Mission - accomplie?

This morning (Saturday/samedi) we had our wrap-up before the team members went separate ways.

Non-Christians (students & some others) we met throughout the week included:

Agnostics
- whose belief in the existence of God ranged from "probably" to "definitely", but didn't think it made a difference

Atheists
- some open (like the girl I met), some hostile or resistant

Contacts
- students who signed up to join Bible study groups on their local campuses - even though not Christian!!

Freebie-fans
- who took free gospels (ie. books of MT., MK., LK. or JN.), or free New Testaments with Psalms, or even sometimes complete Bibles to read!
Please would you pray that they'll read what they took, & that, AS they read, God's Spirit will change their hearts.

Muslims
- who were generally happy to discuss religion, though some tried to evangelise our team members themselves, & argued a lot for their own faith..

Others
- when our French team members spoke about people they'd met, there were many cases where I just did not understand what they were talking about at all!
Please pray with us that, wherever these people were up to in their thinking (since I personally had no idea), God might guide them into all truth through further contact with His Word & His people.

Seekers
- who really did want to know the truth!
Pray for their assurance of salvation, that they'll be led into the Kingdom.

The other Aussie on team (Jonty*) hopes to meet with one of these enthusiastic seekers, since they're both staying on in Paris for at least a month. Please pray for effective, God honouring meetings - this young Aussie brother has been finding living alone in Paris a tad difficult because it's a new experience for him (he's from a family of 7 children, never alone before)!

Please pray generally for everyone we met (as detailed above) who does not yet know Jesus as Lord & Saviour. For God's mercy, that they might not perish without responding to Him the way He deserves - through faith in Jesus, and Jesus alone!


MISSION - ACCOMPLISHED?
We came together in Paris for a week (semaine) of telling the good news (annonce de la bonne nouvelle) - about our Lord & Saviour Jesus.

Did we succeed?

By God's grace, it seems like we did.

Because each of us had opportunities to tell the people we met about God's saving work in Jesus. Opportunities given, of course, by God - because no-one wants the salvation of humanity quite as much as He does! He was so gracious & merciful in opening doors for His message, & in some cases, hearts as well. So kind & good in answering so many of our prayers about those we met. So generous in all that He provided for us. Many thanks need to be given to Him - esp. for His love & grace to us on team & to those we met this week.

So I guess we can say, yes, mission accomplished. And yet, as a new song I learned this year goes:

"There is still more work to do.."

Thank you so much to all you lovely people who have upheld us in prayer.

Has this week changed my life?

Hopefully, even more than I will ever know this side of eternity.

Personal reflections about me and God forthcoming.. ..

I plan to follow up, very soon, with some lighter anecdotes about my fellow team members. Even now I'm still grinning at their antics. I'd love to share about them with you. I'll miss a few of them very much indeed, because we live on such far-flung continents! I feel like I want to come back to Europe & visit them.

But as God wills it.

One thing I know for sure.. ..


Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

ISAIAH chapter 55, verses 6-11.