First let us say that we are going on this trip for an express purpose: to share the gospel! Cell phone use will be extremely limited for our team members during the trip. That said, it is important for your family to know you are safe and sound while you are away. We chose our lodging with the requirement that internet be available to our teams. There will usually be at least one point each day when you should be able to connect to the internet to send messages home. Please let your family and friends know in advance that you will not be as readily available as you are when you are at home. We will be out in ministry most of the day – many days are very, very long. When we are back at our place of lodging, the internet may be slow or even temporarily unavailable. Emergency contact information will be made available for each trip.

Please be sure to check with your cell carrier before you leave! Many cell phone plans are extremely expensive internationally. We recommend putting your phone in airplane mode and only communicating via wifi.

We will work with our local contacts to find medical help as needed. In our many years of travel, rarely have we had a team member so ill that a day’s rest didn’t bring them back to health. If needed, local doctors are available and pharmacies carry most common US prescriptions. That said, now is the time to work on being healthy while you are traveling. Get as much rest as you can – do not start the trip exhausted. Take daily vitamins and eat as healthily as possible before you go. Also, for those who would like to purchase insurance: https://www.faithventures.com/insurance/#compare

Please let us know and we will try to accommodate you as much as possible. We are committed to being respectful guests and eating whatever is served. That said, we understand that there are circumstances that require special attention. We are happy to work with you, just be sure to let us know in advance so, together, we can come up with a plan.

Funding for trips is handled in two ways.
1. Deposits are collected and then passed onto the Airlines, Bus Companies, and Hotels. Those deposits are not refundable (to OTTOM from the travel provider or to the individual missionary). Airline tickets are purchased and Hotels and Bus are paid for in advance. If money in your trip account has been dispersed in this way, it cannot be refunded, regardless of if you have fully finished raising the funds for the trip or not.
2. Some funds are held until travel time and are used for expenses on the trip (such as meals in restaurants). If you are unable to travel these funds may be held in escrow for future travel for up to one calendar year.
As a ministry that accepts donations and gives tax receipts we must follow the IRS rules. If a donation is given as a gift, it is not eligible to be refunded.

Read the trip details carefully to see if airfare is included in the trip cost, and if so, from which city travel will commence. If you need to arrange travel on your own, we will let you know arrival and departure times needed.

Most trips have almost all of your expenses covered. Check the trip details to see how many meals you will need to purchase yourself (usually just the travel days and 1 meal on our day off.) The other money you may plan on bringing is money for snacks and souvenirs (you know your shopping habits!), and possibly baggage fees (depending on the airline).

Check managed missions! Each trip will have a packing list in the documents sections.