Faith Cross Country Mission Trip: Camino de Santiago Recap Pt. 1

Porto, Portugal - The Faith Cross Country teams recently traveled to Portugal and Spain to walk a portion of the Camino de Santiago in partnership with Seth Grotzke and Baptist Mid-Missions. During their ten days of walking, the team traversed more than 130 miles and spoke to people from 35 different nations. The team spent time sightseeing and learning about the culture while meeting other pilgrims and building relationships to share the gospel along the way. Read on to hear from two team-members as they share their overall takeaways from the trip.

Rebecca Hulinsky:

Walking the Camino de Santiago with Seth Grotzke and his family was a challenging and growing experience. We focused on talking to people and building relationships as we walked, asking them questions that would help them take one step closer to Christ. In all, we were able to talk to people from more than 20 different countries. Seth modeled how to use questions to have deeper conversations with the people we met on the trail.

I learned a lot more about the Catholic religion, and the other worldviews of the people I met along the way. Additionally, God worked through this trip to grow me to trust Him more. I packed very little, with only one spare outfit, slept each night in a new place, and got motion sickness and injuries. However, God sustained me and gave me the grace I needed each day. I know I can trust Him no matter the circumstances, and I can choose to rejoice in the good work He is doing. 

Ethan Smith:

This trip was an excellent experience and learning opportunity. I would say there are at least three big things that I learned while walking the Camino. One was how to have good meaningful conversations with others in the way of asking questions that lead to meaningful answers and spiritual topics. The second is how God grew me through the trip in continuing to grow my burden for missions and being able to help serve missionary church planters in a foreign context. I also learned a lot from the Grotzke's about Catholicism and just how far the Catholic Church has strayed from what the Bible teaches 

To see it in person made it so much more real to me than hearing about it in a class. I definitely recommend walking the Camino de Santiago, and I would love to do it again.

Check back at fbbceagles.com throughout the summer to hear from more student-athletes as they serve in various missions opportunities.

To directly support our student-athletes on future trips, consider giving and designate to "Missions Trips".