Finding Our Value

I feel so much better about myself when I feel useful, when I can point to tangible, concrete things in my day and say, “I accomplished that.” Whether its going into work, filling the car with gas, or changing a light bulb, I feel better about myself when I get things done. It’s good to get things done, but without immediate and definite results for my actions I start to feel miserable. I get this sort of “wasted day” feeling, and I feel like I have to go through my day and find the stuff I did to prove that I was somehow productive or useful that day. I’m not really sure who I’m trying to prove it to. Am I trying to prove it to myself, to other people, to God? I don’t want to feel like a useless human being, and I don’t want other people to see me that way, and I want to be able to justify my existence before God and say, “Here’s why I’m a good person. Look at all this stuff I’ve gotten done.” I want to be valuable.

Erin and I are having a hard time with this desire to feel valuable at the moment. We’ve left our jobs, our involvements, and many of the things that gave us value in order to raise support full-time until we get to France. At first leaving everything felt freeing, “won’t it be great to make our own schedules,” we said to each other. But it was amazing how quickly the freedom to make our own schedules became the guilt of not being able to tally up our accomplishments. Where’s our value when we can’t quantify and evaluate what we are doing? It’s a struggle, a daily struggle.

But this is where the Gospel becomes Good News to me. 1 Timothy 1:9 says, 

“God has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time….” 

I want to create my own value, but the Gospel says God gives me value. While I’m trying to defend my value before God, He is trying to show me my value to Him. The value I have is the value He gives, not the value I think I can earn. We are worth the infinite value of His Son, because that is the price He has chosen to pay for us. No matter how useful I feel or how many accomplishments I can tally, the final say on what I’m worth comes from God, and the Gospel says it’s more than I could ever fathom. 

What happened at Boot Camp

Last Monday night, after 7-hours cruising in the faithful Honda, we arrived at the Comfort Inn in Harrisburg, PA. What were we doing in Harrisburg you ask? Well, we had the privilege of going to an intense 2-day training called Boot Camp. It is for Christian workers from dozens of different organizations, denominations & associations, who, despite those smaller differences, share many awesome things in common, including the very practical need to raise their own financial support in order to do God’s work. And that is precisely what Boot Camp was all about, how to develop partners who will send all these workers into the harvest fields. 

Here is a photo to prove we were there.

Can you find us?

The best part for me about Boot Camp was really examining God’s Word in all the instances it talks about ministry and how God’s workers are to be provided for. 

I was so encouraged to spend so much time in God’s word, to really soak in it. It strengthened my understanding of why we develop Partners, because our Partners are going to hold the ropes for us, literally not figuratively. They are going to be our dearest friends, the people who invest in us and the people we invest in, here in the U.S. 

But also, and this was a newer concept for me, we are doing a great service to our Partners by providing an opportunity for them to give and grow in generosity and cheer. God loves generosity and somehow, I don’t fully understand it, but somehow by opening our wallets it also opens our hearts more fully to God’s purposes and also to God’s blessings. Jesus rewards our sacrifices. Like He explained in Matthew 19:29, after the rich man went away sad after Christ told him to sell all that he had and give to the poor, Jesus explained to the disciples that...

“everyone who has left houses, or brothers or sisters, or father or mother, or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” 

I am so joyful that our Partners are not just providing for and blessing us, but God is doing the same for them.

Another of the passages I really like is Proverbs 11:24–35 

“One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”

We learned a lot more at Boot Camp, but today I just wanted to express how awesome God’s Word is. It really is the bread of life. Now, I think I will go make a sandwich for Ryan and I so we can be nourished by that as well. 

So busy, so blessed

The past few months have been a blur. Honestly, upon reflection, we have probably been way too busy at times. But it is hard not to be with so many good things going on, especially now, as we begin to pack up boxes and get ready for the first big move, this one back to Ohio (not that we’ve actually started that yet, ha). There is so much we are transitioning out of and so many people we are saying goodbye to. Not goodbye goodbye, but goodbye to seeing them everyday or on a weekly basis.

Our time here in Mass has truly been so busy and so blessed.

We have worked hard at growing as followers of Jesus and as a married couple. Ryan has received two graduate school degrees, we have worked hard at our jobs, and poured into our church, and learned so much from all three; school, jobs, and the body of Christ. 

We have learned how to love each other better. We have learned how to make friends, how to serve and how to be served. We went from having no friends here to being surrounded by great ones, many who now feel like family. Through the modeling of awesome people, we have learned how to ask better questions, and really care about the answers. We have learned how to cook better, somehow, and to open up our humble home. Lately, we have only been eating at home once or twice a week though, because amazing people have us over to feed us, and love us, often even when they know we are about to ask them for money. It’s truly awesome and humbling. 

We have seen God provide for us physically, spiritually, monetarily, and relationally time and time and time again. We have known times of plenty and times of want, but even when we had want, we actually still had plenty. We have walked through a church division and seen how God’s will for His church bursts forth from the ashes like a phoenix, sometimes slowly as He restores the brokenness, but His love and His plans prevail, but even in that, it is up to us to allow Him to use us for His purposes.

We have seen God’s confirmation that He is leading us to start new communities of believers in France. We saw it in Ryan’s first week at Seminary, when a famous African Pastor spoke with clarity and conviction that their vision matched our own, to plant new churches in every major city in Europe. We saw it when we raised over $10,000 in 3 months, to go to France for 7 weeks and see first hand what church planting in Paris looked like, and again when my job allowed me to take the full 8 weeks off to go. We saw more confirmation still when we applied and were accepted to join World Team (after a rigorous screening process called RACE) and then a couple months later when we were invited to join the team in France. We continue to see it, with each and every new Partner that joins our team along the way. 

So I guess what I am getting at is, dang, we are blessed. As we look forward to the next step of moving to Ohio there is excitement, and honestly some relief that we won’t be quite as busy, but the Lord has truly done so much and grown us so much during this season, so there is much sadness too. I hope that our friends in Mass know how thankful we are for them. They have made these 5 years some of the best of our lives so far. 

Pray for the first Gospel Café

As you know, Ryan and I are still in the U.S. and actually are quite busy with preparations because next month (literally 1 month from today) we are moving back to Ohio. We will be there until God provides all the financial and prayer partners we need before we can go to France. 

One of the encouraging blessings during this time, though, is when we get to connect with our leaders and teammates in France and hear about the work that is happening there, and lately there has been a lot going on. I wanted to share about one new ministry starting this week in Versailles and ask for your prayer as our friends and teammates begin this new work. 

It is called Gospel Café. The basic concept is quite simple, once a month there will be a Gospel concert, put on by a couple of our teammates with the help of some great musicians (side note: Gospel music is actually quite popular in France and brings many people together, Christians and non-Christians alike). These events will be a great way to meet new people and gather with existing friends. There have already been many answers to prayer in this new venture, the biggest one being just a couple weeks ago when the leaders found the perfect Café, literally across the street from the Palace of Versailles, that is excited about hosting the events and is doing so for free. This was after our teammates visited dozens of other Café's and were initially even rejected by this one, but God proved faithful and gave them favor in the eyes of the Café owners.

The first Gospel Café is this Thursday, October 18th. Please pray with us that it will be a great success and a great way to meet new people that can hear and learn more about Christ's love for them and to also meet existing Christians who are searching for a community to plug into. 

Yard Sale: Next Friday & Saturday

Get excited because Ryan and I are selling a lot of our stuff August 24 & 25, next Friday and Saturday, from 8am–1pm (and you know how great our taste in stuff is right?). But in all seriousness, we need to do some purging before we go to Ohio and definitely before heading to France, so in a way, by buying some of our things, you are helping us get one step closer. So if you are local, come on over to the church parsonage yard (italicizing "yard" to emphasize the Boston accent) next Friday and Saturday!

In Christ's perfect timing

We shared this in our July newsletter but I thought it made sense to share it on the blog as well so here goes. Through much thought, prayer, and discussion we have decided to transition back to Ohio in mid-November to complete the rest of our partnership development for France there. We see this as the logical next step for several reasons, a couple reasons being:

• We want to have time to say goodbye to family and friends in Ohio.
• We have numerous opportunities available to us for partnership development in Ohio as well because we have more years invested in relationships there.

It is going to be very sad to say goodbye to so many people who have become dear to us over the course of time that we have been in Massachusetts. Our entire marriage has taken place here and we have grown so much, through Ryan’s two degrees, my work at the Harvard School of Public Health, our involvement at church, and the amazing friendships we’ve made, it feels strange to wrap up what has been an amazing season of our lives. But we are confident that this is the Lord’s leading and that it is the next step on our way to serving Him in France. The first stop before France just happens to be Ohio. So with this news, our timeline of getting to France has adjusted slightly and this is the new plan. 

Our hope is to arrive in France by August 2013. Once there, our first year will be devoted to language learning and immersing ourselves in the culture, and then we will take part in an internship with an established French church. With the guidance of World Team leaders in France, we will research locations and begin working with a team to establish a new community of believers. In this new church community, we will disciple and train French nationals to be leaders themselves with the goal that the church we plant will multiply itself in years to come under the initiative of French Christians. This will happen as we share the Gospel, build relationships, and demonstrate the love of Christ in our community. It is our prayer that the Holy Spirit will work through our efforts to yield a vibrant body of believers grounded in the truth of Scripture.

And we can’t wait to get started!

A thought on the Olympics

I really enjoy watching the Olympics, and I love the excitement of the opening ceremonies. The host country always puts on an elaborate show followed by all the athletes marching in dressed in styles and costumes that represent their countries. It’s such an amazing spectacle. But it struck me as I watched the opening ceremony this year that this is just the smallest taste of what Heaven will be like. People from all over the world gathered together in excitement and celebration, diverse but united at the same time. We won’t be celebrating sports, but Jesus our Lord who gave his life for every single one of us.

I like thinking about it.

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, 
who sits on the throne, 
and to the Lamb’” — Revelation 7:9-10

Vacation Bible School

Recently I had the privilege to share about our ministry with a Vacation Bible School at one of our partnering churches. I got to tell them about how God calls all of us to be a part of his mission, and that He wants people everywhere to know Him. It was fun and the kids had a bunch of questions about what it means to be a missionary and about France. My favorite question though was, “What’s the deal with mimes?” If you’re wondering that now, I don’t have an answer, but I do have some pictures from the time.

June 2012: What, when and where

As you may have noticed, we didn’t have any blog posts in June or so far in July. This wasn’t intentional, we have been so busy we’ve only had time to think or daydream about blog posts rather than actually bring them into reality. But, a lot of great things have happened that I thought I would share. 

• Memorial Day Weekend: We enjoyed a visit with our friends, the Wailes, who came to Marblehead.
• June 1st: We met with our World Team coach Becky, who gave us encouragement and direction for the month.
• June 2nd: Our dear friends hosted the first ever French Night for us in Marblehead, MA and it went great.
• June 4th: Our small group began studying the book of Matthew.
• June 7th: I attended our church’s bi-weekly Pastoral Search Committee meeting as we continue to seek the next leader God has for Grace Community Church in Marblehead, MA.
• June 14–25th: We went to Ohio and had the privilege of sharing our vision for France with 2 church pastors and 10 individual families.
• June 17th: We spent the weekend with my parents and had a fun Fathers day at the Cincinnati Zoo.
• June 18th: The second French Night was hosted in Springfield, OH!
• June 19–22nd: Ryan got a fever and lost his voice for 3 days (sad).
• June 23rd: We attended a Bennett family cookout and had a great visit with some of Ryan’s immediate and extended family.
• June 26th: I caught the cold Ryan had and fought it for a while.
• June 29th: We made the last payment EVER for our college debt, we are now completely debt free!
• July 4th: We spent the birthday of America with our great friends, the Albertsons, in East Boston. We had to dodge a few of God’s fireworks (lightning) but it was a great time. 

Our zoo fun! 

French Night in Springfield, Ohio

It has been such a great summer, filled with many visits with our families and dear dear friends. 

Misconception: We’re going to be living the high life

I really like the idea of having a Monthly Misconception spotlight because frequently a lot of people will express and have similar questions and concerns. It is important when people are honest and bring these questions and concerns to light. It’s a great opportunity to thoughtfully and prayerfully correct false assumptions, whether those false assumptions are other peoples or our own. I am confident that others have similar questions or concerns and either don’t want to ask or don’t have the chance to ask us personally, so my hope is that this monthly spotlight will answer some questions and encourage people to come to us with others. So let’s do this. 

Love that this photo is complicated AND similar to the layout of Paris

First Misconception: We’re going to be living the high life in France

A lot of people look through our finance post or the finance page in our ministry overview and they kind of gasp or sometimes laugh out loud. We need to raise close to $8,000 in ongoing monthly support in order to live in France and start new communities of believers there. Instantly, a lot of people multiply this figure by 12 and think… these kids are going to be living on $96,000 a year, that’s close to -or- more than what I make. We understand the shock, we experienced a similar reaction when first seeing these figures. But what we learned, and what you need to realize, is that it's not that simple. 

Out of the $8,000 we need to raise each month, Ryan and I will actually be living on around 3,250 euro per month (similar to what we live on in dollars now actually). And considering we are hoping to be living in Paris, probably in a modest two bedroom apartment, rent could realistically be around 1,500–2,000 euro per month. Some of you may be concerned about this now, how will we live on this in one of the most expensive cities in the world? The answer is simple, we will aim to live simply and responsibly. 

The other question you may be wondering now is, what happens to the rest of the money? Well, a lot actually. 

• First a small chunk is set aside for the currency conversion from dollars to euros (this is changing almost daily and a complicated matter in itself, we'll just leave it at that for now) 
• A substantial chunk goes to cover our health insurance (both in the U.S. and in France so we’re covered both places) 
• A small chunk is put into a separate account for our retirement someday (I'm very thankful World Team requires us to do this)  
• Another small chunk is set aside for ministry expenses above and beyond our basic living expenses (this helps us better serve the French whether we’re hosting them in our home, purchasing bibles or other resources for them, etc)
• And lastly another chunk (14.5%) goes back to World Team, our sending organization, so they can continue to support and train missionaries like us

So that is pretty much it. If you still have questions, both Ryan and I are happy to talk about it more. We want to be as open and humble as possible with you about our finances and continually express our thankfulness for the many financial partners we have. Ryan wrote a series a while ago about why we raise financial support and why we believe it's a biblical thing to do, I won’t re-hash that but you are welcome to check that out if you haven't yet.  

Why France? Why Paris?

We’ve written before about why we feel lead to do church-planting in Paris, France but we’re asked these questions often. Sometimes we’re asked in a sincere and interested way and sometimes we’re asked in a “do you really expect me to believe that France needs missionaries” sort of way. However we’re asked though, I want to try to sum up our answer as succinctly as possible. It comes down to four things:

“All nations” — Need — Strategy — Call

1. All Nations: Jesus said to make disciples of all nations. Frankly, that’s enough for me, but this means that every group of people is a field in which to sow the Gospel. Every single one. No nation is exempt, no matter how wealthy or poor or democratized or whatever. Jesus said all nations, and France is a nation. Therefore, France needs people going there and making disciples.

2. Need: There are different kinds of need. There are physical needs like poverty, malnutrition, lack of education, and the list goes on. These things are serious, and God’s people must address them. However, there is also spiritual need. God told Jonah that the enormous cosmopolitan city of Nineveh was full of people who didn’t know their right hand from their left, meaning they were spiritually blind. They needed someone to help them see the truth. Spiritual need can only be addressed by God’s people. In fact, I would argue that if you wanted to do something about the physical needs of the world, then there needs to be multiplying communities of people following Jesus to have a greater impact on addressing those needs. Don’t think that I’m saying that addressing the often staggering amount of physical suffering in the world is something that followers of Jesus can put off for the time being, but what I am saying is that we’ll have a much greater impact if we see physical need and spiritual need as two sides of the same coin. France has staggering spiritual need.

3. Strategy: I’ve been general thus far, but now more specifically let’s talk about Paris. Historically, economically, politically, any way you want to slice it, Paris is one of the most important cities in Western Europe and the world for that matter. Paris is to France what Washington D.C., New York, and L.A. are to America. It has the politicians, the business people, the thinkers, the creative people, and more. When Paul planted churches he went to all the major cities of the ancient world; Ephesus, Corinth, Rome, because he knew that if you can start a movement of people following Jesus in a major city, then it will have the greatest impact on the area around it. Influence often works from the top down. If Paris had thriving and multiplying churches, then the impact on France as a whole would be enormous. Paris is extremely strategic. 

4. Call: Interwoven through all of this is our personal call. God has worked in us in such a way that over the past six or more years He has given us a heart for the country of France and its people. We feel personally burdened by this people’s darkness, and we want to get involved. God has brought this about through varied and different ways, but we feel more convinced than ever that this is where he is calling us. Call can be hard to define, but you know it when you feel it. We’ve felt it for a while, and we are attempting to do our best to follow God’s call.

The blood of the martyrs

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church,” said church father Tertullian. He wrote this in the second century when Christians were often experiencing serious persecution for their faith. However, instead of stamping out the faith, persecution often multiplied it. This is the unfathomable, paradoxical plan of God at work. I’ve been reading a book about the history of Paris, and while I’ve never really thought about it in light of Tertullian’s quote, if his quote is true France is in for churches sprouting up all over the place. 

Let me explain. Systematic persecution of Protestant Christians began in the late 1500’s with estimates of up to 30,000 being killed for their faith in the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572. But it wasn’t just Protestants that suffered. During the French Revolution all things Christian were targeted for extermination. Church lands were confiscated and Catholic priests were forced to leave the priesthood, flee the country or be put to death. It’s hard to know how many lost their lives for faith in Christ between these few centuries.  

So, if Tertullian’s statement is to hold true, we should one day see a flourishing of churches in France. But it hasn’t happened just yet. Maybe the seed was buried deep by the Revolution. Or maybe the stony ground produced by the Enlightenment hasn’t completely broken up yet. But whatever the reason the church has been slow in sprouting, God isn’t done with France. 

Please join with us in praying that God would honor the sacrifice of those French martyrs who would rather die than deny Christ, and that from their faithful witness churches would sprout. 

New friends and trail blazers

This past weekend our church had some missionaries that we partner with visiting with us. Joe and Karen have been in Chambéry, France for 27 years. Ryan and I are 28 years old, so they have been in France almost as long as we have been alive… pretty wild isn’t it. 

A map of France with Chambéry highlighted

In their time in France they have been a part of planting a church, doing University work (which is Joe’s main focus), volunteering at a Christian publishing organization to widely distribute vital resources and teaching tools throughout France and French-speaking African countries (Karen’s main focus), and for decades have been organizing and running summer camps for missionary kids. 

We had a great time picking their brains and listening to stories about their many adventures. I am beginning to see a trend, which is that people who are in full-time ministry often seem to stay young at heart (especially if they do work with youth) and they all have countless stories to share. It may be a road less traveled, but it seems to be anything but boring. Please pray for Joe and Karen as they visit with family and their [existing and potential] ministry partners for the next few weeks.

Their organization CrossWorld has some great videos and I wanted to share one with you today. From Where You Stand: The Odds Are from Crossworld on Vimeo.

Hold on to your hats

The financial support raising process is often like a rollercoaster. You experience dizzying highs followed by sharp unexpected lows. You get tossed side to side by quick turns and get thrown for more than a few loops where everything is upside down for a little while. For some people I’ve just described the ultimate thrill. For me it’s more about holding on as tight as I can and reminding myself that everything is going to be okay (I have a checkered history with rollercoasters in case you couldn’t tell). But I feel like my relationship with God throughout this process is pretty close to what I described: Highs, lows, twists, and turns, all of which come in rapid succession. 

It's at this point that I often take consolation in the story of Israel wandering in the desert between Egypt and the Promised Land. They experience God doing amazing, awe-inspiring things like parting the Red Sea and supernaturally providing them with food. But it often seems like almost instantly they look around themselves seeing the sand, mountains, and sparse vegetation of the desert, and they forget that God is leading them through. They would rather go back to the slavery that they knew in Egypt then face the uncertainty of God leading them in the desert.

I’m often like that. I wish that I wasn’t. But when I’m honest with myself I know that the present circumstances of my situation have far more influence on me than they should. A little bump here or a quick drop there and I can start to unravel; I hold on tighter and start to wish that I wasn’t on this ride. But like I said, this is where the story of Israel in the desert gives me comfort. When Moses is giving his final speech before the Israelites enter into the Promised Land, he reminds them of God’s presence with them throughout their entire journey as they are about to have to drive out the current inhabitants of Canaan. Moses says, 

“Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place” — Deuteronomy 1:29-30 

Throughout the ups and downs God continues to carry me as a father carries his son. I need that.

How Great Thou Art

I don't have a lot of words today, but I feel like this wonderful hymn was with me when I woke up and it continues to stay with me throughout the day. I thought about posting one of the more polished videos, but I think this one expresses the reality that me and everyone singing in it cling to. It is powerful, especially today.


How great you are, my king.

Holy Week 2012

Ryan and I are taking a mini break from our normal routine of developing partners for France this week. It is good to take a break from time to time anyway, but even more so this week, as we observe and reflect on the final days of Jesus’ life, leading up to his crucifixion, and then celebrate His resurrection. 

Pastor Gary (from our home church Grace Community) gave a detailed reading plan for the week leading up to Friday. I am simplifying it here, but I thought it was worth sharing. Each of the four Gospel books cover the story in depth, and I am excited to follow the same parts of the story in all four books each day.

We’ve Reached a Milestone

We have accomplished the first big goal we set for our support raising process! God has been graciously providing these past few weeks, and we’ve reached 30% (actually 33%) of our total support goal. We are a third of the way there! It’s exciting to see progress as we move towards our ultimate goal of church-planting in France. Thank you to everyone who has prayed and committed to give. This ministry is possible only through your partnership.

We celebrated with ice cream (Jenis salty caramel, yum)

Please pray with us that we would reach our next big milestone of 50% by June.

Our Call to France: Looking Back

We have been on this journey to France for a while. Really, it has been 5 years since God first planted the seed in our hearts to go to France and begin new communities of believers. So, on the journey there have been times when God’s leading is crystal clear and other times of less clarity and more “walking in faith.” January and February were more “walking in faith” months because progress felt stalled. One such night last month, I was reading an old journal when I stumbled upon an entry I thought was share-worthy. I wrote it in May of 2006, a few months into dating Ryan and long before we had discussed going into missions and certainly before the idea of France became a regular discussion. I will jump right in. Earlier that night, I had seen a movie that was set in Paris:

“Sometimes I have real glimpses of God, typically it is in nature, but tonight I had a similar experience with this movie. I felt homesick, but homesick for the city of Paris. I don’t understand it at all, but I feel like God has given me a strange connection to that city. And tonight while watching the movie, I felt like I was there or supposed to be there.”

I was so encouraged and re-energized by this reminder, that God has been preparing both of us for this even longer than I realized. He is and will continue to be in complete control.

RACE Week

It is hard to believe, but it was one year ago this week when Ryan and I were at World Team’s sending office being evaluated as missionary candidates. It was an intense week, but also very worthwhile. We were given tests that surveyed our personalities, gifts and knowledge, and then… as a team of candidates, we were assigned hypothetical tasks and challenges that we had to work together to solve (all while a team of assessors observed us and jotted notes about our strengths and weaknesses). Also, throughout the week, we learned more about the World Team and what it would mean and look like for them to be our sending agency. At the end of the week, we had personal interviews and then an interview as a couple, during which, they reported back on all that they had observed, gave recommendations for our growth, and invited us to join World Team (to our delight). We accepted and, in the following few months, were invited to join the team in France.  

This week, another round of brave candidates are going through the same intentional process, and I just wanted to say (in case any of you are reading) that our prayers our with you, and we hope that the week is revealing, as you learn more about yourselves and God’s mission, and as your next steps in that mission become more clear. 

The city

“In cities, you have more Image of God per square inch than anywhere else in the world.” — Tim Keller

Paris is a city like no other. It has a rich history with artists, thinkers, and revolutions. Its architecture, monuments, and museums are full of charm and beauty.  Its cafes and bakeries are truly unique. In other words, it’s a great place to visit. But one of the main reasons to go to Paris to plant churches is because it has people, lots of people. The greater metropolitan area of Paris has over 12 million people. When you consider that people who consider themselves followers of Jesus make up around 1% of the overall population of France, it means that there are over 11.8 million people in Paris who do not have a saving relationship with God. 

Please join with us in praying that God would move mightily in the city of Paris, because “should He not have concern on that great city” (Jonah 4:11).

Visiting First Baptist Church of Rockport

We recently had the extreme pleasure of being able to share about our ministry and spend time with the First Baptist Church of Rockport, MA. It is so encouraging to be with people who are passionate about Jesus Christ and who long for people everywhere to come into a relationship with Him. It makes sharing our ministry a privilege and a delight. As we press on to serve the Lord in France, Paul’s words to the Philippians seem the best to describe a church like this: 

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:3-6). 

We are honored to have partners like these.