MARSEILLE, france
On Monday we set out for Marseille. We had a beautiful drive along the coast of France driving through towns like Cannes where the famous Film Festival is held. Very exciting!
When we finally reached our destination after quite an adventuress drive through the old town we arrived at the “Gym.” Where we found out that we would all be sharing the same mattress, but not just any mattress! It was the gym’s main workout mat. We were all very excited to be in such tight quarters! It was definently an experience of a life time. That night we had pizza and a great time of worship preparing ourselves for the last leg of outreach.
Tuesday we met up with the youth pastor of the church we were going to be working with over the next few days. He took us on a tour of the Old Port and told of the different spiritual strongholds that they are fighting against in the city. After a nice lunch we headed back out to the Old Port where we were provided with a sound system to do Street evangelism. It was an awesome experience for everyone on the team. To once again see how proclaiming the name of Yeshua draws people. Later that night we were treated to a wonderful meal at the Buffalo Grill!
On Wednesday the team had a bit of free time, while a few of the team members went to be apart of a Sunday School that reaches out to Arab children in the slums of Marseille. Even though the children couldn’t speak English it was still so amazing to be able to impart the love of Yeshua through a smile or a hug or just letting them sit on your lap.
That night the city was hosting the annual music festival in which we were privileged to participate in. It is a day set apart where anyone that wants to can play music on loud speakers on the city. We were able to draw crowds through abandoned worship before the Lord and the girl’s dance. And where there’s a crowd there is opportunity to share the gospel! One after another we saw the people’s countenances change and their hearts open as we shared of the love and hope we have in Yeshua. By the end of the night we had seen three salvations and hundreds of seeds planted. We were also able to encourage many American navy and Marines who were on leave for six days. We were honored to speak words of life and appreciation to ones who so faithfully service the US.
On Thursday we had a nice relaxed day which we all needed after going hard for two days in a row. We had a nice little picnic on the Harbor down at Cassis where many of the students enjoyed a nice swim in the ocean.
Later that afternoon we drove to the artistic town of Aix en Provence for a French meal complete with French wine and dessert. A perfect end to a perfect day!
Friday morning before we began the long journey home we went to the Jewish quarter of the city to help evangelize with another group of people that hand out free books about Yeshua every week!
This began our 14 hour drive to the Prague airport that was, thankfully, cut in half with a short overnight stay at the wonderful Villa Emmanuel again. Usually the goodbyes don’t begin until after we get back from outreach, but this year they began a bit earlier as we said goodbye to two beloved classmates, Denyse Lanter and Estee Zimmerman. Goodbyes are always bittersweet but we know the Lord has great plans for both of them so it wasn’t too hard to let them go and for many we will see them again one day.
At six o’clock on Saturday morning we were all loaded up and ready to go. We traveled through France, Switzerland, Germany and then finally Prague. After a 5 hour flight and a 1 ½ drive up the mountain to the base, we were all very pleased to see our beds! Ending an amazing, power packed outreach!
A quote from Catherine Booth of the Salvation Army is how we began our journey into the nations of the FIGS. “Oh Lord, fill us with this love and baptize us with this fire! And then the gospel will arise and become glorious in the earth, and men will belive in us, and in it. They will feel it’s power, and they will yield to it by the thousands, and by the grace of God, THEY SHALL!!!” This prayer has truly become a reality as we look back on the past weeks and we can testify to the power and greatness of the manifestation of God in the earth. We are all forever changed by this experience and know that this has become a lifestyle for us and not just “outreach.”
