Trip Application

Dear Friend,

I want to share with you some details about our 2025 Spring Break Belize Mission Trip.  We’ve been building relationships in the village of El Progresso, Belize for over ten years, so we have a rich history to step into.  This cover letter is intended to give you an overview of what we’ll be doing before, during, and after the trip and what will be expected of team members.  

What the trip is all about
Relationships.  From beginning to end, we will focus on building relationships: within our team and also with our Belizean friends as we work on projects together.  We will be planning activities that can safely involve our youngest team members.  We plan to lead activities with students in the primary school as well as work alongside friends in the village on a construction project.  

Who the trip is for
We hope to take an intergenerational team to Belize.  The trip is open to those going alone as well as those going with the whole family.  We welcome families to apply for the trip with children in grade 4 and up.  Children from grade 4 to 8 will need at least one parent to go with them.  Students in 9th grade and above are welcome to join us on their own or with their family.  Each team member (regardless of age) needs to fill out a separate application.  

W H A T  T O  E X P E C T
BEFORE THE TRIP

Team Meetings
Team members will be expected to participate fully in all team meetings.  In these meetings, we’ll be working on teambuilding as well as training for our team.  The culture and setting in Belize are very different from our own situation in West Texas, so we’ll be learning a bit about what to expect and how to deal with the differences we’ll see.  The better prepared we are as a team, the more lasting impact our trip can have both in Belize and in us.  

Prior to our trip, we’ll need to meet together as a team for a minimum of 4 meetings.  Team meetings are an extremely important part of this mission and are required for all team members.  The material for a meeting can be made up, but the relationship and team building cannot, so please only miss when it is absolutely necessary.   If you have an unavoidable conflict and cannot attend, please clear it with Pastor Walter before the meeting.  Our first team meeting will be Thursday, December 5, 2024, 5:30-7:00pm Subsequent meetings will be decided upon by the team.  

Raising Support
Each team member will be expected to send out emails/letters asking people for both prayer and financial support for the trip.  We’ll talk about this in our first meeting.  If a team member wishes to fund the trip on their own, he or she will still need to send out letters asking for prayer support.  The total cost per person for the trip will be about $2,100.  Financial assistance is available if a team member’s fundraising and personal contribution does not cover their cost.   

Immunizations, Health
Currently, Belize is not requiring any COVID vaccine or testing measures for entry.  You will need a current tetanus immunization (within the last 10 years) for the trip.  Regarding other immunizations, you may consult your doctor and/or the CDC’s list (http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/belize.htm) for recommendations (including anti-malaria medication, which is not usually recommended for Belize).  

Passport Requirements
If you already have a passport, the expiration date must be later than September 16, 2025 (six months after departure from Belize).  If you do not yet have a passport, please arrange to get one as soon as possible.  Wait times can be up to 12 weeks.

All team members age 18 and over will be required to comply with FPC's Child Protection Policy, which includes a criminal background check and about one hour of video training.

ON THE TRIP
The climate in Belize is warm and humid in March with highs in the 80s and 90s.  We will likely stay at a small resort with fully adequate rooms and good meals.  Belize is a peaceful, small country and is usually quite safe for us to travel around.  

Team members are expected to participate fully while on the trip.  This will include our daily devotions and debriefing times as well as all the ministry opportunities God gives us.    

Our tentative schedule will be to attend church and visit with friends on our first full day there (Sunday).  Monday through Thursday we will spend the whole day (roughly 9:00am to 4:00pm) in the village working at the school and on our construction project.  Each evening we will have team time for connecting with God together and debriefing our experiences of the day.  Friday we will plan to visit a special location to focus on debriefing our experience individually and together before returning home.  This time will be important for us to reflect on what God has done in and through us on the trip and how we are going to share with our friends, family and coworkers back home.   

Children
Again, children in fourth grade and up are welcome to go.  With children on the trip, we will arrange our schedule as best we can to accommodate bedtimes and plenty of time to rest.  We will give priority to families so they can stay together in their own rooms.  Most of the activities we do with the primary school in El Progresso are great places for our own children to be involved.  Please contact Pastor Walter if you have questions about children participating on the trip.

AFTER THE TRIP
Our ministry to those who send us on the trip (our church family and friends) is an important part of the mission.  Because of this, team members will be expected to participate in the sharing and reporting opportunities upon our return from the trip.  These opportunities will vary, but could include sharing stories in a worship service, Sunday school class, special event or small group as well as writing stories for church publications.