Short Term Missions Trip Guidelines for San Jose, Costa Rica (Updated July 2018) We are so excited that you will be coming to San Jose, Costa Rica 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. PREPARATION: 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.
We are reminded 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. TEAM ROSTER: 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. AIRLINE ITINERARY: 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 San Jose International airport (Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaria) SJO. Some helpful travel information: Arrival Procedure: Prior to landing at SJO please fill out the forms you are given on the airplane. When your plane arrives, simply de-board and follow the crowd to Immigration. There you will go through a receiving cubicle one at a time where an immigration officer will stamp and date your passport. There is no charge to enter the country on a tourist visa which you will obtain from the immigration official.
After completing Immigration, you will proceed to Customs where you will retrieve your suitcases and again be reviewed. Exchanging money: Please exchange some of your USD personal money into Costa Rican Colones INSIDE the airport. They have very fair and legal exchange booth inside. We recommend you exchange enough to get you through the weekend, at least. Then on Monday, you can exchange more for the week at the bank in the mall. When you go to the bank at the mall to exchange more money, please take your Passport with you, it is required to exchange any money. Forewarning: Please do not bring any fresh food, fruit, plant, or vegetable item into the country. They have very strict customs laws in Costa Rica prohibiting the entrance of these items. Packaged processed snack food is permitted. As you go through customs, you will be required to put your suitcase through an x-ray machine which will detect any fresh food, fruit, plant or vegetable item. If you are carrying any, you will be asked to toss it into the trash. Once you complete both Immigration and Customs, you will be free to exit the airport. You will exit onto a sidewalk which passes in front of the street that gives main access to the entire airport. Wait right at this sidewalk exit area. This is where you will be met by one or both pastors who have arranged your transportation to the hotel. Once you arrive at the hotel, check in with your passport and give your credit card. The two following pictures are of the pastors and their families, for your recognition purposes. Rodolfo and Rocio Avendano are on the left and to the right is Edwin, Veronica, Edwin Jr and Matias Bejarano. 3. HOTEL: Regarding the hotel, you will be staying at the following hotel: Hotel Colaye San Jose located in the Sabana Sur neighborhood of San Jose Costa Rica. It is also known as the KC Hotel San Jose. Their phone number is 011-506-2519-4100. Their fax number is 011-506-2231-2223. Their web site is: http://www.kcsanjose.com/
We encourage you to read about the hotel and discover all its amenities. The rooms start at a price of about $72 per night for a double. The price you pay for your room will depend upon what room you choose and how many people share that room. Hotel tax in Costa Rica is 18%. A very nice buffet breakfast is included in your hotel price. IMPORTANT: Every team leader will arrange for and manage their own team s hotel reservations. Please use one of the popular hotel booking websites such as booking.com, expedia.com, priceline.com or hotels.com, to make your arrangements for your team. This is the most economical and flexible way to make your arrangements. These websites offer lower prices, no booking fees, no cancelation fees, and if you happen to use reward points they will work for your advantage in that area too. These reservations MUST BE MADE by you at least 4 months prior to your trip. Costa Rica is a very popular tourist destination and the hotel fills very quickly especially during the summer months. Again, the name of the hotel is KC Hotel San Jose Costa Rica. Their address is Calle Morenos, Sabana Sur 100m West 175m South From la Contraloria, Sabana Sur, San Jose, Costa Rica Feel free to look them up on Trip Advisor to read the reviews and gain more insight into where you will be staying. The hotel accepts VISA and MasterCard as forms of payment (as do most merchants in San Jose Costa Rica). Be sure to call your credit card company prior to your trip to advise them you will be traveling to Costa Rica 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. The hotel is located about 20 minutes from the airport. As mentioned above, Airport transportation will be arranged by our Vida Nueva San Jose Pastor and Associate Pastor. You will be picked up by the pastors in San Jose Costa Rica and transported to the hotel. 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 $275.00 per person. Please carry this money to Managua in cash US Dollars ($20, $10 and $5 bills only please, all in pristine condition) and turn it in during the initial orientation meeting. Each team member s fee should be placed in a sealed envelope with that team member s name written on the outside. The Logistical Fee will help cover all costs related to the outreach week. This includes Gospel tracts, Bible literature, evangelistic stickers, vehicles, fuel, transportation, drivers, translators, permissions, fees, flyers, follow up name cards, family festivals, and much more. For clarification, if your team is of 10 people, you will bring a total of $2,750.00 to cover the cost of logistics for your team. 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 desired We would also ask that each team member please 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), something like you might give out at Halloween. This candy will also be collected at orientation along with the $275.00 per person. This will be used in conjunction with all outreach related to children and youth.
6. Recommended Vaccines: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/costa-rica 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 Costa Rica for more helpful travel information https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/international- Travel-Country-Information-Pages/CostaRica.html 7. Clothing and Dress code: Regarding dress and clothing we recommend comfortable clothes for spring like weather and a light jacket to wear in the evenings. The weather in San Jose is Spring like all year around. Men must wear pants; no suits, jackets or ties are necessary for the men 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 their midsection. Also please no t-shirts that have offensive sayings or graphics. Please use a weather website of your choice to find out specific climate information for your trip dates. Here is a good sample budget for your trip ($1,625.00 is a good average cost): Airfare (highly variable, $500-$1,000, a good average is $750.00) Hotel: $350.00 per person (double occupancy) Lunches and dinners, water bottles: $175.00 ($25.00 per day) Logistical fee: $275.00 per person Exit tax: $29.00 Optional costs: $50.00: souvenirs, medical expenses if you were to get sick, an offering you might give at church, phone calls etc. 8. A team Orientation Meeting: Once all the mission trip members have arrived in San Jose, an Orientation meeting will be held. This will either take place sometime Saturday later in the afternoon or evening or on Sunday Morning. It could take place at the hotel or at church depending upon the time and day. You will receive both the time and place for this meeting prior to your trip down so you will know what to expect. Please bring your $275 USD cash per person as well as the 5 LB bag of candy with you to this meeting, both will be collected by the person who leads the orientation meeting. The orientation meeting will be a great opportunity to learn more about your week in Costa Rica and also a good opportunity to ask any questions you might have. 9. A team Devotional meeting will be held every morning Monday thru Friday about an hour before the scheduled departure time from the hotel. The purpose of the meeting will be to share a Bible teaching and team time together. The team devotional time will be held in a meeting room located inside the hotel. Once in San Jose we will make the time and place for the devotional clear.
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 week 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 outreach What does the Basic Schedule for the weekday look like? 8-9AM Devotional meeting 9AM Depart Hotel for morning outreach 12:30PM Lunch break at mall followed by a return to the hotel 3PM Depart Hotel for afternoon outreach activity 8PM Return to hotel for dinner and a good night s rest PLEASE BE VERY PROMPT TO ALL TIMES LISTED ON THE OFFICIAL SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK WHICH YOU WILL RECEIVE.
Also, team leaders, when you board the bus or van for transportation to the ministry activities, please count your people every time. 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 San Jose? In the mornings you will share in the classrooms of different schools. Typically starting with an ice breaker, then give a Values lesson using a Bible story (honesty, diligence, purity, respect, kindness, forgiveness, stop the violence, bullying.) followed by a small group discussion on the topic and a short presentation of the Gospel. In the evenings you will do Family Festivals in neighborhoods. First the team will go door to door throughout the entire neighborhood inviting all the people while also sharing the gospel. Everyone will be invited to a central location, usually the community park, where there will be a very large inflatable for the children, also games and prizes for the children, refreshments, music, a gospel drama and a short-preached gospel message. The idea is to share the gospel one on one with as many people as possible during the entirety of the event. In some neighborhoods we add a Pet Show to the Festival. The community is invited to bring out their pets and have them compete in a fun Show where they can win prizes in up to 5 categories. What is the best way to prepare children and/or preteens for ministry and evangelism: The best way to prepare children 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 schools and at the Family Festivals. What are some additional tools a 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 most important thing every team member can do to be prepared for this trip? Be willing and able to confidently share the gospel with boldness and lead a person to Christ.
What are the instructions regarding currency exchange? Upon arrival, exchange enough USD into Costa Rican Colones 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 Costa Rican Colones 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. 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 Costa Rica 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? Just as the pastors provided pick up transportation, they will also provide return transportation. Be sure they have your correct departure information and that they know what time you need to be picked up at the hotel and taken to the airport. Please be sure you arrange to be at the airport at least 2 hours prior to our departure. Are there any aspects of the Costa Rica Culture that will naturally provide opportunities to build bridges for sharing the gospel? YES! The people of CR love to talk and engage in conversation The people of CR are, in general, very friendly to foreigners and tourists The people of CR are generally receptive to the gospel and the Word of God in general. They hold God and Jesus in a high position even if they are not saved. Are there any aspects of the culture that may cause a barrier for the Gospel? YES! Since San Jose 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. Catholicism and a Good Works mentality is another very serious barrier. What is the San Jose Church information? Please use the following link to learn everything you can about Vida Nueva San Jose Costa Rica and its pastors Rodolfo Avendano and Edwin Bejarano. http://www.goodnewsinaction.org/san-jose/
Vida Nueva San Jose Costa Rica is located at the following address (addresses in Latin America are written very different than what you are used to): the following photo is from the inside of the church during a recent Sunday Service Address of Vida Nueva San Jose: San José, Desamparados, frente a los cajeros del Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) de Plazoleta en San Antonio desamparados, portón de verjas verdes. OR Del puente de la Cruz Roja de desamparados, 175 metros al Este hasta llegar a los cajeros del BCR de Plazoleta en San Antonio, Desamparados. Church services are on Sunday mornings at 10:00am, dress for church is casual and conservative. Please see their Facebook page for more information and photos: https://www.facebook.com/vidanuevasanjose/ 13. Contact numbers: Steve Kern s home phone El Salvador 011-503-2246-4757 Steve s Cell phone El Salvador 011-503-7605-4531 Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva, El Salvador 011-503-2522-8100 Steve Kern Home Broad Band Internet phone with USA area code 205-683-4033 E-mail: goodnewsinactionelsalvador@gmail.com or steven_kern@hotmail.com Pastor Rodolfo Avendaño 011-506-7281-9652 cell, 011-506-2259-2974 home (Spanish only) Pastor Edwin Bejarano 011-506-8763-6757 Other helpful information: San Jose Costa Rica is located at an altitude of 3,772 feet above sea level; this altitude is what gives it eternal spring weather year around. The weather is mild. The daytime temperature is usually in the 70 s to 80 s and at night it gets into the 50 s to 60 s depending upon the time of year. Rain is very common from April to November. May is their warmest month, February is their coolest month and September is their rainiest month.
The currency in Costa Rica is the Colon. The exchange rate fluctuates daily. Inflation is high, the exchange rate is usually around 500 Costa Rican Colones for a US Dollar. Some businesses accept US dollars, but many won t so it usually is important to exchange at least some of your dollars into Colones. Be sure all USD bills you bring are in pristine condition, they will not accept any bills that are torn, or damaged or stained in any way. We are looking forward to seeing you on a future trip to San Jose, Costa Rica. May God Bless you! If you have any questions, please feel free to write us at goodnewsinactionelsalvador@gmail.com