Group Mission Trip To France - Stony Brook School

When I lead longer mission trips, I usually tell my teams something along the lines of, “Right now, you are strangers, but soon we will be family.” With these shorter teams, often they aren’t strangers, and sometimes they don’t have the opportunity to get as close as family.

However, this group of Stony Brook School students managed to do just that. Although none were really strangers, at least knowing of each other, none were really friends either. But over the last nine days, through shared experiences, trials, and celebrations, they have not only become friends, but we have become our own unique family.

Ministry on mission trips doesn’t always go as planned. In fact, a lot of things don’t go as planned. Well, not as we plan anyway, but they always go according to His plan. During our time in the Word this week, we learned that even when our plans cease, the Lords always succeed and are always better.

We struggled this week with transportation (the bus lines we needed were deviated), the water heater at our lodging went out every other day, and we were frustrated when language barriers got in the way of our sharing.

But that was nothing compared to the joy of playing with kids in the park, passing out bookmarks with links to free Bible downloads, providing food for migrant families, or being told that our presence “was just the boost” (no pun intended, but we’ll take it) the workers in France needed to keep pressing into the vision of ministry the Lord has given them.

Our students, on multiple occasions, would walk around public areas, looking for people to talk to and share the Gospel with. Something that can be so nerve-wracking and honestly scary for most people, these students stepped out with courage and bravery to do so. Not all conversations ended with the Gospel being presented. However, we believe that successful witnessing is taking the initiative to share Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results up to God. By this definition, our team was very successful.

I am grateful to have gotten to serve alongside these amazing young people. I don’t know that I’ve ever laughed this much or this hard with a team. Thank you for all you did to help them be here. And thank you for all your prayers along the way.

Students in front of the carcassonne on a mission trip

Today, I am including a picture of each member of our team at the castle in Carcassonne (you should look it up). If you would take a moment to praise the Lord for each one of them, for what He has done in and through them here in France, and that the things they learned and experienced from Him would continue to grow long after we leave.

Margaret Andrus

Boost Mission Trip Leader