YUGO’s House Building Ministry
Ensenada, Mexico
VIRTUAL BUILD VIDEOS:
You can experience the “Virtual Build” of the new Perez family home in Ensenada through the following videos:
- Video 1 – Day 1 House build
- Video 2 – Day 2 House build
- Video 3 – Day 3 House build and dedication ceremony
House building in May, 2021! With all the generous donations from Shepherd of the Hills, YUGO is able to build a 4 bedroom house for the Lara Perez Family.
Meet your Family: The Lara Perez Family
Gustavo Lara: Father, 43 years old – Snack Shack Owner
Maria Guadalupe Perez: Mother, 40 years old – Snack Shack Owner
Ismerai: Daughter, 20 years old (left in photo)
Naydelin: Daughter, 17 years old – Student, High School (2nd from right)
Asael: Son, 4 years old (in photo above with Mother)
Gustavo: Son, 10 years old – Student, 5th grade (in photo below)
THEIR STORY
Gustavo is from Guerrero. He has four siblings. His parents divorced when he was 5. His mom got full custody of the kids. When he was 8, his mom remarried and moved to the United States. She left all the kids with her mom for two full years. During that time, Gustavo worked in the fields to pay for his own education. He only finished Jr. High and then started
to work full time. He also got really involved with his church youth group.
Maria is from Guerrero also. She has two siblings. Her parents
separated when she was 10. All the kids stayed with the mom and her father would come and go. Despite this, she says her childhood and family life was good overall. Maria’s mother was a Jehovah Witness, but her grandmother would take her and her siblings to a Christian church on Sundays. She accepted Jesus as her savior when she was 9. Maria completed high school.
Gustavo and Maria met at church when he was 17 and she was 14. They dated for six years and have been married for 20 years now. They have four children. They moved to Valle de Guadalupe to live with Maria’s dad right before Ismerai was born. Six years ago, they opened their own store. A small snack shack that sells household items too. With the money they have made, they were able to buy some property but have not been able to build anything on it yet.
Gustavo and Maria met Pastor Angel several years ago but only got reconnected with him a few months ago. Pastor Angel came to visit them and immediately decided to contact YUGO about more suitable housing. Pastor Angel knows this family and says that they have been faithful servants in their church for their whole lives. Both attended church as children, both were active in their youth groups, and both are serving on
the worship team now. He is confident that they will use this home to minister to others in their community. He asks that you join him in prayer for Gustavo’s upcoming surgery (he has a torn ligament that needs to be surgically repaired), and for this family to continue to serve Christ together.
THEIR COMMUNITY
The Lara Perez family is currently living in a small rural community called Valle de Guadalupe, south of Ensenada. This area of the city is home to thousands of migrant families, who came from southern states of Mexico, looking for better opportunities. Many ‘colonias’ don’t have the most basic services, such as running water, electricity, and sewage systems. However, these areas are often the ones that offer the lowest prices to acquire a piece of land, and for that reason many families will buy in those areas despite the lack of services. For these families, the most common job opportunity
is as a field laborer, providing workers the equivalent of about 65 dollars per week. These factors combined create a challenging environment for families to grow and create a safe space to call home.
CURRENT LIVING CONDITIONS
Family lives on Maria’s dad’s property. They live in a single room house made entirely of wood, with a cement foundation. They have water, power and a bathroom with a flush toilet. They pay no rent but the six of them share a bedroom. They only have one full sized bed and a twin sized bed for the six of them to share. They also own a stove and a refrigerator.
MEET THEIR PASTOR – Angel Lopez
We have an incredible team of local pastors that YUGO Ministries partners with and they really are the front line of our ministry. The pastors who work with us to prepare for your team have put a lot of work and resources into the preparations.
More information is on the YUGO Facebook page here.