We thank God and our Lord Jesus Christ for the most awesome mission trip thus far!! There has never been a mission trip like this one! Yes, every trip is different; but this one was very special.
A team of fifteen students from Missouri Baptist University joined us on this last trip in May. Everyone, including the B.M.O staff in Haiti, had a personal experience with the Lord. We experienced an open heaven and it was wonderful. What made this trip so wonderful? I thought you’d never ask. We had three days of evangelistic crusades. We visited an orphanage, where we did some teaching as well as sang and danced with the children. We spent lots of time with our children at Love of Christ School; we visited another elementary school, spend time in prayer at the ROCK House of Prayer, went sight seeing and also built a house for a family of eight in three days!!
At the end of the trip we asked the team to share a little bit about their experience in Haiti.
Here’s what a few had to say:
“Some how this place peels over the layers to allow God to speak clearly His will and His direction in my life. This school, these kids, the people and you, Gary, have somehow returned my “God hearing” ability. – WOW! …Ross Simpkins. (Veterinarian)
Dear Pastor Gary,
My time spent here in Haiti has been remarkable. I came here not knowing what to expect, but choked by what I encountered. Those involved in this ministry have hearts devoted to God and a true understanding of the power of prayer. At times when a situation started going amiss- sickness, injury, etc. –Prayer was always the instant response. The love that is expressed among the Haitian people inspires me. This week has truly helped me listen to the direction God desires for my life. Thank you for following the will of the Lord --- All for His glory and honor! ….Brigette Zielke
Dear Pastor Gary and Team,
Words cannot express how much God has blessed me through you all this week. You are all part of me now and part of my heart remains here with Bethel Mission Outreach and everyone here in Haiti. Our God is so great and glorious. He has revealed His beauty countless times to me through the landscapes, the love shown in each of you and our wonderful Father’s light in the eyes of each child. Because of our Father’s majesty and power to unify past all physical, mental, and language barriers. I’m happy to know we are seeking “One thing” as one heart. Your image and love are burned into my heart and mind forever, and I cannot wait to share Eternity with you! My prayer for you and love through our Savior remain with you… Until next year … Ephesians 3: 20-21 …Danielle Endejan
There was such a hunger for God during the trip and God showed up in a mighty way. Others wrote things like: “My life will never be the same” “God is in this place”
“This trip has brought me closer to God” “It has been a life-changing experience.”
There’s a Haitian proverb that says “Tandé ak Ouè Sé dé” which simply means hearing and seeing are two different things. What we’re trying to say is that we wish you too could have been there. There are not enough pictures to fully convey this amazing experience!
For example, this is a house made out of twigs and tree branches. The roof is barely covered with rusty broken sheets of metals;
when it rains no one can sleep because of flooding not to mention all the mud because the floor is made of dirt.This place is home to a family of eight. Each day Mr. & Mrs. Lamar and their six children pray that it won’t rain. On top of worrying about rain they also worry how they will survive and feed their children in a country where most people make less than $2.00 a day with unemployment at 70% even $2.00 is a huge blessing for most people.
We heard about this family’s situation because five of their children attend Love of Christ School. I decided to pay them a visit and what I saw brought tears to my eyes, it was beyond misery.
As I walked back to the mission house, the Lord spoke to me and said “Build a house for them and it will be a testimony in this village”. People everywhere will see this work and they will glory our Father in heaven.
At the mission base, I shared with the team the vision God gave me to build a home for the Lamar Family. One of them asked, “How are we going to build this house?
We need money.” Another asked “How much money will it take to build the house”. I didn’t really know but God would provide. I told them if we could come up with $1,000.00 we would find the rest.
They were very excited. So within minutes everyone brought what they had and place it on the floor. Then I asked them to stretch forth their hands and we prayed giving thanks to God for the opportunity to serve Him in such a way.When we finished praying, one of the students counted the money. There was exactly $1,000.00!! Is God good or what?!
So the next morning, we tore down the old foundation and started construction on a brand new one. While working on the house, a group of people came to the site and wanted us to stop the construction. They argued that the family didn’t own the land and do not have the authorization to build a permanent residence there. As the tension escalated, we were more determined to accomplish our mission.
We then assigned a group of intercessors to pray for favor as we continued to raise the wall of that house. Several hours later we had a break through.
An agreement was reached with the owner of the land to lease the property for a period of five years with option to buy. We praised God for giving us victory in the midst of fierce opposition. On the right is the Lamar family standing in front of their new home just before we finished it. God is worthy of all praise! The Gospel tells of the exuberant account of Christ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It was a happy time, a time of celebration and a time of thanksgiving to God for all the miracles they had seen. But some in the crowd were not happy to see God being praised. They even asked Jesus to make the people be quiet. They could not stand it, but Jesus answered them and said “If these people will not praise Me then the rocks will cry out and praise Me”.
Whatever we do, we do it with hope that someone will come to know our Jesus who loves us so much as it is recorded in John 3:16.Linda and I love each and everyone of you. We thank you for all your prayers and for loving Christ the way you do. Thank you for partnering with Christ through Bethel Mission Outreach to preach the Gospel, feed the hungry, and clothe the naked.
