St. Mark’s Church 2004 Trip to Honduras

When Is The Trip?

We’ll fly south at dawn on Saturday, June 26th, returning late on the evening of July 9th.

Who’s Going?

Teens and adults. The adult leaders are Kathryn Gerhard Al Kindi and Brock Hansen, plus David Deutsch, Randy Marks, Eleanor Whitman, David Whiteman and the new Associate Rector, Shearon Williams. We expect one or two other adult leaders to go as well. We hope to take 15 young people, rising 9th graders through graduated seniors. St. Mark’s people have first crack, but if there’s room, we can take friends and relatives, too.

Where Will We Stay?

We’ll stay at the Episcopal Church Conference Center at Muchilena, a small village on the rural northern coast of Honduras. St. Mark’s groups have stayed there for more than 10 years. The Conference Center is a clean and pleasant place with bunk beds (4-6 to a room), electricity, showers, and good food. The Caribbean is a five-minute walk. From 6 to 9 July, we plan to be in Copan, a cooler mountain town which is a major Mayan archeological site.

What Will We Do?

Projects. We will pick the specific projects closer to the trip date, based on recommendations from Tucker Heitman, a missionary serving on the staff of the Diocese of Honduras, and Father Midence, a Honduran priest who serves Muchilena and other communities on the North Coast. Frequently, our projects have an educational character. Some of the projects may be in Muchilena itself, where in past years we have built school desks, built a retaining wall, and so on. A large part of our mission is just connecting with the people there, including playing with the children. At the end of the trip, we will visit the Mayan archeological site in Copan for sightseeing and recreation in a cooler, resort-like setting.

How Much Does the Trip Cost?

$1,200, plus passport and shots. The $1,200 (tax deductible!) covers everything you will need except for personal articles and souvenirs. In particular, it covers air fare, food, lodging, local transportation, evacuation insurance, and the sightseeing trip to Copan (Co?PAN) at the end of the trip. A passport is about $50. Shots are about $120. Partial scholarships are available. See Steve Beste. Payment dates are:

• $100 deposit with initial registration. (Registration deadline is February 22nd.)
• $400 on Sunday, March 21st
• $400 on Sunday April 25th
• $300 on Friday, June 4th

Please make checks out to St. Mark’s Church, and send them to Steve Beste at 7814 Penley Place, Springfield, VA 22151.

Refunds?

If you cancel, we refund everything that we can. In early April we will purchase tickets that are mostly non-refundable for about $700 per person. If you cancel earlier, your payments will be 100% refunded. Once we buy the tickets, you will lose the non-refundable part of your ticket if you cancel.

Arriving Late or Leaving Early

The price is the same, even if you arrive late or leave early. It costs us only $25/day to keep you in Honduras once you’re there. Our big costs -- air fare, insurance, rental cars -- are the same whether you stay the full time or not. Because of that, and for administrative convenience, we want to make this a one-price deal.

What’s the Weather Like?

June temperatures in Honduras aren’t much hotter than July in Washington. There’s no air conditioning, though, and the sun is much more intense because Honduras is a lot closer to the Equator. Hats, lightweight clothing, and plenty of sunblock are essential.

Are there Health Concerns?

Honduras is a tropical, third-world country, with all the diseases you might expect, poor sanitation, and a weak health-care system. By taking proper precautions, however, no St. Mark’s traveler has become seriously ill as a result of visiting Honduras. Everyone will have to be vaccinated against a number of diseases before we leave. In Honduras, we drink bottled water and pay meticulous attention to personal hygiene. Medical evacuation insurance is purchased for all travelers, as well. It is very important for the trip leadership to know in advance of any particular health concerns an individual traveler may have, as well as any medications they will need to take while on the trip.

Preparation Meetings & Retreat

Years of experience have shown that these trips work best when we’re already a team before we go south. To help form us into a team and to do the many preparations that must be done, we’re planning 4 Sunday meetings over the spring plus a one-day weekend retreat on a date to be determined.

For More Information

• Kathryn Gerhard Al Kindi: 202/746-6502
• Brock Hansen: 202/362-3009