Family Vacations with Heart: Humanitarian Travel part 2

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The Best of Both Worlds

Depending on which organization you choose to travel with, the amount of tourism varies greatly, but all the organizations I spoke with ensure that participants get some downtime to enjoy their surroundings. For example, tourism and sight-seeing is low on the priority list for Family to Family Humanitarian Expeditions. It’s one of the ways to keep costs minimal; however, we were still able to spend some time at the beach, do a little shopping, and see a few of the local attractions. Charity Anywhere Foundation operates in a similar fashion.

On the other hand, many people who go to the expense of traveling to another country want the opportunity to enjoy the culture and landscape. If this is your preference, I recommend Ascend Alliance, Eagle-Condor Humanitarian, and Alliance for Youth Service.
For an amazing African expedition, Village of Hope is another great choice. Lon and DeAnna Kennard, Village of Hope founders, conduct several expeditions to the Ethiopian village of Kersa Illala, from which they adopted four of their six Ethiopian children. The Kennards were haunted by the horrendous living conditions of the villagers, and have since dedicated their lives to bringing clean water and sanitation,health care,orphan care,and education to the area.

The moment you step off the bus,people will begin hugging you and kissing you,says DeAnna. “They recognize you as an answer to their prayers, and you will see the light of hope in their eyes.”
On Village of Hope expeditions, participants spend time with orphans, provide health care, or teach nutrition, gardening, or sanitation. If you book a trip with Village of Hope through LDS Travel, you’ll also get a wildlife safari, five-star hotel accommodations, and plenty of time for shopping. Go to lds.travel and click on “Humanitarian Trips” for more information.

The LDS Element

Some of the nonprofit organizations I’ve mentioned specialize in providing an LDS atmosphere, while others are completely nondenominational; both options will result in some incredible experiences. An LDS atmosphere helps connect Church members from all over the world, while nondenominational expeditions can provide some amazing missionary opportunities.

Since Family to Family Humanitarian Expeditions locate families in need through missionaries and Church leaders, there is a strong LDS element to the expeditions. We served LDS families, we stayed at the homes of local LDS families, and we spent a great deal of time interacting with members of the local ward by playing basketball or jumping rope with the Primary children and watching the youth rehearse for an upcoming dance festival. We also accompanied local priesthood leaders on visits to the homes of inactive members—an experience that turned out to be perhaps the most spiritual part of our trip.
While visiting one inactive family, we had a unique challenge to overcome—no one was fluent in anyone else’s language. Neither the Elders Quorum president nor the family spoke any English. James was fluent in Portuguese and Ryan and I only spoke some Spanish. After a prayer, we all sang “I Am a Child of God,” singing different verses in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. It was a remarkable way to invite the Spirit, since we were all familiar with the message and the melody, even if we didn’t understand the words.
James bore his testimony to the family, doing his best to translate from Portuguese to Spanish. He then asked Ryan to bear his testimony in Spanish.

While many eighteen-year-olds may not have reacted positively to this impromptu request, thanks to his high-school Spanish classes and the interaction he’d had with the Mexican people on previous FFHE expeditions, Ryan willingly shared a touching testimony in less-than-perfect Spanish. That night I learned that language is not a barrier. As we communicated heart to heart, we were all able to feel the Spirit and convey the love we had for one another.

In addition to Family to Family Humanitarian Expeditions, humanitarian organizations such as Alliance for Youth Service and Eagle-Condor Humanitarian offer similar opportunities. Alliance for Youth Service, for example, provides evening activities such as firesides, dances, and family home evenings to help create a feeling of worldwide Church unity. Eagle-Condor Humanitarian is also geared toward an LDS experience since the people they serve are members of the Church and most expeditions come with an excursion to the Lima Peru Temple. Finally, when you book a Village of Hope expedition through LDS Travel, it will include the opportunity to attend church with a local ward or branch.

New Perspective

On a humanitarian vacation, you can’t help but gain new perspective about your own life and blessings. Part of the FFHE agenda includes a nightly meeting called “Points to Ponder,” where participants gather together to share insights about the trip. It was during Points to Ponder that I was able to learn how much this expedition had affected the Lamoreaux family, particularly the four children.

The last few years I’ve had trouble thinking of things I want for Christmas and my birthday. I have clothes, food, shelter, and clean water to drink. What more do I need?said Ryan.
His younger sisters all shared similar sentiments.When we get something, we always want more.Were never satisfied with what we have,observed Aubrey.These people are happy with what little they have. I think that’s a great lesson for all of us.Jamie added,Im grateful for the blessing of seeing how other people live. It makes me grateful for my own blessings.” Perhaps twelve-year-old Corrie summed it up best when she said, “This has been the best experience of my entire life. It’s been a really great lesson and I’ve learned a lot.

Tim Evans, vice president of Ascend Alliance, says his twelve-year-old daughter had her own life-changing experience during an expedition to Peru.When my daughter was twelve years old, she seemed to be growing up way too fast, but she was also very adventurous. She came with me on an expedition to Peru, and when she witnessed the poverty and worked with the people, there was a dramatic change.” He recalls, “She had one experience that really changed her life. We stopped the bus we were on to look over the sacred valley of the Incas. A child came up to her and watched silently as she ate an orange. She shared it with the child. Soon after, she wrote in her journal a very tear-soaked page about poverty, purpose, and how abundance is as much of a test as poverty is. We have to see if we can part with what we have been given.”
While it’s extremely rewarding to watch children as they acquire a deeper sense of gratitude and love for others, adults will most definitely gain insights of their own. “The biggest success of our trip was the connection we made heart to heart with the orphanage family,” says Cheryl Stoddard. “We were able to, in a very small way, share the Savior’s love with them, and in return, gain understanding of how resilient His children are; how happy we can be with so little; and how responsible we are to share the blessings we enjoy and take so much for granted.

The Intangibles

While our goals in Ensenada were ultimately accomplished through construction projects that improved the living conditions of two families, I think projects like these merely facilitate a greater cause that reaches far beyond the building of physical structures.
“What we do is about giving families hope and sharing with one another,” says Kendon Eakett, co-founder of Family to Family Humanitarian Expeditions. “Those with so little can gain hope as they see total strangers sharing and helping. At the same time, those who come on the expeditions can experience the joy of serving. Most importantly, both groups can build friendships and become part of each other’s lives.”
He continues, “We always get much more out of the experience than we ever expect. We want to let these families know that someone who is a total stranger cares about them and that we’ll be back. When we return, the people always ask about the families who aren’t there. They never forget them. They’ll never forget the Lamoreauxs.”
When I returned from Ensenada, I found it difficult to put into words all the emotions I felt while serving others. In terms of physical structures, perhaps our projects weren’t all that impressive. But we built so much more than houses—we built bonds of friendship and love with the Torres and Hernandez families, the orphans, and with each other.
“People are always asking me what I built,” says Richard Wulfenstein, who serves on the FFHE board of directors. “When I don’t tell them something fantastic like a house or a school, they look at me like, ‘Why go all that way if you’re not going to build something of significance?’ How do you tell people about the love you feel for the people you serve and the people you serve with? It’s one of those things you have to experience for yourself to fully understand.

So that’s my challenge to you—to experience it for yourself. If a humanitarian vacation seems right for your family, I promise you won’t be disappointed. Wherever you choose to serve, you can have powerful experiences as you work side by side with your family and people of another culture to accomplish a common goal. And while it’s true that the service you give will have a lasting impact on the lives of others, the life that changes most will probably be your own.

Family to Family Humanitarian Expeditions will be building a new house and bathroom for a family in Torreón, Mexico, this April, and they are working to raise $3500 to complete the project.To make a donation, contact Kendon Eakett at keakett@comcast.net. One hundred percent of donations will go towards the building costs associated with this project. FFHE is non-profit company and all donations are tax deductible