Open Doors
George did not know what to expect when he traveled with the HP Pres mission team to Fuente del Peregrino (Pilgrim’s Fountain) in northwestern Spain last summer. Before arriving in Spain, George was apprehensive about the value he brought to the team and attending without his family. Despite his worries, he chose to remain open to how God could use him. Within the first day, he became fast friends with the other members of the team, sharing “Spain will always be in my memory because of the people. Even though I didn’t travel with my family, my family was there.”
Encountering roughly 1000 travelers each day at Fuente del Peregrino, the mission team offered shelter, food, and resources that opened doors for deeper conversations. Many of the pilgrims making the 769 km pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James in Santiago de Compostela have never heard the gospel but are in a place in their lives where they are searching for purpose. With each interaction, George and the mission team looked for ways to share the transformative message of Jesus Christ through conversations and hospitality. George shares that “People walking the Camino are in tune with themselves at that point and they are ready to absorb conversations about faith.”
George attended the trip expecting to be the one who would be ministering to people but found that God opened his heart to people in new ways through each conversation. By the time the mission team returned from Spain, he was a changed person, sharing “I am much more open to people and have confidence in my faith that I didn’t have before.”
Register for our next mission trip to Fuente del Peregrino in Spain on June 30, by visiting hppres.org/missions.
