Stories from France
Special Note and Summary: During the early 2000s, my wife and I wrote, and submitted three articles to Beth Moore, her team, the International Mission Board, and Integrity Publishers who published our stories in Voices of the Faithful: Inspiring Stories of Courage from Christians Serving Around the World, in 2005. We were honored to share in the project along with nearly three-hundred other missionaries with the International Mission Board (IMB). The book was filled with Scripture, brief missionary experiences from across the globe, and guided prayers encouraging the reader to courageously discover their role in being a difference-maker. I would encourage you to search and purchase your own copy of the book if you can find a vintage-edition.
Source and Gratitude: Moore, Beth. Voices of the Faithful: Inspiring Stories of Courage from Christians Serving Around the World. Brentwood: Integrity Publishers, 2005.
During the early 2000s, President of the IMB, Dr. Jerry Rankin and his wonderful wife, Bobbye, led our global family of international missionaries with prayerful wisdom and profound love. All of us were touched by how both could recall our names, the names of our children, and our personal stories with tremendous detail. Every time I reopen my edition of this Voices of the Faithful, I relive one of the most exciting phases of our lives!
The stories start here . . .
Confessing Jesus Before Others by Tony Lynn
Page 185 of the book, dated June 3
"Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven." Matthew 10:32 (NASB)
Ali (ah-LEE) glanced to his right and then to his left to make certain that no one was close enough to hear what he was about to say. He then leaned forward and whispered into my ear, “I've been a Christian for three years. I have been keeping it a secret from my family in Africa and my friends here in France.”
I was shocked, and my reaction showed! And I had just presented the gospel in my personal testimony to Ali minutes before. Here we were, two foreigners standing in the middle of a French open-air market, and Ali stunned me with his secret. “Why?” I asked.
Ali explained. “Years ago, a Christian friend led me to Christ in Senegal just before my arrival here in France to work.” Then with the look of shame he said, “I was afraid that if I told my Muslim family about my newfound faith, they would take my wife and children from me. I was afraid that I would never be allowed to see them again when I returned to Africa.”
Ali regularly fellowships with Christian believers in France as he worships, prays and studies the Bible. He now says, “My strength is getting larger. I think I am ready to declare my faith to my family in Africa when I return. But I am still afraid of what might happen.”
Declaring our faith is not always easy to do, but as Christians, how can we keep silent?
Tony, Western Europe
Father, may I never be ashamed of confessing you before others. Give me courage when I need it. Give new converts from strict religious backgrounds the boldness to declare Jesus to family and friends. Amen.
Straddling the Fence by Tony Lynn
Page 298 of the book, dated September 9
“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NASB)
One morning after my devotion, I felt the Lord directing me to enter an apartment building in France where hundreds of West African Muslims lived. Armed with the video of the Jesus film in an African language, I went from floor to floor asking strange strangers if they wanted to see a film in their tribal language. Time after time, each man turned me down. I thought to myself after the fourth floor, Lord, I thought you called me here today.
Finally, four men from the largest nomadic group in Africa warmly greeted me. They refused to believe that I had a video with people speaking their African language. However, when the tape started, they laughed aloud like schoolboys. They called out to their friends who were passing by their doorway. They said to their friends, “Come here Jesus speaking our language. We can understand his message.”
Since then, Djibril (gee-BRILL), one of the men most deeply touched by the gospel message, has testified often, “When I heard the words of Christ, something in my heart moved. I could not stop watching the video. I knew I was hearing the truth.”
These four men are hesitant to embrace Christianity. They and other Muslims want the assurance of salvation and the sense of belonging they discover in Christ; however, they hesitate if it means losing their sense of belonging in their old community.
Do you hesitate in giving Jesus your whole life? He wants it all and calls us to follow him.
Tony, Western Europe
Father, may I not hold back anything from you. My desire is that you are the Lord of my life. Help people groups who have immigrated to Europe to follow Jesus when they hear the gospel message. Amen.
Comforting Those Who Grieve by Jamie Lynn
Page 362 of the book, dated November 1
I walked up the dimly lit staircase, taking time to avoid the debris. Rolled up mattresses and tattered baby strollers were scattered throughout the stairwell. I could hear people on the other side of the thin walls speaking unfamiliar African languages. “Lord I'm relying on You,” I repeated.
Normally my husband accompanied me into the lower-income apartments of France, but he had another engagement. Nevertheless, an African Muslim immigrant in Paris needed me.
Days before, she had suffered a miscarriage. After being released from the hospital, she needed friends to surround her as she worked through the grief. I had been invited to spend the day with her and her lifelong friends from her village back in Africa.
Together, we attended to the woman's needs. We sat together. We took turns leading the conversation. We ate lunch together in an African manner. A colorful tablecloth was laid on the floor, and we sat and encircled around the common platter in the center. With our hands and large spoons, we shared from the dish, just as we were sharing my new friend’s sorrow.
Throughout the afternoon, I prayed with my friend, Alima (ah-LEE-mah). I reminded her of God's compassion in time of trouble. I offered her promises from the Bible that would build upon what she already had learned through our previous Bible studies. Yet I can't help but think the most important thing I did that day was that I simply took the time to be by her side and to share her grief.
Jamie, Western Europe
Father, may I never be too busy to share the sorrow of those around me. Whether it's bringing a meal, making a visit, or holding a hand, help me to minister to others who are grieving period I pray that missionaries across the world will be able to do the same today. Amen.
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