Girasol

Who We Are

Our Mission

Girasol desires to accompany women who are vulnerable to or have experienced sexual exploitation and to help them embrace their value and worth by extending compassion, support, and opportunities for holistic growth.

Our Story

Motivated by the freedom and love of Christ and a heart for forgotten women, Girasol started with a small team of women who came together to serve the vulnerable women of Oaxaca, Mexico. In 2016, our team began praying together, training together, and visiting areas in the red-light district. A few short years later, by March 2019, we had officially opened the doors to our ministry center, located in the heart of the red-light district. Since then, our goal has been to provide spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional support and help to the women we meet via our outreach. This includes doctor’s visits, eating meals together, playing games, doing Zumba, painting nails, and birthday parties. In 2022, we launched a social enterprise providing dignified work and holistic programming for women who are at risk or leaving vulnerable situations. Our hope is to share Christ’s love by building relationships and creating a safe space full of kindness and built on trust. We strive to fight sex trafficking through prevention, intervention, and restoration.

Meet the Team!

Ruth Perez

Hi! My name is Ruth, and I am one of the leaders of Girasol. I am the eldest of four siblings, I am a Missionary Kid who grew up in Oaxaca, and I am an INTJ on Meyers Briggs (a 5 on Enneagram). If you know about any of these categories, then you’ve probably already guessed a lot about me. My mom often shares stories from my childhood- stories of me being headstrong and independent- and she comments that when I became frustrating to her, she would pray for understanding, knowing that all of that determination must culminate someday into… Keep Reading

Beverly Basey-Jones

Hola, everyone!

My name is Beverly Basey-Jones. My husband Steve and I have lived and worked here in Oaxaca for almost 5 years as missionaries with United World Mission out of Charlotte, NC. I was born and raised on a small family farm on the plains of Colorado and moved to New Mexico with my husband and our daughter about 27 years ago. We raised our two children, now 29 and 26, there on tribal lands of the Pojoaque (pronounced poh-WAH-kay) Pueblo. I have a degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish… Keep Reading

Christa Hagler

Hola, everyone!

Hi. I’m Christa Hagler. I have been married to my husband, Trace, for 22 years and we have 4 kids ranging from 11 to 20 years old. We have lived in Oaxaca for 11 years and are currently serving with United World Mission. When we got married, we never would have imagined that life would lead us to missions or to Oaxaca, we weren’t even attending a church at that time. God is gracious and we have seen Him pour out His mercy and grace over and over again, first and foremost in our own lives… Keep Reading

Hannah Schoenig

¡Hola! My name is Hannah Schoenig and I had the privilege of serving with the Girasol and Amanecer teams in Oaxaca City from February to August of 2022. After graduating from Colorado Christian University in May of 2019, I planned to move to Mexico City to serve with an anti-trafficking organization for two years. Three weeks after I arrived the pandemic shut the world down, and I found myself back in Colorado for a year. During that time I was able to continue learning Spanish and stay connected with the local church and ministry in Mexico virtually… Keep Reading