In This Issue

• Sing for Joy in His Protection
• New Season in Relationship

Sing for Joy in His Protection

I'm grateful for life after being outside the Stade de France on Friday, November 13. The match between France and Germany had begun, and Céline's brother David and I were on our way toward the stadium when we heard an explosion. David remarked "That was a bomb!" I replied calmly that it was probably just a celebration and I wondered if France had already scored.

Another explosion followed, and then we saw innumerable police vehicles screaming past us toward the stadium. We arrived at the stadium gate as a crowd was forming, wondering why they were no longer allowing anyone inside. Soon police moved us away from the gate, telling us there was danger and that we could not enter the stadium. At that point, we decided to return to David's apartment and watch the end of the match there. We heard a third explosion shortly after leaving and rushed to the train station to leave the area.

Thank you for your prayers for this city and country in the midst of tragedy. Although we may face scary moments, God is with us. My prayer is that those who do not know Jesus yet would see and experience His peace and love through us as we live rejoicing under His protection.

New Season in Relationship

Je vous présente Céline (Meet Céline)

Céline and I decided on October 27 to pursue a relationship toward marriage. In many ways, she has become my closest friend in France over the 23 months that we have known each other. She’s pursuing a degree in retail management with a desire to specialize in marketing. She has 9 siblings who are around the world from Congo to France, and she speaks French, Swahili, and some Spanish and English. She has lived in Congo, Tanzania, and France, and she's excited to return to Africa, particularly to join me in Senegal. We greatly appreciate your prayers for wisdom and grace as we continue to talk and dream together.

We met in the hallway of the foyer on my very first full day in Massy, unable to communicate anything more than a quick “Bonjour.” We met again later in the week in the kitchen and I learned she was from Congo-Kinshasa. As my French progressed, we were able to converse more. She, along with other non-Anglophones around the school gave me motivation to communicate in French. I discovered that she was trying to learn English and decided that I would try to help. The more we talked, the more we wanted to talk and spend time together, and we learned that we shared similar passions for travel, music, prayer, media, Scripture, and serving others. We cooked together, shared many meals together, and I invited her to Hillsong church events (small groups, worship nights, hikes, conferences). She also invited me to events with her small group and a couple times to dinner at her brother David’s apartment north of Paris.

Last month, she joined me for a hike with a Hillsong group and then we attended a relationship seminar together the following weekend, which was a catalyst to talk about deeper things, including our growing interest to pursue marriage. Since then, we’ve been able to share some additional special moments together, and we're planning to spend Christmas together with my relatives in Germany.