Greetings

I would like to officially thank you for your interest in a mission trip with Vine and Branches Ministries. My name is Lance Whitehurst and along with my wife Carolyn we have founded Vine and Branches Ministries to help the local church go outside their 4 walls and reach out to their community. For the past 6 summers I have been leading teams to Puerto Rico and I have seen the need for more consistent help to the local church in reaching out to their community. Before I spent my summers leading in Puerto Rico, I led mission trips to Mexico, Canada, Jamaica and to numerous US domestic locations..

I would be happy to welcome you to the beautiful island of Puerto Rico where the only thing warmer than the weather is the welcome you will get from the people. Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, so you don't need a passport, or to exchange money. Even though Puerto Rico is a territory, you will feel like you are in a different country and will hear Spanish spoken in most places.

Puerto Rico has amazing diverse geography from mountains, to a rainforest, to an arid desert to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and some amazing waterfalls. The average temperature in Puerto Rico is 80-90 and where you will be serving there is usually an ocean breeze most days. You will get to select some fun activities while you are in Puerto Rico as you have one day set aside for recreation to enjoy the beauty of the island.

. I encourage you to read through this handbook and if you have any questions get a hold of your group leader if they don't have the answer they know how to get a hold of us.Thanks again for checking out Vine and Branches Ministries and hope I will be able to welcome you and your group to Puerto Rico very soon.

Sincerely,




Lance Whitehurst

Executive Director,

Vine and Branches Ministries