Go Beyond

Who | Gil Harris

About My Family | My wife Traci and I have four children: Gabe, Ashley, Matthew, and Isaac. Ashley is currently working with Campus Crusade for Christ in Athens Greece. We are very proud of her and her commitment to missions.

Where I Have Traveled With Kingsland | I have had the opportunity to participate in two mission trips to Bangladesh with Omar and Kingsland. The first was in August of 2010, and the second was just three weeks ago. I am officially over jet lag. I have no excuses now, for….anything.

My Impressions of Bangladesh | Before the first trip, Omar informed me that Bangladesh was a lot like Haiti. Traci and I were missionaries to Haiti from 1985-1987. Because of our time there, I felt better prepared for Bangladesh. However, I must be honest, Bangladesh is a bit more challenging….physically, spiritually, and mentally.

What Touched My Heart | What touched my heart the most was the sincerity and the commitment of the Bengali believers in Christ. There are no church buildings for them to gather, yet they meet each week in secret, in homes. To even become a believer may cost you your family, friends, and your life. To put it bluntly….they don’t play church.

Kingsland’s Vision for Bangladesh | Our vision for Bangladesh at KBC is simple. Pastor Alex laid it out for us a couple of weeks ago when Route 66 (his current series through the Bible) took us through the book of Matthew: “Go into all nations and make disciples.” Our strategy is twofold. First, disciple and train the Bengalis who have already come to faith in Christ. Secondly, to send those who have been trained to the remote areas of the country where there is zero gospel influence. We already have two of these trained young men on an island of about 50,000 people in the Bay of Bengal. Pray for these two men. There are about 30 more such islands. Our long term vision is to have nationally trained missionaries on every one of them.

What’s Next | We have two trips planned for 2012. Our team will travel to various regions of the country to train and disciple the leadership in those areas. I am so excited about going back. Our national contact there is constantly sending Omar and me weekly reports on how the believers are sharing their faith and what is needed next to further the gospel. Please pray for Bangladesh. Omar has asked me to serve as our missions ministry’s point man for our trips to Bangladesh. Maybe you will be led to go with me in 2012 to teach and train, or led to give and support the mission with your prayers and finances. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how to do either of these. A special thanks to Omar for letting me share my heart.