“Our week-long trip to Haiti was not nearly long enough. Over the course of the trip, our team had bonded and become a family that was so special to me. I already knew a few of the members before the trip, but most were new friends and we grew very close. There is something about being in a foreign country out of your comfort zone that helps bond a group of people together in such a unique way, but the best part was that we were there for the same reason: to share the love of Jesus with the people of Guitton, Haiti. We were gathered for that sole purpose and that is something that can’t be beat.

One of the best parts of every mission trip is the kids. But it’s easy to say that and not have any meaning behind it until you experience it for yourself. Now those words hold so much deep meaning to me and every person on our team because we had the opportunity to be blessed by interacting with the children in Haiti. Visiting orphanages, churches, schools, and just simply playing with the street kids was definitely the highlight of the trip. We got to do some really fun hands-on work building a sidewalk and landscaping, which was great because we worked with the locals and they taught us a lot. But the best part of all of it was those relationships we built rather than a sidewalk. With every bucket of cement we poured and built that foundation, we were simultaneously building relationships with the people and kids.

The kids loved helping us with carrying concrete and cleaning up the landscape because they wanted to interact with us. We accomplished so much that week. We left a physical representation of  our mark on Guitton, but we also left with an imprint on each of our hearts from the people of Haiti. We all agreed that we need to go back. The best thing about the trip was that we went down there to help out and teach them and show them the love of Jesus, but we left having been shown His love by the people. What a blessing. We not only became a family as a team, but we also became a family with the people there and that is something that cannot be replaced. Praise God for His work through us and through the Haitians during our time there.”

– Natalie Beaman

“I went to Haiti with Reel Life for spring break this year with some friends and it was an incredible experience. We served the Lord on multiple levels while we were over there. The first couple days we worked with some native Haitians to landscape a church that had been planted in a local village. We built a sidewalk, a small basketball court, and planted all sorts of plants to beautify the church. Another day we had the opportunity to visit an orphanage that supports over 50 kids who, outside of the orphanage, have nothing. It was awesome to spend time with the children and see how appreciative they were of our attention and love. The last day we went throughout one of the villages and passed out rice and beans as we spread the gospel to the recipients. For a country as hopeless as Haiti it was amazing to see that through long-term missionaries and short-term trips like ours that God is providing hope to the country. I know all the Americans on the trip were just as moved by God as the Haitians were through seeing the work he is doing there.”

– John Grady Welden