As noted in the March prayer letter, we recently did a life-questions campaign for the French website questions2vie.com.  During the two weeks, we interviewed students on several campuses, and this video depicts the most faith-filled responses.  We showed the video at a short-film outreach.  (I am planning to make another video this summer based on only one question: What would you ask God if you could ask him anything?..most people said "nothing..because he doesn't exist".. but I didn't put those clips in this version!)

The video is in French with no subtitles.  Sorry!  You might actually like it that way. Normally I add subtitles to the stuff I post on this site, but frankly, I can't translate all of this.  Plus, you can experience life for five minutes the way we experienced it for the first five months.  ;-)  You'll catch a few words, French mannerisms, and the jist.

Watch the video now, and if you're still confused, then read this.. it's a quick synopsis:

"We posed several questions to the students in Rennes..."

Q1: What is the value that you would like to transmit (pass on) to the next generation?

humility (the first guy), hope (the girl on bench) because when she plays with her little brother, she sees how he views the world and he needs hope, (african guy dark glasses) exchange of ideas and respect, (african guy) being understanding/tolorant

Q2: What- in nature or science- baffles or astonishes you the most?

new technology.. ten years ago..phone rings.. speaking of iphones!, (girl) all things huge and small.. the cell.. inside of a cell.. things we have never seen

Q3: What are the most important needs of human beings/mankind?

peace, generosity, love.. to feel love and love others.., oh, I was going to talk about basic needs!, love..humility..respect..honestly, I think humans were made each with their own conscience but you cannot control the conscience of others.

Q4: What is the freedom/liberty that everyone must have?

freedom to study, freedom to learn and be students.. but here people call themselves students but in fact they are party-ers!, the liberty to believe what one wants (girl), freedom of expression

Q5: What would you like others to say about you when you are no longer here?

Merci.. thank you.  I had a friend who died suddenly, and I wish I could tell him how much I appreciated his life.

Q6: If God exists, what question would you like to ask Him?

You exist?! (girl) .. Why, why,why?  You know, this is the eternal question of mankind (guy).  (girl with glasses) If God created all the animals and nature, why did he create such a dangerous animal as humans who could destroy everything that he created?  Why so much injustice and inequality ? (african guy)  Is there another universe like ours somewhere?  What so much indifference? Does God have a creator? Does heaven/paradise exist?  I would like to know if heaven is cool? Why did he create a world that's so messed up? Is our existence predestined (girl)? (guy in hat) I understand.. I don't believe in God, but I understand why people do.. people need to believe in something.

... and your thoughts/opinion??  (that's what the text in the video said.. but you can leave a comment here as well with your thoughts!)

It is no secret to anyone we have spoken to lately that our most obvious challenge in France is the language. When we arrived, Tara had studied French in the U.S. but had few chances to practice, and I (Trent) had studied Spanish, which is close but not close enough. Our prayers have been that God would give us the ability to quickly progress in language acquisition, and peace for the process. He has done both of these things to an extent that amazes me.

With the language skills comes the ability to create relationships at church and understand new things that the Lord wants to teach us. This Sunday the topic was on the battle of Jericho. It is a story I remember well from my childhood, so I was able to focus on what the pastor was saying (again, in French). What I understood as a child is that God can do amazing things against overwhelming situations. Perhaps it is my American cultural spin, but I always took that to mean that I should not give up in difficult situations. The point that the pastor made is that the success at Jericho was not a performance that God would repeat in following battles – he did something different each time. The fall of Jericho was a test of the Israelites obedience and a sign of the Lord's power. He could have taught the Iraelites the tactics and technology of siege warfare, as he gave instructions to Noah for building the Ark. But people would have marveled at the trebuchets and military discipline. A coordinated mob marching around a town in silence day after day would have been confusing and rediculous to onlookers and participants alike. And what do you know? God chose that as his plan. It got the attention of the new generation of Israelites, who had not been a part of the Exodus from Egypt, and showed the Caananites that there was a God who travelled with this wandering nation.

Now with any good message, the point is for the audience to reflect on their own lives and apply the lesson. This one seemed easy to me. Tara and I have made an exodus from the slavery of sin by Christ's salvation. We wandered the Midwest for a few years and saw undeniable signs of the Lord's provision. We were shown the land that we were to go and be a witness, and knew the challanges that would include. Now we have crossed a body of water and are facing our first big battle. We can see that God has the power and is faithful, but his methods have not always followed a pattern. I am no longer surprised when the Lord levels walls or calms seas, but I am always amazed. Rarely surprised, always amazed.

Sure, these photos are a bit bizarre.  Tara gave several haircuts at a conference in the beautiful town of Nerja, Spain.  Meanwhile, it snowed in Rennes, which apparently is rare.  Since the snow, we have enjoyed the yet-green grass sprinkled with remains of the largest and toughest snowmen.

A conversation today between me, my coworker, and a student couple:

Us: “If you could ask a Christian anything, what would you ask?”

Them: “Do you really believe in the Bible? Jesus? Why? Is there proof?”

(we continued with the questionnaire, learning more about them…)

Girl: “If people have families that educate them about a religion, then they will be religious. If not, then they won’t.”

Me: I shared a brief synopsis of my faith-rollercoaster when I was 18.

Guy: “Please tell us more.. What did you learn? What books did you read?”

Me: Surprised, I told them about my life: confusion, atheism, making my own slightly-Buddhist religion, and then my boyfriend who brought me to a church. I explained the Gospel in simple terms, and even how I was very skeptical of it. We conversed for a long time, and we told them how won-derful it was to talk to people with such honest questions.

Them: “I thought I knew what Christianity was, but I have never met people like you or heard a story like that.”

Just then, as we stood in a small kitchenette in the middle of a random wing of a random dorm on a huge campus, a familiar face walked in… it was B.  (I will call him B to respect his privacy.)  B was a student in our movement who, a year ago, started investigating the claims of Christ.  He seemed to be growing in faith and loving the Lord, and he had a plethora of questions about the Bible, which is quite normal.  At some point, his questions turned cynical, and then right before Christmas, he walked away from everything faith-related.  We were shocked.. and sad.

He and I had talked after Christmas, and it was a nice exchange.  My staff team had seen him on campus, and he came quickly toward us with a warm smile and some goofy comments.  So we are grateful to the Lord that he still remains friends with us, even though we don't see him often.  I pray for B quite regularly- he was a shiny gem in a dark place, and I still think there is hope!

So when he burst into this random kitchenette (I had no idea what building or floor he lived on) in the middle of our Gospel conversation, I couldn't help but see the Lord at work somehow.  I gasped and exclaimed his name while he basically did the same.  He bized me (a bisous is kinda like a hug-- it's the French air kisses on the left and right of one's face), bized Halle, made some small talk, grabbed some food, and left.  It was so random, but I think the Lord just wanted to connect us with him again.  And now I know there are three wonderful people I can talk with on this particular floor... three people who are open to God and the core message of Jesus Christ.  That's rare!

We continued to talk with the guy and girl.  She asked if it was more important to follow the rules of the church or to have a relationship with God.  They had lots of questions about heaven and hell. Then, the guy asked if really really bad people could go to heaven.  We told them about the criminal who was on the cross next to Jesus.  Yes, even he, through faith and recognizing Jesus as "Lord" was forgiven of all his sins.  At the end of the conversation, they thanked us.  The guy said, "I don't like it when people talk about a religion like it's absolute fact, but you are quite enjoyable to talk to."  I do hope to see them again!

This was my best day in France so far.  Praise God for "coincidences!"  I think I'll visit that kitchenette "bientot" soon.  :-)

(a recent devo Tara penned for the ladies at her home church)

I was at a loss as to what I should write about.  My first instinct was to be as relatable as possible.  I asked God, “Should I write my testimony.. how I came to faith in a small church at age 18 during my rebellious and boy-crazy season?... should I write about how you called me to France, God?  Should I write about how you brought me and Trent together?.. Should I write about my current comparison issues or my inferiority complex while learning French on a fluent team?”

The Lord shook his head to all of these things, and I was disappointed since I love to write about myself (and I already have many of these stories documented!  Haha..)

God offered clarity.  He’s caused me to stop and reflect over my nine years of walking with Him.  My faith began with a simple thought: if God exists, I desire to know Him.  After that, however, I went through many seasons of trying to find more: more depth in the Bible, more apologetics so I could debate/defend the faith, more analogies to describe grace, more training in how to witness, more eloquent speeches I could copy somehow, more, more, more.  And as I asked God, “Which is the most important theme to teach about?  Obedience, sacrifice, discipline, worship, persecution, love, evangelism, grace??”  He said very clearly, “the most important thing in your life is.. my presence.”

God’s presence.  So simple.  It was the first thing I learned.  It is the first thing the Bible talks about.  It is what the end-Revelation 22- talks about.  God’s presence IS eternal life.. the Bible says is quite clearly..

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3.  So clear, so simple, so overlooked.

As I find myself here in France on the ‘mission field’ of three college campuses, I have a hard time accepting that God’s presence is truly more important than fruit.  After all, there are people supporting us to be here, family at home wondering why we left, and God, of course, who called me here.  If I don’t see significant fruit this year, what does that mean?  At this thought, I am tempted to dive into more apologetics on how to reach atheists and put more pressure on our student leaders to perform in some way.

But Jesus spoke directly on this issue.  “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.’”  Matt 7:22.  This verse is so sharp and shocking, I would rather not see myself in it, but yet I feel conviction.  Clearly without a close walk with God and spending time His presence, all my efforts toward fruit are pointless.  So I should start there every day.  I have not outgrown my need for His presence, nor should I want to!

I can also be tempted to think that it is my job to enter His presence, to pursue Him.  And it is- it is a choice He gives me.  But every year especially around Christmas, I marvel at the fact that this relationship was HIS idea, not ours.  He came..

“For God so loved the world that he gave…” John 3:16.  The fact that we can be in His presence at all is based on Him.  It was He who decided, motivated by great love, to give.

On a personal note, every time I’ve been to France God draws me to this verse: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”Joshua 1:9.  There is something about this verse that makes me strong, especially in a foreign land where I don’t feel quite like myself.  God has moved me to be here, He commands me not to be discouraged (yes, I need that!), and most importantly, He is with me wherever I go.  He and I can conquer any fears, any insecurity, and even any language.  I imagine Him holding my hand throughout the day and even holding me up at times.  The Holy Spirit has given me words, even to groups of French girls staring at me, when I had no words of my own.  Wow.  Not everyone lives like this.  But they could…

He and I are a team.  And He, Trent, and I are “a cord of three strands that is not quickly broken.”  (sidenote… we are doing quite well here.  Our marriage is funny.. I can’t decide which year was harder- our first year of marriage or this first year in France.  I think the highs are higher and the lows are lower than ever.  But, our communication has reached new levels, and we are seeking God together more as well.  We have great community around us who do speak English, though all the married couples are much older, they are a massive blessing.  And we still have you guys!  Thank you for praying!)

The Lord is there.  He is there and he is fully-present.  He literally dwells within us through the Holy Spirit.  What is more important than that?  What Greek word or helpful analogy can trump His actual living presence?

I urge you right now to take a few minutes, close the computer, and just sit in God’s presence and commune with Him.  Getting to know Him better is the key to any problem.  It’s simple, He says, “fix your eyes on Jesus, the perfecter of faith” and.. “Be still, and know I am God!”

Though not everything in this video is ministry-related (most is), we are definitely praising God for our taste of France thus far!

P.S.  more  s l e e p q u o t e s  posted under 'about us'!