Prayer isn’t just preparation for missions, it’s the greater work. When we seek God first, He reveals His strategy, opens doors in broken communities, and brings true transformation that goes beyond what our own plans could accomplish.

Early in our journey, we were asked if we wanted to help pack a million meals to send overseas. On the surface, it seemed like an incredible opportunity, who wouldn’t want to provide food for those in need? But when we looked closer, we realized none of our partners had actually asked for those meals. That was our first wake-up call, relief and development are not the same thing

When we first began exploring how to partner in ministry, we asked ourselves a simple but profound question: Why work this way? The answer came from both experience and Scripture, shaping a shared conviction that true impact comes from walking side-by-side, learning from one another, and pursuing God’s vision for lasting transformation.

We didn’t set out to write a book.

In fact, if you asked us years ago if we had plans to become authors, the answer would’ve been no. Our focus wasn’t on publishing. It was on obedience, doing what the Lord had called us to do.

My new dental colleagues and I quickly realized that when patients agree to lie down in a dental chair, they are expressing vulnerability and trust. This trust goes beyond physical care, it opens the door to spiritual conversations.

I found myself thinking, “This can’t be God’s way. We shouldn’t come for a week and then leave people behind in pain.” I vowed never to do that again.

For the first time, I truly felt the weight of the community’s suffering and the bleak reality they faced once we left. A horrible, sinking feeling struck deep in my soul. I realized I was part of the reason for Paul’s tears, and for the pain of those 85 people still in line.

In that moment, I understood: something had to change.

I broke down and wept with the realization that the people I had met might be part of my tribe and that my own people might have contributed to their current state of poverty and bondage. This gut-wrenching realization shook me to the core.

Displaced people still lived in flimsy tents and shacks, buildings that had collapsed during the earthquake remained as piles of rubble, and the streets were lined with trash and debris. UNICEF confirmed our observations, estimating that, one year after the disaster, more than one million people remained displaced, living in crowded camps with insufficient services for children to stay healthy.

As individuals, we all have blind spots. An African proverb says, “Nobody can see the back of their own head.” This wisdom was especially true when Charlie Vittitow and I ventured into Haiti. Partnering with a trusted colleague who knew the country well, we were introduced to people and organizations that would have otherwise been invisible to us.