God’s mission in France

Our Paris mission team has all arrived back in Rogers now and we want to give a final update on the mission trip to the Turks.  The end of the week was extremely busy with late, late nights and so we didn’t get an opportunity to post here.  So, let us fill you in now on the happenings!

On this trip we spent a great deal of time encouraging our Turkish brothers and sisters in Christ to walk strong in their faith and to persevere — whether that be in taking the next steps to grow a church, as the Antioch family is doing — or to continue without having any support from brothers and sisters in Christ, as Omer and Shukru and Elif are doing. 

In turn, all the Turkish people we visited — the church in Brussels, Leyla’s extended family, Leyla’s sister, Fedva; the Antioch family, Omer, Shukru — challenged and encouraged us by their example of boldly living their faith and boldly sharing their faith with whomever they come into contact.  Leyla’s sister, Fedva (who traveled with us), shared with everyone along our way – waiters, the clerk in the grocery store, the muslim bathroom attendant at the Louvre, people on the subway, the young Turkish couple who took our picture at the Arc du Triomphe, etc…  In fact, the muslim bathroom attendant at the Louvre only spoke Arabic and we only had the Jesus film in Turkish.  But, she gladly took the DVD and said it didn’t matter, because her neighbor speaks both Arabic and Turkish and they would watch it together and the neighborhood would translate it for her!  So, two people will get to see it instead of one!  Only God could arrange that!

On Wednesday we rented a 7-passenger Renault mini van and drove 4 hours one way down to Digoin, where Shukru, his wife Elif and their two children, Hayreah (girl, age 3-1/2) and Ali (boy, age 16 months) live.  Shukru got off work at 5 and we were to arrive at 4:30 to visit with Elif and the children and then be there when he got home. 

We had an address, but didn’t know exactly where their apartment was located.  A lovely older French woman on a bicycle was so helpful in pointing us in the right direction and then we saw a map of the city by the side of the road.  Gary P. got out to look at it.  Then, imagine our surprise, when the rest of us saw Elif and the children standing outside their building just a few yards away! Gary P. said that it hit him that what God was trying to say to him was “Gary, why do you need a map?  Open your eyes!  I brought you right to them!”

They were so thrilled about us coming that they had been outside waiting for us for an hour and a half!  Elif shared with us that she had been feeling very sick, but when Shukru came home and told her that we were coming, she immediately felt better and began to prepare for our visit.  She said it was a great encouragement to her that we would come to see them.  Their neighbors are all muslims and they have no spiritual support, except from each other.

Elif had prepared a typical Turkish meal for our supper that night.  Delicious!  The Turkish way is for the hostess to serve your plate for you and to never let is get empty!  We were stuffed and she still tried to get us to eat more!

For about 5 hours that evening we visited, laughed, cried, shared scripture, took pictures, ate and encouraged each other.  Shukru is doing Bible study by correspondence with our IMB missionaries in Germany who speak Turkish, and now is going through the book of Genesis. He shared that he spends a great deal of time in Bible study.  He is eager to grow and mature in Christ.  He was so thrilled that we came, and shared prayer requests with us of his desire to grow more in the Lord.  They have cleared one hurdle with the French government, but there are still complications and barriers to being able to stay in France as refugees.  Please pray that all hurdles will be cleared and they will be granted citizenship.

Shukru and Elif shared about their friends who were denied asylum by the French government.  This couple and their children were sent back to Turkey and were met at the plane by Turkish authorities who seized the husband and took him away.  To this day his wife and children have no idea where he is.  They are fearful that he has been killed.  Of course these kind of examples are so scary to Shukru and Elif.

We left their home about 9 or 9:30 p.m. and drove back to Paris.  We did fine until we got almost back to our hotel.  Then we couldn’t ever quite get there because of all the one way streets!  We drove around Paris for an hour and a half — passing the Louvre, the Pantheon, the Seine river many times!  It just got funnier and funnier as we knew where the hotel was, but just couldn’t get to it (kind of like the movie “Groundhog Day”).  Finally we found a parking garage and just parked and walked — at 3:00 a.m. in the morning!  A crazy adventure, but one that bonded us as a team!

The next day Gary visited with one of our IMB missionaries, Terry Wilbanks, and then we met Yusef at the Antioch Brothers restaurant.  We ate there and then took the train out to where they live, south of Paris.

All the extended family met us at their new church building for a time of worship.  They are now meeting in the facility of a evangelical French church.  It is a beautiful building and they have lots of room to grow. 

Our worship time with them was moving as they sang with drum and tambourine and worshipped with eyes closed and arms raised high to the Lord.  Then they shared scripture and testimonies and prayed with great fervor and emotion to the Lord — all in Turkish.  They were eager for us to share a word from the Lord with them and so Gary P., David and Gary B. took turns challenging and encouraging them to take the next steps as a church — to recognize a pastor who is a servant leader, to reach out to the community as a church, and to trust in the Lord.  It is their vision and ours, that they would soon fill the 500 seat auditorium in their church building.

After worship and teaching they asked us to gather in their prayer room and pray for each of them individually.  We had the privilege of praying especially for Yusef as he leads out as pastor and for his wife, Rami as she is his helpmeet.  Others in the family had us pray for their boldness in sharing Christ, their growth in the Lord and for some who are experiencing illness. 

We reluctantly left them in time to take the last train back to Paris, arriving at the hotel about 1:30 a.m.  All of us agreed, however, that both late nights were than worth it as we experienced God at work.

The Lord showed us so much during this week.  We saw God’s hand throughout the entire trip.  God is at work among the Turkish people in France and we believe that we are seeing the beginnings of a church planting movement among Turks from Assyrian and Armenian backgrounds (like the Antioch family) and among Turks from Kurdish/Muslim background (like Omer and Shukru and Elif).  That is our prayer — that God would raise them up and that they would continue to reach out to their own people and that many, many churches would be birthed in the coming years. 

We are so thrilled that the Lord is allowing our church to have a small part in birthing this movement and we encourage you to pray about what part the Lord would have you play in it!  It will take us all working, praying, giving, going, encouraging….

Blessings and Greetings from our Turkish Christian Brothers and Sisters in Belgium and France,

David & Misty Porter, Gary & Nancy Peevy, Gary and Tammy Bailey