In Global Stories

What a hot and wonderful summer we had!

The end of June found us in a RAN (restricted access nation) helping our kids* move to a new region. This was our most challenging cultural experience. We’ve always been able to get by with French or English on our travels, but for 2 ½ weeks, we were totally dependent on others. What a learning curve!

Highlights:

  • Getting to hug our grandson for the second time.
  • Observing how fast our kids* are learning a very difficult language.
  • Seeing how God has plugged them into a local family (people of peace) and supernaturally intervened for their visas.
  • Receiving lavish middle eastern hospitality during the festival of Eid Al-Adha.
  • Meeting our ACOP global workers* on their turf and rejoicing in the caliber of people God is sending to unreached fields.

In mid-July, we stopped for 4 days in France to visit a close friend who’s been spiraling into a profound depression since the start of the pandemic. Later in August, we initiated a week of fasting and prayer for him with leaders in France. There are glimmers of light, but he needs God’s radical touch.

Highlights:

  • Praying with saved friends, sharing Jesus with unsaved friends, meeting with the family of a man Bruce is discipling.
  • Finding out that a French businessman wants to support us!
  • We drove to Virginia at the end of July to see our daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. It was a wonderful reunion after a year of separation.

Highlights:

  • Meeting grandson Jeremiah for the first time!
  • Hearing Luke preach for the first time. What an excellent communicator of God’s heart and Word.
  • Finding out that Jayne has been healed of egg and dairy allergies and taking her for her first ice cream!

Autumn plans:

October 6-25 Bruce has agreed to serve as the coordinator of Simply Mobilizing France. He’ll be in France training leaders, catalyzing pastors for mission, preaching, and encouraging two men he’s discipling online.

November 7-12 Bruce is helping lead the first French Kairos Course in the Dominican Republic for Haitian leaders.

Lauren will continue to teach English to businesspeople and disciple a couple of women.

Working with Global Harvest to develop tools and pathways for prospective and existing global workers.

Meeting with Quebecois church leaders, offering them tools for creating missional cultures in their churches and deploying God’s people for the Harvest.

Would you pray for us and support us as we catalyze French-speaking pastors, churches, and workers for the world’s Unreached People Groups?

The Harvest is waiting, but God’s people desperately need to be invited to join Him in bringing it in!

Bruce & Lauren

*Names and places omitted for security reasons