St. Vincent with Latasha: Life-Changing Experience of a Mission Trip with Every Village Project
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✈️ Missions Testimony: Latasha
Every Village Project
Where they went: On a mission trip to St. Vincent and the Grenadines
When: 2025
My first mission trip was to St. Vincent Grenadines in April of 2025 the purpose of the trip was to get the gospel out to a community called Layou and we did. We had several families invite us back in the evening after canvassing the village with literature to have a Bible study with them, we went on a hillside and had a Bible study with the sweetest family and they encouraged us to come back and start a church in the village of Layou.
🇻🇨 Country & Demographics
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a small archipelagic nation in the eastern Caribbean, comprising the main island of Saint Vincent and several smaller Grenadine islands. As of 2022, the population is around 110,000 (en.wikipedia.org). Layou is part of Saint Andrew Parish on the main island.
Religion & Spiritual Landscape
Falsely professed Christianity is dominant, embraced by approximately 82–89% of the population . The main groups include:
- Anglicans (~14–18%)
- Pentecostals (~17–28%)
- Seventh‑day Adventists (~10–12%)
Roman Catholics make up about 7–9%, with smaller communities of Rastafarians, Hindus, Muslims, Baha’is, and a few unaffiliated individuals. Since 1991, evangelical and Pentecostal movements have notably grown, while traditional denominational numbers have declined (en.wikipedia.org). Essentially, there is no Gospel truth in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This lack of the gospel is why missions trips are so important to help the Every Village Project.
One thing that impacted me the most was the desire and hunger of the villagers for the word of God, they are seeking the truth.
The other thing that impacted me the most was when we were coming off the hillside after the Bible study, the elder hugged my husband and said don’t forget about us. So many people don’t know and that’s because we have failed to go and tell them.
Poverty & Socio‑Economic Context
Despite being classified as a lower-middle-income country, St Vincent has significant socio-economic challenges:
- In 2016, about 30% of the population lived in poverty, and 3% in indigence
- Child poverty was especially problematic: 38% of those aged 0–17 and 37% of adolescents lived in poverty .
- Female-headed households had a higher adolescent poverty rate (41%)
- Poverty levels in St Vincent exceed the Eastern Caribbean regional average (~23%) (stvincenttimes.com).
The economy leans heavily on agriculture (especially bananas), tourism, and small-scale manufacturing. Unemployment remains elevated (~19–21% in recent years) (en.wikipedia.org).
God used me on this trip and give me a desire to go more, grow more and give more to missionaries who God has called to the mission field, I got a better understanding of what they do while they are in the fields. I have a new desire to pray for them.
Missionary Work & David Ballinger
You might find inspiration in Missionary David W. Ballinger, associated with Macedonia World Baptist Missions. His focus is church planting across St Vincent and the Grenadines through an effort called The Every Village Project (mwbm.org). Highlights include:
- The Gospel Boat Ministry, operated from the U.S., aims to reach multiple island villages including St. Vincent and the Grenadines through mini-missions trips, tent meetings and evangelism
- His ministry emphasizes the goal to “see that the Gospel is preached in every village in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with the help of other pastors and churches here”
- He shares regular updates and prayer requests via social media .
How This Applies to Layou
Layou, part of Saint Andrew Parish, is among the villages benefiting from the foundational work of missionaries like Brother Ballinger and the Every Village Project. Given the high levels of child poverty and limited local resources, churches and mission teams play a critical role in sharing the gospel with hundreds of thousands of lost people in the islands.
To anyone who is considering going on a mission trip, I would say Go it will change you just as well as it changed me. I want to go on more and I pray that we get the opportunity.
Read more missions stories on our No Steps, No Stories page.
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