Christmas Initiative 2022
Refugee Camp Visit
Monday, December 19th turned into so much more than we thought. My little team crossed the border, and we were excited to be together and drop off some fun toys and essentials for the refugee camps Xmas day party. Unfortunately, they were short some gifts, getting over 800 presents is no easy task! This camp is home to over 2,000 people, and more than 800 are children. We’ve been here many times and have seen some amazing transitions in a few short years. They have grown massively! With help from other local ministries and Light church in Encinitas, they’ve built a whole new kitchen and are in the works with Open Road Collaborative to regularly have a medical team down in the new year.
So many children have been very sick this season; one little one passed unnecessarily this past month. This particular camp is also the ONLY camp in all of Tijuana to allow Haitians to seek shelter. So many good things are happening here, but it’s also very hard with so much need. The camp is way beyond max capacity, and relies on donations from outside people to sustain the demands of so many. Currently, Mexico offers ZERO help to these places.
We had already planned to shop for protein for the camp, but when we arrived and looked at the kitchen and storage, we realized they were down to nothing. The ladies in the kitchen told us they had prayed that morning for God to send food, and then we showed up. We did get to purchase a large amount of food, which was a huge blessing, but given that they feed 1500 people three times a day, I’m not sure how long it will last. We want to return and bless them again before Christmas so they have enough for the holidays. If you’d like to donate, please visit the link below. I will make sure it goes directly to the food fund before Christmas. If you've already donated, thank you so much! The world is better place because of you. You can also help by sharing this email with your family and friends.
Much love,
Candice and the Journey to Refuge Team
