Mission Honduras is a yearly mission trip sponsored by Tulane Catholic since 2004. We have been traveling to the Merendon mountains, a coffee-growing region to the west of San Pedro Sula for almost 20 years! Tulane Catholic partners with the Misioneros de Esperanza, a group of Honduran missionaries who strive to improve the quality of life for poor families in the mountains through educational programs, medical missions, infrastructure and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mission Honduras is a trip focused on relationships, spirituality, and solidarity with the families we encounter in the mountains.
We will share life with the missionaries and our host village, especially visiting the elderly and sick in their homes, participating in sacraments and prayer, and working on a community project with out host village.
Each participant will pay approximately $1,200 to cover the cost of the trip. This payment includes airfare, lodging, and food. You will not need to pay for anything during the actual trip, except souvenirs if you wish to buy them, or food in the airport. Please note, a deposit of approximately $150 will be due several months before the trip so that we can buy plane tickets in advance.
Yes! We will be fundraising as a group, as well as giving advice on how to fundraise individually to cover the cost of the trip and to raise money for the Misioneros de Esperanza.
While most Hondurans only speak Spanish, it is not required to know Spanish to come on the trip. However, if you have experience speaking Spanish, that is a great help and will be very useful during the trip!
We will be sleeping on the floor of a building (such as a school building, church, etc.), so please keep this in mind!
We believe that the trip is safe but also take the following precautions to ensure the safety and well-being of the participants:
1. Participants are in groups at all times and accompanied by local Honduran missionaries who are aware of dangers and how to protect themselves and the participants.
2. Participants do not enter the city of San Pedro Sula except to visit the Cathedral and for travel to and from the airport (and for this we go around the city). On the first and last nights of the trip the participants sleep in a home in a gated suburb which includes a 24/7 security guard presence.
3. For the majority of the trip, participants are in the mountains of El Merendón––a rural region about 2 hours by car from San Pedro. There is little to no crime in this area.
4. The State Department's advisory specifically mentions the "Gracias a Dios" Department in the east of the country which is over 20 hours away by car. We do not travel anywhere near this region.
In the 15+ years we have travelled to Honduras, we have not had any incidents which endangered the safety and well-being of the participants. We believe this is especially because of the care of the Honduran missionaries who host us and the precautions we take.