Three nations, hundreds of children, outreach programs, local churches, and so much more. Sign up to get stories of hope, practical updates, and testimonies, sent straight to your inbox.
In Romania, students that are four years behind academically, or are over the age of 14, cannot enroll in primary school. Without a primary school diploma, they cannot enroll in secondary education. Children or adults in this situation would need to participate in a program called “A doua șansă,” or Second Chance (SC) program, to receive an equivalency certificate.
The internship is available in Romania and Mexico for five, seven, or nine weeks. All of our Summer Interns stay in on-campus dormitories and meals are also provided. It is a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in a different culture, serve others, and grow in your relationship with God!
As we embark on this exciting new year, our team can’t help but reflect on 2023. Last year The Mission experienced both growth and loss. The fire in August has led us to a long journey of reconstruction. Yet, the past 12 months were also filled with testimonies of healing and growth. We are deeply thankful to have you on this journey with us. These stories of hope from the past year, and our plans for this upcoming year would not be possible without your partnership!
Merry Christmas from all of us here at The Mission! Our thoughts and prayers embrace you and your family during this holiday season. As we reflect on our 36th year as a non-profit, our hearts are full of gratitude for your unwavering support.
Since 1987 The Mission has been celebrating Christmas with the many children that make up our ever-growing family. We asked some of our “big kids,” and those who just joined us a few months ago, to reflect on Christmas.
As many of you know, The Mission's Tijuana campus suffered a devastating fire on August 27th, resulting in the loss of the building that housed our local church, junior high, high school, School of Missions, administrative offices, and more.
Despite this loss, we've been heartened by your generous support and the solidarity of the Tijuana community. Financial donations have enabled us to acquire supplies, while local churches, student parents, and the city of Tijuana have pitched in with cleanup efforts and donated items.
Our cherished haven in Tijuana, home to at-risk children for over 35 years, suffered a devastating fire on August 27th at 4 AM. We are deeply thankful that no one was hurt and no other buildings were affected. For over 20 years, this cherished building has stood as a beacon of hope, providing a safe haven for at-risk children, a place of learning, a sanctuary of faith, and a center for the community. It is probably familiar to most of you, as it housed our jr high, high school, School of Missions, administrative offices, coffee shop, place of worship, and church.
In June, our Romania campus had a wonderful time celebrating the graduation of our kindergarten students and recognizing the hard work of all our students, from pre-K to third grade! Throughout the past school year, our students made remarkable progress academically. The entire kindergarten class can now read at grade level, our third graders are excelling in mathematics, and all students have shown significant growth in their English language skills. They can now all enjoy and understand texts read aloud in English!
Zack Co-Pastors Jesus Culture San Diego with his wife Melissa. They have been bringing teams to The Mission’s Mexico and Romania campuses since 2014.
And Ronnie Coyle is the Associate Pastor and Director of Student Ministries at Little Chapel Church in Eldorado, Illinois. He has been bringing teams to serve at The Mission since 1999.
Meet, Leandro! He is 17 years old and has been attending The Mission’s programs in Tijuana, Mexico since 2007. His parents found out about The Mission’s childcare and educational programs through relatives. Now, all six of their children attend our programs!
The Mission is making a difference in communities around the world through its local church campuses in Mexico and Romania. Recently, a group of 15 volunteers from our Romanian church went to serve at The Mission's campus in Tijuana, Mexico.
Nicușor is 12 years old and has attended The Mission’s program in Sighisoara Romania since 2021. He lives in a village called Albești, located just outside of the city. This village is extremely impoverished, with no access to utilities like water or electricity. Most homes are one room, and built with whatever materials families can find.
At the beginning of 2022, we anticipated a year of normalcy. The Mission's programs were back in-person and at full capacity. Travel restrictions had been lifted, allowing volunteer teams to return. We say this knowing that our "normal" is caring for hundreds of children, daily, and hosting teams from around the world. It is challenging at times but also so rewarding.
In January 2022, two brothers were brought to The Mission’s orphanage in Tijuana by social services. They were removed from their home because of abuse. Due to regulations put in place by Mexico’s social services, we have changed the boys’ names in this story and are not showing their faces. Still, we wanted to share their testimony, as it is a timely reminder of how powerful prayer is, and also because programs like the orphanage could not exist without your help.
Whether you are a long-time supporter of The Mission or have just now joined our efforts, we are thankful to have you with us. As we begin this new year, our team thought it would be helpful to go over the many ways you can support The Mission. If you haven’t joined us in person, maybe this is your year to visit us in Romania or Mexico! Or perhaps you’re interested in becoming an online Advocate or sponsoring a child! It takes all types of support to keep The Mission’s programs running and we couldn’t do this without each of you.
Merry Christmas from all of us here at The Mission! We pray that this greeting finds you and your family well. As our team reflects on this past year, our 35th as a non-profit, we are filled with thankfulness for our supporters. Thank you for believing in us.
It is already that time of year! Our kids and staff are so excited for Christmas and all of it’s beautiful festivities! This year will be The Mission’s 35th Christmas as an organization. Thanks to our generous supporters throughout the years, thousands of children have experienced the love and joy that every child deserves to experience this time of year.
This year marks The Mission’s 35th anniversary. What a journey it has been! For those that may not know, Steve and Cathy Horner founded The Mission in 1987 when they moved to Tijuana, Mexico with their two children, Jimmy and Julie. Jimmy, who was 11-years-old at the time of the move, is now co-leading The Mission with his wife Genea.
From our preschool to second grade graduates in Romania, to our preschool to high school graduates in Mexico, it has been a season of celebration! In both places, we had more student parents attend the graduations than ever before. The children were giddy and the parents were beaming. For our 14 graduates who live in the orphanage, they were just as celebrated and loved. It was beautiful to see the way our staff team, and the children’s house parents, cheered and celebrated.
So far this year teams from Alaska, Hawaii, Ohio, California, and many other places, have joined us to serve in Mexico and Romania! A few months ago, our team in Tijuana had the pleasure of hosting a middle school class with their principal, Steve Patterson, from Santa Cruz. This was Steve’s last year as principal and he has brought his middle school class to serve with us since 1998!
The School of Missions is available in both Romania and Mexico, offering classes in english at both locations. In Romania, things look a bit different for students right now. We have temporarily stopped classes because our students and team have been working hard to do all we can for our neighbors in Ukraine. With The Mission campus only being 130 miles from Ukraine, we have had the privilege of helping families who are being directly affected. Our students are being the hands of feet of Jesus by doing everything from loading semi-trucks with supplies, hosting and feeding refugee families, to distributing medical supplies and food in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Erika and her siblings grew up in The Mission’s orphanage in Mexico. They were brought to us by social services in 2005. Her mother was an addict and worked as a prostitute; when she didn’t make enough money, she took Erika out with her at night. Erika was just four years old when that started. We are deeply honored to be part of Erika’s story. Our family is so much better because of them! Each day we have the privilege of working alongside this powerful young woman. She said, “I teach my students that God has no limits because I am living, breathing proof that no place is too dark for love to find you.” Watch Erika’s story in her own words at themissioninc.org/testimonies or scan the code below.
The Mission has set up 100 beds and is prepared to welcome that many refugees on our campus. If the need in our area grows beyond that, we are working on creating a network of local families who are willing to host refugees in their own homes. Along with housing displaced families, The Mission is booking them travel, if they have somewhere they would like to go. So far the people we have hosted have stayed with us for about 3-5 days, with most going to Poland. The Mission is fully covering their transportation to our campus, and their travel out of Romania.
So far, almost everyone we have hosted has had a destination they are trying to get to, such as, Poland, Germany, or Ireland. Thanks to your generosity, we have purchased travel for each of them. This last week, we welcomed our first family who did not have somewhere else to go.
We are here because of you. We truly hope that you take the time to read through The Mission’s 2021 Annual Report because these testimonies are yours. Over 800 children were impacted, daily, thanks to your generosity.
The Mission is welcoming displaced families at our campus in Romania and we need your help. Millions of people in Ukraine are fleeing due to the horrific violence taking place. Over 80,000 have fled to Romania, with thousands more coming each day. The Mission’s campus is roughly 130 miles from the Ukrainian border. The Mission has been providing education and care to local Romanian children for several years and we will continue to do so. The aid that we are providing to displaced families was not something that we were prepared for and The Mission needs funds to purchase necessary supplies (bedding, personal care products, food, etc.)
In August of 2021, The Mission shared with all of our supporters that we were in need of $400,000 to cover the costs of running childcare programs, as well as fund construction projects. The 2021 Aid Fund was launched because we not only wanted to raise the bare minimum needed to run our programs, but our hope was to go beyond that to allow us to grow and expand. As of January 1st, the donation total was $412,758! The donations ranged from small to large, and were a beautiful representation of just how widespread support for The Mission runs. We are deeply grateful to all of our friends, from all around the world, who gave to the fund and chose to support us in this way. Thank you! We are also excited to share more details of all of the good things that happened in 2021. Keep an eye out for The Mission’s Annual Report in the coming months!
In Romania, once a child is past the age of 10 and has not been enrolled in a state school, they are removed from the system and not ever allowed to attend school again. Estera is one of those cases. Without The Mission, she would not have had a chance to learn how to read or write. She is enrolled in our second-grade class and thriving.
Yes, it is already that time of year! Our entire team is wholeheartedly looking forward to spending Christmas with our kids! The Mission has had the privilege of celebrating 34 Christmases with children in need. Whether they are part of our orphanage and in our care 24/7, or attend our education and after-school care programs, we make sure that they experience the love and joy that every child deserves to experience this time of year.
As we look back over the year, we are filled with gratitude. Gratitude for all we’ve experienced and for all God has done, gratitude for the people we get to love, and for partners like you that keep The Mission going!