Today’s update comes from Rebekah Levander and Jonathan Cortez. Both are May 2023 graduates of Pensacola Christian College. Rebekah shares about our morning touring church plant sites and Jonathan writes about our travels on the road so far.
Rebekah’s update:
Today, we departed from Camp Arc-en-Ciel and said goodbye to our wonderful new friends, the Livingstones.
We had the privilege of visiting Eglise Protestante Evangelique where the Knickerbockers serve the Lord faithfully. We toured the church and heard about the various ministries they are involved with. They have a printing and distribution ministry that sends out tracts, discipleship materials, and various Christian resources.
Afterwards, we visited a second church plant that the Knickerbockers have started in the city of Aubusson. This is the first Gospel-preaching church in this area in many years. We shared an enjoyable time of food and fellowship together for lunch. Then, Pastor Knickerbocker gave us a tour of the building that was purchased for the church plant and explained the renovations that they have planned for their place of worship and fellowship hall. It was encouraging to hear that the Knickerbockers were donated the money to purchase the building and had additional funds for the desired renovations. It was a blessing to see the Lord’s hand of provision for the Knickerbockers and the Livingstones and their ministries here in France.
Jonathan’s update:
So far, we have driven from Barcelona to Camp Eben-Ezer in Girona, Spain, then to Camp Arc-en-Ciel in Larodde, France, and finally to Méry-sur-Marne near Paris, France.
Our total driving time has been close to 14 hours so far and has been a tremendous blessing on this trip. During this time, we have been able to get to know our team better and it has created some wonderful fellowship. Between playing games and sleeping, we have been able to share our salvation testimonies and talk about different issues Christians face. It is a blessing to see the struggles other Christians face around the world and encourage each other on this trip. Another blessing has been working with two French university students, Jonathan and Matthieu, from Pastor Silberstein’s church. My van was able to host Jonathan and we were able to learn some French and discuss the spiritual issues that face France. Although driving for many many hours may seem like a chore, it has been a blessing to have good Christian fellowship with new people and truly understand the country of France.
Up Next
We arrived this afternoon in Méry-sur-Marne which is about an hour outside of Paris. Tomorrow, we will be in Eglise Biblique Baptist de Paris with Pastor Emmanuel Bozzi. Please continue to pray for safety on the roads, particularly as we will be driving in and out of Paris.