Location: Los Angeles, California
Written by Jordan Lehman

June 19, 2005

We woke at 6 a.m. , tired from lack of sleep and scattered all over the community centers property.  Some of us took shelter from last nights sprinkler attacks in the community centers gym, some in a dry area of grass, yet others found refuge on the bathroom floor.  We ate breakfast on the coach while transporting to the Saddleback Church in Los Angeles .  Rick Warren preaches there to the 20,000 people who attend.  There are three different services you can go to and they all happen twice.  Some of our group went to the Worship service, some to the Gospel service, and a few brave souls rocked out at overdrive.  This was certainly a new experience for me and many others as well.  After church we met up with Bishop Jeff Wright in downtown Los Angeles for a tour of the city.  First he showed us the oldest and largest farmers market in the city. They had every type of food imaginable from pizza, to lima beans, to fish heads and squid.  We had an hour or so to eat and browse the shops.  We couldn’t go to our planned location because a movie was being shot, so we went to a cool fountain beside a park to talk.  Bishop Wright told us about the city and about the different classes in the city.  We talked about immigration and found that one out of three people in L.A. were not born in the United States .  After our talk with Bishop Wright we headed to where we planned to spend the night at Redondo Beach , Los Angeles .  We quickly settled in and had hamburgers and hotdogs.  Some of us found the many skunks in the park fascinating as we provoked them to spray us, fortunately nobody did get sprayed.  We had a nice devotional from Josh around the campfire before we climbed into our sleeping bags for another night.

Location: Tucson, Arizona
Written by Leah Deputy

June 22, 2005

We awoke on the sixteenth day of our Discovery trip to a hot, sticky, humid morning in Tucson , Arizona .  After getting ready for the day and having a quick breakfast, we loaded the coach and headed for the BorderLinks headquarters in downtown Tucson .  Our guides Brook and Alma took us across the U.S. border to Nogales , Mexico .  For many of us, this was our first time out of the country.

            Our first stop in Mexico was Grupo Beta, a Mexican government agency that provides support to migrants.  This agency encourages migrants to obtain the proper documents for immigration, teaches them how to survive in the desert, and patrols the border in order to assist the migrants in their voyages.

            We also saw the border wall separating the U.S. and Mexico and observed the painted murals that told of the history of the border.

            Next, we split up into two groups and went to two different homes of Mexican families for lunch.  We were graciously served a meal of rice tamales, beans, squash, guacamole, chicken mole, and melon.  Even more meaningful than the food was the interaction and fellowship between us and the Mexican families.  Through an interpreter and our limited Spanish we were able to communicate and enjoy our short time together.

            Next on the agenda was a tour through a maquiladora, or a foreign owned assembly plant.  At this Curtis plant, electric filters, cables, and connectors are produced.  As a supplement to this tour, we conducted a market basket survey in which we converted the cost of staple items from pesos into an equivalent U.S. cost.  In this way, we were able to gauge the cost of living and calculate the hours of work a maquiladora worker would need in order to purchase these items.

            As a last stop we visited CEPAN- el Centro de Paz de Ambos Nogales , or the Peace Center for both Nogales .  Here we were served yet another delicious Mexican meal, and we all enjoyed speaking with and getting to know the volunteers there at the Mercy House.

            Our time to leave came too soon as we boarded the coach to travel north towards the border.  As Barry the coach driver dealt with the legalities of crossing the border, we were able to squeeze in some time for shopping.  We encountered some rather intense salesmen in the shops area.  Many of us purchased bags, blankets, hats, or jewelry as mementos for the trip and to support the artisans.

            After crossing the border back into the U.S. , we once again boarded the coach with our purchases.  In a single day we had broadened our horizons and understanding of the conditions faced by the Mexican people and were impressed by the hospitality and love they were so willing to share.