In 1986, several youth from St. Agnes Church in Concord, California, joined another Christian church on a mission trip to Tijuana, Mexico. Together, the teams helped build a church and three homes for families in need. As our St. Agnes group grew, we eventually began traveling to Tijuana as our own team in 1996.

To continue this work, we established a nonprofit corporation, La Morita Mexico Youth Mission. We continue to follow the guidelines of the Diocese of Oakland while maintaining close relationships with the Concord parishes and our partnership with the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate.

Today, our program remains entirely volunteer-based, with no paid administrative or executive positions. This means donations and fundraiser proceeds go directly toward supporting the families and communities we serve through our annual mission trip and Community Projects.

Ojala Ministries is grateful for the opportunity to positively impact families throughout Tijuana each year. The impact of this work extends far beyond the homes we build. Like a stone creating ripples in a pond, the experience profoundly affects the students who participate. Through service, they develop compassion, leadership, confidence, and a deeper understanding of what it means to serve others—skills and values they carry back into their own communities.