Mais pourquoi la France?

Why France?

Why indeed?

Those of you who went with family/friends to CMS Summer School may be a little less surprised, but for the probable majority who never thought France needed the gospel – think again!

(Of course, if you've had a look at the links included in an earlier post, you'll have a better idea.)

Now for a brief lesson in French religious history.
WARNING: May be vague, contain errors or embellishments. May also contain traces of dairy, egg, nut, shellfish and wheat.

1. Ancient tribal stuff
2. Roman Empirical stuff
- ie their gods/hedonism/materialism
3. Christian
- presumably once Constantine got in power
4. ?????
5. Roman Catholic
6. Roman Catholic
7. Roman Catholic
8. Roman Catholic
9. [hmmm, this is beginning to sound like music at my old Chinese evening church, it's so repetitive]
10. Roman Catholic [hehe, gotcha!]
11. Revolutionary/Lawless/Anarchistic/etc.
- commencing with the downfall of the monarchy, the Reign of Terror, all that blood-soaked violent stuff
12. Republican (different versions) - LAÏCITÉ

LAÏCITÉ
"Laïcité" is basically the French version of secularism. It filters into most, if not all aspects of French life.

This often means that unless their parents are Christian, French children have much less exposure to the gospel than many Australian children attending, say, NSW public schools.

The average NSW public school (also called state or government school) - while intended back in the 1880s to be SECULAR, compulsory and free - has this adorable little loophole called Special Religious Education (SRE). As a result, until more recently, many public school students (esp. those in K-6/primary schools) went to some kind of Christian Scripture class as part of their school week. So many people grew up knowing something about God and the good news of Jesus (even if they only had little morceaux/bits of knowledge).

The average French primary school student is educated in a system where no SRE exists. Where no SRE has *ever* really existed. A system called école laïque/secular school. God-free schooling, perhaps.

This école laïque ideology follows French people's education into and through their years at lycée/high-school. And into university as well.

Friends who were Christians in your uni. years - do you remember your campus activities with ECU, EU, CBS, Credo, some other Christian student group?..

The O-Week stuff?
The walk-ups?
The postering?
The wearing of mission T-shirts during outreach week on campus?
The Bible talks and study groups you had in lecture and tut. rooms on campus?

In French universities, there is NOT this same kind of freedom.

When I used to help put up event posters for EU, we'd staple them up on various campus noticeboards, and maybe not until 3 hours later they would have been covered over with other clubs-and-society posters, or torn down. And then we always went back and put another layer on!

I understand that if one tried postering like that on a French campus, someone would rip the posters off right in front of you, and tell you flatly that university is no place for that kind of thing.

Did anyone apart from me say "Ouch" at that? I hope so.

So there's a little first-draft sketch of the French situation.

I hope I've given you some reasons for why France needs the gospel, I'd dare to say, even more than the English-speaking Western world.

"Où vas-tu aller?" Mon itinéraire..

Itinerary! (For those wondering where I'll be on different dates.)

26 juin/June {Paris}
SYD-Ban-Lon-PAR
[Vol de 22 heures]

27 juin
Mission starts (based in 7e arrondissement, near Eiffel Tower etc.)
[Séjour de 8 jours (with IFES team)]

4 juillet/July
Mission finishes
[Séjour de 5 jours toute seule]

5 juillet
Running riot around Paris (also hope for Versailles & Mt. St-Michel). Sorry, did I say running riot? Er..I meant walking sedately, of course!
Accom.: Hotel de Littre (Montparnasse)

8 juillet
Last night before leaving Paris
Accom.: close to CDG airport, hopefully?

9 juillet {Londres}
PAR-LON
[Vol de moins que 2 heures]
[Séjour de 4 jours]
Accom.: friends in West Finchley (Jenn and B'Lu)
Catch up with "nephew Ant" & others

11 juillet
Accom.: Park Inn London (Bloomsbury area)
[2 jours]

12 juillet - dimanche/Sunday
Visit St. Helen's Bishopscourt? maybe?

13 juillet {Hong Kong}
LON-H.K.
[Vol de presque 12 heures]
Accom.: biological father

16 juillet
H.K.-SYD
[Vol d'environs 9 heures]
Accom.: chez moi!


NEEDS
~ An air-mattress (pref. about 8in. thick)
~ A bike-pump or similar to inflate the mattress
~ Ongoing prayer - I'm joining a team of jeunes/young-people whom I'll never have met before..
..Of which I'll probably be l'australienne toute seule/the only Australian.
..And those of you who know me best know how I usually cope in pressure-cooker situations (ie. I, um, often don't..cope that well??!?).

Information: Semaine d'évangélisation à Paris

Have a look at these links for more details about the IFES summer team I'll be joining, and the work among students that is already happening in Paris.

http://www.ifesinteraction.org/interaction/app/eventpages/eventpage.asp?PageID=29

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAsm9ebGNZE

OR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAsm9ebGNZE&feature=related

Bienvenue (welcome)!

For those without the gift of la langue française, the title for my going-on-mission blog translates as "the little shepherdess of Lutetia". Lutetia was an ancient name for a central island in Paris, and sounds rather like my full name, so it's my first attempt at a pun here! (Please laugh heartily at this weak joke, even if it's not at all funny.)

“Why does she describe herself as a little shepherdess?” you might wonder. Well, I'm so often weak and far from mature in my Christian walk (just ask my gorgeous sisters or my beautiful mum) - and yet so lovingly has God considered me faithful and appointed me to His service (1 Timothy 1:12-17), as a little shepherdess of some of His flocks.

I hope to use this blog as a way of keeping my family, friends and numerous dearly-loved Christian sisters & brothers up to date with my journey into Paris - with an IFES team, for summer outreach to locals.

I may not post very often here until after my flight to Paris via Bangkok & London on 26th June 2009. Wow, exactly 2 months before I fly! Formidable!

If you're a Plaxo user, I occasionally use that service, and I'm a regular at http://mightychurch.com/forums/ as well.

À bientôt!