Our Mission

Our mission is to encourage and provide opportunities for participants to help others in the U.S. and Mexico, especially by building homes for needy families in Mexico. We strive to create a Christian community among the participants each year. We train participants in construction and leadership skills and educate them about Mexican traditions and the culture of poverty.

Since 1992,

Donna and Jack Walton have led groups of teenagers and adults from Concord, CA area on a mission to Mexico to build houses for those in need over Easter Week.

Over the years, people of countless faiths have made this journey with us to celebrate and participate in Our Lord's Resurrection, each by giving a little of ourselves to help others.

Safety is vital

All adult participants are fully vetted with background checks, and must each successfully attend rigorous Safe Environment training.

We train participants in construction and leadership skills and educate them about Mexican traditions and the culture of poverty.

Christian/Catholic-inspired group

We strive to create a Christian community among the participants each year by incorporating daily prayer, reflection, Bible sharing and Mass into our program.

Though we identify as a Christian Catholic inspired organization, our doors and our hearts are open to participants and recipients of all faiths.

About Ojala Ministries

In 1986, several youth from St. Agnes Church in Concord, CA teamed up with another Christian church for a mission trip to Tijuana, Mexico. There, the combined teams helped people in the community to build a church, and three homes. As the years passed our St. Agnes group grew to the extent that we were able to travel as our own group in 1996.

In order to continue our good work, we quickly organized and established a non-profit corporation, La Morita Mexico Youth Mission. We still adhere to the guidelines of the Diocese of Oakland and we maintain our close relationship with the Concord Parishes, as well as our partnership with the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate.

Since our program is volunteer-based, we do not have any paid positions. Instead of paying administrative or executive salaries, every donation and all proceeds from every fundraiser benefit recipients of our work during our annual mission trip to Mexico, or through our Community Projects.

Ojala Ministries is fortunate that God has granted us the means and the opportunity to positively impact three families throughout Tijuana, Mexico every year! The good we do has a ripple effect, like a stone being thrown in a pond. This goes far beyond the families we serve; the teenagers who participate in this act of selfless service are impacted profoundly and go on to become leaders within their communities.

Not everyone is able to travel to Mexico, but our hearts are filled with gratitude for the many ways they are able to help. Gifts of time, money and material have been granted so freely and with such loving generosity, right here in the US. The teens write letters to friends and relatives asking for support, sell tickets to a benefit dinner and hand out "uncommon stock" offers after masses in order to raise a total of $75,000 to build two houses. Thank you to all the people who have enabled us to go on this mission each year. We pray for God's bounty to bless all the families we have been privileged to help, because in helping them we too have been blessed.

Since our mission trip began all those years ago, our goal has remained the same:
to help those less fortunate than we are, by traveling to Mexico to lift people up through the powers of love, giving, and God’s grace.