A break from typical spring break

For a 14-year-old girl living in Ensenada, Mexico, turning 15 often means it is time for marriage and a family. The teens, living in impoverished areas, don’t see too many other options — or so they thought.

A few Vanguard students beg to differ.

Mabel Vega, a 20-year-old former Vanguard University student, befriended one of these girls a year ago when she went down to Ensenada as part of the school’s outreach program.

Vanguard has been taking students to Mexico for outreach programs for about 20 years. While many other college students indulge in drinking games and tanning on spring break, a group of more than 40 Vanguard students each year goes to local churches in Ensenada, helping out the local communities with construction and offering Bible instruction.

Vega was part of that group in 2007 when she meet Vernica. The two talked about church and life in general and became friends.

Vernica was concerned about what life had in store for her next. Most girls were getting married and having children at 15 and 16, and she wanted something different.

Vega helped her learn that she had choices, like improving herself with a deeper education.

“These young girls there really want some kind of attention from older girls because somehow we were different,” Vega said. “A lot of the kids come from broken homes. They have tremendous stories.”

Vega and Vernica became good friends, calling and writing each other when Vega returned to the states. Vega goes to Cal Baptist College now, but she returned with the Vanguard spring break mission this year.

“We go to show people Americans aren’t cold,” Vega said. “We do care and want to help in every way we can.”

Vanguard sends four groups of students for outreach programs during spring break. The Mexico group is the largest and longest running, but groups also work with the homeless in San Francisco, with schools in Ireland, and this year some went to San Diego to help with fire relief.

“The students learn how to come into a culture and make a difference,” said Jamie Brownlee, Vanguard director of outreach ministries, who went with the San Francisco group this year. “This isn’t something special, this is something we all should be doing.”

And they have been doing it for a long time.

Josh Harrison is one of the outreach coordinators. He graduated from Vanguard in 1999 and embarked on his first outreach trip in 1996. They call the missions “outreach,” but Harrison said it’s really more about “making communities.” He remembers Vega and Vernica. On this year’s trip, Vega couldn’t stop thinking about her friend, but they were miles apart. Vega begged for a chance to visit her friend, and Harrison was happy to oblige.

“It was a yearlong journey they had,” he said. “And we are looking for several more years of building that relationship.”

DANIEL TEDFORD may be reached at (714) 966-4632 or at [email protected].