Sat December 27th,
5 PM-meet at the terminal 2 parking lot at the San Diego
Airport. Look for 2 Bayside Express buses parked
at the bottom of the escalator. There will be several French
ski instructors waiting to welcome you to this year's Club Dust service
and ski adventure! . One of them even has a cell phone
(408)205-3045 if you are lost. You can call too if you just need a
friendly voice to remind you just how life changing the next few days will
be for you and the families you meet in Mexico.
Bring extra space in your suit cases to help us bring into Mexico the
shoes and baby clothes that we are giving away to the families near where
we are building. IF you are reading this before the trip itself please
consider bringing along at least 5 pairs of new or "like new" shoes that
we can give away during the trip. Shoes take up an exorbitant amount of
the monthly wage of families in Mexico. Because of this we set up a no
charge shoe store near the worksite and hope to give away at least 1000
pairs of socks and shoes.Make sure to see this part of Club dust in
between the hammering and painting that'll be going on each day.
Board the buses make sure you have your luggage in the luggage bay of
the bus you are riding in. The buses all have restrooms on them and you'll
hear all about what to expect for the next few days while we are driving
over the border. This is also when you'll have to be paid up and have the
liability waiver signed before you get off at the Olympic village which
will be your home base for the next few days and nights.
6 PM. The buses will leave the airport
at 6 PMsharp so don't be late! (if you DO miss the bus get a rental car or
thumb a ride to the Tecate/U.S.
border where you can call the 408 number above) If you call we will
come pick you up at the U.S. border office and escort you to join the
other Club Dust athletes at the mountain village there in Tecate.
7 PM-7:30 PMRegistration and bunking assignments are handled at
the International stadium entrance as you get off the bus.
7:30 pm-8:30PM-find French cuisine and a great Mexican Luau are
served by the ice skating rink all evening so take your time in getting
yourself settled. Find a bunk and relax as you meet your new neighbors in
the bunkhouse or the campground if you are tenting it in the polo fields
behind the ranch.(advice is bring snow worthy sleeping bags as it gets
cccccooold in December in Tecate.
9 pm-Meet at Grand gondola station for the introduction the
adventure and to get familiar with all the ski runs and trails. Bring your
dinner or a cup of coffee but don't miss this time.
10 pm-quiet time and a good idea to hit the sack as tomorrow
will get here quickly! Make sure to have your earplugs or IPOD handy in
case you are within earshot of one of the famous snoremeisters!!
Sunday December28, 2008
5:30 am- Bible study by the fireplace. Start your day with your
mind and heart in the right place. Fresh coffee and hot chocolate served
to you for the caffeine and sugar fix you'll need at this early hour!
6:00 am - Breakfast served at the bakerie la' Erni'. Enjoy and
make sure you eat and drink enough for a long but fun day of work in the
sun! Fill your sports bottles here at the fondue house and keep drinking
throughout the day. Each house will have ice water and munchies available.
We will have salt tablets and basic first-aid supplies if you need them
throughout the trip. There is no medical insurance coverage through Club
Dust so take responsibility for your health and safety while serving
others in need. Tim Rocknowski is our Clubdust Health director and a
working RN. Please let him know if you have brought any prescription meds
or have any health concerns.
Tim will be available via radio or cell phone throughout the trip.
There will be a comfort tent set up at the house building site. It will be
stocked with basic first aid supplies, salt tabs and Gatorade. This is a
good place to chill if you need to cool down and get out of the heat for a
bit during the day.
7:00 am- first bus leaves for the worksite as soon as it is
full. Today is the day we get the framing and technical work done so
anyone that actually knows what they are doing needs to be on this first
bus. Bring your breakfast and coffee if you'd like. We are traveling local
style in the Tecate town buses all of 25 minutes to the worksite. Once
there take all your tools and personal belongings out of the bus as it
will be circling back and forth between the ranch, the donation site, the
church and the house building worksite throughout the day. Look for the
chief Randy Strong once you get to the worksite. He'll give you directions
to the house that you'll be building and you'll then get to first meet
your team of fellow builders. Each house has a team of people that are a
combination of skilled and unskilled workers of all ages. Be patient and
careful as you work together to give a family a home as the ultimate
celebration of God's love!
8 am- last of the buses leaves the La' Palome Village for the
worksite and donation center. Don't miss this one or you'll miss all the
fun of Club Dust in action!
12 noon-chow-time! Meet at the comfort tent for a great meal and
make sure you drink enough to stay hydrated and eat enough to have energy
for a long fun day and evening! This is a great time to look around and
see what life is like for the families we are helping with a new home.
This site has few old shacks as it is a new development so you'll need to
check out the surrounding areas to see what we are replacing as typical
housing. The best way to do this is to take one of our buses over to the
railroad tracks where the portable homes are being assembled and also
where the church/community center is being built. Many families start off
with a house made of old discarded wooden garage doors nailed together
into a box. Others use scrap wood or pallets wrapped with tar paper for a
basic shelter against the wind and rain. The homes you are building are
safe, functional and will last many years even in the hot summer sun and
winter storms!
5 pm- first bus leaves the worksite for your mountain home. The
buses will continue leaving as they fill up until all the sunburned
Americans are loaded up and heading to the cool pool and hot showers.
5:30 pm-Chow time at the food court starts whenever the first
bus arrives with its sore and tired superstar athletes! The international
culinary staff will be singing and cooking until 7:30 so take your time,
wash up and get ready for a night of snowy fun and lots of silly ski lodge
competition!
7:30 pm- Join Leif Erikson and Jaque
de Bombardier for a fun night of games, music
and team building.
10 pm-lights out and quiet time on the base. Anyskiiers found
making noise after 10 will be subject to immediate tossing into the
skating rink (think cold, green swimming pool )so be forewarned! Hang
around in the bondfire and fondue pot as long as you want but remember the
singing wake up alarm comes early at 5:30 am!!
Monday December 29,
2008
5:30 am- Bible talk in the fireside room. Get some refreshing
spiritual juice in your soul to start the day. This also gets you
breakfast before the rest of the skiers roll out of the bunks.
6:00 am-goat milk and French bread!! Breakfast time with a good
mix of protein and carbs to keep you going all day
Today you get even STRONGER coffee for a good morning buzz and to
make sure long through the heat and pressure of changing the world!
7:00 am- first bus leaves with the ski instructors and
vacationing tourists all aboard. Meet at your house site for a time of
prayer and connection with the family you are building for before you
start swinging the hammers.
8:00 am-last of the buses leaves the la Palome' ranch for the
worksite. Grab your coffee or cocoa and a muffin and climb aboard the
Tecate cruiser and head West to the worksites.
11:30 am-lunch and hydrate at the comfort tent. Look at how far
we've come in just 30 hours as a team working together to serve our
friends and neighbors! Remember to ask any of the French Ski instructors
any questions you might have. We love hearing suggestions too. Just know
that as you have any ideas of how to make Club dust better we will
probably agree AND put YOU in charge of making those ideas happen!
4 pm- first bus leaves the site and ventures back to the spa and
massage tables back at the village la Palome'. We will keep the bus
shuttle going until we are all back to the beautiful Club dust Ranch. Take
a hot shower or a cool swim and relax as you'll be feeling some new
soreness this evening after working so hard all day.
5:30 pm Chow time again at the food
court. Relax and kick your feet up while sharing a meal with your new
friends and teammates. Remember to see when your team has KP duty during
the trip so life stays easy for everyone that is part of the trip.
(cranky, overworked cooks make for bad meals the next
day!!)
7:30 pm- Its down to the Gondola station for some time of
photographic review and mid adventure evaluation. We will also look at the
progress that we have made on the church/community center and what is
needed to get it completed in the near future.Be ready for a bit of song
and worship before we get to know more about the families we are building
for. We will have lots of photos to show by now so see how you look on the
big screen. Better yet look and see what a major difference we are making
in the lives of these families that are receiving the houses or food and
shoe donations. This is just by providing them what we want for our own
selves and family members- basic, safe, decent shelter and a bed to sleep
and dream in. This is the time too when we hold the Family Box Auction. No
checks required, your credit and an open, loving heart is all that is
needed to stoke another family with a box of personal shopper clothes and
shoes.
10:00 pm- lights out and sleepy time for your tired bods. If you
still have more energy hang out at the Costa Rican coffee bar and chat it
up. This is a great time and place to talk and dream up new ways that your
life can make a serious difference in the lives of other people around the
world.
Tuesday December 30,
2008
5:30 am- fireside room is the place to be at this early hour. Get some
insight into the eternal world that motivates and drives Club Dust as an
organization. Breakfast and caffeine served right to your chair by your
trainers.
6:00 am- breakfast time at the Gazebo with plenty of black java and
some good music to start your day in the right attitude.
7:00 am-first full bus pulls out like a luge racer and heads
straight for the worksites and church. Make sure to use your sunscreen
unless you are looking to bring home a bad sunburn as a souvenier from the
trip!
8:00 am- last bus departs filled with smailing, happy people
from around this great big world! Bring your food and drink along if you
slept in a little after the wake up alarm woke you from your beauty sleep
this morning.
11:30 am- lunch at the food tent at the house building worksite.
After your house is completely done make sure to get a tour of the various
projects that are happening at Club dust. This includes a no charge shoe
and sock store, a furniture factory, a church and community building being
built for the benefit of this community where we have been building for
many years.
Ask any of the ski instructors how to get in on the site seeing tour if
you haven't seen it all by now.
4:00 pm-First bus rolls out and makes
a straight beeline dash for the comfort of your temporary home in Tecate.
Make sure to get on a bus to avoid the long walk back for dinner.
6:30 pm-It's the annual awards and closing ceremonies banquet at
thegondola station. Dress in your best ski attire (think warmth in cold
Tecate air) as you represent your team up on the winner's stand. Dinner is
served at your table, tipping not allowed and no food fights please!
10:00 PM Sleep
if you want or enjoy the night together with friends and family. When you
do choose to shut your eyes you are sure to sleep a most restful night as
you think of the families in their new homes and beds. It is really pretty
simple in the end of all things. We participants have excess money and
resources to build homes with. They, the families we built for have a love
and respect that we can learn and be inspired by and take home in our
hearts. Put together it makes for a really great adventure for these 5
short days in Mexico but one that will effect us for a lifetime!
Wednesday December 31, 2008
7am-The singing wake up call
brings the start to a new day and the call to breakfast at the fondue pot
once again. Be sure to bring your luggage and sleeping bags to the
basketball court for a quick load-up when the buses arrive later this am
to take us back home to the U.S.
8 am-Reflection time and sharing of those "moments" that you saw
and lived out during the trip these past 5 days. This is also a great time
when we pause and give thanks for how good a life God has designed and
wants us all to live. We will take communion and spend some time singing
songs of praise and worship. Feel free to hang out and take part even if
this is new to you.
Club Dust welcomes everyone who wants to serve and we encourage each
participant to consider their own spiritual journey in life. We welcome
you to think about what Christ said about how life could be lived here on
earth.
Please take a moment of peace and think about what you have seen, heard
and experienced among the laughter of children and the sounds of building
homes, furniture and a church. This is an equally important part of Club
dust, that what goes on deep inside each of us individually. It is what we
take back as changed people to the communities we live in across the
country. It is what we apply to the rest of our lives making this world
better by helping people around us and letting others help us when we need
it too.
11 am- Time to load up the Bayside express buses and head back
over the border to the San Diego airport. We will arrive by 1 PM
so make your flights after 2 PM to be
safe. Remember to take everything off the buses at the airport. They will
make just one stop which is at terminal 1 (Southwest terminal). If you are
flying out of terminal 2 you'll need to walk the short distance (approx
500 yards) or take one of the various shuttles provided by the airport.
Thanks for being part of Club Dust 2008. We plan to have our new
website up and running soon. It'll have a new look and have the ability
for you to stay in touch with us for future trips. We also have a snapfish
site up that we encourage you to check out. The sign-in email address is
ray@clubdust.org and the password is mexico. You can view photos and post
your own Mexico folder of pictures there too for others to see and use in
describing better what Club Dust is to family and friends.
The next summer Club dust trip is June 24th - 28th
2009 This is a great way to celebrate Christmas by helping others
in real need with tangible help and a spiritual blessing for those giving
as well as the families who receive homes and basic supplies. We hope you
can join us and be part of a good thing as we give and receive to those in
need. And in the process we'll learn what life can really feel like when
lived fully and with passion and love.
