Trip Report

Here's a copy of the letter I sent out this week to let my prayer partners know how the mission trip was. Enjoy!

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you so much for your prayers for me while I was in Switzerland. It was an incredible trip in so many ways, and I’m so thankful I was able to go.

Our team had a total of about fifty people. We were from Houston, Birmingham, and Atlanta. We had all ages of people on the team, and it was so much fun to get to know each other and to work together. The seven of us from Houston had already known each other, but we got so much closer as we laughed together, prayed together, and encouraged each other. That was a real blessing for me.

We traveled in a convoy of seven vans throughout the week. Each day we left our home base on the southern tip of Germany and went to a different town for the day’s ministry. We visited Freiburg in Germany, and Zurich, Zug, Bern, and Luzern in Switzerland. We set up our festival in a central location and used balloon animals, face painting, caricatures, line dancing, and puppet shows to attract a crowd. It was a lot of fun, but more importantly, it gave us opportunities to speak with many people and share the gospel with them.

We met many different kinds of people from all over the world, including other Americans there on holiday! We also got many different responses to our message. In general, the Europeans were not very easy to share with. Many were not interested in even stopping to listen, and those who did stop were often not very receptive. It was frustrating at times, but it reminded us of the great needs there. It also was a lesson to me to trust in God. We are only responsible for delivering the message, and God is the one who changes hearts. We knew we were planting lots of seeds that would eventually bear fruit.

We did have the joy of seeing several people choose to receive Jesus as their Savior, which was very exciting. I learned to never think I can guess a person’s response. My friend and I were talking to different people one day and approached a couple who didn’t really look like the type who would be interested. They talked with us for a long time, though, and the woman was very interested. Her name was Bianka, and it was obvious God had been working in her heart. She was eager to hear what we had to say, and she ended up praying to receive Jesus as her Savior. Praise the Lord!

Another blessing on the trip was the opportunity to see the body of Christ in action. When we did the festivals, there were many things going on, and each person was able to use his or her unique talents, experiences, and spiritual gifts as we worked together towards a common goal. Whether it was drawing portraits, playing with children, dancing, preaching, or handing out tracts, it was all important. I enjoyed seeing how God used each one of us.

I was really awestruck by the beauty of Switzerland. There was breathtaking scenery almost everywhere you looked. As we drove around the country, I felt very privileged to be able to be in such a glorious place. Several people asked me if I would go back, and I told them I wasn’t sure. Who wouldn’t love to go to Switzerland again and again? But on the other hand, there are so many places in the world to visit. I guess we’ll see.

Those are a few of the highlights of the trip. You can look at photos of each day by visiting http://www.worldlinkministries.org/ and clicking on “Switzerland Campaign.” I’ll also be posting pictures on my blog at http://www.ramblingplace.blogspot.com/.

Thank you again for your prayers. I’m so thankful for each of you. God bless you!

Love, Katie