Haiti:

1.     I was part of a team that saw God heal two women. Listening prayer was a powerful experience.

2.     It was awesome to see 2 of my students lead others to Christ on our prayer walks!

3.     I was blessed by interacting with other believers in Haiti. I was blessed by the testimonies and words of encouragement of the Haitian believers.

4.     I finally got to hear God speak to me, He spoke through me, and that was the first time I really felt that that had happened. It really enlightened me and brought me closer to God than I have ever been before!

5.     My entire team commented on experiencing the Holy Spirit throughout the trip. I feel it has really opened our eyes to His role in our lives. I truly believe everyone's faith has been strengthened as a result of this trip.

6.     The week was beyond amazing. I saw God work in our whole group, myself included. I always had some doubt in my own abilities, but over the week God used me in new ways and reaffirmed that He CAN and WILL use me as long as I am willing. He worked in me, and broke down walls. Seeing the people of Haiti and their strong love of Christ was also inspiring. We'd ask people what they wanted us to pray for them, and they'd respond, "to have a stronger relationship with God." They have so little and yet they ask for nothing but more of God!! It was awesome. It really made me rethink things also, I can't imagine losing everything and not being at least slightly bitter but I see that's completely possible. These Haitian people have the right way of looking at it, if you lose everything, family, friends, your house, etc, and you still have Christ, you'll be okay! It was amazing. And I was/am so sad I had to leave.

7.     How do you pick just one! I was suprised by the Listening in Prayer exercise. Honestly, I wasn't excited about it and neither was my team. I thought, "that's just not how God talks to me" but I was wrong. The Spirit turned my body toward a team member that wasn't in front of me and spoke to him about going to the beach instead of the orphanage. That team member went to the beach and was baptized for the first time! I had no idea who I was speaking to or that he hadn't been baptized yet.

Appalachia:

1.     As a Youth Pastor, I was very encouraged to see my teens be challenged. They have absolutely grown closer to the Lord through this experience. Josh's teaching connected with our teens on their level.

2.     On the very first day we were at City of Hope, one of the ladies there told me her story within 10 minutes of meeting her. We had been praying that God would open up the doors for us to share life with these women, but we had no idea it would happen so quickly. Later she told us that she had never told anyone her story and that it was her first time sharing that with someone. We encouraged her and loved on her and by the end of the week, everyone was in tears when we went to say goodbye.

3.     The staff was  amazing and they were such a blessing to everyone here. We had a great time and we know that God worked everything out for good.

4.     Over all it was a great experience for our youth. They were able to see that there are many people in need of seeing God's love. I feel that this trip was a stepping stone to do more relationship buiding at home.

5.     Tonight is one of those nights I hope to remember for the rest of my life. I tried to take as many mental pictures as possible, trying to soak in every moment, but even those don't compare to actually experiencing it in person. In our team debrief meeting tonight, our 14 middle schoolers sat in a circle on the floor to share about our day's work. After hearing some great stories from the day, Luke raised the question, "How would you rate your spiritual life on a scale from 1-10 before coming on the mission trip until tonight?" It was great to hear how much these young teens have grown in the two day's we've been here. Their eyes have been opened. Their hearts have been changed. Our prayers have been answered. As the group continued to share, it became evident that these teens desired to spend more time with God on a daily basis by reading the Bible, but didn't know where to start. Like many of us, they struggle to make it a priority in their lives. Little did they know, Luke had packed away One Year Bibles for each person, not knowing if and when to distribute them. When he mentioned the Bibles to them, their eyes lit up and smiles filled their faces. I wish you could have seen their smiles! It was as if we just had given them new iPhones. It felt like Christmas morning with everyone quickly tearing open their new One Year Bibles, EXCITED to get on a daily schedule of reading the Word. While this was happening, Luke and I exchanged glances and smiles as we watched their faces light up. I have never seen anyone get that excited to receive Bibles. What a special moment that God blessed us with! My eyes filled with tears as we bowed our heads to thank God for that special moment. After we left the meeting, we headed back to our host homes and the girls and I stayed up late, as I tried to answer the many questions the girls were asking about the Bible. This morning, they all bombarded Luke at breakfast with more questions. God is definitely stirring their hearts and minds and drawing them closer to Him. It is an awesome sight to see!!

6.     God is ever present in our lives and He can live in us and change us. I saw, in myself, and in others a deeper understanding between the people we are and the people we met. The connections we made are invaluable, and God's work in our hearts changes us. I am changed as I look at my children working beside and with the Lord. Outside the box of home life, they are still, and maybe even more so, giving and loving people.

7.     God did some really cool things in our hearts on this trip. I love the ATL time. As a pastor I have told our group that I would love to incorporate this into the life of our church.

NYC:

1.     My team was deeply moved while working with the Relief Bus in New York. The ministry was so genuinely focused on God and meeting people's needs. We actually brought a homeless man back with us to New Jersey who had decided to go to rehab. He had been homeless for over 20 years and had been thinking about making some changes in his life when he walked past our relief bus and saw our sign.

2.     Josh and Lydia did a wonderful job and really seemed to know what they were doing, and had a true passion for ministry.

3.     Shawn Summey was a very capable leader and we greatly appreciated his help.

4.     I saw the students get out of their comfort zones and be challenged. God did some great things and I am hopeful about the take home.

5.     Interacting with the students that were attending the Day Camp was so rewarding. There is such a love for God in the hearts of each and every child that attended the camp. It was amazing to see their strength and love for the Lord while being surrounded by such a rough neighborhood.

6.     I think Shawn and Sarah (and their boys) did an amazing job trying to coordinate the 60+ people at World Impact and the other 20+ at North Church.

7.     God worked through this trip. One girl witnessed to a Muslim who seemed receptive to the Gospel. Also, the manual labor was good for our kids, and the trip as a whole brought us together in through serving the Lord.

8.     I helped lead a short Bible presentation at Salt & Sea, including a couple of our youth giving their testimonies. This opportunity led to one of our young men leading a Salt & Sea guest to in a prayer to accept Christ! It was an awesome thing to be a part of, made possible by this partnership. I also saw God work through our youth as we prayed with many people on the streets of NYC and Newark. It was truly a blessing to be a part of this mission.

9.     Josh, Lydia, and Lydia were great leaders this week. They were great at relating to the youth, were involved in each of the ministry opportunities, and were passionate about their work. You can see God working through these young leaders and providing a lot of great experiences for our youth to grow and trust God more and more. It was a great trip facilitated by great team from AIM. Thank You!

10. One of our teens was able to share his testimony and through that lead some one in prayer to accept Jesus Christ

11. it was amazing to see one of our kids connect so deeply with someone he met at Salt and Sea. He shared his testimony and instantly bonded with a man who had similar experiences in his life. I know that Keigan will forever pray for Terrell and he will be on his heart all the time. I was also so proud to see our kids be so willing to step out in faith and be so willing to just go where the Lord was leading them during ATL. They gave up their own thoughts and went where God was sending them even when that meant knocking on a stranger's door to pray.

12. Josh, Lydia, and Lydia were fantastic. They were so encouraging to the kids and were always there and available for anything we needed. It was so wonderful to see how they bonded with our youth group and I know our youth group will miss them when they go home.

13. I was impressed with the number of opportunities to witness, serve and meet the people of New York/Newark. The AIM staff and Pastor Randy allowed us wonderful ways to meet those we came in contact with. They shared their love of this city with us which has in turn given me a new perspective of life in the city and the extreme hardships that exist. God is clearly working through AIM and Pastor Randy to bring hope to the hopeless. I have personally experienced a profound shift in my understanding of the real life struggles that go on in large cities....and how we need to be more aware of how we can meet the needs our brothers and sisters in Christ.

14. I am always blessed and deeply touched on our AIM trips. I am thankful for the opportunity that AIM has provided me personally and for our group. This year, we were very grateful for Josh and Lydia. They have been one of the most effective, loving and spiritually wise leaders we've encountered. I pray that they will have more opportunities with AIM in the future.

15. Awesome experience overall! The students were able to see God work in some amazing ways and they also had their eyes opened to a world outside of our small town! Praying for the AIM Team as they continue to lead students to Christ!

Chicago:

1.     I got to see my group stretched and challenged to go outside their comfort zones by talking with people they didn't know.

2.     Over all an amazing experience. OUR GROUP LOVES THE CHICAGO area, and I am sure we would love to come back.

3.     While doing park ministry at Harrison Park and getting the opportunity to do something as simple as handing out free snow cones, I began a conversation with a 10 yr old boy named Kevin. As we talked for 15 mins or so about things he liked to do and how school was and his family life, the Holy Spirit prompted me to simply share my faith. As I shared my faith my story related in a way to his life and I was able to lead him in a pray to accept Christ. Then the next day was able to see him again in the same park and give him a bible and a card about the church we were partnered with while on our trip. So amazing that God has a plan for everyone and loves everyone!

4.     I loved the opportunities to serve and I really like the church that we were serving in. It was awesome to serve God in this way.

5.     This was a good missions trip for my kids and I. Tim and Pam are great people!

6.     The change that I saw in the children at Safe Haven over the week was amazing - only God could have been in control of that. The ministry of the teens just spending time with the kids and giving them a stable and attentive environment in which to spend a few hours each day was unendingly fullfilling. The experience is one that I am overjoyed to have participated in each day.

7.     THERE WERE MANY! We were able to meet a man at Dunkin Donuts named Antwain on the first day we were here. My wife (Holly) continued to go with a group of girls every morning to buy food for him and spend time with him. We attempted to fulfill medication for him, however we were unable to do so, but we will still be working on that even after we leave. Just building a meaningful relationship and encouragement for him seemed to break down barriers. We were also excited to hear about his job opportunity and we felt lead to provide him with clothes and shoes. We will be praying for him to be able to get the job!

Alabama:

1. Many things did not go as planned, however we saw God work through our detours. We ended up ministering to people that we had not expected to minister to. We feel like our purpose for being here was revealed to us and that we were able to complete it. We do appreciate the freedom to be able to do what we felt led to do.

2. One day I ended up helping Jackie and was so impressed with her level of love for Christ, her servanthood, the way she cared about the food preparation while she took care of two small kids. The Lord moved in our time together as we shared testimonies and prayer. It ended up being awesome!

Thanks for your labor of love. AIM is making a difference. God bless each of you!

3. The AIM staff did an amazing job, and we could see God working through them. We loved them and will continue to pray for their ministry and lives. We could see God working in each life around us and thank AIM for the opportunity.

4. You have a great ministry and any challenges we had were due to the overwhelming need beyond what can be accomplished in a short term mission trip. We love what you are doing and will keep your ministry in our prayers. God bless you all and thanks for the staff that have dedicated their time and talents. We truly appreciate them.

5. I was incredibly impressed with the AIM staff. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this trip completely exceeded my expectations. Everyone on the trip, students and leaders, have grown so much in this past week. The staff and interns listened to the voice of God and I felt completely confident. I was also pleased to see how well they connected with the teenagers. This mission trip will not be shortly forgotten and we will definitely be participating in an AIM trip in the future.

6. This trip was meant to be a journey for me to discover how to serve God, and sacrifice my own selfish, creature comforts. God answered my prayer, mostly through the AIM leadership. Seeing Brandy, Greg, Nick and Jonathan and their zeal for the lord has had a profound impact on my. God spoke to me through them.

7. What most impressed me about this trip is the prayerfulness of the group. I reflect upon 2 Corinthians 7:14 but what really got my attention was v15: Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. So many prayers are being answered here in Alabama. God is working though at times it may not seem like it. The people of Alabama, AIM and many volunteers have humbled themselves, seeking God's face. In turn, the Lord has heard our prayers and will heal this land.

8. This is my first missions trip and I learned quickly to throw out all my expectations. It opened my eyes to our need for total dependence upon our God. When we do that, anything and everything is possible.

New Orleans:

1. Our students were stretched and they were taught to rely on God. I too was challenged with how much I really rely on God in my everyday life.

2. Our team's best experience was the time we got to spend "under the bridge" with the homeless. God was with us and He brought each of us peace and His hand of protection was upon us.

3. On the second day of our trip, our construction project was rained out. Having been on previous trips with AIM, we had learned about ATL. We prayed for God to lead us where he wanted us for that day. He led us to a lady, Donelle Phillips, who was working outside by herself in a different part of the city that hadn't seen rain yet. She was preparing a wall for paint, and would have worked there all day by herself. Our team was able to stop in and get done in 2 hours what it would have taken her all day or longer to do by herself. Talking with her was truly a blessing. She couldn't stop praising God for the help she received. While this project wasn't the most relational project we did all week, the aftermath is what made it a great one to share. In the van on the way back to the house, one of our participants piped up. She said, "When we were praying, I didn't think God was going to lead us anywhere where we would be needed. But He did!" A few others in the van shared similar stories. God's power was revealed to our group that day in a way that stretched and grew many of them in ways they never expected.

4. The ministry projects for the week were great! The worship was great! The staff was great! Do you see what I'm trying to say here?

5. God is doing some great things in New Orleans. I am glad we were able to be witnesses of His power. Our youth had two very impactful evening devotions and debriefs during the week in which the Holy Spirit was able to penetrate the hearts of our youth like they have never experienced before. I am thankful for the hard-work of the AIM staff. You guys were ambassadors for God by inviting us to participate in His ministry in the city. You also orchestrated an environment in which our youth felt comfortable worshipping, sharing, and learning. I am very grateful for the hard work of the organization and of the individual leaders. I look forward to our next AIM trip.

6. It was great to sit under the bridge with the homless and watch our students get out of their shells and talk to people who they would otherwise never think about.

Humility

One week during our ministry, we served a lady named Leticia. We were meeting a felt need for three weeks and it was exciting to see God beautify her house. As those weeks went by, I have spent some quality time with her and Jesus. Building a relationship with her has been a blessing and true honor. As I am telling Jesus how truly she had touched my life...he pressed something in my heart to do. In the stillness I heard her name. I then ask God how he wants me to minister to her other then meeting a felt need. I saw the images of feet and her smile. I asked what this meant. God asked me to wash her feet! I paused and pondered a lot after that message. How can I do that? How do I ask such a thing in her house? I have never done something like this outside of the church and that's when His gracious voice corrects my voice. "Michelle haven't you been convinced that I am more than just the four walls of the church? Haven't you been confessing this to your brothers and sisters in Christ of this reality? Then why are you questioning my request from you?" Lord you're right! So I asked God how to approach this request and to give me discernment. Later that week Tiffany randomly told me that Leticia called her and asked if we go to her house to paint. I wasn't surprised that she called because I knew God completes His will. So I quickly gave her a call and told her we were on our way. I went up to our apartment to find a bowl and some towels. God told me not to look and to meet her right away. I listened. We arrived into open arms and quickly got started. The participants painted with great joy while I sat and talked with Leticia.

 Before this trip I wouldn't be able to do this. I disliked people who sat and talked while people worked hard. I used to think that when you're on a missions trip, it's all about works. I believed that you should always be doing something and always on the go! This is true but I took it to the extreme. I enjoy working. I do not know why, but I like doing work with urgency. I feel like .. I have a task...and I MUST get it done now. Throughout this year, God has been changing my perspective on this matter. God has taught me the art of silence, the art of quality, the art of taking your time, and the art of listening. I have been experiencing God challenge my molds of ministry. I have been allowing the AIM participants to be fully blessed by not doing all the work and building intentional relationships in the city of Chicago. Ok... so back to Leticia.

She and I talked about random life topics. She is so delightful to talk with. She shared how her children would be in church and how they danced to church songs. She shared how her relationship with Jesus has grown and how God has taught her to love others. She is a great teacher of love. She is married to a man that lives in a lower part of her house. They have been married for more than 50 years but it is a not fulfilling marriage. She shared how her husband would fight a lot with her and the children. They decided to move apart from each other but she still takes care of him. I am in awe of this kind of love from her. As the day went on, I was asking God how we wanted me to approach His request. I searched for my bible and took it into where she was. I made some small talk before boldness from the Lord showed up. I asked her if she had ever heard the story about how Jesus washed his disciples' feet. Her smile assured me she did. I told her how He served his disciples and how he honored them. I asked her that if she would let me honor her by not only serving her but washing her feet. Leticia was so excited about this request. I have never seen an older woman jump out of bed that fast in my life! She found me a foot tub and a towel! I'm thankful that I listened to God earlier by not bringing stuff from my apartment. She had the things we needed already. She was ready for this! God is good. The moment we were getting all this ready..I mean the second we were getting ready to start..her daughter came in the door. I was like..Yes Lord, her daughter is going to be honored today too! I went up to her and boldly asked her if I could wash her feet! She started crying!!!! I didn't expect that. I hugged her and lead her to the kitchen. I asked the girls that were with me to pray along with me. I read from John 13. I felt the Holy Spirit in the room and expected God to break walls. I washed and prayed for these wonderful feet. They experienced the Holy Spirit in their kitchen that day. All of us were huddled together like sardines in her kitchen and immersed in His goodness!

We finished and cleaned her kitchen. As we left she hugged us and called us her angels! She was so grateful for a simple random act of servant hood. After our projects were all done, we all met up at the church to debrief. The participants discuss their experiences as they served others. Kristen (one of the girl that was with me) spoke about Leticia's honorary service. She spoke about how the Holy Spirit touched her while she watched. She also talked about how she learned about humility outside of church! I am so glad I listened to God and obeyed His request. People received Jesus.

God is doing amazing things. I have baptized 26 people so far into the family of God with another 2 or 3 scheduled today. We have led numerous people to the Lord. We have watched multiple healings take place before our eyes. God is moving in Haiti!! He is doing incredible things in our own lives also and bringing healing that has been needing to happen.