Piedmont students and parent volunteers headed across the southern border from April 7 – 12 to build houses for families outside of Tijuana as part of the Piedmont Community Church’s annual Mexico trip — a rite of passage for many students for more than 30 years.
“It was a great experience this year and 12 families now have safe, secure homes that they did not have last week,” said PCC’s Pastor to Students Scott Kail who has led the trip for 19 years.
Although it’s a church-sponsored trip, students of all faiths are welcome. Students sign up for the trip at the end of each calendar year and are divided into color-coded teams of around 15 students each, with two senior student leaders and two parent leads. The teams then spend several months learning construction basics before heading off to Mexico the Sunday of spring break. Phones are verboten and friend groups are mixed up to foster new friendships — the resulting camaraderie, or “Mexico Magic” — often extends beyond the week away.
This year, after flying to San Diego on Sunday morning, the group of around 200 students and adult volunteers was ferried across the border via rented tour buses to the Amor Ministries campsite in the Valle de Palmas, a departure from past practice where parents drove individual team vans from San Diego. Once at the Amor campsite home base, the student groups set up their tents and settled in for the next four days of house construction with their recipient families before breaking down their campsite on Friday and heading back home.
All photos courtesy of Scott Kail
Morning flight to San Diego on Southwest 
New this year: Tour bus transport 
Tour buses vs team vans 
First day campsite set up at Amor Ministries site 
The rural landscape outside of Tijuana 
First step: Concrete slab 
Orange Team working on walls 
Chicken wire, paper, roofing 
Finished product
Kitchen team 
Scott Kail with two adult rovers 
Breaking down the campsite 
Re-entering the U.S. at the border checkpoint on Friday, April 12