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Packing List
The following
cannot be over-emphasized: Pack
as little as you can—less is best. Taking less will avoid your
feeling out-of-place culturally while surrounded by new friends who
have so little. Less
luggage also means more freedom and the ability to take more
supplies and donations.
Please be prepared with all that you need when you arrive.
Don’t ask your hosts to take time to run by the store in
Honduras so that you can buy a personal item.
Pack what you need to
get through one or two days in your carry-on bag, in case your luggage
gets lost. Include
prescription medications, reading glasses, and other essentials.
General items:
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A small Bible and
devotional items to share.
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A journal or notebook
to record in, with pens.
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A wide-mouth water
bottle with lid (for easier filling from a huge jug)
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Insect repellent with
DEET (more than 30% DEET is not needed)
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Sun block
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A hat (with all-around
brim) and one long-sleeve, light-weight shirt for sun protection.
(Don’t count on buying a hat in
Honduras
)
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Compact flashlight with
extra batteries
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Good work shoes
(lace-up tennis shoes or boots) and/or good walking shoes.
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Washcloth & soap.
Towels are needed at some sites—check ministry sites web
pages.
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Travel alarm clock.
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Earplugs can be very
helpful. Nights and early
mornings can be loud, whether it is the snoring of other team members,
dogs barking, roosters, or music from a party close by.
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Pepto-Bismol tablets,
some band-aids, any personal medications in original container,
contact lenses and cleaning solution to last the entire trip.
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A Kleenex travel pack
in your pocket is handy for restrooms without toilet paper.
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Camera and lots of film
(film is expensive in
Honduras
).
Or a dispensable camera.
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Small Spanish-English
dictionary/phrase book, if desired.
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A mini photo album with
pictures of your family. This
is a good way to connect with Honduran friends.
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Extra pair of
prescription glasses, if you can’t get by very well without them.
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A couple zip lock bags,
and a couple garbage bags.
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Some cash for personal
spending money. You
should not need more than $100. Don’t
take travelers checks, as they are not accepted at very many places.
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Your
U.S.
passport in a safe place (many wear
money belts around their waist for this purpose) and 2 complete
photocopies of your passport. One
photocopy goes in a separate place, like your luggage; and the other
photocopy goes to the team leader.
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Light rain jacket
during the rainy season (May-July or Sept-Oct), one sweatshirt during
the cool months (Nov-Jan). (Or
a long underwear shirt.)
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Clothes.
Comfortable, modest work clothes and 1-2 outfits
for church. Many
find that natural fibers are cooler, and synthetics like polyester
& spandex are very hot.
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Shorts
are more common in cities and towns in Honduras than in the rural
areas. In these areas,
longer, modest shorts (down to the knee) are acceptable if they’re
more comfortable in the heat. Shorts
are not appropriate in Subirana, Escuapa, La
Jagua.
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For church, plan on
dressing simply. Simple
skirts and tops for women are common. Hose
and heels are not necessary. Coats
and ties for men are neither common nor necessary.
Short-sleeve collared shirts (knit is fine), for men, and
pants.
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Sleeveless tops are
fine, just no thin or spaghetti straps.
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Scrubs work well for
daily wear at a medical clinic.
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Consider leaving as
many of your personal clothes and shoes as you can in
Honduras
at the end of your mission trip.
Many UMVIMers shop at Goodwill/Salvation Army for the trip with
this in mind! Please
leave any donated clothing (both clean and dirty clothes are welcome)
with the local pastor or UMVIM team coordinators to distribute.
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Items
to pack for the entire team to use:
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One first aid kit for
the entire UMVIM team. (It
would be a welcome donation to the local pastor at the conclusion of
your trip.)
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Mission teams have
found that a canister of Gatorade/Sports Drink in powder form is easy
to carry to Honduras. It
can be mixed with purified water (which is provided), and is valuable
for team members working in the heat.
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Duct tape.
One roll can help in many ways!
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A couple permanent
markers. Lots of uses.
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An entire package of
earplugs to share around the team.
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Check your
Ministry
Site (click on “Mission Teams” on your site’s page) for
other items to bring for the entire team.
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Tips
for packing:
More than one team has
reported that a new airport scanner destroyed their film in a checked
suitcase. Best to carry
cameras and film in your carry-on.
In addition to the
regular identification tags, mark each piece of checked luggage for
the entire team with a unique pattern of colored duct tape, or
matching colored ribbons, or matching bright tags, so that any team
member can recognize and retrieve any piece of luggage from the team.
This speeds up the long process upon arrival in
Honduras
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NOTE: Airlines are adjusting (lowering) the maximum weight
allowed for a piece of checked luggage. Teams are not able to
bring heavy bags like they used to in the past. Call your
airline about the current international and domestic weight
allowances.
For teams carrying
donations of medicines, please create an inventory list of all that
you are bringing and the expiration date of each.
E-mail this list to the UMVIM coordinator and place a copy of
the entire list in each piece of luggage that has inside any item on
the list.
Do not pack anything in cardboard boxes.
Plastic tubs are fine to use but are more likely not to arrive with
the rest of your luggage. Consider using second-hand suitcases
for donations and medicines.
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