As senior Gabby Taylor speaks with her grandma about embarking on a life changing trip, her grandmother tears up. Gabby thinks about how long she has wanted to do this, and realizes she has to do this.

She is going to go on a mission trip to Haiti.

“My parents supported me, but they were a little hesitant to letting me go to Haiti,” Taylor said. “It took a lot of prayer, but they knew this was something I wanted to do.”

Taylor started to plan out how she was going to raise the money to go on this trip. She decided to make t-shirts. The shirts were a denim blue color, with a pocket in the front with a globe that said Haiti, the back had a circle with geometric patterns. It also had the Bible verse “be strong and courageous,” Joshua 1:9.

“There is only so much you can do to fund raise, I decided to sell shirts because I really wanted to have a shirt that advertised my trip.” Taylor said.

Gabby always wanted to go on a mission trip and felt a special calling to Haiti. Gabby also plans on working in missionaries when she is an adult.

“I researched for a long time.” Taylor said. “The organization I went with, Servant Life, goes to Haiti and I felt a special calling to Haiti.”

Gabby ended up raising a total of of $2,400. Most of the money was raised by selling her t-shirts, and her grandma donated a generous amount of money. Gabby went on the trip with four girls, one driver, a cook and a woman whose husband was a pastor.

“Going on this mission trip to Haiti was the scariest and hardest thing I had ever done. It was such a culture shock, no one spoke English except the people I came with,” Taylor said. “It was so hard to see kids who didn’t have anything. Most of the kids didn’t have shoes and most wore the same thing the whole time I was there.”

Gabby was in Haiti for 8 days, but stayed in the Dominican Republic. She talked to the kids through the translator about God and how to have a closer relationship with God. She acted out things from the Bible and did crafts with the children.

One of the girls Gabby went on the mission trip was her best friend Ellie Thorne who now attends Baylor.

“From the second Gabby’s mom dropped us off at the Dallas airport, Gabby and I were on our own to a third world country.” Thorne said. “I remember sitting in the back of the van on our way to the first trip into the Haitian borders. I was honestly scared to death. The only thing keeping me sane was having Gabs beside me.

When Gabby came back home she saw everything in a new light, and had all new appreciation for life.

“When I came back, I realized everything I took for granted. It left me questioning everything.” Taylor said. “It took me a little while to break down the whole trip but when I did I realized how lucky I am and how my relationship with God grew.”