Mexico Mission Trip

Last week I went on a mission trip with a group from my church to Ensenada, Mexico. It was an incredible week with very little down time, but I did manage to do a little sketching here and there. We drove from Washington State south through Oregon and California. I loved the landscape as we passed through Northern California and tried to capture the depth of distant hills in the above sketch. While in Ensenada, our team built a modest house for a family of 5. This sketch gives you an idea of what the house looks like.

While there, I met a whirlwind of a woman who, among many other jobs, has opened this secondhand clothing shop. All of the profits are donated to charity or used for various mission and outreach projects in the community. I didn't have my camera, so I sketched this from memory. It is located in a very poor, dusty, downtrodden part of the city, yet she has managed to make it a beautiful place for women to come and find good quality secondhand clothes at very reasonable prices.

Even though our work kept us very busy, we did have a few opportunities to enjoy the beautiful beaches there during our stay.

There is so much more I could say about this trip. It was an amazing experience for me to share a small bit of something I know how to do (sew) with women who have next to nothing. Though my heart is heavy with seeing the reality of poverty, at the same time I am optimistic after seeing all of the positive energy and love that so many wonderful people are sharing in this place in an effort to improve the lives of those who need it most.