BRING A GROUP
Current COVID Guidelines
These are our guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as of January 1, 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mission work groups are an integral part of Faith Ministry and have been since the start of the ministry in 1994. When groups come to work with us for a week, they not only help build a house for a family in need and support other programs of our ministry, but they bring hope and joy to the families that live in our communities. While here, they build meaningful relationships with the Mexican staff and volunteers they are working alongside, sharing in Christ’s love together. It is truly a life-changing experience.
If you’re interested in bringing a group to work with us in Mexico, you’ll find all the information you need here: the projects available, who can come, costs, transportation, food & supplies, working on a jobsite, and most importantly, safety. You can also download our mission work group info packet, which includes all the information you find here. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Colleen, our coordinator.
“Faith Ministry has made Reynosa, Mexico, my home away from home. The endless hospitality, love, and joy that permeates the community is humbling.”
Anna W. (Charlotte, NC)
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
The week in Mexico can be filled with a variety of activities, depending on our needs and your skills & talents:
- Building a house for a family in need — includes laying cinderblocks, mixing & pouring cement, & completing another house with a roof (and you can build more than one!)
- Completing a special construction project
- Volunteering in the medical clinic
- Helping with our children’s nutrition program
- Hosting VBS for the kids in the community
- Helping with our sewing & carpentry programs
- Teaching English
WHO CAN COME TO MEXICO?
Anyone and everyone is welcome to come and serve in Mexico! Team members range in age from 8 years old to 80+ years old (though we do recommend anyone under age 18 is accompanied by a parent or guardian). It makes a great youth trip, adult trip or intergenerational trip! There’s a wide variety of activities during the week, each requiring people with different skills, physical abilities and talents.
Teams have ranged in size from six people to 60 people, though most groups have around 12-15 people. No matter how many people, there are opportunities for everyone to change lives and be changed in the process.
COSTS
We want the most money as possible you raise for a mission trip to go to the community you desire to serve, not your airfare or lodging. Because teams fly domestically to south Texas and drive across to Mexico, and Faith Ministry provides low-cost lodging and transportation, the cost of the trip is affordable, and more money can go toward building homes for families, food for children, and other ministry programs that support those in need.
Effective September 1, 2023, some of our fees are increasing. Here’s why we are having to increase trip costs.
REGISTRATION FEE:
$500 (per team, nonrefundable)
WORK:
House construction: $8,000 (includes house + roof) *effective September 2023
Alternative options:
– Bathroom addition: $1,100 *effective September 2023
LODGING:
Church complex dorms: $25 (per person per night) *effective September 2023
Clinic dorms: $25 (per person per night) *effective September 2023
TRANSPORTATION:
Vans: $750 (suggested donation, per van per week) *effective September 2023
FOOD:
$6 per person per meal (if you choose to have us cook you lunch/dinner, that will be 8 meals) *updated October 2022
Optional: $250 for local volunteers’ lunches (this helps the ministry cover the costs of the local volunteers who eat with your groups each day) *updated October 2022
Optional: $200 for end-of-week fiesta
WATER & ICE:
Water: $4.00 (per 5 gallons of water) *updated June 2023
Ice: $3.00 (per bag of ice) *updated June 2023
WHY ARE OUR TRIP FEES INCREASING?
During the course of 2023, we have seen a much lower peso to US dollar exchange rate. When the year started, one US dollar could get you 19 or 20 pesos in Mexico; in the past several months, that one US dollar can now only buy 16 or 16.5 pesos.
What does this mean for Faith Ministry? Well, we receive our donations in U.S. dollars and spend them in Mexican pesos. So, this means that our funds are not going as far. For example, we are now spending around $1,000 more on each house build than we were spending at the beginning of the year. We’re spending almost the same amount of pesos, but those pesos are costing us that much more because of the exchange rate.
We hate to increase our fees for our groups because we know how tight church budgets can be, and we value your resources. Thank you for your support and understanding!
TRANSPORTATION
GETTING HERE
You’ll need to get your team to McAllen, Texas, where our U.S. headquarters is. Some teams choose to travel by van here, while many others choose to fly. If you choose air travel, you can fly into McAllen/Miller International Airport or Valley International Airport (in Harlingen, about 40 miles from McAllen).
GETTING AROUND
You and your team will need vans to travel to Mexico and around the areas where you’ll work. Faith Ministry has three vans that seat 11-12 people each, and they are available for use for a suggested donation of $650 each (this includes U.S. and Mexico auto insurance). If you choose to rent your own vans, there are rental options at both McAllen and Valley airports, as well as off-airport rental options.
FOOD, WATER & SUPPLIES
FOOD:
For meals, the most common practice is for groups to take care of their own breakfast and for our local staff to cook for lunch and dinner. We highly recommend this, as it is a way to eat authentic Mexican food and support our local community. The cost varies based on preferences and grocery prices, but it usually costs around $25-30 per person for the week.
WATER & ICE:
Because we advise teams NOT to drink the water in Mexico, we have gallons of water and bags of ice available during your stay.
SUPPLIES:
We recommend that groups shop for their supplies (breakfast food, snacks, paper products, etc.) and/or forgotten items in McAllen before they cross the border. There are many stores available in McAllen, such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target and HEB.
We can even give you a lesson in making tamales!
FOOD, WATER & SUPPLIES
FOOD:
For meals, the most common practice is for groups to take care of their own breakfast and for our local staff to cook for lunch and dinner. We highly recommend this, as it is a way to eat authentic Mexican food and support our local community. The cost varies based on preferences and grocery prices, but it usually costs around $25-30 per person for the week.
WATER & ICE:
Because we advise teams NOT to drink the water in Mexico, we have gallons of water and bags of ice available during your stay.
SUPPLIES:
We recommend that groups shop for their supplies (breakfast food, snacks, paper products, etc.) and/or forgotten items in McAllen before they cross the border. There are many stores available in McAllen, such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target and HEB.
“Hopeful, purposeful, engaging, renewing, rewarding… all words that I would use to describe my first experience with Faith Ministry and their work in Reynosa, Mexico.”
Carolanne B. (Indianapolis, IN)
ON THE JOBSITE
You do NOT need to be a construction expert to build a house with us in Mexico! You will be working alongside our Mexican staff and volunteers who will help and guide you. The houses we build are 12 feet by 24 feet, made of cinderblock and cement, with a concrete floor and roof. Each house has two windows and at least one door. We will provide all the tools you need to work. You’ll want to wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty and will need to be prepared with a hat, work gloves, sunglasses, water bottle, sunscreen, and old sneakers or work boots!
SAFETY
The safety of our mission work groups is our highest priority. The violence reported in the news is contained to certain areas of the city and has not affected the areas where we work. A Faith Ministry staff member will be with you at all times, including crossing the border and driving in the communities, and we put measures in place to keep you safe at all times.
READY TO BOOK?
Take a look at our schedule and find a week that works for your group. Weeks in which one group has already reserved may still be available, depending on team size and lodging preferences. If you have any questions, email Colleen.
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“Great ministry of loving service to those in need in Mexico. Safe, well organized and very well connected. It’s always a blessing to serve with this ministry.”
Jack C. (Raleigh, NC)