Our France Journey...(in case you were wondering...)

Our journey began about a year and a half ago, during a week of fasting and prayer, in the middle of the night. Kind of a cool start to the story, right?

It was February, and the Charlie Hebdo attacks had just happened a few weeks prior in Paris. I woke up at 3 am with a burden in my heart to pray. I asked God if I could just pray in bed, which meant falling back asleep, and He was like, PRAY. FOR REALIES. Which meant, I was on my knees on the floor, just stirred for whatever reason to pray. Then Jeff woke up after the same nudging from God and we prayed together.

Very soon, we were praying for France. We were praying for a mighty revival. For an awakening. For the city of light to become a beacon of light for the world to see the goodness of God's loving grace. For the city of love to become God's divine emblem of love throughout the globe. We prayed for the soil of France to be softened, tilled and prepared for the seed of the gospel to be tossed and caught on good ground, where there would be a great harvest. We prayed for a long time. For a great work to happen in the churches there and for more churches to spring to life, almost spontaneously.

The next day Jeff found Pastor Mike Dente of Calvary Chapel Paris on twitter of all places and struck up communication with him. The Lord was very specific about us praying for Mike and his family. SO we prayed that they would see major church growth, that they would be encouraged, and find rest, and not grow weary in the work.We thanked God for their faithfulness when we found out they had been serving for nearly 20 years in France. We praised God when we discovered the Dente's had many of the same friends we had and came out of the church that Jeff's family attends, Calvary Fellowship Mountlake Terrace.

We felt the Lord confirming, and the Spirit stirring when Mike and Jeff Skyped and prayed. Mike described the spiritual situation in France likened to the thawing of the ground in Narnia when the white witch was losing power. This was an interesting choice of words, considering we had prayed for a thawing and a tilling of the ground there.

We knew Jeff had to go and see the land. God clearly gave him Rick Morgan as a companion and Andy Ziesemer from the New Divide as a guide and fellow prayer warrior. Jeff prayed about the dates, and although they were inconvenient, he felt God was clear about the dates in November.

Turns out Jeff and Rick and Andy were in France during the worst terrorist attack in France's history. They were in the area where the attacks took place just a couple days earlier. They were there to watch the breaking of the soil. Hearts were broken. People were lost. The shock and devastation was everywhere. People were looking for hope.

Jeff and Rick had to come home but Andy and Pastor Mike Dente stayed and ministered to the mourning and broken people gathering at the Republic to ask the question, why?

The next trip we were to take was as a family. And this time, it was serious. We were going to stay for a month in France and see what the Lord would have for us. Was He calling us there? What did He want us to do? I had this crazy idea we'd have all this amazing down time to just chill, just us and Jesus, and the Dente's and maybe a few French people...

That didn't happen.

And I'm grateful. God's ways are not my ways, He knows much better what I'd find joy in than I do sometimes.

We instantly bonded with the Dente's. I know that praying for them for the past year and some change really had a lot to do with it. Oh, that and the incredible amount of grace Becky had for me and my clumsy cultural ways. She was kind and succinct, explaining to me the French faux pas so that I could avoid them. And boy, did I (mostly) avoid them. (Mostly....did I mention, mostly?) Mike's teachings were always from the heart, (and the bible, of course,) and we learned a lot just by watching them.

Their youngest children bonded with mine. It's almost a perfect line up with age and gender, which enabled for a lot of fun sleepovers and adventures. Their oldest daughters were just as fun and inspiring to be around.

When Mike's dad suddenly passed away after we had been there one week, Jeff and I, at the same time, knew, this was the family we were being called to serve alongside. Paris wasn't on our plan to go long term. Jeff felt Bordeaux was where God was calling us ultimately. Which is still in the plan, however God wants that to happen. But for right now, and for as long as God has us, we knew, like we know right now, we're to serve alongside the Dente's, in whatever capacity they need, whether it's setting up chairs in the church, preparing snacks and meals for the services, washing dishes, or doing children's ministry. This family, that God was super specific about us praying for, was to do a work, and we needed to help them.

So here we are. We've been home a month. I feel like we did the work of Caleb and Joshua. We searched the land. We saw that it was good. We saw the fruit. We carried back grapes the size of our heads.

“Look! Look! People are asking big questions and they're looking for hope. We have it! We can offer it to them. Free! We just need to go in and do the work.”

“What about the terrorist attacks, and the disenchanted post Christian society mentality?”

“Yes. There are giants in the land. But God is bigger. He is able. And we want to see His victory before it's too late.”

I will not be afraid. I will be strong and of good courage, knowing that the Lord desires to see France awakened, revived, ignited for the gospel. I'm learning, step by step, that courage doesn't look the same on the inside as it does to those who see just the outside.

Courage is what some call it. It's really just obedience.

Where are we now?

We've sold our home. We're selling, well, everything else. We're living with my mom, waiting on the Lord, and being available to be used here before we go. We don't want to leave before the work here is done, and only God knows what that is. So will we be waiting like our missionary friends the Werderbaughs, who waited on the Lord for 10 years before they could serve in Slovenia? Or will it be a six week spin? Or something in between?

Whatever it is, we're in this, all in, until Jesus says...

...go.