Build homes and glorify God, in the name of Jesus

Saturday, February 6 through Wednesday, February 10, 2027. Our team will travel with Bovee Team – Group A — make sure that is the group you select when you register.

First come, first served, up to 100 people. Once we reach 100 we start a waiting list.

$2,000 for the first person, plus $1,000 for each additional family member. A $500 per-person deposit is due at registration.

Trip fees are fully tax deductible if you itemize. Airfare to San Diego is not included.

Deposits are non-refundable. As a charitable organization YWAM cannot refund contributions, and the policy keeps reservations to those who are committed. If circumstances prevent you from going, your deposit supports the ministry work carried out each February.

Trip fees do not cover the full cost of the trip. We rely on God's provision through the team's fundraising. Please don't let money keep you from going — many alumni have successfully raised their fees.

Our group aims to build 8 homes during the five day trip. You will personally be part of building 2 of them.

A sample itinerary:

1. Day 0 — Friday Recommended: fly into San Diego the day before. The bus leaves at noon on Saturday, and a same-morning flight leaves no margin for a delay. Arriving Friday is the surest way to make it.
2. Day 1 — Saturday Meet at the San Diego airport before noon and take the shuttle down to Ensenada. Pass through customs and check in at the YWAM base. Break into two groups and visit either the local orphanage or the women's shelter, then have a pizza dinner onsite with the children and families.
3. Day 2 — Sunday Chapel, then breakfast at the base. Begin construction on the two-day house. YWAM missionaries serve lunch on the job site. Build from 8:30 to 5:00. Taco dinner and debrief back at the base — there may even be a churro stand.
4. Day 3 — Monday Chapel and breakfast. Finish the two-day house and hand the keys to the family, who cook and serve lunch onsite. Begin the one-day house, building from 8:30 to 5:00. Dinner at the Corner of Goodness for Cuban sandwiches, fish tacos and ice cream.
5. Day 4 — Tuesday Chapel and breakfast. Complete the one-day house and deliver the keys. Take the afternoon to explore the beach or downtown Ensenada. A more formal pasta dinner on base honors the YWAM missionaries and staff.
6. Day 5 — Wednesday Bag breakfast at 6:00 and an early start home. Shuttle back to the San Diego airport through the world's busiest border crossing, then fly home. Book your return flight for no earlier than 12 noon Pacific.

We minister to local families in need. On the first day, we visit and support a women's shelter and local orphanage. Then, on days 2–4, we physically build homes for families in Ensenada.

There are two sizes of home: a 20 ft × 20 ft two-day house and a 20 ft × 16 ft one-day house. When volunteers arrive on the job site, the concrete slab is already poured and all building materials are waiting.

The main jobs are:

• Building the walls — hammering nails to frame them, then standing and joining them
• Building the trusses that frame the roof
• Painting the exterior siding and the interior walls
• Hanging the sheetrock
• Running electrical wire and installing outlets and light fixtures
• Roofing — laying plywood and tar paper, nailing on shingles
• Assembling the internal furniture: beds, tables, kitchenette

No prior building experience is required. Every job is led by a Master Builder and a "B" Builder, and each group includes returning veterans skilled across multiple trades. If swinging a hammer isn't for you, there is plenty of painting to do and plenty of small touches that make a house feel like a home.

For safety, goggles must be worn at all times, and no one under 16 may use power tools.

Yes, passports are required. Enhanced IDs do not work when crossing with a large group by bus, which is how we travel.

Your passport must not expire within six months of our return to the United States, so it needs to be valid through August 15, 2027. If it expires before then, renew it before the trip.

For returning volunteers, if the Bovee Team has an existing copy of your passport and it is still valid, you do not need to submit it again.

Many people don't, and that's fine. Spanish is not required. All of the YWAM missionaries are bilingual, and a dedicated translator escorts you through customs and is on the build site every day. If you'd like to talk with the family, the translator will gladly help. Speaking Spanish with the families is a joy, though, so practice if you're interested — the most common regret volunteers have is not knowing more of it.

Not every family speaks Spanish, either. Many are from Oaxaca and speak Mixtec, an indigenous language. In that case even your Duolingo Spanish won't stretch far, and you'll want the translator.

Once you register with YWAM you'll see a box labeled "Bovee Team Group A Feb 2027." Returning volunteers should click the "Upcoming" tab at the top to find the 2027 box. Inside it, the green "Pay Now" link opens the payment portal for your deposit and, later, your balance.

The YWAM missionaries in Ensenada draw no salary. Each of them raises their own support, and they serve our team all week — cooking meals, running the base, translating on the job site and leading chapel each morning. Trip fees do not cover any of their living expenses.

You can give to their support directly through YWAM San Diego/Baja's staff support page. If you met someone on the trip whose ministry you want to back, you can designate your gift to them by name.