July 14th, Bastille Day, the French National Day, I welcomed Sonia Detroyat, her husband Sam, and their two boys, Rémi and Mathis for their first ever visit to Paris. We got to the Eiffel Tower early to have a great view of the evening fireworks and afterwards, we braved the crowds on the Metro. What a beautiful display!

I joined them on Tuesday for a visit to Disneyland Paris. :-) So much fun to be a kid again!
Sonia was a student at the University of Savoie in Chambéry where I served from 1995 to 2002. She was the secretary for our student group. She, her husband, and boys are part of the Chambéry Assembly of God where she teaches children's Sunday School and keeps an eye out for university students who visit the church.

Please pray that the student ministry is rejuvenated at the University of Savoie!

On Friday, July 27th, Melanie LeRoy, a high school graduate at The Bridge, and I headed out on the highway for the SfC Connect '12 Training at Hohegrete, Germany about an hour from Cologne. the trip took us about 8 hours as we drove through quite a thunderstorm. The conference staff arrived little by little and we rejoiced at seeing one another again.

Workshop signup.

On Saturday, students arrived from all over Europe. They registered and signed up for courses and workshops. This year I coordinated the workshops, so I made sure that students studied the varied program and made their choices. Blair Bonin, our SfC Europe director, kicked off the conference at the opening service with a message entitled "SfC Identity".

Sunday we had a Cologne Alumni Reception. Our special project during the conference was to pray that SfC would start again at the University of Cologne. After the reception, small group meetings began, followed by workshops, dinner, and the evening service, with a new speaker each time. On Sunday evening, Kirk Priest translated German Pastor David Schneider. Monday evening was a service of Creative Worship organized by Amy Priest. It was a time to worship the Lord through prayer, music, art, poetry, written expression, meditation, the Lord's supper ...

Students from Grenoble, France.

Cologne Cathedral.

Tuesday evening George Norwood invited all of us to receive God's gift to us, the Holy Spirit. Wednesday evening, John and Anita Koeshall challenged us with living testimonies to the power of sharing God's Word, introducing the evening of prayer for the nations coordinated by Carsten and Marina Höpfl. 

Cologne Prayer Team.

Suzanne and Albertus Magnus.

Thursday we took a day trip to Cologne and a group of us prayed on the university campus. Please pray that a new SfC group is planted this academic year 2012-2013.

Friday culminated with the commissioning message delivered by Annayiz Goutier followed by the traditional talent show, Bunte Abend led by our Irish comedians Brent Enget and Ellie Murnane.

Melanie and I headed back to Paris on Saturday, August 4th, both of us having made many new friends and having grown in knowledge of the Word of God and in relationship with Jesus. What a full, rich week!

Meet Solideo, a French Christian musical group committed to evangelism. Sunday, August 5th, just after the Bridge Picnic, I drove to Valenciennes, France, not far from the Belgium border. I had the privilege of being their spiritual coach during the week of final preparation before the Belgium Tour. Actually, all the participants, whether musicians, singers, or technicians, had prepared their roles before we met for the first time on Sunday evening, August 5th in Valenciennes, France. I was with the group until Saturday, August 11th. You can follow them on Facebook and here is their website Solideo.

Technical team in action.

Here I am sharing with the group during our morning worship time from Acts 2. We came together for a week of intense rigorous daily training. We truly lived together and became a community. We loved and encouraged one another to be the best we could be as we allowed the Holy Spirit to lead us. Truly we experienced the truth that "Greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world." (1John 4:4) We tangibly experienced God's presence and love in us and among us. What an unforgettable week!

Since August 11th, I have been taking it easy and staying close to home. I have been golfing a few times and gone for some long walks. I am enjoying watching the US Open Tennis.

Fall is just around the corner and everyone is preparing for the return to school and getting back to work. Pray for us at The Bridge as we welcome students and families coming to Paris for the first time. Pray for the Top Chretien Team as we gear up for another year of challenges. Pray for Students for Christ Europe (SfC) as we work together to reach university students.

Once again receive my thanks and gratitude for who you are - prayer warriors, generous supporters, faithful friends.