A missions trip centered around God and His word brings people together like nothing else I’ve seen. Getting off the plane, I knew that whoever was to arrive on our trip would be people that I would remember forever. There is something about sweating, praying, memorizing scripture, and laughing together with people in a foreign country that binds people together creating memories that will hopefully never be forgotten. Our trip this year was nothing short of that.
Our missions was not to bring a team of people to Haiti to “fix” what is wrong but instead to learn from their faith, culture, and see that God is working in all places- with or without us. Yes God loves to use us, but he doesn’t need us. It it is a privilege to serve our God and I think that is something we all took away from this trip to Haiti. It is humbling to realize that we are not in control of our lives let alone a week long missions trip and I think that fact is often easily missed. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily ministry activities and not see a bigger picture of how God is working which is why I think it is so important to come back together at the end of each day. Ending each day with a debrief is critical for each team member to process and understand what God is doing in our hearts and in Haiti.
Every night we would open up about what happened throughout the day, worship on the roof and dive in to God’s word together. Afterwards we’d typically break out into smaller groups for more intimate conversations including things like sharing struggles, thoughts, and even testimonies. These times were so precious to me! Seeing my teammates open up and hearing their different stories and emotions they had throughout the day made me love them even more! God never ceases to amaze me in the way he connects people from all walks of life under the banner of His name. The group of girls I met with every night really made a huge impact on my heart. The four of us are all in different seasons of life which was so encouraging for each of us to be able to pour into one another and give advice. The conversations we had will stay with me forever; talking about the challenges of God’s word and what it really means, the trials we walk through with Him, and how we will apply all this when we return home from Haiti.
