TOCOA ORPHANAGE, HONDURAS MISSION TRIP 2017 August 4 th August 13 th INITIAL INFORMATION

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1 TOCOA ORPHANAGE, HONDURAS MISSION TRIP 2017 August 4 th August 13 th INITIAL INFORMATION This is a mission trip for teens and adults. We will serve at the Open Door Ministries Orphanage in a variety of capacities: construction and repair work, as well as ministering to and building relationships with the children. Teens must be going into the ninth grade to attend this trip unless attending with a parent. Team selection will be made in consultation with Pastor Jim and the Mission Planning Task Force. Team members do not need to have construction background, but should be ready to work hard and to show love to people! We will carry all the donations we can. The last couple of days of our trip will be spent in recreation and rest. Applications and initial deposit ($250.00) are due February 28 th, We expect the cost of the trip to be $1,450. These monies cover air travel, daily expenses, travel health insurance, and travel taxes. This cost assumes the Guys will be sleeping on the Church floor (Church has 2 bathrooms with showers). Ladies will have to share two apartments. Pictures of apartments are available If you have any questions, contact Brad Gruber at or via at bradagruber@gmail.com

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3 OPEN DOOR MINISTRIES Open Door Ministries runs the only orphanage in northern Honduras, a home for pregnant teens, and a feeding station for the local children in the city of Tocoa. Barry and Penny Compton, from Kissimmee, Florida, founded and run the ministry. They are in the process of expanding the orphanage and building a multilevel home to house more children. The mission team will help with construction and repair projects, teach Bible lessons and do arts and crafts with the children, and help with the soup kitchen. We want to provide material help but we also want to build lasting relationships with our Honduran brothers and sisters. There are lots of opportunities to serve. If you are a hard worker and love people there is a place for you on the mission team! For more information on Open Door Ministries, visit their website: HONDURAS Honduras is a republic in Central America. It borders Guatemala and El Salvador on the west and Nicaragua on the south. It has both a Caribbean and Pacific coast. Tegucigalpa is the capital city. The economy of Honduras is based on agriculture and is one of the least developed in Central America. Honduras is almost wholly mountainous with narrow coastal plains. Two major mountain ranges running east to west divide Honduras into halves. About 70% of the population lives in the mountain valleys. Because of its elevation, much of Honduras has a temperate climate with a mean annual temperature ranging from 66 degrees to 82 degrees. Along the tropical north coast, the average temperatures rise to between 79 and 82 degrees. The Honduran population is composed of mestizos (people of mixed European and Indian descent: 90%), Indians (7%), blacks (2%), and whites (1%). There are also large numbers of refugees from neighboring countries. Spanish is the official language, but some English is used commercially. The predominant religion is Roman Catholicism. Medical facilities and personnel are in short supply in most rural areas. American banana companies established plantations on the north coast of Honduras during the late 19 th century. Honduras was the world s leading source of bananas until the 1950s. Food processing, lumbering, and the production of chemicals, clothing, and cement are the main industrial activities in Honduras. The lumber industry is expanding and sawmills constitute the largest single type of factories. Bananas, lumber, coffee, and meat are the main exports from the country. Some history: Honduras was once part of the Mayan empire, which flourished from about AD 250 to 950. Ruins of this highly advanced ancient civilization can still be seen at Copan. Christopher Columbus reached the Honduran coast in 1502, and the area was later explored by Hernando Cortes. The Spanish settled southern Honduras in 1524, but the Indians on the north coast remained practically untouched by European influences, except for periods of British control, until the banana companies arrived. Throughout the colonial period Honduras was part of the

4 captaincy-general of Guatemala. Honduras declared independence from Spain in 1821 and joined other former Central American colonies to form the Central American Federation. This federation dissolved in 1838 and Honduras became an autonomous state. PASSPORT AND MEDICAL INFORMATION EVERY TEAM MEMBER WILL NEED A VALID PASSPORT. To obtain a passport, you will need to fill in a passport book application form and bring it to a local passport agency (the Fredonia and Dunkirk Post Offices are passport agencies, as are most other post offices). You also will need to bring the following items: 1) Proof of U.S. citizenship (i.e., birth certificate); 2) Proof of identity (i.e., current, valid driver s license, government or military ID); 3) Two Passport Photos (Passport Photo service is available at Wal-Mart); 4) Payment: a check or money order (total fees for passport applicants age 16 and over are $135.00). After presenting all these documents at the local passport agency, you will be asked for your social security number and you will be required to sign the passport application in the presence of the Passport Acceptance Agent. Information about applying for a passport, along with the necessary forms can be found at: NOTE: there are additional requirements for minors under age 16 years and for minors age 16 and 17. Please see english/passports/under-16.html and passports/16-and-17.html for more information. PASSPORT PROCESSING TIMES AVERAGE BETWEEN 4-6 WEEKS. PLEASE BEGIN THE APPLICATION PROCESS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ENTER HONDURAS WITHOUT A VALID PASSPORT! Please make a copy of your passport application before sending it in. MEDICAL INFORMATION: The Center for Disease Control recommends that travelers update their routine immunizations before traveling to Honduras. The CDC recommends that travelers visit their health care provider at least 4-6 weeks before the trip to allow time for any necessary vaccinations to take effect and to start taking medication to prevent malaria. For further information see

5 10 FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ZIKA VIRUS By Margaret Cohen, Senior Manager Online Fundraising and Engagement, PSI You ve probably heard about Zika virus. But what is it exactly? Who is at risk? And what can you do to help? PSI has extensive experience helping families in the developing world overcome their most pressing health challenges. Here is what we know about Zika virus and how you can help. 1. The Zika virus is carried by mosquitoes and people. Typically, mosquitoes spread the virus. But there is evidence the virus may be sexually transmitted from someone who has been infected to his sexual partner. 2. The mosquitoes that carry Zika are active during the daytime, so malaria-fighting bed nets are not effective in stopping infection. Reducing breeding sites and using insecticides are currently two of the most effective ways to prevent the disease. 3. Symptoms of Zika virus infection are usually mild, typically begin a few days after being bitten, and usually finish in 2 to 7 days. Eighty percent of people who become infected never have symptoms. In those who do, the most common are fever, rash and conjunctivitis. 4. U.S. travelers are bringing the virus back with them. These imported cases happen when a person is infected elsewhere and then visits or returns to the United States. 5. There s no vaccine to protect against the Zika virus, but researchers are working on one. Once a person becomes infected with the virus they usually develop immunity to future infections. 6. Researchers are studying the potential link between the Zika virus in pregnant women and microcephaly in their babies. Microcephaly is a birth defect that impairs brain development and can cause mild to severe cognitive delays, learning disabilities and impaired motor functions. The condition is marked by an abnormally small head. 7. Until a link is confirmed, it is crucial that women who are pregnant strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites. 8. The CDC recommends that pregnant women in any trimester consider postponing travel to the areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. The most recent travel advisories can be found on their website. 9. Several Latin American countries have urged women not to get pregnant for up to two years, in an attempt to avoid birth defects believed to be caused by Zika. However, no government has announced plans to increase access or remove barriers to contraception. 10. PSI is already working in affected areas including El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. We are supporting national responses led by the Ministries of Health. And we will continue helping men and women access contraception so that they can make their own decision about when and whether to become pregnant.

6 HONDURAS 2017 PAYMENT SCHEDULE Total Due Balance Due $1,450 $1,450 February 28 (with application) $250 $1,200 March 31st $300* $900 April 30 $300* $600 May31 $300* $300 July 12 $300* Paid Important Note: The $1,450 cost assumes that we will sleep on mattresses on the floor or bunk beds on the orphanage grounds. *Part of the faith building experience of a mission trip comes through trusting God to provide the necessary funds. If you are interested in the trip but don t know where the money will come from please consider talking with one of the pastors.

7 Harvest Chapel Free Methodist Church 39 Matteson Street Fredonia, NY Open Door Ministries, Tocoa, Honduras 2017 Team Member Application Thank you for your interest in being a member of the Youth/Adult Missions Trip we are planning to send out this summer. Please complete all of this application and return it to the church office by February 29th. If you have any questions about the trip or this application form, please feel free to call Brad Gruber at or bradagruber@gmail.com Personal Name Date of Birth Address City State Zip Code Telephone _( ) General: These questions are designed to help us prepare the team for the experience. Please describe your relationship with Christ. Have you received Jesus as you savior? When? State briefly why you want to be a member of the Mission Team. Do you believe that God is asking you to do this? List your areas of current and/or past involvement in the ministries of your local church.

8 Cross cultural considerations: Are you willing to when in Rome do as the Romans? For example, Would you dress like them and wear pants or skirts in spite of hot weather? Are you a picky eater? Would you be willing to eat new foods without complaint so as to not offend our hosts? yes with delight, or I ll try my gut level best or no way What cultural adaptations do you think would be the hardest for you? Team Considerations Do you have any habits or addictions that might impact the team or your effectiveness as a representative of Christ. (snoring doesn t count ) Yes No Are you coming with a spouse, fiancé or boyfriend or girlfriend? Yes No What gifts or abilities do you possess which you feel will benefit the team s ministry (foreign language/construction skill/medical, etc.?) Are you willing to work hard? Yes No How are you at following an order that you might not understand the reasons for? Please give one personal reference (Name, address & phone number). If you have any limitations we should be aware of, please share them here (allergies, etc.). A refundable $250 deposit is due with this application.