France - A month later (July)

I returned from my encounter with France just a month ago. A slow learner and slow processor like me needs time to reflect on what I saw and learned. I have been thinking pretty regularly about my time there.

My Favorite Missionaries

I will begin by announcing my favorite France VIE missionaries. They are (pause for dramatic effect) Jerry and Carolyn Moyer. After careful and objective deliberation, I enjoyed them the most though I have two reservations about naming them my favorites. They are my favorites because they housed me and fed me in a manner above and beyond the routine. They took me places and showed me things. Even trips to the market were special as I tagged along with Carolyn. They provided me with a wonderful and comfortable place to sleep. They were a constant source of interesting conversation. We even watched “Treasure Island” together. Of course, sons Peter and Samuel are just reflections of their parents.

I have two reservations in making this announcement. The first is that I will be accused of favoritism by the other personnel of France VIE. That could be a problem because the other people I met could easily have achieved this high honor and it is no reflection on them that they did not.

The second reservation, which is more serious, is that Jerry tried to kill me by overloading me with caffeine. I have decided to overlook this infraction. He was quite sly about his approach. At breakfast, he would, often with Carolyn’s complicity, set delicious food before me. Following that, they would engage me in conversation, usually some very interesting topic which brought dialogue in some depth. As the conversation would get going, he would offer me another cup of coffee that only a French person should drink. Because I continued in the conversation without being conscious of the fresh coffee that had been laid before me, I became overly caffeinated and they accomplished their objective of keeping me awake at night so I could think more about what they were telling me. As you can see, it was a clever and successful plan that worked precisely as they intended. I have graciously laid these pernicious events aside to announce them my favorite France VIE missionaries.

Encounters with People

The people I met, mostly missionaries, are of the highest order. I am sure they would protest and offer evidence of their sinfulness and daily battles with themselves. I have read the Bible and know that they are what they are and their protests probably do not get near the bottom of their depravity. However, having said all of that and granted their protests, I maintain that they are of the highest order.

I watched and listened and found a place or two where the lines were wide enough apart to allow me to read between them and form some impressions.

I saw pretty significant gifting and abilities. Anybody who listens to the old song that missionaries are people who can’t make it at home is pretty out of touch. I saw musical abilities that I envy (I don’t deny my sinfulness either). I saw superb administrative abilities. I saw visionary leadership. I saw beautiful relational skills. I could go on but I will stop there.

I saw commitment. Many of the people I met had been at it for nearly 25 years. That is a long time. The task of the missionary is gut wrenching at times. I can only suppose that because I don’t know what it is to serve as they serve. They have left family behind. They uproot to live in a country where they don’t fit naturally and stay there because God sent them. That is what they want. Not only do they leave family behind but they get left behind as their children graduate and return to the States to do college and get a job. They have settled in to make it work. And clearly God has made it work.

I saw vision. Not only did I meet church planters who are not French by birth, we met pastors and others who are French by birth who have a vision for reaching their nation. They seek to serve at great cost. They are viewed with some suspicion since they are Evangelicals who are outside of the mainstream of the French view of religion. They don’t have a large base of financial support in France that guarantees full time involvement. They are committed to serving God and proclaiming the Gospel in the ways they know. I could feel their enthusiasm and see the depth of their commitment to God’s work. They will “carry the ball.” France VIE has not come to do their work but rather is seeking a place beside them to assist and help them. To assume a supportive role with them is clearly not a misguided effort.

Paris

I am not a well traveled person and as such am easily impressed by what I see wherever I go. Paris is impressive. No building is just a building. Cafes are everywhere. People sit at their tables enjoying their food and drink. I can see the how these cafes became places for intellectuals to meet and dialogue the great issues of the day. You can feel a kind of electricity as you walk along. The narrow car lined streets are a challenge to anyone brave enough to take a shot at driving through them.

While I won’t engage in travelogue stuff because you have seen pictures and documentaries like I have, I will say the sights and sounds of Paris are marvelous - Eiffel Tower - Notre Dame Cathedral - Arc de Triomphe - Champs Elysses. All receive a wow!! rating.

Churches

The churches we visited tended to be small measured by the standards we normally use. But there is nothing small about what is happening. It is an incredible thing, something only God could do, when a community which has no church and few identifiable believers sees a group of people gather to praise and express their love for God through Jesus Christ. That is happening through France VIE and others who are working in France. Believers are coming to Christ and beginning to walk the path that is headed toward maturity.

Approximately 400,000 people identify themselves as evangelicals in France. That is a tiny fraction of the total population. Many think of them as a cult which puts them in the category of strange.