WHY DO WE GO?

 

This Choctaw Mission Trip was started in 1985 by a man named David Williams of Brainard UMC (United Methodist Church). He wanted to find a place that didn’t have any teams bringing VBS (Vacation Bible School) to the people of an area. He heard about the Choctaw people and did some investigating and found this to be what God wanted him to do. He started this trip with the help of other members of his church in Chattanooga, TN.

 

Leslye went with Mr. Williams and his wife, Emily, on this mission trip in 1996 and 1997 and loved the Choctaw people, the team members, and especially the children they were working with. After the 1997 trip Mr. Williams retired and in 1998 Leslye and husband, Bert, prayed for most of a year and felt God calling them to lead this team. So, in 1999 they became the team leaders and continued to take a team to the Choctaw United Methodist Mission in Philadelphia, MS. They have been blessed to be able to lead this team for 19 years. 2015 was the 30th anniversary of this mission team and this trip!

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On the 2016 trip, Nick and Stacey Hauck joined the team for the first time. This eye-opening, God-filled trip became an annual event for the Haucks. By 2018, it was evident that God had begun nudging them toward leadership. Leslye and Bert noticed and began praying; encouraging Nick and Stacey to pray, too. And pray they all did. Those prayers allowed God to lay out His plans of the transition in 2020 for Nick and Stacey to take over as leaders of the Choctaw Mission Trip.

 

Every year it is such a blessing to have some repeat team members and some “Newbies”. It is a wonderful trip that is not too far from home, not too rustic, and not too expensive for most people. It is a great trip for someone wanting to serve God and see if they like mission work. And most of all the team goes to give Jesus and His blessings to the Choctaw people, but the team goes home with more blessings received than given because God is awesome! Serving God in this way is amazing!

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