This Compassion Sponsor Tour will provide an opportunity for you to join with other believers from across the United States to spend a week in ministry together in Nicaragua. With the unique connection of sponsoring a child or children here, we will participate in hands-on mission projects like painting classrooms or cleaning up the area around the child development centers where Compassion works. We will also work together to interact with the children through vacation Bible school-style activities, which we will plan and prepare in advance. This particular experience is designed to provide you and your family, if you choose to bring them, with a safe yet rich cultural experience while allowing you the opportunity to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty.

Have you wondered who greets the child you sponsor when he or she arrives at the Compassion center? What is his or her community like? Does my sponsorship really make a difference in his or her life? Well, wonder no more! Join us on this Sponsor Tour to Nicaragua where these questions and many more will be answered.

While you will certainly see some remarkable tourist sites, our adventure will also take you to visit several different Compassion child development centers, like the one your child attends. We'll venture even deeper into the heart of the community, the home, where you will learn what poverty looks like in the developing world and how your partnership with Compassion International not only benefits a child, but that child's whole family and community as well. As great as these experiences will be, nothing will compare with the opportunity to meet the child you sponsor and spend the whole day making memories.

This tour will fill up quickly and space is limited, so don't delay. Register today!

Day 1: Our Journey Begins

Saturday & Sunday, May 22 & 23: Our journey begins with a brief orientation during which we'll get to know each other and prepare ourselves for what God has in store for us. We arrive in the country in the late evening, so tonight we'll just get a good night's sleep and prepare for the week ahead. On Sunday we will begin by enjoying Sunday morning worship, Nicaraguan-style. Then this afternoon we will do a little sightseeing before working together to finalize ministry plans for the week.

Days 3 - 4: Expand Your Heart

Monday and Tuesday, May 24 – May 25: With our hearts stirred to put our faith into action, we will visit and minister to the adorable children who attend several Compassion child development centers in the area. We will visit centers in this rural area and see how poverty impacts the children and their families and how the incredible staff that works with these children implements the ministry of Compassion. As a team, we will minister to these children through drama, worship, games, and arts and crafts, and create memories to last a lifetime for all involved. In between ministry activities with the children, you can expect to learn more about how your ministry works and the lasting impact it makes in the life of every Compassion child.

Day 5: Hands-on Mission Project

Wednesday, May 26: Today we will visit another Compassion-assisted child development center and have time to serve together through a service project we will work on together. For a more vivid portrait of poverty, we will experience "a day in the life of a Compassion child" as we spend an extended time working alongside the families of the children attending these centers.

Day 6: Connecting With the Child You Are Releasing From Poverty

Thursday, May 27,: You'll spend a very special day filled with laughter, hugs, stories and fun as you meet the incredible child or children you sponsor. The Compassion staff has planned a day that you and your sponsored child will never forget. This is what you've waited for, so treasure every moment!

Days 7 - 8: Bringing Our Experience to a Close

Friday, May 27: With our adventure nearing its completion, today is a day to catch our breath as we visit the Compassion office. Here you will have the opportunity to "look under the hood and kick the tires" of this amazing ministry. If our previous experiences haven't fully answered the questions you came with, this experience will provide an outstanding opportunity to answer them here. After lunch you will have the opportunity to finish up any purchases of gifts for friends and family back home.

Saturday, May 28: After a week of immersing ourselves in the beauty and grandeur of this beautiful country, tasting a bit of the culture through our visits to the Compassion child development centers, and investing in the lives of children, our adventure has come to a close. Today will be a great opportunity to reflect and consider what impact this experience will have when we return home. We will return with hearts prepared to answer the call to "speak up for those who cannot speak up for themslves" as we share with whomever God lays on our hearts the experiences we have had this week.

Tour Schedule Details:

Registration: Our trips fill up quickly on a first-come, first-served basis, so it is important to register by Oct. 9, 2009. Once we have received your registration along with a deposit of $175, we will confirm your place on the tour and you may then purchase your domestic air ticket. The final payment of $2,200 is due no later than Jan. 31, 2010.

Please click on the Register Now button below to complete the registration form online. If you'd rather register by mail, click on the link to the printable Registration Form above right, below the photo.

Price: The cost of this tour is $2,375 per person for double occupancy.

Included in our tour price are round-trip airfare between Miami and Nicaragua, lodging, all meals, travel within Nicaragua, tips, your child's travel, guides and translators during the tour, admission fees, departure tax and administrative costs.

Costs not included in the tour price are transportation to and from Miami, passport, and incidentals such as snacks, additional beverages, laundry, phone calls, film and other personal items. You may want to bring extra spending money for shopping at the local markets.

Safety and Preparation: This tour will be moderate in difficulty because of impoverished conditions. Also, there will be some walking, rides on bumpy roads, and long days. We will have a work element in this tour.

Compassion constantly monitors the safety of our destination countries and will make any adjustments necessary to protect our tour participants, sponsored children and in-country staff. We believe it is important to provide safe, comfortable accommodations, traditional meals and reliable transportation so that your focus can be on what God is teaching you and the impact of the experience rather than concern for your personal safety and well-being.

Please read the Tour Conditions and General Information document before finalizing your decision.

BACKGROUND CHECK: 
In order to ensure the safety of our children and determine eligibility to travel with Compassion, we now require all travelers (over the age of 18) to complete a criminal background check. Please visit https://www.ministryopportunities.org/USCITours to complete your online background check at the time of registration. If you are unable to complete this online, please contact us and we will send you a paper form for you to fill out and return. Compassion uses a third-party vendor, Protect My Ministry (www.protectmyministry.com) to process background checks. The results of your background check are confidential and all personal information is encrypted and secure. 

RESERVATIONS should be made well in advance and require a nonrefundable deposit of $175 per person. Final payment of $2,200 is due no later than Jan. 31, 2010. Additional fuel surcharges are assessed at time of ticketing and due no later than 60 days prior to departure.

AIR TRANSPORTATION and FUEL SURCHARGES: 
Air transportation as included in the tour is based on economy-class transportation and is subject to all rules and regulations governing these fares. Fuel surcharges are added on a per-ticket basis at time of confirmation. In the event these surcharges are increasingly higher than budget estimates, we may require additional funds to cover these surcharges. We will communicate any pricing changes immediately. 

In the event that you need to cancel your trip, please refer to our cancellation policy below:

All deposits are nonrefundable.

Fifty percent of the tour cost will be required for cancellations 59-31 days prior to the Sponsor Tour.

One hundred percent of the tour cost will be required for cancellations 30-0 days prior to the Sponsor Tour.

Only written cancellations accepted.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL reserves the right to adjust or alter any travel program when necessary or desirable for the protection, safety or improvement of said travel program, or when local conditions do not permit operation as published. COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL reserves the right to accept or deny participants application at its sole discretion.
RESPONSIBILITY: COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL makes arrangements with airlines, hotels and other independent parties to provide you with the travel services you purchase. These parties are independent suppliers over whom we have no direct control. In the absence of negligence on our part, we are not responsible for any claims, losses, damages, costs or expenses arising out of injury, accident, or death; damage, loss or delay of baggage or other property; or delay, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment, upset, disappointment, distress or frustration, whether physical or mental, resulting from (1) the act or omission of any party other than COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL or its employees; (2) mechanical breakdown, government actions, weather or other factors beyond our control; (3) failure to obtain documents, passports, visas and health certificates valid through the date of reentry, when required, in which case a cancellation charge will be assessed; (4) failure to follow instructions including but not limited to check-in and checkout times and baggage handling; (5) cancellation or change for any reason in the travel services offered; and (6) medical or health problems or physical disabilities. COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL reserves the right to cancel or alter the travel services at its discretion, except as otherwise noted herein. In the event of change, COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL will try to substitute comparable services; in the event of complete cancellation by COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL, we shall refund all monies paid to us. COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL will not be responsible for any other cost incurred by participants.