Faith Bible Blog

I thought the whole trip went amazing. Our time in Paris could not have gone any more perfect except for an extremely small hiccup in the subways. We were able to see almost everything there was to see in Paris and transportation on almost all accounts from when we got there to when we went back to the airport was flawless. Marseille was beyond words. With Rob, Vicky, Serge, and Nabeil acting as tour guides and translators, they made our stay in Marseille wonderful. I never felt in danger especially when we had the Translator with us. For the camps the only thing I would change would be that we could have had kids for the first day in the morning and that we would have been able to share the gospel more with them. The second camp from my perspective working with the older kids went flawless. I know the younger kids fought a little but again they are kids. Really the only bad part about the second camp was when we had the ball stolen but even that was not that bad, thanks to our helpful Turk girls.

There are not enough words that I could use to describe how I feel towards Rob and Vicky’s old church. They were “Awesome”. I think almost everyone who was there at church on Sunday did something for us. There willingness to serve us and take time out of there day to feed and drive us was unbelievable. If every church was like them I think the world’s view of Christianity would be completely different. We would not be seen as hypocrites any more but actually a people who live what they preach. Even our church could learn some things from them. I personally could grow more as a servant from watching them by learning to serve someone who I do not even know.

More about me, like I said at church, I can not say enough on just how broken I was over how lost the world really is. Even in America I see how fake a lot of people’s Christianity is. It is no different here or there, people live however they want but if at the end of the day they say they believe in “God” or “Allah” they will go to heaven or paradise. To be honest I do not know how to change all of that but I am at least glad that God made that reality to me in the form of Robert. I grew to have a deep care for that boy and it breaks me that I might not ever see him again on earth or in eternity so now I hope to have a heart for the lost in the form of Robert. So if I see someone who is lost I hope it will make me think of Robert so I will have as much compassion for them as would for Robert.

This mission trip to France was an awesome experience for me. Getting to know the group on a deeper level was such a blessing and a challenge for me. God really showed me that each one of His children is unique in their own way. Each has his or her own gifts that the Lord has blessed them with. It was really cool to see how each of our gifts worked together in order to please Christ during our time in France. I really felt that we all became like brothers in France. Even though I knew each of them fairly well, being able to serve alongside them brought an even closer bond.

I was also really encouraged by the church members and Point Bible. Their willingness to serve us by making us meals and having us over was such a testimony to me. I really realized how big God is! The thought that there are Christians out in France that don’t even speak our language and come from a completely different culture but serve the same God was incredible. Serj and Michelle had to be two of the most loving people I’ve ever met. How I can’t wait for the day when we will see them in heaven and be able to communicate.

The trip was also a humbling experience for me. God revealed pride in my heart that I was unaware of at the time. Going into the trip, thinking I had this whole testimony thing down, I was quickly confronted. After giving my testimony on Sunday in church and hearing some constructive criticism, I realized that maybe I didn’t have it down after all. As the team leader of this trip I also began to think of myself as somewhat more important than the others. God showed me that each one of our team members is no more important or valuable than another but that we all have specific roles in which we are to serve.

Rob and Vikki were so much fun. Vikki was so sweet loving towards us. Even though she had a bad need, she was still doing all she could to serve us and serve the kids. She’s awesome! Robo, man I miss that guy. I miss him waking us up like a drill sergeant. Good times! It was really cool getting to know Rob and hearing about their experiences with missions and just gaining wisdom from him. He really helped me with being able to share my faith more clearly. After giving my testimony that Sunday, he helped me realize that I need to use my testimony to show unbelievers proof of God’s work in my life.  I really enjoyed spending time with them and I am so thankful for their ministry.

The camps were a blast. Even though there was a language barrier between us we still managed to communicate with the kids. Investing in and loving on those kids meant so much to them. You could really tell by how excited and happy they were. That was the true reason we were there, to show those kids the love of Christ because of what Christ has done in our lives. I pray that seeds were planted and one day some of those kids will know the truth. I will never forget this trip and I hope to return someday and serve with Rob and Vikki again.