Thoughts On Missions (By Carrie)

Thoughts on missions.... From the time Reid was a teenager, he has had a passion for missions. As for me, it has slowly been developing over the years, and only in the last several years have I had much involvement with missions, other than supporting a few missionary friends. But the more I work with ARM Ministries, and the more Reid is involved with missions through our church and our relationship with Pastor Riccardo in Haiti, the more I am excited to see what God is doing around the world. And the more I want to be a part of it.

Reid and I also feel that it is important to instill a heart for missions in our children. Whether that means they eventually support other missionaries financially, enjoy short term missions or become missionaries themselves, we feel that it is important for them to experience missions even now through supporting others, praying for missionaries, and taking part in mission trips.

For example, two years ago we took our family along with a group from church to Indian Bible College in Arizona. The kids were 9, 11, 13 and 15. Cameron was old enough to help with much of the physical labor involved in fixing up the students’ dorm and parking area. The girls helped with some bush trimming, and were part of the kitchen crew -  doing dishes, wiping counters, chopping food, and just generally being a breath of fresh air for the workers. (Even young children can have a significant role on a mission team! :) )

And last summer, Cameron was able to go to Haiti with Reid to help Pastor Riccardo begin preparations for new ministry opportunities at a new location in the mountains. (You can read more about that on the GBC Haiti website listed below.)

(Sorry it's blurry!)

This coming summer, we have the amazing opportunity to take our whole family on a mission trip to Haiti with a group from our church. It’s a perfect time - Cameron is still at home for one last summer, and Natalie and Rosalie are old enough to handle the long trip, help with Vacation Bible School, and manage the heat and discomfort we may experience while there. (And Katie has just been waiting for this chance since Reid and I went 3 years ago. :) )

As you can imagine, it will be quite expensive for all six of us to go. The plane tickets are the majority of the expense. It just so happens that we have enough air miles to buy 4 tickets all the way to Haiti and back. That cuts our costs tremendously, but we still will need to pay for two more tickets, food while we are there, and to help offset some of the other costs. We will be camping, so there is no cost for lodging. Would you please pray with us that God would supply our every need? And if you are able, would you consider supporting our trip financially? A recent comment made by an ARM missionary supporter struck a cord with Reid and me. She said "Thank you for your service to our 'fingers' in other lands!" Perhaps you would consider being our ‘hands’ - sending us with prayer and support - as we six Kisling fingers head to Haiti to share the gospel with people who have not heard the good news of Jesus.

If you would like to contribute to our trip, here is the website http://haiti.gbcnewberg.org/. It currently has a post about a previous trip, and about plans for our next trip. The donation "thermometer" was for the last trip, so just disregard that. :) If donating through paypal, you are able to specify who the gift goes to once you pass the initial "amount and credit card information" page, or after you log in. Your prayers are coveted as we embark on this amazing journey as a family!

Want to Come with Us to Haiti?

We are planning another trip to Haiti this summer, sponsored by Grace Baptist Church in Newberg, OR. However, we would be happy to have others participate with us as we seek to expand the relationships with Pastor Riccardo St. Gelus and his ministry there. The dates of the trip, June 21-29, were selected so they are after school is out for the summer to allow for participating by as many people as possible. Carrie and I are hoping to take our whole family!

The focus of this trip will be a Kid's Camp (aka, vacation Bible school in the US) and evangelistic meetings in the evenings for others in the area. We will be traveling through Port au Prince but the majority of our time will be spent at property up in the mountains near the city of Saut d'Eau (you can see the location, outline, and information about this property via Google Maps). We continue to work with Pastor Riccardo as they seek to develop a church in the area.

This trip will be particularly suited for teens as we will be taking a large group to serve around 250-300 kids. We will also be doing training in advance of the trip for everyone involved so they will be prepared for the culture and for the work that we will be doing, including sharing testimonies.

If you or others are interested, you can download and complete an application form (included on the application are some general expectations including projected cost that would need to be raised to participate). We are trying to identify the team by mid-January so we can develop a training schedule and initial arrangements.

We will also post more info in the coming months about a building for which we are raising funds for
the property that we would also like to construct while there in June which would serve as a caretaker's house and storage and be the first building constructed on the property.