Update Letter #2

Hello again!

First off, I would like to say I am very thankful for the prayers and responses I received after writing my first letter.  They were greatly appreciated! 

Although it has only been two weeks since I arrived in Paris, my responsibilities have doubled!  I am now in the rotation for English conversation as a leader, meaning some weeks I will create the questions for the group and facilitate conversations.  I am now signed up to volunteer with Triniteens (the youth group equivalent for our church).  I think I am the most excited for this ministry.  It is not one interns typically invest in, but seeing how much I love and miss my youth students back home, the intern coordinator (Sarah) made sure to get me connected.  I am also helping with the worship team starting this Sunday.  The worship is typically in English, but a few songs will switch between English and French.  I absolutely love hearing the church sing the lyrics in French (although I have already seen the challenges that come with this when I lead worship as an English speaker).  Multi-language worship always reminds me of Revelation 7:9 and is one of the reasons I love Gateway Worship’s Global Edition of Revelation Song.  I was able to co-lead our Saturday event of Karaoke tonight, but in February, I will lead Coffee Night.  I did not pick this event or sign myself up to lead it, but it could not be more fitting after my job at Bella Latte and with my love of coffee. 

The people who come to Genesis vary in their age and beliefs.  For English conversation, most of the attendees are much older than me, but I have formed relationships with a few of the women.  It is also not uncommon for the women to take on a grandmotherly role.  For example, one older lady from Bulgaria loves telling the young interns stories and even brought us Bulgarian baklava to share.  There is another female in her thirties who is also very friendly and enjoys conversation.  She is a documentary filmmaker born in Switzerland, but she has lived in France most of her life.  She loves asking questions about Christianity and is very interested in people’s personal faith story.  She attends church about every two weeks and comes to most English conversation groups and event nights.  Last week, she sat next to Sarah and me during creative night and was interested in my passion for music and medicine.  She then sat next to us again in church.  She is one of those attendees whom the staff members have befriended and are constantly praying for.  There is another man who comes and believes in some Christian concepts, but is still missing the main point: Jesus.  We describe him as the meditating man because he always wants to talk about mysticism and the importance of meditation in English conversation.  He explains that it is all in the mind and “we can move mountains if we just put our mind to it” and “all things are possible if you believe.”  The Bible does say that the faith of a mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20), but again, the point is faith in Jesus, not one's own will.  After the group ended, Austin (another intern) and I were able to talk with him.  He asked us what we believed, and we were able to share the Gospel with him and invite him to church.  Austin decided to tell him we are leading worship, to which he asked us to sing a song right there in the lobby of Genesis.  This was incredibly awkward amid others' conversations, but we sang him a few hymns.  We are praying he comes to church tomorrow.

Also, if you know me well, you know I love adventures!  I did not know how much “free time” I would have in the city, but luckily I have a few hours every day before I have to meet at Genesis to meander around.  Today, I write this at Amorino, an ice cream and hot chocolate shop.  I have also found a coffee shop nearby called La Strada where the barista’s are very friendly and speak perfect English!  The other day, I had time to wander around the Eiffel Tower (as seen in my picture) and walk the Canal Saint-Martin.  Yesterday was a very eventful day because I was able to walk around the Palace of Versailles with a German girl who is my age.  This is such an answer to prayer as we instantly connected at dinner after church last Sunday.  Sadly, she is leaving in February once her internship ends, but I have enjoyed our time together thus far and look forward to the future.  I am told she is a believer, but I am not yet sure how strong she is in her faith or what she believes.  We walked around with her best friend from Germany, so conversational topics were limited, but I hope to start meeting with her on a regular basis until she leaves.  

It amazes me how open people are to hearing the Gospel, yet how hard it is for them to embrace it as their own.  The French people have a "you do you" philosophy, but it is very apparent how much they are searching for a deeper meaning to life, especially in Paris.  Many people come here broken and scarred from something in their past and are looking for hope and a new start.  They are in desperate need of a Savior who loves them unconditionally despite past hurt.  I have loved my interactions with the Parisians and can already tell that Paris will always be my home away from home.

Prayer Requests:

-Continued prayer for the organization of the Q&A and worship nights (the start date was pushed back to the end of February)

-Prayer for the German girl I am currently meeting with

-Continued prayer for me to find other young women to mentor, maybe in Triniteens (there is also a staff member’s daughter who is 13 years old I may be able to start meeting with regularly)

-Prayer for the documentary filmmaker and the meditating man
-Prayer for the worship team.  We want to see a church revival and leaders being built up in the church.  I have already found a lack of organization, consistency, and passion when it comes to worship and this is something the church is working to meet on and improve.