Short Term Missions Trip Guidelines for Bogota, Colombia (Updated July 2018) We are so excited that you will be coming to Bogota Colombia to help us share the gospel and reach souls for Christ. We trust that this Guidelines sheet will answer all your questions and help you to be best prepared for your trip. The foremost and priority thing you can do prior to your trip is to get prepared spiritually and academically. To be best prepared, Good News in Action requires that you (and the team you are bringing, if that is your case) receive the training course provided by the study guide for Evangelism titled Share Jesus Without Fear written by William Fay and Ralph Hodge. This is a self-guided study that can be done individually or as a group. The book is very inexpensive and can be easily purchased through Amazon, Lifeway, Christianbooks.com, and Barnes and Nobles. We ask that the leader of the team, as well as every team member, successfully complete the entire course found in this book prior to their trip. The book consists of 4 group sessions that should be led by the leader of the team, meeting weekly with the entire team, interspersed with 3 weeks of individual daily devotional work and Bible verse memorization. At the end of the book there is a section where 36 of the most common objections to the gospel are addressed. The book presents the importance of first cultivating a heart that is willing and able to share the gospel, followed by a very simple and relational approach to witnessing that emphasizes the dependence on God s Word and His Power for the results. You will learn how to navigate through a gospel conversation that is very user, as well as receiver, friendly. Hopefully you will find that this resource not only will better prepare you for your mission trip but will also help you to share the gospel without fear at home as God gives you opportunity. The book is also available in Spanish in the event you have team members that are fluent in Spanish and would like to prepare themselves in Spanish, since they will be sharing the gospel in Spanish during the trip. The book in Spanish is titled Testifique De Cristo Sin Temor and is also available at the same locations as mentioned above for the English version. Leaders and Team Members, PLEASE take the time to go through this study, make it a priority before your trip. Be accountable to each other for the daily devotionals, memorize the scriptures, do the daily work. Commit yourself to Sharing Jesus Without Fear at every opportunity God gives you. Please understand that this is a requirement to participate in any Good News in Action mission trip to any destination. In advance we thank you for taking the time to prepare yourself and your team for this very important mission trip. The Expansion of God s Kingdom and the Transformation of Lives depend in part upon your ability to share the gospel effectively. Let s be prepared to do our part to make sure a person understands God s Plan and take away the enemy s power to snatch away that which was sown in a person s heart. For those who have already done this study, we request that it be repeated yearly to keep the verses and ideas fresh in one s head and heart.
Remember what Matthew 13:19 says, When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. Please note that a CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION (this includes all Bible Memorization) will be made available to every team leader who requests it, whose team successfully completes this 3-week course. And for those who do not successfully complete it prior to their trip, they will be required to do so at the beginning of their time on the field. Now for some important logistics: 1. Please prepare and send your TEAM ROSTER to goodnewsinactionelsalvador@gmail.com at least 8 weeks prior to the trip. Please include all the following in your roster: The full legal name for every team member as it appears on their valid US passport. The team members grouped as they desire to stay in the hotel (single, double, triple or quad) The US passport number for each person The gender and age for each person The relationship among roommates as applicable The email address for each team member A short list of past mission s experience for each team member A notation of any special talent(s) a team member might have such as Spanish, Preaching, Music, Paint Board Presentations, Gospel Dramas, Sports, Medical or Working with Children. A notation of any special needs a team member might have such as a handicap or medical concern A list of Prescriptions a team member is taking. The TEAM ROSTER should be written out in an Excel Sheet that will be provided by GNIA. 2. Every team arranges their own airline itinerary and cost. We need the detailed flight information also at that 8-week prior mark for both for arrival and departure. Please also send that to goodnewsinactionelsalvador@gmail.com You will be flying into the El Dorado International Airport, BOG. Some helpful travel information: Arrival Procedure: Prior to landing at BOG please be sure you have filled out your customs form correctly. This is one form per head of household. If you are traveling alone, you must fill one out, if you are traveling with any number of family members with the same last name, you can fill out one form for your family who shares your last name. The customs form asks for the address of where you will be staying. Each head of family or individual should have the name and address of the hotel with them to correctly fill out the form. If you do
not have the address with you, you may be held up at Immigration for an unspecified amount of time until you provide the Hotel Address. Here is the name and address: HOTEL TRYP BOGOTÁ EMBAJADA Avenida Calle 24 No 51 40, Bogotá 111321251 Colombia, Tel.: (57) 1 489 30 00 You will turn in your customs form to the customs officer, just prior to having your luggage x-rayed. Upon arrival, simply de-board your plane and follow the crowd. You will go through both Immigration and Customs. At Immigration, be sure to declare your status as a TOURIST. You will be given a Tourist Visa which will be stamped into your passport. This is very important as the hotel will not charge hotel taxes on the room occupied by a tourist. (Be sure to show this tourist visa page in your passport to the hotel attendant at check in as well as when you pay your hotel bill to receive this free pass from paying hotel taxes.) After you clear Immigration, you must proceed to collect up your suitcases and then clear Customs. Bag tags are checked randomly so please don t lose your bag tag claim that you were given when you checked in at your place of origin with your airline and gave your suitcases. Forewarning: You may not bring any fresh food or produce of any type into Colombia. You may however bring in packaged, processed snacks. As part of clearing customs, your suitcase will be x-rayed, so any fresh food or other non-permitted items will be found and removed. Upon completing the Immigration and Customs process, go out through the only door available for exit. Near this exit you will see some stairs, escalators, and an elevator to go up to the second floor, go upstairs. Walk to DOOR #7. (You will probably see Door #3 when getting upstairs, walk until you see Door #7, it is a bit of a hike). Go thru Door #7 to the outside, you will be at the edge of the street that passes in front of the airport. Cross the street and go out to the Median. This is where you will be picked up. The Median is located in the middle of the traffic lanes. You must go out to the Median at the same level as Door #7 to be picked up. If you are with a large group of people, you can consider sending only a few to the Median and the rest can wait on the sidewalk, as the median is not very wide. You will be picked up by a white shuttle that has the words Wyndam Hotel and Tryp Hotel written on the side of the shuttle. The shuttle runs once per hour on the hour. It arrives on the hour and usually waits about 10 minutes before leaving. Your wait for the shuttle will depend upon the time you arrive at Door #7. If you happen to miss a shuttle, no worries, another one will be along at the top of the next hour. The shuttle will take you directly to the hotel for check in. The hotel is very close to the airport, but depending upon traffic, it could take anywhere from 15-30 minutes to arrive at the hotel.
Airport Transportation Disclaimer: There are rare occasions when a large team could be picked up by rented transportation. If this becomes your case, we will specifically let you know. Once you arrive at the hotel, please check in with your passport and give your credit card. Show your tourist visa to the hotel agent every time you do business with them so that you are exempted from hotel taxes. 3. Your accommodation information is as follows: You will be staying at the Tryp By Wyndham Bogota Embajada Hotel Their website in English is : https://www.tryphotels.com/en/ourhotels/colombia/bogota/tryp-by-wyndham-bogota-embajada-hotel/ Their website in Spanish is : http://www.hoteltrypembajada.com/ The base price for the hotel is currently (June 2018) about $75 per night for a single or double room, about $90 per night for a triple room and $105 per night for a Quad. Suites that accommodate 4 people are also available for about $115 per night. Please note that the hotel prices can vary some as the exchange of USD with Colombian Pesos also fluctuates. The hotel normally charges 18% taxes to the base price, HOWEVER, if you show the hotel agent your passport with the Colombian Tourist Visa, these taxes will be waived at the hotel. The hotel price includes a very nice buffet breakfast every morning and excellent amenities you can read about on their website. Regarding breakfast procedure: You will enter the dining room, you may go find a seat and then go to the buffet without checking in with the breakfast staff. When you finish eating, they will bring you a check which will have a zero balance. Please sign the check and indicate your room number. If roommates and or families do not eat together, each member will need to sign their check. Tipping is optional. Some of the hotel rooms are equipped with mini refrigerators. We will request that the hotel give us as many rooms with mini refrigerators as possible. There is a major grocery store 6 blocks away. If you would like to go shopping there to purchase food items for your room, you will have plenty of time to do that on Sunday afternoon, after lunch, prior to going out to the outreach ministry. There is also a mall within walking distance that you are welcome to visit as you want. You can pay for your hotel by using any major credit card or cash. Your credit card must be equipped with a chip.
Be sure to call your credit card company or bank prior to your trip to advise them you will be traveling to Colombia and to pre-approve charges that you will make. Failure to advise many times results in denied charges due to banks being on high alert to credit card fraud these days. It is important to understand that the hotel gives us very special prices. To get these prices, the hotel requires that we enter into a legal contract with them for your stay. This is a legally binding contract. Cancelations must be done at the very least 48 hours in advance to avoid penalties. If less than 48 hours notice is given and still more than 24 hours the first night s stay can be charged as a penalty. A no show receives the greatest penalty, that being the charge for the room for the entire week. Pastor David Guadron is the one who signs the contract and gives his personal credit card to guarantee the reservation. He is also the one who runs the risk of being charged any penalty for a team member or members who ends up not making the trip. The team member will ultimately be held responsible for this penalty in the event a penalty situation occurs. The hotel has an airport shuttle, wireless internet, cable TV, and laundry services You will be able to eat lunch and dinner at the hotel food court found on the bottom floor or any number of places in walking distance near the hotel, both food court as well as restaurants. 4. Additional costs per person might include: Lunch and Dinner money (We recommend about $20-25 per day per person). Lunch every day will be at a food court and you are welcome to have dinner at the hotel restaurant. Water bottles Souvenirs Medical treatment or Medicine in the event someone gets sick Phone calls to the states An offering for the church on Sunday LOGISTICAL FEE: Every team member helps to cover the cost of the logistics for the week. This is $325.00 per person. This money needs to be carried to Bogota in cash US Dollars and turned in during the initial orientation meeting. Please place $325.00 cash (nothing higher than a $20.00 bill please, and all bills must be in pristine condition, no tears, stains etc, unfortunately they will not accept those bills) into an envelope and write the name of the team member(s) and the team name (usually a church) on the outside of the envelope. (This is used for accounting purposes.) The Logistical Fee will help defray the cost of each team member s gospel tracts, Bible literature, evangelistic stickers, vehicles, gas, transportation, drivers, translators,
permissions, fees and other infrastructure materials like flyers, follow up name cards, follow up activities, items for outreach to children, hotel conference rooms, and all the other logistics that will be needed and used during the mission trip week or are related to the work in Bogota. For clarification, if your team is of 10 people, you will bring a total of $3,250.00 to cover the cost for your team. Also, for clarification, the average ratio of team members to translators is commonly 2 team members to 1 translator. If you need a Contribution Record (Tax Deductible Contribution Statement) for this money, please just ask and it will be provided. 5. Other recommended items to bring on your trip: A Bible or Bilingual New Testament (paperback) pens hand sanitizer and/or wipes a flash light a hat sun block insect repellant pain reliever anti-itch cream Imodium in case of diarrhea Light weight conservative cotton clothing (shorts may not be worn for any ministry activity). A light weight jacket for evenings. Comfortable closed shoes An intestinal infection antibiotic such as Cipro or Bactrim Anti-allergy medication A poncho or umbrella (during the rainy season: May through October trips). Personal medications Conservative swim wear to use at the hotel pool if so desire We would also ask that each team member bring ONE 5 (five) pound bag of their very favorite, fun, colorful, assorted variety, very yummy individually wrapped US candy (Sam s, Costco, Wal-Mart, Target). This candy will also be collected at orientation along with the $325.00 per person. This will be used in conjunction with all ministries to children and youth. We would also ask that each person bring ONE BALL (Soccer or Basketball). You can deflate the ball for easier packing; the ball can be re-inflated once you have arrived in Colombia. The balls will serve as an outreach tool for youth. Please also bring the Ball to the orientation meeting to be collected also at that time. 6. Recommended Vaccines: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/colombia Routine vaccines: MMR, DPT or DT, Chickenpox, Polio and your yearly flu shot.
Typhoid Hepatitis A Please see the State Department Website for Travel to Colombia for more helpful travel information: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/international-travel- Country-Information-Pages/Colombia.html 7. Clothing and Dress Code: Regarding dress and clothing we recommend WARM comfortable clothes and a WARM jacket. The weather in Bogota is cool to cold year around. Men must wear pants. No suits, jackets or ties are necessary for the men for any reason at any time. Ladies may wear pants, capris, skirts or dresses. No shorts are allowed for any ministry activity for men or women but may be used during any down time. Also, ladies must not wear spaghetti strap shirts or blouses that show the midsection. Also please no t-shirts that have offensive sayings or graphics. Please use the weather website of your choice to find out specific climate information for your trip dates. Here is a good sample budget for your trip ($1,775.00 is a good average cost): Airfare (highly variable, $800-$1,000, a good average is $900.00) Hotel: $262.50 per person (Double Occupancy) ($37.50 per night per person X 7 nights) Lunches and dinners, water bottles: $175.00 (~$25.00 per day/7 days) Logistical fee: $325.00 per person 1 Bag of Candy, 1 ball: $20.00 Optional costs: $85.00: souvenirs, medical expenses if you were to get sick, an offering you might give at church on Sunday morning, phone calls, etc. 8. Orientation Meeting: Once all the mission trip team members have arrived, an Orientation meeting will be held. This will either take place on Saturday Afternoon or Sunday Morning. It also could take place at the hotel or at the Vida Nueva Bogota church location. You will receive both the time and location of this meeting prior to your trip so you will know what to expect. Please bring your $325 per person logistical fee, your 5-pound bag of candy per person, and your soccer or basketball to this meeting. It will be collected by the person who leads that meeting. The orientation meeting is a great opportunity to learn more about your week in Bogota and a good opportunity to ask any questions you might have. 9. A team Devotional meeting will be held every morning Monday to Friday about an hour before the scheduled departure from the hotel. The purpose of this meeting will be to share a devotional and team time together. The team devotional time will be held in a meeting room located to the side of the breakfast area, they are very easy to find. If you need any help locating the room, please ask at the front desk. 10. The importance of flexibility: Please emphasize to all your team members the importance of being flexible and to possess a willingness to go with the flow always while on the mission trip. Constant and unexpected change is a common part of the Latin American Culture, without a doubt you will experience this during your mission trip in changes in
times, places, and even activities that will have to be adapted to very quickly. This can sometimes cause stress or frustration especially to a visitor, being highly flexible will help counteract any of those feelings and ensure for a fantastic week. 11. Training: Every team member must take the course Share Jesus Without Fear by William Fay and Ralph Hodge. This book is very inexpensive and can be purchased at any Lifeway store, online at Amazon, through Christian Book Distributors or Barnes and Nobles. We recommend that this study be done as a team about a month before the trip. Ideally, the team would meet for the 4 sessions (once a week), and every individual would do the daily work. The course takes 3 weeks to complete including beginning and final weekends. Consider yearly certifications for those who take the course. Every team member needs to be able to confidently and effectively share the gospel and lead a person to Christ using the technique learned in the book. (The Roman Road, the Gospel Cube, the Gospel bracelet, the LIFE Tract or the Big Question Tract are also valid and effective tools that may be used.) Every team member also needs to be able to communicate basic Christian growth steps to a new believer. Every team member must prepare their personal testimony of coming to Christ. This should be no more than 5 minutes long. Spend ample time in prayer, as a team and individually 12. FAQ s What does the Basic Schedule for the weekend look like? Saturday Arrivals, variable times, getting settled at the hotel, recovering from the trip down, possible orientation meeting, possible outreach on Saturday night Sunday AM church, 10:00 AM to 12 Noon, Sunday afternoon evangelistic outreach What does the Basic Schedule for the weekday look like? 8-9AM Devotional meeting 9AM Depart Hotel for morning outreach activity 12:30PM Return to hotel for lunch 3PM Depart Hotel for afternoon outreach activity 7:30-8PM Return to hotel for dinner and a goodnight s rest (times are subject to change as distances from the hotel change for certain outreach activities) PLEASE BE VERY PROMPT TO ALL TIMES LISTED ON THE SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK. Also, team leaders, please count your people every time you board the bus as this will help us to depart on time. We will always ask if all your team members are present, it is very helpful if you are able to answer that question quickly.
What kind of ministry will we be doing with Vida Nueva Bogota? The most common types of ministry you will be doing might include: One on One morning evangelism at a very wide and long pedestrian walkway called Seventh Avenue. Outdoor Afternoon and Evening Family Festivals in a variety of neighborhoods, sharing the gospel with all those who attend is key Soccer Clinic and/or tournament Outreach which leads to sharing the Gospel with all the players as well as other who attend Small town visit that might include a Value talk with Students that ends in sharing the Gospel Outdoor Evangelistic Puppet Shows for families to break the ice to share the gospel with those in attendance A visit to an orphanage. How can I best prepare my children and/or preteens for ministry and evangelism? The best way to prepare children and/or preteans for evangelism is through the use of visual aids such as the gospel bracelet with the yellow, black, red, white, and green beads, the wordless book, or something like the Evangi-cube. Teach them the basics and encourage them to share the gospel with children their age. There will be many children to reach in both the morning and afternoon activities. What additional tools a could team member could bring to help break the ice and share the gospel with more people? (not obligatory, just ideas in the event the team was interested) More Candy or Snack Packs Soccer or Basketballs Gospel bracelets (colored beads or colored strands) Fluorescent bracelets Basic Hygiene kits to give away Basic School supply kits to give away What is the number ONE expectation of a mission team going to serve in Bogota? That they are willing and ready to share the gospel with everyone they meet with boldness. What are the instructions regarding currency exchange? Upon arrival, exchange enough USD into Colombian Pesos at the airport, inside the baggage claim area, do not exchange money outside the airport, you will be ripped off, only exchange inside the baggage claim area. The exchange rates inside the baggage claim area are excellent and usually nearly the same as in any bank or exchange house. Then on Monday, exchange more USD to Colombian Pesos to get you through the week. You will want to do this second exchange either at a bank or a money changing store within the local mall. Take your physical passport with you when you go change money. They will not exchange even $5 without your passport. You will want to exchange your money for all expenses you desire to pay cash for, typically merchants do not accept USD. You can also use any major debit or
credit cards for your food purchases if you desire. Be sure your card is equipped with a chip and that you have advised your company or bank that you will be traveling to Colombia so they will approve your charges and not suspect them to being fraudulent. Be sure all your USD bills are in pristine condition. They will not accept bills that are overly used, stained, or torn in any way. I was once asked if it was recommendable to use ATM machines to get Colombian Pesos. The use of ATM machines is not advisable. Cards used at ATM machines easily fall prey to Fraud. At the end of my trip, how will I get back to the airport? The hotel shuttle will be your hotel to airport transportation when you depart. Be sure to coordinate your shuttle ride back to the airport with the front desk attendant at the hotel. You need to be at the airport at least 2 hours prior to your scheduled departure, so please schedule your shuttle accordingly. If a large group of people all depart at the same time, it might be necessary to schedule more than one shuttle with the hotel front desk staff. Some team members might also need to be willing to take an earlier shuttle so that everyone makes it to the airport within the recommended amount of time. Are there any aspects of the Bogota Culture that will naturally provide opportunities to build bridges for sharing the gospel? YES! The people of Bogota love to talk and engage in conversation The people of Bogota appreciate literature and art, so the Bible is very appealing to them The people of Bogota, in the majority, desire to know God The people of Bogota are, in general, very friendly to foreigners and tourists The people of Bogota are, in general, avid Soccer fans and strongly support the Colombian national team on the world scale, so any conversation or activity that would include this topic is an excellent bridge. Are there any aspects of the culture that may cause a barrier for the Gospel? YES! Since Bogota is a very large city, everyone is constantly on the rapid move and lives a stressful life, it is a challenge to get them to stop and really consider the depth and breadth of the gospel. Boldness is necessary to be successful. The larger Evangelical churches in Colombia are churches that preach bad doctrine and have caused epidemic damage and disgrace to the church. For this reason, many people will turn down an invitation to a church. For this reason, our invitation is always to Study the Bible. This invitation usually yields good results. The ambient temperature in the evenings and at night is cold, cold enough that people do not like to come out of their homes and come to the park after 6 PM. For this reason, the most valuable time to seek out people to share the gospel is before the sun goes down. What are the most common struggles teammates might face in a mission trip to Bogota?
The altitude in Bogota is over 8,500 feet. This might cause some respiratory or oxygenation difficulties to some people at the beginning of the week. It is recommended that one eats light the first day and that their physical exertion be done in moderation. Due to Bogota s proximity to the equator, the sun is very strong and burns very easily. One must use abundant Sun Block all week long. The climate in Bogota is very unpredictable, it can be cold, warm, or rainy. Always come prepared, especially for rain with an impermeable jacket and/or umbrella. What is the Bogota Church information? Vida Nueva Bogota (Oct 2015 to July 31, 2018) meets at the following location: Avenida Boyacá #21-19 Montevideo Plaza, Second and Third Floors. Bogotá, Colombia. The phone number is (57) 320 999 4340. The dress code for church is casual. Church meets every Sunday morning from 10AM to Noon. Effective August 1, 2018, Vida Nueva will be moving to a new location to provide more space for growth. The new address is Calle 12 #68C-24, Bogota, Colombia. We recommend you use the following link to learn everything you can about Vida Nueva Bogota Colombia and its pastors David Guadron and Alex Hernandez. http://www.goodnewsinaction.org/vida-nueva-bogota-colombia/ Please also see their Facebook page for more information and photos: https://www.facebook.com/vidanuevabogota/ Here is a photo of the Vida Nueva Bogota Pastors and their families: David Guadron and his wife Carolina and children Raul, David JR and Camila are on the left and Alex Hernandez and his wife Norma and daughter Paola are on the right. 13. Contact numbers: Pastor David Guadrόn: +57 320 999 4340, +503 2118 2878 Pastor Alex Hernandez: +57 321 907 0140, +503 2118 2692 Hotel Front Desk: Tel.: (57) 1 489 30 00 Steve Kern in El Salvador (broad band internet phone) 1-205-683-4033
14. Other helpful info: Bogota is the capital city of Colombia, South America. The population is over 8,000,000 people. It is the largest city in Colombia. The elevation of Bogota is over 8,500 feet, if you have any medical or physical concerns related to a high-altitude location please carefully consider whether this trip is a good fit for you or not. Bogota is located on what is called a High Plateau of the Andes Mountains. Please be aware that you might experience some high-altitude sickness symptoms while on your trip. This does not happen to everyone but is always a possibility to take into consideration. Symptoms might include nosebleeds, headaches, dizziness and other altitude related symptoms. It is recommended that all team members bring and use a saline nasal spray several times per day to help with the very dry air also found at that elevation. Also, because of the higher altitude, the sun is particularly intense. We recommend wearing sun block even on cloudy days. The climate is Bogota is classified as Subtropical Highland. The average daily temperature is about 58 degrees F. Fair sky day s temperature can range from 43 to 66 degrees F. Rainy day s temperature can range from 50 to 64 degrees F. The driest months of the year are December, January, July and August. The rainiest months of the year are April, May, September, October, and November. Bring rain gear if you are coming in a rainy month. The warmest month is March, the daily average temperature is 67 degrees F. The coolest nights are in January getting as low as 45 degrees F. Fog is very common in the early morning hour s year around. The currency in Colombia is the Colombian Peso. The exchange rate can fluctuate daily but a good average exchange rate is 3,000 Colombian Pesos per one US Dollar. There are many places to exchange your dollars during your time in Colombia. When taking your dollars to be changed, remember to take your passport, it will be required. No vaccinations are required for visiting Bogota, Colombia. We are looking forward to seeing you soon. May God Bless you as you prepare for your trip! If you have any additional questions, please feel free to write us at goodnewsinactionelsalvador@gmail.com