Mission Teams and Mission Trips to Haiti
(Due to violence and kidnappings in Haiti, all mission trips have been cancelled until further notice.)
The first question most people ask about going on a mission trip is, "Where do we stay?"
We stay in Pastor Ronald's house at My Father's House Orphanage. It has hot showers, flushing toilets, electricity and even air conditioning. The next question is usually, "Can we eat the food and drink the water?" Yes! The orphanage food is fresh and well-prepared and two deep wells were installed and maintained without cost by Blue Ridge Well-Drilling Mennonites.
We stay in Pastor Ronald's house at My Father's House Orphanage. It has hot showers, flushing toilets, electricity and even air conditioning. The next question is usually, "Can we eat the food and drink the water?" Yes! The orphanage food is fresh and well-prepared and two deep wells were installed and maintained without cost by Blue Ridge Well-Drilling Mennonites.
Transportation is never an issue on mission trips, but the roads are. Although there are some roads that are in good condition, most are unpaved and some could even be called treacherous. The city streets are marred with potholes, and the mountain roads are nothing more than well-worn paths that wind around corners and up steep mountainsides. Traveling in Haiti is not for the fainthearted, but our excellent Haitian drivers always get us there.
The purpose of our mission trips is to love the 50+ kids at My Father's House Orphanage, encourage the 33 widows that love us so much, and bring supplies and greetings to the people in the 50 Light & Peace Mission churches. Above all, we rejoice with our brothers and sisters in Christ as we sing and pray and worship Jesus together. It's amazing that language differences aren't an issue when people worship.
Sometimes we leave more than our sunglasses in Haiti; most of the time we leave our heart. There's never a time when we say goodbye to the kids at the orphanage that we don't have tears streaming down our face. How can that happen after knowing them for just a few days? You'll never understand until one or more of those kids latch onto your hand, then your neck and then your heart. There's only one thing you can to do - sign up for the next mission trip!
By now you may be wishing you could join a mission team. Although it's a great blessing for all who are on a team, it's not for everyone! It's only for those who love Jesus and are living their life in accordance with God's Word. Team members must be healthy and able to tolerate heat, dust, close quarters and a lot of hugs from our young Haitian friends. We'll be sure to post mission trip information when it's safe to travel in Haiti again.