So salut! Eleasa ici. I haven't given any updates at all since arriving in Paris, France, and now thanks to Pastor Tim and his laptop and his purchase of WiFi access here at the ETAP hotel, I can sit down and pour out some of my thoughts & feelings.
There have been so many sights & sounds & smells that have pervaded my senses the past 6 days. I've really loved being in this city. There's the rich history, culture, architecture and life that's so evident here, with all its renowned landmarks. But there's also a world of people in this city.
The first International Missions Leadership Conference has come to an end, and it was an amazing(ly packed) 3 days. Each day started off with an early morning 45-minute bus ride to the St. Maur Chinese Alliance Church in a suburb of Paris, and was crammed with joyous worship led by a team of the local French-Chinese teens, sermons from Pastor Thomas Chan, workshops from Christian leaders in the missions field, testimonies from young Christian leaders, short random showcases of talent to glorify God (videos, solos, a music performance by the kids!) and delicious Chinese meals cooked by the faithful kitchen staff.
I truly thank God for how diverse and creative He is. Whether it's the ways in which He can touch peoples' hearts, to convict, to move or the people He has created and brought together. One of the coolest things was meeting Chinese people who speak French instead of English, besides Canto/Mandarin. There are so many children & teens & students here who are easily tri-/multi-lingual - something that is rare in Canada, at least from where I've been. At the conference, Canadians connected with Europeans from France, England, Norway and Sweden to learn and to be challenged to act upon our convictions in the field of missions. We bonded over food, over laughs, over conversation, over board/card games, and especially during the night-time excursions to several infamous Paris tourist attractions (including the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe & Champs-Elysees, Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre, Notre Dame & the Louvre.)
It was amazing to learn that the steering committee of this conference was completely composed of French students & young adults, led by Pastor Dick Kaan. Their obvious passion and devotion to God shined through in the organization of such a conference as this, with over 140 people. It's significant when you realize that 300 is the size of the largest Chinese-Christian congregation in Paris. And to think that there are 1 million Chinese in France! One of the coolest things was worshipping in music with them, because their worship team displayed such an abudance of joy that obviously had sprung from within, from a neverending Source. All the Canadians agreed that the worship team was so upbeat & energetic - and none of it was forced.
One of the greatest privileges at the conference has been learning from Pastor Thomas Chan (from Montreal CAC). He is a great teacher and preaches with authority. During the conference, he preached 6 sermons on the life & book of Daniel.
Out of all the things I was convicted of from his sermons, was one lesson of the perspective of missions as a PROCESS, reaching on both a group basis & an individual basis. Oftentimes, we think of short-term missions as an opportunity to make a huge impact on the people/church there right away. But what is more important are the relationships that we build with the people or church there, to begin a discipling partnership, that we may build each other up with lasting effect. To not only give of ourselves, but to learn. Not to only be doing, but to be receiving as well. As for the change of an individual person's heart, only God has the power to do that. We trust Him
Missions is also WITHOUT BORDERS. During this conference, Chinese people came from France, England, Norway, Sweden, French Guyana, Suriname, Canada and even the U.S. My language prowess was tested as I spoke much more Cantonese than I had ever spoken at one time before, since most of the European students speak Cantonese more fluently than English. We learned from a Chinese professor who speaks Arabic, an Englishman who is completely bilingual & speaks fluent French, and a Swedish missionary who speaks Mandarin. Here, people are pastors' kids, missionaries' kids, non-Christian family kids, students, teachers, working people. This conference wasn't a world unto itself.
Finally, a last big lesson for me was more like a challenge. Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego say something profound in response to the command to bow down to the gold image of King Nebuchadnezzar.
"O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18)
Will I still be able to put complete trust in God's sovereignty and His timing and plan for my life, even when He says "no" or "not this, not now" to my personal prayer requests? Can He depend on me to be a woman of integrity, to remain rooted in His Word, to submit to Him and obey His commands, even upon rejection for what I had thought was God's plan for me?
That remains in my heart to be pondered upon for now.
I can say so much more about the individual people I've met here & how I've been blessed by them, but I think those things are better left asked of me personally, face-to-face. And of course, a lot of things happened OUTSIDE the conference, which can ALSO be spoken of beyond this blog. :)
Felix & I leave for Stockholm, Sweden for our missions trip tomorrow at 6-ish pm. Please keep us & the rest of the MCAC-ers in Europe in your prayers.
Bonne nuit!
