COAL GROVE — It is hard to forget the images that flooded news media after Haiti was devastated by a massive earthquake in January 2010.

Hundreds of thousands of people perished in the disaster and the Caribbean nation is still struggling to rebuild.

Wanting to somehow make a difference, one local church is preparing to embark on its first international mission.

Pastor Brad Jenkins of Memorial United Methodist Church in Coal Grove said he and other church members have been talking about making a trip to Haiti ever since the earthquake happened.

“(We) felt a deep desire and passion to just go down there to help in any way we can,” Jenkins said.

In the summer of 2010, Jenkins and several other church members starting talking about it seriously and began organizing the trip and calling for volunteers. Along with Jenkins, seven others will travel to Port-au-Prince, Haiti: Rich Roach, Dave Melvin, Don Johnson, Adam Jenkins, Laura Cordery, Megan Jenkins and Patrick Carpenter.

The group from Memorial UMC will stay at Grace Children’s Hospital in Port-au-Prince and will work to help with the children, visit tent cities to distribute food and health kits and work on construction projects, as well as witnessing to local people. The trip will be July 31 through Aug. 7.

Jenkins said Memorial UMC has always had local missions at heart, holding outreach events, block parties and festivals in the community. This will be the first international mission experience for the church.

“I know God (will be) with us through this,” Jenkins said.

At a cost of $1,500 per person, the church held dinners to raise funds and offered their service to other members of the church for donations. Jenkins said businesses and other individuals also made donations. Seventh-grader Hannah Blankenship had a yard sale and gave all the money she raised to the mission fund, also.

“I’m pleased with what has already come in and the support,” Jenkins said. Jenkins said at first he thought it would be a struggle to raise the funds, but the group is close to having everything raised and he is confident that they will meet their goal.

Jenkins said he hopes the church will continue to do international missions in the future.

“I hope the stories we bring back are contagious and spark a fire in people,” he said.