Trip to Haiti a life-changing experience for local mission team
After the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti that killed more than 200,000 people and left thousands more injured or homeless, members of the Church of the Saviour in Wooster began praying for the people affected and for a way to help. They got their answer in the form of a nondenominational ministry called Adventures in Missions (AIM), which had an opening for a high school team in Carrefour, near Port-au-Prince.A group of 13 youth and three adults worked hard to prepare for the trip, meeting 12 times for prayer, Bible study, cultural training and drama and testimony preparation. "One of the things AIM stressed was that we don't want to be the American heroes, but to make sure the people knew it was coming from Christ," said mission team member Kyle Patterson.
From June 26-July 3, the group shared their faith through drama, testimonies, dances, preaching and prayer walks. In addition, they were able to provide $1,000 for a food drop. "We tried to do all we could to help," said Pastor Jeff Watson. "We brought lots of hygiene products, toys for the kids, and donated much of our clothing before we left. We made such a small dent in it all. We're hoping and praying it will make some difference."
"In our first glance of Port-au-Prince from the airplane, we could see thousands of tent cities," said Hosanna Creasap. "Not a lot has been done since the quake. It's really heartbreaking."
Watson concurred. "Five and a half months after the earthquake, I was in shock at how much it looked like photos from just afterward. The only difference is that now the people have tents. But the tragedy has driven the people toward God. There is a spiritual revival taking place—people have lost everything, but gained what is most important.
"Haiti has been very open to the gospel since the quake. Churches have tripled in attendance, with services every night of the week," he said.
The group visited a Haitian church during their stay. "It was so powerful to see how they worshiped and feel the presence of God there," said Lori Inkrott.
Creasap recounted the story of one family they met, whose children couldn't go to school that day because they had no food or water and didn't have enough energy to go to school.
"We take so many things for granted. We just want more and more," said Daniel Doan. "It was humbling and it opened my eyes. I changed a lot. We don't need anything. Compared to them, we are so wealthy."
"Even though we were there for a week, we can't really begin to understand what life is like for the people there," Katie Dunlap added. "We at least had food three times a day and water. Others didn't."
The time in Haiti was intense for all the travelers, with temperatures in their tents reaching 115 degrees during the day. "We got to experience what they go through all the time," said Ben Simms. "We don't realize how good we have it here, with fresh food, water and air conditioning."
The Church of the Saviour plans to send an adult team to Haiti in February and many of the youth hope to return at some point. "I was really proud of our students," said Watson. "They did a great job of having a good attitude, persevering through a lot of tough conditions and not allowing them to stop what we were called to do. We were all really humbled on the trip. We went there to help and share the Gospel, but at the same time, our lives were really changed by what we saw in the people there."