More recently, Leininger encountered a 6-year-old girl who had backed into a cooking fire and had severe burns down her back to her knees.

"We got there 10 days after she was burned," Leininger said. "She had no health care at all, other than antibiotics. Not even a pain pill. We were able to get her to good health care. Now, we're trying to get her to the United States to get skin grafts."

Executive Director Danny Thomas described Leininger as "a tremendous blessing."

"I've learned many, many things from Dr. Leininger," Thomas said. "Our trips to Haiti have always been an adventure and an experience. We have walked through some deep waters together - literally.

"In 1991, he and I got caught in a coup in Haiti. The roads were all blocked. The only way we could get out was through the ocean. We had 17 or 18 Americans with us.

We commandeered three sailboats and took them from Haiti to Guantanamo, Cuba. We were refugees for awhile."

Most of the mission trips are not quite so dramatic, but more laborious. Mission teams usually build churches, schools and community centers. Medical teams trek into the woods carrying backpacks filled with medicine. And children are fed meals provided through interest from a $130,000 endowment fund that was established in Marion County.

Previously of Ocala, Leininger and his wife, Diane, also helped found the Women's Pregnancy Center. Leininger recently was named president emeritus of Harvest International. Now he marvels at how the mission has grown to include seven different countries and multiple mission teams.

"I guess my initial vision was that we would run a few teams to Haiti and do as much ministry as we could," Leininger said. "I didn't expect it to grow this fast and this big."

Leininger's latest venture, a "barefoot doctor program," trains Haitians to dispense vitamins, bandages and over-the-counter medicines to the poor. He also wants to find a way to get patients to health care facilities. There are not many in Haiti, he said.

And Leininger has another goal that is closer to home.

"I would love to see everyone in Marion County take a trip to Haiti or some Third World country - and not a hotel trip, but to go to some location and live in the homes that the people live in and see what their life is like. Obviously, Harvest International can always use funding and prayer. But, the No. 1 thing for anyone to do is to go and see for himself."