From March 8th to the 18th, 2008 a team of 12 people (9 senior high students, 2 college students, and 1 adult) ventured across the Atlantic to the mountains of France to serve God by serving Thierry Mirone, the Director of Youth Ministries for France Mission (an evangelical network of churches in France).

Ministry: There were three components to our trip: “Hands-on service,” teaching/encouraging two French churches and their youth groups, and an exploration of God’s call on our own lives to serve Him in the context of world missions. For the “Hands-on” component, we sought to refurbish an apartment and two meeting rooms at the Centre d’Enseignement du Francais (www.temanet.org/cef), an evangelical French language school for missionaries before they depart to their new homes (many in Africa, with several in France). Duties included scraping off old paint, filling holes, applying caulk, painting walls and radiators, staining doors, ripping out an old ceiling, and replacing it with a new drop-ceiling…whilst busting out our best dance moves to the funky rhythms supplied by the never-ending supply of iPods. It can certainly be said that Dana Smith is the essence of hip-hop!

During the evenings, we would eat with different families in their homes, which was absolutely one of the highlights of the trip. During these times with the families (Franco and Anglo), we enjoyed true biblical koinonia (fellowship), engaging in conversation about life in France as a Christian, sharing our testimonies informally, and learning where God was calling different families (the Anglo ones) after their time at the school was complete. We truly felt like we were immersed in gads of different cultures…and with that immersion came the call to pray for the missionaries’ future work, even as we began to ask if God might be calling us to the same or similar fields of ministry.

Added to our experience was the opportunity to teach at/serve alongside two different FM churches, one in Albertville and one in Bourg St. Maurice. We co-led the youth group at Albertville, which consisted of games, testimonies from the students (French and American), praise, and a talk about having a missions attitude/mindset. At Bourg, we co-led the worship service (32 people packed in the Pastor’s home…amazing!), with the focus of the morning being the exclusivity of Christ for salvation. We then spent the afternoon around a meal and ice skating in the Alps with the Bourg youth group. It is always great to see several cultures come together, with our differences disappearing in the light of the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Vision: Thierry was the Director of the Champfleuri Bible Camp (near Grenoble) for seven years before taking on the youth pastorate at Albertville. This church has become the base for FM youth ministry throughout France. Lord-willing, Thierry and a growing network of ministry colleagues (of which our church is one) will implement a three-fold vision for FM youth: 1) Instillation of a systematic approach to discipleship; 2) Instillation of “biblical formation,” which is an intentional, intensive teen-based Bible school/camp; and 3) Instillation of a missions attitude/mindset. Our trip was one of the first steps towards implementing this three-fold vision. What an honor in the grand scheme of what God is doing in France!

The Highlights: There are several wonderful moments during these types of trips. Two seem to stand out. First, the youth group at Albertville, with whom we only spent one evening, has been invited to come to the US to serve with us in and around Reading…and they are praying about this possibility. Second, several of our team members have begun talking about studying overseas in preparation for a life on the missions field. Others have mentioned having a larger view of God’s world, saying that even if God does not call them overseas, they know they are to have His vision for the world. All of the other highlights are listed below in the blogs from our time in Albertville. Que Dieu vous benisse (May God bless you)!

Downtown Albertville