Here are just a few of the ways trip members could serve according to their talents or abilities:

1. Evangelism
• Church Leadership Training
• Creating Curriculum - small groups, Sunday school, children’s ministry, youth ministry, lay pastors
• Miscellaneous Training In Your Area Of Expertise - evangelism/witnessing
• Creative Ministry - music, mime, drama, puppets
• Preaching/Teaching - churches, schools, music lessons
• Bible and Tract Distribution - (must be bought ahead of time)
• Children's Ministries - VBS, Bible clubs, sports camps, day camps
• Conference Seminars - women or men, youth, pastors, married couples, school teachers
2. Mercy
• Distributions - clothing, food, school supplies, Bible school
• Prayer Walking - visiting the sick and praying
• Clinics - vet, medical, dental, prenatal, nutrition, first aid, sports
• Helping At The University
• Conversational English - classes, informally
• Visit door-to-door - sick, orphans, elderly
• Encouraging Missionaries And Nationals
• Serving Any Needs That Arise
3. Construction
• Building Projects - home, churches, repair work, maintenance, playground equipment
• Painting - maintenance
• Planting/Nursery - trees, plants for food, grafting(in season)
• Helping In Gardens - church gardens, family gardens, clearing fields
• Furniture Construction
• Your Area Of Expertise - Mechanic, Art, etc.
• Road Work - rock hauling, potholes
• Digging Ditches

For a more comprehensive look at our mission trip download and read our Short-Term Mission Handbook.

1. Team Fee of $45/day - per diem for lodging, food, and local transportation around UCI. The team will have to include more funds for transportation costs to and from the airport (see options below), due at least 2 weeks before your trip (the sooner the better so it can be deposited directly to Haiti before your team gets there)
2. Vehicle surcharge of $50/person - due when per diems are paid. This is not to be confused with transportation costs as this surcharge helps us with the maintenance/repair of our vehicles
3. Tourist Fee at the Port-au-Prince airport - $10 US/person to be paid before entering the passport area.
4. Airfare from US/Canada to Haiti:
• Group fares available through commercial airlines such as American Airlines (Port-au-Prince or Cap Haitian), Spirit, Delta, Air France, etc. The trip from the Port airport to UCI is shorter than the trip from Cap Haitian to UCI. Flights need to arrive into Port before 5 PM or we will ask that a guesthouse in Port be reserved for the team for the first night. This is due to security factors. It is not entirely safe to drive at night.
• MFI (Missionary Flights International — has to be reserved approximately 9-12 months in advance), also well worth extra money for the round trip to Pignon which is a few miles from UCI — or commercial airline plus.
5. Transportation from airports to UCI:
• MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship – gets you right into Pignon. $320 for a 5-seater charter plane with very limited on amount of luggage — 25lbs/person or $640 for a 10-seater charter (with basically unlimited luggage) Reservations can be made on MAF website.
• If you choose not to fly to UCI from Port Au Prince or Cap Hatian, you can choose one of these options:
• UCI bus: $400/one way trip
• Van that can hold 10-12 people and their luggage (if luggage is not excessive): $200/one-way trip
• Taptap pick-up: $150/one-way trip--useful for excess luggage
• UCI vehicles: $75/one-way trip--Hilux pick-up holds 5-6 people inside, Land Cruiser holds 13 people inside.
6. Out-of-pocket expenses – you should plan for some souvenirs, offerings to national churches, some food or snacks on the way. Each team member is responsible for their own needs.
7. Extra “Team Money” - for special projects determined by each team (this could be for a special building project, craft items, Bibles, materials, etc.)

*All checks should be payable to United Christians International (UCI).

For donations to be tax-deductible, team members’ names should NOT be written anywhere on the check, including the memo line. Instead, attach a note indicating what the donation is for—all unused portions of donations go to UCI-Haiti.

What does the Team Fee cover?

• on-field accommodations and meals
• laundry (done by hand)
• safe drinking water and sodas
• local transportation around UCI, unless UCI vehicles cannot handle the size of your team
• pre-field training and materials (ask for via the UCI, Box 51 address)
• on-field leadership, translators
• guards on the UCI-Haiti compound

Who makes the travel arrangements?

• UCI recommends the Team Leader arrange air travel. Another possible resource would be www.wideworldtravel.com. Others are available on the web.

Important travel notes:

• When planning your air travel, remember all team members should arrive at the mission destination at the same time and depart at the same time. Get UCI’s approval of your complete itinerary before actually purchasing tickets.

1. Team Leader Items
• Bible, UCI leaders’ notebook, CD’s/cassettes and word sheets for worship music–or musical instrument(s), batteries, airline tickets, passports, immunization record, birth certificate, driver’s license, paper, notebook, pens, pencils, duct tape,computer copies of Scriptures used and forms for daily plans etc (copies can be made in Haiti)., devotional, camera/film/extra batteries, locked box for daily security for passports/money/team money/personal spending money available at the Mompremier’s house (and an envelope for each individual’s ), stationary/addresses for writing supporters/ family/friends and a “letter to Jesus”,cake and frosting mixes for any team member birthdays.
2. Team Member Items
• Bible, batteries, airline tickets, passports, immunization record, birth certificate, driver’s license, paper, notebook, pens, pencils, devotional, camera/film/extra batteries, stationary/addresses for writing supporters/ family/friends and a “letter to Jesus”.
3. Clothing for work/play/ministry - 2-3 long shorts or jeans/capris for work and play on compound, T shirts, skirts/blouses/dress pants/shirts and/or dresses for ministry, 1 lightweight sweater/long-sleeved shirt, underwear, half slip, socks, tennis shoes, dress shoes or sandals, flip flops for showers, belt, hat or cap, pj’s
4. Food (plan to share) - wrapped snacks like peanut butter buddy bars, granola/trail mix, mints, Crystal Lite or other dry drink mixes (for self and VBS), Gator Aid mix, dried foods, peanut butter, coffee creamers, Pringles, crackers for snacks. Cheese spreads, jerky, cookie mixes, rice and noodle mixes, Spam, canned ham, tuna or chicken in pouches for Sunday meal. Gravy, chili, spaghetti sauce mixes; pepperoni, cheese for the ladies in the kitchen to use for meals.
5. Personal - prescription medications (especially antimalarial needed in Haiti) Aspirin/ibuprofen/Tylenol, wet wipes, towels, soap, shampoo/conditioner, brush/comb, head/sweat band, cosmetics, fingernail file/clippers/polish, deodorant, contact solutions, vanilla scent (a natural repellent), tooth brush in container, toothpaste, floss, personal insulated water bottle, razor, ear plugs if sensitive to noise at night, dryer sheets (act as a repellent).
6. Household - bug spray, repellent, lotion, plastic line for laundry, clothes pins, flashlight, toilet paper, alarm clock, (Sunblock available at UCI)
7. Supplies for ministry (adults and children LOVE crafts of any kind) - VBS-style craft items, glue, glitter, scissors, stickers, construction paper, markers, crayons, pencils, colored pencils, craft kits for children and adults, useful tools (like paint brushes, paint rollers and tray, putty knife, saw, knives, chisel, wire brush, etc.), Miracle Grow (or Walmart equivalent) for gardens, Bibles and tracts in Creole to distribute (to be bought in Haiti--$10/Bible), at least 1 pair of work gloves, children’s clothes (especially t- shirts) for distributing at the nutritional center.
8. Gifts - lotions, soaps, pads of paper, pens, cocoa mix, dish cloths, kitchen towel sets, covered plastic (like Tupperware), glasses/pitchers/containers, candles, candy–especially chocolate, toys for children, perfumes, good knives, pocket knives, household decoration,T shirts, tins, kitchen utensils, Christian CDs and DVDs
9. Other needed items - “kindergarten-type” items, sticky-tacky for hanging things on walls,, laminated posters of learning or inspirational kind, manipulatives, clear Contac paper, peanut butter, pre-sweetened Kool Aid, white chalk

Additional Trip Tips

• Plan to leave as many of your renewable supplies as possible for use in UCI ministries or by the missionaries. It is difficult and expensive to get many things we take for granted.
• Pack most small items (especially food) in sealable Ziplock bags.
• Keep all food items in sealed plastic (not glass) containers, Tupperware, or Rubbermaid–insect and rodent attractions.
• Airlines won’t allow sharp items in carry-ons or aerosol cans in regular luggage.
• Ladies, wear minimal makeup and jewelry. Less is better. No hair blowdryers
• Modesty in dress is never offensive so consider others’ preferences before your own.
• Leave photocopy of passport at home.
• Dress up for Sunday church services: women wear dresses and skirts (no sleeveless for church, please), men wear button-down shirts and slacks - many wear ties.
• Unwrap any new items from its packaging as they are more likely to pass through customs.
• When filling out (on visa when going into the country) the reason for coming to this country, reply “visiting friends”. And when visiting Haiti, put as address: UCI, Caiman area, Bohoc, Central Plateau, Pignon, Haiti.
• Take many small bills in to exchange–like $5's or $10's.
• Give the missionary family... FAMILY TIME!
• Have a “weigh-in party” the day/evening before to get weight distributed amongst team members, make sure there are no unplanned overweights, and to avoid hassles at airports. It is advisable to have luggage with wheels so you can take care of your own and avoid hassles with luggage carriers and their tips.