For years, people have been coming to Eastern Kentucky with the same mindset as they would if they were going into third-world country. Our association was blessed a couple of years ago to have dozens of people from all over the U.S. come to help out for a week of MissionsFEST, sponsored by the National Woman’s Missionary Union.

We appreciate all the help and prayers, and we still need the attention of missions-minded people. There are a lot of projects that need to be done in our area that we have not been able to do ourselves. However, in the last few years I have detected a newly-activated zeal for doing missions projects, especially among the men.

Enterprise Baptist Association Director of Missions Tom Biddle and Brotherhood Director Tommy Reed have being praying together for some time that more men and women will answer the call to serve in volunteer missions.

Their prayers are being answered, as volunteers from this area, in addition to doing local projects, such as building ramps for handicapped individuals and putting roofs on houses for people who are unable to do it themselves, have sponsored mission trips to Poland, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and are even considering a mission project in Central Kentucky.

Brother Reed and his wife, Dawn, are more than willing to lead in this missions ministry. Tommy has been BCM director at Big Sandy Community and Technical College in Prestonsburg for several years, in addition to his duties as pastor of Fitzpatrick Baptist Church. Dawn holds down a job as a dental assistant and volunteers as leader of a weekly devotional service for women incarcerated at the Otter Creek Correctional Facility in Wheelwright.

Last year, the couple traveled to Haiti with a non-profit, interdenominational Christian group called East Kentucky Medical Mission. The group is headed by Lee Boyd, a pediatric dentist who is a member of Allen Baptist Church. With them, they had medical, optical, dental and pharmaceutical professionals, as well as lay workers and preachers, all with the objective of bringing quality health care and the gospel to needy Haitians.

This year, the group returned armed with thousands of snacks provided by the associational WMU. They had enough to help them survive the scare rations in hungry Haiti, but also to share with the Haitians. They also took medical supplies, part of which were supplied by a $175 donation from the WMU ladies.

Tommy Reed reported that they worked with a Haitian who went to New York as a youngster and worked his way through college driving a taxi. He became a Christian and went back to build a clinic in Ouanmintha, Haiti, near the Dominican Republic. He started a school with 15 students in kindergarten 12 years ago, and it has grown to an enrollment of 1500. Each student is furnished a uniform and one daily meal at school. This year they had their first graduating class.

He also has built a three-story clinic, where the mission group worked, but it does not have a permanent doctor there.

Twenty-nine volunteers made this year’s trip, and 30 Haitians gave their lives to the Lord while they were there. One volunteer asked a Haitian lady if she knew Jesus as her Savior. “Yes,” she replied and pointed to Brother Reed. “That man over there told me about Him last year and I gave my heart to Jesus. I went home and told my three daughters. Now they are saved.”

I asked Tommy how that made him feel.

“I realized it was not up to me for the results,” he said. “I was just to sow the seed and let God reap the increase.

“Being a missions volunteer lets the missionary experience the Great Commission,” he added. “You can put your finger on the heartbeat of God.”

June Rice is an author, retired librarian and regular columnist for the Paintsville Herald