She didn’t know what to do about the Mexico mission trip over spring break. She’d received pledges of financial backing from Mitch and her grandparents. She had a certified copy of her birth certificate. But if Jason was going, she knew she shouldn’t. It would be too hard to be together. Sharon asked her why she hadn’t said yes or no, and Dawn admitted her dilemma. Sharon called the next day. “I talked to Jason. He’s not going to Mexico. He has to work. He said you ought to feel free to go now that you know he isn’t.”
Pastor Daniel might not share that opinion. She had no doubt Georgia Steward had talked with him about Dawn’s relationship with Jason. He might not want someone like her to be part of his team. Dawn needed to know one way or the other, but it took days to gather the courage to call him.
Pastor Daniel seemed surprised by her question. “Of course, I want you on our team.”
Maybe he didn’t know everything. Maybe Georgia Steward hadn’t wanted to share that information. “I didn’t want to take anything for granted, Pastor Daniel.”
“God loves a broken and contrite spirit, Dawn.” His quiet words dispelled any illusions about whether Jason’s mother had spoken to him. They also reassured her that Pastor Daniel wasn’t going to throw stones.
After all the talk of how a mission trip could change a person’s outlook on life, Dawn didn’t know what to expect. Hearing about poverty or seeing it on television ads wasn’t the same as being in the middle of it, smelling it, tasting it in the air. They drove down streets with houses tucked tight together, garbage dumped and rotting in the streets. Some people lived in shelters that couldn’t even be called shanties. What surprised Dawn most was the people: They smiled and shouted greetings as the Amor ministry team arrived. Children ran alongside the van, waving and calling out in Spanish.
After a night’s sleep, she and the others rose early and went to work building a twelve-by-fourteen-foot house for the Guttierez family. Dawn’s hands blistered, her back ached, and she smelled of sweat like any common laborer. When Pastor Daniel told her to take a break, she sat in the shade and watched some children kicking an old soccer ball back and forth. She wasn’t a great hod carrier or carpenter, but she knew how to play soccer. Dawn joined the children and showed off a few tricks she’d learned while playing for the Sky Hawks. Soon, children swarmed around her whenever she wasn’t working on the house.
On the last night, house complete, Senor and Senora Guttierez insisted on hosting dinner for the entire team. Leftover boards propped up on sawhorses acted as a dining table. Senora Guttierez and her teenage daughter, Maria, made a big pot of beans and chicken enchiladas with cheese. Senor Guttierez stood at the head of the table, tears running down his rugged cheeks, as he told them in broken English what it meant to him to have a house for his family. Senora Guttierez added her shy thanks, as did their five children.
Dawn went outside, sat hunched against the wall, and wept. Pastor Daniel came out and sat beside her. “What’s on your mind?”
“My bedroom is bigger than their entire house.” She covered her face. Had she ever once said thank you for the blessings she had received? Not that she could remember. And the Guttierez family hadn’t stopped thanking all of them since the day the team arrived.
“From those to whom much is given, much is required.”
And there it was again, that piercing stab of conscience. “I think they spent everything they have to put on this dinner.” What had she ever given to anyone?
“Probably, and they’re proud and pleased to do it. They count the ability to give as a blessing, too.” He got up and smiled at her. “Come back inside when you’re ready.”
Dawn sat for a while longer. These people worked hard and barely managed to get by. They wanted the opportunity for a better life for their children. Georgia Steward popped into her mind.
Before leaving the next morning, the CCC crew left the remaining food supplies, bottled water, building materials, and some tools. As soon as they crossed the border and started the long drive north to Anaheim, where they would stop and spend a day at Disneyland as reward for their labors, everyone fell asleep except Pastor Daniel, Mr. Jackson in the passenger seat, and Dawn in the back. While they talked, she sat in the back row, staring out the window and praying.
Weary, head aching, Dawn leaned her head back against the seat. Pastor Daniel looked at her in the rearview mirror. His eyes crinkled the way they did when he smiled.
Back in Windsor, everyone piled out of the church van and started unloading. Some met up with waiting parents. Dawn had left the Sable in the church parking lot. Running a finger over the dusty trunk, she imagined what Papa would say and decided to go through a car wash on the way home. She stowed her duffel bag. Closing the trunk, she found Pastor Daniel standing by the car. “Thanks for going with us, Dawn.”
“My pleasure.”
“You worked harder than anyone on the team.” He gave her a teasing smile. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”
She gave him a sad smile. “Neither did I.”
Maybe it was a start.
When she pulled into the last space in Mitch’s four-car garage, Christopher bounded out to greet her. Mitch took her duffel bag. He said Mom was manning an open house. “You look worn-out, Pita.”
“I’m exhausted.” Dawn hugged him around the waist. “Thank you for my big, beautiful bedroom and the beautiful home and yard and pool and good food on the table and for loving me even when I’m a pain in the-”
“Wow!” Mitch laughed. “What happened to you?” He put his arm around her shoulders and steered her toward the door into the house. “It’s been my pleasure, Dawn. You look dead on your feet. They must’ve worked you hard in old Mexico. Why don’t you take a nap?” She thanked him and headed down the hall to her room. Mitch called after her, “Forgot to mention it, but you’ll never guess who stopped by my office for a visit.”
“Who?”
“Jason. He stayed more than an hour.”
Just the mention of his name was enough to make Dawn’s heart race. “Did he ask about me?”
“Briefly. He had some questions. He has to make decisions about his future. He’s weighing all his options. He said to say hi.”
Independent study helped keep Dawn’s mind occupied. She didn’t have to worry about facing Jason. She didn’t have friends or class disturbances to distract her. She could fix her mind on the work ahead. Rather than coast by, Dawn dove into her studies. She only had to go to Healdsburg High once a week to check in with the independent studies supervisor, turn in work assignments, and take exams.
All Sharon, Amy, and Pam talked about at youth group was the upcoming prom. Kim and Tom were going together. Steven Dial had asked Pam. Sharon held out hope hunk-of-the-month football fullback Tomas Perez would ask her. Amy worried that if anyone did ask, she wouldn’t be able to afford a dress. Dawn wondered if Jason was going and with whom, but didn’t ask.
Prom came and went, and conversations at youth group turned to finals and graduation, summer jobs and college plans. Half the members were finishing high school. Sharon and Kim were graduating and going to college. Amy’s father had been offered a better job in Dallas. With so many of her friends leaving, Dawn wondered if she’d even attend the CCC youth group next year. She felt out of it, on the edge again, not really part of anything
