Lessons We Have Learned

Today this post is mostly for team leaders this summer and to some degree anyone that is coming to Honduras this year.

I am stating some things that have to have happen for everyone coming to Honduras this year. These are lessons being learned the hard way by us and others. I am not making any of this up and no one is teasing about these rules. Not me, not the airlines, not immigration.

First and foremost and most simply, if you are coming to Honduras, you have to have a passport. No matter how expensive your ticket is, you will not even be allowed to check in without a passport. If you don't have a passport, start the paperwork tomorrow. It is not too late for anyone yet to get their passport.

And for most of you that already have your passports, please please check the expiration dates. If you are coming in June or July and your passport expires this year, please start the renewal process. If you are coming in November or December and your passport expires the first half of next year, please renew before you come.

Normally, this little detail is caught in the States, but sometimes slips through. Last week a young lady arrived here and her passport was to expire in less than three months and immigration was going to send her home immediately. Marc said I can get this fixed and immigration said sure you can. The people Marc knew who could help, were not answering their phones on Saturday afternoon. Marc finally talked to Michelle Salvador, our friend. By the way, Salvador translates to savior. Michelle said she could get it taken care of and she usually can. She said she would call Marc back and his phone immediately went dead. Immigration was not very patient or kind. With a sneer on his face, he said he was returning the young lady to the States. Marc started to go upstairs with her and was told he could not come. Marc said but she know no spanish and the agent replied, "so what." Marc and the rest of the group began to pray. And through the divine intervention of God, Michelle walked into the airport asking Marc why he wasn't answering his phone. Divine intervention, sound vaguely familiar Gary and Ruthann. Michelle had talked to the director of immigration and all was well. As long as Marc signed in blood promising to have her on the plane on March 27. Michelle has been our savior more than once. And the young lady was on the plane out of here on Saturday. We did not want to find out what would happen if she wasn't.

I don't think we ought to test this too often. Please check the expiration dates on your passports.

This year the airlines are requiring first, middle and last names exactly as it is on your passport, your birthdate and your gender. If the name on your ticket and passport do not exactly match, you will not leave the country. This is a little different and more strict than in years past.

In the past, if you emailed me your name as Clint and your legal name is Clinton and I purchased a ticket with Clint on it, we could change it to Clinton at no additional charge. This year, as we have already discovered, it will cost $100.00 to make that little change. American Airlines is really, really serious when they say no changes. Group leaders and team members, please check and double check your information before sending it to me. If the mistake is mine, I pay the change fee. If the mistake is not mine, then someone has to pay for it.

That little yellow piece of paper that is stapled into your passport when you enter Honduras, needs to stay there. When it doesn't, the person who no longer has that little piece of paper, has to go to immigration. This is not a huge deal, just takes a bit longer.

Another thing we are hearing and have not found out how serious people are is concering minors without parents. We have heard all minors will have to go to immigration before leaving the country. This will mean a longer check-in. I am suggesting that all group leaders be very diligent in getting those spanish consent forms this year and instead of sending them to me, please keep them with you when entering and leaving the country. Marc and I will post these forms in the next few days.

A little extra effort before you leave, will hopefully save a lot of headaches later down the road. I don't want to find out that someone else is not teasing.

Terri