Finale!

Today was the spring break mission trip "finale"at Black Forest Christian Fellowship.  Together we celebrated God's work around the world through six short-term mission teams of BFA staff and students.  How exciting to tell the church body about our time in Italy, as well as hear other teams share about what they did and learned in Belarus, Romania, Slovenia, Tanzania, and Central Asia!

With a limited amount of time to share about a week full of ministry and growth -- and lessons we've been processing since our return to Germany -- each team found it difficult to sum it all up in just a few minutes. I shared my personal connection with this church from when I participated in two short-term trips to Italy as a high school student.  Now, as a leader, I worked alongside several of the same Italians I'd met back in 2005 as teenagers.  It was really neat to see this come full-circle!  Brianne and Andrew also shared with the congregation about how the trip had personally impacted them -- the blessing of new relationships, the power of commitment to spiritual growth, and the importance of connection among believers.

Thank you again for your prayers for our trip!  Please pray with me that the Lord would continue to use the experiences of our week in Italy to impact our lives and encourage our Italian friends.