Destination: Guatemala City-visit with Iglesia Adonia Wesleyan Church,         Work in villages around Lake Atitlan (lake surrounded by 3 volcanoes), in Zacapa, or in Coban

Language: Mostly Spanish, in lake region there are 23 different languages (high Mayan Spanish dialects)

Population: 12,000,000 - 75% below poverty (Country size comparable to State of Tennessee)

Mission Trip Needs:  As many volunteers as can come!

Projects:

         --Happy Feet: shoes, either new or slightly worn, in all sizes; As many as possible except don’t need too many above size 10 women’s or 13 men’s because people are of smaller stature; [note:  bring Wet Ones or similar wipes if the team wants to wash feet, too]

         --Build widow’s house:  4.5 days to build, Need 5-6 people; cost $1,200  (12,000 homeless widows due to civil war that ended in 1996)

         --Vacation Bible School:  activities: drama, skits, story telling, mimes, puppets, clowns, hand crafts; provide nutrition drink for children

       --Medical teams: bring meds, doctors, nurses, dentists, and lay people to hold free clinics; may also have planned children's activities

General Itinerary [remember this is just generic itinerary]:

      FRI/SAT arrival:  USA to Guatemala City; If time permits in afternoon: Visit Antigua [1-hour drive] for touring ruins, Jade Factory (make jewelry from stones), Open-Air Markets

      SUN: Attend church in AM; Either depart for Lake immediately following lunch [4-hour drive]; or Do trip to Antigua mentioned above

      MON-THURS:  Work in villages across the lake

      FRI:  Boat across Lake and spend couple hours shopping in Panajachel; Return to Guatemala City [3-hour drive]

SAT:  Travel to USA


Team Member Needs:

Passport [online information:  http://travel.state.gov/passport/index.html]; Also check with your local post office and/or at county court house for passport service.  Leave a copy of each member’s passport at church in case of emergency

Shots:  Check with your family doctor for his/her recommendations [definitely will need to have current tetanus and some doctors recommend hepatitis shots]

Bring with you: Blue jeans, capris, shorts [NO short-shorts], T-shirts without any suggestive wording, alcohol or tobacco ads, light jacket, couple pair of comfortable shoes [if building, one pair will need to be closed instead of sandals], long shorts, sweatshirt for evenings, if rainy season be prepared to get wet, towels and washcloths for self; one roll of toilet tissue; individual sized hand sanitizer; you may want to bring your own pillow; often pillows provided not what you are used to

Informational Websites:

Health Travel Recommendation:  www.cdc.gov/travel/camerica/htm

Travel Advisories: http://travel.state.gov/guatemala.html

General Info Guatemala: http://travel.yahoo.com/

                    http://education.yahoo.com/reference/factbook/gt

Guatemala Embassy:  www.guatemala-embassy.org/tourism.asp