Local youth group has built homes in Tijuana for over 30 years

KIRKLAND — Nearly every summer since 1992, the youth group at St. John Vianney Parish in Kirkland has traveled to Tijuana for a 12-day mission trek.

Set to embark on his third trip on June 21, Ishan Lantoria, a member of St. Thomas More Parish in Lynnwood, said that after returning home from his first experience, he immediately wanted to go back.

“The first thing is it’s super fun,” Lantoria said. “You get to spend time with other youth and your friends. You play games, you get to have fun on the work site while also doing good work, and you get to explore new things. You get to walk around the block, eat at the taqueria that’s a few minutes away, eat some ice cream, talk to the families, use your Spanish.”

On the trek, high schoolers and adult chaperones work alongside families in the area building homes. The family that will live in the home, along with neighbors of the community, help in the construction of the houses.

The parish works with Esperanza International and has built multiple schools and rehabilitation centers in addition to the many homes over the years, only taking two years off due to the coronavirus.

“We live a fairly privileged life,” said Susan Weaver, the pastoral assistant for outreach at the parish who’s led the trek since 2019. “It’s incredibly eye opening just to experience another culture.”

Lantoria, a rising senior, originally heard about the trek from his cousin, who’s a parishioner of St. John Vianney. Lantoria’s older brother, Indru, went on the trip all four years he was in high school, and Lantoria joined him when he entered high school.

“It’s fun to see everyone come together. Also, being able to teach some of the people who are here for the first time is definitely a great experience,” Lantoria said, “knowing that I was once in those shoes not too long ago with so much to look at and so much to observe.”

His father, Jon, has also gone on the trip several times as an adult chaperone and will accompany Ishan again next month. Jon and Ishan are among 35 people going on the trip this year — 26 students and nine adults.

As is evident with the Lantorias, not all who go on the trip are members of St. John Vianney, though the family considers it their second parish, and some of those in attendance are not even Catholic at all, Jon pointed out.

“We try to make sure that [if] a specific kid isn’t Catholic, we don’t force it on them and make sure they feel welcome to participate. But I like the fact that we are bringing Jesus Christ, the teaching, into what we’re doing,” Jon Lantoria said. “Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice to save us. What we’re doing is far less than that, but it still makes a difference to the people that we’re building a home for.”

“I think more of the Catholic part of it has been more encouraged this year,” Ishan Lantoria added. “I like that part because now we get to celebrate Mass every day, and there’s opportunities for reconciliation and prayers at night.”

While they leave for Tijuana in June, the work starts over nine months before the actual trip itself.

In September, the high schoolers begin attending meetings, participating in team building activities and fundraising.

Fundraising is largely accumulated through a Christmas tree lot the youth group runs in the St. John Vianney Church parking lot from Thanksgiving to Christmas. They also do several bake sales and a popcorn fundraiser to fund the trip as well.

To prepare for their nearly two-week-long journey, the youth group attends several weekend-long retreats throughout the year. One common retreat location is in Burlington, where the group volunteers at the Tri-Parish Food Bank.

This year, the group made over 700 sandwiches to distribute to clients of the food bank as they wait in line. Members of the youth group heard that some cars begin to line up in front of the food bank at 6 a.m., four hours before it opens its doors.

Jon Lantoria thinks the whole experience from start to finish is great for the teens to experience and learn from.

“The St. John Vianney community is in a very affluent part of town, and so I would say we have a lot of kids that don’t know or have not experienced any of the hardships that a lot of the people that we are serving and helping have experienced,” Jon Lantoria said. “It gives them a better appreciation of the good things that they have that they may be taking for granted, which includes just the simple fact that we can take warm showers and we’re not timed to have these showers.”

While they do have access to hot water and are expected to take showers, volunteers are encouraged to take only a two-minute shower to conserve water.

Jon Lantoria also pointed out that the volunteers aren’t just there to support the community, but to support each other as well. The youth are divided into different groups which each have their own set of chores, such as preparing meals each day and cleaning the bathrooms.

Through their camaraderie and collaboration, the group forms a bond which remains even after they return home.

“After spending a week or two in Mexico together, it’s just such a community that you feel you can rely on and that will always have your back,” Ishan Lantoria said. “It also gives you a much better sense of life around the world, and it really makes you not take things for granted and makes you grateful for clean water straight from the sink, food, the foundation of your house, the roof over your head and just everything, all our blessings.”