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For
the sixth year in a row, PSG partner Paul Gidus spent a week's
vacation during the summer of 2003 helping to build a home for
a needy family in Tijuana, Mexico. Called Project Mexico and
founded by an Orthodox Christian who also developed an orphanage
for Mexican boys, the organization uses the labor of willing
volunteers to construct a home that provides basic shelter for
a needy Mexican family.
Measuring 11'x22'--the size of an average American family room,
the uninsulated house consists of two rooms, a concrete floor,
a flat roof, two windows and a door. There is no plumbing or
electricity. The stud walls in the house are exposed.
The
building project took five days to complete by a group of volunteers
from Florida and other parts of the country that Paul was part
of. The new house was blessed for the family by an Orthodox Christian
priest (a common practice with Orthodox Christians) who was part
of the volunteer group.
Why
has Paul made so many trips back to Mexico? "We are called
to do mission work," Paul explains . "As a builder,
constructing a home like this is something I can easily do. Over
the years I have developed a relationship with Project Mexico
and have worked to get materials donated by our company's suppliers."
Paul
may break away from tradition and take a year off in order to
give his wife Tammy an opportunity to experience a building trip.
His intentions, however, are to return again. "The trip
is a reality check for me because it helps keep my life in perspective.
It's something we all need to do."
More information on Project
Mexico can be found at www.projectmexico.org.
PSG
Above Left: The family for whom Paul helped build
a house in Tijuana, Mexico.
Above Right: The volunteer group gathers with the
family in front of their new home. |