Final LUGGAGE pick up will be held on Monday, April 24 from 2:00-5:30 pm in the dirt parking lot adjacent to Fair Oaks Park on the west side of Britton Avenue.
Drive-through only in this area; NO PARKING PLEASE. If you are unable to quickly locate your bags, exit the bag claim area and park in the TKA Main Lot, returning on foot to continue the search for your items.
Parallel parking is allowed on Britton Ave adjacent to this bag claim area.
For questions or to arrange a pick up for TOOLS, please contact Julie Jahde-Young, Service Outreach Coordinator, ext 4385 or Julie Jahde-Young.
Wednesday in Tecate is, in my opinion, the best day. Not because it is the last day of work, and you are probably the most exhausted you have been all week, and not because the house will be done, but because of what we call the "Key Ceremony." This event probably doesn't last longer than 30 minutes to an hour, but contained within that comparatively small amount of time is the entire reason why we come to Tecate and build these houses. Four days of hard work culminates in the simple act of handing a set of keys and a Bible to a family. Small acts that will be a greater blessing to these families than we can even realize. Today we have three students reflections. Hopefully, through these reflections, and the picture gallery linked below them, you will be able to get a sense of what these moments are like.
Thank you, as always, for your prayers and support.
This trip was successful in large part because of you.
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Reflection One
“May God bless you.” Jose Luis said to us. An ovation lasted for a long time. Applause and tears existed at the same time.Today is the last work day for all sites, and site 4 is no exception. Despite the impressive progress we made over the past three days, we still have two major things to build at 5 pm - the loft window and the front wallboard. According to our schedule, all people should be driving back to the ranch at 5 o'clock, but no one seemed to have any intentions of leaving this house without finishing it. The spirit of teamwork and sacrifice are the gist of site 4. Four boys along with two girls volunteered to work on the loft, and others headed to the front. These two things are tough to build, especially when it comes to the measurement. There were several diagonal lines to cut, but our cutting machines were not designed to cut diagonal lines directly. Ten, twenty, thirty, forty minutes went by. Everyone's eyes looked a bit tired, yet everybody stood together as a team and did not want to give up. Finally, under the guidance of the site leaders, we combined four pieces of wood together and formed a rhombic wallboard. Problem solved at last, and the pointer on the clock was already pointing at 7:15 pm. We invited the grandfather of the Mexican family into the middle of the house and prayed together. A usually calm elder man suddenly got emotional, he was so touched by all the hard work of the TKA students and the love of the Lord Jesus. He told us that his wife passed away two months ago and she would be delighted to see this house, but she never could. We prayed for both of them with all our hearts and handed the key to grandfather. We cried, not only because we were going to leave the place we worked for four days, but also because of the love of God spread here in the community.
"God bless you. Amen"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Wednesday in Tecate is, in my opinion, the best day. Not because it is the last day of work, and you are probably the most exhausted you have been all week, and not because the house will be done, but because of what we call the "Key Ceremony." This event probably doesn't last longer than 30 minutes to an hour, but contained within that comparatively small amount of time is the entire reason why we come to Tecate and build these houses. Four days of hard work culminates in the simple act of handing a set of keys and a Bible to a family. Small acts that will be a greater blessing to these families than we can even realize. Today we have three students reflections. Hopefully, through these reflections, and the picture gallery linked below them, you will be able to get a sense of what these moments are like.
Thank you, as always, for your prayers and support.
This trip was successful in large part because of you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection One
“May God bless you.” Jose Luis said to us. An ovation lasted for a long time. Applause and tears existed at the same time.Today is the last work day for all sites, and site 4 is no exception. Despite the impressive progress we made over the past three days, we still have two major things to build at 5 pm - the loft window and the front wallboard. According to our schedule, all people should be driving back to the ranch at 5 o'clock, but no one seemed to have any intentions of leaving this house without finishing it. The spirit of teamwork and sacrifice are the gist of site 4. Four boys along with two girls volunteered to work on the loft, and others headed to the front. These two things are tough to build, especially when it comes to the measurement. There were several diagonal lines to cut, but our cutting machines were not designed to cut diagonal lines directly. Ten, twenty, thirty, forty minutes went by. Everyone's eyes looked a bit tired, yet everybody stood together as a team and did not want to give up. Finally, under the guidance of the site leaders, we combined four pieces of wood together and formed a rhombic wallboard. Problem solved at last, and the pointer on the clock was already pointing at 7:15 pm. We invited the grandfather of the Mexican family into the middle of the house and prayed together. A usually calm elder man suddenly got emotional, he was so touched by all the hard work of the TKA students and the love of the Lord Jesus. He told us that his wife passed away two months ago and she would be delighted to see this house, but she never could. We prayed for both of them with all our hearts and handed the key to grandfather. We cried, not only because we were going to leave the place we worked for four days, but also because of the love of God spread here in the community.
"God bless you. Amen"
Reflection Two
During the key ceremony, long hard toil manifests beautifully into an emotionally invoking moment that moves everyone’s hearts profoundly.
I am one of twenty-three students on site 7. The family which we are building a house for is a family of five with three children; Angel, a kind and caring 8 year old boy, Juliet, an active and energetic 3 year old girl, and Sophia, the most adorable 1 year old girl with a precious smile. The father of the family, Manuel, has a brother who lives 2 yards away from him, the family which site 6 serves. Hence a passive rivalry subtly ensued between sites 6 and 7 to determine who would finish the house first. Both houses were constructed, regardless of competition, boasting an open design and access to electricity, a luxury that few have in the outskirt areas of Tecate.
Our site’s family, fully in poverty and without proper means of housing, threw a party for us during the key ceremony as a means of gratitude, with gallons of light fluffy ice cream and packages of rich moist cake; undoubtedly they gave us the best which they could offer despite their dismal socioeconomic conditions. This admirable act resonated potently within me.
Here’s epiphany I stumbled upon – giving Mexican families in poverty a house is not merely an honorable act of service. During Site 7’s key ceremony, James Bek told the family that a physical house is a temporary provision, which will fade away overtime. However, the King’s Academy allows for these families to experience the fullness of God’s grace and mercy, not just to alleviate their socioeconomic condition but to fix their eyes upon the God whose name we come to serve. We do not give a house to the family; we give them a home.
As we said our goodbyes to the family, the girls in our site and a few boys (myself included) gave hearty hugs to Angel, Juliet, and Sophia. Leaving these cute, precious children tore us. But we know that we have given this family more than they can ever imagine. The experience is beautiful.
We love the family so much that we offer not only the gospel but our lives as well. 1 Thessalonians 2:8
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Reflection Three
Well, it’s our last day here in Tecate! Of course showers are anticipated by all, but it’s always bittersweet to leave our families. We know they are blessed by the houses we build, but the key ceremony never fails to be something special and unforgettable. I’d like to tell you about my site’s key ceremony. There couldn’t be a better day for my family to receive a house because today is Veronica’s birthday! She is the madre of the family. As is tradition, seniors get to physically hand over the keys to the house and a Bible to the family. I never really imagined myself being that person. It is truly a privilege, and it’s a very different experience to be the one making a speech. I wanted to say something really meaningful, and I wanted to say it directly to them, so I wrote what I wanted to say and had it translated beforehand. I told them that the house is not from us; it’s from God. This home is only temporary, but there is an eternal home in our Father. I finished by saying that Christ has to be in your heart to receive His blessing. He has to have your life. I am very glad that they knew this, because as I finished my sentence by saying en tu corazon (in your heart) they finished with me and put their hands on their hearts and said those words with me. I had the privilege of handing them a Bible, and I told them that they can discover more about Jesus and His heart for them in the pages of that Book. I pray that they do. And I hope you pray with me that the impact of these physical gifts that TKA gives to the families of Tecate every year goes beyond meeting their physical needs. If all they get from us at the end of the week is a house, we have failed. We’re here to give them the hope that we have, the salvation that we as followers of Jesus have. So please pray that every family who has ever received a house from King’s finds their eternal home in the King of Kings. And if you’re reading this right now, know that you don’t have to be here building houses with us to share the Gospel. Share it at the grocery store, the doctor’s office… anywhere! Seriously, sharing the Gospel isn’t meant to be exclusive to mission trips. It’s for everyone who has Jesus in their hearts, who have been purchased by His blood. We aren’t meant to be concentrated, concealed lakes of life, but rivers that flow out the hope within. I’m excited to return home and do that. Don’t let me be the only one! Share the Good News wherever you go!
God bless Tecate!
- Holly K., Grade 12, Site 8
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