JAMAICA (BP) — A short-term mission trip to Jamaica was reminiscent of home for Horacio Hall, founding pastor of Faithway Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, Va.

He grew up in Panama, born to parents from Colombia who spoke a broken English characteristic of their communities. Jamaicans are among his ancestors.

“It reminded me of the island where my mom is from, San Andres Island, Colombia — the people, the food, the culture. It kind of drove me back,” he told Baptist Press. “Even now, tears are coming out of my eyes. It brought me back to a place, just pulling together my family history.”

Hall was among facilitators of the inaugural George Liele Global Initiative mission trip June 20-25, a new work of the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention (NAAF) to conduct missions to Jamaica, Ghana and Ethiopia.

“Missions is just my heartbeat. I love missions. I love soulwinning. I love presenting the gospel,” said Hall, NAAF East Region director. “Within the last two years or so, learning more about George Liele really captured my attention.”

NAAF President Greg Perkins expressed excitement for the mission trip that honored Liele’s work and reached a location that has not been a priority for the Southern Baptist Convention.

“I’m grateful that NAAF launched with great success its first global initiative mission trip that took African American missionaries to a country where people from the African diaspora can see people who look like them serving on the mission field,” Perkins said. “That was a tremendous blessing.”

A team of 31 pastors, ministers, wives and students took the trip and were dispersed in outings including community service, evangelism and prayer walks at markets, churches and schools in Bogwalk, Linstead and Commodore. NAAF pastors served at nine churches in the St. Catherine region, Perkins said.

“The goal was to make George Liele and the work that he did real, and for his missionary work to not be lost. So we accomplished our goal,” said Perkins, lead pastor of The View Church in Menifee, Calif. “We wanted to walk in the footsteps of George Liele and to go to the country where our first Baptist missionary … served, and we were able to do that.”

Daily recaps told of a bus driver chauffeuring the group who spontaneously pulled to the side of the road, proclaiming a desire to accept Jesus; teachers and students who prayed to accept Jesus; and faith decisions in public markets. Missionaries made more than 300 gospel contacts.

“It was just an incredible, incredible time of transformative ministry,” Perkins said. “So we’re just really excited about that work.”

A week after the team returned to the U.S., Hurricane Beryl caused extensive damage in Jamaica, churning past the island’s southern shore as a category 4 hurricane. NAAF will coordinate assistance to the island with the Jamaica Baptist Union, headed by Denzil Jack, pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Bogwalk.

“We’re waiting to hear back from Pastor Jack to see how we might help, given the aftermath of Beryl,” Perkins said. “Our plan is that we will provide whatever monetary support that we’re able, but we’re also interested in sending mission teams, if that’s needed, to help with the rebuild.”

The mission trip also emphasized the fact that African American Southern Baptists are active in missions, said Perkins, who went on mission trips as a youth.

“There’s this misunderstanding that we somehow don’t go to the nations,” he said, “and that’s not accurate. … We are very much committed to global missions, we just might approach it in a slightly different way that might not be as familiar to other people groups.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Diana Chandler is Baptist Press’ senior writer.)