What to Expect on a Mission Trip
What People are Saying
I have been down to Guatemala three times in the last couple years. Randy and Brenda are committed to helping members of the body of Christ learn how to serve one another. I have seen firsthand how their ministry encourages the pastors of Guatemala and cares for the needs of children. The Purcells are the REAL DEAL.
Pastor Steven Smith
Gray Road Baptist Church
Indianapolis, IN
What an awesome experience, to get to see the [Christian Motorcycle Association’s] Run for the Son money at work, to see the impact of what these motorcycles do for the Pastors and their communities. Seeing in person means more than just hearing about it or seeing the pictures, and understanding the sacrifices and risks made by the Missionary Ventures missionaries. Thank you so much for allowing us to participate in such an awesome way.
Fritz & Marnie Houser
Christian Motorcycle Association-Chapter #351
Boise Idaho
I have been down to Guatemala three times in the last couple years. Randy and Brenda are committed to helping members of the body of Christ learn how to serve one another. I have seen firsthand how their ministry encourages the pastors of Guatemala and cares for the needs of children. The Purcells are the REAL DEAL.
Pastor Steven Smith
Gray Road Baptist Church
Indianapolis, IN
What an awesome experience, to get to see the [Christian Motorcycle Association’s] Run for the Son money at work, to see the impact of what these motorcycles do for the Pastors and their communities. Seeing in person means more than just hearing about it or seeing the pictures, and understanding the sacrifices and risks made by the Missionary Ventures missionaries. Thank you so much for allowing us to participate in such an awesome way.
Fritz & Marnie Houser
Christian Motorcycle Association-Chapter #351
Boise Idaho
This part of our website is especially designed for two types of folks:
1. Those who have signed up for their first mission trip, but wish they had a better idea of what to expect…and how to be prepared for it!
2. Those who have an interest in going on a trip, but are still just a little reluctant because they don’t know what to expect…but would go if they felt just a little more prepared!
The Missionary Ventures website has some wonderful online tools to help you become prepared for your trip and check out the links below of the page for information on:
Passports, Visas, and Exit Tax
Health Precautions and Required Vaccinations
Climate
Electrical
Time Zone
Currency
Guatemala History
Second, talk to your church’s mission trip leader! He or she has been to Guatemala before and would be happy to answer ANY questions you may have. (And yes, even the really embarrassing ones that most likely relate to toilets and/or sanitary products!)
Third, see this link to the Missionary Ventures Mission Trip Handbook. This book is extremely helpful – especially by providing a detailed packing list so you know what to bring on a trip.
But while this book is helpful, it pertains to all trips in over 70 countries in which Missionary Ventures operates. Below are brief Guatemala-specific tips to help better prepare you – physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Accommodations
There are two kinds of places you could be staying while on your trip:
Our Personal Home – Our home is located in San Cristobal, Mixco and is in a very secure and comfortable setting. It is a two-story home that houses up to 8-10 people in dorm-like rooms. Each room houses two to four people. There are 3 bathrooms that are available to team members. Our place easily becomes your home away from home!
Local Hotels – There are many times where it does not make sense to travel from a worksite to San Cristobal. In these situations, we reserve hotel rooms from a hotel near the worksite. We choose the hotels based not only on location, but also on cost, security, availability of meeting space, and convenience of providing meals. We tend to use the same locations for different teams over the years, so that there is history with the owners. What you need to know though, is that the best hotels that rural Guatemala has to offer are comparable to one- and two-star motels in the United States. They will be clean, but they will most likely be different than what you are used to when you go on vacation.
Clothing
First, see the comments on the Weather to determine what clothing you want to wear because of the climate of Guatemala. However, there are a few other cultural considerations also...
Guatemala is a conservative country. Moreover, Guatemalans tend to hold Christian missionaries to a higher expectation that they will be more moderately dressed. This means that girls need to make sure that their shoulders and legs are covered. Capri pants or skirts below the knee are acceptable for church or on your fun day, but shorts are not acceptable. Men, you can get away with shorts, but make sure that they are longer shorts.
Food
We get a lot of questions about food! In order to have a general sense of what to expect, the cuisine is roughly equivalent to authentic Mexican food – there is lots of corn tortillas, black beans, and rice. Breakfasts usually include eggs, sausage, beans, tortillas, and sometimes pancakes. Lunches and dinners are beans, rice, grilled chicken, and chicken-based soups. There is much American influence here, so many times the places we eat at have American food – pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches, french fries, etc. The bottom line is that most people can easily find something to eat that isn’t too different than what they are used to at home.
Food – Allergies and Preferences
In a place where so many people are hungry, Guatemalans typically don’t have the luxury to have food preferences such as vegetarianism or veganism or even food allergies. You will be hard-pressed to find a vegetarian section on a menu and even less likely to find gluten-free products in the grocery stores here in Guatemala.
Now, with that said, we have had many folks with food allergies and food preferences go on trips and not have to go hungry. But you just need to make these few extra efforts:
• Bring foods from home that you know you can eat “just in case”. We have had folks bring their own jars of peanut butter, loaves of gluten-free bread, special protein bars, etc. (FYI - make sure to pack peanut butter in your suitcase and not your carry-on though… it’s considered a liquid!)
• If you do have questions about what ingredients are in a particular food, please discretely ask us, the interpreter, or your trip leader to help you. We have had instances in the past where we have insulted the Guatemalan restaurateurs with questions on recipe content.
Packing List
The packing list included in the Missionary Ventures Handbook is extremely accurate and thorough, so we encourage you to use that one to prepare for your trip. But we do emphasize the following:
• Don’t forget the sunscreen and the bug spray! Be prepared to reapply both a number of times each day.
• The packing list encourages each person to bring a first aid kit. Consider having one first aid kit for your group, with people only having to bring additional medicines that are specific to their own needs.
• Make sure to bring any medicines that you think you personally may need. It can be very burdensome to hold up an entire team for a special trip to the pharmacy. Moreover, many medicines you use in the U.S. may be a challenge to find in Guatemala.
• Ladies, please keep in mind the possibility of needing hygiene feminine products. We will be in areas where they are not readily available, so please pack accordingly.
• Many groups have a “group bag” that contains a big bottle of hand-sanitizer, a roll or two of toilet paper, facial tissues, and baby wipes. Each person does not need one, but there are often times when well-appointed and well-stocked bathroom facilities are hard to find, so having that bag with you is essential.
• Consider bringing a bag of your favorite snack that you intend to share.(You are encouraged to bring some snacks that you don’t intend to share as well!) But it is always nice to get into the van after a long, hot day at a worksite and have folks pass around chips, twizzlers, granola bars, etc. to munch on to tide you over until dinner.
• Bring your own water bottle…or a permanent marker. We tend to buy a case of plastic water bottles at the beginning of the trip and then folks just refill their own bottle from a larger bottle of purified water. The disposable bottles, however, tend to get misplaced or mixed up since they all look alike, so having unique re-usable bottles or at least a permanent marker to put names on them is helpful.
Safety
We have lived here for many years and know how to best operate in Guatemala. While we take many precautions to make your trip as safe as possible – leaving worksites early enough to not have to drive at night, using well-traveled roads, working with businesses we know, and many more – Guatemala can still be a dangerous place. Wherever you have people in extreme need, you will have potential for crime. Therefore, we strongly urge you to do the following:
• Always follow our guidelines for where to go…or not to go.
• Always travel in at least groups of two or more. Never go alone – even if you are a male.
• Reduce as much as possible your status as a potential target. For instance, leave your diamond wedding rings at home, don’t wear jewelry, consider bringing your off-brand clothing instead of your name-brand clothing, when buying anything, make sure to not pull money out of a larger group of bills, etc.
Water
There are two types of water to consider – drinking and bathing.
For drinking: Do NOT drink any tap water in Guatemala! Use bottled water for all drinking water and even to rinse your toothbrush when brushing your teeth.
Most restaurants – especially the ones that we would take you – use purified water for the drinks and ice that they give you. But it wouldn’t hurt to ask before you drank it.
And we even don’t drink out of cans or bottles of water or soda that we buy without using a straw instead of putting our mouths on the cans.
For bathing: Just be prepared that you may not always get a hot shower in Guatemala. Our home has hot water, but many of the hotels use flash heaters located at the shower heads and these don’t always work.
Weather
Guatemala is called “Land of the Eternal Spring”, meaning that it can be rainy and chilly with average lows in the 50s – particularly in the evenings through mid-morning. However, especially in the summer and in the coastal areas, the weather can be extremely hot and humid with average highs in the 90s. (See the Missionary Ventures Climate link for more details on the time of year you will be traveling.) Therefore, we recommend that you wear layered clothing. And make sure to bring a light jacket and warmer clothes for lounging in the evening and for sleeping.
Lastly, please feel free to contact us at purcell5guatemala@yahoo.com
if you still have questions. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible and to have appropriate expectations. This – and lots of prayer! – will do the most to help you have a great experience on the mission field
1. Those who have signed up for their first mission trip, but wish they had a better idea of what to expect…and how to be prepared for it!
2. Those who have an interest in going on a trip, but are still just a little reluctant because they don’t know what to expect…but would go if they felt just a little more prepared!
The Missionary Ventures website has some wonderful online tools to help you become prepared for your trip and check out the links below of the page for information on:
Passports, Visas, and Exit Tax
Health Precautions and Required Vaccinations
Climate
Electrical
Time Zone
Currency
Guatemala History
Second, talk to your church’s mission trip leader! He or she has been to Guatemala before and would be happy to answer ANY questions you may have. (And yes, even the really embarrassing ones that most likely relate to toilets and/or sanitary products!)
Third, see this link to the Missionary Ventures Mission Trip Handbook. This book is extremely helpful – especially by providing a detailed packing list so you know what to bring on a trip.
But while this book is helpful, it pertains to all trips in over 70 countries in which Missionary Ventures operates. Below are brief Guatemala-specific tips to help better prepare you – physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Accommodations
There are two kinds of places you could be staying while on your trip:
Our Personal Home – Our home is located in San Cristobal, Mixco and is in a very secure and comfortable setting. It is a two-story home that houses up to 8-10 people in dorm-like rooms. Each room houses two to four people. There are 3 bathrooms that are available to team members. Our place easily becomes your home away from home!
Local Hotels – There are many times where it does not make sense to travel from a worksite to San Cristobal. In these situations, we reserve hotel rooms from a hotel near the worksite. We choose the hotels based not only on location, but also on cost, security, availability of meeting space, and convenience of providing meals. We tend to use the same locations for different teams over the years, so that there is history with the owners. What you need to know though, is that the best hotels that rural Guatemala has to offer are comparable to one- and two-star motels in the United States. They will be clean, but they will most likely be different than what you are used to when you go on vacation.
Clothing
First, see the comments on the Weather to determine what clothing you want to wear because of the climate of Guatemala. However, there are a few other cultural considerations also...
Guatemala is a conservative country. Moreover, Guatemalans tend to hold Christian missionaries to a higher expectation that they will be more moderately dressed. This means that girls need to make sure that their shoulders and legs are covered. Capri pants or skirts below the knee are acceptable for church or on your fun day, but shorts are not acceptable. Men, you can get away with shorts, but make sure that they are longer shorts.
Food
We get a lot of questions about food! In order to have a general sense of what to expect, the cuisine is roughly equivalent to authentic Mexican food – there is lots of corn tortillas, black beans, and rice. Breakfasts usually include eggs, sausage, beans, tortillas, and sometimes pancakes. Lunches and dinners are beans, rice, grilled chicken, and chicken-based soups. There is much American influence here, so many times the places we eat at have American food – pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches, french fries, etc. The bottom line is that most people can easily find something to eat that isn’t too different than what they are used to at home.
Food – Allergies and Preferences
In a place where so many people are hungry, Guatemalans typically don’t have the luxury to have food preferences such as vegetarianism or veganism or even food allergies. You will be hard-pressed to find a vegetarian section on a menu and even less likely to find gluten-free products in the grocery stores here in Guatemala.
Now, with that said, we have had many folks with food allergies and food preferences go on trips and not have to go hungry. But you just need to make these few extra efforts:
• Bring foods from home that you know you can eat “just in case”. We have had folks bring their own jars of peanut butter, loaves of gluten-free bread, special protein bars, etc. (FYI - make sure to pack peanut butter in your suitcase and not your carry-on though… it’s considered a liquid!)
• If you do have questions about what ingredients are in a particular food, please discretely ask us, the interpreter, or your trip leader to help you. We have had instances in the past where we have insulted the Guatemalan restaurateurs with questions on recipe content.
Packing List
The packing list included in the Missionary Ventures Handbook is extremely accurate and thorough, so we encourage you to use that one to prepare for your trip. But we do emphasize the following:
• Don’t forget the sunscreen and the bug spray! Be prepared to reapply both a number of times each day.
• The packing list encourages each person to bring a first aid kit. Consider having one first aid kit for your group, with people only having to bring additional medicines that are specific to their own needs.
• Make sure to bring any medicines that you think you personally may need. It can be very burdensome to hold up an entire team for a special trip to the pharmacy. Moreover, many medicines you use in the U.S. may be a challenge to find in Guatemala.
• Ladies, please keep in mind the possibility of needing hygiene feminine products. We will be in areas where they are not readily available, so please pack accordingly.
• Many groups have a “group bag” that contains a big bottle of hand-sanitizer, a roll or two of toilet paper, facial tissues, and baby wipes. Each person does not need one, but there are often times when well-appointed and well-stocked bathroom facilities are hard to find, so having that bag with you is essential.
• Consider bringing a bag of your favorite snack that you intend to share.(You are encouraged to bring some snacks that you don’t intend to share as well!) But it is always nice to get into the van after a long, hot day at a worksite and have folks pass around chips, twizzlers, granola bars, etc. to munch on to tide you over until dinner.
• Bring your own water bottle…or a permanent marker. We tend to buy a case of plastic water bottles at the beginning of the trip and then folks just refill their own bottle from a larger bottle of purified water. The disposable bottles, however, tend to get misplaced or mixed up since they all look alike, so having unique re-usable bottles or at least a permanent marker to put names on them is helpful.
Safety
We have lived here for many years and know how to best operate in Guatemala. While we take many precautions to make your trip as safe as possible – leaving worksites early enough to not have to drive at night, using well-traveled roads, working with businesses we know, and many more – Guatemala can still be a dangerous place. Wherever you have people in extreme need, you will have potential for crime. Therefore, we strongly urge you to do the following:
• Always follow our guidelines for where to go…or not to go.
• Always travel in at least groups of two or more. Never go alone – even if you are a male.
• Reduce as much as possible your status as a potential target. For instance, leave your diamond wedding rings at home, don’t wear jewelry, consider bringing your off-brand clothing instead of your name-brand clothing, when buying anything, make sure to not pull money out of a larger group of bills, etc.
Water
There are two types of water to consider – drinking and bathing.
For drinking: Do NOT drink any tap water in Guatemala! Use bottled water for all drinking water and even to rinse your toothbrush when brushing your teeth.
Most restaurants – especially the ones that we would take you – use purified water for the drinks and ice that they give you. But it wouldn’t hurt to ask before you drank it.
And we even don’t drink out of cans or bottles of water or soda that we buy without using a straw instead of putting our mouths on the cans.
For bathing: Just be prepared that you may not always get a hot shower in Guatemala. Our home has hot water, but many of the hotels use flash heaters located at the shower heads and these don’t always work.
Weather
Guatemala is called “Land of the Eternal Spring”, meaning that it can be rainy and chilly with average lows in the 50s – particularly in the evenings through mid-morning. However, especially in the summer and in the coastal areas, the weather can be extremely hot and humid with average highs in the 90s. (See the Missionary Ventures Climate link for more details on the time of year you will be traveling.) Therefore, we recommend that you wear layered clothing. And make sure to bring a light jacket and warmer clothes for lounging in the evening and for sleeping.
Lastly, please feel free to contact us at purcell5guatemala@yahoo.com
if you still have questions. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible and to have appropriate expectations. This – and lots of prayer! – will do the most to help you have a great experience on the mission field
Check out these brief videos and travel blog made by three different teams to get a little taste of what you can expect to experience on a short-term mission trip. They are very genuine about some of the challenges, but also of the amazing rewards, of stepping out of your comfort zone into the mission field.
Video - Gray Road Baptist Church, 2010 - click
Video - Morning Star Church, 2010 - click
Blog - Morning Star Church, 2011 - click
Video - Gray Road Baptist Church, 2010 - click
Video - Morning Star Church, 2010 - click
Blog - Morning Star Church, 2011 - click
Guatemalan hotel and pool.
(Make sure to bring your swimsuit!)
(Make sure to bring your swimsuit!)
