10 Reasons We Love Tijuana and Why You Will Too

Just south of the busiest border crossing in the world lies one of Mexico’s largest cities, Tijuana, Baja California.

This is the city where YWAM San Diego/Baja gets the incredible opportunity to do life and ministry. And with our immersive discipleship training school, DTS, you could live and serve here as well. We love it here and we know you will too!

In the past years, this city has seen incredible growth in local businesses and attractions. From the stretches of beaches to some of the most creative art, to killer coffee, and of course incredible tacos, Tijuana is an epic destination to spend a few months or more!

The Best YWAM Locations

Why is Tijuana one of the best YWAM locations? It goes beyond the incredible experiences you'll have at a YWAM discipleship training school. Many DTS students who attend a DTS at YWAM San Diego/Baja are drawn here due to the unique culture and campus diversity. We are one of the few YWAM DTS locations with two distinct campuses.

Both within walking distance of the beach and vibrant local communities within Tijuana, our Ensenada and San Antonio Del Mar campuses give students even more to explore in their YWAM location.

DTS Programs at Ensenada

An hour and a half south of the U.S./Mexico border, our Ensenada campus houses 200 staff, volunteers, and students. Hosting international conferences as well as local concerts and events such as skateboard competitions, it is a community hub, as well as a YWAM DTS location.

Experience the DTS Campus Phase at San Antonio Del Mar

Our flagship property in Tijuana, San Antonio Del Mar overlooks stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. While you participate in your YWAM school, you'll enjoy God's beautiful creation with natural landscapes, as well as close access to a thriving local culture. Currently, with 200 beds, this YWAM base is expanding to host more than 800 students and staff, and even DTS graduates taking part in University of Nations training schools and Missions Adventures.

But enough about us... here is a list of 10 Must-Do’s in Tijuana, for you to use as a bucket list when you are with us!

1. Telefonica Gastro Park

Telefónica is Tijuana’s favorite Gastro Park. Think of anything you’d want to eat, chances are, it’s here. You’ll find ceviche, pulled pork sandwiches, vegan tacos, ramen, kombucha, and even sushi burritos. You’ll definitely want to try more than one thing. But don't worry, discipleship training schools have free time built in so you'll be able to try every dish on your list.

2. Nativo Coffee Community

This cafe is incredible!

There are two Nativo Cafes here in TJ, the Estacion Federal location is just a block from the walking border crossing, and another on Calle Sexta. Nativo serves excellent coffee and is a beautiful space for reading, meeting, or hanging out with friends. Our favorite drink to order and share with our YWAM community is the Spicy Orange Latte.

3. THE CULTURAL CENTER

In the Zona Río district of Tijuana, you’ll find the Tijuana Cultural Center. This center opens its doors to over a million tourists per year.

Why? Besides the several art and cultural programs for the public, this center has the only IMAX theater in all of Mexico. This cinema has a 360-degree projector, literally surrounding its viewers with the ultimate movie experience. And our YWAM bases are only a short distance away!

4. THE COFFEE SHOPS

One of Mexico’s many gifts to the world is its coffee. We hit on Nativo earlier, but Tijuana is a city full of awesome coffee shops. Be sure to check out:

• B HAUS

• Das Cortez

• Grulla Cafe

• Electric Coffee Roasters

5. THE TACOS

What more can we say? Tacos are everywhere here and they are delicious!

You can sit down in a restaurant or pick some up from a street cart, both are awesome options. Here are the places we recommend to get your taco fix every day, not just on Tuesdays:

• Tacos El Franc

• Taco Nazo

• Tacos Manuel

• Tacos El Yaqui

6. CAESAR’S

Did you know that the Caesar Salad was actually invented in Tijuana?

Caesar Cardini invented the salad in 1924 right here in Tijuana in the Hotel Caesar restaurant. The story is that during a July 4th rush, Cardini had to make do with what was left over to fill orders and he ended up creating what we now know and love as the Caesar salad.

7. The Nature!

Believe it or not, this city is surrounded by many majestic scenes. Besides breathtaking ocean views, there are options for those who like to hike, bike, and stroll. La Jolla, pictured above is right outside the city and is the perfect place for a sunset viewing party.

8. La Playa 

Take a moment (or many) to stroll down the boardwalk here in Tijuana.

It starts right at the border wall where you can see, and touch, the actual border wall between Mexico and the U.S. As you walk down you can enjoy the view of the beach as well as many souvenir shops, cafes, and restaurants. We also have a beautiful beach a couple minutes walk from each of our YWAM San Diego/ Baja campuses.

9. THE VIEWS FROM THE CAMPUS CAN’T BE BEAT.

We have an epic view of the ocean and the Coronado Islands from our campus. Imagine going out on your balcony and seeing the ocean every day. It never gets old!

10. THE MARKETS

In the heart of downtown Tijuana lies one of the most famous markets, Mercado El Popo.

Here you can explore and buy Mexican fruits, cheeses, herbs, spices, ceramics, souvenirs, and even piñatas! Bring a little cash and enjoy the sights, smells, and sounds as you walk through.

There is also another great market in Tijuana called Mercado Hidalgo and if you head a couple of minutes south of the campus to Rosarito, a popular beach destination, you can explore the markets there as well. You’ll find rugs, blankets, ceramics, and beautiful jewelry.

Apply for DTS Today

Have you thought about doing a school with us but haven’t applied yet? YWAM San Diego/Baja runs various Discipleship Training Schools and Secondary Courses with the University of the Nations at our San Antonio Del Mar campus located just south of Tijuana.

YWAM ministry extends outside of Tijuana with locations across the world including:

• Orlando, Florida - YWAM Orlando

• Salem, Oregon - YWAM Salem

• Louisville, Kentucky - YWAM Louisville

• Kailua Kona, Hawaii - YWAM Kona

• New Orleans, Louisiana - YWAM New Orleans

• Dallas, Texas - YWAM Dallas

• And so much more!

While every location brings something special to the YWAM family, we believe that Tijuana is one of the best DTS locations. While most students only get to go abroad during the overseas mission trip in the outreach phase, Our DTS students can experience international travel throughout their entire DTS experience.

So, what are you waiting for? Apply for our DTS today!

Come Up To Me On This Mountain

Over the last year, I’ve written “I trust you” in my journal more times than I can count. It’s funny how I need to write it over and over again. Somehow the act of writing it etches it into my soul. It takes it deeper. “Jesus, I trust you.” There’s so many things I don’t understand yet I feel this inexplicable peace that beckons me, “be still, you can trust Jesus”.

It’s so easy to make our relationship with God less of a relationship and more of a transaction. I find myself wanting to have the what, when, where + why before I’ll settle into God’s presence. There’s too much to do, too much to understand, yet God is ever patient with me in my messiness. He waits there for me on the mountain. Waiting for me to put down my list and just rest in Him. Waiting for me to receive His love and His relationship that He gave everything to have. He waits there for me to simply be with Him.

You see, God is faithful and worthy of my trust. He is ever working for me, going before me and staying so near, intentionally pursuing my heart. We were never meant to be robots, mindlessly following a God shouting out instructions to us. From the very beginning of creation, it was always about relationship. We cannot miss this part!

Being able to trust God with my everything, my hopes, my dreams, my futures, my days and my finances, doesn’t happen on accident, it all comes out of relationship. We can’t spend so much time searching for the will of God for our lives, for our calling, that we miss out on knowing Him. While I press in to knowing Him, to being with Him- there comes the breakthrough of my trust beyond circumstance.

So I will spend my days, waking up and pursuing the heart of God. I will learn to trust slowly but surely, as I discover more about Him and His character. The greatest adventure we have at our fingertips is walking in intimacy with God. He’s asking us to come up on the mountain to meet with him. So I’m embracing this adventure with everything I have. I will meet with you there my God.

JESUS, I TRUST YOU.

“COME UP TO ME ON THIS MOUNTAIN…”

EXODUS 24:1

WORDS + PHOTOS BY TIFFANY LAMBERT.

TIFFANY IS FULL TIME WITH YWAM SAN DIEGO/BAJA AND LEADS THE PHOTO-STORYTELLING DTS. 

In the Waiting

Does a delayed response or fulfillment of a promise from the Lord signify a closed door? The well meaning and often used expression rings loudly “If God closes a door, he will open a window.” This can be true, but not all the time. God truly does know best, and sometimes His best for us looks different then the door we attempt to go through at first. Other times this is not the case. Often, God will wait until circumstances look impossible to do the impossible and prove His sovereignty. He works for His glory and our good. He doesn’t speak things in advance to mess with us or discourage us. He speaks in advance to build up our faith, to refine our trust and to prove to us that He really is who He says He is and His word does not come back void. He does not delay and He is not impatient, but rather He is so specific when he implements things, not just in the scriptures but also in the lives of all those who believe in him in faith.  Just because things look unlikely or unrealistic, does not mean that God is not going to move. Out of intimacy and knowing God, we can navigate when a door closed means move on or when it means keep knocking.  That is the nature of walking with God. He is the Good Shepherd, gently guiding us even when we fear or don’t understand. He is cultivating our faith and our trust. 

25 years after God promised Abraham descendants as many as the stars, Isaac, the child of promise, was born. It had seemed impossible. Sarah’s womb was dry + barren. There was no hope for an heir, yet God had a miracle in mind. Sarah and Abraham were able to rejoice in the fulfillment of the promise and God working in their lives in miraculous ways. God had done as he promised and in her old age, Sarah nursed her very own son. Abraham’s faith had grown  as he discovered more of who God was in the waiting. At the perfect time, as Abraham’s character had developed and he had come to have fear of the Lord, the promise was fulfilled. Years later, when the testing came and God asked for Abraham to sacrifice his only heir, the fulfillment of his promise and the source of great joy and redemption, he did not hesitate to sacrifice. He trusted in His God, because He had gotten to know him in the mean time.

The question is not so much about when the fulfillment of things will come but what are God’s purposes in the waiting. God’s timing is different than ours and His ways are above our ways. He is not casual or unconcerned with timing, rather He moves in intentionality and sovereignty over His people. We may not always understand but we have the beautiful opportunity to have a response of faith in the waiting. 

What are the things God is asking you to believe for? What will you do in the waiting? 

“So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11 

Words + Photos by TIFFANY LAMBERT.

TIFFANY IS FULL TIME WITH YWAM SAN DIEGO/BAJA AND LEADS THE PHOTO-STORYTELLING DTS. 

Fear Not.

Fear, for each of us, it has a different face, a different name. It is a darkness, that creeps up on us. It ties us up with ropes and before we know it, it starts to dictate our decisions. It laughs in the face of our dreams. It dims the light of our future.

Fear is real and how much power it has in our lives is determined by how much power we give it. We are not meant to live captive to this fear and there is hope. You see, we have already been set free. We are adopted as sons & daughters, washed & purified by the blood of Jesus. We have an authority over fear and a God who moves beyond it. God intended us to live fully in freedom, but if we are not careful- captives are exactly what we become. We simply cannot afford to allow fear to cripple us, to keep us sitting, to keep us stationary, to keep us out of the game. All God is wanting is for us to run to Him & fear hinders that.                                                                      

IN ORDER TO OVERCOME FEAR: WE MUST RISK.

Lately more & more, I feel God beckoning me: to stand in the face of my fears, to face them head on, to run towards Him with all I have and all I am, risking it all and holding nothing back. When we face our fears there will be uncertainty, but I can promise you, you can be certain about this one thing: God is faithful.             

FAITHFUL:

LOYAL, CONSTANT, STEADFAST.

That is who God is. God's perspective is bigger than ours. He sees you, He knows your heart. Outside of time & unhindered by circumstances-He works for your good. To have fear in itself is not wrong, but letting it constrain you, letting it chain & contain you-that is wrong. In the end it is really not about the fear itself-it is about who you are facing the fear with. 

 

 

Are you willing to face fear and risk for more or are you content with staying captive? Dear one, do not fear, for God has overcome the world. 

 

 

WORDS + PHOTOS by Tiffany Lambert. 

Tiffany is full time staff with YWAM San Diego/Baja and leads the Photo-Storytelling DTS.

Hope Continues

David and Daisy (front and center) celebrating with the children and families that take part in their feeding center. 

At the dedication ceremony of a Homes of Hope house, the families are encouraged to find ways to bless others with what they’ve been given. David and Daisy Ortiz received their home in 2016. Since then, they’ve done just that. 

Three mornings a week, the Ortiz family opens the front door of their home, transforming it into a feeding center for neighborhood children. Around 50 children receive meals in their home each week. Local vendors partner with the Ortiz Family to provide supplies and food. 

As David and Daisy began to interact with these children each week, they realized that there was more to the equation. The parents of these young ones needed help, too. So they partnered with another Homes of Hope recipient, named Felipe, to run a six-week marriage enrichment course. Felipe hosted the classes in his home and David and Daisy developed the curriculum and taught each week. 

The graduation celebration was recently held at the YWAM San Antonio del Mar campus for the families who completed the marriage course. Claudia, one of the participants, came forward to share her story. No one was prepared for what happened next. 

“Pablo and I were discussing separation,” she began. “We didn’t want to live together any longer. We knew it would be difficult for the children but we couldn’t continue on. When David and Daisy came to our house to invite us to the marriage study, we reluctantly went.” She shared how the course transformed their relationship, and how their hearts turned towards each other once again. 

“And I want to surprise Pablo with something here at this graduation. Something that Pablo has always wanted but I have refused.” Claudia paused, emotion filling her voice. 

"Pablo, will you marry me?"

Gasps of surprise and joy were heard around the room. While common-law marriages are a prevailing custom in many developing nations, Claudia knew that she and Pablo needed to take the next step. 

She didn’t have to wait long for an answer. Pablo responded with “YES!” and the room erupted in celebration! Then, once the excitement died down, two more couples declared their commitment to marriage by getting engaged, too. 

The influence of Homes of Hope goes far beyond boundaries of four walls and a roof. When families like the Ortizes open their doors to those around them, the impact can reach to the next generation and beyond. 

Are you interested in bringing a team to do a Home of Hope build? Click HERE for more info! 

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These Dry Bones.

I've had some things rattling around in my mind lately. I've had desires to know God on a deeper level and to be known on a deeper level- yet something is holding me back, I feel paralyzed in some ways. I know my desires, I see them within my grasp- yet they are, or feel anyways, unattainable.

Here's the deal: I've become comfortable, paralyzed. With the advent of social media things have changed. I'm not necessarily living in an obvious sin. I'm doing full time ministry, I serve God, I pray, I live by faith for my ministry & finances- but the last few months I've felt like something was missing. I've felt dry. I've felt disconnected, numb. The truth is, I've been reduced to bones.

Sometimes we, or at least myself over here, have this picture of the enemy-  that he uses these out of the box ways to hinder us, in our callings and in our life & honestly this is, in many ways, true. Something I have realized however, is that we often times do his job for him. We disqualify ourselves, we take ourselves out of the race. We allow ourselves to be silently paralyzed, without recognizing the connection. I am being honest here friends,  I am preaching to myself as well.

I have felt this conviction so strongly lately. When I have a couple of free minutes- I end up on social media. When I wake up, & right before I go to bed- I inevitably end up on social media. Throughout my day I end up there, even when i don't mean to be. I do recognize the irony that this post is being shared on social media & I'm not here to villainize it- but I am here to recognize its dangers.

I am a firm believer that social media is a tool that we can use to bring awareness, to highlight testimony of our God: who he is and how he works. It can be used to build relationships, to share prayer requests, to communicate life happenings, to share joy and sorrows & those are all good things! Social media is not evil, but there is a catch, there is a downfall, when it takes the highest place in our lives. When it eliminates us from feeling anything real, from being able to hold an intentional conversation in person. When it eliminates us from really living a life outside of cyber space. When it does these things, it can be detrimental.  Social Media can be like a silent poison, slowly suffocating us, while disengaging us from reality, separating us from who God is or why we are even here on this earth in the first place. As i began to process all of these things, and recognize this in my own life God pointed me to Ezekiel 37.

“The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”
“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
”

— Ezekiel 37:1-6

I've read these verses many times, they are some of my favorite verses in the Bible. I love the idea that the Lord wants to partner with us to bring life, even when he has all the power to do it on his own. I've always associated these verses with calling forth life into those who are dry because they don't know the Lord, but this time God showed me a different side of this. Just because I know the Lord does not mean that I am immune to becoming dry bones. He spoke to me that these verses reference his church as well, his people becoming dry and desolate. When his earnest desire is for them to be lively, vibrant beings. 

As christians, we live in the tension between heaven and earth. We live in the tension of being saved + living for the hope of eternity and feeling weary + feeling overwhelmed with the sin and destruction that seemingly reigns in this world. But rather than accepting the way things are, rather than going into dry bones mode- I feel God calling us to a different option. I feel God calling us to wake up. The state of things should fuel us into intercession and the standing in the gap for the state of our community, our city, our nation, our world.

We allow ourselves to be paralyzed and numbed by social media, living like the walking dead. All the while, God is calling us into deeper relationship, into a partnership with him in breathing life into dry bones. This starts with individuals, with the church coming alive, aligning themselves with God, stepping into their identity and destiny and calling others to do the same. When non-believers see someone sold out for Jesus, walking in freedom and their calling it is often irresistible- why then are so many people turned off of Christianity, by the church? Because oftentimes we are walking in religion, not the true life that Jesus Christ brings.

God created us to live in constant, living and vibrant relationship with him. Please church, here me out. Come alive again. Prophecy life and breath into your own lives and then extend that to others. Come alive again and bring jesus into your workplace, your relationships, friendships, assignments, hobbies, days and nights and things will be dramatically different. There is so much more available to us than comfortable christianity, there is so much more for us than dry bones.

WORDS + PHOTOS BY TIFFANY LAMBERT. TIFFANY WORKS WITH YWAM SAN DIEGO/BAJA IN THE AREAS OF DISCIPLESHIP & COMMUNICATIONS.