SEE THE IMPOSSIBLE BECOME POSSIBLE AT HOPE REFUGE

Mission Possible: 2 Month Short-Term Mission Program

About Hope Refuge:

Hope Refuge Inc. is a local nonprofit organization established in 2013 in response to the growing awareness of the crisis in America involving children and young adults who are being trafficked in the commercial sex industry. Hope Refuge was founded to see exploited children and young adults in America set free and moving forward into a healthy productive life. Hope Refuge believes that every person deserves to be free and that as a community, we are responsible to protect and care for our children and the most vulnerable. Participants will have an opportunity to directly get involved with our team.

As we apply for our Community Care License we are expanding from doing retreats with survivors, to a full-time “Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program” for 12-17 year old girls who have been sex trafficked in the USA. This entails a large renovation of our facility to become a home for these precious girls and be awarded 24/7 care. Mission Possible short-term mission participants have the opportunity to make a direct impact on the restoration of sex trafficking survivors in Santa Barbara and beyond, as well as discovering ways to personally combat this issue in the future. Participants will be part of a community that is led by God and has worship and prayer at it’s heart.

Mission Possible: Short-Term Mission Program

Purpose:

Mission Possible exists to be an integral part of preparing Hope Refuge to complete its licensing and to provide a real, practical way for people to be on mission as a community and serve God in their local contexts.

What:

Mission Possible is an 8 Week Short-Term Mission Program. Participants will have the opportunity to live at the Hope Refuge Retreat Center, with housing and meals provided. Participants will play a big part in helping to prepare the facility for the Residential Therapeutic Program to start. There will be educational training on non-profits and the issues of trafficking, along with practical on-site training in gardening, construction, animal care and so much more. Our goal is to not only provide you with a practical place to serve God, but also to provide a place for you to receive spiritual nourishment in a loving and caring team atmosphere. There will be prayer/bible study times in the mornings, as well as weekly worship/prayer nights in the evenings. We will have community building events such as hiking, surfing, sports games, game nights, etc. After breakfast and prayer/bible study time in the morning, participants will be working and serving in various projects throughout the day. Dinner will be a large, fun, and shared meal time in the Dining Commons. Participants will have weekends free, without any scheduled events. On the weekends, participants can relax, adventure, go into town (Santa Barbara), or serve and work some more by joining the various church groups that come up to serve on weekends. Please see an example tentative schedule below:

Example Tentative Schedule:

8-9                    Breakfast
9-10                 Daily quiet time/ Prayer
10-1                 Serve
1-2:30             Lunch
2:30- 5:30     Serve
6-7:30             Dinner

How:

Short-term mission participants will have the opportunity to serve in and help Hope Refuge prepare for the survivors to arrive in areas such as:

• Worship
• Construction
• Tiny House Construction
• Day Care
• LifeGuard
• More…

Who:

We welcome applicants 18 years of age or older who are passionate to work in anti-trafficking.  Undergraduate students to seasoned professionals in a range of fields are welcome. No previous non-profit work or anti-trafficking experience necessary. Hope Refuge staff will select approximately 12 participants for each Mission Possible term. Applicants come from throughout the United States and around the world.

Where:

Hope Refuge is a beautiful retreat center located on 214 acres in the mountains of Santa Barbara, California filled with oak woodlands, rolling hills, and stunning ocean views.  It is a perfect, natural environment to find healing, rest, and recreation and to be challenged to begin dreaming and preparing for a hope-filled future. It includes:

• Swimming Pool
• Low Ropes Course
• High Ropes course with zip Line
• Historic Stone House Retreat House

When: 

Jun 18 to Aug 11th,    8 weeks

Costs:

There are costs associated with Mission Possible, Hope Refuge’s Short Term Mission Program. The costs of Mission Possible help cover housing, food expenses, training, guest speakers, administration costs, and staff.

Hope Refuge recommends that short-term mission participants work with their families, friends, church, and other relationships to raise the funds to help pay for the cost of Mission Possible. As this is a short-term mission, participants are encouraged to not only raise financial support to help pay for costs, but also to raise prayer support during their time at Mission Possible.

• $1,800 – Early-Bird Rate before May 15th
• $2,150 – Mission Possible costs for those that finish applying after May 15th
• $200 application fee (one time, non-refundable, does not go towards payment of program)

Applications are being accepted now. If you have any questions, please email info@hoperefuge.org.

“A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” ~ Mahatma Ghandi