Summer Groove

Hey amigos! Sorry it’s been so long between updates. May – September is our busiest season peaking with summer swim lessons and surf programs almost every other day! This year we definitely expanded programmatically but so has our personal capacity, which is exciting to reflect on. November will mark 4 years since making the move from San Diego to La Misión. In our first year, if we had more than 5 kids on a program, I (Jess) would almost go into a panic attack. But we pushed through, and this past summer felt like we really found our groove. We don’t think numbers are the best measure of impact, but it’s encouraging to see the ways God has opened doors and grown our ability to serve the community.

May – September Programs

2021

Trips total: 18
Participations: 138

2022

Trips total: 27
Participations: 195

2023

Trips Total: 28
Participations: 230

2024

Trips Total: 55
Participations: 333

Highlights

Relationships About a third of the kids that joined us this summer were brand new to Aleph programs. We celebrate that, and at the same time we love that the majority of the participants are returners. Every activity is a touch point where we can go a bit deeper and build stronger bonds with these kids. Seeing them advance in their skills has been SO cool but truly the best part is the connection that develops through time spent together.

I had an incredible moment with Nahomi, a girl we’ve known since our 1st year here, who absolutely loves the water. We had a few random weeks when the water was crystal clear at our local beach, so I took the opportunity to introduce her to the world of snorkeling. It took a bit to get used to but as soon as we passed a group of small fish below, I could hear shrills of excitement muffled through her snorkel… and she was hooked. (pun intended)

Leadership One of the main reasons we were able to serve more youth this summer, was due to the dedicated help of our leadership crew of young men age 18-23, most of whom had previously learned how to surf through Aleph. These guys worked hard with gear clean up, water safety, and helping push kids into waves. Dustin was able to take the point system (mentioned in our last post) to the next level and we now have a customized ALEPH mobile app the leaders can use see how many points they have earned, the trip calendar, and the catalog of all the gear they can ‘buy’ with their points! Check out this video to see it.

Volunteers This summer we had folks from all over come help. Half being local baja folks and half from the U.S. It was such a beautiful picture of God’s kingdom. People working together, past language and cultural differences to love on this next generation.

In May Brennen with Witness Studios visited to help record our story and was also able to capture some great drone footage. We had Wendy from Ensenada and Annie from San Diego come and take some really nice professional photos for a few surf sessions. (The kids who were able to join those programs were stoked!)

Dreams, Goals and Ways to Get Involved

We received a $15,000 donation towards a van!	Donate towards our goal of $20,000 If you see a decent 12 passenger van email us!
Our property design with EMI is wrapping up!	If your gifted in construction in anyway and want to help, fill out our Volunteer Inquiry
Planning for 2025	Check out our Programs Calendar Consider becoming a Monthly Donor
Pray for our dreams of a rock climbing gym, adoption, and paid positions for our leadership crew.	Fill out our Communication Form