LAYTON, Utah (ABC4) – Imagine the excitement you had as a kid over Christmas break. Hoping for snow so you can go sledding and build snow forts. Ripping into presents on Christmas morning and spending days nibbling on the treats from your stocking.

Now, imagine choosing to take those lingering days between Christmas and New Year, packing a bag, and crossing the border into Mexico to help build houses for families who don’t have them. Truly looking for ways to make that feeling of giving last a lot longer than the wrapping paper that has been tossed into the waste bin.

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This is the feeling that Stuart and Carol Smith want to share with families. They have created the Building Hope Abroad organization and are helping families and individuals from the United States give back to the small town of Agua Prieta in Mexico.

The Smiths first attended a humanitarian building trip just like the ones they now sponsor and discovered a new passion. Stuart, a skilled builder, and Carol began assembling families to take back to Mexico in 1996 and discovered others were as excited to share their passion.

One year ago, the Smiths decided to make the organization official and started their non-profit organization Building Hope Abroad.

Each year, approximately five to ten families participate in the expedition. They have had retired couples, extended families – including teenagers and younger kids, groups of cousins, and even individuals. They have had groups of individuals who have served religious missions in the area organize group trips to go back and serve the people they have already grown to love.

Participants are asked to build and paint homes from the ground up and there is always a task that can be completed from cleaning to painting to putting on a roof. All ages are welcome but the work is hard and everyone is expected to work many hours each day.

The people in the small community of Agua Prieta are relatively low-income with many living in shelters built from discarded pallets and cardboard. The community is always welcoming and many of the residents will pitch in to help build homes for others, even when they don’t have adequate shelter themselves.

One former participant shared the following story:

“One of the families that we built for in 2010 had been living in a shelter built from pallets and cardboard. They had 4 children and both the mom and dad worked in town. The Dad worked a swing shift at a manufacturing plant. Their family was selected in 2010 because, in 2009, the Dad decided to show up and help our group build a neighbor’s house. Every morning after his shift at the plant, he would go to the neighbor’s house and make sure the job site was clean and ready for the crew. He would then go home and sleep for a couple of hours and then be out ready to lift a hammer and help build his neighbor’s house. This selfless act was something that we needed to repay. Words cannot express the gratitude and love that was felt by that family when they found out that the following year we were coming to build their home. Thirteen years later, they are still living in the home, have raised their children and that home continues to be a safe place for their grandchildren.”

In addition to building homes, the Smiths have made donations to the city government by donating an ambulance, a hearse, a station wagon, and a school bus.

This year they are still looking for families to travel with them to Agua Prieta. Trips are typically scheduled between Dec. 26 and Jan. 2. Trip participants meet in Douglas, Arizona, and travel across the border together.  For more information on how to join an expedition with Building Hope Abroad, visit their website. There is still time to join for the 2023 expedition.

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