One thing that sets apart the spiritual development of Chicago Hope students from most others is a yearly event exemplifying the familiar phrase, “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”
In lieu of prom, Chicago Hope Seniors travel to Baja, Mexico for spring break to do service work in one of the poorest regions of the world. In Ensenada, students, teachers and coaches build two pre-fabricated green homes in just three days for impoverished families who were previously living without running water, electricity or beds. English teacher Josh Cauhorn, who was a chaperone on the trip during Spring Break 2010, noted how interesting it was to see the students transform. “They knew it would impact them, that they would see what real poverty would look like. But it was shocking for them to see what it is like to not have things like clean water to drink.” The mother of one family expressed her happiness in having silverware and plates for the first time because it meant that she could have guests over to her home.
Using battery powered electric screw guns, students secure insulated steel panels together to build the walls and roof of each home. A solar panel is placed on the roof to provide power in a place where no public utility electricity is available. One of the five workers from the factory where the homes are micro-manufactured assists the students in installing a waterless toilet and a shower. To complete the home, students assemble and set up simple furniture, bedding, and kitchen supplies in the two room house.
Family members assist in building their own homes, and provide students an opportunity to use their Spanish language skills in a practical setting. Josh recalled that the highlight of the trip last spring was the culminating ceremony where, speaking Spanish with the families, students presented a Bible and the keys to their new home. After completing the homes in Mexico, students get to stay for three nights in San Diego at Hotel del Coronado where they have new experiences of a very different kind, like surfing. Noted Josh, “One hundred miles up the same beach the contrast was striking, generating a lot of organic discussions among students.”
