People
Share group size, ages, leaders, experience, skills, mobility needs, and whether this is a new or returning team.
Group leader guide
Everything a leader needs after the first conversation.
The public mission-trip page explains whether Door of Faith may be a good fit. This guide gathers the practical details leaders need once a group is seriously planning a visit.
Good preparation helps a team arrive ready to listen, learn, work, and care for people well.Before you book travel
Confirm the basic shape of the trip
Door of Faith will help match your dates, group, skills, budget, and hopes with current needs. You do not need every detail solved before contacting the ministry.
Dates
Offer possible dates and the length of stay. Visits may range from a scheduled day visit to roughly two weeks.
Service
Describe your interests and abilities while remaining open to work identified by Door of Faith and local partners.
Budget
Plan for lodging, meals, transportation, insurance, project materials, tolls, and reasonable contingency funds.
Lodging and meals
Simple bunk-style accommodations onsite
Door of Faith has three campground lodging areas with bunk rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, hot showers, gathering spaces, barbecue areas, and fire pits. Lodging is currently $20 per person per night.
Rate and availability should be reconfirmed before booking travel.
What groups should expect
- Bring bedding or sleeping bags, toiletries, medications, and personal supplies.
- Groups provide or arrange their own meals.
- Fresh groceries are normally purchased after entering Mexico.
- Share allergies, mobility needs, CPAP use, and other housing or meal needs in advance.
Travel and documents
Confirm current requirements shortly before departure
Door of Faith can share practical experience, but every traveler and group remains responsible for current government, insurance, waiver, and transportation requirements.
Passports
Every traveler should have a passport. Door of Faith also requests a passport copy for overnight guests through a private process provided by the host.
Minors
Groups commonly carry notarized permission documents when a minor travels without a parent. Determine what your organization and current border rules require.
Vehicles
Every vehicle driven in Mexico needs valid Mexican insurance. Confirm rental permissions and coverage before crossing the border.
Longer stays
Travelers staying more than seven days should verify current Mexican visitor-document requirements before departure.
Projects and service
Let current needs shape the work
Teams should not arrive with a project already decided. Door of Faith considers the group's skills, ages, physical limitations, budget, time, and the needs identified by people serving locally.
Identify the need
Orphanage, ministry, and community leaders identify work that is timely and appropriate.
Clarify the scope
Materials, cost, supervision, timing, tools, and team abilities are discussed before arrival.
Prepare the team
Leaders explain the purpose of the work and the expectation that plans may change.
Serve alongside
Teams add capacity without replacing local staff or assuming control of work they do not own.
Prepare the posture
Help your team arrive ready to serve
The strongest trips are relational, flexible, and respectful. Leaders should prepare people for cross-cultural service before the team reaches the border.
- Listen before proposing solutions or changing an agreed plan.
- Respect Mexican staff and local leadership; visiting teams do not replace daily caregivers.
- Prepare for simple lodging, shared work, changing schedules, and cultural differences.
- Dress and behave appropriately for a Christian ministry and family setting.
- Build margin for border delays, weather, materials, and schedule adjustments.
- Tell your host about allergies, medical needs, accessibility concerns, or equipment needs before arrival.
Child safeguarding
Privacy rules are part of team preparation
Some children are in protective placements or unsafe family situations. Their safety and dignity matter more than photographs, social-media posts, or a compelling trip story.
Every leader should communicate these rules
- Do not post identifiable children's faces online.
- Do not use children's real names in public posts or stories.
- Do not share a child's history, diagnosis, family circumstances, or private information.
- Ask Door of Faith before publishing a story involving a child.
Final details
Some information belongs in direct communication, not on a public website
Your host will provide the final route, arrival contact, emergency information, roster process, passport-copy method, project details, and other trip-specific instructions after dates and lodging are confirmed.
Before departure
- Reconfirm arrival time and host contact.
- Reconfirm lodging, group count, and meal plan.
- Confirm project scope, materials, and payments.
- Allow substantial margin for the northbound border crossing.
- Do not send passports or medical records through the public contact form.
Start a conversation
Tell us about your group
Share the basics. Door of Faith will help determine what dates, lodging, and service opportunities may fit.
Helpful details
- Church, school, family, or organization
- Estimated group size and ages
- Day visit or overnight stay
- Possible dates
- Skills and service interests