One Week Out

Our team

Almost two years ago (October 2014) one week before we left for France, I had mixed emotions: excitement, fear, sadness, and joy.  I was so very thankful to begin this journey, this calling God placed on our lives.  It took us so much longer than I ever imagined to get to this place and I was ready.  I told myself: "It's two years.  We can make it here two years.  And after that, if God calls us back to the states, I will be ok with that."

"I will be ok with that."??

 Fast forward almost two years...we are one week out from leaving our home here in France to spend the summer in the states.  And surprisingly, my emotions are much the same: excitement about seeing friends and family we have missed dearly, fear of the changes that have taken place in us and in those we love since we left, sadness to leave our family and friends here, and joy knowing that we return with stories of all that God is doing in our town here in France, feeling better equipped to raise the remaining support we need to return to France in the fall.  Now I tell myself, "I'm not ok with going back to the states and not returning.  THIS has become home to us.  We long for the day when we will see those we have come to love here, choose to follow Christ.

"THIS has become home to us."

God has affirmed over and over again that this is where He wants us to serve Him and so with that in mind, we look forward to seeing How he will accomplish that and who He will use.  We leave for Memphis one week from today. (We arrive on Friday, May 27).  Here are some ways that you can be praying for our family:

• Preparing to leave an empty house for three months as well as packing can be challenging.  Fortunately, we are still having winter-like temps here, so packing summer clothes shouldn't be a problem.  Our last week is full of seeing friends and wrapping up the school year (we are taking the kids out one month early)
• Flights with 4 littles: We have three flights with an overnight layover in Ft. Lauderdale (we will be staying at a hotel).  
• Noam's health:  Noam is currently having some stomach issues which have been quite literally a mess to deal with.  We are still in the process of figuring out if he has an intolerance to something or if it is just part of all the changes.  Thanks for remembering him as we hope to have it somewhat figured out before we travel.

We have been counting down the days with the kids.  We look forward to visiting with many of you!

Blog Re-Launch!

Welcome back everyone. As you  may know, our family is about to enter a new phase in our journey as church-planters in France. At the end of May, we are heading back to the States to spend the summer raising the monthly financial support we need to continue serving in France beyond our current 2 year contract. Without this support by around summer's end, our time in France as missionaries with World Team will be over. That being said, we fully anticipate returning to France in the fall with World Team and picking up right where we left off. Perhaps you can be a part of this story!

I hope you will take a few moments and check out the new pages by clicking the various tabs above. I tried to answer any questions you might have about what are time has been like in France, what are vision is going forward, and how you can get involved. Don't hesitate to email me (brandon.burch@worldteam.org) if I can provide any further information or if you know of someone that we should speak with this summer!

"20 Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

(Eph. 3:20-21; HCSB)

How Can You Help France?

After the attacks in Paris a little over a week ago, many people (including me) changed their profile picture using a French flag overlay in order to show support for France. #Prayforparis was seen all over social media...

Later, I read an article on Facebook entitled "Why I am not changing my profile picture..."  Basically the author was arguing that simply changing a picture and posting a "Pray For Paris" status is not enough.  I both agree and disagree with this.  I, for one, who am not French but live among the French and hope to share the Good News of the Gospel with them, was truly touched and encouraged by the amount of support that was shown by Americans on social media.  At the same time, is that enough??  What real impact is there to temporarily change a picture or post a hashtag?  Maybe you are one of the ones who is wanting to do more.  Well, you can.  Here are some ways you can be intimately involved in the work in France and help bring lasting change to a people in great spiritual need:

• PRAY- Never underestimate the power of prayer.  If you tweeted #prayforparis, did you actually pray for Paris? Do you know where to start? One great way would be to subscribe to our prayer team by entering your email in the box in the upper left margin. Each month we send out a prayer calendar with specific, timely needs about the work in France. 

• LEARN- Be involved by being informed.  If you thought that there was no real urgent need for the Gospel in France and Western Europe, think again!  France is not a Christian nation. We are praying that God will use this tragedy for His glory and to bring more believers to Himself.  There have already been several instances where teammates have had unusual opportunities to share their faith with strangers in light of last week's events. You can check out this clip and become a spokesperson for the work in France. 

• GIVE-  We are in France on a 2-year assignment because we did not yet have enough funding to come as career missionaries.  So we came,in faith, trusting that God would show us the next step in His perfect timing.  During our time here, we have felt completely affirmed in our calling to France.  We believe God is just getting started and wants to use our family here for a very long time. However, without sufficient funding we will have to come home.  If you have been wanting to do more, consider partnering with us in spreading the gospel in France by joining our monthly support team. There is no greater investment than giving to God's kingdom work. Explore the giving options here. 

• SHARE- Whether you are able to give financially or not, we would ask you to share our story with anyone who might be interested.  Obviously our reach is a little limited from this side of the ocean but you can help by championing the cause.  Maybe you know someone who is just itching to do more? Would you share our blog? Send us a note and we will get you any resources you might need. 

• GO- Maybe you want to see firsthand the work in France... which is to see the darkness here but also to see the light that God is bringing through our World Team France missionaries to reach the lost.  There is our annual prayer conference in June (check out the brochure here), but feel free to contact us any time if you want to visit.  We can almost always work something out and I would imagine that flights into Paris will be less expensive for a bit. ;) 

**Stay tuned for the next blog post where I will share more about this sweet face and how bringing home "Petit Chou" (a temporary nickname) fits into the rest of our timeline...

#nationaladoptionmonth

A Year in the Books!- Looking back and Looking ahead...

October 8th will mark one year since we set foot on French soil.  We are thankful!:

• We are thankful for health (not once have we been to the dr for illness since we arrived which I hear is pretty rare)
• We are thankful for friends.  We have all quickly made friends in our community, in the schools, in the church, through teaching English
• We are thankful for "family".  We have been able to spend time with other missionary families who are also missing their family and friends back home and we have been able to be family to each other.
• We are thankful for language acquisition.  Everyone has made great progress in French.  Brandon has already been able to preach his first sermon and the kids, well...they surpassed me a long time ago! 
• We are thankful for ministry.  God has already begun to work in the lives of several families near us and we are beginning to see potential for long term ministry here in La Neuville D'Aumont.

Eucharisteo! (Thankful!)  God is good!

We feel very affirmed in our calling here in France.  Life is far from easy, but not once have we even considered packing up and going home...not on our worst day.  Does that mean that if we had, our calling would be less affirmed?  Not necessarily.  But we feel this is where God has us, not for two years, but until ???...until He calls us elsewhere.

That being said,we came to France on a two year assignment because that's how much money we had and we are trusting that He will provide the rest of what we need to remain in France long term.  **By we, I mostly mean Brandon is trusting, but I am working on it.  We currently lack about 50% of our monthly support to remain in France and its a large number, a number that scares me to think about.  But if I can look back and see how God has taken care of our family, then I can look ahead and trust that His is taking care of us still, whatever that looks like.

Here is where you can help:

• PRAY- Everyone, no matter how much money you have, can pray.  Pray that God will put France on the hearts of those who might be looking for a place to support financially in ministry, whether that be churches or individuals.
• SHARE- Share our story with those you know who might be interested in joining with us.  We are putting together information on our year of ministry here.  So, let us know if you would like to receive it.
• THINK- If you can think of anyone (church or individual) who might want to receive an email, a call or more from us to hear about our ministry, please let us know.
• GIVE- If you are already giving, we thank you!  If you aren't and would like to know hot to start, let us know OR simply go HERE.  We have people giving as little as $5/month.  There is no amount too small (or too big!).

" Eucharisteo Always Precedes the Miracle"  -Ann Voskamp

One More Loved

God is good.

He brought our family to France to do our part in reaching the nations.

He took care of our children in a time of much transition.

He gave us peace and rest as we adjusted to our life here.

He gave us courage to learn a new language and culture.

He was and continues to be our strength in times of weakness and our joy in times of sadness.

He has called us and He has taken care of us every step of the way.

And now...

He has called our family to take another step of faith.

In January of this year we began the adoption process to bring home a child from China.  We know that the path will not be easy and we don't pretend to have it all figured out, but when God calls, we trust Him.  When He calls us to go to France and it takes us 10 years to get there, we trust Him.  When He calls us to continue praying that our financial support will come in, we trust Him and when He calls us to love a child we have yet to meet, we trust Him.  We trust Him to provide the finances.  We trust Him to provide the paperwork.  We trust Him to show us how to love like maybe we never have before.

We want to reassure our prayer and financial supporters that we are not asking you to give towards this adoption.  We are planning to fund the adoption through grants and other avenues.  We are once again trusting that God who called us to this, will provide the means, just as we continue to trust that He will provide 100% of what we need to remain in France as career missionaries.

We do ask you to pray.  Pray for our family as we continue to serve in France.  We have felt so very blessed to have had about as smooth of a transition as we ever could have imagined.  This kids have started to speak French very well, better than their parents.  We are making many new friends and look for every opportunity to show the love of Christ.  Pray for the child who will join our family, Lord willing, in the near future.  We are just finishing up our home study, so we still have at least 6-8 months before we will likely bring home the newest Burch member.

We thank you for continuing this journey with us and look forward to sharing updates with you as we have them.

God Bless!
"Eucharisteo-thanksgiving-always precedes the miracle"  -Ann Voskamp

Lea's testimony

This is Léa.  She is a member of the church where we are currently serving in Meru.  She gave her testimony many times while she traveled in the states with our teammates, David and Kathryn Lohnes.  Now that we have been here six months, we want to share with you how you can be part of the ministry here in France so that we can see more people like Léa come to know Christ.  We are still in need of monthly support to remain in France beyond this first term.  We welcome you to share with family, friends and churches the work in France.  "France is in desperate need of  people and of the word of God."  Thank you as always for your support and encouragement.

**Please DO NOT share Léa's testimony publicly on facebook, but feel free to share it in person or in a private message with those who may be interested in partnering with us.

Six Months In...

Today marks six months exactly since we got on the plane to leave for France...Here is a recap in pictures of our time here so far.  Thank you for your prayers.  We wouldn't be here without you!

A Light in the Darkness...

So, if we are being completely honest here, I may have complained once or twice (or 12 times) about the lack of sun here in the fall/winter.  I greatly underestimated how that change would affect me.  This week, however, God gave me a new perspective through a good friend.  I was sharing my struggles in this place of physical darkness equally matched by spiritual darkness, something I have never experienced in this capacity before.  Here were her words of wisdom and encouragement to me: 

"Can you even imagine what the Garden of Eden must have been like?!...or furthermore, what Heaven will be like?!...To be constantly showered by the visible glory of God and His beauty and goodness.  That's what we miss when the sun doesn't shine.  Our souls know very well His works are marvelous (Psalm 139:14).  We were never meant NOT to bask  in His glory.  It is utterly dangerous."  

Revelation 21:22-23 says, "I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of the Lord has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb."  This passage is of course referring to the new heaven and the new earth in the end times, but it reminded me that in times of missing the sun, I can still bask in the SON.  His glory is enough to illumine in this darkness.  This week, Le Deluge got a beautiful showering of God's glory...

Most of the surrounding areas had zero accumulation, but our tiny town was covered in a blanket of white.  I believe God knew that our family needed to see His presence here with us. 

Romans 1:18-20: "For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse."

And now, the rest of the wisdom shared with me:

"Michelle, there you are in a nation that seems bleak and dark.  Isn't that when even the smallest light shines brightest?!  YES!  He knows exactly where you are!  And He knows exactly why you are there...to bring light to their darkness!" 

"You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven."

Finally, I want to share an exciting opportunity that I have been given.  Just before coming, a member of our soon to be church here in France sent me an email and asked if I would be interested in taking over some English classes that she had been teaching on the weekends.  I started teaching our second week here.  I started with two small classes of 5 and 6 year olds.  Just before Christmas, I was asked to expand that by two more classes, one of sixth graders and one of two adult women.  I have already begun to see how God can use me through these classes.  Last week, I walked into the house and there sitting on the table was a book about how to talk to your kids about Jesus.  I began to talk with the mom asking questions about what they believe and she shared that they are trying to learn...WHAT?!  I was able to talk about my husband being a "pasteur protestant", and how we would love to talk with them sometime about what Christians believe.  Also, one of my adult students has already begun to open up to me about some family conflict which is pretty much unheard of here where people are very slow to share about personal issues with someone that they do not know very well.  I have been able to tell her just a little bit about what Brandon and I are doing here.  I truly believe that God has a bigger purpose for these classes than just teaching English and I am excited to let His light shine through us.

Reminded of His goodness...

Sometimes you can't miss His goodness, even if you tried!

"So will My word be, which goes forth from my mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11

This is the scripture that we heard in the sermon on Sunday. I, Michelle, took great comfort in it knowing that God has us here, for as long as He desires, for His purposes, which WILL be accomplished.

As thankful as I am to finally be serving here in France, we are still living a life in transition. I knew that would not change as we are still seeking the support that we need to remain here beyond this first term. Still, it stresses this type A planner out just a little to think that I have no idea what lies ahead for us. I'm sure God leaves me in this state partly to teach me to trust Him, always. Though I have heard this scripture referred to many times, I have never really read it, "...and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." God is using us, maybe for many years here in France (I hope so), maybe for a short time. Either way, He will accomplish, not what Michelle thinks should be accomplished, but that which He desires.

Thank you for being our rock and praying diligently for us. Here are a couple of things:

•             PRAISE: A friend from church is moving London and sold us much of her furniture at a great price, so we were able to save on buying everything new.

•             Now, we just need a place to put that furniture. We are waiting to hear about one potential house in our area for rent and are seeking other possibilities. We do think that it may be possible for the kids to remain in their same schools even if we move to a different district close by.

•             Continue to pray that God would put France on the hearts of others. We would love to see some people from BHBC at the Paris Prayer Conference in June. Also, we are looking to expand our contacts, so pray that God would go before us as we approach some new churches with the idea of supporting the work in France.

BEYOND THE HIGHLIGHT REEL...

It was said to me once that social media, facebook, instagram, twitter are like highlight reels of our life.  We rarely show the good, the bad and the ugly...and honestly, I think that's ok.  I would rather show more of the happy moments in my family's life, the ones that I want to remember and less of the drama that everyone knows is present, but no one needs to see.  It doesn't mean that I want people to think that our lives are perfect and that every moment is a happy one, its just that I choose to leave those less happy moments between us and the Lord, and of course the close friends and family who get the privilege of hearing it all.  With that being said, I want to give you, our faithful prayer and financial partners a look beyond the highlight reel.  We wouldn't be here without you and you deserve a closer look at what the reality of life and ministry in France is like so far:

THE REALITY:

Tomorrow marks three months since we moved our family to France.  We came here excited, thankful to finally be here, feeling like we could conquer the wold-and we knew that feeling would not last, but we held onto it as long as we could.  And honestly, things started off very well.  The kids really liked school.  They were starting to make friends, We had David here for a full month to help us get settled.  We had a place to live, temporary, but still it took some of the stress off of us.  Brandon was able to start some classes that were free no less.  So many things to be thankful for...

The longer we were here, the more a little bit of reality set in: It apparently rains every day here in the fall/winter.  So along with the constant cold rain and fog, I started counting how many days it had been since I had seen the sun.  We all started to get sick and miss home a bit.  Though the kids have made friends, which we have praised God for many times, they go every day to a school where they don't speak the language of anyone there.  They sit in a worship service every week where they understand very little.  They are getting grades while trying to figure out what is required of them.  This is especially hard for Karis, who, like her father, is a perfectionist-afraid to speak if she is not sure how to say it correctly.  Micah and Asher are a little less inhibited, but they come home tired, tired from thinking in another language all day, tired from walking to school and back three different times, tired from waking up in the night because they are still unsure of this new place where you live.  We live in a town, not only with zero restaurants, but zero grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, only one little bread machine.  Coordinating meals and shopping and what to do if you get sick on the weekend and you aren't sure where the nearest open pharmacy is, (they only have one open within a certain radius for emergencies) it all makes life just a little more complicated.  We know that we are exactly where God wants us to be, but that doesn't mean that it's easy- I mean, is ministry ever really easy??  I know of a lot of people in ministry and I know that for those families life is not easy, even when you are living in the same town where you grew up.  Life is messy, no matter who you are or where you live.

THE MINISTRY:

Now, a look into our ministry:  I fear there may still be some misunderstanding about the culture of France and how Gospel sharing looks so very different here than what many people are used to seeing on short term mission trips.  Ministry in France is slow.  You do not go door to door handing our tracks and sharing the salvation cube.  There is nothing wrong with this method in some areas of the world, in fact, in some places, it is the perfect way to share the gospel.  Here, however, its all about building relationships.  French people are VERY private.  I was already scolded for pulling out my phone and snapping a few pics of my kids in public places where there were other kids around, in particular the pool where Karis swims with her class on Tuesdays.  They don't talk about private things with people that they don't know very well.  When people ask, we tell them that Brandon is a protestant pastor and their response is either "Ah, Bon?"  which means, say no more...or they ask a few other questions because they are confused about what that means.  Fortunately for us, because we live in a very small town, people are very friendly and quick to invite us to spend time with them which means that our chance to share may come sooner rather than later.  As far as what we have done so far, I would like to share a few things:

We had the privilege of inviting 12 little girls (9 who were able to come) to our house for Karis's birthday party.  Even though there was no presentation of the Gospel while they were there, for two hours, parents felt comfortable enough to leave their children with us.  We were able to strengthen relationships with those families in hopes of sharing more about Christ with them in the future.  These are all people that David and Kathryn have not met, even after living here for several years because our connections are different with young children.  

Our church in Meru presented a presentation of the birth of Christ through the kids.  It might seem like this is just another program for the kids in the church, but I assure you, it was much more than that.  The church reserved a theater in the downtown area and the kids and youth performed with music and drama.  The church passed out invitations to the town and anyone was invited to this free performance.  There were gifts given to all of the children who came.  It was a great event and we had a large crowd in attendance.  Some were, of course, family and friends of those performing, but still, they were able to hear a blatant presentation of Christ's birth and the meaning of Christmas.

On the last day before Christmas break, we sent little bags of sugar cookies that the kids helped make to each of the teachers, assistant teachers, the bus driver, the crossing guard (who also does just about everything around town), and the Mayor's office.  On these cookies, we included a short message of  Merry Christmas along with the scripture Luke 2:10-11.  Although we were a little nervous of whether or not this was too bold of a step so soon, we prayed that it would be received well.  God is using our little family slowly but surely to make a difference here in Le Deluge.  I told Brandon, it has been a weird feeling for me to be so burdened for so many.  After many years of being surrounded by Christians most of the time, I forgot what it was like to really feel sad to see so many people who don't know Christ.  We look forward to the next steps in our ministry here.

HOW YOU CAN PRAY:

That being said, here are some things you can be praying about:

• We are currently looking for a house to rent.  We are hoping to stay in this general area to keep the kids in their same schools.  There are 4 towns in the district, all quite small and not a lot of houses up for rent.  We do have a couple of leads on some possibilities, but nothing set in stone yet.  
• The kids are still adjusting to the language...starting to speak some, but still hesitant at times.
• As I said, the work in France takes time, so one of our biggest needs as it always has been is for more people to have a passion to see the French hear the Gospel and to be willing to support the ministry financially.  It is not ideal for our time here to end after two years, and so we are praying to be fully supported by then, so that we can quickly return to the harvest here.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT (**DON'T MISS THIS!):

Finally, I want to give you some new information on how to stay informed about our ministry.  We have, in the past used our fb profile for ministry updates.  As we are now making new friends here who will often friend us on fb as well, it is no longer ideal to make those requests known publicly.  So, we of course will update the blog and continue to send out newsletters, but I am also starting a closed fb group where you can find ministry updates as we have them.  I will post prayer requests and praises for you to join us in prayer and celebration of what God is doing.  Its called Make Known-France.  Just send us a message if you want to be added to the group.  Our personal fb page will be just that, a place for us to share fun experiences with family and friends of our life here in general.  Thank you as always for your love and encouragement.  We wouldn't be here without you!

November Newsletter

See what God is up to "behind the scenes"...

, May God's hand be upon you and your family! For years, we've dreamed about what exactly it is that God has in store for us in France. It's so exciting to see now bit by bit how God is at work and what may be ahead for our family. I can't thank you enough for partnering with us financially and giving us this opportunity to live and share the gospel in France. I wanted to take a moment to describe what we've seen, beyond the beautiful landscapes and buildings and national monuments, a "behind the scenes" look at where we've sensed God's touch. May the list continue to grow! In the course of a month, we have a French bank account, cell phones, a car, and I learned how to operate the wood burning furnace! And our friend, David, who for the first time in over 30 years has to make a special trip to the states to raise additional financial support, was here long enough to walk us through it all (Many thanks!).                        Our little town of Le Deluge has been very welcoming and accommodating. Additionally, no one has seemed put off when we tell them that I'm a pastor. And perhaps optimistically, I think some even seemed intrigued.   The kids have done better than we could have imagined at their schools without knowing the language and at each school there has been a teacher that can speak English to them when needed.   After the first week, Karis was invited to a classmate's birthday party. There has been another mom that has said we could call her with any questions or problems we had. We've already had the chance to meet families that David and Kathryn may never have had the chance to meet simply because our kids are classmates.   We're also excited about what we've seen from our new church family in Meru. Their love for one another is obvious and they've done much to minister to our family during our first few weeks as well. But what's most exciting is to see their passion for their community and their vision to multiply and expand their reach. I've had the privilege to be in a prayer meeting that lasted for hours and where prayer was the only thing on the agenda. I was humbled to listen as they cried out for God's will and plan to be carried out in the lives of the church. Then last week we were able to celebrate the baptism of two of the youth within the church. We've also had the opportunity to see into our "future." The team in the city of Gisors is about 3-5 years ahead of us on the projected timeline. The have a group that meets together for worship once a month and just recently formed small groups that will begin meeting the other 3 weeks. We spent Halloween with one family in Gisors that has kids the same age as ours, as well as some of their neighbors and friends. That night I sat and listened as one man openly confessed that he wasn't very religious and hadn't read the Bible but had many questions and wanted to know more! "As they've been going" and as they've "lived life together" with the French they gain the chance to share Truth. I look forward to beginning some language study next week and soon being prepared to have some conversations of my own. And as a bonus, if you didn't see this creative outreach telling the story of the Bible using classical paintings depicting Biblical stories from Genesis to Revelation, you should check it out here. Once again I thank you for your gifts, your encouragement, and your prayers. We look forward to sharing with you again in the coming months. God bless, Brandon and Michelle

Grace a Dieu

"Thanks Be to God"

• We arrived in France and are getting settled in what will be our house for the next six months...
  
  
  
  
• The kids made it through their first week of school with no issues.  Asher is still getting used to it, but other than that, everyone is adjusting very well.
  
• We have found a car and will purchase it soon.  Thanks again to our donors who provided a special gift for this purchase.  AND it is an automatic...which is exciting especially for me. (We will still continue learning to drive a manual)
  
• We have begun to make new friends and look for opportunities to share the gospel.
  
• We have worshiped with our church family twice and they are already a blessing to us.  No pictures yet, but we have already been invited to spend Christmas with one of the families.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The French countryside is beautiful.  We are reminded of God's goodness often.
  
• We have continued to have people and churches join us as financial partners since we have been here.  If you would like to join with us as well, we welcome you to be a part of what God is doing in France.  Click HERE for more info.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Going by Giving: Hear From Our Gospel Partners- Part Deux

       I want to open this next guest blogger by simply saying that if you asked me to show you a picture of a "cheerful giver", it would be this woman and her husband.  She has come to me in tears of joy and excitement over the sacrifices that God has called her to make in order to be a part of what He is doing in France.  I am truly inspired by her.  So without further delay...

       "Why do I help support the Burches?  I guess it has to do with my own father who taught us to help others.  He said, "If you see a need, and you can help, you should- don't be selfish."  

       When I was teaching, I tried to instill the importance of giving.  I had the same home room from the time they were in 7th to 9th grade.  The first year, they didn't want to give to anything.  They wanted to spend their money on junk food.  It was like pulling teeth to get anything out of them.  I would remind them that even a little helped.  Some gave more, others gave less-it didn't matter, it added up.  And guess what...there was no less junk food!  By the time they were in 8th grade, only the new students didn't want to give.  The other students themselves talked to them and they gave some.  The students felt good about giving and gave freely.  By 9th grade they were asking me if we could do some other charitable giving.  Our class was known as the biggest supporters.  Other teachers were asking me how I got my students to give.  I guess because I found it important to help from my father's own words and actions.  I was proud of them, but more importantly, they were proud of themselves.  They learned that giving helps others and also makes them feel good.  They learned to give with a cheerful heart.  

But like the saying-"Many hands make light work." so do many donations turn into a large donation.  Phil's mother always said, "People do what they want."  This is so true.

      And isn't that what God wants us to do?  So, we see the Burches need help and we are able to help some.  But like the saying-"Many hands make light work." so do many donations turn into a large donation.  Phil's mother always said, "People do what they want."  This is so true.  They can't give because "they just don't have it".  But then they buy things they really don't need or take expensive vacations....yet, they couldn't even give $10 or $25 a month.  Like my homeroom kids, I bet if you give, you will still buy what you want and take the same vacation.  So, I would encourage you to make this a part of your ministry even if you are not doing it so cheerfully at first.  God will soon bless you with a cheerful heart!"

Faith like a child....

     This "partnership development" phase of our journey, which really is much more than just fundraising, has been challenging in many ways. But it's stories like the one I'm about to share with you that makes me thankful that we get to be a part of it. It's humbling to see how God uses our story to call to the hearts of others, to draw them to His heart for the lost around the world.

     Recently I had the chance to give an update to our church family at Bartlett Hills. I've felt compelled lately not to focus too much on our story, but rather on God's grand design. God's plan is to use all of us, the church, to make disciples from here to the ends of the earth. We're all created by Him, through Him, and for Him. Our lives are His.

     That night, a proud grandmother shared with me how God had spoken to her grandson that morning. I think God began to reveal to this young man how He could use him to reach the lost across the ocean in a place like France. God had plans to use him even now. She told me that he had received some money for Christmas and that he had a small amount left and felt like he should give it to help us minister in France. He had planned on using it to buy a gift for his mom but he really felt like God told him to give it for us! I was blown away to hear about such a selfless act by someone so young. I also felt a little bad about his mom, ha, but she apparently wasn't too upset as she also gave her own gift towards the work in France.

   We're all part of God's big story and He's at work in the hearts of His people. May the example of this sweet family spur us on to find our place in God's work around this world. If you too want to partner with us to reach the French you can click the button on the left and follow the instructions there. To God be the glory.

 

 

Going by Giving: Hear From Our Gospel Parnters

Our blog is titled "Allons-y" meaning "Let's go" in french.  We have always emphasized the fact that we are in this journey together, with our prayer and financial partners.  We wanted you to hear from some of them about how and why God called them to join with us to bring the Gospel to the French.  Thanks to Mike LaRiviere for being our first guest blogger.  More to come over the next few weeks. 

My wife, Judy and I have been tithers and givers for almost all our Christian lives. I’d like to begin by stating that it is impossible to out-give God. We have also learned to trust in Jesus as He opens doors for us to walk through and guides our steps along the paths he directs us to take.


Over a year ago, we heard that Brandon, Michelle, and children were going to go to France where they would be a missionary family under World Team sponsorship. I kind of scratched my head at the time and said under my breath, “God, do you know how many kids they have?” I distinctly heard a deep baritone chuckle from across the expanse of space, and I felt a bit foolish. It isn’t every day that a child of God gets to provide Him with a laugh.


We became interested in what seemed to be a very big step in amassing a sizeable amount of money and a monster challenge in uprooting an entire family and moving off to a foreign country noted to be a difficult mission field. Another thought, “God, Michelle is a mother of three kids, how will she have any time left to do missionary things?” –another chuckle.


A very clear message came to me that I knew was from the Lord God. Give them money. “Yes Lord.” And we did; a sizeable sum. Next message, Give them more money. “Yes Lord.” Another sizeable donation.


Then several smaller amounts were sent to World Team to their account. Still, the Master did not stop with us. I am an author and have twelve books to my credit for sale through Amazon.com. Give them your royalties. “But Lord.” –no chuckle this time.


So now we are sending World team all our royalties. So if you would like to become part of this phase of supporting the Burches, just go to Amazon.com/books and type in Michael E LaRiviere, buy any of my books, and all the royalties go to them and you get a great read.


Jesus is also telling Judy and me to sell some of our worldly stuff and send the money in to help keep the Burches on the mission field. It just doesn’t seem to stop with the donations –and we are having so much fun in giving.


Judy and I will continue to be points of contact and giving for the Burches after they depart for France. One of the donut shops in Bartlett sponsors a pickle jar for donations, and several other small projects are producing funds –not enough, but it all helps.


Judy and I took a year off in support of the Burches as I suffered through cancer and the treatments –not fun, but we are back in the race.


This is all about God sending a family to the mission field, using other families to fund them, gathering a prayer support base, folks to encourage and communicate, and being a part of a sacred, God thing. I have no doubt that Jesus called us to give money, time, and other resources.


All I am asking you to do, if you are not already involved, is to pray that Jesus will let you know what He wants you to do, and then obey. Trust and obey, and you will be blessed immeasurably.


God bless you and keep you under the shadow of His wings.


Mike and Judy LaRiviere

France Friday: $10 Challenge Coffee Fast for France!

A cup of coffee at Starbucks costs about $4.  If you gave up two (and a half) cups of coffee a month, you could give $10 towards what God is doing in France.  As most of you know, we are in the home stretch...getting ready to go.  How long we are able to stay depends on our faithful donors.  Maybe you have been saying, "I can't give much, so what difference will it make?!"  It WILL make a difference.  If everyone could give a little, we could serve in France indefinitely.  If you are able to give more, that's great!  If you've been waiting to see IF we are going OR if you thought you couldn't give "enough", please prayerfully consider joining our $10 challenge!  We appreciate you!

"Trust Me"

"28 And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these."

-Matthew 6:28-29

• When getting a visa appointment turned out to be a bit more complicated than we thought, I heard God say, "Trust Me". 

• When I purchased (with much fear and trembling) homeschooling materials to supplement both the time prior to getting to France and the fact that French schools won't be teaching English, I heard God say, "Trust Me". 

• When I filled garbage bags of clothes to take to Goodwill in the first steps of packing, I heard God say, "Trust Me". 

• When I realized that there was more unknown in the coming months than known, I heard God say, "Trust Me". 

• When my son asked me (again) when we were moving to California, I heard God say, "Trust Me". 

• When my daughter couldn't find France on the maps in her Bible and asked if France was on earth, I heard God say, "Trust Me."

Sometimes, even in my trusting God for the big picture, I forget to trust him in all the details.  God didn't ask me how I wanted to handle our move.  He just reminds me to trust Him, not once, but every day, over and over, when life feels out of control, when I'm not sure of the whens or the wheres.  He reminds me that He's got this, every detail!...and with that thought, the pressure if off, to have everything planned out, to know exactly what the future holds.  All that's left is FAITH in my Creator.