By Charles Peckman

[email protected] por Cristo took a group of 13 students, including eight from the University of Iowa, on an alternative spring break trip to Acuña, Mexico, with the goal of building a house for a homeless family.

The family was a woman and her two sons whose lives were changed when their house was torn down 13 months ago.

According to Casas por Cristo’s website, the organization relies on 7,000 volunteers from across North America annually. “Through these cross-cultural partnerships, volunteer teams are presented with an amazing opportunity to build a home for a family in need,” the website stated.

One such volunteer, UI student Kate DelCotto, remembers the building process vividly.

“We broke into teams — some of us were cutting wood, getting supplies, and leveling the ground,” she said. “We got a lot of work done on Monday, because laying the drywall and other processes like that are time-consuming.”

DelCotto said she had no experience before the trip, but “at the end of the day, we had a team of 13 people — that made it a lot easier.”

UI student Emily Ardis, the organizer of the trip, has been on five different ones, but this was the first time she has been in a leadership role. She said that she plans to intern with the program over the summer.

“A few months ago, those in charge of designing the house switched from a tar roof to a metal roof,” Ardis said.

This was done to improve the durability of the structure, she said.
Ardis said chicken wire was used to reinforce stucco, a material used to construct the skeleton of the house.

DelCotto said that using stucco was an “interesting” process.

“It’s not a very exact science. You just kind of mix the ingredients together, and stick it on with your hands or a metal plate,” she said. “Because it uses limestone, it really dries out your hands.”

After the structure is completed, Ardis described the “pimp the casa” process, in which volunteers go to a local furniture store and buy things to, as Ardis put it, “make the place look more homey.”

Because of donations from private donors, the houses come furnished, which DelCotto appreciated about the process.

“We purchased a kitchen table for the family — culturally, being with family is important, so a kitchen table was a must-have,” she said.

UI student Abbie Berryhill, who accompanied the group on the trip, was taken aback by the experience.

“In June 2016, I went to Uganda and built a school there,” she said. “Between that and this year’s trip, they have been eye-opening experiences. It was an amazing trip.”

Berryhill said she did not have any spring-break plans, so this seemed like a worthwhile pursuit.

“We have to be grateful for what we have,” Berryhill said.

Ardis was also moved by the experience.

“It’s amazing. It’s an opportunity to open our eyes to the sense of privilege we have — there’s a lot of materialism, and when you compare being stressed about an exam to worrying about putting food on the table, well, there’s no comparison,” she said.

DelCotto said she learned that you can “go into something with no experience and learn a lot.”

“I’m so grateful for what I have, and [the trip] really gave me a new outlook,” Ardis said.