My husband and I went on our first mission trip to Haiti this past June and I wanted to share a little insight about it and hopefully encourage others to take the same leap of faith and be prepared for the change it ensues.
INTRODUCTION
A mission trip was on my list of 30 things to do before I turn 30, as a one time experience. Since I don't have much more time left before I reach that milestone, my husband and I decided to go on a trip for my birthday to mark that one off. Unbeknownst to us, we both fell in love with mission work and will be making this a yearly trip.
My church held a Mission Trip FAQ meeting we attended at the beginning of 2018 and with the small group that attended that meeting I felt comfortable to raise a question to all my fears. I shared my concern that I can't quote scripture, I am terrified of public speaking, and don't feel mature enough in my knowledge of Christ. They told me that I would get just as much out of this mission trip as would the people we are going to help if not more, to never give the excuse that I'm not ready, and that God can use me at whatever stage I'm in. We signed up two months later on Valentine's Day.
We went with The Woodlands Church, which we had just recently started attending a few months prior to the trip. They partnered with Mission of Hope for our Haiti trip, but also offer different trips to Kenya, Malawi, and Honduras as well that have different focuses, from medical to orphan work.
I loved going through the Woodlands Church and these are just a few of those reasons:
- The organization. This term might as well have a double meaning because both the Woodlands Church as an organization put me in awe at how much they are accomplishing around the world and then also the impeccable schedule and organization of events during the trip that made things extremely simple with no stress from me which is hard to accomplish.
- They were affordable. I never imagined I'd be able to send myself on a trip. It was $1,700 for the trip and that included airfare, shelter, food, security, translators, abundant access to clean water, and much more. I did end up asking for help from family and friends at the ninth hour before the trip, due to life crashing down on us weeks before we left, but I'll go into that later.
- The comfort extended. They did a great job at putting me at ease with my rampant anxiety for anything and everything unknown. We had multiple meetings with everyone going beforehand to get to know who we'd be working beside and become familiar with the schedule and ask any questions that might be arising as we prepare mentally and physically for this trip.
STAY TUNED!
Parts to follow will include more details on:
- Preparing Yourself
- Our Packing List
- Itinerary & A Look At Our Trip
Side Note
While on this trip I was recommended to Coreluv multiple times. They are another mission organization that currently focuses their work in Haiti, but is looking to start trips to India soon.
They stood out for many reasons.
- You can be anywhere in the world to participate in their trips. You pay a smaller investment and everything is included in that except airfare, so you can be anywhere in the world as long as you can get a flight to their destinations.
- You can create private trips, say if I wanted to encourage that my next family reunion adventure be a mission trip.
- They are an independent organization not tied to a church, to not scare off and better accommodate the parts of my family who avoid religion.
- Lastly, they are personal and passionate. STORY: I posted my first picture to social media after returning from my trip and a friend of a friend reached out and contacted me, who actually worked at Coreluv. He invited me to an advocate meeting shortly after and I loved how comfortable I felt with them. They are a close knit, welcoming group and passionate towards their organization.
I look forward to going with them on a trip soon!