Our drive from Bardos went so smoothly that we were able to have a short visit in Tours. It is located in the heart of the Chateau Region, which is about two hours south of Paris.
Daniel and Jennifer have friends, Derek and Andrea, who live in a small town outside Tours called Fondette. They are missionaries with Church Resource Ministries and have lived here for 10 years.
I had the privelege of talking with Derek about he and Andrea's experience as church-planters in France. The vision they were given before they came was their work would be "groundbreaking". This is the perfect word-picture in that the labor is hard and the visible fruit yielded is little. Derek explained that both the French culture and intellect are barriers to them seeing their need for God. France is the birthplace of the Enlightenment, after all. They view Christianity as American and "simple".
The best gift of our visit was meeting Natalie, a recent convert (her term). She affirmed Derek's assessment of ministry among the French. She understands because she thought the same way not too long ago! She said if only they could know what she now knows, they would be converted, too. Her passion and joy (in an understated way) was so refreshing to hear. Both Natalie and Derek expressed hope for the future of the church in France. They belive a breakthrough is near.
Please pray for that breakthrough to happen. Please pray for Derek and Andrea. They will be visiting So Cal this summer to listen to what God has planned next for their lives of ministry. Their visit is to prepare them to return next summer. Please pray for Natalie, that her faith will continue to be strengthened and that her influence as a French believer will reach far beyond comprehension.
P.S. This is the FOURTH attempt at publishing this specific entry. I can't imagine what is going on!
2 comments:
Glad you finally got it posted! Interesting post, being that I just finished reading Chris Lewis' article on the French Revolution (intellectual and spiritual) with regards to church planting (published by Avant ministries). Will be praying for them as they encourage the church in their region.
you may want to write your posts in a word doc first and then publish if you have problems losing the posts.
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