Short Term Missions Trip Guidelines for San Pedro Sula, Honduras We are so excited that you will be coming to San Pedro Sula, Honduras 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 selfguided 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 (please purchase and use the digital 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. It is very important that to know all we can so that we can facilitate the understanding of the gospel to those we are sharing with. Please note that a CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION (this includes all Bible Memorization) will be extended to every team member who 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 a list of all team members grouped as they desire to stay in the hotel (single or double occupancy). Please specify who the team leader is and provide his or her e- mail address, this will be the person we will stay in communication with prior to the trip. Each team member s name must be complete and as it appears on their passport. In addition to each team member s name, please also include all the following information for each team member: Passport number e-mail address, gender (to help us distinguish names that are gender neutral), age, relationship with their roommate, their past mission experience, and any special talents that may be used on the mission field like speaking Spanish, preaching, music, paint board presentations, sports, medical, or working with youth or children. Please also include any special needs anyone may have, handicaps, medical concerns, Prescriptions they are taking, or any kind of difficulties. Please be sure we have this information at least 8 weeks prior to the trip. This gives us the necessary time to make all the proper arrangements and get guaranteed prices for your accommodations. We need: Rooming specifications, Full Names, e-mail address, gender, age, relationship with roommate, mission experience, special talents, and special needs. 2. Along with your complete roster, 8 weeks prior to the trip, we also need your flight Itinerary AT THAT SAME TIME. The hotel requires this to confirm your reservation defined by your arrival and departure dates. Every team (or individual) arranges for their own airline itinerary and cost. We need the detailed flight information (airline name, flight number, times) both for arrival and departure for all team members at the same time as you turn in your roster. Please arrange to fly into the SAN PEDRO SULA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (SAP) Some helpful travel information:
No special Visa is required for a North American entering Honduras, neither are there any special requirements to enter. When you enter Honduras, and go through immigration be sure to declare your status as a TOURIST. You should not have to pay anything at the airport. When you enter Honduras, you will have to fill out Immigration and Customs forms, they are routine and easy to fill out; you do not need any special information to fill them out. You may not bring any fresh food or produce of any type into Honduras. You may however bring in packaged, processed snacks. Upon arrival, your suitcase will be x-rayed, so any fresh food or other non-permitted items will be found and removed. Bag tags are also checked randomly so please don t lose your bag tag claims that you were given when you checked in with your airline and gave your suitcases. The hotel where you will be staying is about 40 minutes from the airport. Your airport to hotel transportation will be provided by a contracted company. We need: your complete itinerary 3. Arrival Procedure: Upon arrival, simply de-board your plane and follow the crowd. You will go through both Immigration and Customs. Upon completing this process go out through the only door available for exit. Exactly in front of this exit is the pickup area. You will be met by someone who will lead you to your transportation to the hotel. Once you arrive at the hotel, please check in with your passport and give your credit card. 4. Your accommodation information is as follows: You will be staying at the Hotel Casa del Arbol Galerias Please see this web link for a description of the hotel, its amenities, and read the reviews: https://www.tripadvisor.com/hotel_review-g292025-d1235013-reviews- Hotel_Casa_del_Arbol_Galerias-San_Pedro_Sula_Cortes_Department.html The base price for the hotel is about $80.00 for a double occupancy room. The price can vary as the exchange rate fluctuates. A very nice buffet breakfast is included in that price. The hotel additionally charges 18% for taxes. You can pay your hotel either with a credit card or cash upon check in. Be sure to call your credit card company or bank prior to your trip to advise them you will be traveling to Honduras and to pre-approve charges that you will make. Failure to advise many times results in denied charges due to companies and banks being on high alert to credit card fraud these days. It is important to understand that the hotel gives us special accommodations. For this reason, the hotel requires that we enter into a legal contract with them for your stay. This is a legally binding contract that is difficult to modify. Cancelations must be done at the very least 48 hours in advance to avoid penalties. The hotel has wireless internet, cable TV, and laundry services
You will be able to eat at the hotel restaurant or any number of places within walking distance near the hotel, both food court as well as restaurants. It is helpful to exchange your personal U.S. Dollars into Honduran Lempira as soon as possible since merchants do not typically accept U.S. currency. We recommend you change some at the airport. Everyone will additionally need money for their lunches and dinners and any extra costs they might run into like water bottles, souvenirs, medical expenses, an offering you might want to give at church on Sunday morning, or phone calls. Food runs about the same cost in Honduras as it does in the states. A fast food meal is about $7, a restaurant meal can be anywhere between $8.00-$15.00 per meal. Plan on using about $175.00 for food per person for the week. 5. Every team member helps to cover the cost of the logistics for the week. This is $300.00 per person. This money needs to be carried to San Pedro Sula in cash US Dollars and turned in during the initial orientation meeting. Please place $300.00 cash (nothing higher than a $20.00 bill please, and all bills must be in pristine condition, no tears, markings, 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.) This 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 San Pedro Sula. For clarification, if your team is of 10 people, you will bring a total of $3,000.00 to cover the cost for your team. 6. 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 $300.00 per person. This will be used in conjunction with all ministries to children and youth. Here is a good sample budget for your trip ($1,800.00 is a good average cost): Airfare (highly variable, $800-$1,000, a good average is $900.00) Hotel: $330.00 per person (Double Occupancy) Lunches and dinners, water bottles: $175.00 (~$25.00 per day/7 days) Logistical fee: $300.00 per person 1 Bag of Candy: $10.00 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.
7. Orientation Meeting: Once all the mission trip team members have arrived in San Pedro Sula, an Orientation meeting will be held at the hotel. This will either take place on Saturday or Sunday. 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 $300 per person logistical fee and your 5-pound bag of candy per person to this meeting. It will be collected by the person who leads that meeting. 9. Regarding dress and clothing, we recommend lightweight comfortable cotton clothes. The weather in San Pedro Sula is hot (80 s-90 s) and humid (80% plus) year around. May tends to be the hottest month and January the coolest. June through December is the rainy season with the most rainfall between September and October. The wind averages about 6 miles per hour, so there is almost always a slight breeze. No suits, jackets or ties are necessary for the men for any reason. Ladies may wear pants, capris, skirts or dresses. No shorts are allowed at any time for any ministry activity for men or women but may be used during any down time. 10. Please hold periodic meetings with your team members with the goal of spending time in prayer for the trip and to also do training and practicing in personal evangelism. Please take the time (at least 3 weeks prior to your trip) to do, as a team, the entire book, sessions and exercises found in Share Jesus Without Fear written by William Fay and Ralph Hodge. Every team member should have their own personal copy of the book and have successfully completed the book prior to their trip. The books can be purchased through Lifeway, Amazon, Christianbooks.com and even Barnes and Noble. Please be sure every team member can confidently and effectively share the gospel using memorized Bible verses ( So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17). Other good gospel tools like the Big Question tract (found on www.goodnewsinaction.org) or the Roman Road are good, as well as the Evangicube. Please be sure every team member can lead a person to Christ in prayer, counsel them with basic Christian growth follow up for a new believer and address common reasons for not receiving Christ as Savior. Please also be sure each team member can effectively share their personal testimony, their experience in coming to know Christ personally. It is helpful for them to think this through and possibly even have it written prior to the mission trip. **Please also 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 to counter act any of those feelings and ensure a fantastic week. Other helpful information about the city of San Pedro Sula: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/san_pedro_sula
If you happen to arrive in San Pedro Sula prior to the date the ministry outreach begins or stay beyond the date the ministry outreach concludes, you might want to consider seeing some sights. Please use the following link to see suggestions for the top sights around San Pedro Sula. https://www.tripadvisor.com/attractions-g292025-activities- San_Pedro_Sula_Cortes_Department.html If you do desire to do some tourism, you will need to arrange for that on your own. There are many tour companies you can contract independently through Trip Advisor. We are looking forward to seeing you soon. May God Bless you as you prepare for your trip!