Check out our Links page on this site. You may also surf the internet for “Honduras” or visit your library, bookstores, or travel agent.

A desire to serve and a willingness to give of yourself are the primary requirements. You need to be flexible, willing to work, and in reasonably good health. Knowledge of Spanish is very helpful, but not required. The minimum age for all unaccompanied missionaries is 21 years. All missionaries under the age of 21 must be accompanied by their parent(s) or a mature adult over 25 who is authorized by the parent(s).

You may stay whatever length of time you wish, as the schedule permits. Beyond those listed on this page, there are further requirements for mid-term volunteers and for long-term volunteers. All volunteers must fund their own flights, living costs, and other expenses during their time of service. You must also have a passport and medical insurance with coverage for overseas medical expenses. Please note that Medicare does not cover medical expenses overseas.

If after reviewing this web site thoroughly you still have questions or concerns about Mission Honduras or Central America in general, please contact the State-side Volunteer Coordinator. The application forms and guidelines are posted on the Applications page.

We recommend Continental or American Airlines because their flight schedules allow for best transportation to and from the Mission during daylight hours. Any major carrier can get you to Miami, Houston, or New Orleans. From these cities, Continental and American Airlines provide continuing flights to Tegucigalpa. Taca Airlines is the Central American carrier, but has been known to have complications such as loss of luggage and late arrivals. IMPORTANT: DO NOT FLY INTO SAN PEDRO SULA. THE MISSION WILL ONLY PICK UP VOLUNTEERS FROM THE AIRPORT IN TEGUCIGALPA.

US citizens need a valid US passport. The typical processing time is approximately three months. You can apply for a passport online and at many facilities nationwide including Federal, state and probate courts, many post offices, some libraries and a number of county and municipal offices. If you have a passport, please verify that it is current and will not expire within six months of your arrival in Honduras. Non-US citizens should check with the Honduran embassy to determine if they need visas. It is recommended that you make several copies of your passport, keeping one in your luggage and one at home. When you enter the country you will be issued a temporary visa (yellow paper stapled in your passport). Do not lose this documentation, as you will need it when you depart. If you stay more than 30 days, you will need to renew your visa for a fee.

All short-term missionaries must pay $13 per day, including the arrival and departure days, for room and board. Mid-term missionaries must pay $35 per week. Long-term missionaries are given free room and board. Optional trips to other Mission Honduras sites around the country require a transportation fee to cover fuel and vehicle rental costs. For general spending money in the local area, $25-30 per week per person should be more than ample. Traveler's checks are the most secure way to carry money. They can be converted at most Honduran banks, but only by the person to whom they are issued and only with a passport. Some ATMs do not accept Master Card issued cards, and extra fees will result for each ATM use. The exchange rate is approximately 19 Lempiras to a US dollar. When you leave Honduras, you must pay the Airport Exit Tax. As of March 2008, it was $33.19 payable in US Dollars in good condition. The cost may go up when you travel, so be prepared with extra cash.

Credit cards are accepted at some restaurants and hotels but you should not rely on them as your primary source of money. It is always preferable to use the local currency, the Lempira. It is not customary to tip in restaurants or taxis. If you want to leave something, a few Lempiras will suffice. Tipping often angers the other patrons who might view Americans as excessive and flashy with their money.

NOTE: Please exchange your US dollars at the airport before you leave the US, or at the Honduran airport upon arrival. The airport moneychangers in Honduras offer the best rates of exchange. The mission has very little Honduran cash available for exchanging. Please do not rely on the mission for the majority of your money changing needs.

Consult a physician who is knowledgeable in travel immunizations or visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm. You will be staying in the central highlands, but will also visit the coastal regions. The prescription drugs Cipro and anti-malaria medication are recommended.

Think of your time at Mission Honduras as a kind of "working retreat". All missionaries begin and end the day with the Liturgy of the Hours. Mass is available some mornings, when Father Emil is in Honduras. Missionaries typically do work projects in the morning (which may include painting, repairs, or construction) and building relationships with the children at the different sites in the afternoon (playing sports, reading, tutoring, or arts and crafts). Activities with the children are often dependent upon the creativity and talents of individuals or groups. Sundays are days of rest at the mission. Groups may have the option of taking a tour of the Mission sites around the country. Short-term teams are encouraged to hold reflection meetings in the evenings.

Below is a list of recommended items to pack for your mission trip. Most airlines allow two pieces of checked luggage and a carry-on bag. THERE IS CURRENTLY AN EMBARGO ON EXCESS BAGGAGE IMPOSED BY THE HONDURAN AUTHORITIES. THERE IS ONE EXCEPTION FOR MEDICAL SUPPLIES AS EXCESS BAGGAGE. IT IS NECESSARY TO APPLY THROUGH THE MISSION FOR AN EXCEPTION TO BRING MEDICAL SUPPLIES INTO HONDURAS AS EXCESS BAGGAGE.

Recommended items are as follows:

Clothing: A one week supply of cotton t-shirts, jeans, long shorts (for work sites only), a long skirt (optional) or long pants for women and long pants for men for church and school area, hats, work gloves, comfortable work shoes, sandals, cotton socks, a sweat shirt in winter, windbreaker. The temperature hovers between 60 and 98 degrees year round. You will be able to hand wash your clothes (by hand), so a one week supply is quite sufficient.

Personal: personal prescription medicine (should be in original containers), antibacterial soap, unscented toiletries, twin bed sheets.

Miscellaneous: canteen or water bottle, rain poncho in the rainy season (May-October), sunglasses, small flashlight, photocopy of your passport (leave another photocopy at home), camera, Spanish-English dictionary, a notebook and pen for journaling, reading material.

Any gifts you bring for the children should be group-oriented, not personal. Consider bringing clothing and linens in good condition that can be left behind as a donation. We encourage volunteers to pack their personal items in the carry-on and fill the suitcases with donations. Please see the needs list for current needs. Please make your trip to Mission Honduras a retreat from life in America. We ask that you not bring American secular music to play at the mission.

Bringing food from home is discouraged. Part of the total experience is sharing the typical Honduran diet. Team leaders may wish to make their own rules regarding this issue. Keep in mind that excesses in food, as well as anything else typical of an affluent society, are not in keeping with the mission spirit. Adequate Honduran-style food, refried beans, eggs, rice, plantains, and chicken are prepared at the mission.

On the plane you will be given an Immigration and Customs Form. State that you are traveling as a tourist. You should have nothing to declare for Customs since you will not be selling anything. Once you have deplaned, you may be asked by Immigrations for this information and the address where you will be staying. Again, say you are a tourist staying at Mission Honduras/APUFRAM, Flores, Comayagua, Honduras.

After Immigration, find your baggage claim tickets and keep them in your hands until you leave the airport. Do not let anyone take them from you. The porters in the airport will try to claim your baggage for you and “help” you through Customs. They are not employees of the airport and expect to be tipped for their assistance. We recommend you keep your luggage with you at all times. When the entire team has assembled at Customs, the group leader should tell the Customs agent that his/her group is a church group, or “Grupo Iglesia.” This may help the group get through Customs more quickly.

To expedite going through Customs, be sure all medications are still sealed in their original clearly marked containers and have current expiration dates. They usually will not allow outdated medications. Personal prescription medications should be clearly marked as such. You may have to explain why you are carrying large quantities of some things. Remember to watch your bags and the agents. It is recommended that you prominently mark each of your boxes and/or bags with Mission Honduras/APUFRAM.

If you arrive but your luggage does not, immediately make a claim with the airline for your lost luggage. Insist on filling out a claim form even if the agent says it is not lost or tells you to come back tomorrow. Tomorrow you will be too far away to drop in at the airport. So do this before you leave the airport. Do not surrender your baggage claim tag. Just give the airline the tag number. It is all they need. That claim tag is your only receipt for your suitcase and its contents. Do not give it to the agents to copy - read the number to the agent.

The Mission will send transportation to meet you or your group at the airport in Tegucigalpa along with an English-speaking escort. Only passengers are allowed inside the airport, so you should go through customs, exit the building, and look for someone with a Mission Honduras sign. It is about a one and a half hour drive from Tegucigalpa through the mountains to the mission.

We pick up our visitors at the scheduled time that you provide us on the Transportation form. However, should an unforeseen emergency arise causing your escort to be delayed for over an hour, please call Mission Honduras at 011.504.989.821.66. There is an Internet café inside the airport where you can call. Keep the above information handy in your carry-on luggage.

Upon arrival at Mission Honduras, individual volunteers or team leaders will have access to a phone and fax line to call home, but not e-mail. Team leaders should have a pre-arranged telephone notification tree to contact the families of their team members. Please bring a calling card, or be prepared to call collect if you telephone. If you want to use your cellular phone in Honduras, be sure to notify your cellular service company before your trip.

Our spiritual life is one of our greatest joys at Mission Honduras. This is a Catholic mission at which we practice Catholic values. All missionaries will have the joy of participating in Mass, morning and evening Liturgy of the Hours, and praying the rosary, as well as personal times of study and reflection. Our non-Catholic brothers and sisters who volunteer at the mission are also expected to participate in all spiritual activities, with the exception of the reception of holy Communion (see below).

Your mission trip will not end upon your return. You can expect to find yourself processing the images, insights, and experiences long after you come home. Pray every day and reflect on the experiences that you had in Honduras. Think about how your relationship with God has grown and how you have come to a deeper awareness of your responsibility to the poor and as a missionary. Try to stay connected to the Mission group you traveled with through monthly meetings or a retreat together.

Guidelines for the Reception of Communion
Copyright © 1996, United States Catholic Conference. All rights reserved.
For Fellow (non-Catholic) Christians
We welcome our fellow Christians to this celebration of the eucharist as our brothers and sisters. We pray that our common baptism and the action of the Holy Spirit in this eucharist will draw us closer to one another and begin to dispel the sad divisions that separate us. We pray that these will lessen and finally disappear, in keeping with Christ's prayer for us "that they may all be one" (John 17:21).

Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to holy communion. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law (Canon 844 § 4). Members of the Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own churches. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of communion by Christians of these churches (Canon 844 § 3).

For Those Not Receiving Holy Communion
All who are not receiving holy communion are encouraged to express in their hearts a prayerful desire for unity with the Lord Jesus and with one another.

For Non-Christians
We also welcome to this celebration those who do not share our faith in Jesus Christ. While we cannot admit them to holy communion, we ask them to offer their prayers for the peace and unity of the whole human family.

The Mission provides purified water. Water from the faucet is fine to take showers and wash dishes, but not recommended for consumption. The typical foods of Honduras are beans, tortillas, rice, eggs, chicken, and seasonal fruits. Your meals at the Mission will be prepared by a Honduran cook. Three meals are provided Monday through Saturday. Missionaries are responsible for cooking meals on Sunday.

To accommodate all missionaries, the Casa St. Teresa de Lisieux Missionary Center, constructed of cinder block and tile flooring, has been built at Conejo. Men and women have separate rooms, and if space permits, there are rooms for married couples. Each guest room has bunk beds for six people, screened windows, a ceiling fan, a sink, and an adjoining bathroom with a cold-water shower and toilet.

There is no maid service at the volunteer center. Volunteers are expected to clean their rooms and bath areas prior to departure. Please leave your room for the next volunteer in the condition you would want on your arrival. Team leaders should remind their group members of this important responsibility the day before departure and ensure their group members have adequate time and materials to clean their rooms. Community areas used by the group (the dining room, community room, library, chapel, etc.) should also be cleaned. Again, group leaders should ensure this is done.

Buses to and from Comayagua and Tegucigalpa run about every 20 minutes directly in front of the Mission property. The bus costs around 5 Lempira (30 cents) to Comayagua and about 25 Lempira ($1.50) to Tegucigalpa.

Honduras, a longtime US ally, is politically stable. You are a guest in a foreign country with different laws and customs. Violence against foreigners is uncommon, especially in the rural locations near Mission Honduras sites. However, it is recommended to always travel in pairs. Keep a photocopy of your passport and a small quantity of money on you when you are away from the mission. Pick pockets and purse snatchers do exist, especially in Comayagua. Beware of little street boys who try to befriend you. Please leave your jewelry at home.

There is a marked difference between a communal society and an individualistic one. Privacy does not exist for most people in underdeveloped countries. It is not proper to show affection such as hugging or kissing between adult members of the opposite sex. Men and women do not pair off alone. When in town or public areas shorts are considered inappropriate for both men and women. Women should dress very modestly. Women may be subjected to cat calls, whistles or other expressions of appreciation from Honduran men. Do what the Honduran women do – ignore it completely.

It is the responsibility of each team leader to establish and enforce rules of behavior and dress for their groups. The standards of Mission Honduras are provided in this guide. Serious breaches of the common norms of behavior and safety will not be tolerated. The Mission reserves the right to ask those who fail to comply to the rules of the Mission, to return to their home country at their own expense.

Dress Code: Be appropriate and modest. Female team members should not wear halter tops, tank tops, other tight-fitting clothes. Shorts should be avoided, but long skirts or dresses are allowed. Male team members should also avoid shorts and should wear shirts even when working or playing sports. Also, please no shorts during daily prayer times in the chapel. Jeans are acceptable anytime.

Alcohol Prohibition: Alcohol is PROHIBITED at Mission Honduras, including the nearby towns and villages. It is important for us to be good examples to our community, many of whom are alcohol dependent.

Use of Telephones and E-mail: The Mission has very limited telephone service. The Mission telephone is a business phone and can be used by volunteers only in cases of emergency. When an individual missionary or group arrives, the individual or the group leader is permitted to fax, phone, or make a collect call to his/her home station informing them of a safe arrival, and providing any additional information that can be contained in a single fax. Additional access to telephones for personal use can be found in nearby Comayagua. We recommend that missionaries bring major telephone calling cards. Before leaving the US, check with your long distance telephone company about using your phone card in Honduras. Access to e-mail is only available at the internet cafes in Comayagua and Tegucigalpa. If you plan to use your own cellular phone, be sure to notify your provider before travel.

No Handouts: Please do not give out candy, money, or personal items to any of the townspeople or children. Also please refrain from giving or sending expensive gifts to sponsored children. This practice causes problems among the children. Small, inexpensive gifts that are educational or religious are fine for sponsored children. Consider reading or coloring books in Spanish and toys that are group-oriented (i.e., team games such as soccer, etc.).

The clinic at the mission has a full-time doctor. Medical care for emergencies is available at Honduran hospitals and clinics in Comayagua. Ask your insurance company about your overseas coverage.

Leave the telephone numbers of the State-side Volunteer Coordinator in Chicago (773-581-2209) and the Mission in Honduras (011.504.989.821.66) with your family. If your contact person cannot reach him, he should call the Casa St. Teresa de Lisieux Missionary Center cell phone at 011.504.989.821.66. As a last resort, he can call APUFRAM at 011-504-777-2415. If this is the case, be prepared to get your message through to someone who only speaks Spanish ("Necesito hablar en ingles, por favor").

Your time is one of the greatest and most generous gifts to Mission Honduras. We strongly encourage you and your group to use these days to fully experience the children, prayer life and work of the Mission. Weekends are an especially good time to be with the children since they are not in school. The mission staff often arranges tours of the country to visit our various sites, and it is easy to take short trips into Comayagua on the public bus, but any overnight trips from the Mission should be arranged through a travel agent, prior to your arrival. All personal trips should be taken only after the completion of your full commitment of service at the Mission. Once you leave the Mission, you will need to take all of your luggage and arrange for your own transportation to the airport.

Publicize Mission Honduras through Catholic newspapers and your local press, posters at your church, high school or college. Encourage support through monetary or material donations, the sponsorship program, or the Parish Twinning Program. Recruit more missionaries to serve, either as individuals or teams. Volunteer to host Fr. Emil at your parish or home when he visits the US each winter and spring. Consider creative ways to raise awareness in your community to the needs of the Honduran people and how to provide financial aid to the Mission.

Share your experiences at Mission Honduras with others in your church and nearby parishes. Give presentations to pastors, priest friends, interested groups such as CCD and youth groups, as well as adult groups. Show your pictures/videos. Write a testimonial of your experience for the website blog. Look for new ways for you and/or your group to serve here at home.

Yes, including the cost of the plane ticket. Mission Honduras was granted exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of August 1972. The IRS has confirmed that “contributions to Mission Honduras are tax deductible by the donor”. The Federal ID Number for Mission Honduras is 23-7116589. Cancelled checks or receipts for expenditures directly on behalf of Mission Honduras should be appropriate documentation supporting any expenditures on behalf of the Mission. Please consult with your accountant or tax advisor for specific details concerning your charitable tax deductions on behalf of Mission Honduras.

Contact the State-side Volunteer Coordinator by email or at 773-581-2209 to discuss the open dates available for missionaries. We are blessed with many people from all over the world visiting Mission Honduras, so it is important to plan your visit as soon as possible. We can post tentative dates on the schedule when we are contacted. The dates are confirmed only after an application is received or, in the case of mid- and long-term missionaries, after the interview. Do not plan to arrival or depart on Sundays.

Complete and return the appropriate application forms. The priority for dates is based on the receipt date of the application. (Please do not purchase airline tickets until the visit dates, and any changes, are confirmed by the State-side Volunteer Coordinator.)

After your trip has been confirmed, send the Transportation Form to the State-side Volunteer Coordinator as soon as possible. In case of last minute changes (particularly in arrival day/time), please contact the State-side Volunteer Coordinator at:

State-side Volunteer Coordinator
Fax: (773) 751-2201
Phone: (773) 581-2209

NOTE: We will pick you up from the airport and drop you off at the airport -- but if team members arrive or depart on different days or flights that require extra trips, you will have to pay for the extra gas expenses.

Please review this web site carefully. Team leaders should be sure each team member reads this information and consents to the policies and provisions contained herein.