The Diocese of Washington is planning another mission trip to Honduras for this summer. The tentative dates are July 27 - August 3, 2008. These dates may move up or back by one to two days depending upon the airfare the diocese is able to get. It would be great to have some St. Thomas' parishioners on the trip. So far, Melissa Barrett is planning to go to visit the village of El Cerrón, where St. Thomas' has sponsored a basic grains project, and the Copan ruins. If you decide to go, please note that the deadline for sending in your check for the airfare is fast approaching -- March 24th. The details of the trip are as follows:

Cost:

You should budget a total of about $1300 for travel expenses, of which about $700 is airfare (possibly subject to increase by time of booking). Cost of meals, lodging, and local transportation will vary somewhat with the community you visit. Depending on the project, there may also be an additional cost ($100-200) for building materials, tools and teaching materials.

Group size and deadline:

The group will be limited to a maximum of 30 persons. Minors must be accompanied by at least one adult member of their congregation. If you decide to join the group, we must receive your check for $700 (non-refundable) payable to the Diocese of Washington (EDOW) no later than Monday, March 24. Checks should be sent to Richard Marks, 104 Sunnyside Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Potential communities/projects (sites still subject to confirmation by the Diocese of Honduras and sufficient traveler interest):

1. Protección: Help with paining and landscaping of clinic, work with children and youth of community
2. Trinidad: Reforestation activities, work with children and youth of community
3. El Cerrón: Help build silos for grain storage, cement grain drying floor, women's bakery, work with children and youth of community
4. Siguatepeque: Help with construction of pre-school playground, women's sewing cooperative, work with children and youth of community
5. Tour of various communities: Travelers not yet familiar with Honduras may elect to briefly visit all of the above, as well as several other church communities to get an overall view of the needs and the possibilities for continuing relationships.

Meals and lodging:

The Diocese of Honduras will arrange for meals to be specially prepared for those spending the week in the 4 communities. Lodging in Trinidad and Siguatepeque would be in local hotels. In El Cerrón, travelers would stay in the priest's house and vacant houses in the community. In Protección, travelers would sleep in the parish hall. We will need to stay at a hotel in San Pedro Sula the last night of the trip (Saturday, August 2) to ensure timely arrival at the airport the next day. Payment for meals, lodging, transportation and other local costs will be collected from the travelers about a month before departure.

Air transportation:

If available at the time of booking, we will travel via Delta to/from San Pedro Sula via Atlanta. (It may be necessary to book a different airline at a higher fare or even change the departure or return date by a day or so in order to get a satisfactory flight.) Local transportation will be arranged through the Diocese of Honduras, usually in chartered school-type buses or in 4x4 pickup trucks where required.

Side trip to Copan:

If there is enough interest, a trip to the Mayan ruins at Copan could be arranged for August 1-2 at an additional cost of about $200.

Documents:

Travelers must have a US passport valid for at least 3 months beyond the date of entry. A Honduras visa is not required for US citizens. Also, the Diocese of Washington requires that travelers sign consent/liability release forms on behalf of adults and children in the group.

Health and safety:

Travelers will need to get the appropriate immunizations for travel in Central America well in advance. The website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides most of the necessary information about immunizations and potential health risks of travel in Honduras. (http://www.cdc.gov/travel/camerica.htm).

We have not been advised of any major current security threats in the communities we will be visiting, though there is obviously a certain level of risk when traveling in any developing country. Several mission groups from Washington have stayed in these areas safely over the past four years and the Honduran staff will be with us at all times to provide guidance. We will also be staying in relatively safe areas of San Pedro Sula and/or Copan. For further information on safety and security, you may wish to consult the US State Department Consular Information Sheet for Honduras: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1135.html