Our History

Door of Faith Orphanage was founded in Tijuana, Mexico in 1959 by Curtis and Sylvia Freeze. They came to Mexico with $35 in their pocket and a vision to help the underprivileged children in Baja California.

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Unsatisfied with their location in Tijuana, the Freeze’s began to search for a new site to build a permanent home. In 1962, a friend brought them to the present site, an abandoned dude ranch.

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In its prime it hosted Hollywood elite such as Clark Gable, John Wayne, and Steve McQueen who would hunt quail and enjoy the solitude of our valley.

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For many years the Freezes, their son Von, and his wife, Agnes Freeze, worked with others to build the kind of home that would raise responsible, productive members of society. The Freezes retired in the late 80s leaving a tremendous legacy.  Many of our staff were raised up in this work including Gabriel Diego Garcia, our Mexican Director.

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In March 1993, Door of Faith was in a time of transition and down to only 34 children.  At that time DJ and Lynette Schuetze joined Gabriel Diego Garcia and his wife Edwarda Ocampo Garcia in the work here to help oversee operations.

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Door of Faith has grown a great deal during the last decades to become one of the largest orphanages in Baja, caring for around one hundred children at any given time.

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Today, along with providing a solid home to the many children on our care, Door of Faith has also become a short term missions base.  Many of the groups staying with us are sent across Baja to serve where needed.  We are involved with local ministries including: food distribution, home construction, medical outreach, orphanage consulting, and many other areas.