The last week and a half in Paris has looked very different from the first week and a half. Ministry has looked a little different. We had the opportunity to help prepare a new temporary refugee camp that housed 500 people. It was a positive thing that 500 people now have beds and food and are off of the streets, however, as they were moved around we lost contact with some of the people we had met in Porte de la Chappelle. Gaining access to the camps is not always easy. Some of the other teams have been able to go into the camps and spend time with the refugees and do activities with them. Our team returned to parts of the city that new refugees were said to be congregating, but a few of those leads did not pan out as we had hoped, and we have not been able to find a stable ministry opportunity. We have made contacts in other areas of the city, in the park by our house and on the Metro. We also got the opportunity to join Emily Spencer’s team (emilyspencer.theworldrace.org) to work with victims of human trafficking.
The human trafficking ministry was not easy. The women are almost all from West Africa, and are brought to Paris with the promise of work and a new life. In reality they are tricked into a life of prostitution and live in fear of their pimps. We went into parts of Paris where prostitution is rampant and walked the streets. The women in each group would look for opportunities to approach the girls and try to talk to them about the hope they can find in Jesus Christ. Some took to this happily and were excited to read the Bible together, others just had a look of terror on their faces, afraid to talk with anyone who was not bringing in money. The guys would trail behind praying and keeping an eye open for danger. The streets were very busy and it made it difficult to tail the girls from our team because there were eyes on us at all times. I was approached by a man who asked if I was a cop, I said no, but he kept talking to me for several minutes. When our conversation finished the girls were out of sight. They had met some girls and were sitting on a side street talking with them about our ministry. Another group of our girls was told that we need to leave, so we did. This was difficult for several reasons. One glaring reason being that we do not have an answer for them or a way for them to escape this life. Other difficulties were not knowing which eyes were watching us on the street, and worrying that the prostitutes may get in trouble for talking to us while working and possibly putting their lives in danger.
We have also worked a lot on building bonds within our team. It took us a few sessions, and quite a few hours of discussions, but we decided on a set of values that we would like to embody as a team throughout the course of this year. The values we chose were:
FREEDOM:
Galations 5:13 “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use this freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love.”
PERSEVERENCE:
Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great crowd of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
ADVOCACY:
Proverbs 31:8-9 “Speak us for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Galations 6:2 “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
FUN:
Ecclesiastes 8:15 “So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.”
Well I guess that’s it for now. We leave for Spain this week, so pray for us as we begin the second month of the race. We will be hiking The Camino (the Way of Saint James) Pilgrimage so pray for safety on the trails and for many opportunities to meet new people and spread the good news!
