Bajio Christian Mission

Honduras

Work Team Information

About transportation, financial cost (airfare, etc.)

There are four airlines that fly from the US to San Pedro Sula, Honduras (Continental, American, Delta, and TACA). Generally, flight costs vary between $500 and $800 per person for a round trip ticket. Travel agents are very useful when seeking out the best ticket prices. World Missions Tours is one such agency that specializes in travel arrangements for short-term mission teams. This is something that you must do on your end since you will know how many people are flying, where you are flying from, and etc. There is a country exit fee which team members will be expected to pay upon their departure from Honduras. This fee, at last check, was about $35 and it should be paid in American Dollars.

Where will team members stay?

Once you arrive in Honduras, we will be there to pick up your group and take you to your housing arrangements. Make sure the missionary knows the day, hour, carrier, and number of the flight you will be arriving on. Depending on the time of year, teams will stay in the dorms or in the administrative house. We have separate housing arrangements for men and women.

What other expenses might be incurred?

Food can be worked out in many ways, but it is another expense to be considered. We ask that teams plan on bringing $20 per day, per person. This provides funds for eating at the institute for all meals and also leaves enough funds for the team to enjoy a couple meals out somewhere. We encourage teams to bring snack foods such as pop tarts, candy bars, nuts, etc.

If your mission team is providing funds for the building project, those funds should be forwarded to the forwarding agent in advance so that materials can be purchased and ready for the mission team when they arrive. We generally ask work teams to bring $100 per person for the sake of purchasing the building supplies. Some tools are best bought in the United States and then carried down here as tools are very expensive. What tools you need to bring will depend upon exactly what you will be doing and what the missionary has available for use. This should be worked out with the missionary closer to the time of your planned trip.

We require each team member to carry traveler's insurance. In case of an accident, the medical expenses would be covered. In extreme cases, this insurance may provide air lifting to the U.S. See the link above for possible insurance companies.

Usually, work teams have a day off where they are taken to one of many interesting and fun tourist spots. The cheapest of these would be a trip to the beach at Tela (Caribbean Ocean). Other spots include a waterfall for $7 per person, or the Mayan Ruins at Copan, at a cost of $25-$35 per person.

Time will be afforded for team members to shop at a tourist market where souvenirs can be purchased. Other popular stores include a silver store and a hand crafted wood store. It is completely up to the team members to determine how much they want to spend on tourist items and to bring those funds with them. It is recommended that you bring the new, crisp, and untorn US money as the banks here do not like to accept marked or torn bills. The tourist market will accept US dollars, however, the grocery store, or any other type of store will only accept lempiras. We will be able to help you with lempira exchange once you are down here. Travelers checks are also not recommended as they are extremely difficult to cash.

What do team members need?

Each mission team member is required to have a Passport. No special visa is necessary. Passports can usually be obtained within three months of application, however there are times when it can take longer. For an extra fee, passports can be rushed and delivered within 30 days. Applications for passports can be obtained through most post offices. We recommend calling your local post office to inquire about current requirements. The cost is about $90.

Shots for Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B are recommended but are not required for entrance. It is also recommended that a visitor take medication for Malaria. However, this is also not a requirement.

What should team members bring?

Mission team members should bring their own toiletries (soap, shampoo, wash rag, towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.) We will provide pillows, sheets and blankets for everyone on the work team (if desired).

The following is a brief and probably inadequate checklist:

- Passport

- Bible

- Journal for quiet times and etc.

- Clothing (be sure to pack a change in your carry-on in case your luggage is lost.)

- 100% cotton long sleeve shirts (preferably a light color) - This is only a suggestion to prevent burning. T-shirts are okay if you have a good sunscreen.

- Long pants are preferable

- Swimming clothes (no two piece bikinis or short shorts)

- Work shoes and beach shoes (if you like)

- Church attire is casual

- Airplane ticket

- Special medications

- Working flashlight

- Camera and film / memory card and batteries

- Video camera (if you have one and would like video)

- Insect repellent with DEET

- SPF 45 sunscreen is strongly recommended

- Towel and toiletry items

- Pictures from home (to help with homesickness and because everyone loves to look at pictures)

- A hair dryer (if you really want to use one)

Other recommendations

It is good to start team meetings about four months in advance so that those people who are new to the idea of traveling outside the country can have time to secure a passport. The passport should be priority number one on everyone's checklist because the airline will need the name of the travelers as they appear on the passport to print onto the tickets. Starting early also insures that the group will gel together as a team and will have an opportunity to pray together about the experiences that they will soon face.

In preparing the menus, we would like for you to let us know in advance of any special dietary needs or allergies of anyone in the group. We also recommend that one person be assigned each day to help prepare meals.

Traveling in any foreign country has its dangers. Honduras is no different. Because of the deteriorating economy, crime is on the rise. Rest assured that we, as your hosts, will take every precaution to insure the safety of our guests. Also, you should be prepared for some rough roads and driving styles that are very different than what is in the US.