Kristy Rispens

I just returned from my very first music mission trip with Global Missions Project to Cuba.

I had a few fears about going, but I did sign up in spite of that.

The fear of the unknown experience… what is this all about? I had overheard a conversation that briefly mentioned something about Global Missions Project and thought it sounded interesting.

I play french horn in my church orchestra, and I love being a part of the worship experience musically. So, I looked it up online, said a very short prayer, talked it over with my husband, and signed up.

And then the fears arose.

Fear of witnessing one-on-one… that’s not my forte. What would I say? How could I make a difference in someone else’s life in another country?

God paved that way in an unexpected path. Last summer while attending the International Horn Symposium, I had a lovely conversation with an internationally acclaimed hornist who just happens to promote horn playing… in Cuba.

During the break of our first rehearsal in Cuba, one of the Cuban hornists starting playing her music, and all I had to do was turn and go, “Wow!”. It overcame any fear of how to open up a conversation.

The fear of a language barrier… I didn’t know but just a few words of Spanish. A few weeks before we departed I started cramming and found out that I LOVE the language and I actually have an ear for it. But even when words failed in our language, the joy of sharing the music of faith in Jesus was universal and it overcame everything.

The fear of getting sick, of an emergency, what to pack, what not to pack... these fears grew closer as the trip departure day came. But suddenly, everyone in the french horn section that was signed up for the project started reaching out and introducing themselves and shared trip insights and tips. And that’s when I began to realize that this isn’t just a mission trip to Cubans… it’s about being a servant and ministering to each other as a team and as a family.

God has really used this project to remind me that he has always had a special plan in place of how He will use my skills, my musical talent, and my personality to share worship and praising Jesus Christ through music.

I pray that anyone would consider this amazing mission trip opportunity.