One week as a missions volunteer during the 2024 Summer Olympics has provided Traci Jefferson with a lifetime of memories.
Jefferson, a member of First Baptist Church Morristown, Tennessee, served July 22–29 as a volunteer with the International Mission Board in Paris. Though she had been to France many times, this was her first missions trip to the country.
Jefferson, who is an assistant principal at East High School in Morristown, learned about the missions opportunities available at the Olympics in January. “I love Paris and I thought it would be cool to serve during the Olympics,” she said.
One of her primary reasons for applying was that she can speak French. She taught French at East High School for 16 years before moving into an assistant principal’s role at a nearby middle school 13 years ago. She is in her first year at East High.
“I thought I could be of help to my team as a translator,” she said about why she applied for the missions opportunity. “The Olympics was just a bonus.”
Doors opened
Though she was placed on a large team, Jefferson acknowledged that “it was hard to go by myself. … When I set out to go and I applied, I didn’t know a soul but Jesus. But that’s okay, He is the most important one.”
As it turned out, Jefferson was not needed as a translator although her ability to speak French proved extremely beneficial.
“Being able to speak French opened a door that would not otherwise have been opened,” she said, noting that the French people “seem to be more warm and open to people who try to speak their language.”
Though she did not have anyone accept Christ as a result of her conversations, she knows she planted seeds. “God only called me to be faithful. I can’t save anybody,” she affirmed.
Jefferson was placed on a team of about 76 people, but they were then divided into four groups and each was assigned a specific neighborhood in Paris. One of her teammates was Mia Crawford, a student and member of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City.
Jefferson served in the 14th Arronissement near the Montparnassee Tower, one of the largest towers in Paris. The team assisted Eclise Evangelique (Evangelical Church), a small congregation in that neighborhood.
The days were long for the volunteers. They were provided housing in an inn in a renovated farm house in the country. They had an hour-and-a-half commute each way into and out of Paris each day, Jefferson said.
During the day, team members would pass out tracts and Olympic pins and Bibles in French. They used the Olympics as a way to begin conversations that would open the door to share the gospel, Jefferson said,
Olympic pins are highly collectable so they are great conversation starters, Jefferson noted. The team gave out three different pins: the first one had an Olympic torch with the verse from John 8:12 that states Jesus is the light.
The second pin had a laurel wreath with the verse from John 15:5 noting that “Jesus is the vine, we are the branches.” The final pin depicted a track used for track and field events with the verse from John 14:6 where Jesus describes himself as “the way, the truth and the life.”
All three pins had the colors green (creation) black (sin that separates us from Jesus) and red (for the blood of Jesus). The pins opened the door to share the gospel, she said.
As they handed out the pins, tracts and Bibles, the volunteers invited people to attend an evening event at the church each night based on a different theme.
Worth the cost
Jefferson said the events were not only for visitors to Paris for the Olympics but also for people who lived in the neighborhood near the church. “It was a way to build relationships and open doors for ways to share the gospel.”
The Morristown educator had a great time sharing the gospel throughout the week. Team members had one day (Sunday) to do what they wanted. Jefferson attended the gymnastics event at the Olympics.
Her only negative about the trip? “No sweet iced tea,” she laughed.
On a serious note, Jefferson said she would do it again if an opportunity arose in the future and that the investment of her time and money were well worth the cost.
“The trip enabled me to gain a greater appreciation for the people who are on the mission field all the time,” she said. She noted that both journeymen and career missionaries invest themselves in the country in order to build relationships so they can share the gospel.
Many French people are “cold” to the gospel because the country is so multi-cultural. Though France has a large Catholic population, statistics show that less than 2% of the country’s population are evangelical Christians, she said.
Jefferson is grateful for the support she received from FBC pastor Dean Haun and the church’s missions committee which gave her some funding for the trip.
“We were excited to hear that Traci was going to Paris to use her knowledge of the French language to help proclaim the gospel,” Haun said.
“Our missions committee voted unanimously to assist her in this effort. We know God used her in a great way to be an ambassador for Christ,” he added.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Lonnie Wilkey and originally published by Baptist and Reflector.
