Je rends grâces pour PARIS

I have come to realise that the 1st week I spent in Paris was one of the best weeks of my life.

Not because I really loved, or even liked the city itself
- I honestly think that Sydney's version is wider, cleaner (excepting Chinatown) & prettier.

Yet from Sat. 27/06 to Sat. 04/07, I had such a great week.

A great week because it was full of challenging experiences that pushed myself & my team towards entrusting all we did to our heavenly Father.

A great week because it was a privilege to see God actively at work in our weak & feeble attempts to offer the good news of our risen Saviour & LORD Jesus.

A great week because unlike so many others in the past 15 months, I barely ever cried for sorrow - it was so distant from me, for the first time in a long time.

A great week because I learned that in spite of my many faults & failings, God was pleased to make me useful for the sake of His Name in a foreign-language & cross-cultural context.
..Feels like I'm somewhere on the might-you-become-missionary spectrum between the Wait and the Yes extreme (as opposed to being between the Wait and the No extreme, or merely sitting on Wait).

Therefore I thank God that I could go to Paris.
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And for my team - je rends grâces pour mon équipe:

Asher* (GBR)
..whose testimony of coming to Christ later but giving himself up for the truth much earlier fuelled his trailblazing, yet respectful, attitude to walk-ups..

Avi* (DRC)
..who brought us mirth and laughter even as he made us the targets of his antics..

Dovi* (FRA) & Jonah* (NED)
..who sang & played, persevered in difficult walk-ups & prayed, showed spirit & were staid; I will not forget the kindness of Jonah when he unwittingly took my place in a tricky situation in one of our evening activities, thus providing me with a much-needed escape route!!

Jonty* (AUS)
..who was so classically like my Australian brothers that I was never, ever homesick - & moreover proved himself loyal in helping lug my baggage not just to the station, but the airport too - such a great help..like his eldest brother whom I knew well during my EU days!!

Kade* ## (GBR)
..who led us with gentleness, wisdom, humility, patience & forbearance - and all in French less advanced than mine..

Matthew* (POL)
..whose willingness to proclaim Christ strongly overrode his struggles to communicate it in not his 2nd, but his 3rd language..

Claudia* ## (FRA)
..who cared & prayed more than many of the others, who showed so acutely the heartfelt love of Christ, & whose fellowship, along with Jonty's, I continued to enjoy even after our mission week was over..

Esther*(SWI), Hannah*(FRA), Nadia*(MAD) & Sophie*(GUA)
..who plodded on in outreach even when the going felt tough..

Liat* (GBR)
..a shepherdess after my own heart, who was passionate about helping find lost sheep..

Mia* ## (KOR/FRA)
..open, considerate, courageous & bold in approaching so many students throughout the week..

Miriam* (FRA)
..who, just like Matthew, & just as tender in years, flung herself with dogged determination out on the evangelism limb, seeking to know so much earlier in life than me what God might do with her skills & talents..

.. ..I am so thankful & blessed to have known them & worked alongside them in taking la bonne nouvelle de Christ to the students of Paris.

So thankful.

So blessed.
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But Paris is behind me now - I left with regret this morning. If God wills it, I'd love to be back doing more outreach soon.

I am now in London with the Lu ladies, Jenn & B'lu. Walked down the river from Big Ben until Tower Bridge, then crossed over & walked other way. Cleaner than Paris, more like Sydney - but if God made it clear He wanted me not in beautiful Sydney or prettyish London but in slightly more overrated Paris, of course I would go..

..Wouldn't I..?

Haven't had real time to be still & reflect about it all yet. Hope to, very soon.

Love to all,

L/T.