The Land

Saint Gaudens is located in the southwestern part of France. Sitting within sight of the Pyrenees Mountains, the city has beautiful views and cool breezes, even occasionally in the summer. The French are, of course, known for their cuisine—especially the bread and cheese, and Saint Gaudens is no exception!

The People

The French people are often hesitant about accepting religion. Most ministries built in France take much time to grow (Dr. David Price’s research has shown an average of 30 years for a fully mature church). The church uses many different outreach ministries to get the gospel in front of the people. Once a person has shown interest in the gospel or church, the development of a relationship over time has proven to be the best way to lead people to a profession of faith and to attendance in church.

The Missions Work

While the work in Saint Gaudens varies from year to year, one annual outreach is to the spectators of the Tour de France. With so many people gathering to see the race, we have a great opportunity to hand out thousands of pieces of literature quickly.

In reality, since the spectators are not just French, the literature reaches many different European peoples.

In the past, the team has also helped with updates to the church building that is a couple of centuries old. We have been able to replace the roof, stucco, and flooring in the last few years. As with all churches, there is always something along this vein that can be done quickly by a team of 8–10 people. We have been blessed to have the opportunity to do work that so quickly shows its reward.

One of our primary goals as a team is always to encourage. Since the slow growth of a European ministry can be discouraging, we strive to come alongside the Price family and the church in Saint Gaudens to show our support of the work they are doing. Although we are only there for a few days, as a team leader, I always pray that the ministry will stay in the hearts of our team and that they will continue to pray for the Prices long after we return home.