As the new year begins, Bonita Vista High’s (BVH) newest Physical Education (P.E.) teacher Daniel Schroeder supports his community by volunteering in Ensenada, Mexico. He and his family joined Yugo Ministries, an organization that plans communities get togethers to go on the Mexico Mission trip to build houses for the less fortunate.
“Each year we build two houses for families in Ensenada that lack adequate places to live. We change their lives, but they change ours too,” D. Schroeder’s wife Erin Schroeder said.
Schroeder and his family have participated in Yugo Ministries’ house building projects for two years, with each project scheduled for five days. Volunteers spend two days traveling to and from Ensenada, and spend three days building the houses. A team of 50 members—including D. Schroeder and his family—were able to build homes for families that came from tough situations.
“It is important to me because it helps me stay grounded. You get to see how a family goes from nothing to having a house in three days. Their transformation is large, so it is very precious,” D. Schroeder said.
As the Schroeder family continues to help others, it also teaches them human traits. This volunteer work has also shown them how fortunate they are. D. Schroeder not only builds houses with his wife, but also with his daughter Claire Schroeder.
“I think this is really beneficial for people of my age group because you get blinded by the community you have here and it can be a challenge to see what others are going through. It’s also a perfect way to get to know your community, make new friends and build up your identity,” C. Schroeder said.
Schroeder is currently a junior at Otay Ranch High School, where she is able to apply the life values she learns from participating in house building projects. E. Schroeder explains that she is able to reflect on her life and be grateful after seeing other communities’ living situations.
“This is one of the best things we have ever done as a family. I love that my kids get to see how fortunate they are relative to other families that live close by. They learn to focus on what’s important and less on the material things in life that are pushed on all of us on a daily basis,” E. Schroeder said.
One of the biggest impacts of the organization’s endeavor is teaching families who are more fortunate to be thankful for the unsubstantial lifestyles they have. While participating in this work, emotional impacts come with it due to learning and connecting with families that are in need of help.
“It is a very emotional thing meeting the family you are [building for]. You spend time with their family, their kids and you find a situation and learn about it,” D. Schroeder said.
Families continue this emotional connection until the end of their trip, where a ceremony is held for them to say goodbye to one another and wish them the best of luck. This can be emotional due to the connections the volunteers develop when building a house for a family.
“It fills my soul. We’re so happy to help change the lives of deserving families in need. I feel grateful and am able to have a better perspective about what’s really important in life” E. Schroeder said.
Schroeder and his family have been able to observe the living conditions of people living in Ensenada through the volunteer work they have accomplished for two years. The family plans to continue helping build homes for years to come. D. Schroeder expresses his feelings about his volunteer work.
“Where we build the houses is 70 miles from here, but it’s a different world. So, you have to meet people where they are and everyone is in a different situation. Everyone deserves to live in a way that is respectful of who they are because we are all human beings,” D. Schroeder said.
Schroeder and his family see Ensenada as a different world due to their environment being unlike the environment they live in. Despite living in a different economic state, at the end of the day D. Schroeder believes people are human beings that deserve a respectable place to live.
“You can not change the circumstances of your birth, people are born where they are born and the situation that they are born into can’t control it. Not everyone has the same privilege we have,” D. Schroeder said.
