Winner on Mission

A few weeks ago, church member Winner Banissan presented a Minute for Mission to the congregation about his spring break mission trip to Cary, Mississippi. Banissan, who will graduate from Marshalltown High School next month, is a hard worker with a heart for mission.

Winner shared that his mission team went to Cary, a “small town with a big heart,” that had been hit by a tornado a few years ago. Their goal was to renovate homes for those who needed help, including roofing, flooring, and painting. They also ran a VBS for local children.

Winner Banissan's Minute for Mission - April 27, 2025

“Throughout the trip, Winner said, “it was evident God was at work in countless ways.” He also found the gratitude of the people for his team’s work inspiring and noted the faith of the community shone brightly even in the face of much adversity. From this mission experience Winner took away the power of community, the importance of service, and the realization of the transformative impact of God’s love and the way it changes people for the better.

Winner on a nearly completed roof in Cary, MS - March 2025

Winner has been on several mission trips in this country and abroad. When asked what excites him about doing mission work, he said he enjoys meeting new people and being able to “use [his] able body for Christ.” His leaders encouraged him on his most recent trip, especially when there were things he didn’t want to do - evidence of God at work. Looking at all the mission work he has done so far, Winner thought back to his trip to Guatemala in 2023. An experience there stands out. Seeing the children’s faces when they saw their freshly repainted school was, for Winner, “electric.”

Winner and his mission team on the roof in Cary, MS

Winner with VBS children in Cary, MS

Winner and Anibal Mazariegos, a missionary, painting the school in Guatemala - June 2023