PCA has been sending grade 12 students to Mexico since 2001 to build houses with Mexican Caravan Ministries. To date we have built over 35 homes in Tijuana.

This May, we will be building 6 small houses for underprivileged families in Tijuana in partnership with Mexico Caravan Ministries.

Mexican Caravan Ministries (MCM) was started in 1984 when a missionary, David Burdette, was approached to help a young mother in need. She had acquired a piece of land, but was going to lose the land if she did not construct a house on it. Dave was able to enlist the help of a youth group from San Diego to help construct a small home for this young mother. And thus the idea for MCM was born.

MCM facilities the construction of small 12x12 shelters for those who don’t have adequate shelter. They host teams that come to help build the shelters and minister to the locals in the area. All materials are purchased on the local market.

For more information on MCM, visit: Mexico Caravan Ministries.

As Christians, our service to others is always a response to God’s act of service to us through the death of Jesus on the cross. We love others because He first loved us. Our grad trip seeks to highlight this reality by providing an opportunity for our students to discover the joy of serving those in need.

PCA and Mexico Caravan Ministries (MCM) have had a long partnership together. Since 2001, we have sent teams of students to Mexico to work with and learn from MCM. We have found that the greatest benefit of the ministry of MCM has been for graduating students. This is due to the fact that MCM provides very meaningful and challenging teaching to students about their personal involvement in world missions and evangelism–aspects of Christian discipleship which are central to PCA’s philosophy.

We did not want to neglect the reality that our students are also social beings–not just spiritual. Therefore, along with the service aspect of the grad trip, they will also be provided with opportunities for bonding, reflection and celebration during their time in San Diego.

Because this is a graduation trip, students cover the cost of their own travel and expenses. The only component they fundraise for is the cost of the building material they need to build the 6 small houses.

Dear parents,

By God’s grace, we have safely arrived at the dorms of Mexico Caravan Ministries. The students are starting to get tired. It’s been a long day of travel and the three hour time difference is beginning to catch up.

After a brief orientation session, the team loaded the trucks with materials for the builds tomorrow. They are worked well together and are now having some free time. We will head out to their first Mexican taco stand for dinner soon.

We are thankful for you, our families, and pray that all the mom’s had a nice Mother’s Day today.

Blessings,
Team Mexico

Dear parents,

Our day began at 6:30 AM with a full morning.
Students said they were pleasantly surprised at how well they slept last night. We did personal devotions at 7AM, had a simple breakfast at 7:30 and then started our morning session at 8AM. This will be our schedule for the entirety of our time at MCM.

During the morning session, we had the privilege of spending time in worship and then hearing from Brooks Buzer, the president of Radius International, a missionary training school here in Tijuana. Brooks shared about his incredible journey as a missionary to an unreached people group in Papa New Guinea. He outlined four reasons why people become missionaries and challenged our students to allow God to use them in missions during the years of their youth. He left the students with much to ponder and digest.

We loaded our trucks with tools and headed with our teams to our two worksites. The MCM interns patiently guided us in building our first structures. For many students, this was their first time hammering, sawing and putting material together. The work was tiring but they thoroughly enjoyed the process. Before raising the roof, we stopped for lunch, which is generally provided to us from the Mexican family receiving the structure. This lunch will often cost them more than a week’s worth of wages and we enjoyed every bite.

The afternoon was spent painting and nailing down tar paper on the roof and after praying with the families and giving them a housewarming gift, we headed back to the MCM dorms. Since it was such a warm day today, the students got treated to some
Mexican popsicles and ice cream, which was much appreciated.

We are heading out to dinner now and the students are looking forward to some more authentic tacos. We have been so well fed thus far.

Everyone is healthy and happy. We can hear their laughter throughout the building.

Gratefully,
Team Mexico