"What a memorable Memorial Day weekend" our team had as they labored alongside one another in record time to complete this home for Antonio and his beloved family! 14 people are now in a safe, clean environment and we are so thrilled to announce that we will be building a second house for them later this summer! Thankful for the provision of generous souls like the ones pictured below...
Spring Break 2013 - Linfield
Forty-six teens from Linfield School spent their spring break giving back to a needy family. How refreshing it is to see such a great team of young people selflessly serving others...thank you Linfield for your life-changing gift!
Spring Break 2013 - River Church
Several families from River Church in Palos Verdes spent their vacation time building a home for a family that was living in a cold, drafty tent. Parents served side by side with their children as they brought hope to others and created family memories that will last a lifetime! Thank you River Church for being an example of family life done well!
April 2013 - Shalom
Our beloved team from Michigan spent a great week in February transforming the lives of two families in need while getting some much needed vitamin D in Baja! They also spent time serving at a local orphanage, stocking the families' homes with much needed items and enjoying the local flavors and sites of the region. Always a pleasure to have this awesome team with us!
Christmas 2012 - Journey
Journey Church brought their incredible team again and changed the lives of three families this past Christmas by gifting them with new homes! What a joy it is to see this amazing team bring the hope of the gospel to the lives of so many by their love and service. Thank you Journey Church!
Thanksgiving 2012 - Sunridge
Sunridge Church gathered together over Thanksgiving weekend to gift this family with a proper home. This region gets windy, wet and cold and a makeshift tent is no place to raise a family...Thank you Sunridge for your kindness and generosity!
Labor Day Weekend 2012 - Harbor Church and The Rock
Two churches, Harbor and The Rock, had a fantastic Labor Day Weekend as they joined forces to build for a sweet family of five. This team managed to finish the home in only 2 1/2 days while immersing themselves fully with the family and surrounding neighbors. Over the course of the weekend the team became very attached to the children. The oldest, Eduardo, is highly motivated and making excellent grades in school. Moved by his determination, a team member is now sponsoring him for his educational expenses, taking another step further to reversing the cycle of poverty in this region!
Rancho Vista Church - August 2012
Rancho Vista Church sent their "A" team this past August to complete a home for a family of 10 who were living in a cardboard structure they called home. This church build project happened to fall on the hottest days of the summer but it did not stop this group of seasoned builders from doing what they do best: building, loving, serving and eating tacos! Thankful for the ongoing commitment from RVC to love and bring hope to the people of Baja!
Shalom Lutheran - July 2012
In July we welcomed a team from the great state of Michigan. We were overwhelmed by this selfless group of amazing teens and their leaders who spent a week with us serving in Baja. Not only did they completely transform the lives of a single mom and her three kids by gifting them with a new home but they also invested extra time in getting to know them. On the day the team presented the family with their new home, they opened the door to discover special gifts for each family member located throughout the home. Each one wept out of gratitude for the generosity and love shown to them!
June 2012 - Trinity School of Manhattan
This past June we welcomed a team of High School students from Trinity School in Manhattan to build a house for a single mom, named Ruffina. Ruffina has eight children but had to place the younger children in an orphanage due to her unfit living conditions. Thanks to the generosity of this team, the family has been reunited and they are now living in a warm and suitable home!
Memorial Day Weekend 2012
We had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend serving a local orphanage and assisting the Village of Hope with their large Cosecha event. Literally thousands of people from the local villages showed up for this village celebration...Families received food, donations and the message of the Gospel!
Spring Break 2012
The lives of three families were changed and filled with hope this past spring as we hosted three house building projects. Linfield School in Temecula, River Church in Palos Verdes and Harbor Church North County all spent their spring break sacrificially giving back to the people of Baja!
Journey Church Winter 2011
One of the primary metaphors God uses to describe heaven is a feast, literally a party! The implications of this truth are that God's people should be a party people that lead others into God's banqueting hall. A hall that echoes with song, celebration, laughter and the buzz of a hundred conversations that unequivocally states that we're a reconciled people. A modern biblical scholar once said, "the Kingdom of God is a party." If this is true, we all have much to learn from the mission team from Journey Covenant Church who constructed four homes over a five-day window between Christmas and New Year's Day. On the last evening Journey Church hosted a party for the recipients of the new homes, their neighbors and many of the surrounding villages. Families made their way to the celebration by various modes of transportation and received a heroes welcome as the Journey team lined the entry way greeting guests with shouts of joy, clapping and a heart-felt embrace. Over 300 guests entered the banquet hall and gathered for a hot meal, worship, the breaking of several piñatas and an evening not soon to be forgotten. For one evening on a chilly Baja night, probably not unlike the eve of Christ's nativity, the Son of God's presence was felt again in our broken world. This time not through the incarnation, but in the manner He comes in this present age: through His church. The leadership of Baja Bound is humbled by the presence of Christ we experienced through His people at Journey Covenant Church and extend our gratitude for giving the people of Ensenada a taste of the coming age where Jesus rules forever!
Rock II - August 2011
The Rock Church returned to Baja in August with another team ready to serve and build. They had a fantastic weekend connecting, serving and loving our neighbors to the South. God, through the prophet Micah, said, "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8) The staff at Baja Bound is humbled by how we observed the justice and kindness of God through the mission team from Rock Church. Justice cries for all to have a roof over their head, kindness seeks to make it happen, and walking with God mobilized us to action. Thank you Rock Church!
Aug 2011 - Rancho Vista Church
Rancho Vista returned in August for another house build project led by their fearless pastor, John Rose. This seasoned team knocked out a home with great skill, served the local villages and visited the famous La Buffadora eateries. They spend an incredible weekend connecting, serving and sharing God's heart for mercy and justice. James 1:27 states, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." The Baja Bound staff wants to thank the congregation of Rancho Vista Church for their commitment to practice "True Religion" through their ongoing work of building homes among the poor in Ensenada.
Nov 2011 - Harbor Church
Harbor Church North County, Ocean Beach and UTC gathered a fantastic team to build a home for this precious family of five. They spend two impactful weekends building, serving and proclaiming the good news of God's love in Christ. Harbor's team participated in the Agua Viva feeding program, cared for children at The Gabriel House Orphanage, and made deep connections with the family and their surrounding neighbors. True to their mission, Harbor brought the message of hope and renewal to the people of Baja!
Aug 2011 - The Rock MACs
The Rock Church's MACs ministry returned this summer to complete another home in Ensenada. They transformed the living conditions of this family of five from a tarp and scrap wood structure into a lovely 2 bedroom home. As an added touch, they creatively used the leftover wood and made benches, storage bins and shelves for the family. We are so grateful for this great group of Men and Women committed to doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with God!
Aug 2011 - Messiah Lutheran
Team Michigan invaded Baja in force this year! 22 young men and women took a family of eight out of a structure where 24 people resided and built them a home of their own. This team provided nonstop entertainment in the form of soccer games and piggy back rides as children from the surrounding village flocked to the work site to play. The Gabriel House Orphanage was also frequented during the week where the team participated in feeding, playing and caring for the severely disabled children. This group was incredibly hard working and displayed such a wonderful witness to the reality of God's love and concern for the people of Ensenada. We're excited to have them return next summer to partner with us once again!
She Dreams of Becoming a Doctor
At Baja Bound we are not only passionate about changing lives one house at a time but we also believe we can reverse the effects of impoverished communities by supporting people like our translator, Karla. Karla grew up in a village not unlike where Baja Bound currently builds, was a straight “A” student through high school (10’s in Mexico), received a student visa to study in the US where she earned an AA degree with honors and has just returned to Ensenada to attend Medical School to become a doctor. Please consider partnering in her story by donating to the "Education Fund" in our Donate portion of our website.
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July 2011 - Sunridge
What a great week we had with the Sunridge EPIC Youth Group from Temecula! Not only did these teens and their leaders complete a home but they faithfully and joyfully served the surrounding villages. Each day they took time to play, sing and interact with the severely disabled children who reside at the Gabriel House Orphanage. They also participated in the daily feeding program at Agua Viva by preparing lunches and caring for the children whose parents work in the agricultural fields. We are truly grateful for this group of young men and women who are committed to upholding justice for the poor and needy!
