Team Member Code of Conduct

Our Mission Statement: Home of Hope is the compassion project of Home Church. We are a non-profit, non-biased Christian organization dedicated to empowering people within developing nations. Our focus is to provide care for orphans and children with desperate needs who cannot take care of themselves. Our vision is to give hope to those who are hopeless, to help the helpless, to feed the hungry, to mend the sick, and most of all, to show the love of God. Pure religion is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction… James 1:27

As a Home of Hope volunteer team member, you are expected to conduct yourself according to the highest standards of integrity and morality at all times. We believe mission trips are an opportunity for team members to grow in their faith and to view all people with a high degree of love and respect. A mission trip provides fertile ground for a renewed perspective of service to others and a strengthening of your core values. There will be opportunities to pray, sing, speak, listen, comfort, and serve God and the people we encounter. Each host country has its own unique opportunities for the betterment of others and for you to flourish in your faith.
It is a privilege to serve on our mission trips, and there is an expectation that team members will conduct themselves with integrity and portray honesty, love, respect, and cooperation to those we encounter during our travels and upon our arrival at our host destination. We are guests, and we must act accordingly, including being sensitive to our global partners and the people we are there to serve. Our mission is dedicated to enhancing and enriching the lives of others in need around the world; you are part of this mission.

The following are meant to reflect our core values and serve as guidelines during a mission trip.
As a Home of Hope team member, you are expected to:

  1. Choose a positive attitude, and a willing heart to serve, and maintain positive, respectful relationships with team members.
  2. Demonstrate your faith through loving action, and reinforce all such behavior in others.
  3. Be patient and supportive while we work through potential issues while traveling to impoverished areas that may present unexpected circumstances, despite great efforts to be fully prepared.
  4. Ensure you have a buddy or someone who knows where you are at all times. You should never leave the group or wander off alone at any time while on the mission trip.
  5. Remember that we are guests working at the invitation of our hosts. Refrain from criticizing, complaining, or making any comments related to personal preferences, food, accommodations, etc. Always demonstrate respect for the region’s culture, religious preferences, and political views. Act with sensitivity, tolerance, respect, and impartiality toward others.
  6. Demonstrate a flexible attitude and a willingness to work as a team, placing your own personal wants aside to be a valuable team member and a servant to those in need in our host country. Offer to help others and be willing to ask for help whenever needed. Also, the Home of Hope staff is there to help support you and others whenever possible; simply ask for help.
  7. Stay together as a team, including leaving in the mornings at the same time and working and supporting one another throughout the day and the night, if needed. Some unique situations may arise and will be communicated accordingly. Be mindful to ask others who may be in need of help, a break, a meal, a hug, or a prayer.
  8. Travel with Home of Hope staff who fulfill an important and vital role to the overall team and the mission experience.
  9. Be careful with all supplies and equipment. If you have any questions or concerns, please discuss them directly with a Home of Hope staff member as soon as possible. He or she will then determine the best way in which to address the issue. Please refrain from discussing with others while the issue is being resolved. We are there to support the team and facilitate a positive experience.
  10. Abstain from the use of tobacco products, drugs, and alcohol, and from using inappropriate, derogatory, foul language and immoral conduct.
  11. Appreciate the blessings of being on such an extraordinary trip with exemplary individuals with a heart for mission work. This is such a rare opportunity that is truly transformative in countless, deeply meaningful ways. Seeds are planted, hope grows, and love endures. You will not return the same as when you first started the journey.
  12. Share your experience with others – while you are there if possible, then once you return home.