When Cindy Wells signed on for the Mission of Hope trip to Haiti through Blue Ridge in March, she had no idea what to expect.
She hadn’t read much about Haiti, hadn’t spent much time abroad. But when invited into this mission team, this thing God was doing, she said yes!
Cindy, Blue Ridge’s Cafe Leader, traveled with a team of eight to explore the opportunities to serve in Haiti. It was the first adult Blue Ridge team to go — a Blue Ridge High School Ministries team went last summer.
The weather was hot. The work was demanding at times, as they cooked, cleaned, painted and visited villages. But Cindy and the rest of her team got to see first hand what God is doing through Mission of Hope.
Cindy was especially impacted by how Christ followers in Haiti can find joy without many of the comforts we enjoy.
Since the devastating earthquake on January 12, 2010, Haitians have suffered immeasurable difficulties: 200,000 people died and another 300,000 were injured in the quake. 1.5 million were left homeless.
“We can do with so much less than we have. Those who had a relationship with God, who went to church, they were happy, they were content,” Cindy remembered.
Mission of Hope, which began in 1998, offers compassion through an onsite orphanage, medical facility, school and church. They have also formed important friendships and partnerships with people in local villages.
They visited people in dire circumstances, including a starving 5-year-old whose mother had died from malnutrition and a woman who had suffered a stroke and couldn’t speak. The woman was so weak and ill she could not eat solid foods.
“God was there with all of us,” Cindy said. They attended a Haitian church, visited orphans, saw a prosthesis factory, went into villages and got a tour of Mission of Hope.
One of the lessons Cindy brought back, was to do everything with excellence. If you paint, don’t drip it on the floor. If you cook, clean it up.
“Leave everything better than you found it,” Cindy said.
Though she’s been back home a few months, Cindy often thinks of Haiti and what God is doing there — and in her.
“We've grown up with so much here. We take advantage of that. I promised myself I'd remind myself of that over and over again,” she said.
A new Mission of Hope trip leaves in September. To keep up to date on all of Blue Ridge’s Mission opportunities and missionaries, send an email to missions@blue-ridge.org. You’ll be signed up for Missions announcements and prayer requests.