This summer I had the amazing opportunity to go on a humanitarian trip to Mexico through an organization called HEFY (Humanitarian Experience for Youth). My dad gave me the impossible task of summarizing the two most incredible weeks of my life and not have it take three hours to read. So I am going to try my best to keep it relatively short, and pick some highlights from my trip journal.

Day 1: June 1st, in transit

The first day was a long day. Our flight left at 6:00 in the morning so I had to be at the airport in Salt Lake at 4:00 A.M. My dad drove me to the airport and helped me find the group that I was going with. There were 18 other youth coming with us and four adults. We got all checked in and went through security and to our gate. We had a short flight to Phoenix Arizona where we had a 5 hour layover. We spent the time getting to know each other and playing games. We then had a 4 and a half hour flight to Cancun, Mexico. We got on a bus and drove to dinner, which was some really good tacos (go figure). After dinner we took the bus to our hostel and had a quick devotional and went to sleep.

Day 3: June 3rd, the hand of the Lord

Today was one of our days to do touristy activities. What we had planned was to take a catamaran out to a reef and go snorkeling and then go to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza and see a light show that they do on the side of the pyramid. We started out on the catamaran tour and we were told that the ocean was too choppy to go to the reef. We were going to head back and try to get a refund but our trip leaders decided to just go out on the ocean for a while. We went sailing for about an hour and then came back and went swimming in the bay. Later in the day we took a 3 hour bus ride to Merida we got to the ruins and learned that because of the rain that had started the light show was canceled and the park was closed. So we decided to just go to the hotel that we were staying at for the rest of the trip and get settled in. After another 2 hour bus ride we got to the hotel only to learn that they were not expecting us until the next day. But by what can only be described as a miracle we found another hotel close by that had enough rooms for all 24 people in our group with all the rooms right next to each other.

 

Now this seems a bit like every thing went wrong on this day and we sort of felt that way too until that night when we had reflections as a group. We realized that the hand of the Lord had been guiding us and protecting us the whole day. If we had gone to the reef it would be very likely that someone would have been hurt. But the weather held out long enough for us to still have a good boat ride, the light show was canceled but if we had stayed we would not have been able to get to the hotel that we did and would have ended up sleeping on the bus. We could all feel the Spirit and were thankful for the protection of the Lord.

Day 5: June 5th, the best birthday ever

My 18th birthday is one that I will always remember. I woke up in the morning and opened a box of gifts from my family. This was special but I was more excited because today was the first day we were going to the worksite. After morning study and breakfast we got on the bus and went to the the worksite. The project that we were starting was to build two new classrooms for a school that had become very overcrowded. We got to the school and we met the kids. I don’t really speak Spanish so I couldn’t understand what any of them were saying but I was still able to have fun. We played tag and gave out some American candy which the kids loved. We played with the kids for about an hour until everything was ready for us at the worksite. When we got to the worksite we were told that a big pile of rocks and roots was where we were supposed to start building and that we first had to level out the ground. So we got to work moving boulders and digging up roots.

After a few hours it was lunch time we were all exhausted. We ate lunch and then passed out on the floor of the preschool classroom. After lunch and our nap we headed back out to work. Before lunch we had finished leveling the pile and now we started digging the trenches for the foundation. It is hard and slow work, especially because we were not using any power tools. We use the good old fashioned pickaxe and shovel to dig all of our trenches to bedrock. After another few hours the bus came and picked us up. By that time we were filthy and tired. We got back to the hotel and took quick showers then walked to dinner.

I talked with the other guys about cars and we watched the cars go by outside. After dinner we went to FHE with the local ward. We went to the house of my Mexican grandma and had a lesson then played a game. When she learned that we were from Utah she told us about her missionaries from Utah and how much she loved them. After FHE we went back to the hotel and reflected on the day and then went to bed.     

Day 10: June 10th, Uxmal and cenotes

Today was the first weekend after a full week of work. An hour bus ride took us to the Mayan ruins of the city Uxmal. We went on a tour of the city and learned about the carvings and the culture of the Mayans. It was incredible to me to see the massive pyramids and temples and to think about how the Mayans must have built them. It was especially amazing to me after spending a week digging the foundation of our small school. It was also cool to see how everything was symbolic of the Mayan god Chaahk who was the Mayan god of rain. After our tour of the ruins we spent some time in the shops.

Our next activity was to bike to some cenotes, but Chaahk must have been angry because it started raining. But we figured that we were going to go swimming anyways so it really didn’t matter so we got on our bikes and rode to the cenote.

After swimming for a while, we were joking that there was probably some kind of river monster in there with us. Just then, near the wall, some bubbles started coming up to the surface and started moving towards us. We on the verge of swimming away in panic  when out of nowhere came three scuba divers who had been exploring an underwater cave. It was really funny — we had no idea they were even there. Then we rode our bikes to another cenote that was in a cave. It was very cool and the water was clear. When we were done swimming we went back to the bus, still in the rain, and returned to our hotel.

That night, we went out to dinner to a restaurant that had American food, which was a welcome break from tacos and corn tortillas. One day, after being weary of corn tortillas, we had a little fun flinging them into a ceiling fan and watching them fly out the window. There was no flying cheeseburgers or onion rings that night.

Day 11: June 11th, the Spirit is the same

The 11th was our second Sunday in Mexico, and sadly our last. Our trip leaders were asked to speak in sacrament meeting. While I speak very little Spanish I could still feel the Spirit as they spoke. Then we had Sunday school and the youth of the church in Mexico really impressed me. There is only one teacher in the ward and he told us a story about how he learned to ride a bike so that he could come to church early and prepare the sacrament. If you would have asked me as a teacher to ride my bike for half an hour to get to the church to prepare the sacrament I probably would have just hoped that someone else would do it.

One of the most meaningful experiences I had was going on splits with the sister missionaries later that day. We went to visit some less-active members and on our way to the first house we stopped in the street and talked to some people who were not members. I had the opportunity to share a scripture with them that I had found in my personal study. Being prepared enough to bring the Spirit into someone’s life was a very special experience for me. We then visited three houses and shared our testimonies with the less-active members, and I could feel the same Spirit there. After we finished our visits we headed back to the church and ate dinner.

That night, there was a fireside with the youth and I spoke about the power of music. Later in the fireside the priesthood holders from our group sang Called to Serve with the priesthood holders of the ward. This definitely ended our last Sunday together on a high note (or more accurately a low one).

Day 15: June 15th, it’s hard to say goodbye

Today was our last full day on the worksite. We all felt like we needed to work as hard as we could. We all love the kids and want to build them a strong school that will help them have a better life and a safe place. Unfortunately, about an hour after lunch a tropical storm rolled in and we had to stop for a while and wait for the rain to blow over. By the time it did we had to go. So we went back to the hotel and showered and then went out to dinner. Then we went to the church for our last activity with the members. It was a cultural night, where we learned how to make molletes and do some Mexican dancing. We had a pinata for a girl named Kamree’s birthday and then we sang to Kamree and she got cake smashed in her face (a Mexican tradition I had experienced with my own birthday cake).

All too soon the activity was coming to a close. We had a short testimony meeting and then we had to say goodbye. We took pictures and got lots of hugs. My mexican mom said that if I get called to Merida for my mission, I have to come to her house and she will feed me. By the time we were on the bus I already missed them.

Conclusion

I think that trip is best summarized by the new acronym for HEFY that we came up with: Helping Everyone Forgetting Yourself. If you really think about it two weeks is not that long of a time. Regardless as I served the people of Merida Mexico I have come to love them. They have taught me about the importance of performing my priesthood duty even if I have to sacrifice. I have learned about charity as I have studied the life of Christ and served the people around me. I have learned of the power of testimony and of the Spirit. I have learned that any question I have I can answer through the scriptures and the revelation of modern prophets.