Showing posts with label 2013 France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2013 France. Show all posts

Monday, July 1, 2013

Encouragement on a day off

Yesterday we had an awesome experience on our day off. We spent the whole day in Brugge, Belgium walking around the downtown area. It was a nice time of relaxing after a busy week of work. As we were walking downtown, we took a short break to discuss where we wanted to go. As everyone was conversing, I heard a man over my shoulder speaking in English, with an American accent. So I turned around and tuned into him to see what he was saying. He was definitely American! Dressed in a cartoon outfit and making creatures out of balloons. I began to be engaged by the questions he was asking his audience of five teenage girls. He asked them “Suppose you were caught stealing something out of your neighbors house, and you had to go to court and were about to be sentenced to five years in prison. Right before you’re condemned, someone busts through the door and says ‘I will pay your fine in full!’ What would you do? Would you accept that sacrifice? Of course! I know someone that has paid in full on the cross for your sins. See girls, your sin keeps you from doing good; it consumes you. But Jesus Christ perfectly sinless, died on the cross for our sins, paying the debt in full, and three days later after his death on the cross, he rose from the dead and is alive still today.”
As this man was displaying the gospel before these girls, they were in total awe of what was being said. You could tell questions were churning in their brains and eventually, one spoke up and started asking: How could Jesus do that for me, and how can I deal with my sin?
He continued talking to them and told them “All you have to do is believe in what Jesus did. He is standing at the door and knocking.” The girls kept having questions about Christ and who he was. It was so awesome to see Christ work in this man’s life with just making balloons. As the girls’ questions came to a close, he challenged them to seek God, and pray to Him that night. He told the girls that Jesus would help them. As the girls received their final balloon, they were off and the professional balloon artist shared with us his love for Christ, and how he trusted in Him. He shared a story of tithing to God for the first time even though he had a car that was broken down. After that Sunday, God brought not one vehicle his way, but two. God began to bless this man for his giving heart and relying on him completely. As he shared his story, it pricked my heart in a way that I began to question myself if I trusted him with EVERYTHING. One thing he told us that I will never forget was: “When you begin to witness to others, you will start to find the biggest source of encouragement.” It was a divine appointment that we met this wonderful man on our day off, when we least expected it. God knows just when to send someone our way to inspire and encourage us when we need it most.
Pray for this man as he shares the good news to many people around the world.
Pray that we would be as bold as he.

The group the man was sharing the gospel with

Mike & Brent
Mitch & Geoffrey

Lindsey & Mitch
Brent & Mike

Lindsey & Geoffrey
Blessings to all,
-Mitch

Dieu a bon..... God is Good

Each morning we wake up and begin our Bible study at church, which always is full of encouraging words, time spent together studying the Bible, and intimate prayer. Following Bible study, we break bread with one another having lunch, which consists of some of the best food I’ve ever tasted. French people sure do know how to cook!

After lunch, we work in an apartment that is located above the church. So far we have scraped off old wallpaper, applied plaster to the holes in the walls, primed the walls with a glue mixture, and are placing fiberglass sheets over the walls first before coating them with paint. 

God is doing a mighty thing here in France, and I am beyond excited for the church in the way it is headed, not only physically, but also even more so spiritually. I am constantly challenged by hearing testimony after testimony of people sharing Christ with people around the area and living for Him throughout their daily lives. Please continue to pray for the many who are lost in northern France, as it is predominantly a Muslim area. A quick saying I learned recently in French: Dieu a bon, or "God is good".... and I really can’t say it enough.
 
Working in the apartment
Blessings to all,

-Mitch

Introduction to France co-workers

Hey everyone!
I want to take this time to introduce to you some of my other team co-workers in France.
From left to right we have Emily, Lindsey, Geoffrey (He is a great friend we have met here in France), Brent, and Joe (He flew back home last week.)
Mike

Me (Mitch)


















I figured it would help to put names with faces for prayer support! 










Blessings to all,


-Mitch

Saturday, June 15, 2013

2013 France: Blessings

       The blessings God gives are truly remarkable. Every morning when I first wake up I wonder where I am, and what am I doing in a place I don’t not know.
    Then reality hits me that I am in France, and that I am here to share the good news of what Jesus Christ did for me.
    Shortly after coming back to realism, I am greeted by my dear friend we are staying with. He always greets me in the morning in French with great, excitement “Bonjour Mitch, ca va?!” which translates “Good morning Mitch, how are you?!” After I reply, he always asks if I would like a cup of coffee, and of course I cannot turn that down.
    God has blessed me with the encouragement, and enthusiasm of this man. Hearing his story from how he was a former Muslim, to accepting Christ as his savior, has blown me away.
   God has used someone who has gone through a massive amount of persecution to be one of the biggest blessings in my life.
     Even though it’s hard to communicate to him because I don’t know French, and he doesn’t know English; he is still my brother in Christ.
    These words resonate in my heart, as this is something he says often to me in English “Thank you, Jesus.” This man realizes without Jesus he is NOTHING, and with him he is EVERYTHING. We must come to the realization that Jesus Christ is all that we have. I am beyond blessed to have people like this in my life that realize the persecution is worth it.
I cannot say it enough; IT IS WORTH IT!

Acts 5:41-42

Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

God Bless,

-Mitch

Thursday, June 6, 2013

2013 France Intro


Hey everyone, my name is Mitch and I want to introduce to you the team that I will be serving with this summer. My friend Brent and I will be serving in northern France this summer, along side some other summer missionaries that will sporadically be joining us.
 For us it will be an amazing opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ. I am truly excited to see how God will be working. I want to ask you to take part in the mission with us. Your prayers are greatly needed for our rip and for the ministry we will be apart of. God has given us this amazing opportunity to serve, but without the Holy Spirit leading, and using us, we will accomplish nothing. So far training has been great. I am thrilled to be on the mission field over seas and to see God’s hand at work.
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:34-40
Blessings to all,
-Mitch