John Paul II student Janay Leniuk recently returned from a semester in Vicente Guerrero, Mexico.
She stayed with a host family, and served the community through a number of different tasks.
During her first two months in Mexico, Janay built houses with a ministry she was working with. For the remaining months, she travelled to different villages to bring food and clothes to poor families, and taught the parents and children about God.
"North Battleford and Vicente Guerrero are two very different towns. A person living in North Battleford living in a two bedroom house would be considered wealthy in Vicente Guerrero. On the street I was living on, there were people living in houses made out of cardboard boxes or crates," said Janay.
Most citizens of Vicente Guerrero had cell phones, as it's their only way of contacting each other. Internet cafés were popular, as Internet is unavailable in their houses. Many towns near Vicente Guerrero didn't have power, or running water.
"Living in Vicente Guerrero was very different than living in North Battleford. I'm considering living there after I graduate."
While she was in Mexico, Janay's phone was disconnected.
"Not having my phone with me all the time was a big change".
Things were definitely different. No television, no machines to dry your clothes and no dishwasher.
"Dishes needed to be washed at least three times a day. Toilet paper couldn't be flushed down the toilet, and water couldn't be drank from the tap," she said.
Vicent Guerrero was very dusty and windy, and usually very warm.
"All these things made me thankful that I live in a place like North Battleford," said Janay.
"My host family was amazing, and within a week of living with them I was completely comfortable. I felt like a member of the family."
The parents' names are Saul and Amber, and they have two children of their own, Kayden, who is five years old, and Brielle who is one and a half. They've also adopted a 19-year-old girl named Gloria, and are trying to adopt a 12-year-old named Moises.
"They were a fun Christian family and I loved living with them. I'm hoping to live with them again sometime in the future," Janay observed.
"I would definitely recommend doing something like this at some point in your life. It's a great learning experience and it's changed the way I look at life."
