From Haiti To Mississippi

Pastor Samson from the Eglise MEBSH de Cote Plage church in Carrefour, Haiti has been receiving teams from PPM since 2011. Over the course of 7 years, they developed a strong partnership with Broadmoor Baptist Church in Mississippi. During a meeting with his church leaders, Pastor Samson presented them with an idea: “Since we receive groups from the United States every year, why can’t we give back? We are serving the same God! He can use us as he’s using those groups and the great commission is for all disciples.”.

Pastor Samson and his church began to sense God was calling them to go on a mission trip. There was a mixture of excitement and nervousness as they considered what lay before them. The thought of traveling on a plane and sharing the gospel message in another country was exciting to Pastor Samson’s church. However, the realities of generating the necessary funding, obtaining a US visa, and navigating the language barrier felt like significant obstacles to overcome. The leadership team continued to pray, and through God’s faithfulness, MEBSH sent 15 church members on a mission trip to visit Broadmoor Baptist in Mississippi!

The members of Pastor Samson’s church worked alongside their long-time partners to host VBS, engage in evangelism and community outreach to the homeless, work on cleaning a handicap facility, and participate in school ministry. Getting to experience ministry in their partner’s community was especially powerful for the members of the mission team. For years they had been on the receiving end of mission trips, but now they were empowered to GO. The experience gave them a deeper understanding of what God had been doing in their own community.

As we often see with mission teams, the impact goes beyond the trip and has a profound impact on the sending congregation as well. For Pastor Samson’s congregation, it gave them a new perspective on missions and for many, it changed their view of the United States. It showed them that social and spiritual poverty is present all over the world. This trip also helped Pastor Samson’s church to realize that all things are possible with God. When a mission trip to the United States seemed impossible, the God who makes all things possible provided a way.

Since this trip to Mississippi in 2015, the members of Eglise MEBSH de Cote Plage have had the opportunity to go on mission trips to other countries like Cuba (twice) and Jamaica. The results have always been positive and Pastor Samson’s church has grown more devoted to their calling to go anywhere the Lord directs them to go. In fact, they have adopted a new motto: “Here I am Lord, send me!” Pastor Samson’s church is an incredible example of what God does when we say yes to the call to go.

“May we always remember to keep this in our hearts - Here I am Lord, send me!” -- Pastor Samson, Eglise MEBSH de Cote Plage in Carrefour, Haiti