Ensenada Outreach Center - YUGO

Please read the following letter from Scott Wester, written to our summer teams regarding the flu concerns.

This year we've had to respond to concerns regarding economics, violence, and now the H1N1 (swine) flu.  It's a difficult time but we trust God will continue to work and move and provide opportunities to love and serve the forgotten people here in Mexico.

Read our latest letter from EOC Director, Scott Wester, regarding about safety in Mexico

In regard to the recent concerns about safety in Mexico, I wanted to share a few comments from some recent team's experiences.  Although each team has a unique experience serving in Mexico, one common experience shared by all teams over the 45+ years with YUGO is a wonderful experience with the people, culture & safe travels while in Mexico.

We are your host on the ground in Mexico, and if there is anything we can do to assist you in your preparations, or responding to concerns or questions you may be receiving, please don't hesitate to let us know.

We understand & believe that God is ultimately in control and has a purpose in our lives, but we also appreciate your position as a leader with many parents & families who want to know we are being responsible and proactive.  I can assure you that we are continuing to closely monitor the border area (which contrary to media reports has seen a dramatic drop off in crime for the 2009 year, 80% below 2008 level in Tijuana), as well as practice safe and responsible ministry outreach in the communities of Ensenada.  We continue to hold a weekly leadership briefing and review the situation and our operations.  We have done a risk assessment & communicate with other Baja area ministries in an effort to be responsible stewards in our service to the Lord's Kingdom.  We will continue to be proactive, and should the situation change, we will immediately communicate with you.

While this has been a tough year so far in cancelations, the teams that have come have experienced tremendous fruit.  (see the following testimonials from some March & April leaders)

"Our latest mission trip to the EOC proved to be as safe and enjoyable as all our previous missions.  Our group did not see or experience anything which made us feel uneasy.  We are currently planning our next youth mission to the EOC and just can't wait!"

Rich Gadreau

Adult & Youth Foreign Missions, St.Andrews United

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

“Making decisions regarding the safety and security of others, especially someone’s teenagers, needs to be a ministry priority and a matter of prayer and trust in the Lord. With the recent media reports in Canada, we ensured our team members and their parents were well informed, including a personal letter from YUGO director Scot Wester. In the end the decision lies with the participant and their family, but as team leaders we encouraged each of our other 22 team members to join us for an incredible spiritual adventure, trusting the Lord for his protection and provisions, which we had done so many times already during the months of  preparation as a team. We would often remind the team “This is missions, it’s not a holiday, its missions” in an effort to prepare their minds and hearts to serve. Our experience was no different than our trip in 2005 in regards to border crossing and security. We had security in the back of our mind at all times, as we did in 2005, and never had any reason to be fearful for our safety. It was a wonderful opportunity to grow in our faith and trust in the Lord. We are grateful to the YUGO staff for their ongoing ministry in Ensenada and look forward to working with them in the future.”

Les and Cheryl Priebe

Youth Pastors, Greenfield Baptist Church

Edmonton, AB, Canada

“Making a choice to carry on with our mission trip to Ensenada was undeniably the most difficult decision our team made throughout the process of this trip.  We did what we could to responsibly gather information, alleviate our concerns and fears and make an informed choice from this distance.  We researched the web for facts relating to the travel advisory, talked to Scott, our "eyes on the ground" at camp and prayed.  Ultimately, we chose to trust the God that was calling us.  We realized that there is a danger in all that we do, we recognized that Satan was trying to maximize on our fear and we determined that the risk was not greater than the calling. We carried on and saw nothing at any time that caused us concern.  We never felt in any danger and were so blessed throughout the trip.  The enemy did not gain ground but God won the victory as people gathered to pray for our team and we stepped out of the boat in faith and obedience. If you feel God is calling you then trust Him and GO.” 

Donna Redekop,

team leader, Unity Baptist Church  

Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. 

For further resources and responses to the concerns of violence in Mexico, click here

Im learning a bit about fullness these days. We have over 215 campers here this week, plus our staff and extra staff we've called in just for this week puts us at about 250 people on site! We have people sleeping in tight quarters, we have two dining halls, we have buses and vans, we have a full camp.

Amidst the busyness of a week of a week like this, amidst the running around, organizing, and answering questions...there's an excitement in having so many people here. full chapels. full worship. full community.

We are building 11 houses this week and 8 other ministries including a cement project, children's ministries, women's ministry, and clothing distribution. It's amazing how much work 215 people can do in only 4 days! Hundreds of lives are being touched this week... hundreds....

In these weeks of business I too am reminded in the need to be filled with his love, perseverance, patience, and Spirit. I need the fullness of God to be dwelling in me as I strive to serve and care for these teams and people. When i try to do it on my own strength, i run dry. i fall short. i mess up. and i don't see the fullness of God in what's happening around me. I end up missing those moments when a little bit of heaven crashes down to the earth. And i don't want to.

May you be filled with the fullness of God today...

First things first - apologies for being delinquent on keeping the blog updated. The last several weeks have been a smorgasbord of happenings... some small teams have been here, some planning and prepping for the spring and summer months, camp renovations, visioning, and lots of things to keep us busy! It's a neat season of working all together at the camp, as well as continuing to support and be involved with various ministries that are ongoing in the communities.

But its also wonderful to hear the courtyard filled with laughter and talking! We have 80 campers in this week, 4 teams from Canada & the US. Its fun having a fuller chapel and dining hall again - getting us moving and going again. And preparing us for our biggest week of the year next week with approximately 230 campers joining us - 11 houses and 8 other ministry sites. Phew! We are excited and ready (hopefully!) for this amazing spring season!

And we are grateful that despite recent cancellations of teams, God is still active and moving in this ministry. This is HIS ministry. We continue to pray, and ask that you join with us, to ask for HIS direction, wisdom, and potential in this changing world we live in. We are excited for new opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these forgotten people of Baja California Mexico.

eight months ago i packed up my bedroom and i moved down here to the Ensenada Outreach Center. When i left roseville, i was excited, nervous, anxious and overwhelmed at the thought of living down here for over a year. my heart beat sped up everytime my mind would wander to the smiling and greatful faces of the families i'd built for before. i remember as i sat on the plane from Sacramento to San Diego, i fought back tears of excitement. my heart just couldnt wait to see how God was going to use me to change the lives of so many poor mexican families. i was overjoyed to be able to be a part of the wonderful work being done down here everyday.
for the last few weeks i've been trying to write a blog to express everything God has taught me and shown me since i began this journey. however, i dont think that any amount of words, any number of sentences...no matter how big the paragraph...could accurately justify the amount of change and growth i've experienced in my heart. God has shown me what it means to have hope and faith. He taught me that i need to stop putting my faith and my hope in the people around me. i relied so much on the world to tell me what to do, when to do it and where to go that i stopped looking to God for answers. i had more faith and hope in the people in my life than i had in God. also, He has taught me not only how to have patience, but also what it means to have patience. with that patience he's shown and given me peace. God is huge. He knows what He's doing and He knows that i wont understand right away. but he promises that if i just keep my eyes on Him, everything will be just fine. so far, learning patience and peace has been one of the hardest things i've had to learn while being down here. slowly, but just like he promised, God has been showing me what he wants me to do with my future. for a while, i still had no idea what to do when this next August gets here. should i stay or should i go? as of right now, my future is still very undecided, but i'm begining to see a little bit more what God has planned for me. i feel my heart being tugged in a few different directions. all of which are equally as great as the others. i've really experienced this crazy mexican culture in many more ways than i ever could have expected. i've been going to a church down here called Cedes. its a spanish speaking church that is more directed towards the older youth of Ensenada. being there has taught me how to start having a real, one-on-one, relationship with God that is a lifestyle, instead of just looking at christianity as a "religion" that i follow.
so far this trip has been one of the most difficult and challenging times of my life. while at the same time it has been so wonderful and amazing. i wouldnt trade my time here for anything in the world. i came down here with a heart excited to serve the people around me. through serving them, they have taught me more than i could have ever imagined. i've grown in ways i didnt know that i could grow. i've never been so hungry to have a relationship with my savior. by watching these people live and worship i've seen things that will change my life forever. they have a genuine and unchangeable love for their savior, a love that i wish the world could see. a love, that in-turn, has taught me how to love them more and more.

sorry the blog is looking a bit strange these days. we ran into technological/photo copyright issues and have to work on some redesign of the blog. so until then, it looks a bit spacey and empty... our apologies!

soon hope to have it looking flashy and fun for you all again. just our hope to keep you all connected and partnered with the crew and ministry here at the EOC

Dios te bendiga!

Take a look at the perspective of a week in Ensenada from the perspective of 5 kids. The video was put together by a team from Canada who came down as families and adults to build two homes. The video was being shared with their churches children's program.
children... teaching children... teaching us...

Many people may think EOC is primarily a house building ministry. Granted, a lot of teams we work with do build houses for families in need but our hope and goal is far greater than shingles and drywall. Our desire is to bring people together, to build relationships, to love people. A house can't love - but the people who build it can... In all our projects and ministries we strive to see people sharing love and joy of Jesus, carrying one another's burdens, doing life together.

So the team here at EOC continually working on figuring out how to do this better. We are working on what it means to be one body... one community. Every Friday we take time as a full staff to be together and to work on this. Community building activities, communication exercises, and of course just having some fun together! 

Here is a little video of myself(britt) and my fellow intern steph having fun with a pile of 250 pillows. :) the simple joys of donations.

Check out the little article from a local newspaper about the ministry of EOC. We are excited about various connections and relationships building with the community, government, and social services. We desire to build a positive reputation in the community and city of Ensenada

Regarding the article, please note an incorrect figure. We are ambitious but aren't able to build 300 houses in a year. Last year are total count was at 102 for 2008.

http://www.elvigia.net/noticias/?seccion=generales&id=48531&como=palabras

Well Christmas day has come and gone, but we here at EOC wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! We just enjoyed a week off to celebrate with friends & family... and a relaxing time away from the work and business of camp life.

For me, it was my first Christmas here in Mexico! It was awesome to experience new traditions and create new memories. The big Christmas celebrations here take place on Christmas eve - families get together for a night of food & fun! I had the privilege of getting to spend the evening with Ana's family... and what an incredible night it was.
Laughter. Feasting on tamales. Hilarious games. And even more hilarious gifts. Enjoying one another. Being together. Simple. Joy. The real joy Jesus was talking about, I think.

Christmas day was followed up with a relaxing day. Myself, a friend visiting from Canada, David & Kimyco hit up a Chinese buffet for lunch, and curled up to watch some movies and hang out. It was nice to just take time to be. not to be running around. or feeling the pressure of the Christmas bustle. the turkey. the presents. the expectations. but instead, to simple be. soaking up simple moments and time together.

This season we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Who was born in a stable... amidst animals and dirt and hay.
Quietly. Joyfully. Simply.
Stripping away the noise of life, the bustle of activity...
I can see a bit clearly more what Christmas...what life...what following Jesus... is really about.

So this entry will seem a little bit random, however it will all come together at the end.The first chunk of this entry is more or less an apology to my mom and dad. Growing up I had everything I could ever want, and more. My parents gave their left arm to make things possible for my sister and I. A beautiful home, food, clothing, protection, an education and so much love. The small things that parents do for their children usually go unnoticed as they simply make up part of a normal day. Always having food on the table, driving us to numberless places, always keeping us entertained and keeping us safe wherever we went. Looking back I will admit I was quite the spoiled child. My mom did my laundry for me, cleaned my room and did the dishes. I rarely helped out without a fuss, if at all. Both my mom and dad would drive me anywhere I needed to go, no matter what they had on their crazy schedule. My health was also super important to them. Physical, mental or emotional problems I had, they would do everything and anything possible to make things better. Sick in the middle of the night and my mom would be right by my side, tummy ache? My dad would get out of bed and I would be at the after hours clinic stat. I can think back to the endless school problems I had and my mom would do anything she could to solve my “life problems”.
So up until I was 19 I had been living with my parents, living what I would call, an easy life. Last summer I moved here, to Ensenada Mexico to do long term missionary work. I live with Rhonda and my best friend Brittney. However in great company, I am thus without the parents! First thoughts, Woo Hoo! Second thoughts, well this isn’t so easy. This is where the guilt sets in. Doing my laundry every week, cooking all own meals, being on the ball for appointments/meetings makes me really be thankful for all that my parents did for me. I am not at all complaining about needing to do these things on my own, however it has finally made me realize and appreciate my mom and dads hard work. Every time I get upset with people not doing their dishes, or not putting stuff away, I think how my parents must have felt time after time I argued to do the smallest of tasks. I’m sure most kids are the same in the fact of not being nearly appreciative
as they should be, however being here and witnessing some of these things has really put it upon my heart.
The children in most of these villages have nothing. One pair of shoes, if that, a few pieces of clothing and sometimes nothing to sleep on. Their parents, if both are still around, will work all day in the fields or elsewhere for a few dollars a day just to get by. These kids simply blow me away how thankful and happy they are with what they are provided. There are 7 year olds taking care of the rest of the family while the parents are at work. There are children running around with no shoes, empty bellies, filthy clothes and the biggest of smiles on their faces. Every time I look at these kids my heart breaks. I had it all, and took it all for granted. I am so grateful for everything my parents ever did for me and I can’t express how much I love them. I am who I am today because of them. I’m taking the love I feel from them and from my childhood and expressing it to the kids and family around me here. I want those kids to have the best and nothing less.
Steph Wignall.

This weekend we had a group here that went out to the villages to do Project Joy. Project Joy is also what many people call the "shoe-box-ministry." The group that came was a small youth group from LA. They brought down over 200 boxes filled with gender-oriented toys and school supplies to hand out as Christmas presents. They started out the day in the village by doing a regular VBS; playing games in the street, singing songs and showing a short bible-based drama followed by group prayer. after that was done they organized the large crowd of kids into two lines: boys and girls. then they handed each child a wrapped shoe box. the kids all filed back into the church and "on the count of three" they all opened their gifts. It was so moving to see the amount of excitement in the faces of these kids as they opened the boxes. They were so happy about the few things they got. The kind of things that we would just fill our stockings with. Things like stickers and play dough. They were so grateful. There were enough gifts that we were able to pass them out at two different churches. My favorite part of the day was after we had already left the second church and we were on our way back to the EOC. We passed an orphanage that had housed teens with special needs. Fortunately, we had some left-over presents still in the car. The group automatically wanted to stop and hand out the rest of the presents to the kids they saw. When we stopped and got out with the gifts the seven children out front started screaming with excitement. They were overwhelmed with joy. As we were driving away after passing them out, one of the kids that was in a wheel chair sat there with his new toys and blew us kisses until we drove out of sight. Another one of them with Down Syndrome was jumping up and down as he rummaged through his new box of toys.

As I'm getting ready to go home for Christmas I've been thinking a lot about what I'm going to be getting for my family or what I'm going to ask for my family to get me. This weekend was a reminder for me that I cant forget what I'm doing here while i'm back home in Sacramento. Its so easy to go home and (as Scott would say) "leave my cross at the border". While I'm down here in Mexico i live with a constant appreciation for the life i have at home. There's a constant feeling of gratefulness knowing that back in California i have all the comforts i want. I never really feel like I'm 'in need' of anything while i'm here. but as my trip home gets closer I start to have that feeling again. My mind goes back into the "what the world thinks I need" instead of the "what does my life actually need" mindset. I was reminded many times this weekend that as I go home for Christmas I need to be careful as my heart shifts back into the comforts of home. I need to not forget the difference between my 'wants' and my 'needs'. God will always provide. :)

i have these moments. these moments when everything seems surreal and right and spiritual and a whole whack of other emotions. i had a few of those this week...

This past week we had a special week at EOC. We got to work on a house build project together as a whole staff. No teams. Just the staff. The 'hired pros', the office staff, the kitchen folks, the interns, all of us! We invited our family members, some pastors, and got to really live out community this week. It was a beautiful thing. We ate phenomenal breakfasts served by various people during the week. We savored incredible lunches prepared by Ana and her family (who conveniently happen to be neighbors to the family we were building for). We enjoyed working together for once... a first in EOC history. It was really special for many of us. Alejandro shared before the build he'd be dreaming about this opportunity! And Jose shared that he hopes this won't be the last of these types of builds!
we laughed. we built - fast. we learned. we served.
And we fell in love with the wonderful family we were building for. Their story is rich and full of struggles, health issues, perseverance, joy, and smiles that were so full of love...
So when we were dedicating the house on Thursday, I had one of those moments. standing with my friends. from 3 nations. from different spaces and places. for one purpose. to love. so often, even here in the ministry we make it so much more complicated than that..

That evening we had a grand feast. my first american thanksgiving. in mexico.
We invited staff, families, neighbors, pastors, friends... over 100 were there to celebrate. to bread break together.
It was a night of abundance. joy. fullness. diversity. community.
After watching the highlight video together of our week's work i had another moment.
Looking around the room, some faces i didn't know, some i only recognized, and others who i can now call real friends. These people were my family.

As the evening unfolded I had just finished saying farewell to Marisol, the young woman (and new friend) who we built the house for. Then suddenly I see someone calling me over...
it was Christina. Christina was part of the family I helped build a house for the very first time my youth group came down to Ensenada! Over 5 years ago we met Christina and her mom and we built a home for her. She's now married, with two children. I've been able to visit with her a few times since my return and she's always excited to see me; always telling me she's never forgotten us! And so I sat with Christina, holding her baby... and had yet another moment. Who would have thought... over 5 years later I'd be sitting here holding Christina's newborn. Who would have thought... over 5 years later I'd be sitting among these people and calling it home...

.moments. that shake me. and remind me Im apart of something really cool...
and indeed I am thankful.

Greetings EOC friends! After recovering from the crazy summer, some time to rest, and plan ahead, we have been enjoying being together again, hosting campers again, and continuing to dream and vision for the year ahead.

I just spent several weeks back home in Canada and what struck me most about returning home was the importance of community. In having to say goodbyes, and connect with friends and family I again realized what wonderful people I have in my life... various communities that I have been apart of over the years. I think what makes leaving all of these important people a little bit easier is knowing that I also had an incredible team of brothers and sisters awaiting my return at EOC as well. This team of diverse, beautiful people are at the heart of this ministry. We try to serve together, celebrate together, laugh together, wrestle with life's struggles together. Sometimes its rewarding. Sometimes its messy. But all the time I think its a glimpse of what the church is supposed to be like.

Its great to be back and good to have a community to figure this all out together!