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Baja Christian Ministries is committed to serving the needs of the poor throughout Mexico. To date, however, most of the outreach ministry has been focused in the metropolitan area of Tijuana. As a city adjoining the United States border, Tijuana is a magnet for drawing poor families relocating from other parts of Mexico and Central America. Seeking economic opportunity, people arrive daily to find work in border factories, or hopefully gain entrance into the United States.
For Christians in Southern California, the "third-world conditions" of Tijuana and its suburbs are less than a tank of gas away. Many Americans cross the border to shop in Tijuana, but just beyond the tourist areas, the poverty can be overwhelming for first-time visitors. Even though the needs are great, ministering to the poor--both physically and spiritually--makes a real difference to those whom you contact. Through the process, God will also open your eyes to the promises of Isaiah 58 where dry and empty lives become an ever-flowing spring.
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Tijuana and outlying shanty towns cover the rolling hills and support a
swelling population of over two million people. A continual inflow of
people, in addition to many natural disasters like flash floods, far outpaces
resources of the area. Instead of finding better economic conditions, many
people encounter great hardships and disappointment. Children crowd the
streets, and families seek shelter in makeshift shacks. Many of these
families live in cardboard and crate shelters with dirt floors. This
provides little protection from the weather, and during the cold and rainy
seasons, these conditions lead to sickness and disease. Many of these
families live without pressurized water, electricity, or sewer utilities.
Mother Teresa said, "...of all the places I've been the world, Tijuana is
among the poorest."