It truly is one of our favorite times of the year. Each December, it is a complete joy to introduce our kids to this beautiful season and it’s traditions. For some of them, this will be their first time celebrating Christmas.

For over 32 years, our family has been growing and the festivities just keep getting better and more full of life. Our kids look forward to celebrating Jesus’ birthday with parties, decorations, delicious food, and presents! We are only able to reach as many kids as we do, because of your prayer and support. Thank you for your continual investment into this ministry as we fight to see an orphan-less world. We pray that your holiday season is blessed.

- The Mission Team

As 2019 comes to a close, partner with us by giving the gift that transforms nations. Each day The Mission impacts over 650 children. That is only made possible through YOUR generosity.

We know you have options when it comes to end of year giving. Right now, you can give directly towards the work we are doing in the nations. You’ll receive a tax deductible receipt immediately. Online gifts can be made below! Don’t forget to put “#GiveFamily” in the memo of your check or online gift.

Mailing Address: The Mission Inc. PO BOX 360 POTRERO, CALIFORNIA 91963

A STORY OF HOPE

Worship truly is at the center of everything we do as a ministry. Because our team places a high value on daily corporate worship, it has instilled a value for His presence in our children. It is here that God encounters and heals our children and we believe that we are raising up the next generation of worshippers. The multi-campus church in Mexico and Romania as well as the daily worship and devotions held at each base, wouldn’t be possible without our very own Leo Lopez.

Leo is on our Senior Leadership Team and is the Worship Pastor for all of our bases. He is an incredibly anointed worship leader and was one of the first boys in our orphanage in Mexico. Leo has a gift to lead others into encounters with God through his worship and we are honored to have him in our family.

In 1989 Leo was seven years old when he and his two brothers were brought to The Mission, by social services. His father was a violent man and his mother had left them a year earlier. Since she had gone, they truly lost everything. Leo and his siblings were trying to survive in the streets of Tijuana while living in a culvert pipe with their father. 

Leo says that after arriving at The Mission, he began to experience true love for the very first time. A few years after being here, Steve and Cathy Horner, the founders of The Mission, adopted Leo into their family and loved him unto complete healing. 

Leo first held a guitar when he was 12 years old and says that something significant happened in that moment; he knew what his purpose was. He led worship for the first time when he was just 14 years old. Leo is now 38 years old; he and his wife Sandra have five beautiful children whom bring life and light to our entire Mission family. 

We are so excited to announce that Leo and our very own worship team, Música la Misión, will be releasing brand new songs. These songs have carried our team throughout many different seasons and we can’t wait to share them with you all. The first song, “Tu Gozo” (Your Joy) is available on all music platforms now! You can find “Tu Gozo” here and here. To stay up to date, follow along on social media @themissionorg & @musicalamision.

BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES

School just started back up again and we have over 500 children throughout all of our different education programs! We are teaching preschool through high school students and are always in need of supplies. If you would like to help, you can mail supplies to the physical address below or donate at themissioninc.org/donate. Thank you!

Backpacks

Notebooks & binders

Pencils

Pens

Jumbo crayons

Markers

Colored pencils

Scissors

Glue

Tempera paints

Modeling clay

Construction paper

FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS

our Mexico base has been growing and helping people in need. Although the goal remains the same, our vision to get there has expanded; we are continuing our fight for an orphan-less world through orphan-care as well as many other outreach and education programs. This past summer, we were blessed by summer interns and groups that joined us from all over the world. Including South Africa and the Caribbean! It was an honor to have them serve with us. It is through the people who choose to join us, for a week or a summer, that we are able to physically grow this ministry. Every building, sidewalk and playground has been built through the help of people just like them! This summer we were reminded of that and filled with gratitude.

Currently, our Mexico campus is full of fresh life! The elementary, jr high, high school and School of Missions classes have all started back up after being on break. Throughout all of our programs, we have over 450 students on our Tijuana, Mexico campus. We are only a few weeks into the school year but we can already tell that they are more hungry for God than ever before.

As we continue to grow, we are always in need of help along the way. Whether you join us for an internship, missions trip, sponsor a child or cover our team in prayer, we are incredibly grateful. Thank you for your continued support!

TESTIMONY

Emi is a School of Missions graduate. During this past school year, each week, she helped host one of our churches small groups. There was one family in particular that stood out to her. Whenever Emi spoke with the mom, she seemed hesitant and hadn’t yet attended the group, however she did let her kids attend. One day, her daughter came to ask Emi and a few others to go pray for her brother who had injured his neck.

Once at the house, their mom was overwhelmed with joy as she saw Jesus heal her son’s neck! He was completely pain free and she was hungry for more of what she had just witnessed. The mom invited Emi to host the group in her home the following week and during that time, she received Jesus as her Savior! When Emi shared this testimony at our local church campus in Mexico, over ten people were completely healed of neck, wrist and nervous system injuries during the service. If you need healing in your body, our team is believing for a miracle with you!

God is moving in Romania and we are honored to be part of what He is doing. In April 2017, through a series of divine appointments, we found ourselves signing a purchase agreement for our 80,000 square foot facility in Sighişoara, Romania. Since then God has been faithful to meet us as we stepped out in faith!

In a country of just over 19 million people, there are more than 60,000 orphans and many more children who are living at risk. It has been an absolute privilege to show some of these children the love of God through meeting some of their most basic needs. So far, most of the first floor of the building has been remodeled and houses our local church campus, kindergarten class, after school program and temporary kitchen. Each day, over 50 children attend our programs. Most of them are from the Gypsy (Roma) villages that are on the outskirts of town. Although historically, there has been division between Romanian nationals and the Gypsy people, we have seen breakthrough in restoration as children from the villages and city center attend the programs together. 

Thanks to visiting groups this Spring, the remodeling of the second and third floors has begun and will eventually house our commercial kitchen and elementary school classrooms. Our team is currently serving 65 meals a day, out of a much smaller kitchen and they are looking forward to the day when that project is complete!

In March of this year, we opened our local church campus and have been overwhelmed by the response within the community. We have seen such a strong hunger and desire for His presence and true family. We are so thankful to everyone that has partnered with us throughout this journey! To continue partnering with us, you can sponsor a child from Romania, attend a missions trip or give financially at themissioninc.org/romania. Thank you!

TESTIMONY

This April, Jean came to our Romania campus with her church, from San Diego, for a week-long missions trip. Right before going to Romania, Jean received a call from her doctor saying that her biopsy results were in; she had breast cancer. 

Upon hearing this news, Jean was filled with fear because she had lost three family members to cancer. However, her emotions shifted from fear to expectation as she remembered the people she had prayed for with cancer and seen them healed; she believed that God would do it again. 

When Jean arrived to Romania, two members of her team stood in agreement for her healing with her during worship and she began to feel tingling in her left breast. Jean says, that after this experience she was filled with hope that when she went home the cancer would not be found. 

Once Jean returned to the U.S. she underwent more testing; Jean was cancer free! 

JESUS CULTURE MISSIONS EXPERIENCE

This June, over 300 people joined us from all over the world, at our Mexico base, to pursue the presence of God together and see heaven come to earth. This was our sixth year partnering with Jesus Culture for the annual JCME trip and it really is one of our favorite times of the year! 

Our hearts were so moved as we saw people hungry and ready to see God move not only in their own lives, but also in the lives of those they served. We saw God restore health, mend broken hearts and pour out His love on His people. We are overwhelmed by the goodness and the kindness of God over these last three days and are so excited to see how cities and nations will be changed because of the encounters that were had here. 

During the trip, there were times of worship and teaching with the Jesus Culture team, community outreach, VBS, work project and some fun was had on our high ropes course. Thank you to all who joined us as we poured into the beautiful nation of Mexico! 

On the last night of JCME, we take the time to hear testimonies of what God has done. One of our favorite testimonies this year was from Cliff, a JCME participant from Sacramento. Before community outreach, teams were asked to participate in a treasure hunt, which is asking God for clues to look for while out in the community. He received a picture of the number 12 and a person that had something wrong with their eye. While out in the community, he came across a house with the number 12 on it and decided that this was his clue! 

He went to the house and met a woman who had a bandage under her eye and discovered that she had cancer that was affecting her face. Because of that she hadn’t been able to cry for 5 years. So Cliff prayed for her and as he prayed she began to cry! He also received the name Josue, which was the name of the woman’s late husband. He prayed over her again and the joy and peace of God filled her.

The amazing part of this testimony is that Cliff was healed of cancer years earlier and was able to freely give what he had been given!

Join us next year for JCME in Romania! April 2-5, 2020, save the date!

ROMANIA

Growth is happening in Romania! Over the past few months, thanks to visiting groups, we have began the process of remodeling the second floor in our facility. The entire floor is 10,000 square feet and will eventually house our commercial kitchen, dining hall, classrooms and a recreational area for the children in our program.

The progress in the remodel project is such a testimony of the Lord showing His provision and generosity through His children! We are incredibly blessed to have friends who are sensitive to His voice and passionately say YES to Him in everything they do.

Thank you to all who partnered with us! If you are interested in bringing a group to our Romania base, please contact us at groups@themissioninc.org.

MEXICO

Meet Paul (13)! In 2018, he arrived at the Mission base in Mexico after having a rough year in his previous school. At that point, Paul was regularly missing school, getting suspended and finally expelled. Paul’s mother had a sense of hopelessness when it came to her son and his future. She came to the Mission, looking for a second chance for her son. Paul was accepted into our jr high and high school and eight months later, Paul has not been suspended once! He is excelling in school and building friendships. He refers to the Mission as a “safe place” and told us he hopes that more kids from his community join the school so that they too can experience what he is; the freedom to be a kid.

NICARAGUA

Since 2017, our team has been facilitating a daily outreach program, Monday through Friday, for youth in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. The program provides a hot meal, a safe place for them to spend time and daily interaction with people who love and value them!  

One of our boys, Maxwel, has spent most of his life on the streets and is part of our daily outreach program. Although he has seen extreme adversity in his life, Maxwel is finding family within the other kids in the program and our team! It is a joy to see him learn and be loved through this program, along with all of the other kids. Join us in seeking transformation for Nicaragua by sponsoring a child like Maxwel at themissioninc.org/nicaragua.

MEXICO

Meet Octavio (13)! He has been attending our jr high school in Tijuana, Mexico for the past year. Before joining the school, Octavio said he often felt alone and the sense that he needed to defend himself from others. After a few weeks of being with us, he began to notice how affectionate our team was. Each day, through simple acts of kindness, Octavio experienced the love of God and began to learn how to trust others.  

Two months ago, he won first place in a regional art contest! Octavio says his sculpture (two hands holding a heart) was created to show others what he has experienced since joining The Mission family: God shows love through His people. 

We are so proud of Octavio, not just for his art but for the way he has fully embraced family. If you would like to donate school or art supplies for their class, please contact us using the information below!

ROMANIA

This Sunday, March 31st, our new church location in Romania opened its doors to the community for the very first time! We have been meeting with our core team for about a year and we’re incredibly excited to welcome new faces into the family.  

It was a powerful and encouraging Sunday with over 150 people attending our first service! Throughout the time of worship and teaching, it was evident that the Lord was encountering His children throughout the room. Six people who accepted Jesus into their hearts for the very first time, requested prayer after the service because they desired to be filled with the Holy Spirit!

We are in awe of what God is doing in our community and city.

Please continue partnering with us in prayer each week as our new church family grows.

NICARAGUA

Meet Sandra Melissa (11)!

She came to us reserved, scared and suffering from poor hygiene due to family neglect. Because of this, she found it difficult to relate with other kids and wouldn’t let anyone get close to her. However, we could see that she had a strong spirit of leadership. Our team began working with Sandra on her hygiene and in the process she learned to trust people; all while gaining self confidence.

Now, she is truly shining as she loves others and lets others love her! It is a privilege to see how her encounters with the love of God are transforming her and her three siblings lives.

MEXICO

Meet, the Fernandez Anderson family! Last year, we welcomed Jazmin (10), Katie (8) and Nichole (7) into our elementary school and family care program.

Although each of them were born in Tijuana, their parents are not Mexican nationals. Due to a lack of correct documentation for the children, the siblings had never attended school. Since first joining the school, we have seen an incredible amount of growth in them! Each day they are learning basic skills, encountering the Father and beginning to dream together. It is an absolute privilege to serve this family along with the many others in our community.

ROMANIA

Our children are encountering God in a personal way! At the family care program in Romania, our team sets aside time each day to worship and encounter the Father with the children. It has been incredible to see the transformation in them as they learn they each have access to His love!

It is our joy to not only provide basic needs and an education, but also speak into their identities as a children of God. We can’t wait to see the testimonies that come from these times together, as they take the presence of God with them back to their homes and communities.

NICARAGUA

Meet Lester! He can usually be found with a group of children surrounding him and has been part of the team in Nicaragua for just over a year. Over the past 12 months, we have seen him grow tremendously as he loves and serves the children in Matagalpa each day!  Lester is a Nicaraguan national; it is an absolute privilege to partner with people who are passionate about loving the broken in their own nation. His love for the Father is evident in everything he does and we are blessed to have him working alongside us!

MEXICO

Meet Sheila, she is the kindergarten teacher at our Mexico campus. In 2004, when she was just four years old, Sheila and her siblings joined our family care program! Twelve years later, in 2016, she came back to volunteer in the program for a few months. Sheila wanted to create the same fun and safe environment that she and her siblings experienced when she was young!

After volunteering, Sheila decided to join our team and now has 25 students in her kindergarten class! Each day she is teaching them basic skills and leading them into encounters with the Father’s love, in the same place she first encountered God as a child! If you would like to donate school or art supplies for their class, please contact us using the information below.

ROMANIA

On March 31st our church is officially launching in Romania! Our team and a few families from the community have been gathering for the past ten months now. We can’t wait to open our doors to the beautiful city of Sighișoara!

Since we first began gathering with the core team, we have seen each of them fully take on the concept of family. Last month, we announced that we would be hosting a family work day to begin preparations for launch Sunday. We were overwhelmed when almost 60 women, men and children of all ages arrived to work together! We are believing that this was just a small glimpse of what God is going to do in our city through this new outlet.

NICARAGUA

Eleven months ago, when he was just 15 years old, we welcomed Norlan into our boys home in Nicaragua and The Mission family. Since then, he has experienced the confidence and security that comes from being a part of a family for the very first time.

In January, he began to experience personal breakthrough in worship and his relationship with the Lord. Soon after, he was given the opportunity to attend a YWAM school for two weeks in the capital city of Managua. He worked hard to raise the money to attend and the Lord was so faithful to provide.

God met Norlan throughout the two week school and each encounter brought healing to his heart. Norlan shares the testimonies of what God did in him, during the school, everywhere he goes! We are incredibly privileged to be able to love and help guide Norlan, along with the other boys in our home.

MEXICO

Kiko (Jesus Alberto) arrived in 2013, when he was just five years old. He and his two siblings were placed in the orphanage because of an abusive home life. Because of that, they did not trust people and were not taught to value education.

For the past five years our community has had the privilege of fighting for love and family for Kiko and his siblings. Now, Kiko loves to serve wherever he goes! At school he is always the first to arrive so he can assist his teacher. Kiko is an influencer of peace and loves learning new things. Stories like this are beautiful reminders of why we do what we do. We live and breathe to rescue, love and restore the orphan!

ROMANIA

Gabriel and Ciprian are both 10 years old and have been in our after school program for the last six months. They both experience neglect in their home lives; getting very little supervision, affection or encouragement from their families.

Along with our family care program, our team works with families to get their children enrolled in public school. Even though these boys are above the normal age bracket, we enrolled them in kindergarten. Since then, the teacher has told us that Ciprian is her best student and that, despite his many medical issues and underdevelopment, Gabriel is learning to read and write! We will continue to work with the family and guide these young boys as they grow. They both have a bright future and we are so honored to be able to play a part in it!

NICARAGUA

Milagros is 13 years old and considers our feeding program her second home. She has consistently participated since we first introduced the program to the community in Matagalpa.

Since knowing Milagros we’ve seen her grow behaviorally and in so many other ways. She was afraid to speak in public and often had difficulty communicating her needs. We are honored to walk alongside Milagros and support her as she grows and takes challenges head on! Now, she is intentionally conquering her fear of speaking in public. So much so that she often volunteers to pray for the food during the program. Some of our most rewarding moments are seeing her during worship; weightless and carefree before God. Our heart is to not only help with the basic physical needs but to create a safe place where we teach children how to walk in confidence with their Father.