Building Relationships

Bonjour tout le monde! / Hello everyone!

This past week was our first week of "phase 2" of our strategic plan - relationship building. After two weeks initiating spiritual conversations with students on campus and hoping to make as many new contacts as possible, our new goal was "second appointments" - meeting up again with contacts we had made the previous weeks. So while we were still going out on campus to meet new people, we are also trying to set up many "dates" - dinner dates, coffee dates, lunch dates, juice dates, etc.

On Saturday, I went out to dinner with a sweet friend from last year named Marion (a student in English and Chinese) and a friend from her program. Since Kate was here from Paris, Marion wanted to make the most of it and meet up with us (Kate, myself, and Jeanette). So we went out to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants - a British pub called the Beehive. Marion and her friend had never been before, and were so excited to eat fish and chips! It was a lovely evening catching up from what we had done over the summer, how the school year was beginning, and what we have going on in our lives. Marion has such a natural friendliness and enthusiasm, and her friendship is such a gift from the Lord. As we were parting ways for the evening, she gave my teammate Jeanette a hug and said, "Now I've got you back and I'll never let you go!" She was just as excited to see us as we were to see her again, and thanked us for making time to hang out with her. She told us she will definitely be coming to English Club this week.

On Monday I had a different kind of date - a skype date with Hannah from Jesus Film Ministries. I met Hannah at our Stint Mid-Year conference in January, and saw her again at Stint Briefing right before leaving to come back to France. She emailed me a few weeks back and asked if our team would want to partner with her and JFM to use their media to reach students on our campuses. My team was really excited by her offer, so I said yes to being the "point person" for our partnership. Hannah and I talked Monday about a short film produced by JFM called La Liberté de l'Interieur (Freedom Within), and how we could use this film in Montpellier to begin spiritual conversations. It was a really exciting brainstorming session, and I'm anticipating with hope what God will do through this film. If you have a chance to watch it (or better yet, to use it yourself!) I would highly recommend that you do it. Like all short films available through JFM, it's free and can even be downloaded to your smartphone or tablet through the free JFM app! Check it out :)

On Tuesday I had a lunch date with Megan and our good friend Israel. Israel is a Mexican graduate student studying the economics of film and hoping to return to Mexico to work with the Ministry of Culture. He came to know Agapé through our mutual friend Ben who is also not-yet-Christian. He has been a faithful English Club attendee for the past year or so and we have been able to share the Gospel with him on many occasions. Yet, we realized the other day that we really have no idea what he believes. So Megan and I had lunch with him, and then went through the perspective cards survey with him to get a better understanding of where he is coming from. In many ways, it was a very good conversation - it was very clear to both of us that Israel has carefully reflected and thought through the things that he believes. Yet, despite his intelligence and cultural background of Catholicism, he is drawn more towards the god of nature, a real spiritual presence that nonetheless is incapable of interacting with us. So although he believes in the supernatural and in spiritual things, he chooses not to have a personal relationship with the Living God and believes Jesus was just a good man. Even though Israel is older than most students, and pretty firmly entrenched in his beliefs, I know that our God is a God of the impossible, and I'll keep holding out hope for his heart to be changed.

On Wednesday I had "coffee" (it was actually juice) with two new friends - Hélène and Isabelle. Hélène is a student in her first year of a Masters program here in Montpellier. She studied in Lille (in the far north of France) for her undergrad and is new to the city. Although not a Christian, she is friends with Laura (a friend of Joëlle's) who has already shared the Gospel with her many times. Hélène is very open and super sweet - it was so clear to me that she is looking for meaningful friendships and connections here, and God brought her to us! I pray we can be a blessing to her as well as a witness to who God is. After juice with Hélène, I met up with my new friend Isabelle, a Christian student we met during our first week on campus. Isabelle shared with me via text message on Monday that her and her boyfriend had broken up over the weekend, and when we met up, I could tell she really needed to talk about it. We talked together for almost two hours! It is so clear to me that God is blessing me through this friendship with Isabelle. I'm hoping to ask her next time we meet up if I can keep meeting with her this year to do discipleship together. I know God brought us together for a reason, and I hope that I will be able to pour into her and help her to grown this year.

On Thursday, Kimberly and I had lunch with Mona-Lisa on the science campus. We had met her and her friend Sasha a week or so ago, but were unable to talk with her very much because she got an important phone call and had to leave. It felt like God really redeemed that situation by giving us another chance to speak with her. Mona-Lisa shared the history of her family and their faith with us, and how her Muslim parents taught her and her siblings about what they believed and why. It was amazing how many things we have in common! We asked her if she considered herself a Muslim and she said that while she knows God is real, she doesn't feel like she knows enough to make a decision about who God is. We asked her to describe to us how she sees God, and she told us that she feels like she is just barely beginning to see God and to know more about who He is. Then, she asked us how we see God and we were able to share with her about the God of the Bible and how we interact with Him personally. It was such an encouraging conversation, and I am excited to see her again and talk more with her. Thursday afternoon, Megan and I met up with our dear friend Julie from last year for some smoothies. Julie is very sweet, genuine, friendly, and open to spiritual things. Last year after watching Cru's evangelistic video Falling Plates with us, she said, "Ca donne envie de croire!" (that makes me want to believe). It was so great to see Julie again after a summer away and to catch up with her. Our relationship with Julie is such a gift because we are truly friends, we are able to interact and hang out just like I would with any other friend.

On Friday, I had "coffee" (hot chocolate this time) with a first-year student Maude who is studying English. Megan and I had a great time talking with her, getting to know her a little better, and just relaxing together. It was really fun! Later that afternoon, I was able to meet up with Elena as well - a friend from last year. I met Elena through Kathryn (my teammate) and loved getting to know her last year. This year she is beginning her Masters program in psychology, and although she has a lot more in her schedule, she still made time to see me! In a job where most of my interactions with friends are initiated by me, it is so nice to have someone reciprocate a friendship!

Saturday we were supposed to go visit the zoo - an outing organized by our student leaders - but then because of the bad weather, we decided to go to Plan B. We met up at Jeanette and Joëlle's apartment, snacked on cookies, and played games together. It was, as we say, super sympa! (really nice/fun) We had a good mix of new friends and old, of Christian students and non-Christians. We played mostly whole group games, which was a lot of fun and a great way to get to know each other. One of the French girls, Claire, asked me if charades were the national sport of the States because she thought Kim, Megan, and I were "just too good." It was a lovely, cozy afternoon, and a great chance to catch up with friends and enjoy each others' company.

I am so grateful for the friendships God has provided in the past, and is continuing to provide for us now. It is so clear to me that while building these relationships is our goal, God is the one doing the work. Please continue to pray for me and my team - we are so appreciative of your support and prayers! Pray that we would continue to pursue relationships and invest emotionally in our French friends. Pray for opportunities to share the Gospel and our lives as well with our friends. Finally, pray that God would be our source of life, strength, and motivation, and that we would always seek to glorify Him.

A la prochaine! / Until next time!

God is guiding!

Coucou! / Hello there :)

It's another beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon in Montpellier, and I feel so blessed by the Lord and reassured by His presence here guiding us. After this second week on campus, I have many more encouraging stories (and updates!) that I want to share with you.

This past week, we had our first English Club of the year. (English Club is basically what it sounds like - a time to get together and speak English with our friends at a cozy Irish pub called FitzPatrick's) We invited all of our new contacts from our first week initiating spiritual conversations on campus, and we had about 25 students show up! It was incredible, and incredibly fun - a great mix of old friends and new ones. One of my favorite parts of the night was seeing Isabelle again - our new Christian friend Kimberly and I had met the previous Friday (for her story, see my previous post). I introduced her to Jeanette (on staff with Agape/Cru here in Montpellier), only to find out they had already met several years ago when Jeanette was here on Stint! She had a lovely evening, and Jeanette invited her to our Agape Bible Study on Wednesday. She accepted, and was able to come, meet other Christian students, and get connected. I hope to see a lot more of her! :)

On Tuesday, Megan and I were on campus together, looking for a new person to talk with and feeling slightly frustrated by the group of giggly first year girls we had just talked to who couldn't seem to take anything seriously. Then we saw a girl sitting on her own, so we went up to introduce ourselves. Sophie told us that she is from London and spent the last few years studying in Edinburgh, then asked what church we go to. Megan asked her about her story, and she shared with us that as recently as four months ago she considered herself an atheist, completely against the idea of God, faith, and religion. Now, she finds herself as a new Christian in a new city (she's studying here for the whole year), looking for a church and Christian community. We were able to tell her about our churches, and share that Agape might be exactly the community she is looking for! Sophie also was able to come to Bible Study on Wednesday, and begin making new friends and connections. I'm so excited to see what God has planned for her in bringing her here to Montpellier this year!

Wednesday through Friday of this week I was in Toulouse (a neighboring city) working with some fellow staff members to begin planning for CNA (le Camp du Nouvel An) our Agape France Christmas conference. It was a lot of fun to see the city a bit and enjoy the different flavor of architecture. Toulouse is known as "La Ville rose" (the pink city) because of the particular shade of bricks used for most of the city's buildings. It was really exciting for me to cast vision for the conference this year, to discuss practical details, and to begin praying already for all that God will do in and through Agape students. It was also fun for me to reconnect with Sharla (on staff in Toulouse) and Vivek (stint in Paris) my co-planners and friends, as well as other friends in Toulouse. I was able to catch up for a bit with Julien, who was an intern in Montpellier last year and is interning this year in Toulouse. It was encouraging for both of us to hear about the movements in our cities and to share some stories about what God is doing. I also got to see our friend Ben Guibal (resident philosopher and deep-thinker) who left Montpellier this year for a teaching job near Toulouse. It was great to hear about what he's been up to this summer, including his visit to the U.S. to see his new girlfriend - my dear friend and former teammate Amy! For two and a half days of meetings, my time in Toulouse was really fun - and very rewarding when I think about all the work we put into CNA already (and the work left to do) so that students can experience God in authentic, personal ways through the conference. Throughout our times of planning, even in our disagreements, it was clear that God was guiding us towards what He wants for CNA. Every time we sat down to make decisions, we prayed and invited God into the midst of it. His presence was clearly felt!

Friday night I arrived home to Montpellier to a hug from my former roommate and teammate (and current friend!) Kate visiting from Paris. She came for the weekend to figure out the details of her residence card, to pick up winter clothes and assorted sundries left in our apartment, and (of course!) to hang out with us. It's been wonderful (albeit a bit strange) to have her around our apartment - that used to also be her apartment! I have loved the chance to share together about our lives since we no longer get to "debrief" each day before bed.

(from left to right: teammates Joelle, myself, Kate, Jeanette, and Megan)

While sharing about sharing, we also got the chance to video chat with former teammates Amy and Kathryn while Kate was here and we were all together. It was so fun and so encouraging to share with them some stories of how God is moving here. Both of them have invested so much of themselves and their time here, so it is even more meaningful for them to hear about what the Lord is doing here - they can picture the places and they understand completely the context we are working in!

I am so grateful for God's presence with us and the clear ways He is guiding our personal ministries as well as our Agape movement! Thanks to all of you as well for your faithful prayers. As James says, your prayers are powerful and effective! (James 5:16) 

Que Dieu vous benisse! (God bless you all!)

Answered prayers

Bonjour tout le monde! / Hello everyone!

I would love to share with you a "brief" update (sorry, I really tried to keep it short!) of this past week - our first week on campus initiating spiritual conversations with students. God showed up in amazing and encouraging ways to answer our prayers! Before, during, and after our times on campus we prayed for many things, but especially for three specific requests:

1. We prayed for opportunities to meet first year students
2. We prayed to meet to students who were open to talking about spiritual things and willing to share with us
3. We prayed for new contacts - students that will continue to be connected with Agape, for lasting friendships

After four days spent on three different campuses, I can honestly say God blessed us with many new relationships and contacts, guided us to specific people, and orchestrated many divine appointments. I have so many stories I would love to share and bless you with, but I will limit myself to only a few.

Firstly, I would like to tell you about Angele (pronounced like Angela without the "ah" at the end), Ophelie (like Ophelia from Hamlet - that's what she told us!) and Calypso. I met these three sweet first-year students on Tuesday at Paul Valery (the liberal arts campus). All three are studying Art History, and were just as open and friendly with us as they were with each other. At first, we thought they had been friends for a while, but then they told us they had only just met! These girls were so willing to talk to us, to laugh with us, and to share personal things with us. While Angele and Calypso described themselves as "athee" (atheist) and agnostic, both were very open to discussing spiritual things and shared that they really respect people of faith. Ophelie shared with us that she considers herself a Catholic, and has really felt God as a source of comfort through the difficult times in her life. Although she grew up in the Catholic tradition, she said that only in the last year has she really felt like her faith became her own decision. I can't wait to see what God has in store for them this year! I really feel like we could develop a real relationship with these girls.

Secondly, I want to share Sasha's story with you. I met Sasha and her friend Mona-Lisa (I'm not kidding, I promise!) on the science campus while they were hanging out in between classes. Both girls were very willing to talk with us, and put a lot of thought and reflection into their responses to our Soularium (photo survey tool) questions. Part way into our conversation about their view of God (the third question), Mona-Lisa received an important call she had to take, and we ended up talking with just Sasha for about an hour in total. She really opened up to us about some difficult, hurtful things that have happened in her past (some of which have been done to her by the church and by religion) that have convinced her that we are the only ones that can help ourselves - she doesn't feel like God has ever "showed up" in her life. She shared that over time, she has come to be able to understand people who have faith, and even to respect them when she doesn't agree with them. At first, because of the hurts she has suffered, she said this wasn't possible for her, but now she feels like she is in a place where she can agree to disagree and still be friends with someone of faith. She also told us about the challenges and changes she has lived through the last year or so, and why she is hopeful about this new stage in her life. She told us about her new English boyfriend, and seemed very interested in coming to English Club on Monday. God really blessed us with a deep, open conversation with Sasha, and I am very hopeful that we can continue to keep in contact with her.

Thirdly, I want to tell you about Jessica. Megan and I met her on the science campus while we were talking to her friends. At first, there were three students talking with us, but as more of their friends began joining them, it quickly got chaotic and a bit out of hand. They were no longer really focusing on the conversation or responding seriously. I started to get frustrated and tried to think of ways to get out of the conversation gracefully. Jessica had just arrived, and she started hurling very pointed, almost aggressive, questions at me about my belief in God. She seemed very hostile and accusatory, and I began to feel uncomfortable. I prayed as I talked, hoping not to aggravate the hurt I could feel behind her anger, and tried to respond honestly and respectfully. As we were talking, her friends got up to leave and Megan said goodbye. Instead of leaving, Jessica sat down and kept talking with us. Little by little, she became more open, more calm, and more at ease with us. I could almost feel her relaxing as the edge came out of her voice and questions. Eventually, she shared with us that she used to believe, but that a family member she was very close to died in a tragic accident even though she had prayed for them. She felt betrayed by God, and could no longer believe that a good, Sovereign, all-powerful God existed. She still believes in spirits, ghosts, and (weirdly) the devil, but thinks that all spiritual forces (good or evil) are the ghosts of people who live on. Thus Jesus, though a good man (and now a good spirit), could not help her when she prayed, because his power is limited. She was very open and listened carefully as Megan was able to share her own testimony of how she came to faith, and we both talked about periods of doubt in our faith journeys. By the end of the conversation, she and Megan exchanged phone numbers and she told us she would love to meet up again to continue our conversation. I knew as she left that we had come to talk to that whole group and had that entire conversation just for Jessica. God knew exactly what He was doing in guiding us to her friends.

Finally, I want to tell you Isabelle's story. Kimberly and I met Isabelle on the business campus on Friday, where she and her friend Agate (pronounced ah gaht) were sitting outside the cafeteria on a picnic table. We approached them with the Soularium photo survey, and both girls were friendly and willing to talk with us. As we introduced ourselves, Isabelle told us she used to know someone who worked with Agape about 5 years ago. She shared that she is a Christian, but that she has been struggling because she doesn't feel like she can talk to her friends or her atheist/Buddhist family members about her faith for fear of being judged, poorly received, or rejected. Agate, though an atheist herself, shared with us about her devout Catholic grandmother, her faith as a child, and her subsequent rejection of God out of the anger she felt when her grandmother died. She told us she blamed God, and then came to believe that He couldn't be trusted, and maybe didn't even exist. Despite this hurt in her past, she was very willing to open up to us and share personal stories. Both girls were active participants in our discussion, asking questions, sharing their thoughts, and engaging in listening when either Kimberly or I was sharing. God gave Kim a beautiful opportunity to share her aunt's story, how she reached out to the Lord in her grief over her husband's death instead of turning from Him, and the peace she received in return. She used her aunt's story to transition to the Gospel and was able to share a lot of God's truth with both of the girls. It was a wonderful conversation, and as we were leaving we thanked both of them for their time. Both girls responded by fervently expressing their gratitude to us as well, and seemed very touched by the things we shared. I didn't truly realize the impact of what God was doing through us until later that evening when I texted them to confirm that they had my phone number. Isabelle responded to my message by saying that she also really appreciated our discussion, and then added this post script: "By the way, I have to tell you something I find incredible - as a great "coincidence," yesterday I was praying [to] God and told Him that I really wanted to change my life in a good way, to focus on my present and my near future, to live fully. And [with] all my heart, I prayed that if following Him is the best for me, I asked Him to show me a sign of His presence in the week to come, in the next few days, and even the day after (but I thought, no, tomorrow is too quick. I can't just ask something and expect to be satisfied tomorrow...But He did.) Not only it was a pleasure to meet the both of you, but for me, it is God's answer as well. Have a nice evening!" I sat in my bed reading this message, and couldn't help myself from starting to cry. Although in many ways I am aware that God is using us on campus and speaking to people through us, it was a bit of a shock and a beautiful reminder to hear someone say so clearly that we were an answer to her prayer.

This week, God answered our prayers in amazing ways, He answered your prayers as you lifted us and our ministry up to Him, and He answered Isabelle's prayer for a sign of His presence. He is so faithful to answer us and to meet all of our needs! As I finish this first week on campus, I am tired but very encouraged and completely at peace. I know God is with us, and I know He is going to continue to work miracles, to answer prayers, and to do amazing things this next year. Thank you for praying and holding out hope with me; please continue to pray for us, for our new contacts, and for young Christians like Isabelle looking for community and reminders of God's presence in their lives.

A la prochaine! / Until next time!

Miracles

Our God is in the business of miracles, isn't He? How else can we explain the "heroes" of the Bible like David (the adulterer), Moses (the doubter), Samson (manipulated by a prostitute), Peter (famous for putting his foot in his mouth), and so many others? Moreover, how can we explain why God - who needs NOTHING and NO ONE - chooses to use us to accomplish His plans and bring about His Kingdom? It's one of the most beautiful mysteries of the Christian life - that our perfect God works miracles of transformation in the hearts, minds, and lives of the people He calls to be His children. When I think of miracles, and of the craziest dreams I hope to see come true in France, I think of sweeping transformation. I think of revival and new life filling up quiet museums of churches, of French people embracing the rich faith tradition woven throughout their history and coming back to Jesus Christ. My dreams for revival in France can be completely summed up by the lyrics of Page CXVI's song "Wash Me Clean." In particular...


In those days
His Son will save
His Spirit will pour
on all who call on the Lord

In those days
His Son will save
His Spirit will fill
Empty jars of mud and clay

To me, these verses speak of a future hope, of a time where God will fill His children with the power of His Spirit though we are only humble vessels. They speak of people turning back to the Lord, crying out to Him, and calling on Him to save them. As touching and meaningful as these verses are, it's really the next one that moves me to tears.

In these days
Barren field will sprout trees
The deaf and blind will hear and see
The dead will raise and begin to breathe

To me, this verse brings my dreams into the present - it is in THESE days that God will bring revival, rebirth, and sweeping change to France. Places that were formerly deserted and lifeless will be full of new growth - God will bring the seeds planted by many generations of faithful people to fruition. People that were formerly deaf to the truth of the Gospel and blind to God's presence in this world and their lives will finally experience Him and understand He is real. People who were spiritually dead in their sins will come back to life through the saving grace and sacrifice of Jesus! Nothing is more beautiful to me than this image of a France radically transformed by the love and Gospel of Christ, and this vision is one of the forces helping me to keep persevering in hope for the salvation of my French friends.
Thank you so much for your prayers - in our first week on campus God has already done many miracles, and we have felt Him intervening in powerful ways to direct our conversations and give us opportunities to love people and share truth with them. A more detailed update on our first week on campus (as well as our first Agape group meeting) will hopefully be coming soon! I love you all and am so grateful for your support. Thanks for hoping and praying for miracles alongside me!