The Susdorf family has supported Connect 2 Ministries for years, and like many of our faithful supporters, they make a point of including their children in family ministry. We asked Kelsey and Stephen to share today about their experience getting their whole family involved in missions.

We first had an opportunity to go to Haiti in 2011. Stephen and I had been married for about a year and felt a pull to go on a short-term international trip that we could share together. Our small group leaders, Jeff and Denise Tritt, encouraged us to look at Connect 2 Ministries. A month later, we were in Cité Soleil. Once we felt that tug on our heart, God very quickly and clearly flung doors open so that we could go to Haiti. Our experience there was life-changing, and we feel so blessed to have been connected to such an amazing organization that is making an eternal impact.

When Stephen and I had kids of our own, we wanted to make sure that we were teaching them to look beyond just what they could see in our local community. We wanted to make sure they were learning to be good stewards of what God has blessed them with, whether time, talents, or treasure. We also had a desire to teach them to have a special heart for the orphans and the widows.

One priority in our household is to have a lot of conversations with our kids about life outside of our house. We tell them about what is happening in Haiti and share stories about our experience in other parts of the world. They have written/drawn pictures for the Haitian kids, and we include our children in praying for the Haitians. They ask us all the time about the state of the country, and it has opened up a lot of opportunities to talk about waiting on the Lord and trusting Him in all circumstances. When our kids receive money from allowance or as a gift, they divide it into three categories: save, spend, and give. Because they have been hearing about C2M and are often praying for the Haitians, our kids have had a desire to donate some of their “give” money to Connect 2 Ministries.

Making missions a priority has both challenged and blessed us in so many ways. When you say yes to a call God has put in your heart, I believe that He uses that opportunity to grow you in ways beyond what you may have imagined. Our trips to Haiti challenged many of our desires for security, comfort, and things of this world and put faces to the needs of others. In a way, it broke our hearts in the best way possible.

The greatest encouragement we received when we were considering international ministry was to follow the call. Be prepared, because there will always be some sort of obstacle or reason not to go. Keep pressing forward, because following Jesus will always be worth it.

Tomorrow in Santa Clarita, we’re hosting our Walk for Restaveks to raise awareness about restavek children in Haiti. Join us as a family as we work to break the cycle of slavery.