I recently got back from a month-long mission trip to Southern France! Thank you so much to each person, family, and church that helped me get there, whether financially or through your encouragement and prayers! It was an amazing experience that I am sure I will never forget. Because of the ministry itself, I am unable to publically share everything about it. If anyone would like to hear about the trip itself, e-mail my dad to let him know, and I will email you directly with more details.

I wish I could publicly share everything that happened! But, because I cannot, I would like to share several things that God accomplished and what He taught me while I was there.

Our team was able to hand out over two thousand packets in the month I was there! These packets included a Bible in the people’s native language. Over two thousand individuals, couples, and families now have direct access to God’s Word and will be able to continue to share it and hopefully transform even more lives! There were also several opportunities to talk about God and share the gospel with more people.

While there, I learned about the importance of the gospel. Ever since I arrived at college, I felt like God was showing me that He wanted to use me in missions. On this trip, God gave me an even bigger heart for missions. I am not entirely sure when or where, but I do believe that one day God will use me as a missionary, wherever I am at. I also learned the urgency of sharing the gospel. Some of the people who rejected the Bible I was offering them will never accept the gospel or have another opportunity to hear about God. It was an eye-opening reminder that this life is so short and we need to use the time that we have to share what God has done in our own lives. We also need to share what Christ did on the cross for others to have a personal relationship with Him and live in Heaven for eternity. It is a beautiful message and one that I personally do not share as much as I should. God taught me other things during this trip, but the last main lesson I learned was that we should never minimize God’s power in our minds. Before going on the trip, I focused on my own weaknesses and faults. While I was there, God showed me that I cannot do His work on my own. He does the work. He could do it without me, but He chooses to use me, and other Christians, to share the gospel and show the world His great love. I hope to continue sharing the gospel for the rest of my life, remembering the importance and urgency of others hearing it.

Thank you again for all the support and encouragement!

Risha