BasicNecessities.org

Some days are better than others.  Today was a good day in which we received a $1,200 donation from BMC Software, headquartered in Houston TX but with local offices in Pleasanton, CA.  This donation is in response to a grant request for our “First in Family” and “Re-entry” educational grants.  Next spring we’ll offer grants to students who are the either the first in their family to go to college (Las Positas Junior College) or who are re-entering the work force after a long time off, for example a mother going back to school.  Currently we have enough money for four $500 grants, although we are still seeking additional funds.  Thanks again BMC for your wonderful support of our educational program! - Charlie

I had the opportunity to help and talk with a homeless woman outside of the Livermore, CA Post Office.  Like many others in her situation, she lives in her car.  Showers for the homeless are few and far between, but this woman manages to go down to the public pool on East Avenue occasionally where for $3.00 she can use the pool and showers (I believe).  I think we’ve helped this woman before, probably a few months ago, but I was able to give her a Safeway Gift card worth $25.  The item she needed most was gas, so I’m glad that we were able to help her in this way.  I also talked with her about the local food kitchen “Open Heart Kitchen”, and the daily locations where she could get food.  She knew about the Livermore locations, where food is served 3 days a week, but not the Pleasanton and Dublin locations, where food is served the other two weekdays.  I reminded myself to print out some Open Heart Kitchen brochures to give out in the future.  - Charlie

We have a Latina client, a woman with 4 children who is on her own living in her car.  Her English is very poor.  She’s pregnant also, and will deliver sometime this month.  We tried to get her into the local shelters at Shepherd’s Gate, but they have no room and don’t speak Spanish, and Tri-Valley Haven, where they wouldn’t take her because she has too many kids.  We spent $298 at Toy’s R Us buying various items that she will need, and we also gave her a couple of Safeway Gift cards worth $50.  But she’s still living in her car with her kids.  Somehow, as a community, we should be able to do more for people in these situations.  - Charlie

My sister Diane recently inquired about our safety in Mexico.   Yes, it’s certainly a bit more dangerous than in the past.  For the most part, tourists are safe but there have been a few killed by “collateral damage” (i.e. accidentally getting shot) in border towns.  On my last couple of trips to Mexico, I was surprised to see a military HMVEE with a heavy caliber machine gun on top (and manned) cruising through the tourist area of Tijuana.  Another time I saw a truck load of heavily armed Federales (Mexican Police) in Tijuana.  On my last trip, one of the churches which sponsored a Corazon house build (www.corazon.org) bailed at the last minute because they didn’t think it was safe, and our group received a police escort to the build site.  All this in addition to the stepped up military posts and roadside Federal drug search areas. 

There is definitely a war going on in Mexico between the Government and Drug Lords.  We pray for our safety on the way in, while we’re there, and on the way out.  God’s work of helping the poor still needs to be done, but we are cautious and I do read the state department warnings before I go.

All that said, travel on our last trip was pretty benign.  I flew to San Diego and rented a car to take to Ensenada.  I’m glad they gave me an older car, rather than the usual new model year, because it fit right in once it got covered with dust and dirt.  We did construction projects in the homes of 12 single moms in the hills above Ensenada.  Some of the homes were literally “made with garage doors” and you could still see the garage door hardware on the walls (http://basicnecessities.org/blog/?p=36).  We installed sinks in the bathrooms, installed plumbing, installed mirrors and closets (a shelf and bar to hang clothes).  Some of these women are so poor.  One lady had a young child, a pregnant daughter, and no water because it had been turned off for lack of payment.  We were able to get the water turned back on, and the sink and plumbing installed.  At another house we built 40 meters of retaining wall to keep out the mud when it rains.  All in all it was a great trip.  The thing I like the most is seeing (and being part of, at least for a short while) their social life.  It’s very rich, one of the single moms invited us over for tamales after church on a Thursday night.  The best part of this trip was being invited into the homes of the single moms, something that we’re not often able to do.  - Charlie

Letters like this make it all worth it.  We’re glad that we are able to help. - Charlie

I just spent a week in Mexico doing repair work in the homes of 12 single moms in an impoverished community called Emiliano Zapata.  I was with a mission group from Valley Community Church of Pleasanton, California.  We mostly installed closets (a shelf with a bar to hang clothes), mirrors, and wash basins and toilets in the bathrooms, and new shower curtains.  Although in a few homes we did excavation work to keep out the mud when it rains, and in one we built a concrete wall to keep it from flooding when it rains.  Many of the moms were barely getting by, with little food in the refrigerator and no money for repairs or upgrades to their homes.  I didn’t ask how they got their homes in the first place; but I know that some were built by the local church La Gran Comisión or mission teams, while others were probably built by their husbands before they left.  Some of the homes were built out of used garage doors, like the one shown here.  You can see the garage door panel that forms the wall on the right, as well as the garage door hardware. 

The home shown is about 12′ x 20′. You’re seeing most of it in this photo. One mom didn’t even have running water (it had been turned off), and she was living in her home with a child and her pregnant daughter.  We were able to work with the church to get the water turned back on, so the toilet, bathroom washbasin, and shower that we installed would work.  Many of the homes had electricity and running water, but no washbasin or shelves in the bathroom.  The photo at the right shows one of the more depressing looking bathrooms, after we installed a shelf, wash basin, and plumbing.  It’s pretty sad looking, but imagine what it was like before we installed the washbasin and shelf.  Some homes didn’t even have showers, or hot water for that matter.

As always, this trip was really a blessing for me.  We were able to go into the homes of the single moms (something that we would not normally be able to do), and chat with them a bit.  My Spanish is getting good (it should be after 4 years) and I was able to talk about lots of things as well as interpret for others.  Although these people were poor in material things, and even some of the basic necessities of life, most were rich in spirit and social life.  Most of the moms were strong believers in Christ, although a few were not - but the church reached out to them as well.  One thing I always notice on these trips is how strong their social structure is.  I really believe that this is something that we have lost in our community, mostly because we have so many things to do and play with, and many people spend too much time at work.  I really envy their sense of community, and the fact that their happiness is not a function of their circumstances.  For more pictures of this mission trip, click here. - Charlie

I attended the closing ceremonies of this summer’s Nosotras En Control (We Are In Control) program.  Thirty one Latinas in middle school and high school attend the program, held at Las Positas College in Livermore, California.  The focus of the program is to build self esteem in young Latinas through a series of workshops and guest speakers.  Workshops included talks on self-esteem, dental hygiene, making good choices, the importance of education, exercise (a hip-hop dance class), and sex education.  Guest speakers included Dr. Pollard, President of Las Positas College, and several female minority role models who talked about the their experiences and challenges of succeeding, but also of the rewards.  Most, if not all, of the guest speakers left their contact information for the girls, so the girls could contact them in the future.  I am hopeful that this program will make a lasting difference in the young Latina’s lives, as many face early pregnancy or gang life if they don’t make good choices. 

This past weekend we helped build a 12′ x 16′ house addition in the foothills south of Tijuana Mexico, tagging along with local church group on a familia Corazón (www.corazon.org) house build project.  Technically the area was still Tijuana, but we were well off the main paved roads.  I didn’t think much about our group’s safety, but on this trip we were provided with a police escort from just off the freeway to the construction site.  These are areas where you would never venture alone.   If you haven’t been on one of these trips, they are awesome.  You stay in Chula Vista, CA, meet on Saturday morning at 6:00 am, caravan into Mexico to the construction site, build all day (with your choice of general construction, painting, or finishing work), wrap up at about 5:00 pm, and drive back across the boarder.  It’s very tiring work, and it’s typically very hot, but also very rewarding.  It’s a real eye opening experience to see the level of poverty in the local area.  They have electricity, if they are able to pay for it, a faucet with a hose, and an out house.   Typically the person that you are building the house for serves everyone lunch.  On this day we had nopales (cactus), rice, beans, tortillas, and juice.  Everyone worked hard, and at the end of the day we could feel a sense of accomplishment, that we had made someone’s life better.  It’s such a small thing, given the level of affluence that we have in the United States.  The picture at the top shows us working on the roof late in the day.  The next picture shows the local area, along with the outhouse (with a sheet for the door).   You can see that it’s all dirt roads.  I couldn’t help but wonder what they do when it rains.  I was lucky enough to be able to interview the woman whose house we added on to, and write a letter that would be brought back to the church funding the project: St. Claires Church in Pleasanton, California.  With a little luck, I’ll bring my daughter back for another house build project later this summer.   I’d like to thank our Sponsors for providing some of the funding for this trip: Cornerstone Fellowship of Livermore, California, and our individual Sponsors.

I finally received a release to show a picture of some of the women at Shepherd’s Gate, a women’s shelter located in Livermore, California.  Some of these women are moms who received our gift baskets for Mother’s day.  What a blessing it was to get to talk with these women and hear their stories.  The amazing part is, they look like people you might see at the grocery store, not what you would consider “homeless persons”.  It’s visits like this that really change your prespective on life, your circumstances, and your situation.  In addition to providing 12 gift baskets to Shepherd’s Gate, we also gave 27 to the moms at Tri-Valley Haven Homeless and Domestic Violence Shelter, and 23 to moms in Livermore’s migrant worker program.

Wow!  So we’re paying the rent on a garage for one of our clients who has cancer and is not able to work at the moment.  I paid the rent in April, last month Catherine’s husband paid it, and we’re praying for others to help out.  Well, Rosemary, a lady in church who I know, asks me how things are going with paying the rent for our client.  I told her that we’re still working on the June rent, and she grabs two of her friends who write checks on the spot for $250.  That amount worked out just about right, because the Community Baptist Church of Livermore paid $270 towards the June rent, and with us picking up another $30 we were able to cover the $550 rent for the garage.  By the way, I can’t imaging paying $550 a month in rent for a garage.  I’m always amazed at how God works to take care of these things.  I thank God and I thank all the supporters of BasicNecessities.org.