Hello everyone—and to our American friends, Happy Independence Day weekend!
We hope you are doing well and enjoying this summer season. Here is a little update on what is happening here in Paris.
We’ve experienced some special times of grace, definitely the honeymoon period of our new progressive merger with the Daumesnil church. All of our last Sunday sermons have become impromptu (excellent) Bible studies on Church Unity and conflict resolution. At a pastoral fellowship, we heard the Elders of Daumesnil express their gratitude for our presence, and we were even more blessed to see that the whole project made the headlines in the Perspectives newsletter!
It’s exciting to see the Lord put the pieces together in response to the prayers we’ve offered over the years. We all know the days of trials will come, but it is a sweet moment to celebrate what we are experiencing, and we want to thank you for your prayerful participation.
Another highlight of the month was last week, when we had the Friperie Solidaire (our free thrift store outreach); it was great because not only does it provide a need in the community, but it also provides a relational moment for people to spend time together. At one point, we went for a walk around the block, inviting people off the street to come in and take a look. We were surprised at how many came! It was eye-opening for the whole church; they loved it so much that they asked if we could do it again next week.
Some may have heard on the news that we had a massive heat wave, with record-breaking temperatures. Becky had a great idea: go to the church during worship practice and set up a Bible stand with cold drinks. She printed out signs that said “Get refreshment here”; it was such a great moment to minister to people in the neighborhood. People took gospels and tracts, had great conversations, and most likely set the stage for the free thrift store the next day. Now that she no longer teaches class on Saturday mornings, we are going to see if we can’t continue to combine our efforts in this new exciting way.
Many of you are wondering about a timeline for our return to the States. We’ve been talking about this with Mounir and Perspectives. At this moment, it looks like we will stay until we go back for our daughter Emma’s wedding in November. During all of this, we have been showing our apartment regularly and seeking the Lord about where we are to go next. The US is not the same place we left, and though we are so thankful to be able to go back and minister to our own people, we are also feeling the loss of leaving this beautiful work we have built. It hasn’t been an easy journey, but it has been fruitful.
We can feel your prayers; please continue to pray! It is essential that we navigate this season well, both for the local church in Paris and for where the Lord is calling us to next. Please also pray for our finances; we have bills that we need to catch up on, and will have moving bills as well. We know this may be a big ask, but please consider supporting us for some time after our transition. Hopefully we can find employment quickly; our goal for Mike is to find a pastorate before we arrive, because we understand we will need to completely start over. We also understand that we don’t have a re-entry program for missionaries returning from the field with Calvary, so we are trying to figure these things out as we go. We have been contacting missionaries who have gone through this process, gleaning from their experience and wisdom. Thankfully, the Lord has given us many friends and contacts who have encouraged us through this process.
May the Lord bless you this weekend! Thank you for your prayers and support.
In Jesus
Mike and Becky Dente