Our team members usually come from different parts of the country. For this reason, we will have at least one ZOOM video conference meeting prior to departure.

We will be conducting out-patient medical clinics in and around Tabaco City, Albay Province. Tabaco City is a medium sized city located southeast of Manila on Luzon island. We are planning to travel to the Philippines at the end of May.

This is the fourth year of ministry for His Healing Hands in the Philippines. Over a decade ago HHH worked in the Philippines doing disaster relief work. Now we have partnered with Baptist Bible Church of Tabaco. The ministry area is in the shadow of the Mayon volcano which is still active. The team will serve the medical needs of people all around the Albay District on the island of Luzon.

In addition to the medical team, a pastor will also join this team to help facilitate evangelistic events around the city. These will include daytime events targeted to groups such as police, military, educators, government officials, and prisoners. An evening all-age festival will cap off the week of ministry.

We will plan to depart the United States on Thursday and arrive in Tabaco City on Saturday following an overnight stay in Manila. We will have a team meeting that afternoon or evening as this will be the first time all team members will be together.

Sunday we will attend church with our local host and meet those who will be working with us as interpreters, patient registration volunteers, and helpers.

Monday through Thursday we will do the medical clinics. Getting to the clinic locations will usually take about an hour by bus or car. The clinics are generally done in public buildings or schools but can sometimes be done outdoors if no other facilities are available.

There will be opportunities for sightseeing on Friday. The team will begin its homeward journey on Saturday.

Total Trip Cost

$2,250 including estimated round trip airfare

Final trip cost depends on team size and airfare cost. Airfare rates are determined at the time of booking the flights. Flight costs generally run between $1,200 and $1,500 but could be higher depending on your departure airport. Your final trip cost will be provided after flights are booked.

Trip Payment Schedule

90+ days prior to departure non-refundable deposit

60 days prior to departure second payment

30 days prior to departure FINAL BALANCE DUE

If you register for this trip after any of these dates, you will need to pay enough to catch up on these deadlines.

We are limiting this team to 25 people max, we ask people to confirm their place by paying the deposit as soon as they are able. Once we have a team of 25 confirmed by payment of the deposit, if we have applications from additional people, we will start a waiting list. Anyone that has been approved for the trip but has not paid the deposit will also be moved to the waiting list once we have a team of 25 confirmed by payment of the deposit.

These items are included in the trip cost:

• International airfare plus domestic connections from your departure airport (see flight info on the Other Info tab for more details about flights)
• 3 meals per day while in-country
• Hotel accommodations based on double occupancy of rooms (See the Other Info tab for more about room arrangements)
• In-country transportation
• Translators
• Trained Team Leader
• Travel medical insurance coverage for the dates of the mission trip only
• Bottled drinking water
• Scrub top
• Administrative Costs

Costs not included in the trip price are meals in US airports on departure or return days, any costs incurred due to deviations in flight schedules, any fees associated with checked personal baggage or excess personal baggage weight, passport, visa (if needed), personal shopping money, or incidentals such as snacks, laundry, additional beverages, cell phone or landline phone charges, film, and other items of a personal nature.

Required Documentation

• Completed team member application (1st time team members)
• Current passport that will not expire within 6 months of trip return date
• Signed background check consent form*
• Signed Project Behavior Code document
• Signed Cancellation Policy document

*A background check is required for all team members age 18 and older.
Team Member Commitment

I understand that this mission trip starts the day I am approved to join the mission team and agree that, as a part of a His Healing Hands mission team, I am committed to being available for conference calls leading up to the trip departure and to reading all emails and materials pertaining to the trip. I am committed to responding in a timely manner when a response is requested. I understand that these communications are necessary to maximize the effectiveness of the team, to prepare each person for the trip, and to build team unity. For most teams, this will include 1 or more conference calls leading up to trip departure.

Team Demographics

Medical professionals such are doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, and physician’s assistants are needed for this team.

In addition, lay people are needed to staff positions such as pharmacy assistant, crowd control, and eye glass stations. If you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant during this trip, please check with your doctor before planning to travel on any mission trip and email the Project Manager prior to signing up to make sure this trip is right for you. ([email protected])

Age Requirements

All ages are welcome to join this team; however, persons aged 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Team members will be asked to provide written acknowledgement of the His Healing Hands Cancellation and Refund Policy. This policy reads as follows:

In the event that a team member drops out of the mission trip after costs have been incurred but not been paid for by the team member, that team member is responsible to reimburse His Healing Hands for those costs, including airfare, hotel deposits, and in-country transportation deposits. Costs incurred and paid for by the team member are not refundable.

Due to IRS tax laws for non-profit organizations, His Healing Hands cannot refund any donations. Please note that all trip costs are considered donations as they are tax deductible. This means that if a team member has raised funds or themselves donated funds towards the cost of the trip and then cancels, His Healing Hands cannot legally refund any of those donations, including the deposit. All funds will be retained by His Healing Hands to further the overall ministry goals of the organization.

Likewise, in the event that donations are received (whether self-funded or from third party donors) which exceed the actual cost of this short-term mission trip, those excess funds will be used by His Healing Hands at our discretion to further the overall ministry goals of the organization.

Vaccinations

His Healing Hands advises all team members to check the latest health information at the U. S. Centers for Disease Control at https://www.cdc.gov to get the latest health advisories and immunization recommendations/requirements for the country to which they will travel. We also recommend that all team members consult with their personal physician before planning overseas travel.

Paying for your trip

Donations to cover the cost of the trip can be made by mailing a check to His Healing Hands at 1050 Las Tablas Rd, #5, Templeton, CA 93465. Please be sure to write your name and your trip date and country on the memo line.

Donations may also be made at the His Healing Hands website. From the home page, click Donate at the top right. This will take you to a safe and secure donation page. Select your trip from the Categories & Funds drop down menu. This will bring up a second drop down menu from which your name should be selected. Donations through the website can be made with electronic check, debit card, or credit card. All donations for this purpose are tax deductible and receipts will be provided.

In the event that donations are received (whether self-funded or from third party donors) which exceed the actual cost of this short-term mission trip, those excess funds will be used by His Healing Hands at our discretion to further the overall ministry goals of the organization. Also, in the event that you need to cancel your trip, all funds donated towards the trip, including the deposit, are non-refundable and will be used by His Healing Hands at our discretion to further the overall ministry goals of the organization.

Flight & Travel Info

His Healing Hands pre-purchases blocks of tickets for these trips for all our team members, including your domestic connections from your preferred departure airport. For this reason, you will need to list your preferred departure airport on your team member application. Our travel agents work hard to get us the best possible price and itinerary for these trips. Sometimes, departures from smaller domestic airports are not available on a schedule that will connect well with our international departures; therefore, please be prepared to provide us with one or more alternatives should we need to ask you for this. If you have specific limitations on departure or arrival times, or you plan to extend your trip for tourism, you will need to let us know in writing 120 days or more in advance and you will need to be prepared to incur additional costs if your requests cause the cost of your airfare to increase. These additional costs may also include penalties charged by the airlines for changes or deviations made to pre-purchased ticket blocks.

Passport Validity

At this time, the Philippines only requires that your passport be valid at time of entry to the country. However, this may change at any time. Please check the US State Department website for the most up-to-date information about the Philippines’ validity requirements. For more information about passport validity, please visit the US State Department website.

Pre/Post Mission Tourism Travel

Some team members opt to extend their mission trip for tourism travel either before or after the dates of the mission trip. At the request of the team member, His Healing Hands will arrange flights to include tourism travel dates; however, any additional airfare cost must be borne by the team member and may not be tax deductible. Additionally, the team member must make all other personal travel arrangements privately. His Healing Hands cannot make arrangements for additional hotel, ground transportation, travel insurance, or other items associated with private travel arrangements nor will His Healing Hands collect any funds for those arrangements.

Room Arrangements

Our trip costs are established based on two team members sharing a room. Unmarried team members will share a room with another team member of the same gender. You should expect to share a room unless you specifically request otherwise and pay the additional cost for the request.

Since we are a Christian organization, we do not permit team members of the opposite sex to share a room together unless they are legally married or it is a parent/child situation.

Please email the Project Manager with specific questions about this policy. ([email protected])