To ensure a meaningful experience and successful outcome on any mission trip, it’s all about advance preparation. Even then, there are always surprises, but you’ll be much better equipped to handle them if you’ve done your homework. Whether you are a participant or leader, here are a few guidelines to get you started.

1) Prepare Your Heart – Examine your motives and expectations for this journey. Make sure you are prepared to serve others. Mission trips are often very hard work, but the rewards are well worth your efforts. Your kind and positive attitude will greatly influence your effectiveness on the mission field.

2) Prepare Your Mind – Begin reading up on anything you can find regarding mission trip experiences of others. This includes the triumphs and challenges that are to be expected on any trip into a new and unusual destination. Tending to the spiritual needs of those you are serving and your co-laborers is essential.

3) Prepare Your Finances – Whether you are paying for yourself or raising support for your mission trip, you must know all the costs involved in participating in this venture. Items to be considered are airfare, land transportation, accommodations, food, travel gear, work supplies, etc.

4) Prepare Your Team – Whether you are meeting for the first time or are long-time acquaintances, your team can make or break a mission trip experience. You must quickly learn how to work together toward a common goal, yield to your leaders and care for one another. Cohesiveness is paramount.

5) Prepare Your Purpose – Clearly define what you want to accomplish. This usually involves a project to provide a basic need to a group of people in an impoverished area of the world. It could require building, painting, farming, medical assistance, supplying food, teaching or playing with children.

6) Prepare Your Health – Especially if you are traveling to a third world country, it is very important to have the proper immunizations and oral medications for your trip. World health recommendations change frequently and you must consult with a professional to ensure that you are getting the most up to date information.

7) Prepare Your Packing – Always travel as light as possible. Determine items that are essential and what you can leave at home. With airlines now charging for checked baggage, you’ll want to minimize those fees by taking as much carry-on luggage as allowed. Also, leave room for items to give as gifts on the mission field.

8) Prepare Your Destination – Learn as much as possible about the country or countries you will be visiting. Remember, you are a guest in their homeland and be as kind, understanding and gracious as possible. The knowledge you acquire regarding the culture and worldview of the people you will be serving goes a long way in making your transition smooth.

9) Prepare Your Devotions – Establish a prayer support team at home that will commit to pray for you before, during and after your mission trip. Planning and executing a meaningful devotion time with your team will develop a tight-knit, focused team spirit.

10) Prepare Your Travel – Traveling as a group can significantly affect the logistics and flight arrangements. Put one person in charge of the travel options and have them report to the team. It is always best to work with a travel professional that is experienced with planning group mission trips.

About the Author: Bev Henry has been a travel professional for almost three decades and has planned, assisted with and traveled on mission trips for various Christian organizations throughout her career. She currently works with Travel Network Group, an organization dedicated to the faith-based travel consumer and group leader. Their mission is to provide opportunities for people to have a closer relationship with God through meaningful travel. Visit www.christiantravelfinder.com or www.travelwithspirit.com.

Keeping your fitness strategy intact while traveling for pleasure or business requires only a bit of planning and ingenuity. Follow these simple steps the next time you plan a trip to ensure that personal fitness is on your itinerary.

Talk to the hotel. Find out if your hotel has a fitness facility onsite, how much it costs, or if guests can use a gym in the neighborhood at little or no charge. You should also ask whether they have a recommended walking or running route for the hotel’s neighborhood.

Write it down. Many travelers follow carefully crafted daily itineraries. Make sure that your daily physical activity is right on that itinerary. Keeping your daily fitness appointment with yourself will give you the flexibility to indulge a bit when it comes time to enjoy local food and drink.

Plan to walk. Walking is one of the best and most fun ways to see a destination’s sites. Walking also happens to be an ideal physical activity. Whenever possible, pick up the pace of your walks, because walking quickly (4 mph or 15 minutes per mile) burns twice as many calories as strolling (2 mph or 30 minutes per mile). If you see hills, walk ‘em!

Take your gear. Reserve room in your luggage for your basic workout gear (shorts, t-shirts, sneakers, etc.). Make sure you know your destination’s weather forecast and prepare accordingly. If your destination does not have a fitness facility, you can pack one in your carryon bag: one or two resistance bands or tubes, which weigh only a few ounces each, and will allow for a quick, efficient, in-room workout:

Making fitness part of your next trip will help to ensure that you finish your journey feeling as good (or better) about yourself as you did when you began.

About the Author:Vik Khanna is President and Chief Exercise Officer at Galileo Health Partners, LLC of Ellicott City, MD. Vik is a Clinical Exercise Specialist, certified by the American College of Sports Medicine, whose specialty is helping adults live healthier lives through evidence-based physical activity and nutrition strategies. Do you have a travel-related fitness or nutrition question for Vik? If so, email your question to passport@galileohealth.net.

March 24, 2010- World TB Day
Coming up on March 24th is World TB Day . We are on the move against tuberculosis and helping the Stop TB Partnership in raising awareness about TB. The Global Plan to stop TB is well underway, but it is still necessary to create new and innovative ways to move forward everyday. The main focus of this initiative is to rid the world of TB for good by enrolling infants and teens in a vaccine research study to help find medications/vaccines that are effective against TB and finding a more rapid and sensitive method for diagnosing TB. Here is how you can get involved.

April 7, 2010- World Health Day
World Health Day 2010 will focus on urbanization and health. With the campaign "1000 cities - 1000 lives", events will be organized worldwide calling on cities to open up streets for health activities. Stories of urban health champions will be gathered to illustrate what people are doing to improve health in their cities.

April 24, 2010- World Meningitis Day
Meningitis and septicemia kill and maim children, young people and adults the world over. These diseases are no respecters of wealth, color, creed or country. Make World Meningitis Day a day of action to raise awareness of meningitis and septicemia. Help prevent more Faces of Meningitis by raising awareness.

May 9-15, 2010- Women's Health Week
National Women’s Health Week is a weeklong health observance coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health (OWH). National Women’s Health Week empowers women to make their health a top priority. With the theme “It’s Your Time,” the nationwide initiative encourages women to take simple steps for a longer, healthier, and happier life.

Try this excellent Indian dish, Palak Paneer. Palak means spinach and paneer is a type of fresh unripened cheese. This dish contains turmeric which is a spice that can help improve digestive health and reduce inflammation.

• 6 tbs olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbs grated fresh ginger root
• 2 dried red chile peppers
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 3 lbs fresh spinach, torn
• 1 large tomato, quartered
• 4 sprigs fresh cilantro leaves
• 8 oz ricotta cheese
• course sea salt to taste

Preparation: In a large saucepan heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and saute garlic, ½ tablespoon of ginger, red chilies (optional ingredient) and onion until brown. Mix in the cumin, coriander, turmeric and sour cream (add more or less to achieve desired creaminess). Add the spinach, handfuls at a time until it is cooked down, about 15 minutes total. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Pour spinach mixture into a blender or food processor and add the tomato, the remaining ½ tablespoon of ginger, and cilantro (add more or less according to taste). Blend for 15 to 30 seconds, or until the spinach is finely chopped. Pour back into the saucepan and keep warm over low heat.

In a medium frying pan heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, and fry cheese until browned; drain and add to spinach. Cook for 10 minutes on low heat. Season with salt to taste.

The numbers speak for themselves.
The CDC has confirmed 2,498 deaths from Swine Flu or Pandemic Flu (H1N1) as of January 30, 2010. Estimates are as many as 15 thousand between the ages of 18-64. Additionally between 880 and 2 thousand people 17yrs and younger died. While transmission is declining in the Northern Hemisphere, it persists in the Southern Hemisphere especially in portions of Africa and Southeast Asia.

When we address lives lost to Seasonal Flu (H3N2) in the US annually, the numbers are outstanding in the non-immunized population – 36 thousand. The majority of deaths occur in age groups over 65.

With regard to Avian Flu (H5N1) circulation, thankfully because of the instability of the virus transmission in humans the number of cases has been relatively small with 447 cases reported to date and 262 confirmed deaths. The virus came to light in 1997 when the first human case was identified and has not gained much of a foothold yet. The fatality rate is extremely high. – Over 50 per cent.

Why are experts worried?
Because flu viruses are comprised of little RNA particles that can mutate easily and seek new combinations when introduced in common cultural practices of every day life.

Predictions are that we will experience another pandemic in our lifetime.

What are health officials doing about it?
Plans are underway to essentially mix the seasonal flu strains with the easily transmissible swine flu in an effort to stem outbreaks for the 2010-2011 seasons. Scrupulous monitoring by the World Health Organization and CDC will continue to predict and respond to outbreak patterns world wide.

What can we do as citizens? Get immunized for Flu annually to protect ourselves and our neighbors.

• Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis (TDaP)
• Hepatitis A & B
• Meningitis
• Typhoid Fever

Hatian Earthquake Updates

• Always observe others around you, never walk aimlessly or with your head down. A brisk pace implies a set destination.


• Do not wear conspicuous clothing. Try to blend in with the styles of dress around you. Do not wear expensive (or expensive-looking) jewelry. This may categorize you as “wealthy” even if you are not.


• Don’t carry your passport unless you need it. If it is necessary, carry it in a secure inner pocket or a money pouch under your clothing. Taking a copy of your passport works just as well in most countries and is much less of a hassle to replace if missing or stolen.


• Get a street map and familiarize yourself with your destinations and public transportation schedules before you venture out. There is nothing more telling that you don’t belong than pouring over a map in the middle of a crowded street.


• Stay current on the news and political situations happening in the area so you do not enter areas of uprisings or riots.