Q & A | GC2 Ministries

1. Are shots / vaccines required?

Covid immunization is not required nor are any other shots required. However, if a person or family feels that they are necessary then they should check with their local physician or clinic.

Please click here for more info about covid and Costa Rica.

2. How many days do you recommend for the trip and what is the cost?

I recommend a 7 day 6 night trip which on average costs around $840 per person.

(Final cost is dependent upon group size and ministry location).

The per person amount includes:

Pre-trip planning help/ consultations
All housing
All transportation (airport pick up and drop off and drivers)
3 meals a day
Purified drinking water during the length of your stay
Free day activity (volcano hotel activity, zip cording, or whitewater rafting)
Admin fees
GC2 staff and translators

Does not include:

Airfare (we can handle setting this up as well)
Souvenirs/snacks
Vbs supplies
Construction supplies
All other supplies/materials used during your trip

We take care of all the reservations for transportation and housing, food preparation, logistics, schedule details, etc. so that once you are here on the ground the only thing you will need to be concerned with is ministering to the people.

Full payment should be sent in one month prior to your trip date.

Please click here for payment instructions

3. What ministries will we be involved in during our trip?

Our main ministry is church planting through medical missions, VBS, Teen outreaches, Construction, Leadership training and Leader's retreats.The specific ministries that your team will be involved in depends on the personnel you are bringing on your team.

4. What will our schedule look like?

A typical 7 day trip looks like this (The trip can be longer or shorter according to your needs):

Day 1

Arrive

Lunch

Check in to hotel

Orientation and Training

Day 2

VBS is 2 locations or

outreach in high schools

Fun fair carnival outreach

Day 3

Elementary school outreach (vbs)

or outreach in high schools

Day 4

All day sports/ games teen outreach

Day 5

Church service

Afternoon vbs or

Souvenir Shopping

Day 6

Free day tour

Debrief meeting

Day 7

Airport

Fly out

A typical Medical Outreach schedule looks like this:

Day 1 (Usually Wednesday)

Arrive

Lunch

Orientation and Set up for clinics

Days 2,3,4

All Day Clinics (9am -6 pm)

Day 5

Church Service

Tour (Waterfall gardens or Coffee)

Day 6

Fly out

5. What is the code for the ariport we will be flying into?

The airport code is SJO (San Jose Costa Rica)

6. Are there any special instructions regarding going through immigration / customs at the airport?

Immigration and Customs is fairly simple. Everyone on your team will need:

1. A copy of your return ticket out of Costa Rica.

2. The address located below of where you will be staying.

Please print the following address for each member of your team to show to the immigration officer if they ask for an address in costa rica:

Concepcion de San Rafael

Heredia

Del mirador tierra blanca

300 sur casa gris mano derecha.

After that you will pick up your luggage (again just follow the crowd).

If you have a lot of luggage you can grab a free cart. Once you have

all of your luggage, you will go to the luggage x-ray machines located

at the other end of the room.

You will place your luggage on a conveyor belt to go through the X-ray

machine. If you are stopped, they will open your bags and look

through them.

After going through customs, you will immediately exit the airport.

Airport carts are allowed outside of the building. Exit to your right.

Once outside you will feel like you are walking the red carpet at the

academy awards because there will be a crowd of people many of

whom are taxi drivers trying to get your attention. We will be there

to pick you up.

7.Things to bring, things NOT to bring:

Things to bring:

Bible / journal

Reusable water bottle

**Towel and washcloth** (No towels will be provided here)

light jacket or sweatshirt

sunblock

hand sanitizer

Imodium/ pepto bismol

Work clothes

Bathing suit (Girls: One piece bathing suit)

If working in high schools: photo album of 10 pictures of friends, family and pets.

Note to team leaders:

It is recommended to bring the following for all team members:

Copies of passport photo pages
Emergency contact info
Emergency liability and health waiver (click here)
- Note: For minors, the form will need to be notarized to be valid.

Do not to bring:

*You do not need to bring bedding. All bedding, sheets, and pillows will be provided here.

*Do not bring anything of real value that can not be easily replaced.

Note: Plug adapters are not needed. Costa Rica uses the same plugs as the US. Also laundry service will not be provided.

8. What is the dress code?

For High school Ministry

Jeans (no holes), khakis, capris, skirts, Polo shirts and t-shirts (with no offensive words or secular musical bands or artists) are fine.

No flip flops or shorts.

For Sport Outreaches and free day activities:

Shorts and T-shirts are fine.

Note: For Girls: Outreach day activities most always include pool or water games. We will let the team know the day before the activity what to expect as far as games. Should the games include water, we recommend that the girls wear a one piece bathing suit under their shorts and t-shirt.

For VBS in Elementary schools

Jeans (no holes), khakis, capris, skirts, Polo shirts and t-shirts (with no offensive words or secular musical bands or artists) are fine.

For VBS at Church Locations:

Shorts and T-shirts are fine.

For Church Services:

Khakis, capris, jeans, skirts, dresses, and polo shirts are fine. No shorts or

flip flops for church serivices.

9. What do Costa Rican guys/girls dress like on an average day?

Costa Rican students are required to wear uniforms,

black shoes, blue pants or skirts, light blue or white shirt.

When not in school, they wear jeans, skirts, T-shirts, polo

shirts, shorts, etc. They are pretty casual here.

10. Where will we be staying while in Costa Rica.

This depends on what area of the country you will be working in. We utilize

different hotels, camps and we even host teams of up to 32 people in the

GC2 team house.

Here are some of the places we use:

GC2 Team house - Heredia

Camp Brittney - Atenas

Villas Valle Verde - Atenas

Hotel Los Lagos (free day activity) - Alajuela

www.hotelloslagos.com

Note: As mentioned above, You do not need to bring bedding. All bedding and pillows are provided here. However you will need to bring a towel.

11. How much cash do I need to bring?

You will only need cash for personal snacks and souvenirs that you

purchase. Also if your team chooses the volcano hotel stay for your free

day activity, the hotel offers tours such as zip cording or horseback riding

at an additional cost of $50. Team leaders will also possibly need funds for the

following:

Baggage fees
Meals in airports
Emergencies

Note: Credit Cards and Apple pay are widely accepted throughout Costa Rica.

12. Are $100 bills too big to change or use - should it be 20's?

The majority of places will not take anything higher than a $20 bill. All bills should be in excellent condition with no tears or marks on them.

13. How does the money exchange work? Does that happen at the airport?

Since most places accept dollars, you will not need to change out money. Usually you can purchase things with US dollars and your change will be in Costa Rican money (Colones)

Currency:

The colon \ 625 colones = $1

Bills - 1 mil (1000 colones)

5 mil (5000 colones)

10 mil (10000 colones)

20 mil (20000 colones)

14. What is the recommended group size?

For non- medical teams, we recommend 10-20 with at least 2 adult leaders.

For medical teams we recommend between 6 and 12. (It is recommended to have at least one doctor and 3 nurses and a pharmacist if possible).

15. When is the best time to come?

We receive teams from January to the end of August each year. Spring break week is typically always booked while January, February, April, and May are typically the most open months.

16. Will someone from GC2 be with us during the trip or will we be working alone?

Either the missionary or one of our bilingual ministry staff will be with your team from the time you arrive at the airport to the time you leave the country.

17. Will we carry our passports on us at all times while we are there?

You should make copies of your passport (photo page and signature) which will be carried on you at all times. When we are traveling to free day destinations, the actual passport will need to travel with us. At all other times, passports should remain at location where you are staying.

18. Can I drink the water?

The water is drinkable (potable). We will provide

purified drinking water during your trip and you will be

able to purchase bottled water just about anywhere.

19. We will we have access to internet?

In most cases, the team leader will have access to internet but this is not guaranteed. Please check with your cell phone service provider to ask about international plans.

20. Do I need an electrical adapter for the outlets?

No adapter needed. Costa Rica uses the same outlets as found in the US.

21. What are the contact numbers for emergencies.

Internet Magic Jack phone: 1-843-536-0551 (This number rings to my cell phone and can receive texts)

LaMar Costa Rican Cell: 011-506-8888-1912

Other ways of contacting us: