Sunday:

Groups and individuals arrive at El Paso International Airport and wait at the Middle Gallery at the front of the airport to be picked up by a member of the Southern Exposure staff. Normally, someone from Southern Exposure’s Casa de Esperanza(House of Hope) will meet the group between 2-3pm and transport them through customs and across the international border in a people mover or van.

After clearing through customs and a short drive later, the group arrives at Southern's Exposure’s local compound where they will stay for the duration of the week. The Casa de Esperanza has two separate bedrooms(one for men and one for women) and two separate bathrooms. There are also showers with hot water(indoor plumbing is a luxury in Juarez) and laundry facilities.

After settling in, the resident leader will soon give an orientation, followed by a trip to a local convenience store which is located one block from the compound. The group's first meal of the week soon follows, which is prepared by the local cooks. Note that everyone is expected to partake of the meals that are made by the cooks. Only vegetarian, vegan and diabetics will be given exceptions. The food is always excellent and will be traditional Mexican cuisine with the head cook, Yolanda, giving it her special touch.

Monday:

Breakfast will be served at 8am in the cafeteria. After eating, the group will immediately leave for the work site. Some sites are within walking distance, but most will require a short drive in the van.

When the group arrives at the work site, the local Mexican crew will already have prepared a foundation for the house and poured a concrete floor. All of the needed building materials should also have been delivered.

Your group leader will soon show the group how to mix mortar, lay blocks and make sure that everyone has a job to do. Sometimes, the future residents of the house will help with the build. The goal for Monday is to build about half of the walls. At about noon, the crew will have a short break for lunch. Depending on the progress of the house, the group will work until around 3-4pm.

After work the crew returns to Casa de Esperanza for the evening meal at 5pm, some camaraderie and perhaps a game of soccer with the local children. This schedule may vary slightly according to weather conditions or other circumstances.

Tuesday:

The goal for Tuesday is to finish all of the walls and if time permits, begin preparation for the next day's work.

Wednesday:

On Wednesday, all of the windows and doors will placed in the house and a concrete form will be poured on top of all of the walls, windows and doors to reinforce the house.

Thursday:

Thursday is dedicated to an immersion tour of the local area. Breakfast will be served at 8am and the tour will begin immediately after. The tour normally includes a middle school and vocational high school, both of which Fr Stan Martinka helped to build. The tour may also include going to a lookout point on top of a mountain and visiting the local office of Southern Exposure and San Alfonso Mission, which in Mexico are called Lince Humanitario.

Lunch is served at the Casa de Esperanza at 12:00. After eating, the tour will resume by going to see Yolanda's home, who is the head cook. Yolanda was one of the first people to receive a home from Southern Exposure. The tour will next go to downtown Juarez to shop at a local market and see an original 350 year old Spanish mission church as well as Juarez's new modern cathedral. The tour will conclude by eating at a local restaurant.

The itinerary for the tour day may change, based upon weather conditions or group input. Other destinations may include a local boarding home for children, a center for empowering women, single mothers and families or service projects.

Friday:

Breakfast will again be served at 8:00 and the group will head to the work site to complete the house. The work site will now look very different since the local crew laid several courses of blocks on top of the crown which was poured on Wednesday. There will also be a crossbeam with a supporting post in the center of the house. The goal on Friday is to nail in place rafters, place plywood on top of the rafters and then nail fascia around the outside of the house. The other major goal is to make the home livable by cleaning the interior and patching any remaining holes in the walls or around the windows and doors.

Saturday:

Breakfast may or may not be served, depending on the time which the group needs to leave Juarez. The resident leader will drive the crew across the border, help them through customs and then drive them to the El Paso International Airport.