A team of 20 ACS high school students and adult chaperones spent their Easter break in impoverished areas of Haiti on a short-term missions trip. The team spent the first three days in Hinche, Haiti, painting the interior and exterior of the Eglise Baptiste de la foi Chretienne Church in the morning, leading Vacation Bible School with children in the afternoon, and sharing the gospel message at services held in the evening for adults. For their last three days in Haiti, the team volunteered in Titanyan at a Christian sports camp program operated by Sports Disciple, which ministers to some 1,000 children daily.
“In Hinche, we expected to be leading VBS for about 35 children, but the first day 250 children came, some of whom had walked an hour to get there,” said faculty member and Missions Club Advisor Dave Genter. The ACS team shared the gospel message with the children and spent time with them playing volleyball, soccer, jump-rope, and other games, and doing arts and crafts. “The love that our students showed to the children and the love they received back from them was a transforming experience for everyone involved and by our last day of VBS we had 305 children participating,” Genter said. The ACS team also donated to the church volleyballs, soccer balls, jump-ropes, and arts and crafts materials for its children’s ministry program.
In Titanyan at the Sports Disciple facility, the ACS team worked with children from ages 6 to 18 years old in various ways, helping serve meals, assisting at a health clinic, playing soccer, and presenting Bible lessons. The students and adult chaperones who participated in the trip were: Mike Bohs (chaperone), Mikayla D’Anna, Rebekah Darragh, Kami DeNick, Sue DeNick (chaperone), Jasmine Feliciano, Dave Genter (chaperone), Jialin (Ann) Li, XiaoQing (Samantha) Liang, Shannon Murphy, Joanna Noto, Ayolola Oguntuase, Ayotolani Oguntuase, Carl Phillips, Yuhe (Amy) Pi, Tim and Stephanie Rosie (chaperones), Rijkaard Thelismond, Michael Xu, and Xiaohu (Peter) Zang.