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Photo Essay: Basque Country
On The Ground in Nice, France: Ministry In A Time of Fear and Terror
On Thursday, October 29th a young Tunisian man with a knife attacked worshippers in a French church killing three people. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
From a Pioneers Worker in Nice, France
Along with our teammates, my wife and I serve at a ministry café each Thursday. The Davidsons had already arrived earlier than the 9AM attack, but we were still on our way on the tramline. We missed a tram and waited for the next one. If we had been on that previous tram, we would have been right near Notre Dame Cathedral when the attack happened. However, our tram was stopped because of the event which was still unknown to us. We set out on foot but another pedestrian warned us not to go down the main avenue because he had heard 7 or 8 gunshots. We got to our café fine through back-streets but crossed 4 or 5 emergency vehicles as we walked the streets.
All-day long the atmosphere in the city was subdued. The authorities cordoned off the whole area as they looked for other potential threats. Dignitaries came to pay their respect. President Macron changed his schedule to fly to Nice to show his support for our city.
I’ve been connected to France since 1987 and served here for most of the time. These last years have been the worst years for these kinds of events. Extremism is now identified as an enemy of the state and the values of the Republic. People are looking at extremist sub-cultures with distrust and fear. Recently, the trial dealing with the attack in 2015 on the office of the Charlie Hebdo magazine began. Anger and resentment are rising to the surface in the Muslim community as memories are refreshed. Emotions have run high leading to the murder of the High School teacher in Paris. Was this the same emotions that motivated the young Tunisian man to attack worshippers in the church on October 29th? When push comes to shove, moderate, even secularized Muslims become defensive. They're easily provoked to radical positions. Men that are far from living devout lives can have strong reactions in defense of their religion and prophet.
One of the outcomes of extremism is that any view that differs from French cultural norms has become suspect. This includes any expressions of the Christian faith outside of the mainstream denominations. Evangelicals as a whole are viewed this way despite all their efforts to the contrary.
Then in the midst of this falls COVID-19 with all the conspiracy theories and anti-science rhetoric swirling in its wake. It’s disheartening to hear Christians being caught up in these theories and rejecting sound science. It puts the evangelical community firmly in the extremist camp in the minds of some French people.
Most Mondays I go to the small Italian border city of Ventimillia where we serve tea and coffee to the migrants passing through on their way to France. We’ve met lots of Tunisian men over the past weeks. We didn’t cross paths with the attacker as apparently he came through Ventimillia on Wednesday. Christ calls us to be a light in a very dark world. The tendency is to hate, yet Christ calls us to love and prayer for our enemies.
We praise God that during this year we’ve seen people investigate faith and turn to Christ. After serving at the café, my wife and I went to a Bible Study with four young adults from our church. Before we got into the study, one of our friends announced that after last week’s lesson he had prayed to receive Christ that evening. What a joy to be part of his discovering Jesus! What a good way to end a difficult day.
A Glimpse Into Ordinary Life and Ministry as a Missionary
“She’s finally arriving!” thinks one Pioneer in Hungary as she goes to pick up her friend from the airport. The reunion is sweet and the conversation flowing when, two minutes from the airport, her newly-purchased van breaks down on the side of the road. A few minutes and prayers later the van starts back up and continues its journey…only to break down again five minutes later. Never one to be easily defeated, she keeps chugging down the road as far as her crippled vehicle will allow her, even enlisting the help of innocent bystanders to roll the van away from an incoming bus. However, one hour later and still only a few miles from the airport, she begins weighing her options: calling a tow truck will be expensive, but at this rate, they wouldn’t get home until midnight! Finally, the hungry kids and husband waiting at home win the day, and the tow truck is called.
Choosing to remain positive and cheerful in spite of the circumstances, she takes her friend to taste the local delicacies while they wait, headed to the nearest and only trusted establishment of the area- the Shell gas station. She easily disarms the unsmiling woman at the cash register, speaking to her in Hungarian and putting her at ease with her laughter and jokes while her friend happily munches on Hungarian candy bars. Eventually it’s time to head back to the van and the waiting tow-truck driver.
Though tempting to just turn to her friend and catch up in English, she begins chatting with the driver, a friendly man who she discovers is a chef in his spare time. The conversation moves from the intricacies of true Hungarian cuisine to parenting challenges and finally to bad experiences with religion. How can we be sure God is real? Can we know truth? What do we think about Jesus? Who do you say He is? Pulling up to her house, the conversation ends with his conclusion of “we just can’t know for sure” and her parting question “…or can we?”. She heads inside to feed her starving children and get her tired friend settled in after an hours-long airport pickup.
We dream of those epic moments on the field where you see extraordinary things happen and lives changed, where the Spirit comes down in great power. Yet most days are just ordinary ones full of ordinary activities. Serving on the field includes the normal frustrations and mishaps of life, whether it be missed buses or plumbing problems or cars breaking down. We are called, however, to seize the moment whatever it might be, to “make the most of every opportunity, redeeming the time because the days are evil” (Eph 5:17). Sometimes this is as simple as showing love to the woman at the cash register by engaging her in conversation or planting seeds of the Gospel as your newly-purchased-and-broken-down van is being towed home.
Coronavirus in Italy: May the Peace of Christ Reign Over these Anxious Days
The Coronavirus is now wreaking havoc in Europe, as Italy has the most confirmed cases outside of Asia—283 as of this writing. The regions most affected are in northern Italy, Lombardi and Veneto, home to several Pioneers families and church plants. The cities of Milan, Rome, and Venice have all canceled public gatherings at fashion shows, soccer games, and local festivals. Government officials in Italy and beyond fear that the outbreak will easily spread across European Union borders, as citizens travel seamlessly and daily amongst Schengen nations.
School and public meetings have been canceled by the government for at least this week in the city where Pioneers families live. Missionaries and church leaders have decided to cancel church gatherings for the same length of time. While not quarantined by law in their specific neighborhoods, our workers there report fairly empty streets and stores. They say that in general their Italian friends and neighbors are very cautious and even anxious about the outbreak.
Pioneers in Italy ask for prayer for the following needs:
Pray that they would be able to express peace and confidence in God’s sovereignty in the midst of these uncertain and anxious days.
Pray that the surety of the gospel would be a bright light to worried and isolated Italians.
Pray for the church in Italy, for resources and a movement of the Holy Spirit amongst those who don’t yet know Jesus. Only 1.5% of the Italian population professes an Evangelical Christian faith.
Pray Psalm 91 for the Pioneers in Italy, as well as their neighbors, friends, classmates, church attendees, and all who don’t yet know Jesus:
Psalm 91: My Refuge and My Fortress
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.
Photo Credit: AFP - Agence France-Presse (https://www.thelocal.it/20200224/what-do-we-know-about-the-victims-of-coronavirus-in-italy)
House of Hope - Tirana, Albania
See how the Lord is at work amongst the poor and marginalized Roma community in Tirana, Albania.
May God Bring Beauty from Ashes in France
The mourning began almost in unison with the fire. As the first sparks flew, Parisians stopped in their tracks, trying to believe what they were seeing. Notre Dame was burning.
Hundreds of cell phones streamed images to the watching world. The grief was not limited to the Parisians or to the French, but was felt on every continent. We all sat horrified and stupefied as the spire collapsed in on the iconic cathedral.
Onlookers sang hymns and shed tears. Strangers embraced one another. And people all over the world uploaded photos on to social media of themselves in front of Notre Dame’s western towers. A honeymoon. A semester abroad. A European vacation. Notre Dame is special to so many people from so many places.
Even as 400 firefighters gained control of the fire, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged, “I'm telling you all tonight -- we will rebuild this cathedral together. Notre Dame is our history, it's our literature, it's our imagery.”
As one mourner put it, “Paris without the cathedral is not Paris anymore.” That’s because the cathedral has stood witness for over 850 years, as French generations have come and gone. And, it is the literal center of Paris—it stands as kilometer zero on the map and all other destinations in France are measured by their distance from Notre Dame.
The cathedral is a witness, a true north, a heritage of the French.
Notre Dame is precious partly because it houses history. It sits on the Île de la Cité, an island in the middle of the River Seine, which has been important since the Roman Empire two millennia ago. The cornerstone for Notre Dame was laid in 1163, construction was completed in 1260, and the cathedral was consecrated by the Catholic church in 1345. The shape of the cathedral ebbed with the flow of various Popes and Bishops during the 200 years of construction, making it an expansive landscape of various architectural styles and whims. Restoration projects have been ongoing since after the French Revolution and continue even today.
Notre Dame is also precious because it’s home to many national treasures: France’s largest organ (nearly 7,374 pipes!), immense rose stained glass windows, dozens of paintings and carvings depicting scenes from the Bible, twin bell towers, and a treasury of Catholic relics in the archaeological crypt.
Notre Dame is no ordinary French cathedral. Notre Dame is the symbol, the heart, of a nation.
And it’s not just a Catholic symbol. While Notre Dame was originally constructed by the Catholic church, it later fell into the hands of the Cult of Reason and then into the hands of the Cult of the Supreme Being. The purpose of Notre Dame evolved during the French Revolution, first for the elevation of human reason and then for the worship of an unknown supreme being. Later, Notre Dame even became a storehouse for food before Napolean Bonaparte restored it to the Catholic Church and crowned himself emperor inside its very walls.
So, sentimentality is expected in the face of this fire. Harm has come to the French witness, their heritage, their symbol of both human achievement and faith in God. Heartbreak is warranted and we all weep with the French.
But this weeping over the fire is not really a mourning over the household of God, because that purpose was willingly done away with before. From Catholic Cathedral, to cultic temple, to a storehouse of food, and now to what amounts to a museum visited by 13 million people a year and the site of daily mass—Notre Dame has not been practically consecrated to the Lord for some time.
Here’s what’s true, though: how ever the French have purposed Notre Dame throughout the ages, God has not needed and still does not need a physical home. He was not removed by the Cult of Reason, or by the Cult of the Supreme Being, or by the storehouse of food, or by the millions who visited last year. Because, “the God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25).
The church is not a building. The church is a people.
French Christians “are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22).
The cornerstone of Notre Dame was laid in 1163, but the cornerstone Jesus “was foreknown before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20). Now, we Christ followers are “a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19).
Notre Dame is not God’s house in Paris. Christians are.
So yes, let’s mourn. Absolutely, let’s rightly mourn the destruction of a beautiful building, an expression of human ingenuity, a testament to human will throughout history. A place that once housed and sometimes still houses worshippers of the one true God. It is good and right to grieve the loss of centuries of work and beauty, to weep over the demise of works of art that bear truth from the Word of God. Grief and horror and heartache are all right as we wake up to the charred remains of this exceptional cathedral.
But as we weep, let’s not mourn the loss of the church in the burning of Notre Dame. Because, the truth is, in France, the church has been dying for some time. The truth is, Christianity was rejected in exchange for atheism starting in the 1700s. The truth is, secularism in France has long been codified by laïcité, the French law that forbids the influence of religion on the government. The truth is, the most recent data reveals that at least 29% of the France’s population is atheist and 63% is non-religious. The truth is, today, only 1.23% of the population in France calls themselves Evangelical Christian.
Today we rightly mourn the destruction of a beautiful and iconic building, but have we yet rightly mourned the destruction of the true church? Have we yet rightly mourned the demise of the real temple of God in France? Have we yet wept over the slow, but real, death of Christianity there?
May the videos and images of a burning Notre Dame awaken the global church to pray for France. May the heartache of a nation mobilize Christians from around the globe to “go and make disciples of [France], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). May we be moved by compassion to console a weeping people and lead them to “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).
Perhaps the Lord will allow beauty to rise from the literal ashes of Notre Dame. Perhaps our weeping will be turned to rejoicing. Perhaps as the cathedral is rebuilt, the true church will be revived. Perhaps our resurrection God will bring life from death in Paris, France.
Jesus longs to bring healing to France and to the entire world. Let’s pray the words of Isaiah 61, echoed in Jesus’s sermon in Luke 4, for the French and for all who have yet to believe:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
Today, as we scour the internet for footage from France, let’s ask our Father in heaven to bring beauty from ashes. Let’s pray, fast, give, and even consider going in joyful obedience to proclaim Christ in a dark and hurting place.
Our God in heaven is the Creator of France and he longs to be the Redeemer too. He longs to rebuild his church there.
Beauty from ashes. May it be so.
6 Ways Cross-Cultural Church Planting Has Been Good for Our Kids
When we recently unpacked our boxes in suburban Denver, it was into my daughters’ third home. But not only their third home, their third country. Third continent, actually. Third culture, third language, third way of life, third new beginning.
Though my husband and I are Colorado natives, we’d been gone a long time, and our kids had never lived here. As we met our new neighbors, they were either awestruck or incredulous. We heard, “Wow, what a great experience for your kids!” But also, “How sad. Didn’t you want them to have roots somewhere?” Even those who did respond positively would often quietly whisper their concern: “How do you think they’re handling it?”
By the time we moved back to the States with a gaggle of teens and preteens, we’d lived out the spectrum of great joys and deep sorrows in cross-cultural church planting. The joy of new believers and baptisms and discipleship was tempered by sorrow over our girls being bullied for being different. Not to mention the long, hard days in foreign schools with vastly different values from our own.
The skeptical neighbors weren’t wrong. Our kids didn’t have roots, at least not in the traditional sense.
Instead, their roots are global, established in the soil of the Great Commission. When we left America to make disciples of all nations, we trusted that Jesus would be with us always (Matthew 28:18–20). This promise was our bedrock then, and still is now. He’s proven faithful to us and our children time and again. Cross-cultural church planting—though not without its challenges—has ultimately been a great gift to us.
Here are six things our kids—and our whole family—have learned.
1. Empathy
Our girls spent their formative years being “other.” They didn’t grasp the language, the inside jokes, or the nursery rhymes. But one beautiful gift of being an outsider is that you gain empathy for those who have known nothing else.
Overseas, they befriended the boy with autism, the girl whose parents neglected her, the Roma outcast. In our church plant in Denver, they’re aware of visitors, kids new to youth group, and those hurting at school. God has given them compassionate hearts (Colossians 3:12) toward outsiders, because they have walked in their shoes.
2. Christianity Is Diverse and Global
Having been a part of the church on three continents, our kids know that Christianity is not exclusively white and Western. They’ve participated in worship services ranging from wildly expressive to barely audible. They’ve experienced everything from high liturgy to flip-flops in the sanctuary. They know that within orthodoxy, there’s a lot of room for difference. They’ve glimpsed God’s work in a variety of tribes, tongues, and peoples (Revelation 7:9).
3. Where to Put Their Confidence
When I asked my girls to list some blessings from cross-cultural church planting, they all immediately said something like, “I’m brave,” or “I’m flexible,” or “I know God will help me.” Their faith has been stretched—as has ours. They know we’ve only been willing to do hard things because God has enabled us to do so. They’ve labored in prayer and experienced Jesus with us in all the places we’ve called home.
4. The Church Is Family
Our children have known firsthand the truth of Christ’s promise: “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold” (Matthew 19:29). While it’s true no one can fill the shoes of our kids’ biological grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins, God did provide a hundredfold.
Other church planters and local Christians became aunties and uncles to my girls. We had friends we could call in the middle of the night, and brothers and sisters who laid down their lives for us. Our kids didn’t lack relational support overseas, because God was faithful.
5. Home Is Not Here
As a family, we have a sense that there’s no true home for us here on earth. No matter where we are, we feel a bit homesick—this awareness that we aren’t really home, we don’t really fit. With Paul, we say, “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). One day we will enter our real home, where we will share a deep and unblemished connection with all who are gathered there.
6. Unity in Mission Fosters Joy
Here’s perhaps the best gift: Being on mission together has fostered great joy in our family. In each country we’ve felt and prayed Paul’s words: “We were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:8). Our kids have truly partnered with us in loving nonbelievers and shining the light of Christ in dark places. This unity in mission has drawn us close to one another as we’ve labored and celebrated together.
In the early years of church planting, a mentor shared wise words with my husband and me: “Never sacrifice your family for the mission, but do sacrifice as a family for the mission.”
There have been sacrifices. Our kids have paid a price. All cross-cultural church planters must count the cost. Not every family can move overseas. Many are called to irreplaceable roles in their hometowns and local churches. But for those who sense that cross-cultural church planting might be for them, know this: Sacrificing as a family for the mission is costly, but Christ is worth it.
Jesus will provide a hundredfold—to you and to your children. He will indeed be with you, in every nation, to the end of the age.
Author’s Note: This article first appeared here, at The Gospel Coalition.
The True Tales of Two Nigerian Women Caught in the Migration Crisis: Is God Calling You to Go?
What is it that would cause two young Nigerian women to set out—to leave family, home, country, friends, and way of life—and head north, to Europe? Why, at the dawn of adulthood, at the moment that they should be settling down, marrying, forging a living, starting a family, would two vulnerable women leave all they know to embark on a journey of only unknowns?
For Phoebe it was the economic promise made in an advertisement for a domestic helper. But it culminated in forced prostitution. For Bea it was a run for her life. But the first run morphed into a second and a third and she has since disappeared.
These are the true tales of two different women from Nigeria who each gave themselves over to the European migrant crises in hopes of finding better lives.
Phoebe’s Story
Phoebe answered an advertisement for a family seeking domestic help in southern Europe. Once she arrived, she was greeted, whisked away, and her passport taken from her. She was taken to a brothel and forced to give herself away for the financial gain of her traffickers. She was threatened, beaten, intimidated and told that if she tried to contact the authorities her mother back in Nigeria would be murdered. Her traffickers were her fellow countrymen—a ring setup in Nigeria and carried out in Europe, preying on the desires of young women in pursuit of a better life.
One day while Phoebe was lingering outside the brothel, Christian missionaries approached her. Well-aware of the ways of local violent trafficking rings—they suspected Phoebe was being held captive. They shared the gospel of grace with her, the story of eternal freedom. Promising protection, they invited her to walk away from the brothel. And just like Peter, she fixed her eyes on Jesus, and walked out in faith (Matthew 14:22-33).
The missionaries had connections with safe houses across the region. They were able to send Phoebe across the country, into hiding in a new city. She’s there now, still protected, and has received legal documentation. She’s learning to be a cook, finally arriving at the livelihood she set out for.
Phoebe’s parents, though, have not heard from her since she set out from home. She cannot contact them. Through the experience and expertise of the anti-trafficking workers, Phoebe knows that her traffickers are closely monitoring her parents, ready to hurt them if they suspect they have knowledge of her whereabouts. To keep herself and her parents alive, Phoebe must pursue her new life, her new identity, in secret and alone, completely disconnected from her loved ones.
Bea’s Story
Bea watched animist Muslim relatives murder her father for his Christian faith. They turned on her mother and then came after Bea. She fled, went to her boyfriend, and they immediately set out for the safety promised in southern Europe. When they reached Libya on the migration route out of Africa, they were captured and imprisoned by a rogue, opportunist militia.
Pregnant, starving, and dying of thirst, Bea was separated from her boyfriend in the Libyan compound. She passed out and was taken for dead. She was buried in a shallow grave with her fellow prisoners who had indeed succumbed to their conditions. A Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) who noticed her barely living body while passing by the mass grave, dug her out and took her to safety. She was put on a boat and crossed the sea to southern Europe (recent statistics say that one in five migrants who fled Libya by boat drowned or disappeared during the migrant crisis).
Bea’s harrowing tale did not relent once she reached the northern shores of the Mediterranean. Instead, she had to keep moving, pushing ever upward and onward into Europe and out of the grasp of immigration law enforcement. Bea walked—still pregnant and malnourished and very much alone—through the mountains of southern Europe, crossing national borders in hopes of finding a friendly country in which to declare her need for asylum.
She again passed out, this time on a mountainside, too weak and dehydrated to continue. Another Good Samaritan found her body and rescued her from the elements. She awoke in a hospital, registered with the government, and returned to the same hospital to give birth to her baby. Miraculously, she was reunited with her boyfriend and they were married.
With a new husband and new baby and new peace and safety, Bea settled into life in her new home country. She met the same group of Christian missionaries who found Phoebe. The missionaries helped her to begin learning her new language, to navigate her new government, and to get the help she needed in her new community.
But when Bea returned to the appropriate immigration office to apply for legal residency, her request was denied. They did not believe her story. Incredulous, they were sure Bea was a prostitute—like Phoebe was—but protecting her captors. They believed that if they could only get Bea to tell the truth about her alleged trafficking ring, they would be able to punish the right people.
Bea pled with the authorities to believe her harrowing tale. To them, it was too good to be true. When pressed and asked how it could possibly be true, Bea told them, “I’m a Christian. It’s a miracle.” Ultimately, they refused to believe her and denied her residency.
And so, preferring her illegal status and safety in Europe to imminent death at the hands of her family in Nigeria, she disappeared. The missionaries who initially helped her, hear from her every few months, when she calls to check-in or to ask for help with something. But the reality is, Bea can’t tell them much. She doesn’t want to be discovered. She’s now on her own, even separated from her husband.
What Can Be Done?
What can you and I do for Phoebe and Bea? How can we, who live an ocean away, help these two women and the thousands of other vulnerable migrants who are like them?
Pray: Right away we can pray for their protection, supernatural wisdom, sensitivity to the Lord’s leading as they seek housing and a living, a community of Christians who will encourage them, and resources from God’s hand to nourish them.
Give: We can also give to organizations who are serving refugees in a holistic way—missionaries and Christian ministries that are proclaiming Christ, seeking to alleviate suffering, and equipping refugees with skills and tools needed in their new lives. Because the European migration crisis is over and we no longer see their faces on the evening news, they are easily forgotten. May they not be out of sight and out of mind. Their plight today is no less perilous than it was in 2014 and 2015.
Go: And finally, we can go. But not just anyone. The missionaries who are already serving people like Phoebe and Bea say they need more Christian teammates who are trained in trauma, who can work in emotionally difficult settings, and who can take a long view with an eye on holistic healing for refugee communities. They don’t need well-intentioned, short-term workers who want to pass out water in the refugee camps—in fact, they say, those opportunities no longer exist. They need men and women who are willing to be trained and to persevere for the long-haul to bring healing from the inside-out in the lives of refugees in Jesus’s name.
Join Pioneers in Europe and pray to the Lord of the harvest (Matthew 9:38) that he will send the right people to the right places for the good of the refugees and for his own glory.
Photo Credit: Operation Triton: Irish Naval Service personnel from the LÉ Eithne rescuing migrants, 15 June 2015 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_migrant_crisis
In Post-Christian France the Worship Void Has Not Remained Empty
When a society rejects God, they will worship something else. Or, as apologist Alister McGrath puts it, they will transcendentalize an alternative. The absence of Christianity in France does not mean the absence of worship.
The Current (non)Religious Picture in France
- Evangelical Christians: 1.08% of the population.
- Atheist: 29% of the population.
- Non-Religious: 63% of the population.
- Occult practitioners: It is estimated that over 100,000 men and women are active practitioners. Psychics outnumber Catholic priests by 400%. Perhaps more than any other European nation, France has embraced the occult.
- Muslim: 10% of the population. The Muslim population in France is steadily growing through both reproduction and immigration.
How The French Painted their Nonreligious Picture
The nonreligious commitment of the French people is not a new development, nor was it birthed from a void. The secular national identity was decidedly embraced in the French Revolution (May 5, 1789 – Nov 9, 1799). As the populace threw off the constraints of traditional religion—Papal Supremacy and oppression by the church and the state—they enthroned reason as ultimate.
Laïcité is perhaps now the god of France. It means secularism and is enshrined in the French constitution. Article 1 declares that France is a secular republic. Laïcité washes over all facets of French life and religion is largely taboo. Religion is neither respected nor spoken of in polite company. Indeed, courts across the country regularly penalize the religious for bringing their beliefs into the public square.
The Rise of the Occult
While the Revolution did away with religion and reason triumphed, the occult was quickly on its heals. Like McGrath said, people will worship something.
Numbers are hard to come by, but both the French and foreigners residing there will tell you that the occult is present. Psychics are easy to find—a simple Yelp search in Paris provides hundreds of options. Clairvoyants, tarot card readers, palm readers, and mediums practice across the country.
Because astrology is viewed to be couched in science and not religion, the occult is not taboo. The void left by traditional religion has been filled to overflowing with superstition and New Age spirituality. Even paganism, with roots in ancient Celtic cultures who inhabited the same geography as modern-day France, is acceptable.
Missionaries throughout France report encounters with seekers who have either left the occult or are still engaged in practices of the occult. There is indeed a spiritual battle being waged for souls in France. The country stands witness to the truth that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
Join the spiritual battle for France through prayer: make supplication for all the saints… that words may be given to [them] in opening [their] mouth[s] boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel (Ephesians 6:18-19).
A Cup of Tea, Under a Bridge, In Jesus' Name
How does the banished son of a North African become a beloved child of God in Southern Europe? Well, over tea, served under a bridge, of course.
John’s story is the same as millions of other migrants to hit the shores of Europe in the last three years—until it diverges where he met Christ. Today he’s on the north shores of the Mediterranean, living in his pastor’s spare bedroom, serving his church, and patiently navigating the paperwork to become a legal immigrant.
The Back Story
When John’s father kicked him out of their house in North Africa, he joined the infamous European migration crises and made his way to Turkey by patching together a dangerous route—sometimes on foot, sometimes over water, sometimes at the mercy of human smugglers—always very dangerous for a young man, barely 20.
John first settled in Turkey and learned the language. He attained legal residency and a girlfriend. He even picked up English. When his girlfriend broke up with him one year in, he set out—further on and further up into Europe—in search of the good life that he couldn’t have in North Africa and hadn’t yet found in Turkey.
Like all migrants, John waited in the camps. He had to find a way across from Turkey to Greece. But like most migrants who make it to Turkey, he was kept there. The European Union is reluctant to bloat itself further with newcomers.
Like others, John searched for a way to be ferried across the Aegean Sea. He had to consider the financial cost, the reliability of whoever promised him passage, the safety and reliability of the craft. He tried for a whole year to gain passage.
At one point, John attempted passage by clinging to the underbelly of a large truck heading north and west. He was discovered and badly beaten. Those back injuries persist even now, a constant reminder of how far he’s come.
The Lord Establishes Our Steps
A non-practicing Muslim, John was depressed and wondered why Allah would make him wait on his new life. He watched as others on the trail successfully gained passage to Greece, while he grew in despair. He says he kept asking Allah, “Why are you keeping me from going? Why are others making it while my plans keep falling through? Why won’t you let me go?” He even promised Allah that he would follow Islam more carefully if only he could move on to Greece.
Finally, John’s day to cross the sea arrived. He was welcomed on the other side by Christian missionaries who staffed the migration reception on the shore. He made his home in the camps and heard the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But John wasn’t interested in the Christian story. He waved away the missionaries’ efforts at spiritual conversations. He continued in his pursuit of a better life.
Unlike in Turkey, John was able to leave Greece in just five weeks. He felt his fate had been reversed. But the quick timing haunted him. He wondered why Allah required him to languish in Turkey but readily blessed him in Greece. He had a sense that the timing of his journey was divine, but he couldn’t make out why.
Unbeknownst to even himself, John was living out the proverbial truth, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). The timing would lead to a divine encounter under a bridge.
Tea Under a Bridge
Alone, penniless, and homeless, John followed the path of other migrants and eventually found himself under a highway overpass with men mostly from Sudan, but also Nigeria, Algeria, Ghana, Iran, Mali, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. It’s estimated that between 200 and 300 men lived under and around that bridge when John arrived—right at the height of a bottleneck on the migration path west further into Europe.
The bottleneck was caused by stricter border controls. By the time John arrived, the average stay under the bridge was one to three months. Legally crossing the border to the west was almost impossible. Migrants were risking illegal paths along mountain cliffs or through motorway tunnels, often suffering death and injury.
Right around John’s arrival, missionaries and pastors from surrounding communities started visiting the men under the bridge on Thursday evenings. They brought pots of tea, snacks, and friendship. John immediately felt a connection to two of the visitors—they were like a mother and a father figure to him.
As these two missionaries began to share the love of Christ with John, he didn’t rebuff them like he did the missionaries in Greece. Perhaps he was more travel weary now, less confident. Whatever the case, he couldn’t deny his awareness that his long wait in Turkey and his speed in Greece timed his arrival under the bridge to perfectly coincide with the efforts of these new, kind, and Christian friends.
“What are you going to do with what we’ve talked about?"
Lee, the missionary who became a father figure to John says that one night after several Thursdays of talking with John about Jesus, he asked him, “What are you going to do with what we’ve talked about? You have to decide if you’re going to walk with God.”
John recounts that after almost two years of feeling alone on the migration, that night he felt the hand of God reach in and grab his heart. He was crying and didn’t know why.
In John’s distress, Lee embraced him saying, “God wants to take you into his arms. He wants to hold you.” John grew solemn and walked away alone. He needed time to think over the truths Lee had told him.
John was experiencing what Paul told the men of Athens, 2,000 years prior. God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:26-28).
In the following weeks, John began to spiritually awaken—he began to seek God and find him, as Paul said. Rather than receiving tea and snacks, he started to serve them. He became an encourager to the migrating men in his midst. He hungered for time with the missionaries.
Further On and Further Up
Just as he was learning more about Jesus, John found a way across the next border. He took his chance to move on. In his journey, God led John to an Arabic Christian—a new friend who was able to explain the gospel to him in his mother tongue and with the help of a shared cultural background. John’s eyes were opening more and more with each step of his migration.
His journey led him to a community from which one of the missionaries he met under the bridge had come. Susan, the woman who had been a mother figure to him, was there. She and her church welcomed John with open arms.
Like a grandson, John was invited to Susan’s mother’s home. Though an atheist, she had an old wall hanging in her home that proclaimed Acts 16:31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and be saved.” John says seeing that stopped him cold in his tracks.
It was following that encounter with the word of God that Susan and her pastor witnessed John in the fight of his life. Though he had migrated more than 5,000 miles through Northern Africa and across the Mediterranean Sea, though he had been hungry and hurt and all alone for nearly two years, this—this—was the real fight, “for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
With Susan and the pastor by his side, John wrestled for hours with the truths he had learned. Finally, by God’s grace and through prayer and a move of the Holy Spirit, John believed.
John began his new life in Christ as he began his new life in Europe. He lives in the spare bedroom of not just Susan’s pastor, but now his own pastor too. He is serving the church and growing in his knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Church members are helping him navigate the path to legal status in their country.
John wants to get a job and move on. Though it’s no longer just Europe that John has set his sights on. Now he wants to go further on and further up in the Kingdom.
Proclaiming Christ Where Pilgrims Seek Healing From Mary
Every year, 6 million people make a pilgrimage to a rural town in southwestern France. Up to 25,000 people visit daily during peak season. Those with both obvious and hidden illness come from all over the world in hopes of healing in the Pyrenees.
Lourdes is home to a cave with a natural spring of what’s believed to be healing waters. The Virgin Mary was said to have appeared to a young girl in the cave in 1858. Today, 160 years later, 350,000 people bathe in the waters every year, 7,000 people have asked the Catholic Church to confirm their healings as a miracle, and 69 miraculous healings have been authenticated by the church.
When the Virgin Mary Visited Lourdes
A young girl of 14, named Bernadette, claimed that on February 11, 1858 a small woman wearing a white robe and blue sash with a rosary in hand and yellow roses on her feet appeared to her. The apparition asked Bernadette to pray the rosary with her.
Bernadette said the apparition was the Virgin Mary and she appeared to her 17 more times that year. She once asked for a chapel to be built at the place of her appearances and another time told Bernadette to dig a hole in that exact place and to drink and wash in the spring that came up. Locals say a few days after Bernadette dug the spring a woman immersed her injured arm in the water and was miraculously healed.
After an investigation was conducted by the church into Bernadette’s story, it was determined to be true and she was canonized as a saint in 1933. The Pope officially venerated Lourdes in 1870 and called for a cathedral to be built there. Now multiple cathedrals and chapels cover the grounds near the grotto.
Visiting Lourdes Today
Masses of hopeful people come from all walks of life to visit the grotto. Buddhists and Hindus, Catholics and superstitious are there. The wealthy and poor are there. Young and old. Black and white. Western and eastern. They all walk together—unified in their hope and expectation of healing. They fly, drive, and walk far for their chance to be miraculously restored.
Everyday, the diverse throngs of pilgrims wind their way up the narrow streets of Lourdes to get to the shrine. Merchants sell all manner of souvenirs and knick knacks. Everything from mugs, to night lights, to snow globes don images of Mary appearing to Bernadette in the Lourdes Grotto.
Travelers can purchase empty water vessels ranging in size from pocket jars all the way up to five-gallon vats to take up to the spring. The holy water runs through a system of pipes and out the side of the mountain where people can collect it from dozens of faucets, wash in it, or take it back home with them to a loved one in need.
Also for sale in every shop are candles—from small votives up to massive 5 foot pillars. Pilgrims carry them to the grotto and light them nearby, as a symbol of their prayers for the sick. Thousands of candles bear witness to sickness all over the globe. The larger ones hold the names of loved ones who’ve been prayed for there.
There’s a bathhouse next to the grotto. A waiting room outside hosts the infirm: children on stretchers, elderly in wheelchairs, men and women with walkers. They eagerly await their once-in-a-lifetime chance to be immersed in the healing waters of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Planting a Church Among a Desensitized People
For followers of Jesus Christ, the atmosphere in Lourdes is dark and discouraging. Christians know that it is “the Lord who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). The determination and expectation of 6 million pilgrims a year feels overwhelming.
The one and only Pioneers missionary there says, “In my town Mary takes Jesus’ place on the cross. People come from far and wide to bring honor to her, to ask her for healing, to pray to her. This is all the locals of this rural town in the mountains know: not Jesus, just millions of Catholic pilgrims from the whole world with their Mary statues, rosaries, and holy water. What should church look like for people who have been completely desensitized to the Gospel?”
Even now, that question is being answered. A house church gathers every other weekend in Lourdes. A small, but faithful, group meets in the home of the missionary there to worship, hear the Word of God proclaimed, and pray for one another. There is hope.
Sights are set on a building for sale in the center of town. An empty cafe sits just meters from where trains from all over Europe stop for pilgrims to disembark. The few Christians in Lourdes dream of buying it, renovating it, and bringing life to Lourdes.
The cafe would shine the true Light and welcome visitors to ponder Him who really heals. It would be a place where what has been used for harm is redeemed—a place where those who expect to meet Mary, instead have an encounter Jesus Christ who is, in fact, alive. A place where those who seek the healing of a physical infirmity, would instead receive restoration for their souls.
Pray with Pioneers that this cafe would be given into the hands of the church, if that is God’s will. Pray that it would be a place where those who seek temporary healing, actually receive eternal healing. A place to meet and believe in the Son so they may “not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). A place where those who want healed bodies actually get healed souls.
Voices from the Field: Book 2 : Conversations with Our Global Family
Voices from the Field presents a unique opportunity to encounter real people and hear authentic Christian perspectives from around the world. The world has never seemed closer. We feel we can watch history unfold before our very eyes on our constantly connected devices. We have access to more information than ever before, but this flood of data has not produced genuine connection nor understanding. Genuine conversations require safe places for us and to share and humility to listen. The contributors to this volume have felt safe to share and your are invited to listen to voices from around the world. Voices that confront our practices and prejudices while inviting our partnership. To engage in missions today is to embrace the task of life-long learning. This book is a rich resource for those who would join in the global task of building God's Kingdom, presenting not just more information but new lenses through which to see ourselves and our shared world.
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I Am An Alien - A Missionary Perspective
"Rachel, you've been here almost two years now. How can you still be struggling with that? Aren’t you past that by now?"
Several weeks ago I was hit with waves, one after another, of homesickness, discouragement, frustration over my language ability, and more. It was a perfect storm of circumstances and I started reacting emotionally to things that don’t usually get to me:
- Tears sprang to my eyes during a scene in a movie where best friends were reunited.
- I realized that my second Thanksgiving and Christmas away from family were my new normal.
- I was out with friends and felt excluded from the group as they all sang French songs from their childhood.
- Another time, my friends cracked rapid-fire jokes with their cool slang and witty expressions, while I wanted to scream Hey, I have jokes too! I'm a funny person...just...uh…not in your language.
- I was in a deep conversation with several people and by the time I fully formulated my own super profound contribution, they already moved on to the next topic.
- I was in a weird funk and needed to verbally process all my emotions, but found it too difficult to do in French.
Finally, one weekend it all came to a head. I called a friend back in the US and let it all out. It's hard to feel like I should already be past these barriers. It's hard to realize that no matter how much progress I make, this will never be my culture or language. It's hard to feel like I can't even show my true personality to these people—I'm just a shadow of myself. It's hard to still feel like a child in this culture when I know that in my culture I am intelligent, capable, witty, deep, outgoing, sociable.
But I am no longer in my culture.
In French, to say that you are a foreigner, to say that you are not French, you say you are an étranger, which is similar to the adjective for "strange" (étrange). In the Bible, we children of God are often described as aliens and strangers, and I have never understood that more than since living in another country.
Living in our home culture makes it easy to forget that we are called to live as foreigners in this world. Because we feel at home, we are comfortable in our environment, and we know how to navigate everything pretty well, it's hard to remember that this world is not, in fact, our home.
Yet for me, this experience of longing for my culture where I belong has deepened my understanding of my true home—with Christ in heaven. I must ask myself, Do I long for that as much as I long to talk to my best friend in English and laugh ‘til my sides hurt? Do I long for that as much as I long to get lost in a great book in my mother tongue? Do I long for that as much as I long to have deep spiritual conversations and be able to explain my ideas with precision?
In coming to France I had to willingly give up my rights: my rights of being seen as competent, intelligent, humorous, clever (I am those things, right? Please don't tell me if I'm not). Not an easy thing.
Yet giving up these rights allows me to grasp just a tiny bit more the humility that Christ exhibited in giving up his rights in heaven to become a man (Philippians 2:5-8). He was the ultimate missionary, leaving his homeland where he was rightfully acknowledged as who He is, fully recognized and worshiped as God, to become like us. He had his ultimate goal in mind, and—from his view—what He did on the cross was worth giving up his rights.
And that is why it's worth it for me too, I tell myself.
Yes, it's hard and extremely uncomfortable and humbling. But I believe that the message of the cross is that important. I endure to spread the most important message: Christ came to save people from all over the world.
And on top of that privilege, I get the joy of experiencing more of Christ, in sharing in his sufferings, in knowing Him more deeply.
So yes, being an alien is worth it.
Advice for Young People Who Want to Be Missionaries
(this article was originally published by Jen Oshman)
“I want to tell you something. The other night when I was doing homework in my room, I felt like God was calling me into missions. I think he wants me to be a missionary when I’m an adult.”
A young man in our youth group shared those words with me a couple weeks ago. He’s only in middle school, but his heart has already been prompted by the Spirit to at least consider what a life in missions might look like.
“Do you have any advice for me?” he asked.
What a thrill! What a privilege to plant seeds for missions into this boy’s heart. I prayed for him and about his question for a couple weeks. I wrote his mom an email last night with some ideas. I thought I’d share them here with you, that the Lord may use them in the life of another who may be feeling prompted towards a future on the mission field.
1. Immerse Yourself in the Bible
The best way to prepare for a life in ministry is to know and love the Word of God. Being young does not preclude you from being able to study the Bible! You can dive in at any age or stage of life. I would strongly encourage all Christians—but especially those who feel called to teach or lead in some way—to be fiercely committed to a local church and possibly a youth group, or a small group, or a discipleship relationship, or all of the above. You can’t overdo it on studying scripture and no matter how old or how smart you are, the Word of God will never be fully known to you. I encouraged my young friend to get a good study Bible so that he can overcome hurdles when he comes to them. One thought is checking out the CSB Apologetics Study Bible for Students.
2. Familiarize Yourself with the World
Displaying a world map in your home does wonders for simply reminding you that life is bigger than your own hometown. Maps are somehow inherently attractive—wherever one is displayed people linger over them and examine far away places. Our family had one on our dining room table, under a plastic mat, for years. It kept us at the table well beyond meal time.
In addition to the map, I encourage teens to get a subscription to World Teen Magazine. It is age-appropriate and will broaden your horizons in geography, history, sociology, and current events. Also, making a daily habit to check on the Joshua Project website will increase both your knowledge of and burden for people around the world. The site features a different unreached people group each day.
3. Read Missionary Biographies
Reading missionary biographies will enlighten and motivate any Christian to consider going to the mission field. There’s just something about reading what another person was willing to do for the name of Jesus that spurs us on to good works ourselves. They’re an invaluable resource for anyone considering missions! There are many great series written for kids. We own many of the Christian Heroes: Then and Now and they were perfect for my kids when they were in elementary school.
Other missionary biographies that I have enjoyed are Reckless Abandon, The Story of John G. Paton: Or Thirty Years Among South Sea Cannibals, A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael, and Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God, among many others.
4. Be In Ministry Now
As my husband and I were preparing for the mission field, our missions pastor gave us good advice: dive headfirst into as much ministry as we could while missions was still a ways off. He new we needed to excel at serving and that would require practice. He also knew that it would benefit us to get to know many people in the church, to experience a variety of relationships and needs and learn how to elevate others above ourselves. We washed dishes after church dinners, served coffee, taught classes, you name it. I’ve heard many wise men and women in full-time missions say, “If you’re not willing to be a missionary right where you are, don’t fly around the world to give it a try.”
5. Support Missionaries and Seek Out Mentors
Supporting missionaries, even as a young person, is an effective way to increase your affection for missions. By providing financial support (yes, even as a young person—and it needs to be your own hard-earned cash) and prayer support to a missionary or two or three, you will become invested in God’s work through them. You’ll feel the thrill of investing in eternity and you’ll become more aware of the highs, lows, joys, and sorrows felt by those on the mission field.
As you receive prayer letters and emails from missionaries overseas, you’ll be mentored, in a way. You’ll get a glimpse of their life and have a small taste of what your life might be like if you were to walk in their shoes. Some missionaries may even be willing to mentor you from afar—meaning they may correspond with you by email or snail mail or even Skype with you at times. When we served overseas it was normal for us to engage in conversations with young supporters about our average day, our needs, our victories. Many missionaries are happy to share!
6. Go On Short-Term Mission Trips
One sure way to have your eyes opened and heart burdened is to travel to a potential future mission field and serve there with local national believers or long-term missionaries already there. I strongly caution all short-termers to read and embrace the wisdom of When Helping Hurts. But if you can find a team from your local church that is going overseas to connect with long-term, indigenous gospel work in a meaningful way, go for it!
As young people graduate from high school and even college, I think taking a whole summer or year is a beneficial way to both expose yourself to future callings, as well as to bless those on the field. I think Pioneers’ Edge and Venture programs are two excellent options.
7. Pray
You’re never too young to pray for various people groups around the world, for the gospel to go out to all the nations, and for God to grow you into the adult he wants to use for his glory. Talk to the Lord regularly about all of these things! David Platt says, “God has ordained our prayer as a means to accomplish His purpose in the world.” Don’t miss this vital practice for your good and God’s glory.
And lastly, few postscript book ideas:
Witness to a savior, may France seek The Savior
As Holy Week commenced last week, the nation of France mourned the loss of a savior. The world knows now that Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame died at the hands of a jihadist in Trebes, France, when he exchanged his life for that of a female hostage.
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
The jihadist in Trebes had already killed two hostages and was threatening the life of a third, when Beltrame entered the grocery store, unarmed, and exchanged his life for hers. About two hours later, Beltrame was shot and stabbed. He died in the hospital, following unsuccessful treatment to save his life.
Beltrame’s mother and brother both said they were not surprised by his actions—their beloved son and brother was known for his service to others. “He has always been like this,” his mother said in an interview with the French radio network RTL.
Jesus said, "the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
On Saturday before Palm Sunday, Gérard Collomb, France’s Interior Minister said on Twitter, “France will never forget his heroism, his bravery, his sacrifice.”
As France rightly honors this fallen savior, may the nation be drawn to the Savior. May God himself be exalted in this man’s life and death.
The Evangelical population in France is a mere 1.08%. Further, 29% of the population calls themselves atheists and 63% say they are non-religious.
Pray with Pioneers in Europe for France. Pray that as they laud Beltrame’s gift of earthly salvation for one woman, they would seek eternal salvation available to all. Pray for our workers across the nation—for faithfulness and fruit from their labors.
Pray that the eyes of the hearts of many in France would be opened to the truth that without Christ, they too are held hostage and are in great need of a Savior who willingly exchanged his life for theirs.
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17).
Photo credit: standard.co.uk
May the Light of Life Reign Over the Darkness in Europe
Winters are rough in the Czech Republic. The combination of its northern position on the globe and its cloudy climate make for very dark days. For weeks the sun rises around nine in the morning and sets by three in the afternoon. Thick fog hangs like a cloak on everyone’s shoulders.
There are, though, many sweet traditions that bring light to the middle of winter. During December especially the windows of homes and apartments are brightly lit with candles. Town squares are adorned with strings of lights and towering Christmas trees topped by shining stars. Every square has its own Christmas market, including booths of hot chocolate and warm wine, candles, cookies, ornaments, and local handicrafts. Christmas trees remain standing through January, extending the festive feel well after the holiday. All the traditions bring a cheery glow to what otherwise feels like a damp and dark time.
Christ followers living through European winters can’t help but sense the similarities between the dark physical climate and the dark spiritual climate there. Europe, as a whole, has an average Christian population of only 2.7% (many countries, like the Czech Republic, number even less than 0.5% Evangelical Christian). While the landscape is dotted with churches and cathedrals and crosses, very few believe. In reality, it’s a post-Christian continent with an overwhelming disregard for any religion at all.
But just as the Christmas lights pierce the darkness, so do the Christians in each country. Local believers are a city on a hill, a bright light that inevitably causes others to see their good works and—hopefully, by God’s grace—ultimately give glory to the Father in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16). Indeed, as John says, “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5), so too European Christians are not overcome, though they are vastly outnumbered.
History too bears witness to the link between the spiritual light and physical light of Christmastime in Europe. It is said that during the 1600s Christians burned candles in their windows, in clear view of those outside, so that other Christians would know their brothers and sisters were within. The candle was an invitation to Christ followers to come in and join their spiritual family, to break bread and worship together.
It’s poignant that during their physically darkest days each year, European Christians celebrate the birth of “the true light, which gives light to everyone…coming into the world” (John 1:9). In a very real sense, Christ followers on that continent are “the people dwelling in darkness [who] have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned” (Matthew 4:16).
Across Europe Christmas markets and candle-lit windows are pushing back the darkness of the season. So too European Christians and foreign missionaries move amongst the people shining the light of Christ, saying with their lives, “this is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
Pray that the multitudes across Europe who are now in darkness would be drawn to Jesus, who is the light of the world. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). May it be so from Ireland to Sweden, from Portugal to Ukraine, from Spain to Estonia, from the Netherlands to Moldova.
Hungary - Hopeful Shoebox Blessings
Article by a Pioneers Field Worker - Hungary
On a cold December evening, people unknown to us started coming in the building. Fear, mixed with hope and confusion, in their eyes.
This was months after arriving in Hungary, yet I didn't need to know the language to understand that lack of hope. Families coming in—all looking longingly at the Christmas tree and boxes under it. Nearly all did a self-correction and you could nearly hear them thinking, "What am I doing thinking that we might be getting something like that? Who am I? Maybe someday I can provide one for my child..."
Some came in with coats on or heavy sweaters. Some came in with many layers of shirts. Children's eyes would glance again to the tree, to the presents, to parents, then to the floor. The church was filling up. It was apparent that people wore their ‘best’ to this event.
The 'service' started. Songs were sung and a brief sermon was given.
One particular family, seated on the side, caught my eye. Glancing at the tree and gifts, then looking at each other as though, "That will never happen to us!" The girl with them would look at the tree and the gifts, but you could tell she was trying really hard not to get her hopes up.
Then the names were being called out—each family was on high alert. I glanced over at the family I had been watching. They looked, then looked down. The girl's first glance was filled with hope, then the realization that younger kids were getting some of these boxes. It looked like she was thinking, "Oh, that will never happen to me. There are lots of people here in the room and lots of kids.”
Other families whose wee ones did receive a shoebox (many from local donors, often wrapped) would gasp with delight. Sometimes you could hear a bit of the paper being torn, however, most were just savored (they received one of those boxes!) or set aside by the parents to avoid temptation.
All of a sudden the family on the side sat up as though they got a brief jolt—her name was called! Could it really be? "OH, HURRY! They may change their minds! Go get your box!"
She tried to look as calm and collected as befitting her age, but the edges of a smile couldn't be denied. As she sat down, they were touching the box and the paper and ribbon as though they couldn't believe it was real. The parents glanced at each other in awe. They watched their daughter gently stroke and touch each and every part of that box. Hope did not die! She really received a box!! This box had her name on it!
A look around the room revealed many smiles—a rarity in Hungary. There were bits of giggles too
Later, the people started walking out of the church, placing the treasures on the family bicycle to be pushed home. Hope walked out the door with them as well.
Pray for the Crisis in Catalunya, Spain
Pro-unity demonstrators wave Spanish and Catalan flags during a protest in Barcelona. REUTERS/Albert Gea
By a Pioneers in Europe Field Worker
Catalunya, one of Spain's 17 Autonomous Communities (as they are called - each community has certain authority to govern within their region under the Spain constitution) is seeking independence from Spain to become a Republic, and have recently officially declared it! This has driven the government to disband the Catalunyan government and begin the process of installing their own (under article 155 of the constitution).
Sadly, this has had some negative impact on unity between Evangelical believers and churches, so we invite you to join us in prayer for Spain and the churches and ministries involved.
PRAYER:
- Please pray for the Spanish government to make decisions with proper respect for their authority and responsibility, and that this situation would bring an awareness to them of their impotence and need for a sovereign God.
- Please pray that God would allow this disruption at a national level to ONLY reach a point that unsettles people to consider where their trust, security and ultimately their identity lies. Please pray that local Evangelical churches would answer that clearly by proclaiming the true gospel and the impact it has on their lives and this situation.
- Please pray for unity between Evangelical Christians and Churches who have been publicly divided on this issue in recent months, that they will have, and display, a God-rendered unity that will serve as an example to Catalunya and to the rest of Spain.
Why would anyone attend Messy Church?
One Pioneer family in the UK has been hosting Messy Church every second Sunday of the month. The service is indeed messy—it includes crafts, conversation, and food and attracts families from the neighborhood who do not otherwise attend church. At Easter four Muslim families attend Messy Church, along with several other local families. The Pioneers are baffled as to why the Muslim families attend, but they are praising God.
Pray that the Pioneers would have wisdom and boldness to help illuminate the differences between Islam and Christianity, as they see a trend in the community to minimize religious differences. Please pray that Jesus would shine brightly through this Pioneers family!
Ministering to Muslims in Manchester
Pioneers in Manchester recently reported that when their team began prioritizing prayer about two years ago, ministry really began to open up to them. They confessed that prayer seemed to unlock an openness in hearts of the Muslims in their midst. A primary way that Pioneers are reaching out to Muslim-Background immigrants is through both food and a book stall at a local market. The food and Christian books draw an interest from Pakistanis, Saudis, Iranians, Jordanians, and Kurds. The Pioneers in Manchester have been thrilled to see roughly 50 Muslim-Background believers attending Discovery Bible Studies each week. Please pray for ministry in Manchester, as in northern Manchester alone 10 mosques exist and an 11th is under construction.