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.

Our day started bright and early as we met at the airport. After an uneventful journey through security and customs, we boarded our plane to San Diego.  After landing and packing our 15 passenger vans with people and luggage, we made a pit stop to grab a late lunch and pick up breakfast supplies and snacks for the week, as well as gifts for the families who will be receiving new homes. 

Crossing the Mexico border is unlike any experience we have had entering the US from Canada by land. Essentially, vehicles get scanned by cameras and are either given a green light to proceed into the country or a red light which means they must go to a secondary inspection. After both vans were flagged for inspection (most large vehicles do), the border security opened the trunk, took a quick look and we were on our way again. No passports were check and no questions asked. 

Upon arriving at the Mexico Caravan Ministries headquarters and dorm, we were greeted by the MCM director and interns who were eagerly waiting our arrival. We unloaded the vans, found our rooms and had a brief orientation. The students got a taste for what lies ahead this week as they worked together to load the trucks with tomorrow’s build materials. 

“These tacos were even better than I anticipated!”, was one student’s comment after having their fill of asada (steak) tacos at a local taco stand. The students are full but tired after a long day of travelling. We will be retiring for the night now since our wake up call will be at 6:30 tomorrow morning. 

Buenos Noches,
Team Mexico

Our first full day in Mexico has been very full - full of sunshine, hard work, learning, and fun. After morning devotions and breakfast, our student worship team led us in a time of praise before hearing from Eddie Passmore, one of MCM’s directors. We were challenged to really think through what it means to redirect our lives to follow God’s direction for our futures. When we say, “Here am I, send me”, are we prepared to follow through, no matter where it leads us? 

After applying sunscreen and filling our water bottles, we split into two teams to build the first houses of our trip. One house was built for Claudia, and the other for Elizabeth and Mauricio. Everyone was kept busy hammering, sawing, re-hammering, measuring, painting, encouraging, and more. While we had a large learning curve to overcome at first, the interns were patient instructors and we worked together to accomplish our goal. Luckily, the delicious lunches provided by the house recipients gave us the strength to make it through the whole day. Food cooked with love and Mexican spices truly is hard to beat! Once the homes were fully constructed, we were able to share a special moment of prayer for the families and give them a small housewarming gift. We are grateful for the opportunity to not only build something with our hands, but to also see how much it meant to those who received the houses. 

With sore muscles and sunburnt arms, yet smiles all around, we enjoyed some down time before heading out for another round of tacos. We are getting more confident with our Spanish, especially when our courage rewards us with delicious dishes such as tacos de adobada or tortas de asado! Back at the dorms, the team spent some time playing card games and volleyball, as well as exploring a nearby corner store and buying small souvenirs. Before winding down for the evening, we debriefed the day and reflected on things that were fun, things that we learned, and things that we want to do better tomorrow. We anticipate quicker building now that we know what to expect and we plan on trying to connect more with the local families, even if our grasp of the language isn’t the best. We look forward to more memorable moments and more chances to see God move, even when we may not be expecting it.

Team Mexico

We begin each morning with a personal time in God’s word. We read through Philippians 1 today and were challenged to hold close to others with whom we can journey and partner with for the cause of the gospel, just as Paul did with the Philippian church. This is particularly relevant to the grads as they begin to think about their departure from PCA and entrance onto various campuses in the fall, or other places where God leads them.

Our speaker this morning was Brooks Bruzer. He shared with us about his years serving as a missionary to a previously unreached people group in Papua New Guinea and the process it took to bring the gospel to them. While we were captivated by his stories of wonder and adventure, his ultimate message was clear: We are to live for the world to come, and set our life’s priorities to that compass. It is not an easy message, nor an easy feat to live out, but it is truly our only option if we mean the words that we so joyfully sing: “I will make room for you to do whatever you want to… this is my surrender”.

Then we were off to our two build sites. Team Blizzard found themselves on elevated ground and built a home for Maria, her daughter and two nephews. We were so humbled to see tears in her eyes as we gifted her the finished little structure. She now had a home for her loved ones, which wasn’t there just a few hours before. On the other worksite, Team Better Blue greatly enjoyed being surrounded by God’s beautiful creation while building a house for Sofia and her family. We were happy to be joined by her nieces, Mia and Genesis, and her nephew, Jesús, who proved to be quite expert painters. 

While both builds took longer than anticipated, when we were done, it was shower time and the joy was tangible as each individual emerged from their shower rooms feeling clean and rejuvenated. We are learning to be grateful for what we would have considered a basic necessity back home. 

Everyone had their fill (and some more than their fill) of tacos, tortas and quesadillas for dinner. As we returned to the dorms, the vans were full of laughter, silliness, and singing. Our cups are overflowing with the joy that comes from a meaningful day of physical labour, serving others and sweet fellowship.

Team Mexico

Our morning session was led by Dave Burdette, the founder of Mexico Caravan Ministries. While he shared many stories and teachings with us, he reminded us that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. He asked and unpacked the question of the appropriate Christian approach to wealth, highlighting that we are to be good stewards of money and that we should strive for a purpose-driven use of the financial resources at our disposal. 

We arrived to our worksites feeling confident and excited, ready to show off our skills and help more families receive a home. Half of our team was able to build a house for José, a local taco vendor, and his father. We were blessed to get to know him and enjoy some delicious homemade lunch. The other half of the team had the opportunity to go to an area well-known by this year’s interns as they had already built 3 neighbouring houses there. It was very cool to see them as complete homes and to witness the positive impact they were having on the community. We erected an addition to Mario’s MCM built home that he shares with his daughter, Perla. He kept our spirits high with music throughout the day and we had fun playing tag and teaching Perla some of our recently acquired skills.

Leaving the sites was somewhat bittersweet, as we knew that we would not be doing any more construction tomorrow. We are proud of what we have been able to accomplish and we are grateful for our increased group unity and community. While waiting for tonight’s dinner to be delivered to the dorms, the students enjoyed playing volleyball, football, and spikeball together, as well as swapping stories from the day. The food was definitely worth the wait - delicious roasted chicken, pasta salad, salsa, and tortillas. 

We all ate our weight’s worth in meat and then settled in for a special evening session with a different Dave. He shared with us the journey he, his wife, and his companions went on to reach an unreached tribe in Papua New Guinea and share the gospel with them. We learned about what can happen when the Holy Spirit shows up and shows off, facilitating language and culture acquisition, opening people’s hearts, and making a way for a previously undocumented language to be not only written and taught, but also used as a vessel to share of God’s love towards us all. We continue to be inspired and challenged by the stories we hear, and we are doing a lot of thinking about what God may be telling us.

Team Mexico 

This morning, we were fortunate to hear from Dave Rimstead again, our speaker from yesterday evening. He helped us to see how we, like Peter to Jesus, hold so tightly to our own expectations and agendas, trying to dictate what God does with our lives. We were encouraged to open up our clenched hands and remember that it’s not about us; it’s about who God’s going to reach through us.

After the session, we formed an assembly line to make our bagged lunch of chicken, avocado, grilled onion, and cucumbers wrapped in tortillas. Then, we set out to partner with Spectrum Ministries in hosting an event for children and families in a low-income community. Spectrum is another ministry that does outreach in Tijuana, focusing mostly on children. Their team had everything ready to be set up and we were ready to join in however we could, be it cutting fruit and veggies, facilitating games, making cotton candy and popcorn, painting faces and colouring, or running around playing an endless round of tag. The joy in the area was palpable and we were reminded by Julian, the interim director, that though we are only there for a short time, when done with love, our presence and participation was more than enough to make the day special for those involved. Some of the group also helped hand out fresh produce to the families so that everyone went home with a bag of food. At the end of the time together, we all shared stories of connection, insights, and fun. 

On our way back to the dorms, we stopped for some well-earned ice cream! The team enjoyed refreshing ice cream cones, banana splits, milkshakes, and fruit popsicles. Our afternoon drew to a close with some free time as many decided to walk over to the nearby church to take advantage of the soccer field, while others stayed behind to play card games and rest. Dinner tonight was lovingly prepared by Paty, MCM’s office worker and build coordinator. Afterwards, we were blessed to hear the testimonies of two of the interns, Kaitlyn and Elly, and learn more about the ways in which God has been working in their lives. We finished the night debriefing our day and beginning to pack in preparation for our departure tomorrow. 

Team Mexico

Our final morning in Mexico began much the same as our previous days this week: devotions before breakfast, and then worship and listening to a speaker. Today, we heard from Spencer Hoyt, a director at MCM. He gave us a lot to think about as we head home, challenging us to be mindful of what we commit our time to, to acquaint ourselves more deeply with Jesus, and to demonstrate both courage and obedience in our faith walks. 

Our final activity at MCM was to clean up our rooms and help the interns clean the dorms, since we were the last team of the spring season. Once every floor was swept, every counter wiped, and every car vacuumed, we said our goodbyes and filed into the vans. We are thankful that our border crossing into the United States was uneventful and relatively quick. We are also thankful that waiting just a short drive past the border was an In N Out! Burgers, fries, and pink lemonade made for a great first lunch back in San Diego. 

Since we were ahead of schedule, we swung by Target before checking in at the hotel. Once we got settled, everyone was glad to have the chance to shower again, and most of the team was also excited to be able to watch the Leafs triumph over the Panthers! Dinner at Olive Garden was a delicious and filling affair, followed by time at the pool, swimming, hot-tubing, and chatting.  

Team Mexico

Our final morning in Mexico began much the same as our previous days this week: devotions before breakfast, and then worship and listening to a speaker. Today, we heard from Spencer Hoyt, a director at MCM. He gave us a lot to think about as we head home, challenging us to be mindful of what we commit our time to, to acquaint ourselves more deeply with Jesus, and to demonstrate both courage and obedience in our faith walks. 

Our final activity at MCM was to clean up our rooms and help the interns clean the dorms, since we were the last team of the spring season. Once every floor was swept, every counter wiped, and every car vacuumed, we said our goodbyes and filed into the vans. We are thankful that our border crossing into the United States was uneventful and relatively quick. We are also thankful that waiting just a short drive past the border was an In N Out! Burgers, fries, and pink lemonade made for a great first lunch back in San Diego. 

Since we were ahead of schedule, we swung by Target before checking in at the hotel. Once we got settled, everyone was glad to have the chance to shower again, and most of the team was also excited to be able to watch the Leafs triumph over the Panthers! Dinner at Olive Garden was a delicious and filling affair, followed by time at the pool, swimming, hot-tubing, and chatting.  

Team Mexico

The students were grateful for comfortable mattresses to sleep on last night. This morning, a breakfast buffet and options other than cereal and yoghurt were the cherries on top. Needless to say, over the week, our group has gained a greater appreciation for some of the basic things in life. 

We made our way to La Jolla, a conservation bay, for a kayak tour. We were fortunate to have excellent guides to make the experience fun and fulfilling, leading us first in a battle cry on the beach before launching our 2-person kayaks into the Pacific. Once far enough out, the group enjoyed paddling and racing together while learning about the marine life below and around us, such as sea lions, brown pelicans, and bright orange Garibaldi fish. Though some of us ended up in the water, both intentionally and otherwise, we all made it back to the shore safe and sound with smiles on our faces. 

Students went out in groups for lunches of their own choosing and then spent the afternoon playing beach volleyball (without a net), throwing a football, flying a kite, walking along the shore and/or shopping in the souvenir stores. They all around simply enjoyed each other’s company on the last full day of their trip. We have had the joy of witnessing the deepening of friendships and the formation of new connections. The vans have been filled with (loud) laughter and karaoke as we travel together from place to place. It is our prayer that the students will treasure these moments and relationships for years to come.

For our final dinner, we went to a seafood restaurant, as is only right when on the coast. It was hard to choose from the vast array of fresh fish and crustaceans! The sun setting over the water provided a beautiful backdrop for our yummy meal. Afterwards, we couldn’t resist making one final Target run before returning to the hotel for packing and rest for tomorrow’s journey. As our time together winds down, we look back on the days with appreciation for the bonding and learning that took place, while also looking forward to being reunited with you again soon. 

Team Mexico