Update Letter #4

Bonsoir!

It has been a while since my last update, which means I have many things to share.  I will again divide each section up with headers.

Question & Answer Night

This was something I mentioned in one of my first emails and asked for prayers.  The team here has also been praying about this for a while now, and we saw a huge success for our first Q&A night!  This night was created for people with questions about Christianity to come and ask them in a safe environment. We did not claim to have all the answers, but we were willing to talk with people and try to explain as best we could.  Although we had about five people come, two stand out in my mind.  One man entered with a list of questions prepared, and it was apparent that he was struggling with legalism.  The other man grew up Muslim but left his family in South Africa to move to Paris and find his independence.  He has been coming to a small group and all the Genesis events, but not church (although he did come once that following week when my roommate and I invited him to come hear us lead worship).  He asks all the right questions and partakes in prayer, even mentioning that he has prayed the prayer of salvation, but he still views Christianity as a religion and not a relationship.  His questions were perfect for the other nonbelievers attending.  One question, for example was, “why did Christ have to die on the cross?”  The leaders mentioned how perfectly the evening flowed and the questions were asked.  I sat in for the first five minutes before I realized it was all going to be in French.  This was not planned, but the attendees were French speaking so it made sense to carry on in their language.  Only two interns were selected to go this night, and even though I couldn't engage in the discussion, my being there was still in God’s plan.  There was a Bible study going on at the same time downstairs, and the man leading it randomly asked me if I would sing and play “What A Beautiful Name” for them.  He heard me sing it at church last month, and the song has become a favorite of his.  Apparently, the timing of the song and lyrics were perfect for what was being discussed in the Q&A upstairs.  I hope next month it will be in English so I can understand the conversations, but it all depends on the group dynamic.  Thank you for your prayers!

Worship

In my last email, I explained that I was given more leadership over the worship team.  I cannot tell you the incredible change I have seen among the church congregation in just a month!  When I first arrived at Trinity International Church, it seemed very outdated and more like going through the motions.  You stand, you sing, you sit, you stand, you sing, you sit, you do the offering, you stand, you sing, you go.  It was the same every time.  During the song, not everyone would sing and no one dared to raise his or her hands in church!  However, I have seen such a great transformation.  It is amazing how the simple act of instructing people to stay standing during the offering, usually our most powerful song, can make a difference.  Similarly, the worship team has been working on song transitions.  Instead of awkward silences between each song, there has been a smooth transition from one song into the next, continuing the flow of worship.  I can see the Holy Spirit start to work in the lives of the congregation.  Recently, we sang “What A Beautiful Name,” and I also asked to do “O Praise the Name” after it.  This song had never been played at Trinity, and I was discouraged from doing it because the congregation wouldn’t sing out.  I was told that it would be awkward to let the crowd sing the chorus alone (my favorite part of the whole song) because they are completely worship leader dependent.  Well, thankfully this was not the case at all.  It is such an encouragement to just stop singing into the mic and to hear everyone singing as one body of Christ!  They had never heard the song before, but the simplicity of the lyrics and tune allowed them to quickly learn it and sing out.  I am so blessed to have a variety of experiences working with different worship teams, and it still amazes me how God worked through past discouragement.  As many of you reading this already know, I experienced a lot of adversity within worship.  I am so thankful that even though I told God I didn't want to be a worship leader anymore four years ago, He did not take no for an answer.  I am grateful for people on the worship team and in the congregation at Summit Church for encouraging me to share my gifts with the body to ultimately bring Him glory.  I look forward to the many things God will continue to do at Trinity International Church.

Genesis Events (Worship Night + Coffee Night)

Recently, we remodeled the kitchen in Genesis to optimize efficiency and to utilize all of our space.  This meant that we had to cancel the Saturday event at Genesis and all the Active English classes for two weeks.  Last Saturday, we opened Genesis back up for Game Night, and we kicked off this weekend with Worship Night on Friday.  There was a great turn out and response.  Thank you to everyone who tuned in on Facebook and responded with encouragement.  I was also solely in charge of my first Genesis event: Coffee Night.  I spent most of the week shopping for ingredients for the team and baking.  Our intern apartment does not have an oven, so we were dependent on other team members who graciously allowed us to bake at their houses.  Come to find out Saturday afternoon, the day of the event, that there was no MeetUp event created.  As I’ve previously mentioned, MeetUp is an app where people can post from different social groups about their activities.  Many of the people who turn up are dependent on the event listing to know what we have going on.  Well, we mentioned it at English Conversation that afternoon (which I was also leading) hoping at least a few people would come, but we had an amazing turn out!  We had a milk steamer, three different French press coffees, a variety of teas and homemade baked goods, and Nespresso.  Not only was there a great turn out, but many of the conversations naturally led to discussions about the Gospel.  For example, I saw a random couple reading our event sign outside, so I invited them in through the open window next to me.  I was unable to participate in conversation since I was running the coffee counter, but turns out they were on their way home.  Our pastor was at the event told them that Genesis was owned by the church, but we used it for the purpose of building community with Parisians.  They were very interested in what we were doing, and although they mentioned they were atheists, they still wanted to understand in a respectful way why we believe what we do and devote our time to the center.  They ended up staying the entire time and mentioned how they would be back next week.  My roommate also had a conversation with a newcomer about Christ that flowed naturally within their discussion.  We are now planning coffee nights more frequently during the week to serve people and have conversations.

Thankfully, after such a busy week, I was able to spend my time wandering around Chartres, France accessible via the Paris transportation system.  Although it was rainy, windy, and even hailed a little bit, the quaint city proved to be restful.

Prayer Requests

-Continue to pray for the worship team and unity among the group.  There is a general consensus that change is necessary, yet there is still resistance to implement those changes.

-Pray for my meeting with a new girl tomorrow.  She is atheist and does not speak English well.

-As to the documentary filmmaker, she has been coming to church almost every Sunday and to every Genesis event.  Sadly, she is moving to Australia for three months in March.  She is so close to salvation so continue to pray for her.
-We have not seen the meditating man in a while, but this could be due to the construction at Genesis and cancelled English groups.  We are hoping he comes back soon.