Haiti Mission Reflection from Jay Cargile

The experience has been very humbling. I have been blessed by the love and devotion shown by LiveBeyond. I have learned that serving is not just about myself, but following God’s will. Serving is what we are called to do as Christians to be the hands and feet and show the love of Jesus in all we do.
I thank STAR and LiveBeyond for the opportunity to serve on a broader, deeper level.
I was amazed to see the children and community come to church, sing and worship our Lord. The commitment they have is inspiring. A fun memory I have is when two boys were playing in the baptismal pool. Mrs. Vanderpool was about to discipline the young boys until one of them mentioned his dream is to be a preacher when he grows up. This quickly turned into a Holy Spirit led sermon from the boy and then a girl named Doodley said she felt led to sing a hymnal to us. I later found out Doodley would come to church every Sunday and come home to being beaten by her father. She didn’t give up on our God and kept going to church no matter the consequences she faced at home. Her father finally stopped beating her. I pray my faith will be as bold and fearless as Doodley’s. LiveBeyond is transforming that community for the kingdom of God and I feel blessed to have played a small role in their lives.
I am attaching a picture of myself with Lancy Belle. Lancy Belle has cerebral palsy and I was able to work with her on stretching and walking. In Haiti, special needs children are treated as lepers and aren’t even recognized as human by their community. Lancy Belle’s smile and laugh is something I will never forget and I was blessed to be able to witness her baptism this week. It pains me to know that her mom is always trying to give her away. She made such an impact on me, my wife and children (through pictures and stories I shared) that we have prayerfully decided to sponsor Lancy Belle through Live Beyond.
This trip opened my eyes up to true poverty and oppression. The Haitian people live in shacks made of sheets of aluminum and some made of sticks. The women give birth on the ground and cut the umbilical cord with a rock. They take baths in a creek and are lucky to eat once a day. I am truly blessed to be born in the United States. I hope that one day I am afforded the opportunity to take my wife and two children on a mission trip to LiveBeyond so they can have the same life changing, faith strengthening experience I did.
Thank you for choosing me.