Preparing and Orienting
Your Mission Team…

This page links you to all kinds of information on how to prepare to travel to Honduras as an UMVIM team.  Physical preparations are covered, like passports and packing, but also how you might prepare mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for the trip. 

We strongly urge your team to have at least one orientation meeting or retreat.  The more prepared your mission team is as a whole, and the more your team members feel connected to each other before arriving in Honduras, the richer your total experience will be. So, please consider planning several pre-trip sessions for your team, to both review the following information and to share of yourself.

 Resources:
·         First, make use of this list of some Resources for Mission Teams. 

Nuts and Bolts:
·         Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - including Team Size Maximums.
·         Getting started: Choosing Dates and Worksite Assignment.
·         Help with Deciding Length of Your Mission Trip.
·         Index of Ministry Sites (each site has a Mission Team Information page).
·         Information on Immunizations, and Tips on Staying Healthy in Honduras.
·         A list of items Especially for the Team Leader.
·         Every team member should review the Gift-Giving Guidelines.
·         Tips on Cultural Preparation.
·         Review Tips for Living in Honduras.
·         Read more about the common tasks of teams:
                 ê     Construction
                 ê     Bible School
                 ê     Health Care
·         The Suggested Packing List will be helpful as your departure time draws near.
·         Money Matters for UMVIM teams.
·         Information on the Climate of Honduras.
·         Information on Sight-Seeing in Honduras at the end of a team's trip.
·         Advice for mission teams on Security.
·         Converting Dollars into Lempira—rates, charts, etc.

Spanish!  ¡Español!
·         Print and study useful Spanish Words and Phrases.  Many volunteers have commented on how
       beneficial it was to have some Spanish words ready, and how pleased their hosts were to hear
        the effort they made.

For Reflection and Study:
·         The Journey of Enrique.  If the UMVIM coordinators in Honduras could, they would require that
       every team member read this online series.  Migration is a part of the Honduran reality, and this
       Pulitzer prize-winning series offers a migrant’s perspective.
·         Reassessing the Mission Volunteer Movement.  A challenging article about the phenomenon
       of short-term mission teams to Latin America .  Makes for a great discussion in a pre-trip meeting
·         Ministries with Gang Members in Honduras. Click links on the left for all Articles, Photo
       Gallery, etc., having to do with this theme.

 Get To Know Honduras :
·         Read a Brief Introduction to Honduras.
·         See a Map of Honduras.
·         See the Flag of Honduras.
·         Read a General Report on Honduras.
·         Get a Weather Report and Forecast for Honduras.
·         Links to more online Honduras information.