Jenna Rowland, a 2007 Batesville High School graduate, traveled to Belize City, Belize, from Feb. 25-March 5. The mission trip was “an amazing time of ministry and a wonderful experience,” the 21-year-old admits.
The Central Bible College, Springfield, Mo., student, who is double majoring in Christian counseling and missions and minoring in psychology and children’s ministry, discusses the trip: “Our team consisted of eight women …. We spent a week there (in Belize City) with missionaries Nathan and Barbara Lamberth.
“God moved in a mighty way. Brother Nathan Lamberth said that it is unusual for a team to go in and have a home run every time they ministered, but that’s what happened, and it was not us as a team, but God using us.
“We held a youth rally for various church youth groups; cleaned the Assemblies of God Bible School’s kitchen; held four church services where we did the whole service; held three school assemblies, two for young children and one for teenagers; and went to an orphanage,” reveals the daughter of Earl and Diane Rowland, Batesville.
“My personal responsibilities were keeping a journal for the whole group of what we did, preparing the puppet shows for the children …. a few human videos, dramas, skits and sharing my own personal testimony whenever needed.
I also donated some clothing to the orphanage, and my children’s church from New Beginnings (Assembly of God, Greensburg) made valentines for the children in the orphanage.”
She says, “I went on this trip because I love working with people, and I really feel like God wants me to work with orphans so it was a good opportunity to do actual ministry.”
Seeing “the poverty … and ministering with a translator at the Hispanic church was difficult. However, the biggest challenge for me overall was seeing the children on the streets that had no homes or families. That literally broke my heart.”
Rowland emphasizes, “I learned how to love the way God intended for us to love. The children of the Pickstock Church loved like I had never seen before, and most of them have no one. If they can love like that, why can’t we?”
The young lady comments, “I would love to work with orphans in the future. Anywhere over-seas would be great, and I definitely would love to go back to Belize.”
She encourages others to participate in mission trips because “it is an experience like no other. You do not know what you are getting into until you get to where you are going. It’s amazing to help others who are not able to help themselves.”
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