Summer Mission Teams

You can find details of our next trip to Serbia here

Below a number of those who were part of our recent Mission Trip to Romania write of their experiences.

Rachel Bond

I thoroughly enjoyed my time serving the Lord in Romania. It was both a challenge and a blessing to my heart and the Lord’s help and presence was felt throughout the whole trip. Everyone on the team worked together very well and were an encouragement to one another. It was a busy schedule and a wonderful opportunity to serve the Lord in so many different ways such as kids clubs, sharing in the churches and visiting homes. A wonderful opportunity to tell so many people about our Wonderful Saviour! It was also an encouragement to share with other believers in Romania, including young people like ourselves.

I really enjoyed the holiday Bible clubs with the kids, especially seeing how enthusiastic and interested they were in hearing the Gospel and in learning God’s Word. What challenged me the most about the trip was visiting the homes in the different villages and seeing the lack of material possessions, yet there was such contentment and joy on the people’s faces. They could say with Paul “..for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Phil 4v11) It was a challenge to my own heart and thoughts.

I pray that the Lord will use our service in Romania for His Glory and extension of His Kingdom.

Alastair Crawford

This was my second mission trip with SGA. For me it was a great opportunity to use my holidays to serve the Lord and the trip was packed with opportunities to do so from start to finish. It was a real privilege for me to have many opportunities to preach. This was a great blessing but also a real challenge as you learned to trust the Lord for the right message in different situations. On this trip we experienced Romanian food, their culture, the people, and way of life, but one experience which stands out for me was the love and generosity of God’s people in this land. It was really a humbling experience as people who have so little opened up their homes and gave us so much. All of these things meant that the trip for me really was an “incredible and memorable experience.”

Julieanne Crawford

The trip to Romania with SGA was my first foreign mission team. I loved all the children’s clubs in the villages. The children were beautiful and so excited to see what we had in store. Being used to doing children’s work back home it was definitely a new experience, especially having to go through a translator. However for me the real challenge was the time we spent in the homes of the village people. So many families welcomed us into their homes to share with them, sing and just show love. For me this was very humbling. Many of these families provided much food for us yet they didn’t have much themselves. When you thanked them, most replied by saying, “all thanks is to God, not to us”. What a lesson to learn. I was also deeply challenged that I had to do more back home in Northern Ireland. Sometimes we jump at the chance to go away on a team and serve God, yet we need to be serving him whole heartedly back home. A verse that spoke to me while I was away is found in Luke ch 6 v 46, “why call me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say?” How quick we are to call God the Lord of our lives, but do our everyday lives reflect that? A challenge to me then is to find opportunities to visit those in need such as widows and the sick back home where I live.

Neil Johnston

At the start of August a team of six headed out to Oradea a city in northwest Romania for two weeks. The team was led by Derek and Carol Maxwell. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I had only met the team members once before we set off. I have to say it was a real blessing to work on this team. We all got to know each other quickly and we all got along really well and as a result I have made some really good new friends. I have learned from the trip to trust the Lord more, I felt the Lord’s hand upon me in every situation for example when we did house visits the Lord always seemed to lead us to the portion of scripture that was relevant for the situation that awaited us at the next house.

Gemma Maxwell

Isaiah 41 v 10, Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Sometimes we read beautiful promises in God’s word; promises that perhaps we often quote when times are rough or we see these promises on lovely bookmarks in Christian bookshops. Often I have read promises like the one above but never have I proved these promises or depended on them quite as much as when I was in Romania on a two week mission trip. There were many times I felt inadequate to serve my Saviour and yet those two weeks were such a blessed time as I stepped outside my comfort zone and learnt to depend more fully on my faithful God and His Word!

I loved the time spent in this beautiful country with its warm and very hospitable people. It was super to have so many opportunities to serve the Romanian church and tell people the good news of the Gospel whether through the Holiday Bible Clubs we held or visits in different homes. I particularly enjoyed the work with the boys and girls; for many it was their first time to hear the Gospel and to watch them soak up all that they were taught was a real thrill. Another highlight was time we spent visiting the widows who had so little and yet praised God continually! It was a real challenge to me about how often I forget to thank God for all of his blessings to me! I left Romania feeling as if the people had ministered to me rather than the other way around. To see a church so faithfully working, meet fellow believers with a passion to serve the Lord, share in spreading the Gospel and prove God’s promises was a real challenge but also a blessing in my life! So much so that I’m having withdrawal symptoms from Romania after spending only two weeks there!

Timothy Smith

Going to Romania with SGA this summer was a fantastic experience and it was a wonderful blessing for me to see firsthand what God is doing in this country.

Highlights of the trip included sharing God’s word with children and young people in different villages, sharing the Gospel in the homes of unbelievers and visiting local churches.

However, the highlight of the trip for me was to see the wonderful blessing of God upon the Romanian church. It was thrilling to see and hear about the formation of new churches in the villages around Oradea.

After only spending two weeks in Romania this summer, I have gained a renewed insight into the fact that our God is truly mighty and great, there is nothing He cannot do when God’s people are praying.

Ephesians chapter 3 vs. 20-21

You can see a gallery of the teams experiences here