Vision Trip Memories

Wow!  Can it seriously be one year ago that we were heading to Lyon for our vision trip?  At times it's amazing that time has flown by so fast, and at other times it seems as if time is standing still. 

Our vision trip was designed to provide an opportunity to get to know the Lyon City Team, the ICCL church family and the city of Lyon.  It was important to have a taste of what it will be like to live in France as a family.  Although the first 24 hours seemed overwhelming for the kids, they soon were won over by the ICCL church family.  We were so thankful for the timing of the church weekend retreat at the start of our time in Lyon.  God knew it would be important for the kids to connect with others.  After 10 days in Lyon, all of our family felt a peace about moving to Lyon and working with the Lyon City Team and the International Christian Community of Lyon.

Now, 12 months later, we continue soaking up all that God is teaching us, and we are so grateful for His leading, confirmation and strength.  This scripture passage in Colossians says it so well:

As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that He has for us.

Colossians 1:10-12 (MSG)

Since we miss Lyon and long for the day when we will begin our ministry there, we thought some pictures could give you a glimpse into the heart of Lyon and the Lyonnais people.

At the Lyon airport, having just arrived after many hours traveling from Chicago.  Side note:  All 4 kids are now TALLER than Chris!

So thankful the kids connected so quickly to the families from the ICCL at the retreat our first weekend in Lyon.

A couple filling up their water jugs along the street.

One of the many Catholic churches now boarded up and closed.

Many Christians were tied to the post at the far edge of the ring and beat to death because of their faith while many watched. 

With only 0.2% Evangelicals in Lyon, many churches are mostly enjoyed as tourist stops.

Yikes!  We got off the bus one stop too late!  Had a nice (long) walk back to the DiGenas' house!

Street view in Lyon

Our trip to McDonald's with "Refuge" - the young adult group from the ICCL

Please pray with us that God will provide a way for us to return to Lyon yet this year.  May God's Spirit lead many to partner with us in this ministry!  If God is challenging you to give to His work in Lyon, we'd love to hear from you.  Click here to learn more!

Answering the "Why?" :: Part 3

Continuation on God's leading from Part 2...

"I don't think the way you think.
The way you work isn't the way I work."
God's Decree.
"For as the sky soars high above earth,
so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
and the way I think is beyond the way you think."

~ Isaiah 55:8-9, The Message

After all the closed doors to serve in U.S. churches, we shared with the kids about the possibility of missions and asked their permission to pursue this avenue... we received a 75% blessing at the time. :)

1. We reviewed possible options, which led us to talk with Mike Davis of ReachGlobal.   He shared about many Western European City Teams, but thought we may match well with the Lyon City Team in France.
2. We then skyped with Mike DiGena, the Lyon City Team.   What an amazing conversation, and we were so amazed that our gifts and abilities were so complementary to their needs.
3. So... after much prayer, we began the lengthy application process with ReachGlobal, enjoyed multiple interviews, and was amazed when we were invited to the weeklong Readiness Event in February 2011.   There were actually quite a few times through this process that there were "yellow flags".   We really weren't sure if we'd get a "Yes" at the end of the week.
4. God opened the door in AMAZING ways by providing a "Yes" at the end of the Readiness Event, along with an invitation to join the Lyon City Team!

Almost two years had passed from the initial move of God's Spirit within us until THE DOOR swung open leading to Lyon, France!   Even though we never considered moving, let alone all the way to Europe, we know God has directed our steps, and we will continue to walk in faith.

Answering the "Why?" :: Part 2

He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join Him in the work He does,

the good work He has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. 

~ Ephesians 2:10

As we sensed that God was asking us to return to full-time ministry, we logically thought that meant working in the local church in worship ministries.  He had obviously chosen that road for us for our first 17 years of marriage.  So, as we began praying for guidance and open doors, we then followed our own "logical" steps.  We searched for openings in churches within driving distance of our home.

No openings.

We talked with the kids about how God was working in our hearts and prepping them for the possibility of a move.  We searched for possibilities and then sent out Steve's resume to quite a few churches in the midwest. 

Closed doors. 

We then questioned God a bit... "Do you really want us to move further away?  What about our house and the poor housing market?  What about the kids' great school and amazing church support?"  We searched for possibilities and then sent out Steve's resume to quite a few more churches throughout the entire U.S. 

Again, closed doors... actually, it seemed like they were locked & sealed.  Seriously.  

We sent resume after resume.  

Nothing.   Nada. 

So, again we waited and wrestled with God to know what steps to take next.  We knew that missions was always a "future" possibility, but struggled to consider it now while the kids were still in school.  Who would choose to pull their kids out of school and move them half way around the world?

Rock Bands, Jumbotron Screens, Buckets of Tears and Oodles of Money

According to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, there are 1,414 megachurches in the US.  A megachurch is defined as a protestant church that sustains an average weekly attendance of 2000 people or more in their worship services.

The largest megachurch in the US actually has an average weekly attendance of 43,500.  Our next door town, Nappanee, has a population of just over 8,000, and our own church, Nappanee Missionary Church, is on the list of megachurches with over 2,700 in average weekly attendance.  We were actually kind of shocked to see our own church on this list, because we never hear anyone talk about how many people go to NMC.  I don’t think it’s a  ‘badge of spiritual honor’ to the leadership.  We’re just grateful that going deep in your spiritual walk and being ‘fully committed’ is a much stronger emphasis than how many people are in the seats.

We have no convoluted notion that the amount of megachurches in any given country is somehow the sign of spiritual health.  Even the secular world is suspicious of the concept:  "Rock bands, jumbotron screens, buckets of tears and oodles of money", they write. But it is interesting to note that in all of France, there is only 1 megachurch, which is located in Paris, and their average weekly attendance is 2,000.  There are only 2.4% evangelicals in the entire continent of Europe.  Only 2 of every 1,000 people living in Lyon profess to be evangelical… that’s 0.2% of 1.6 million people.

I don't know that France needs more megachurches, but I do know that there is a great need for Christ’s love and grace in Lyon.  Pray with us that God will continue to soften hearts to Him!

Reflect and Resolve

Can you believe it's 2012 already?  So many people are setting resolutions for the year.  Have you set yours yet?  I've not been too good at completing resolutions in the past so the past few years I haven't even bothered.  Sad, I know.  It just seems easier; that way I don't fail.

In 2011, God directed us to ReachGlobal and led us to the ministry openings in Lyon.  As we took each step through the process, we trusted God would open the right doors along the way.  We are so excited and ready to begin serving in Lyon, France with the Lyon City Team.  To get the "green light" to go, we must be 100% funded.  That means every person or family who God is stirring to do something more will join our team as financial/prayer partners.  It's so exciting to realize that the Lyon City Team will NOT consist of 4 family units but rather it WILL consist of 600-800 family units partnering together to reach the lost and hurting in Lyon!  Isn't God so cool?!

This past year has been filled with many emotions - fear, excitement, discomfort, anxiety, joy... on and on.  Emotions (mostly negative ones) often want to control our actions when we know that life is so much more than our emotions.  Philippians 4:5-7 helps to remind us to pray and praise instead:

"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

So, what resolutions am I setting for 2012?  Well, here's what I've come up with:

1. Worry less
2. Pray more
3. Praise God for all He provides
4. Seek God
5. Spend more time with God
6. Learn what He is trying to teach me
7. Trust Him completely
8. Move to Lyon! :)

Romans 4:4-5 hit me this morning:

"If you're a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don't call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it's something only God can do, and you trust Him to do it—you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked—well, that trusting-Him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift."

Only God can bring together our partnership team!  This is a difficult lesson to realize, but is also quite encouraging.  We know we don't have the ability to do this in our own strengths.  Our ministry partners are sheer gifts that only He can provide!!!

What are your resolutions for 2012?  How is God working in and through you?  Will you pray with us specifically that God will provide all of our needs so we can begin serving in France in 2012?

Mythology or Reality?

"Impossible," uttered the university student petulantly. He had just been challenged with the idea that Jesus rose from the dead. But for him, this was a mere mythology to be dismissed like any other.

The latest news from Lyon is an update from a recent event that was held in the city.  As one of the missionaries writes, "The goal of this event was to introduce people to the New Testament as a historically reliable account of the life of Jesus."  Over 50 people attended, some of which still don't have a personal relationship with Jesus.  A guest speaker gave a presentation followed by a time of Q&A.  Great conversations were held afterwards with those in attendance.

Pray for future events like this one.  The next one, scheduled in early December, will focus on science and the existence of God.  A professor from Paris with a PhD in Philosophy of Science will present a case for the existence of God at this event.  Please begin praying now for those who will be in attendance, that God will soften their hearts and open their minds to Him!

Holiday Prayers...

We are praying God will provide 100% of our financial budget so we can begin ministry in Lyon, France by the summer of 2012. Please join with us in prayer that each financial partner that God is speaking to will take action now to reach Lyon with the Gospel of Christ!

Being ReachGlobal missionary candidates, God has placed us in an organization that loves to effectively prepare their staff to serve in cross-cultural settings. Our final training session before departing for the field is 3-pronged - two online courses (each 6 weeks long) followed by one onsite, 8-day training session in Minneapolis.  The training in MN is only offered two times per year - April & October.  We are aiming to attend in April 2012.  The online courses that prepare us for the April course begin in January 2012 (only 3+ months from now).  We need to have 50% of our financial needs committed by the end of December to be able to begin these courses.  We will then need to be at 75% by April to be able to attend the final onsite training session in Minneapolis.  Otherwise, our departure date will need to be moved out further to the end of 2012.

We would ask that you join us in specifically praying what we'd like to call "holiday" prayers...

• Pray that 57 new financial supporters will make commitments and begin giving by this Christmas 2011!
• Pray too that an additional 34 new financial supporters will make commitments by Easter 2012!
• And, pray that the final 33 supporters will join the team by Memorial Day 2012!

God is at work all around us! He is working in...
...the lives of so many in France who we will one day we will meet, interact with and share His love
...our lives, preparing us for life & ministry in France
...others' lives, preparing them to join the Lyon Team as prayer partners & financial partners


Is He working in your life? What is He asking you to do?

Lyon Remembers 9.11.01

In an effort to keep up-to-date with some of the news from Lyon, quite a few months ago I clicked the "like" button to follow the posts on the Facebook page, Lyon Info.  This afternoon they posted a link to a news article paying tribute to the lives lost ten years ago.  How neat to think that countries all over the world are also remembering the many lives that were lost that day.

Thanks to Bing Translate, this is what the article roughly says:

Lyon à l’heure du 11 septembre (translated: "Lyon at the time of September 11")

"10 years after the attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center New York, Lyon pays tribute to the victims and their families. Several events are planned in the City Hall and Tête d'Or Park.

The consul of the United States in Lyon Mark Schapiro and Gérard Collomb will preside over a ceremony to be held Sunday, September 11 at 14: 30 at the Memorial of the the human rights of the Tête d'Or Park. In parallel, an exhibition in a tent installed near the entrance to the door of the Rhone children invites to relive events each and press published aulendemain of this disaster.

The Town Hall, two light beams projected into the sky, the nights of 10 and 11 September will represent the two towers of the World Trade Center. Then, for these events, a concert carillon will be given Sunday 11 p.m. at City Hall. Proposed XXIII carillon Festival and performed by American carillonneur John Courter, it will be dedicated to the memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11. The national anthem of the United States prior to this concert. Admission is free, and chairs will be installed in the courtyard of City Hall."

Here's the link to the actual news article:  Lyon-a-l-heure-du-11-septembre

Catching up with the ICCL

The International Christian Community of Lyon (ICCL) is a group of worshipers from various countries and cultures around the world who now live in Lyon.  This community welcomes all walks of life no matter where they are in their spiritual journey.  It is this church plant that we will be ministering through worship ministry.

After having a few weeks off during July, the ICCL enjoyed a casual gathering at Parc de la Tête d’Or at the end of July.  The ICCL family at Parc de la Tête d’Or

Then to end the summer and kick off the new season for ICCL, they enjoyed a BBQ on the church grounds at the end of August.  The ICCL Kick-Off BBQ Pics

Even with the little time we've spent with this great group of people, we long to be back with them and to begin ministry with the ICCL.  Continue to pray that God will work all things out in His time.

If You Come to the Party, I'll wave a Flag

I remember waiting on the front porch of our home on Linwood Avenue on July 4th one year while growing up in California. This was going to be special! Our family friends were coming over for the afternoon and evening to swim, eat and 'do' fireworks. My middle brother, Marc most-likely provided the fireworks for his little brother (he was always doing nice things like that for me), and no-doubt mom had been working hard getting the food ready. I can't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure it would have been her amazing chicken for the BBQ, or her even more amazing shish kabobs. There's good reason to suspect that we would have already worked hard cranking the vanilla ice cream, and it would have been hidden in the chest freezer (with the squeekly lid--that darn parental-alerting-lid that would announce when we were stealing quick pre-dessert time tastes). Everything was ready. The house was clean, (yes, my room too), and Dad would have made sure that the pool was spotless, the breezeway was swept, and the 'cool deck' around the pool was washed down. Everything was perfect. Yep. And so, there I sat. Waiting. Waving my little American flag. Hoping they'd come soon, so that when they came in the driveway I could mark the perfect beginning to the perfect party for the perfect Independance Day.

I'm like that, you know. I really do like things to be perfect. And so I waited for a perfect two hours. Burned in my memory. It might as well have been 2 years. Two hours is a long time to wait when you're trying to make sure that you're ready to wave the flag, just right when they drive in the driveway. But arrive, they did, and I think I did wave the flag. At this point I can't remember, and I suppose that's the point--so much of my life I live in this realm of "wouldn't it be perfect if?", and it never is. I'm learning to live with the reality more than the perfect these days. 45 years later, I'm getting pretty good at it. I’m learning how to trade my perfect for His perfect.

In the days following our acceptance with ReachGlobal, we were told that God would teach us so much during this time of support team building.  They spoke the truth. We do seem to be in the fast lane of all that God wants to do in our hearts and minds as we journey toward Lyon, France. Some of it is amazing. Some of it is painful. Some of it is humbling. Some of it is I'll-never-go-back-life-changing.

I suppose one of the hardest things so far is coming to the realization that the journey won't be ‘perfect’ by any stretch of the imagination. And so we've had to put away our 'wouldn't it be perfect if we were able to raise the support needed in a very short time and make it all fit in our neat little world?' tendency and come to grips with the actual reality that we are now looking at being here for another 12 months.

Although we would love to packing, sorting and doing all the steps needed to move to another country, we are not yet near that part of our journey. ReachGlobal has lots of great training requirements for each family unit heading to the field. We’re not able to attend some of these training events until we have a certain percentage of our support raised. One of these crucial sessions is meant to help prepare us for the cross-cultural changes we’ll face on the field and are best attended as close to departure to the field as possible. There are 12+ weeks of online sessions that lead up to this 10-day live session, which is only offered two times a year. Due to the current level of our support, we will not be able to attend the live session until next April 2012. With this in mind, we’ve decided the kids should stay and complete the school year.

It’s hard for us to live in two worlds – continuing our jobs & schooling here while preparing our hearts & minds for serving in France. At the same time, we’ll just trust in HIS perfect plan:  Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and He will establish your plans. (Prov. 16:3)  To choose His way over my way reminds me of a song that we used in a Christmas production a few years ago

"If I had my way about it..." 
If I had my way about it I'd dance in grassy fields and fragrant meadows.
I would rise up in the morning to hear the robin's lovely melody.
I would live in the wide spaces far away from hurting places
I would bear a cross that asks much less of me.
I'd never sail in troubled winds or on the raging seas
If only You had left it up to me.
But if I'd had my way I might be wading through the rivers
When You wanted me to walk upon the seas.
And if I'd had my say with all of my wants and whims and wishes
You know how weak, how shallow I would be.
If only You had left it up to me.
And if I'd had my way about it I would only know Your majesty and glory.
I would pass my cup of sorrow to someone far more willing to receive.
I would pen the grandest phrases, I would sing such lofty praises
I would sail above my own humanity..
The wounded would never die and hearts would never bleed...
If only You had left it up to me.
But if I had my way I might be wading through the rivers
When You wanted me to walk upon the seas.
And if I had my say, with all my wants and whims and wishes
You know how weak, how shallow I would be...
I trust Your wisdom over mine because You've proven over time
That in my narrow way of seeing things I leave the best behind sometimes...
I might not have stayed close to You, Lord
If I'd had my way.
http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0050410&

I'm trying to give up my way for His way.  It seems to be better.

Morgan's Final 4-H Project = A Salon Print

It's Morgan's 10th year in 4-H.  Wow!  Where has the time gone?  We remember how exciting it was to have our first child begin 4-H.  Her first year included projects in food, clothing, fashion revue, and sheep.  As a 10-year 4-Her myself (Chris), it was quite fun to live back in my home area during the kids' 4-H years so they could also enjoy the 2nd largest county fair in the U.S. - our very own Elkhart County 4-H Fair!

With Morgan spending much of her summer in Thailand, she decided to not show sheep this year.  So, the easiest project to complete was to turn in a salon print... one single photo that she took in the past 12 months.  It seemed most reasonable to turn in one that was taken while in France.  Here were some of the top choices:

Which one of these do you think we should pick?

Well, Morgan decided instead to send us a cute picture of a couple pre-schoolers in a local daycare that they've enjoyed helping in a few times while in Phuket, Thailand.  I'm guessing you think I'm now going to post that picture, huh?!  Sorry... if you'd like to see the picture and you live in the area, visit the ECCC building at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair and look for it.  After the fair, we'll post the picture along with some other cool Thailand pics.

Did you know?

• French is spoken officially in 33 countries; second only to English, which is spoken officially in 45 countries

• France is geographically the largest country in Western Europe

• France’s total population is 62.5 million; 32.5 million French people

• 101 different people groups live in France

• 77% of the people groups are either unreached, least reached or nominally reached

• 78% of the population lives in urban settings

• Lyon is the 2nd largest city in France, behind Paris.  1.8 million in metropolitan area; 1.5 million in the urban area; 500,000 in the city of Lyon

• France is a post-Christian, post-modern society

• Islam is growing in France, now over nine million

• Catholicism has been declining for decades; many Catholic churches are now simply boarded up

• Many French will say they are both Catholic and Atheist

• There are only 0.2% Evangelical Christians in Lyon

• Less than 10% of the people own a Bible and 80% have never even handled one

Despite this challenging environment, missionaries have made a difference in France.  The number of evangelical churches has doubled over the last thirty years.  Pray with us for many in Lyon who are lost… that their hearts are softened, minds are open, and lives– with Christ’s saving work – will be transformed!