Mission Spotlight - Impact Stories

Some stories remind us that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace. 

For Joel Trimble, founder of Haiti for Christ Ministries, a life headed toward destruction became the beginning of a ministry that has faithfully served the people of Haiti for more than 50 years. Recently, while aboard Missionary Flights International's DC-3, MFI pilot Clark Zen sat down with Joel to hear the remarkable testimony behind a ministry that has impacted thousands of lives. 

Joel grew up in western New York under difficult circumstances. Abandoned at birth, adopted into a troubled family, and later caught in a lifestyle filled with drugs and hopelessness, he found himself wandering the country searching for purpose. "I didn't even know God existed," Joel shared. Everything changed in 1971. After using LSD and reaching a point where he no longer wanted to live, Joel stood near a river contemplating suicide. Instead, he accepted a ride from three young Christians who boldly shared the love of Jesus with him. As they prayed, Joel asked God to reveal Himself if He was real. In that instant, the effects of the drugs disappeared. More importantly, Joel encountered something he had never known before the overwhelming love and presence of God. "I was born again in that little Volkswagen," Joel recalled. "It was the love of God that changed everything." Only minutes after giving his life to Christ, Joel was handing out gospel tracts alongside the very people who had introduced him to Jesus. 

Following his conversion, Joel returned home, faced the legal consequences of his past, completed high school while in a correctional institution, and eventually enrolled in Bible school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While studying, Joel prayed a simple but life-changing prayer. "Lord, I'll go wherever You want me to go. I'll do whatever You want me to do." The next morning, he sold his prized motorcycle, the only valuable possession he owned, and gave every dollar to missions. Moments later, he learned that the exact amount he had donated was immediately divided between two missionaries preparing to return to the field. Not long afterward, someone remarked, "Maybe someday you'll go to Haiti." Joel admits he barely knew where Haiti was. Within months, he boarded a plane carrying nothing more than a bag of tools to repair a missionary's motorcycle. During that first visit, he shared his testimony through an interpreter at a small church service. As he watched Haitians respond to the Gospel, God confirmed the calling that would shape the rest of his life. Joel returned to Haiti in September 1975 and never looked back. For his first two years, he lived among the Haitian people in a small home that rented for only two dollars a month. He immersed himself in the language, culture, and daily struggles of the people he had been called to serve. Those early years laid the foundation for Haiti for Christ Ministries.  

Over the decades, God has used the ministry in extraordinary ways:    

Looking back, Joel remains humble. "I'm a nobody without God," he said. "That's the way the Lord works." After more than five decades, Joel continues traveling between the United States and Haiti, documenting stories of God's faithfulness and encouraging believers to surrender fully to the Lord's calling. His testimony serves as a powerful reminder that God delights in redeeming broken lives and using ordinary people for extraordinary purposes. As Missionary Flights International continues serving missionaries throughout Haiti, stories like Joel's remind us why every flight matters. Behind every passenger is a testimony of God's faithfulness, and behind every ministry is a story that is still unfolding. We are honored to partner with faithful servants like Joel Trimble as they continue bringing the hope of Christ to Haiti, one life at a time. 

No matter where you are in life, God can use you. Joel's story is living proof that a surrendered life can have an eternal impact.