Ten days after the November 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in Paris, a young man came to Genesis, a community center in the heart of the city, to attend a language group. Now several weeks later, not only has his English improved, he has decided to dedicate his life to Jesus Christ.
When Tony and Raeni Roos, Envision Paris site coordinators, first met Mark*, he told his story of moving to France with his family when he was young, after spending his childhood in California. But he needed to get his English back to a better level.
After the language group that night, Mark stayed at Genesis to chat with those who were there. He said he was supposed to be at the concert where one of the attacks happened. But he had decided to stay home, so instead, his friend Jake* went with his brother Sam*.
During the attack, Sam jumped in front of his brother Jake to shield him from flying bullets. Both were shot.
As Mark shared the story, he explained that Sam had passed away and that Jake was still in the hospital. Jake’s family had not yet told him that his brother Sam had died, and they had asked if Mark would tell him the next morning.
Mark was pretty shaken up, so those who were there listening to his story said, “We are going to pray for you.” They immediately gathered around and prayed for Mark to have the words to convey compassion and love to his friends.
Sometime later, Mark attended the young adult ministry of Trinity International Church and then a Sunday service—for the first time in 15 years. He continued to attend language group, where the team also prayed for Mark’s dad who has been ill.
At a recent language group, Mark said one of his dad’s scans that worried the family was just dust on the imaging system. Afterward, Mark met with Pastor Al Clason of Trinity International Church to discuss life and Jesus. Mark decided to dedicate his life to Jesus and start following Christ.
“We are so excited!” Tony said. “This is what we pray for with the events and groups we host each week.”
Pray
Continue to pray for Mark and his discipleship as Tony and Raeni and Pastor Al walk with him in the first steps of following Jesus. Pray also for Mark’s dad as he has a weak heart and is trying to open a food truck soon. “Let’s pray for a family to come to Christ through this [young man],” Tony says.
Serve
Envision Paris exists so teams and interns can serve and minister with the local church while living in community and using their God-given gifts and talents to bring the One True Light to the City of Light. Go to weareenvision.com/paris to learn more about group trips and available internships.
*Names changed