The Community Center

In my last newsletter, I shared about wanting a creative way to connect with a young girl who attends my English class outside the community center. This past Friday, we ended up talking about video games, and she asked if I’d like to play with her sometime. We exchanged numbers, and on Monday we were able to spend time together. I truly feel that the Lord has placed her in my life for a reason, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to build a relationship with her outside the context of the community center. Please be praying for her (I’ll call her XU) and that I would have opportunities to share the gospel with her. We are getting together again next week and I am excited to continue to get to know her more! She is from China, but has been studying in France for a long time now.

I also had the chance to briefly share the gospel during one of my English classes. Moments like that don’t usually come up unless they happen naturally, but this time one of the students (I’ll call him FD) asked if this weekend was Easter. When I said yes, he followed up by asking what Easter is. That opened the door for me to explain it, framing it as a holiday people celebrate, in line with the community center’s guidelines around discussing religion.

FD then said he didn’t know anything about it and probably “wouldn’t be good at religion anyway.” I simply responded, “I think that’s why people celebrate Easter.” I then explained who Jesus is and the difference between religion and a relationship with Him. The rest of the class listened, and FD responded, “Well, I’m not changing my mind today, but maybe one day in the future I’ll be more interested.” It felt like a genuine moment of connection, and I’ve been noticing that people in my class are becoming more open.

A few weeks ago, I was teaching the difference between “should” and “would,” and I asked if there were any regrets they would want to change in their lives. I did not expect the question to go very deep, but many of them opened up about addictions, family struggles, and challenges with education. They shared real and difficult experiences they wish they could change. In the moment, I felt a bit overwhelmed by how intense the conversation became, but looking back, I am so grateful that they feel safe and comfortable enough to share these things with me.

When you enter a space with the simple intention to love and serve others without expecting anything in return, something beautiful can grow from it. Jesus calls us to serve with no strings attached. At times in missions or ministry, it can be tempting to look for visible results or immediate change after investing time and energy. But there is only so much I can do at the community center. I came in simply wanting to serve, and now I am beginning to see the trust and friendships that have formed.

I may never see these individuals step into a church, but they have had the opportunity to hear the gospel in a natural way that I believe God orchestrated. They are also experiencing who Jesus is through being loved and served without expectation.

Please continue to pray for this space. At the end of the month, I am planning to host a meal at the community center, and I am excited to see how God continues to use me in this space. Most of the people who attend my English classes are French, and sometimes when I tell others that many people here do not recognize the name of Jesus, have never heard the gospel, or have never met a Christian, they find it hard to believe. While France was once culturally Catholic, today less than 3% identify as Christian. FD is just one of many people I have met who has never heard the gospel before, and I may be the only Christian he knows.

\This is why missions matters, and why it is so important here in France. After His resurrection, Jesus said:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20)

Missions matter because it is a direct calling from Christ. It is because of the resurrection that we have new hope, and we are called to share that good news with everyone. Your support, whether through prayer or finances, is part of fulfilling this Great Commission. Because of you, FD and six others had the opportunity to hear the gospel.

I am so grateful for these opportunities and for the people I have met who have become so important to me. They may not yet know how deeply they are loved by God, but my prayer is that through loving them, they would experience the love of Jesus in a real and personal way.

Café Franglais

I would also love prayer for Café Franglais! Every Friday, I have the opportunity to host a language exchange, and recently three girls have been coming consistently.

Two weeks ago, one of the girls (I’ll call her AM) asked what Easter is like in our different cultures. Another girl, J, shared that she does not really believe in God but finds the idea interesting, and she talked about the different foods her family eats. A third girl, A, who is from Spain, explained that they have large parades where she is from, but she does not know what it means, does not believe in God, and said it is not important to her.

She then looked at me and asked, “Is Easter important to you?” I told them that it is, and I shared about my relationship with Jesus briefly and why Easter matters to me. I tried to keep the conversation natural and low-pressure because I could sense she felt a bit uncomfortable.

The following week, AM shared that she had been looking for churches, which opened the door for me to invite her to our international church. She was busy on Easter, but she said she would be interested in coming this week, which is really exciting. I also invited J to church after she expressed curiosity, which is encouraging to see.

Please be praying for Café Franglais and for these conversations. It is amazing to see how God is moving in such natural and unexpected ways!

Language Learning

I also had the opportunity to more clearly explain the gospel to my tutor. I stopped taking lessons with him in 2023 when I moved home and felt like I needed a break. With the recent changes to visa laws, I have had to take learning French more seriously again, so we recently started meeting again.

My tutor is French but currently lives in Korea. We have talked about God in the past, but during our most recent lesson he showed a new level of curiosity about Jesus and mentioned that he has never really been taught anything about Christ. It felt like a meaningful shift in our conversations.

Please continue to pray for our lessons, that I would be able to communicate the gospel clearly and with wisdom. We meet on Mondays, and each class usually begins with the question, “What did you do this weekend?” which naturally gives me the opportunity to share about church.

I was a bit nervous to start lessons with him again because I could not really remember where we had left off relationally, but I am grateful that it feels like nothing has changed. In fact, he has been asking even more questions about religion and Jesus than before. Please be praying for him (I’ll call him B) and for our conversations moving forward.

Thank you for reading my update and praying for me!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Wherever you are in your journey today, know that Jesus loves you deeply. I am so grateful for the cross and the sacrifice He made so that we can have eternal life. I also think I will always wear orange on Easter in honor of my dad. He is no longer here on earth, but because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, I have the hope that I will see him again in heaven.

I am praying for all of you, and I hope you are enjoying the sun, the flowers, the birds, and the new life that comes with spring as much as I am.