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!
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