As a child, I have always wanted to go on a mission trip. I have dreamed of helping others in many places. I wanted to teach others of Christ’s love for them and being the hands and feet of Christ. I have been a teacher for 7 years teaching public and private school but nothing prepared me for the teaching in Haiti. In 2012, Our Church had announced that they had been praying about Haiti and wanted all of us to pray and listen to see if that is where God wants you to go. At first, fear crept in and told me I could not make a difference. Then I heard God saying, “Of course, Mandy I want you to go.”
For the first couple of months I pushed it out of my head but Bible verses kept on tugging at my heart. Go into all the world and teach the gospel and also whatever you do to the least of these you have done into Me. The verses made me realize God wanted me to go. In addition to God, my husband Michael (we recently got married in March of 2012 knew without a doubt he wanted to go to Haiti and he wanted me to experience a mission trip.
When we finally landed in Haiti, I knew by this time God had a plan for this trip. We worked with the Haitian people carrying rocks to help rebuild roads, and then help them repair fish basins, along with that we taught them about Jesus. We only wanted to leave Jesus and His love for them in Haiti.
While a lot of our team helped repair fish basins, I was asked to read Bible stories to the children and the crowd of people. Since it was hot in Haiti, I found a shade tree and sat everyone down to read stories. As I read Bible stories my interpreter stopped me and asked, “Are these stories real?” I told him all the stories where real and all in the Bible.
As I reflect on that day, God just blew me away with that question. Some of these people had never heard about Adam and Eve or Noah or even the stories of Jesus. I feel very privileged to be the one to share their first time experiencing these stories.
The night before our second trip to the Cercady School, God made me continually sing, “Jesus Loves Me.” This is a song most of us learn when we are little and one of the first songs we learn about Jesus. I decided we would sing that song to the children at the school that day. As we got to the school, I asked the interpreter if they knew that song. He told me, “No, he had never heard it but would help teach the children this song.” I was so inspired by God that day and the children.
Today, I am still being blessed by Haiti. I pray that Haiti is always around me and God keeps bringing it back to my heart. I just know God used Haiti to wake me up and show me why he created me. As I was teaching in Haiti, God said “Yes Mandy; this is why you are here.”
I pray someday I can go back to Haiti. I encourage anyone to really consider going on a Mission Trip. It is so life changing. I know my life will NEVER be the same.
Thank you,
Mandy Hall
