Accommodations

The ministry site is a secure fully fenced facility with space to parking your vehicles.  Missionary families live at the ministry site and will be helping your group during the stay. A missionary will always be with you at the job site as well.

Our dorm rooms have bunks to accommodate 50 people. The bunks have pads, each person will need to bring their own sleeping bag and pillow. There is no air conditioning, each room does have a fan.

There are flush toilets and showers with hot water please bring your own towels.

Meals are taken care of by the missionaries on site in our large kitchen. We try to give you a taste of Mexico while you are here, however we can also accommodate most food restrictions people may have. The tap water is not drinkable; we provide you with plenty of drinking water during your time here.

Cost

There are two basic costs for a trip: the per person cost and the house material cost. You can choose which house fits your team size and budget and we will find a family in that the house would best suit.

$90 per person covers food and lodging

$5000 for a 280sf house; this house has one large room and two small bedrooms

$7000 for a 400sf house; this house has one large room and two medium bedrooms if the family needs one of the medium-sized room can be split into two small rooms.

Every room in the house has a window, outlet, and light.

Passport, Visa & Money

You do not need a visa for this trip, United States citizens are welcome to enter Mexico and do not need a visa when staying in Baja California.

A passport or passport card is the best form of ID for reentry into the United States. Minors with other forms of ID are also able to reenter the United States.

You do not need to get money exchanged as most places in the Tijuana area will take the American dollar (USD). It is best to bring smaller bills $1’s, $5’s, $10’s as most places will not be able to break larger bills. When you use the USD, your change will be given back in pesos. You will normally get around 18 or 19 pesos per USD.

Tools & Building Materials

We provide all the tools to build the house however you are welcome to bring your own hammers, tape measures, tool belts…

We try to source all our material from local suppliers; a local lumber yard will deliver the wood packet on your first build day. Other items will be at the ministry site, and you will take them with you to the job site as needed.

Transportation

You are responsible for your own transportation; you will use it each day to travel to and from the work site. 15 passenger vans work best for getting around in the Tijuana area; we do not recommend large busses as these are harder to navigate on the roads and more complicated at the border crossings.

Vehicle insurance is required for driving in Mexico it will pay your bail if you are in an accident because in Mexico you are guilty until proven innocent.

Trip Schedule

A typical trip is seven days; your group will arrive on Sunday afternoon and leave on Saturday morning. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will be construction days; nailing, painting, pulling wires, roofing, drywall… Thursday is the house dedication and outreach event. Friday is a decompression day* at the beach and then clean up and take off Saturday morning.

While we normally host Sunday through Saturday other arrangements can be made to best fit your schedule.

*Decompression day: Your group will serve while here, but we also want your group to be refreshed as they serve. The last day we take a trip to the coast to relax and reflect on the work and ministry of the week.