Feb 27, 2020
by Andy Samuels
Chief Executive Director
This mission could be seen as a back-up mission, or a Plan B mission, or a substitute mission, or an after-thought mission, or a re-directed mission, or a hurry-come-up mission. But God, in His foreknowledge and sovereignty, had it all planned out. And He invited us to join the party.
The Miami Seventh Day Baptist Church planned a medical mission trip to Haiti for July 2018. Recruited from several other SDB Churches in the United States, a team of 18 people committed to that mission, and were ready to go. About one week before the trip, civil unrest in Haiti’s capital city of Port-au-Prince caused the cancellation of flights into the country, and inevitably, the well-meaning mission had to be aborted. It was rescheduled for May 2019 and commitments were received from 15 of the original team members. Once again, due to the continued civil and political instability in Haiti, the trip had to be aborted for a second time.
With the tensions in Haiti hovering indefinitely, it was not prudent to plan for another trip in the near future and our travel vouchers, which American Airlines was unusually generous in granting, were quickly heading toward expiration.
What could we do? Well, we prayerfully sought another mission destination—and Jamaica was laid on our hearts, specifically the Coffee Grove SDB Church in the cool parish of Manchester. Communication was initiated with the Pastor of that Church, Rosemarie Wilson, and in a short time the mission was confirmed. Pastor Rosemarie indicated how she had shared with her congregation, at the end of the previous year, a vision for a health fair just about the time for which our mission was being proposed. The hand of the Lord could be clearly seen in the coordination and lining up of many of the details for the mission.
On New Year’s Day 2020, a team of eleven people converged on the island of Jamaica and suited up for an unforgettable experience and adventure of service and sacrifice. A medical doctor, two registered nurses (including one who is also a psychologist), and eight others of us comprised the team that the Lord Himself put together. Many of the team members had never met until they either saw each other at the Miami, FL, airport or when they landed in Jamaica. Yet, there was an unmistakable chemistry and compatibility— one of the strengths of the team and hence of the mission.
Two days of a medical clinic, with a simultaneous Vacation Bible School, a ministry in two jails and on the street, and participation in a couple of evangelistic street meetings were the highlights of the mission. Blood pressure and blood sugar checks were done, dental examinations were undertaken, reading glasses were given to those who needed them, the children received care packages and toys, clothing items were given away, and salvation bracelets were dispensed. In addition to the tangible ways in which the community of Coffee Grove was blessed, we ministered in song, teaching, prayers, and the sharing of testimonies. As we blessed others, we were also tremendously blessed ourselves. In four short days an impact was made, relationships developed, and transformation occurred—all by and through the grace and power of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Many thanks to the eleven team members, to Pastors Desmond and Rosemarie Wilson, to those who opened their homes to us, to those who prepared our meals, to those who drove us around, to the Coffee Grove SDB Church, to the Miami SDB Church for all availing themselves to be mightily used of the Lord. The majority of the funding for the mission came by and through the Miami SDB Church.
The team did not want the mission to end so quickly, nor did the people to whom we were sent. And the recurring question on many lips was: When will we return to Coffee Grove?
