Past trips

View the impact of past missions trips to Ensenada, Mexico.

Read about Valley Creek youth

In 2026, two members of the Valley Creek youth group, Jadelin and Elliot, volunteered in Mexico for the first time. Jadelin went with her parents and grandparents, and Elliot went with his dad and grandfather.

Both shared how eye-opening it was to cross over from San Diego into Tijuana and see people living in extreme poverty.

Jadelin really enjoyed painting the house with her grandma and practicing Spanish words with the local children. Elliot formed an immediate friendship with Alexander, whose family was receiving the new home. The two played soccer, painted, and shared special moments together.

Both Jadelin and Elliot even climbed onto the roof and shingled the new house. It was a memorable experience seeing twelve-year-olds and seventy-two-year-olds working side by side up there.

The Lord changed both Elliot and Jadelin for the better through this experience, and both are excited to return to Ensenada in 2027.

John

Read about Damien

The boy in the picture is named Damien. He is a local boy who lives up in the hillside, about the same age as my sons, and we formed a special relationship that week. He was not getting a new house those days — his neighbors were.

Unlike most of the children in the neighborhood, Damien was not able to attend school. His family was too poor to pay for the uniforms, books and administrative fees. So at age eight, he would walk thirty minutes into town and wash cars for the chance to earn five or ten dollars a day.

It broke my heart when he said, “My friend goes to school, I can’t.” “My friend has a bike, I don’t have one.”

So, in conjunction with the lead missionary, I went to Walmart and bought Damien a new bicycle. The tires weren’t even properly inflated. He didn’t care. He was delighted.

That day the bus of volunteers was driving past the finished house, and we saw Damien flying down the dirt road in all his glory. HONK! HONK! HONK! The bus driver cheered for him, and so did the whole team. It was the greatest experience of the trip for many onboard.

That day, Damien knew that God loved him and that he was special. It was not the original purpose of the trip, but it is an experience that will never leave me. I look forward to seeing Damien on his bike again.

John

Read Patrick's story

The day was rainy, as was the night before. The roads in the hill country of rural Ensenada are very rugged even in dry weather. After rain, some are next to impassable. We walk, we carry, we push the van. For us it is an inconvenience. For the folks who live in these areas, it is common. There is no gravel, no maintenance. They persevere.

These wonderful people came to this area for a better life, although you would not know it from some of the living conditions. They came to work in the fields, or in the factories, or the service industry. Some who work in the fields make only $12 a day.

For the families who meet the YWAM qualifications, there is a new 20 ft by 20 ft home with a cement floor and a dry place to live — a drastic improvement on the temporary shelter they are in now. The need in this area is great. We come for a short time and build a few houses. Then other teams come and build more, and the YWAM builders are there for all of it.

The YWAM staff and the builders have devoted their lives to helping families in need. They build the houses and follow up afterwards with whatever comes up. They have built several thousand homes. Driving to the job site, and when you arrive at it, you see some of them. And still there is a great need for more.

A couple of things I remember from 2023. The children in the neighborhood came to watch all the activity. We had brought some candy and small stuffed animals to give away. After giving something to one of the kids, word got out, and soon there were several children hanging around the backpack with all the treats, waiting their turn. The photo is priceless.

The family getting a new house was a single mother and her three sons. They had endured much adversity and could not believe they would really get a new home. You could see the oldest son, Jose*, caring for his mom and his brothers. They helped with the construction and worked hard. Jose was very emotional, as was his mother, when they received the house.

What I remember is that he knew my name, even though I had forgotten to wear a name tag. This is a fine young man who has had a lot of hardship, things we cannot comprehend. Yet he has endured and dealt with the challenges put before him. After their home was finished, he even came to help us when we started building another house nearby.

I, for one, will never forget this wonderful young man.

* Not his real name.

Patrick

Read Kim's story

God opens doors and blesses us when we go through them.

My sister Jane and her family had built houses for those in need in Mexico. At the end of her life, that was one of the things that had really meant a lot to her. I always wanted to go on a trip with her, but it was not possible once she became too sick with cancer.

So I was determined to take a mission trip in her honor. However, I did not expect my financial advisor, Todd, to lead trips to build houses in Ensenada, Mexico and invite us to go. And to my surprise, my husband Patrick also wanted to go. I realized that God knew my heart, and only He could put this all together.

It is hard to express in words all that the first trip meant. We met our team as we settled on the YWAM base. This was one great group of people who soon became our friends.

The next day we set out to build a home. A family with four children living in a makeshift home built with only pallets and plastic. I was heartbroken to see the disparity. It certainly was not right that some people were born into such difficult situations. And yet they were happy, and the parents were extremely hard workers trying to provide for their family. While there, they cooked a meal for us, which I think involved killing all their chickens for the fried chicken dinner.

In two days we had a house up. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. So much love and generosity poured into that home. It was a 20 ft by 20 ft home; we added beds, a dining table and chairs, a sink in a cabinet and a propane stove. Curtains were hung, pretty comforters and bedding were added, dishes placed on their table. They cried when they saw it, and I cried too.

We were able to buy a bicycle for the father, who had spent hours walking to and from his job every day in the fields. He was so excited to have a bike.

We shared with them that it was God who brought us together. He sees them and their situation, and He cares about them.

Our leaders encouraged us to go home a different way, just like the wise men did after seeing Jesus. The trip was life changing for me. I remember getting back home and feeling the hot shower and looking around at our house. It is not fancy, but we have so much more than most of the world. I know the family’s life changed with their new home, but mine did too.

Each trip has the same effect. I grow closer to God and want to be more surrendered to His plans and purposes for my life. I focus more on what will matter for eternity. That is why we keep going back.

If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.
Isaiah 58:10