Mission Team Trips

Four Kansas Farm Girls Visit Haiti

These Kansas farm girls were with us in Haiti this summer.

 GLORY! That's the one word that could sum up our July trip to Haiti. The glory of the Lord truly surrounded each one of us. I could feel the warmth of His smile as our group passed eventlessly through potentially dangerous streets and airports. The reception we received from the body of believers in Haiti melted my heart. Although Jeremie has only changed slightly in the five years since my family and I lived there, every friendly smile and each natural beauty seemed fresh and exciting to me. Eleven days seemed entirely to short a time to greet old friends and enjoy new ones. I also treasure the discipleship we all received from Pastor David. The Lord in his wisdom allowed me to be humbled by illness. But by His grace I was able to stand before a church with a high fever and say "Jesus is my only strength." The residual side effect of this experience is that I daily cling to Lamentations 3:25-29. My heart wells up with thankfulness that I could be part of this trip and I continue in  prayer for the Lord's work in this country I love as my second homeland.     Charity Bailes

The Lord used my trip to Haiti to redirect my focus from myself onto Him. Before I left for Haiti, I was discontent with my prospects for the future. I had set my mind on temporal instead of eternal things, but my mindset was corrected in Haiti. There I saw utter poverty and hopelessness. I observed a family who had lost everything they owned to a fire, and I looked into the faces of children who lived in constant misery without a tangible hope for a more comfortable life. I expected to see tear-filled eyes and pathetic expressions, and I will admit I saw some of that; however, I also found people excited about and living for God. Now I think I really understand how “tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance character; and character hope.” (Romans 5: 4) I was reminded in Haiti that I have nothing to hope for except eternal glory with God and nothing to live for but Him.       Ashley Young

Going to Haiti was a great experience.  There were certain experiences that made this trip stand out from other mission’s trips I have been on.  I really appreciated having a good leader that had spent so much time developing relationships for the Gospel. 

Driving through the streets with Pastor David in Haiti means a lot of honking, yelling out greetings to friends, and taking side trips to pray for the sick or to meet someone new.  Pastor David shows such love and care for the people of Haiti.  He has an incredible balance of culture and Christianity.  By watching him, I gained a greater knowledge of how one can steer people away from culturally acceptable practices that are against the Word of God, yet at the same time show respect for culture.

While we were serving in Haiti, Pastor David also spent time training our team through discipleship.  Each morning our team shared personal testimonies of what God revealed to us through our devotions the night before.  This was an incredible time of sharing and learning that deepened our understanding of each other and also how God was working in each of our hearts.

This trip to Haiti helped me better understand, that no matter where I am in life, I should be growing deeper in my walk with God.  As I grow to understand more of the character of God, I will learn to love people with His love.  From this trip I gained a greater understanding of how to live a life that affects others for Christ.  I have grown in the knowledge that whether I am on missions or not, I am always to be living the mission given by Christ.        In Christ,  Maria Shead