El Sauzal Amigo Blog

Stove installers Ken, Richard and Loren

Did you ever have an old appliance that was just too expensive to replace? Maybe you needed to make do with a piece of equipment that wasn’t doing it’s job, but it was all you had.  The Orphanage has been in need of a new commercial sized cooking stove for a very long time.  The old stove, used to cook for the entire Orphanage, had only 2 of the 12 burners working.  Replacing it was going to cost thousands of dollars…and so the staff made do.  Can you imagine cooking for forty children per meal with only two working burners?

The First Baptist Church of Ashland, Oregon committed to purchasing and installing a new stove.  First Baptist has been visiting and helping the Orphanage for many years.  We received exciting news yesterday, from First Baptist member Loren:

The stoves are in.  [We] went down and just got back.  What a trip!  Lots of stories.  We got kicked out of Mexico!  OK  just temporary.  We had to go from Tecate to Otay Mesa to take the stoves in.  They do work and boy do they put out heat.  We had all 12 burners going and the griddle and WOW.  God is good. 

Thank you so much, First Baptist, for raising the funds for this much needed equipment.  We are so grateful for the entire church’s support.  Thank you, Loren, Ken and Richard for your exciting trip delivering the stove and installing it.  There will be countless tortillas, pans of beans, rice and so much more cooked on it.  Thank you for looking “after orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27).  Many warm, filled tummies thank you!

We are so grateful for our shiny hot new stove!

The trip down is part of the excitement of visiting the Orphanage!

This is the third part in a series of driving in Mexico.  In the first, we described why and how to get Mexican auto insurance.  In the second, we talked about what to expect as you cross the border into Mexico.  In this post, we’ll talk about toll roads and toll booths in Mexico.

After you cross the border, you will want to get on the toll road toward Ensenada; see our directions.  The toll road is the best and quickest way to travel toward Ensenada and the Orphanage.  These roads are better maintained and safer to travel on.  Mexperience.com describes the difference between free and toll roads, and the signs that you’ll look for:

LIBRE = Free Road. Free roads are less well maintained, single carriageways that will take you longer to travel across. However, to see some of the ‘off the beaten track’ places, you’ll need to avoid Toll Roads, as they often double as “by-passes”. It’s recommended that you don’t take the free roads after dark.

CUOTA = Toll Road. Follow this sign if you want to take the toll road to the destination you are traveling to. Note that the highway numbers are often the same, so you can be on the right highway number, heading in the right direction, but on a free (slower) road than you’d like to be. For toll roads, follow the signs that read “CUOTA”. 

On your trip to Ensenada, you’ll pass through three toll booths: at Playas de Tijuana, Rosarito and before Ensenada.  At the booths, you will see signs that let you know the toll in pesos for your vehicle. The toll prices will be around $3 (each toll booth) for a passenger car.  A van or truck can expect to pay more. 

Frequently you may see Mexican military soldiers near the booths.  They don’t collect the tolls, but they are often onsite.  (I am not sure why.)  Dressed in green khaki and touting large weapons, they are impressive.  Here is a tip that I was once told:  Do not take photos of them.  (I don’t know the reason for this either, but I’ve never questioned it!)

After you’ve crossed through the last toll booth, it is only a short distance before you head east towards the small town of San Antonio de Las Minas, the home of El Sauzal Orphanage.  In the next post in this series, I’ll share some tips on Mexican rules of the road.  Vaya con Dios!

Crossing the border at a busy time.

If you haven’t crossed the border into Mexico before, it can be intimidating.  As a native of the Pacific Northwest, I only cross into Mexico a couple of times a year.  Even with many years of visiting the Orphanage, I still have a sense of excitement as I near the border.  It always surprises me how different everything looks and feels as I enter Tijuana. 

This post is the second in a series about driving in Mexico.  The first article, Driving in Mexico, part I, dealt with the hows and whys of getting Mexico automobile insurance.  In this post we’ll discuss what to expect as you cross the border.  The San Ysidro crossing is about 20 miles south of downtown San Diego.  According to Tijuana.com it is “the world’s busiest port of entry “.  You can get to the crossing by heading south on either I-5 or I-805.  Bajabound.com describes what to expect as you cross the border:

If you don’t need to declare anything, you may cross in any lane that says “Nothing to Declare ~ Nada que Declarar.” But this doesn’t mean that you won’t be questioned or searched by customs officials. When you cross, you will see a traffic light with a red light and a green light. A red means you have been selected for secondary inspection and a green means continue on your way unless an official tells you otherwise. If you are selected for secondary inspection, you must pull over into the customs facility. The main facility is to the right, however sometimes you can get your vehicle checked on the left as well. Here, they will conduct for the most part, a quick search unless they find something that should have been declared. Usually they check the trunk and take a glance inside the vehicle.

Adventure Mexico Insurance also has a great step-by-step description of what to expect when crossing the border. 

Besides the San Ysidro crossing, you can cross at Otay Mesa or Tecate.  Otay Mesa is 5 miles east of San Ysidro, and is primarily for commercial crossings.  Tecate is a town 40 miles east.  (See Border Crossing diagram at Baja California Information Pages.)  These crossings are smaller and more out of the way.  However, they may be handy if you expect heavy traffic at San Ysidro, either crossing into Mexico, or crossing back into the United States.  Please note the hours of the stations and their phone numbers below.

• San Ysidro Station: (619) 639-7100 (open 24 hours)
• Otay Mesa Station: (619) 661-3249 (6AM-10PM)
• Tecate Station: (619) 478-5545 (6AM-Midnight) 

Once you’ve crossed the border, it is only a little over an hour to the Orphanage.  You’re almost there!  In the next part of this series, we’ll talk about toll roads and toll booths and later, some Mexican rules of the road.  Hasta luego!

Janeen with a colorful Sofia

Janeen, of SeaTac Bible Church, Auburn, Washington visited the Orphanage for the first time in January.  Here she shares about her experiences, including the unusually cold weather at the Orphanage. 

I had heard several things about the orphanage before leaving, but I still didn’t know what to expect, so I had a pretty open mind upon arriving there on January 3, 2007. At first I didn’t know what to think, but a couple days into it I started to realize something that God was more then likely trying to teach me. These people and children taught me something about faith.  Here in the U.S. we worry about so much stuff that we shouldn’t.  At the orphanage if they woke up without water or electricity, no big deal, just work around it and keep going. I also noticed that everyone there was cold, since a couple days didn’t get above freezing, and if it did it wasn’t much above freezing, but I really never heard them complaining about it.  They don’t have heat either, which made things a little interesting for my cousin Callie and myself. Also, they have a rather laid back atmosphere that surprised me at first, but when I got the hang of that laid back atmosphere, I started to relax myself.  Perhaps God is still working in that area in my life, and not to be so rigid on things, and just to relax in Christ.

The most important things that I have shared with several people, is that the El Sauzal Orphanage isn’t really an orphanage.  Sure they take care of orphan kids, but they are a big family. The way everyone takes care of each other, and how they look out for each other is totally amazing.  It really reminded me of how the church family should act towards each other. It surprised me how hard it was to leave, as I made the decision for my cousin Callie and me to leave 10 days early due to illness.  Even when I wasn’t feeling so well, I still had a hard time leaving. I would like to return again, when it is warmer. Looking at my pictures and the ones on the website makes me a little homesick for them.

Erika bundled up for her unheated office work

Last weekend, October 6th and 7th, El Sauzal was part of a large missions conference.  Missions Fest Seattle was held for the first time, sponsored by 70 local churches, and 90 exhibitors.  With capacity crowds, it was an exciting event with many great ministries represented.  We were able to offer conference attendees a short-term missions opportunity that is relatively close to home.  We met many people looking for an opportunity just like ours.

Missions Fest is an idea that started in the mid 1980s in Vancouver, Canada.  From their website:

It is a weekend when people of all ages come together to participate in a variety of missions related experiences. Colourful exhibits, which represent organizations that work in most countries around the world, provide current information. Keynote addresses are given by world class speakers who have international acclaim. Children participate in workshops and programs that raise in them the awareness of the existence of many people groups. The youth are challenged to reach out to others during their rallies and seminars. Music is important in these gatherings; international flags and costumes are part of the decor. Along with these activities, over a hundred seminars are integrated throughout the three days.

Thanks to support and donations, the Orphanage and the Foundation paid nothing to have our booth.  Everything was donated - from tortilla chips and prizes to give away, to our banner and brochures.  More than $1500 worth of support, services, and in-kind items were given.  We are grateful to SeaTac Bible Church, Taylor-Made Printing, Azteca Restaurants, and the many individuals that gave.  We are happy to have been able to share El Sauzal’s work with so many people!

Our colorful, fun booth was completely donated!