Letter from the Director: New trip options offer something for everyone
A truck filled to the brim with people, cargo, and several chickens travels down a dirt road in Ethiopia. There, as in Haiti, trucks are a common mode of public transportation. Joel Carillet / iStock Editorial
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
By Janeil Owen, Executive Director
What do you see in the picture above? Craziness? Adventure? Danger? Culture?
At Northwest Haiti Christian Mission, we see a blending of culture and adventure as part of the journey to minister in the northwest zone of Haiti.
Although we don’t normally travel like this, we do have several new options for you to choose from for your next trip to Haiti. Because let’s face it, travel into Haiti is always an adventure, whether you’re headed to “The Mole” or Saint-Louis Du Nord, NWHCM’s main campus. But we want to make sure the adventure is the best possible fit for you.
You are an important part of NWHCM!
We see your role as vital to the long-term goals of the mission. The challenge of reaching 120 communities for Christ through the “Neighbors Projects” as well as being the hands and feet of Jesus to the poor, the orphaned, the widowed, the imprisoned and the lost will not happen without you. Together we RESCUE, RESTORE and REDEEM!
Over the last few months, as you know, the cost of fuel has gone up significantly. This unfortunately also affects the cost of ministry in Haiti. The costs of shipping things in-country, powering the generators, as well as the cost of actually getting to the mission have all increased.
With this in mind, we have been reviewing the options for travel and have developed several package options for you to choose from, making travel as affordable as possible. These options cover a variety of ways for you to arrive at the mission and continue your role in Haiti.
Package 1: The Weekend Warrior
This package includes up to five nights on campus. It is perfect for those of you that need a Haiti fix, have just a few extra vacation days to use, or want to spend your spring break with us.
- Option A: Adventure Package
This is a great roundtrip way to travel to St. Louis du Nord, via bus or Land Rover. Note: We are working to be able to replace our buses with Land Rovers, we will have our first two very soon. This 6-hour ride across the beautiful and startling countryside of Haiti is worth the time to experience fully the land and people where we serve. You will experience first hand the beautiful mountain views, the valleys, vistas, desert and lush forest, as you drive across the changing terrains that make up Haiti.
Price: Plane ticket to Haiti, plus $765*
This includes all accommodations, three meals a day, travel expenses in the northwest zone, translators and security.
- Option B: High/Low Combo Package
This option combines the best of both worlds. It gives you the ability to fly one way on Tortuga Air, viewing Haiti’s beautiful mountains from 6,000 ft and then the ride of your life in the bus/car for your cross-country Haiti experience.
Price: Plane ticket to Haiti, plus $855 *
This includes all accommodation, three meals a day, travel expenses in the northwest zone, translators and security.
- Option C: Deluxe Traveler Package
This option gives you the fastest route to the Northwest, but misses the cross-country adventure. You will fly both directions on Tortuga Air, where you will land and travel by vehicle to one of our mission campuses. Please note that if you choose this option you may have to overnight in Miami or Port-au-Prince to make your connecting flights. Tortuga Air is an independent company, as such we are at the mercy of their scheduling.
Price: Plane ticket to Haiti, plus $930*
This includes all accommodation, three meals a day, travel expenses in the northwest zone, translators and security.
*Please note there will be an extra $100 fee if your return flight to the U.S. requires an overnight hotel stay in Port-au-Prince.
Package 2: The Impact Classic
This package includes up to 10 nights in the Northwest. It is perfect for those of you that are coming with a mission project in mind, whether as part of a surgery team, the Neighbors’ Project, or any number of other ministry opportunities that are available to you.
- Option A: Adventure Package
This is a great way to travel to Saint-Louis du Nord, via bus or Land Rover. Note: We are working to be able to replace our buses with Land Rovers, we will have our first two very soon. This six-hour ride across the beautiful and startling countryside of Haiti is worth the time to experience fully the land and people where we serve. You will experience first-hand the beautiful mountain views, the valleys, vistas, desert and lush forest, as you drive across the changing terrains that make up Haiti.
Price: Plane ticket to Haiti, plus $1070*
This includes all accommodation, three meals a day, travel expenses in the northwest zone, translators and security.
- Option B: High/Low Combo Package
This option combines the best of both worlds. It gives you the ability to fly one way on Tortuga Air viewing Haiti’s beautiful mountains from 6,000 ft and then the ride of your life in the bus/car for your cross-country Haiti experience.
Price: Plane ticket to Haiti, plus $1160*
This includes all internal accommodation, three meals a day, travel expenses in the northwest zone, translators and security.
- Option C: Deluxe Traveler Package
This option gives you the fastest route to the Northwest, but misses the cross-country adventure. You will fly both directions on Tortuga Air, where you will land and travel by vehicle to one of our mission campuses. Please note, that if you choose this option you may have to overnight in Miami or Port-au-Prince to make your connecting flights. Tortuga Air is an independent company, as such we are at the mercy of their scheduling.
Price: Plane ticket to Haiti, plus $1260*
This includes all internal accommodation, three meals a day, travel expenses in the northwest zone, translators and security.
*Please note there will be an extra $100 fee if your return flight to the U.S. requires an overnight hotel stay in Port-au-Prince.
Take a student to a Coldplay concert. Big lights, heavy production, lots of energy…they are in awe.
You see, if you take a student away from their phone, away from Facebook, away from YouTube, away from air conditioning and paved roads, away from “life-as-we-know-it” American culture and step into the real world of northwest Haiti, something incredible happens. It’s something you can’t create – something that can’t be manipulated.  Their eyes are opened, and they begin to listen to clear voice of the Living God who has created them for more than existence and passing trends. He’s created them to LIVE –to be ALIVE– and step into their potential.
The experience of Haiti joined with teaching, worship, and reflection brings forth a response beyond what a formal trip or camp experience can provide. It equips and empowers a movement of awakened Christ-followers to live out the gospel in their everyday lives. This is an opportunity for two worlds to collide and bring to the surface a beautiful new perspective, one that recognizes a suffering world and begins to see it through the eyes of Jesus. Most importantly, this is the opportunity to become the change this world so desperately needs, the very change Jesus calls us to be.
