My Haiti Mission Trip

Before hearing about the need in different parts of our world, I never considered going on a mission trip. Last summer during show choir camp, our choreographer told us about a charity called Thirst Project. Thirst Project is an organization that builds wells in Africa so the citizens can have clean drinking water. Knowing that there are people out there drinking brown, gunky water filled with animal feces breaks my heart, because there are steps that we can all take to help solve that problem. For me, one of those steps is going on a mission trip. If I could help even one person live a higher quality life, I will be satisfied, knowing that I have made a purpose to my life. Another time that my eyes were opened was this summer. One of my friends went on a mission trip to Haiti with her church, and seeing pictures from their trip moved me to have an even stronger desire to go on one myself. Both the children in Haiti and the people serving them were both so joyful,

In 1999, I left Haiti. Although it has been 16 years, I hold on to the memories for dear life. I lived in a city called Port de Paix, just a few hours away from the capital, which means it was quiet and peaceful; that was just wonderful. This essay will outline the wonderful memories of my childhood in Haiti.

I want to start of by thanking you for supporting my trip to Gulu, Uganda. This trip allowed me to bless so many people, and I learned so much during my 11 days. This trip stretched me in my faith in a lot of ways. Since I was traveling alone and meeting a team at the airport, I had to be completely reliant on God to get me across the world safely. It was a little scary, but God was at work from the very beginning of this trip. While in the Amsterdam airport I even met a whole missions team that were also going to serve in Gulu, which was a huge comfort to me after not speaking to anyone for such a long time. I had no troubles traveling in various airports that I had never set foot in. Once we got to Gulu after eight hours of travel by car, we got a tour of the children’s home that we would be spending the majority of our time in. After getting a tour of the building, I was taken to the preschool that I would be teaching in for the rest of the week. After we visited it, we walked the few minutes it took to get back to the orphanage.

I have never known a time in my life where I have not gone to church. With that being said, it’s not my largest priority. I tend to get distracted during the school year with deadlines and hanging out with friends. It’s when I’m able to go on a mission trip that I can truly show and see what I believe in. I have been on four mission trips altogether and this summer I took a leap of faith and left the country for the first time to serve. Nicaragua held the same focuses as trips in the United States, but what I consider a mission trip from my experience in the past was not what this trip had in store.

This summer I went on a mission trip to Minnesota, and it changed my life. I got to strengthen my relationship with God and my friends, all the while serving a community. While I was there, I was tested a few times, but my view of life was permanently affected. If I was asked to leave tomorrow for another trip, I wouldn’t even hesitate to go.

There is a great quote by Blake Mycoskie about mission trips that says, “Trips like this aren’t vacations…they are so much more. These experiences show you what’s possible and challenge you to examine the paths you’ll take in the future.” Claude and Kelley Nikondeha have spent five years running a community development mission in Burundi, a landlocked African country. Kelley Nikondeha tells of how they prepare their mission teams for the week and when they return home after a short term mission trip experience in Burundi in an article entitled, “Story-telling and the Short Term Mission Trip.” Kelley Nikondeha elaborates on the four points she expresses to all groups, “Give me a word. Tell me one moment. Take a break to rest. How was your trip?”

As I stepped off the plane I thought to myself; Am I really about to step off the plane into the poorest country? Was I prepared for a week in Haiti? Looking back Haiti challenged me more than I have ever been challenged before; physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Since the 2017 generation students who participated in the Haiti service project gave the generation a presentation last academic year about the Haiti project, my attention was immediately caught. Perhaps what attracted me most was their work to fulfill their objectives and the place where they would accomplished them which is Haiti. Form what I have investigated and people have showed me, the country’s living condition are extremely severe, very far from Costa Rica’s. Because that country is as it is, the proposal of working for its people attracts my attention because I feel that any work that is done for their community is extremely valuable and being part of that service will be wonderful.

As an undergraduate student majoring in Public Health, I have been fortunate to expand my knowledge about the health, social and politics challenges which affect other countries outside the U.S. There are many under developing and developing countries which are going through this challenges but the reason for this letter is about the country Haiti. Haiti had a devastating earthquake January 12, 2010 which tipped the scale of barely stable balance. This natural disaster destroyed the already weak health, social and political system. Infectious and communicable disease which were closed to being under control came back rapidly. Cholera outbreak occurred, which killed more than 5000 people and left over 500000 people sick,

This is where my journey began. May 2015 was a time that will forever change my life. I took a mission trip to Haiti with a group called the ACTS team. With everyday trials and tribulations what seemed tragic in my perspective was minor compared to what I saw people experiencing in this foreign country. I started this journey thinking that this would give me a new perspective on what life holds, as well as, minister and assist those in need.

I had the privilege of going with the DBC High School choir on a mission trip for a week last month, and it was an experience I had never had before. There were almost 100 total people on the trip, and we had two buses that took us everywhere that week. This included 5 different hotels, fast food restaurants, two churches, one flash mob at a mall, and seven different juvenile detention centers or children’s homes. There were many hours of travel, lots of late nights doing bible study, and many times of putting up and breaking down risers, speakers, and microphones, whether we liked it or not. I have to say this was one of the most physically, spiritually, and mentally challenging weeks of my life.

This summer I have the honor and privilege to be able to advance God's kingdom with a mission trip to Costa Rica. I'll be going with a group of missionaries from Living Word Family Church to Siquirres Costa Rica. While there, we'll be doing street evangelism including ministering to the people and dramas for the public. The team I'm in is the Youth Team, and we'll be in Costa Rica from July 9th through the 16th.

Think about the poverty and problems that all countries around the world are facing today and every day. As Americans we have an urge to go into these countries to help as much as possible because of that we have begun a revolution. Americans began going on mission trips around the 1960s but did not really pick up until the 1990s. The trend grew after multiple natural disasters, Americans saw and need and went, since then short term mission trips show no sign stopping anytime soon. As the popularity of leaving our comfort zones, many people have found issues with the way the trips are led to the extent of questioning whether or not these trips are really worth the amount of money and time that they consume. Through periodicals, interviews, narratives, and articles, I will show the issues and improvements that could be made to the living situations, attitude of the Americans, and relationships that are acquired during the short term mission trips.

My church was planning a mission trip to Haiti in Summer of 2016. As soon as I heard the announcement I knew I was going. My husband, my then nineteen-year-old son and myself started our plans to travel. Passports were bought, fundraisers were planned and me thinking I needed to know everything there was to know about Haiti started my searches on the internet. I went into this trip thinking I knew all about the culture, country, the people and what I could do for them. I quickly found out just how wrong I was.

I have always enjoyed traveling. Exploring the world has always been on my bucket list. Being outside in nature allows me to experience God’s creation in depth. I’ve been able to travel across the United States serving with an organization called YouthWorks. This organization provides life-changing Christ-centered mission trips. On the worksheet we completed in class, I put several places I would like to visit before I die. I would like to visit New England in the fall, and see all the exquisite colors and views. Visiting a rainforest and going on a safari has always sparked an interest in me. Lastly, before I die, I would love to go experience the Holy Land. I want to visit places featured in the Bible, walk where Jesus walked,