needs were greater out in the country than the city ,we were told they were in need of flu shots and underwear … watching the lunch line we wondered how much food it would take to feed that army of children… cans and cans were open on the table and sandwiches of peanut butter and jelly were being made.
It was harder to leave knowing the needs they still had. No propane to cook …we wished we had more to share..

Our hearts were full appreciating the blessing we had all received being able to take the shoes and see the children and adults alike..

Roberto got us back to town once again, the last drop with a few bags of shoes… and now was able to direct back to the boarder.. He left us to take a bus back up the hill and we went in search of OTAY our much loved boarder crossing.

We all were on cloud nine wondering what was next for us in the future
We are brainstorming our new group name
Enjoying the unity we now have shared.. Even sitting at the boarder we plan what he group can prepare for again..

Our minds turn to a sweet treat once we cross back to California.. Spoiled as we are able to stop for a coffee to recharge for the next stop …
As the afternoon as come Keisha and Russ decide to change the mode of transportation.. The train is a new option that will allow them to avoid the Friday afternoon traffic. Shannon meets us with a car to make the swap at the rental place and within minutes we drop then off for the final journey home..

It was a whirlwind we are now pulled apart, the hours together short but pack filled with so much to remember..,and ponder.
Are we content.. How can we be…
As we share the excitement of the trip we try to explain, but words don't capture or express the magnitude of satisfaction and blessing that we all received…
What a crew to take the first maiden voyage.
Knowing that we will come together again. Looking for the right direction…do we need to wait for a bigger trip or take advantage of anything that will come our way.
tomorrow…
I am blessed to have shared this trip with my amigos..
I give God all the glory for making it possible
Peace. Peace. Peace.
A special thank you
To Josie who was willing to jump in and help me with getting the project going..
what a treat for me to spend the time with her
To Russ who gives me hope that men can have a heart to love others more than themselves. And have the vision to believe it can be done.
To Keisha whose laugh brightened my day and who genuine love and compassion was shining through..
To Julie who I love having as a traveling companion in any country and someone who always makes me feel I have a true friend..

See More Pictures From Jill...

Border Crossing Journals

Blog:

Imagine a 15 seat van, bright red crossing the border. Would you be suspicious of the content inside? As the team tried to bring in the donated shoes it, they tried to be as calm and cool crossing the border. Everyone inside the van was eager to get across and praying nothing would stop us. As we slowly entered the border, a beep goes off, we where instantly flagged for move over the shoulder for further investigations. Guards came to us and had asked us what where we carrying? We couldn’t lie so we told them we were brining in donated shoes for orphanages in Mexico. They screened the whole van, and had denied our entry way, because they said it was not the proper way to bring in donated goods. This was a huge blow for the team, as time was running out. Having to cross over the US entry line we met Javier, humanitarian helping collect donations for this church. We chatted a bit, and got some interesting information about bringing in used clothing. Apparently, Mexico has become strict in entering the country with goods. Almost all these goods brought in had to be taxed, even if used. With the hard work and preparation that was done, it was hard to accept that we have to pay more for doing something good for their country. As a team we brainstormed on our next step, but one thing is for sure, we wanted to make it across no matter what. There was no going back without having to deliver these shoes and seeing happy faces. Waiting in the line, we managed to give out some shoes to a mother and her daughter.

Afterwards, with the help of Javier, we found out there is another way to get the shoes across, first is the formal way, having proper authorization and letters from churches, which at this moment is not a possibility. Then the other option; we decided to go to the other smaller border crossing, “Otay”. As we were chatting it up with Javier we were entertained with US border police in action. The guns drawn, as they caught a car, about two lanes over, with immigrants being smuggled in the country. All eyes were on the car, and waiting for the immigrants to come out of the trunk. This somewhat helped with the time spent waiting in the car crossing over the US side. Luckily no shots were fired, and everyone was able to cross safely.

As we got back in the US side, we decided to keep pushing for our goal to cross over. Otay was our only way in, so this time around it worked! With the team praying hard, it was a miracle that we were able to cross. Of course the girls a few tricks with softening the situation with the guards. “Winks, flirty hello’s”, and warm smiles did the trick. So adventure continues…

Adventures Of The Shoe Drop

Stories to come...