There are few cities in the United States that rival San Diego, California in terms of its beauty and climate. San Diego County has over 70 miles of some of the best beaches in the country, in addition to some of the United State’s best attractions, including LEGOLAND and the San Diego Zoo. With a population of 1.3 million people in the city and a total of 3 million in San Diego County, it is the second largest city in California and the eighth largest in the United States.
Unfortunately, like many other of our nation’s cities, San Diego has very marginalized populations who live in desperate need. According to a 2008 report by the Center on Policy Initiatives, San Diego has over 320,000 residents living in dire poverty, with single moms with children comprising 30% of that number. Additionally, as of the 2011 homeless census, there are over 9,000 people experiencing homelessness in San Diego.
Beyond all of that, San Diego is one of the largest cities in the country for refugee resettlement. A refugee is someone who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.” According to the San Diego Refugee Forum, San Diego is home to more than 150,000 refugees, asylum seekers, and asylees from Southeast Asia, East Africa, Burma, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Bosnia, Kosovo, the Former Soviet Union and other war-torn regions of the world.
We are very excited to be partnering with several ministries and churches to specifically serve this growing refugee community in San Diego. The community is comprised of people from some of the most truly marginalized and oppressed countries worldwide. We would love for your group to join us as we partner with these great local ministries in San Diego to serve and show the love of Christ to people from all over the world. In San Diego, world missions has truly come to our own backyard!
7:30 – 8:45 – Breakfast/Devotionals:
We provide breakfast for your team and give you the opportunity to either do devotionals as a group or for your students to do devotionals individually.
9:00 – 12:00 – Culture/Prayer Walk and Refugee Simulation:
Your team will likely spend a portion of your week serving the refugee community in San Diego. Additionally, our teams stay in a vary unique and diverse area. Your team will have an opportunity to pray for the community while getting to know and experience the unique culture. You will also learn about refugees and seek to understand their experience
12:15 – 12:45 – Lunch at Kaleo Housing Location
12:45 – 1:45 – Bible Club preparation time
2:00 – 5:00 – Bible Club with a partner ministry in San Diego.
Your group would have the opportunity to lead all aspects of the club including arts/crafts, Bible time, games, and a literacy/reading time.
6:00 – 6:30 – Dinner at Kaleo Housing Site
6:30 – 7:15 – Evening Debrief
*Please note this is a sample schedule and does not reflect specific times and ministry activities for your team.
Cost: $400 for a five night trip or $480 for a six night trip includes all of your housing, food (with the exception of one evening meal on your night off) and ministry expenses. The only additional cost to your group is the cost of transportation.
Housing: Our Kaleo teams stay at the facility of one of our ministry partners. The building is a church and is currently used as both a church and community center. Girls and boys will be housed in separate rooms in different parts of the building. Showers are onsite and we will provide air mattresses for your team. Teams will need to provide their own bedding.
Parking: Parking is free and is available in the church parking lot
Transportation: You will need to have vehicles to transport each individual team and a space available in your van for one Kaleo staff member for each team.
Food: Our goal is to provide good and healthy food options for your team. Additionally, as part of our food service, we will provide your group with some meals that are unique to the local culture of San Diego (Somali food and Rolled Tacos). We provide fruit at all meals and have salad options during lunch and dinner. If members of your team have food allergies, please let our City Director know. We can make basic accommodations such as gluten free bread and lactose free milk and you are free to bring additional food if necessary.
Director’s Desk: Partnering with Church-Planters
September 23, 2019At Home in San Diego
January 30, 2018
Jake McDonnell, San Diego City Director
We are excited about the opportunity to partner with your group to serve our ministry partners and the people of San Diego. If you would like more information, please feel free to contact us, of if you are ready to register your team, click on the “register” button above.
