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Ensenada #3: Sometimes you are sent.

It was just Day One in Ensenada when a beautiful miracle began to unfold. The house build was going along swimmingly with local pastors, church members, YWAM volunteers, the family,their family, plus our little team from the midwest all working away like ants on a hill. My official capacity was to capture the story of the day through photos and video so I decided to walk through the neighborhood to create a fuller picture of where our family lived. My dad, the self-appointed supervisor of all things, came along to “keep me safe” (I think he just wanted to look busy, lol).

humanitarian documentary photo of two women carrying a sheet of plywood building materials on construction site

The neighborhood was really quiet that morning. Some people peeked their heads out of doors and windows as this blonde lady with a camera and her distinguished, mustached chaperone passed by, but it seemed that most residents were away at work or school. Dogs, cats, chickens, and a goat or two, on the other hand, were everywhere. Lounging in the middle of the road, barking at us like they might eat us or squawking and cock-a-doodle-doo-ing indignantly on the end of a string.

humanitarian documentary photo of very small house in Mexico with fabric canopy sun screen
Typical yard. That house was built by Homes of Hope or similar organization years ago.

I saw this cool scene at the top of the steepest hill; a man on an iPhone in one of the poorest neighborhoods in North America shepherding a bunch of cows up the side of the mountain, a really beautiful house and garden in the foreground. I wanted to capture it and immediately started to scurry up the dusty hillside. My dad just stood at the bottom, waiting for his crazy-loco-en-la-cabesa-daughter to take her silly photos and come back down. It was just then, however, that the real purpose of our exploration began to unfold. He would have to climb the mountain after all.

Mexican man talking on the phone on a hillside with cows
small but beautiful red Mexican house on a hillside with blue sky above
This beautiful home is not typical. It’s the equivalent of a mansion on a hill. Still no running water or indoor plumbing, though, but with several buildings, rock walls, green foliage and ample space, it is a truly stand-out homestead.

As I made my way up the hill I saw a family, thirteen of them in all, walking single-file across the hillside like a scene from the Sound of Music, superhero T-shirts in place of curtain-play-clothes, the little one (Lupita, I would later learn) sipping on a three-liter bottle of Coke. I was so excited to find people outside their homes, people to connect with (my most favorite thing in the world). In my limited and broken Spanish, I said “Buenas Dias”, asked them how they were and asked their names. I introduced myself as Au-na, the way they could understand my name most easily, and chatted a bit about who owned the houses nearby. I asked if I could take their photos and they said “why not?”. I gave each of the small children a dollar as we said “adiós” and we headed down our divergent paths. By now my dad had finally made it up the hill to join me.

Doug Thorson in Mexico walking up a dirt road
Dad reluctantly followed me up that hill.

Gabriela, the mother, who we would later learn had turned around to talk to us at the nudging of a voice, caught up to us as we began to walk back down the hill to the job site. “How can I get a home like that for my family?” she asked in Spanish. “We struggle. My children cannot go to school, our home is very small and we are very many. A home like that would make a great difference for us.” (a general translation, as I am just learning ). I tried to explain the process a bit as she motioned for us to come and see their home, an invitation that felt like an honor and one we happily accepted.

humanitarian documentary photo of Ochoa family home in Ensenada Mexico held up by tires on a hillside
The Ochoa family home. Thirteen people live in that tiny space. Families here work hard to build up the sloped hillside to create flat ground to live on. Tires are one of the most used “found” materials. I saw a man walking down the highway carrying three on his back. An invaluable resource, clearly.
Mexican boy peeking around the corner toward his sister
Caleb. The kids were shy at first. Hiding from my camera and my “crazy blue eyes”! Roman would ask me later if he could trade eyes with me. LOL
Mexican boy crawling out from under a bed with a cheetah print blanket
Esua hides from me, but only for a moment. This home has a concrete floor which is very high-end in this neighborhood. Most have dirt floors.
humanitarian documentary photo of four Mexican children playing in their small home
Caleb, Lupita, Esua and Ixtxia (its-ee-ah). This is the family’s main living area: Mom, Dad, Yeni and Lupita’s bed, a little cooking area and small storage space. They had a stove but their neighbors stole it along with all their valuables and sold them in the market.
humanitarian documentary photo of Mexican man preparing a meal over a fire outside their home
Cruz, the father of the family, builds a fire to boil water for baths. They have a stock tank they store on the roof and bring into the house for bathtime. The ingenuity is astonishing.
Toddler in Mexico drinking from an empty coke bottle
Lupita with her now-empty Coke bottle. Yeni, SUPER shy, peeks out at me from behind her brothers.
humanitarian documentary photo of a group of children siblings standing in front of their home in Ensenada Mexico
Ixtxia, Esua, Caleb, Randy and Yazmin.
These beautiful children have never been to school. In Mexico education is free, however, families have to provide uniforms, transportation, lunch money, books, and supplies. In addition, this family relies on all members to work. The older children wash cars and the little ones sell marzapan. It is technically illegal for children to work but there is little enforcement. Despite all the struggles the children are literate. Sixteen-year-old Roman had a phone with a translation app. He and I worked hard to communicate with my limited Spanish, his deep desire to connect, and that handy app.
a Mexican family of 13 people
Luis, Stephany, Ixtxia, Cruz, Esua, Lupita, Randy, Gabriela, Yeni, Caleb, Roman and Yazmin.

I asked Gabriela to walk over to the job site with us where a translator could help her learn more about a Homes of Hope house for her big, wonderful family. Through the interpreter, we heard more about little Lupita (Gabriela Guadalupe), who is actually their granddaughter. Their oldest child, Lupita’s mother, was badly beaten as a young girl and never fully recovered. She died when Lupe was a year old from complications due to her injuries. The family stopped attending their church when a pastor suggested that their daughter’s death was some kind of test of their faith. So heartbreaking and senseless. They have been struggling emotionally and physically since, isolated from community and friendship.

Just a few days before we arrived in Ensenada, Gabriela told us, she had been praying that she might find her way back to God and into a church family again. When we parted ways that first time on the hillside a voice prompted her to turn around and talk to us. We had no idea that through my crappy Spanish skills, my desire to connect to people and my dad’s reluctant willingness to follow me up that steep hill, we would be a conduit to bring God and his people right to her doorstep just days later.

Mexican children playing at the home, one of them in a superman shirt
Esua, Ixtxia and Yazmin. Ixtxia is the sassiest, funniest little girl. She is not easy to capture smiling, but I got a few!
two mexican brothers wrestling on the ground
Hermanos! Boys boys boys.
two mexican brothers wrestling on the ground
Caleb and his beautiful smile stole my heart. The first day we met when I handed out dollars I ran out just as he ran up to me. I WISH I had a photo of the puppy dog eyes he gave me. He looked like the cat from Puss de Boots! He is theatrical, joyful and sweet.
black and white photo of a small hispanic boy looking up at the camera
This photo is close, but he isn’t in full-puppy-dog-mode here. LOL
black and white photo of a small boy in Mexcio playing with a 5 gallon water jug
Families in this neighborhood purchase water in jugs and lug it up the hill. In the better-off households they have big tanks, like small water towers, that are refilled by a service. Water is scarce for all. Everything is dusty. EVERYTHING.
Mexican children playing
Mexican children playing
Caleb, Randy, Ixtxia and Esua. Such beautiful faces!
Mexican children playing
Caleb and Esua always jumping in front of the camera.
Mexican children playing
I mean . . . Caleb!
Mexican children playing
Caleb, Randy and Esua.
Mexican toddler playing on a tire
As we left with her grandmother to the jobsite, Lupita did NOT want to be left behind.
toddler girl walking through rough grass with an adult and an older child
This little spit-fire does not take “no” for an answer. 🙂
mexican toddler smiling at the camera with other people in the background
Look at that face! I’ve seen this face a thousand times; one that says “I got what I wanted! I got to come along like a big-girl!”

Click for chapter four- Ensenada: Love Language.

Ensenada #2: We’re all the same

The day after we returned home from Ensenada we were talking about our experiences over dinner. Four out of the six of us at the table have been to Ensenada and “knew”. We were trying to describe the way many families have to live. My son’s friend said “Oh, I know about poverty. I’ve seen documentaries and photos . . . ” and the four of us who have taken this journey all shook our heads and said “Uh, no. You don’t know until you see it with your own eyes.” And it is true. I can try to show you, try to explain, but it looks different in photos. It looks better. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing . . .

Lupita. I will tell you her story later.

As I made connections with the people in Ensenada, met moms struggling to feed their children, kids who have never attended school, families that don’t know where their next meal might come from, the only thing I saw was love. Love for one another, love for life, love for their babies they so desperately want better for. I saw beauty and joy and hope and longing, just like I do with my clients in some of the finest neighborhoods in the world. When I got in close and took photos of the kids’ sweet faces they looked, to me, just like the children of wealthy families I photograph in the States; laughing, crying, shy, silly, naughty, funny . . . they are, simply, kids.

These families are no different than our own. They want their kids to do well in life, they want to give them the best start they can. They want to show love and discipline to their children. They want peace and quiet sometimes (not easy when you live with ten kids in 300 square feet!) and to just go to the bathroom without tag-alongs. They hope to give their children an education, although it is not always possible, and they want to see them thrive. Parents everywhere seek the same things . . . but the playing field is not always level. Life is not as easy for some as it is for others . . . but the struggle is universal. The hope is what keeps parents everywhere putting one foot in front of the other every single day. Right?

The view from our family’s backyard.

About the build.

Although we are only building the home for our chosen family over one and a half days a lot had to happen beforehand. Over the weeks prior to the trip our team worked to gather the funds needed for materials as well as set aside money for new furnisings and supplies to get this young family off to a good start. In the days leading up to a house-build the local YWAM staff trekked out to the family’s plot and poured the concrete foundation; a foundation that is essential because getting children up off of dirt floors greatly improves their health and academic successes going forward. The building materials were delivered a few days before we arrived. Esteban, the father of this little family, slept on these material during the night to prevent theft and make sure everything was ready to go when our team arrived. They are invested in this process and they could not wait!

Lisbet, Esteban and Johatan’s existing home, built by members of their family. The young family purchased this land to start their lives together and establish a home. They have electricity but no plumbing or running water. The floor is dirt, but they have done a beautiful job making it into a home for their little boy with found materials.
Lisbet’s sister and niece. Many family members were on hand to help the team and the family get their home built. You can see in this photo how nicely Lisbet has decorated the walls inside their home. She is a wonderful home-maker.
Cousins and brothers and moms and sisters all showed up to help.
Johnatan and his mom in their original home. I estimate it was about 150-200 square feet.
Praying for a successful build. The family is in plaid and red. They are young and so full of energy and excitement. It was fun to watch them as their home took shape.
How many hands does it take to build and paint a truss? Many!
Beautiful Isabelle always has a smile.
Young, old, local grandmas, pastors and church members . . . and a handful of volunteers from the midwest all came together to make this happen.
Dogs and chickens were EVERYWHERE. This rooster was tied up with a string and a rock and he was NOT happy about it. He and several other captive roosters provided the background music for the day.
A salesman and a pastor playing with electricity. !Es no problema!
This mama sure loves her boy.
Johnatan thought he’d won the fun-lottery when we was allowed to play in the paint!
The neighborhood was largely undeveleoped. Rows of white-painted rocks deliniated future plots. The roads were made by simply driving on the land until the vegetation died. There is power but no sewer or water. Shocks and struts don’t last long down here!

Read the next chapter- Ensenada: Sometimes you are sent.

Two Dyslexics Walk Into a Bookstore

Hicklebees…best little bookstore in the world.

I have such fond memories of bringing my kids here when they were small. We’d walk down here from our house around the corner in the warm California sunshine, pushing my toddler and baby in the stroller in so Tyler (my first avid reader) could browse the shelves. We were pretty broke at the time, so young with three littles already, so we rarely got to buy anything, but the ladies in here were always welcoming and so helpful none the less. They earned my forever loyalty.

Such a lovely Willow Glen institution. We are happy it’s still here so we can come and read a few good ones and buy a few favorites. Lydia and I are huge fans of a good old fashioned independent bookstore. ♥️ www.hicklebees.com

Thirteen is my Favorite

Okay, okay, maybe not my most favorite but it’s an age that is just so fascinating to watch unfold. It’s a straddling of childhood and adulthood; one moment playing with old toys and the next trying out makeup and talking to boys. This is my fourth time through this stage with one of my own and each was unique. While I truly miss the days of snuggles and giggles and unabashed mommy-adoration I also enjoy watching the emergence of this new, independent, strong and unique human, separate from myself yet forever a part of me.

We are off to California; our first stop. We will see where she was born, where we brought her home to her siblings, she took her first steps and learned to sing with her whole heart. We will soak up some sunshine and relaxation before we head to Mexico to do just a tiny little bit to help people who could use a little hand up like her brothers have both done before her.

I love thirteen.

ah-mazing gluten free chocolate cake

This cake is sooooo good. You won’t miss the gluten one little bit. You can even serve it at a party. Try it. I bet no one will even know!

Gluten free chocolate Cake:

  • 1 3/4 cup gluten free flour (I used Cup4Cup)
  • 1 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons mexican vanilla (regular is fine but I like the taste of Mexico!)
  • 1 cup hot coffee (instant is okay or save some of your morning pot of Joe)

Chocolate Buttercream:

  • 1 1/2 cups butter softened
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 3.5 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream

Cake directions:

Preheat oven to 350

In medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients. I use a wire whisk to “sift” them together as I don’t have a sifter.

In large bowl mix wet incredients (except hot coffee), until well combined; about one minute. Add dry ingredients and stir, then add the hot coffee. It will be a little wet. Fear not.

Pour into greased (I use coconut oil) 8 or 9 inch pans. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the middle is no longer wet and jiggly.

Frosting:

Cream all ingredients except heavy cream in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add cream until desired consistancy. To frost cake I like to warm a bit of frosting until runny and spread over cake to contain the crumbs. Then spread with remaining frosting.

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