I have felt remarkably blessed by this church thus far. After being surrounded by a sea of grim faces at the metro station and swarms of tourists speaking foreign languages, it is refreshing to see the smiles of the MLK church. I love the moments we laugh together as I stumble over French and they stumble over English.

Worship is more expressive and fun than I would have imagined in the cold culture of Paris. I have made it a personal goal of mine to attend worship services in at least ten different languages. Hearing the Lord lifted high in another tongue is a little glimpse of heaven. Philippians 2:10-11 states, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” While I am here, I want to know the God who speaks French. I want to acquire his heart for this city. Additionally, singing in French has helped me with my pronunciation and vocabulary.

Tuesday night Bible studies with Pastor Nicolas and his wife Beatrice have quickly become something I look forward to very much. Our lives now in Paris are a taste of what life could feel like when we graduate from ORU. We are not being spoon-fed the word of God anymore, and we feel more isolated and independent here. Pastor Nicolas has helped us navigate this new season, comforted us when we miss home, and rejoiced with us as we discover new parts of God. Something he said that struck me was, “Sometimes we have to go through times that God is not all around us, but inside of us.” I am thankful for this church and will certainly miss it when I leave for the EON internship.