a $50 deposit will secure your spot on the team, and the remainder is due before we go on the trip. I do encourage you to send out “support” letters to family & and friends. My experience is that someone can raise most, if not all, of the $400 from small gifts from family & friends. All payments can be made online. Begin by clicking on the Give Now button at the top right corner of the home page. Once you navigate through the giving site, you will see a spot for making Mexico Mission Payments; start here: www.fumccv.org.

Remember that this is construction work and we plan to build two houses this year. You do not need to bring any tools. A hat, sturdy shoes, gloves, and a reusable water bottle are all helpful. You might also pack a small backpack to take to the worksite each day…gloves, bandaids, toilet paper, granola bar. Think like you are going on a wilderness hike; what would you take with you?

Each person will need bedding (sleeping bag/sheets/pillow) and bath items (towels, etc.). Be sure to bring multiple water bottles (there is clean water accessible so that you can refill them), work gloves, close-toed shoes for the work site, work clothes you don’t mind getting ruined, and casual clothes for the evening around camp that includes a jacket. All shorts should be longer than shorter, no tank tops, etc. The Christian Culture in Mexico is relatively conservative, so we will want to dress modestly.

The structure of the three work days will be pretty similar. You start your day with a delicious breakfast and a brief worship service. You’ll then have a moment to get your bottles filled with drinking water and prepped for a day’s work. We’ll then be transported to our worksites to get to work! At lunch, we’ll typically have a sandwich bar where you can make your lunch from a spread of items. After a long day, we’ll enjoy a hot dinner at YUGO or head out for tacos before another worship service. Finally, after our third workday, we try to head for a nice group dinner at a local resort that costs around $20. Of course, there’ll be some downtime within all of this, but this is what you can expect daily!

We will be renting vans and also taking a number of private vehicles. If you are willing to drive your own vehicle, the driver will receive a $50 discount on the cost of the trip. Please let Pastor Brian know if you plan to drive your own vehicle, how many people you can transport, including yourself, and how many you have already filled if multiple members of your own family are a part of the team.

YUGO’s boarding is similar to a summer camp situation, with shared bunk rooms and shared individual bathrooms. Typically there are limited family rooms for those traveling with their whole family.
Youth will be distributed into rooms that best align with their gender identity alongside their adult chaperones. All other adults will be separated into rooms that align with their gender identity.

Meals are included in the cost of the registration. YUGO serves a hearty breakfast and dinner on their campus daily, and lunches are self-made on the worksite daily. In the past, some work teams have been surprised with homecooked meals by the families they’re building for.

The work will be construction. The number of houses we build will depend on the number of participants we have. You do not need to bring any tools. A hat, sturdy shoes, gloves and water bottle are all helpful.

There is a store at the Mission Center that sells t-shirts, hats, candy, sodas, etc. there will be opportunities for souvenir shopping. In addition, there will be the opportunity to visit a taco stand. Finally, on the last night, if we finish work in time, we can go to a resort for a celebration meal that will cost about $20 (this is optional, of course).

We encourage you to exchange a portion of your money ahead of time to make it easier to purchase things, as not every taco shop or retail area will accept USD.

We know that not everyone can afford or connect to international phone service, and YUGO has that in mind. AT&T has pretty great international coverage, especially in Ensenada and the worksites. At the Mission Center, there is excellent free Wi-Fi each night to stay connected to your loved ones back home.