Brad Rilling has been a strength and conditioning specialist with Sanford POWER since 1999. His experience in strength and conditioning has allowed him to understand and train all athlete types. Whether it’s an athlete who wants to become the next powerlifting champion, an adult who wants to meet and succeed their own physical goals or an athlete playing on Sundays, Rilling has worked with all aspects of sports over his almost 20 years of training.
He has enjoyed his time as a coach at the Sanford Fieldhouse and helping athletes and active adults fulfill their goals. However, he and his wife, Monica, wanted to reach out to another part of the world to provide assistance along with bringing the caring word of the gospel.
Sanford Health News met with Rilling to talk about his first experience working with a mission group in Haiti.
Was this your first time experiencing a mission trip?
Yes, this was our first time. This type of trip is not normal for us. We tend to stay close to home and within our comfort zone. My wife has always wanted to go and God was really pressing us to do something a little crazy and to trust him. Therefore, we took this leap of faith and trusted him. We definitely were broken by what we saw but also encouraged by the attitudes and love that the Haitian people gave back.
How did you become aware of Mission of Hope Haiti, the group that hosts mission trips?
My wife did a lot of research online and came across Mission of Hope Haiti (MOH). From the timeline, cost and itinerary it was very organized and well laid out. Then we had a few sponsors step up and help us with costs and donated supplies to take down to help the people in need.
A few months later, we found out Carson Wentz’s foundation, Audience of One (AO1), had just partnered with MOH and was working with them in establishing a sports complex. It was cool to have that connection between Sanford Health, Carson, MOH, my wife and me.
Was there a main objective or purpose for your time in Haiti? Such as, repairing a specific building or focusing on children care, etc.?
The MOH complex is about 45 minutes outside of Port-au-Prince and we spent most of our time in a village called Simonette. It is located about half way between the complex and Port-au-Prince. Along with 20 college students from North Carolina, we repaired a church, planted trees, helped with water purification and performed activities with kids at the schools. We also went house to house checking on basic physical and spiritual needs of the people with in the village. MOH’s vision is an organization following Jesus Christ, exists to bring life transformation to every man, woman and child in Haiti.
Did your current role at Sanford Health give you any advantage when helping in each community?
As a strength and conditioning specialist, I train large groups of athletes at a time. When we went into the schools and set up activities and games it was right up my alley. We played soccer, basketball and taught a lot of them how to throw a football. Of course, their main sport is soccer. I was very impressed with their skills especially with little coaching, a half-flat ball, no shoes and two rocks as the goal.
What moment stuck with you the most, now that you have had time to be back in the States and understand more about your trip?
When you go into the village and family of 10 to 14 are living in a “house” that is 15×15 feet, it is very humbling to see how their world is so different from ours. With the unemployment rate at 75 to 80 percent, they are primarily focused on where they are going to get food and water, while here in America we are worried how many “likes” we are going to get on Facebook.
In addition, MOH distributes 90,000 meals a day to children in the schools and orphanages of Haiti. We were able to see this operation firsthand and how it works. If anyone wants to sponsor a child in Haiti through MOH, the money actually is getting used in the proper way and is positively affecting these kid’s lives.
What would you say to someone that is thinking about participating in a trip like this but is still on the fence?
Definitely look into all the details and do your research because the more prepared you are the better the experience it will be for the people you are serving and yourself. We are very glad we did it and we plan to go down again and bring our 10-year-old twin boys with us next time. I want them to learn to be a servant leader and realize how fortunate they are to live in the greatest country in the world.
More
- Rilling created a video about his journey to Haiti that gives an inside look at his trip
- Learn more about Mission of Hope Haiti missions or how sponsor a person
- Learn more about Carson Wentz’s Foundation AO1 and how Wentz’ is continuing growth in Haiti
- Surgeon gives of self on Haiti medical mission trips
- Nursing assistant travels to Bangladesh for medical mission
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Posted In Health Information, Orthopedics, Sanford Sports
