Travelling To Honduras As A Missionary

Travel Awareness and Access

When volunteering to help out in Honduras it makes sense to go with a group that has gone before or with a group which has many folks who have previously gone before, as they know the ropes. Going alone is a really bad idea and is not recommended so please make a note of that.
There are also several travel organizations that can assist in helping with itineraries and allow the volunteers to get some sight seeing in, along with their philanthropic work and desire to help the wonderful people and their children in Honduras. What are the airlines that most recommended, which fly to Honduras? These are the companies we heard most often;

Continental Airlines

Delta Airlines

Taca Airlines

Most all those who have gone before advise new folks that they must remember that they are in another country and things do not work the same way. One volunteer said that they once had to reign in one of their volunteers for acting a little too arrogant and forgetting where he was, there is simply no place for that behavior while traveling in Honduras. Police are heavily armed and things are much different, something that most World Travelers are use to although it is a little intimidating for first time travelers to Honduras.

Remember of course first you have to get to Honduras and then after resting, after the flight, the real traveling begins, up and down mountains on dirt roads into the remote rural regions of beautiful Honduras. One volunteer notes;

"We landed in Tegucigualpa [capital city] and I learned afterwards this is one of the steepest landing patterns you can imagine. When we returned, we took off in Tegucigualpa and needed to land a couple of minutes later to refuel in the next city as we were not aloud to take-off with full fuel tanks in Tegucigualpa [due to the extra weight of the jet fuel] as the rise is too steep and if you miss, you get to meet the mountains face to face. It was exciting!"

Well that is a little insight into the flying part of your journey into and out of the Capital City of Honduras. If this sounds exciting to you also, then this is just the start of the fun, as the volunteer continues during our interview;

"Once we arrived at the airport, we had a long bus ride of about 8 hours on bumpy roads. Right outside the airport, people started jumping on us asking for money and gifts."

That is not really an issue at the airport itself, as the airport is heavily guarded by the Honduran Military to protect tourists, trade and prevent any problems. One medical volunteer stated that during her first mission in 2005;

"We went to Catacamas, at the airport we saw many other volunteer teams going in other parts of Honduras. Since every team has its specific t-shirts -ours were 'yellow' it was kind of funny to see all the different group of people with colored t-shirts. I told my group: 'You think we are going on a medical mission but we are in a reality TV show! We are playing against the red, the blue and the green teams.' Everyone smiled"

Once out of the city things of course change drastically and the ground transportation is quite a bit slower than the interstates that those in the United States are use too. One medical mission volunteer recounts;

"Every morning we hop on the bus and ride through bumpy roads and get to where we are setting-up our clinic and most of the time we set-up our clinic in churches or schools. We are a team of doctors, dentists, nurses, translators and support help working at the pharmacy and crowd control."

Organized Groups

The more pre-planning that is done in advance with all the proper knowledge needed will insure a much more enjoyable and safer journey. The ability to spend time wisely helping the rural poor of Honduras rather than spinning your wheels literally in the mud crossing of some of the most ominous mountain terrain in Central America is a big efficiency booster.

In the cities of course it is safer to remain in groups because you are in a totally different country and it is not your domain. The rural areas are so much different and the organized medical groups who volunteer to help the rural poor with their urgent health care needs note that it is all about team work.

"One of the best feelings is that we really work as a team. We support each other and no-one has an ego. There are some returning members and there are newcomers. The group spirit makes the newcomers feel right at home rapidly."

Basic Living Conditions

For those who have already been to Honduras in the past they will warn you that rural life is very rudimentary and certainly nothing close to living in a housing tract in the suburbs of the US Middle Class. The water has parasites in it and it is sometimes polluted so you will need to drink your own bottled water. They do not have air-conditioning and generally there are virtually no sewer systems anywhere in rural Honduras, although that will be changing as more are built in the future based on the previous successes of a couple of projects.

Dr. Nathalie Fiset explained a little bit about the wild-life and insects to help us get a better idea of what someone might expect to see as she told us some great stories. Reminding us that in rural Honduras humans live right up against nature and side by side with it;

"We do encounter some form of wildlife: there was a big toad on the wall in church. Dr Braden had to “squish” a scorpion in his shower. There are smaller toads in our bathroom. One night, the other girls started screaming and I went to help them. On the wall, there was the cutest little green frog with very long legs and fingers like suction cups. I took a broom but when I touched it, it jump ten feet away on the other wall. Cool!"

Nature never lets you forget where you are and it takes a little getting use to at first but after a while it is kind of fun wondering what you will see next? Memories worth a lifetime many admit afterwards.

"Whenever I can, I set up my net over my bed as I am not comfortable knowing there is a lot of “circulation”. Michelle one of our excellent helpers did not bother and woke up suddenly in the middle of the night saying “THAT was a bug!” on her face. The grasshoppers are the size of a deck of cards sometimes."

One thing is for sure and a real positive point is that when you get back to civilization after a volunteer mission you will realize how lucky you are and a warm bath feels like heaven! Of course most of the showers are cold and one volunteer notes;

"Were we live there is only cold water and one of the girls always cried loudly before getting in the shower - It was kind of funny, women sleep in one dormitory and men sleep in the other."

The people in the village live with the chickens, pigs and mules running around in and out of the houses and at first that takes a little getting use to. You definitely know you are in another country and that life is much different as you look around. Sometimes you can hear monkeys making noises in the trees and it echoes sometimes while traveling through the canyons.

For more information now go to: http://www.mymedicalmissions.com or http://www.drnathaliefiset.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nathalie_Fiset