Mexicali

Mexicali has long been the place for North American youth groups to focus their attention when it comes to doing "foreign" mission trips. It's conveniently close, for one thing, and it's a hub for the desperate and destitute looking for a better life just across the chain-link fence in Calexico. Mexicali has changed a lot in recent years. It's a big, bustling border town now. But 20 years ago, it was a different place entirely, and it had a big impact on me. (Image by Tommy Huynh - Flickr)