Family Vacations with Heart: Humanitarian Travel
by Lisa Macomber

Family-friendly humanitarian expeditions offer the perfect blend of cultural experiences and meaningful service opportunities that will not only touch the lives of those in need but help draw your family closer together.

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Recently I joined Family to Family Humanitarian Expeditions (FFHE) on a trip to Ensenada, Mexico, to experience first-hand how a trip filled with service rather than entertainment could impact someone. I believe I speak for all of us who participated when I say the experience was nothing less than life-changing, and one we will never forget.

The Ensenada Expedition

For our week-long expedition, fifteen people from all walks of life came together for one common goal: to make life a little better for two struggling LDS families. Grandparents and teenagers alike worked side by side on two construction projects—both of which were meant to significantly improve living conditions for these families.

Among our group was the Lamoreaux family—James, Margo, and their four youngest children: Ryan, age eighteen; Aubrey, age fifteen; Jamie, age fourteen; and Corrie, age twelve. This was the first expedition for Jamie and Corrie, but Ryan and Aubrey had traveled with James and Margo on similar expeditions before.

“These trips have been a great vehicle to teach values to our kids,” says Margo. “It’s a way to teach them to look outside themselves, serve others, and put the needs of others before their own. This is what you have to do to have a successful marriage, to be an effective parent, and to just contribute to the world.”

The Torres Family

One of the families we served was the Torres family, who live on the outskirts of Ensenada in a dry, dusty shanty town. The rows of make-shift houses are small—about the size of an average bedroom—and constructed mostly of wooden crates, scrap plywood, and sheets of plastic. And while there were webs of tangled wires hanging above each home—everyone at least enjoyed the luxury of electricity—the stench confirmed there was no plumbing or sewage system.

As we stepped out of the van, Braulio Torres cheerfully greeted us from the roof of his house, waving his hammer and cracking a joke in Spanish. The red clay dust that permeated the air immediately covered us, sticking to our skin, hair, and clothes. For health reasons, we quickly donned dust masks, gloves, and head coverings.

We quickly helped his wife Elia carry the family’s few belongings out of their home so we could demolish it, pour a cement floor, and rebuild a stronger, slightly larger structure. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw that the cardboard that served as wall coverings inside the home was decorated with cheerful doodles and crayon drawings by the couple’s two young sons.

Working together with Braulio, Elia, and a few local ward members, we dismantled the roof and pulled the house down one wall at a time. Neighborhood children gathered to watch us work; some lying contentedly in the dust that we made every effort not to touch or breathe. At least half a dozen dogs wandered by, all starved for food and attention.

After the house was demolished, we spent the rest of our time clearing debris, sorting building materials, removing rocks, raking dirt, and leveling the ground in preparation for the cement floor.

“You’re helping me build my dream home,” Braulio said. A dream home that was no larger than my master bathroom, I noted.

The Hernandez Family

At just twenty-eight years old, Omar Hernandez is serving as the new bishop of his ward. A young husband and father, he was struggling to finish the construction of his family’s house. In the meantime, Omar, his wife, and their infant son were living with his parents. With the demands of a full-time job, family life, and his heavy responsibilities as bishop, it seemed there was no hope of finishing their small home. While the basic structure was complete, Omar did not have the skills or the time to hang or mud the drywall.

It is no coincidence that James Lamoreaux hung drywall to help put himself through medical school. With Family to Family Humanitarian Expeditions, guides assess the special talents and skills of participants and seek out projects where they can best be utilized. Even with James’s expertise, however, it seemed we would not be able to finish the project in the time allotted. But every chance he got, James worked feverishly to finish the job. He got up before sunrise and worked late into the night, and we all grew accustomed to seeing him with white dust in his hair. Thanks to his efforts, the house was completed before we left Ensenada, and a tearful young bishop expressed his heartfelt gratitude. It made me wonder how often leaders who devote so much of their time to serving others could use some service themselves.

The Orphanage

While the majority of our time was devoted to the construction of these new homes, we were able to spend a day at a local orphanage for girls. We played games, danced, and made bracelets together. Some of the girls wouldn’t interact with us, and I can’t say that I blame them. We were, after all, only there for the day. Why bother to build bonds and grow attached? But the girls who chose to join us were happy to receive the love and attention we had to offer.

At the orphanage, we were joined by the Stoddard family—an LDS family who happened to be vacationing nearby. They were also seeking to incorporate some service into their trip.

“It’s wonderful to have fun together, but I firmly believe in the adage of ‘the family who works together stays together,’” says Cheryl Stoddard. “I wanted more than just fun to bind us as a family.”

Bringing Children on Expeditions

So, are you beginning to catch the vision of a humanitarian vacation? But what if you have young kids? The ages of your children will play a major role when deciding if they are ready to handle this type of trip. Most organizations allow children as young as twelve years old if they are accompanied by an adult. However, there are some that will allow children much younger.

“One of the main reasons we started Family to Family was for the benefit of our children,” says co-founder Shaun Gogarty. “I have personally taken my kids on several trips. Whatever their ages, if you are comfortable traveling to a third-world country with your children, then you should most likely be comfortable taking them on an expedition.”

Charity Anywhere Foundation is another nonprofit organization that allows young children to participate in expeditions. “As long as parents come along, we don’t have any age restrictions,” says Gordon Carter, president.

Personal Progress and Duty to God

If you have children in the Young Women or Young Men programs, humanitarian trips present unique opportunities to fulfill requirements for the Personal Progress or Duty to God programs with a little planning. “We’ve had girls collect and bring clothing. Several Eagle Scout projects have also been completed on trips like these,” says Shaun. “To see an adolescent boy take more than one hundred birthing kits to an undersupplied clinic was worth the entire trip.”

Youth can also gain valuable leadership skills on humanitarian expeditions. Ascend Alliance, for example, offers opportunities for high school and college students to be trained as youth team leaders. They are paired with an adult leader for a unique leadership experience.

While teens can accomplish goals and build leadership skills, younger children can simply enjoy making new friends. “One of the highlights for me was watching Aaron, our four-year-old grandson, interact with [the son of the orphanage director],” says Cheryl. “They played for hours with very few actual toys and no ability to understand the other’s language, but with complete abandon as they laughed, played, and shared dinner together.”

Alliance for Youth Service

One humanitarian program that specializes in providing service opportunities for LDS youth ages sixteen to nineteen is Alliance for Youth Service (AYS).

“We want to provide an opportunity where kids can see the world and provide service opportunities while making friends with other LDS youth around the world,” says executive director Mike Riding. “This isn’t a rehabilitation program. The kids who go on these trips are very mature and have a spirit of service around them. They come back with a stronger testimony of service and are ready to go out and serve the world.”

While AYS doesn’t offer family expeditions per se, they do offer opportunities for parents to travel as adult coaches on expeditions. Last summer Sandy Folkman served as an adult coach and had a once-in-a-lifetime service vacation with her daughter Rachel in Bolivia.

“It was a wonderful experience to work side by side with my daughter,” says Sandy. “It adds a whole new dimension to your relationship with your child. I got to see my daughter in a different light, and it was really great to observe her reaching out and going beyond what she was asked. On these trips, you can enjoy all the great things about traveling while enjoying the satisfaction of improving people’s lives. And one of the unexpected joys of being a chaperone was getting to know the other youth. Many of them made great sacrifices to be there.”

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. We’re 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, “I’m 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.

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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 view pictures of the old house that is to be replaced, click here. 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 a 501©(3) non-profit company, and all donations are tax deductible.

LDS Living Magazine, Jan/Feb Issue

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