Marseille Anthony Support Team

Line upon Line

2011-04-21T01:15:00.000-07:00

“For it is precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”

To take a fairly well known verse out of context, this has become my method of teaching for our small Bible Training Course. While France may be known for its intellectualism and philosophy, in reality, most people never even attend what we call High School. After ‘Junior High’, most people go into trade or professional schools. Here they learn how ‘to do’ rather than how ‘to think’.

In our church, out of 20-30 people, I can think of only one who went to regular High School. And my group of guys fit this pattern. This is not to say they are not intelligent, they are sharp guys, especially in their fields. If you need a printer, a mechanic or a dock worker, they’ve got you covered.

But they have never been taught how to analyze, how to take notes, or how to read a text and think their way through it. So our course of learning is slow, steady progress each week rather than short, modular courses.

Since January we have been going over ‘How to Study and Understand the Bible’ (context, context, context!!), ‘What is the Gospel? and How to Communicate it’ , and now ‘How to Prepare a Message’. At the same time the passages I choose for examples are those which give us a good theological basis. Sometimes I see them drifting a bit sideways, even if they are still going in the right direction. So I have to be patient with them. My greatest encouragement is to see them using what they have learned.

At church we have been preaching through Acts, which has given me a chance to show the importance of understanding the contexts and how to interpret and apply historical books. This has become an issue as we come into close contact with several other churches participating in the upcoming evangelism campaign.

On Vicki’s side, she just finished leading an 8-week English course with some ladies from the neighborhood. Christine a middle-aged French divorcee and Layla, a young North African lady from a Muslim family. The one-hour sessions never lasted less than 2-3 hours.The ladies really enjoyed the time with Vicki

Her next gig is playing the guitar I made for her at one of the evangelism campaign concerts.

As we have mentioned this year our ministry took a detour, as the ministry we anticipated was sidelined and we have been trying to better prepare Point Bible for our departure this summer. We just returned from our annual conference with France Mission and were informed of some ministry opportunities here in France, one of which would be in a university town in an area of France with almost no Gospel witness. So we have set up some meetings with our leaders and pastors to further investigate these needs.

This is our greatest prayer request right now as we discuss our future ministry. We have been in Marseille for 8 years now and are seeking God’s direction... wherever that may take us.

The Summer Basketball Outreach is just around the corner and we have begun the preparations and meetings with the mayor and other city officials involved. So please be praying for this as we attempt two camps at the same time!

Christmas 2010 at Point Bible

2011-01-04T00:43:00.000-08:00

December 19 saw our first Christmas pageant. Radia and Nelly had worked with the kids for about a month getting them ready. They had to 'borrow' some kids for the parts since we only have 5 at church. They did well, especially seeing that the oldest is only 8 and the others younger than 6. They memorized their parts, several Bible verses each and a couple of songs.

That Sunday we were full: 40 adults and 10 kids! Probably the largest crowd we have ever had. We had a meal afterwards. Managed to fit most everyone around a table so

mewhere. It gets tight when it's crowded with just 40 chairs, then you put up tables for everyone as well.

For me the surprising and enlightening thing was a remark Serge made. He was ecstatic about the day's festivities. For me I thought it went OK. But for him, having never grown up in a church, having never seen kids put on a nativity play, never seen a stage transformed into a manger scene, for him it was incredible.

That's when it hit me. For me this is a small, very small mediocre church. Growing in its own way, but nothing spectacular. But for the members here it is incredible. In a desert the smallest tree is a wonder.

Our church would fit in the closet of most American churches. But here in France, here in Marseille, in our neighborhood, we are a wonder. And for the members, they don't know, have never experienced anything else. So at every small advancement they are thrilled.

As a child I was in the nativity plays. As a teenager I wrote and acted in them and so for me they are 'passé', but to our people here, they are experiencing this for the first time.

Never hire a communist

2010-12-22T09:17:00.000-08:00

Our next door neighbors are communists. In France the communist party is still fairly strong at the local level, although now losing steam. Our last local mayor was communist and there are still a number of village mayors in the towns around us who are communist.

I asked our neighbor's grandson about watering some plants while we were gone. Nothing big, just a few potted plants and a planter box. It would take about 10 minutes once a week. The neighbors said I didn't need to pay him, that it was just a part of being neighbors. I insisted and gave him the first half before we left.

When we returned, I waited several weeks for him to come by to get the rest of his money. Finally his grandmother called and asked where his money was. I told her I had it, but had not seen him. She arranged for him to come over and pick it up. We talked and I gave him his money. Seems he was a bit bent out of shape that I had not paid him in time.

Now we just found out that he didn't feel that what we paid him was sufficient and his grandmother, the communist, thought he should get more as well. She said he had been upset that we hadn't paid him enough and he wanted 10 euros more.

And all this after saying that he would do it for free since we were neighbors !

France wins Selfishness at Christmas Award

2010-12-22T09:09:00.000-08:00

Well to our shame I guess France wins the Selfishness at Christmas Award. 3000 people became stranded in Marseille when their planes were diverted here due to snow in Paris. After two nights in hotels, paid for by Air France, the snow cleared up in Paris and everyone headed to the airport.

Only to be greeted by an airport closed due to a strike by the security checkers. Yep, they decided to hold everyone stranded hostage in order to push for higher salaries.

I got involved in this as two sons of friends were on their way to Kiev from LA and were diverted to Marseille, about the only airport in France still open. They spent two nights here before they contacted us. They were in line to go through security when an announcement informed them that all the security people had gone on strike and the airport was closed.

A number of planes that had landed took off empty as no passengers were allowed to board without having passed through security. The planes had to continue to make other connections. The state police were called out and tear gassed some of the frustrated travelers. I imagine after waiting two days for the weather to clear up and being told that now the security people were striking was just too much.

On the news even the French were upset, but admitted that the workers did have 'the right' to strike. In France, the right to strike is an 'unalienable human right'. Just as being selfish and egotistical is a part of the unredeemed human condition.

Merry Christmas from the Anthonys

2010-12-16T09:26:00.000-08:00

Before anything else, our prayers are that you are able to have a great Christmas, surrounded by family and friends. Second, pray for your missionaries, most of whom will spend this season separated from families and in places far from ‘home’.

summer vacation at Lake Tahoe

Back at Point Bible

We are preparing for our Christmas program and outreach this next weekend at Point Bible. The group has grown and become even more ‘international’ after a group of Romanian Gypsies, who are squatting in the vacant apartments of the building, have started sending their kids to our Sunday School!

Simon, Radia and their kids, Michèle & Serge

A note on our being back at Point Bible: Last summer, after talking with the leaders here, the decision was made for us to leave the church to Simon and Radia to enable them to ‘take possession’ of the church. We had proposed a ministry of training which would encompass the three churches here. Thus not abandoning any of them, but helping all of them. Since the proposal was initially well received, we began preparing for this and gathering materials.

Well...when we returned we learned that the best plans and intentions do not always work out. Several crises had developed, some members were even talking of leaving Point Bible. We were asked to help intervene to smooth things out. We continued researching the needs of a training program here and a number of people contacted us, looking forward to growing in their understanding of the Bible.

I had been asked to prepare a written proposal of our future ministry, but the day the proposal was submitted our future took a different path than anticipated.

We were informed that our proposal was not acceptable by the team here in Marseille. This led to several meetings, one with several from Point Bible, who told us that the church desperately needed us and several wanted Bible training. We were asked to come back to Point Bible and further train the leaders there.

Our classroom

And so now, based out of Point Bible, we have started CFB = Cours de Formation Biblique. The goal is practical studies: How to study the Bible, How to teach it, How to preach it, and Evangelism. The first three students are a Sicilian, a Frenchman (Serge) and a Gitane (Spanish Gypsy).

The first group of CFB

At present we have made a commitment to be at Point Bible until this next summer. The churches of Marseille are organizing a large evangelistic campaign and we have a basketball outreach planned as well. Afterwards we will need to reevaluate the situation of the church here and our place in it.

The next six months our emphasis is on training and preparing people to take over once we are gone. Rob will continue preaching, but also training Serge to be a part of the teaching team.

Vicki is again doing the music, but working with another lady to help her become the music leader. This lady has never led music before, but Vicki told her that she also had never led music before. They hope to train a worship team in the coming months.

Serge & Michèle continue to lead the efforts in evangelism at the church, and so Vicki and Michele are working together to see what activities can be organized to reach into the community.

Basketball Camp in the Projects

2010-06-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update on the basketball outreach into the Projects. 3 team members arrived in Marseille Monday, June 7. We capped off the first week with a youth meeting at Serge & Michele's. A mini-concert, testimony and then singing at the service on Sunday morning and distributing flyers in the afternoon.

Monday June 14th the 2 team members from Geneva arrived. James Glass and Nabil, from the International Evangelical Church of Geneva. We headed out to the courts and had 30 boys show up. Two gypsy girls we had talked with on Sunday also came. They were too good, too cute and I couldn't find it in my heart to say 'No' to them. I asked the boys and they said it was ok. Later one of the girls won a basketball shootout. The boys were really well behaved and attentive, especially for the first day. Sergio from Los Angeles gave his testimony.

It was encouraging to see a good number of people from church come out to support us.

Tuesday morning saw thunderstorms hit this whole part of France, very unseasonal, but we received about 3 inches of rain in 12 hours. Noon saw the wind blow the clouds away and blue sky replaced all the clouds...for about 15 minutes. Another line of thunderstorms. We left for the courts during a lull in the rain, set up quickly just as the rain started again.

In spite of the rain 15 boys and one girl showed up and played as the light sprinkle turned into a downpour, soaking everyone, everything and we finally had to admit we had been rained out. Unfortunately there are no covered courts in Marseille. We will try to start a bit earlier tomorrow to make up.

Praying that our efforts give glory to God.

Rob

First Contact with the Gitanes

2010-02-05T07:21:00.000-08:00

This isn't the exact camp I visited. The one close to us has more trailers, but otherwise very much the same.

Gitanes are one group of Gypsys. They originate from Spain. Most speak Spanish, but somehow are related to gypsies from Romania. I will tell you that I am not prejudiced, but all gypsies are pickpocket, low-life thieves. The two times I have had someone try to pickpocket me, it has been gypsies. They invade the city, occupy the intersections and offer to wash your windshield...for money. That's great if your windshield is dirty. If you wave them off, they usually take their squeegee and draw a heart on the windshield right in front of your eyes...now they have to wash it off. Then they ask for money for having washed your windshield. Drives me and everyone else crazy. They are obnoxious, aggressive, demanding and pushy ...and I think that is why I think God has begun putting them on my heart.

I recently read a magazine article on how they were also rounded up and put into concentration camps like the Jews and a large number were also sent to the gas chambers. While most gypsy groups are constantly on the move (each city in France must have a campground reserved for them) some have taken to squatting on unused land. There is one such camp near us.

A couple of weeks ago a company that sells shoes to large sporting goods stores gave us their samples. About 100 pairs of shoes...all the same size. We usually give them away to the kids at our basketball camp. But I thought why not take some over to the gypsy camp and see what kind of contact we can make.

The camp is basically a wide place in the road, between a hill and a large dry water runoff resevoir. A few rundown camping trailers, now turned into somewhat permanent housing. I walked in and shouted out...no one opens a door. I can hear people inside, but they have no idea who I am. Probably the last stranger to set foot inside their 'yard' was an immigration official. Right about then a van pulls into the yard with two men inside. I introduce myself as the evangelical pastor from down teh road. Turns out these are gypsies from Spain. They are traditionally christian, evangelical, usually somewhat pentecostal.

I open my sack with a couple of pairs of shoes (brand new and next year's models) some left over t-shirts from the basketball camp. Now the doors to the trailers open up, two women come out and a handful of kids. Some are still in school at this hour. I ask their shoe size and have shoes that will fit several of them. We talk a bit about the church they go to. I have heard about it, but never met the pastor or actually seen it. Gypsies keep pretty much to themselves. I tell them I will come back Sunday afternoon with some more shoes for the rest of the kids.

Still curious to see if God might have anything in store for all of us together...I might ask them if they would be interested in a Bible study ??

The church matures: first deacons

2010-02-05T07:02:00.000-08:00

Our small church just crossed an important bridge with the installation of our first two deacons. Just after our arrival in 2006 we began home Bible studies. I remember that summer Michèle asked me if we could start some Bible studies. She wanted her husband, Serge, to have a better grasp of the Bible. Four and a half years later, after studying our way through Romans, ! Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians and the Return of Christ, the home Bible study produced its fruit. Sunday January 31 we asked Serge and Michèle to join the team as deacons. Since Simon is English, his wife Radia is Arab, it is good to have some native French to take part of the responsibility. It is priceless to have their advice and insight into the French mindset !!! Serge also makes the best pizza in the world. You can ask any of the Basketball Outreach team members. He even has his own wood-fired pizza oven.

Winter News

2009-12-24T04:30:00.000-08:00

It doesn’t seem like that long ago, but now we have been in France for seven years and we are in our fifth year at our church plant, Point Bible. Our purpose for coming to France was to come along side French pastors and help in planting churches among the less reached. Marseille has been a good fit for us, heavily immigrant, probably the least French city in France.

This last year has been the fullest for us and we have seen God’s grace in the work. The English Club has given us both a presence in the neighborhood and a good number of close contacts. The English Week outreach during the Spring Break exceeded our wildest dreams. The Basketball Outreach was recognized by our local Mayor’s office and they have said they want to support us even more this next year. Our Home Bible study has given our members a good, deep understanding of the Scriptures and we are amazed at the growth and hunger of Serge and Michèle. I have proposed them to become our first deacons.

On a more somber note, we have made this year a time for evaluation and reflection. As I look back over the last year, I counted over 50 people who have heard the Gospel, none of whom have responded by following Christ. This does not count the kids from the Basketball camp; that would bring the number to over a hundred. We have seen people greatly touched by God’s Spirit, acknowledging their need, but realizing the cost, they have turned away. None have openly rejected it, but just let it slip from their grasp like sand through their fingers. Really sad.

It has been a great joy to be part of starting a new church. In evaluating Point Bible we see that the church is entering a second phase. Here are the ways the church has matured:
Original situation:
o No building: limited space and an uninviting meeting place
o No trained/mature members: all new believers: unable to help
o No other male leadership
o No community activities/outreach
o No Sunday School
o No Bible studies

Current situation:
o Building finished, space for growth, attractive facilities.
o Most members now grounded in the Word and engaged in ministry
o Additional trained male leadership available
o Several community activities organized, recognized by the mayor.
o Almost all members involved in a home Bible study. We have studied Romans, 1 Cor, 1 Thess and just finished ‘The Return of Christ’.

At this point it seems that the local pastoral couple we have been helping should be able to assume the full leadership of the church, assisted by the other members.

As for us, this means that we will be able to invest in a new work. We are already starting to investigate several opportunities. One is in an area where there are no evangelical churches near Marseille. Another would be helping start a church targeting Arab speakers.

We will not be making a final decision until next Fall, so there is no hurry, but we appreciate your praying with us as we look into these opportunities.

For the cause of Christ among the less reached of Marseille, Rob & Vicki

First Contact

2009-11-03T07:36:00.000-08:00

Every since we began our missionary career back in 1989, we have been
working among people who have never been reached with the Gospel. Most of
the time we are their first contact with a real Christian.
In Chad it was with a Muslim tribe, most of whom had never even met a
Christian, some times it was in nomad villages or islands on Lake Chad. In a
sense we were a curiosity. Especially a white person coming to visit them, much
less a white Christian.

In France this still hasn’t changed. Almost none of the people we meet whether native
French or immigrants, have ever met a Protestant, much less an evangelical,
someone who actively practices biblical Christianity.

And again we are somewhat of a curiosity.The Americans who live in ‘the northern
quarter’, which has the reputation as ‘the other side of the tracks’, the bad part of
town. Often they are so surprised they just laugh. They can’t imagine why an American
would come live here. But it does open doors; they hear our accent and start asking
questions.

It’s an interesting situation. We so often think of ‘unreached’ people as those off
in the deserts of Africa (they are there as well), but we rarely think of people in the
‘civilized’ world as being ‘unreached’. But the people we meet on our daily errands
have never heard the Gospel and have no one who will tell them.
Please join us in prayer as we begin this ministry year. The Youth Group and the
English Outreach have started. And we have contacts to follow up on from the
Basketball Outreach. Plus preaching and teaching the believers in the church. We
do appreciate and covet your prayers.
Here are some photos of those around us.

A 'New' Year - Hard Issues

2009-11-03T07:35:00.001-08:00

We have begun this latest ministry year with several hard issues in the church. One African lady, a vibrant and faithful member for several years, began living with a non-christian guy. When confronted on this, she shared that her work had become too difficult, she could not continue her financial commitments and did not see any other way to survive except by moving in and possibly marrying her boyfriend. After several meetings and pleading with her to repent and not take this path that would surely lead to further tragedy in her life, she decided to ignore our warnings and has left the church. Most of the others were shocked to discover that this had been going on for over a year.

A second issue arose with a North African woman who came out of a Muslim family. Seemingly christian at first, her life is a disaster and shows no evidence of salvation. Vicki has started meeting with her, sharing the Gospel and confronting her with her sinful attitudes and need for Christ. She has had several outbursts during Bible Studies and at our Church Retreat last weekend and has also threatened suicide. Please join us in praying for Sonia that Christ would show himself gracious and powerful in saving her.

Attached you will find our latest prayer letter with some pix of Vicki in the neighborhood. Sorry, no pix of me, I' m usually the one behind the camera.

We are so to know that you are behind us.

Rob & Vicki

Basketball Camp winding down, 2 coaches less

2009-07-03T00:07:00.000-07:00

You would think that a summer missions trip to the south of France on the Mediterranean would be a breeze. Blue skies, turquoise water, nice weather...Club Med!!
But add to that 40 kids 10 - 17 years old, 10 different ethnic groups running around on a hot asphalt basketball court in the full sun for 4 hours and it takes its toll.
So far we have one team member with a sprained and swollen ankle. One that had to see a doctor for stomach problems, one with a really bad cold & allergies and now one with 'lower level adventures' making 'frequent short trips' a necessity. Needless to say that today our grand finale for our weeklong outreach we will be short 2 coaches.
The kids have responded well. They have been very attentive to the testimonies of the guys. It even seems that there is less tension between the ethnic groups with Turks asking Africans to be on their team. The kids have gotten to know one another on the courts so that now they are more than just a face of a different color, a different ethnic group. That's something the city officials who have given us permission to use the public basketball courts really want to see.
For us its just one aspect of the healing power of the Gospel message. Barrier walls broken down, between men and between us and God.
Sorry no pics today, but will have more tomorrow after we finish. Ciao!

Basketball Outreach Begins

2009-07-01T00:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the delay. Things have been pretty hectic here this Spring. Right after the English outreach, we had some longtime friends visit, then my sister and her family, then the team and that has left little time to sit down and write something.

The Basketball Club team arrived the 22 of June. The team is Jim - a seminary student, Dan, Dan, Wes & Lalo - All collegians most from UCLA and Lalo from COC.
The first couple of days were spent putting up posters and giving out flyers for the club and as they were getting over jet lag they were introduced to life in Marseille.

After a tour of Marseille and some time snorkeling in the Med things begin to get busy.

Saturday we had the last youth group at Serge & Michèle's. After a wild frolic in the swimming pool and Serge's fantastic pizza, Wes and Dan gave their testimonies and I challenged the kids to reflect on the messages of the last year and on their own lives.

Sunday we had church at our place. We spread a large tarp to give some shade, then set up chairs and tables for everyone. Lalo and Dan also play guitar so Vicki was thrilled to have other musicians helping. Jim preached from 1 Cor 2 and Dan gave his testimony. Afterwards we had a meal together and people hung around until about 5 pm.

We started the club two days ago, Monday the 29 of June and will finish July 3. This year we were recognized by the Mayor's office who gave us a banner to put up. First day we had 21 kids, Tuesday we had about 30. Today is Wednesday and we should still be growing.

A couple of the guys have been sick, a bad cold and some stomach problems, so far everyone has been able to participate in the club times though. We are short one interpreter so that has made things a bit more difficult. I am trying to run back and forth to translate for the guys who are trying to explain basketball to the kids.

Vicki also got pulled into the translator's role yesterday, along with fixing meals and keeping things organized around the house. This year's group is pretty quiet and she said they are not too hard to feed.

Simply Shocking English

2009-05-06T00:55:00.000-07:00

I was shocked. We finished our English Outreach Saturday May 2 with an 'American Barbecue'. The team was 5 people from Faith Bible Church in Orange County, Vicki and I, plus a couple from church...who are great at sharing their faith. We had counted on about 20 people total, prepared for up to 25 and had 30 show up.

First let me bring you up to speed. In December we visited their church and they asked about partnering with us. We had never tried an English camp but they were interested. French Spring break saw two couples and the pastor arrive in France. We had put up flyers, told everyone we knew and hoped people would come. If we had 5 people show up, especially for the first effort, I would be content, if 10 came I would count it a great success.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday we had classes scheduled. Tuesday & Thursday were outings. Our first day we had 8 student. Mainly kids from our Youth Group and several from the neighborhood. Tuesday we had 10 for a walk around downtown. By Thursday we had 13. During the week we had 15 people participate in the classes. Each day a different team member gave their testimony. I translated it into French and them we used it to see how well they understood the English by asking questions about it.

Saturday was the big barbecue, and we needed to buy the meat on Friday...May 1. This is what is known as May Day here in Europe, Workers Day. Everything is closed. Everyone is off. No buses. No shops open. No stores open. We had completely forgot about this. Vicki left in a mad scramble to try to find someplace open. Fortunately she found a small Muslim butcher shop and bought some Hallal beef.

Saturday 8 am, I put the meat in the barbecue. The team decorated the courtyard. We prepared some games. The French are notorious for arriving late, but 30 minutes early everyone started arriving. Most brought friends, parents. Our yard was full! We had a total of 30 people!

We had crazy games: Cheesehead & Michelin Man that everyone loved. The barbecue turned out great. And as things wound down we had a short presentation from the team leader. John began by telling about why the team had come and then shared a bit of his testimony, comparing his life with the Statue of Liberty, beautiful on the outside, hollow on the inside, and how Christ had changed that.

This blew the lid off all the discussions. Suddenly everyone was talking about their lives, sharing their testimonies, and asking questions about the Gospel. Wow!

At one point I sat back, exhausted, and just watched the Body in action. There were people who didn't speak each other's language having conversations. Either by broken english or by grabbing someone who could translate. And everyone was raving about how great a time they were having.

Please join us in praying for the followups. We already have several more dinners planned with those who came.

English Outreach in Marseille

2009-03-25T02:17:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you know about our outreaches here in Marseille. In addition to the youth group we have started an English Club to develop contacts with people in our neighborhood. At present we have about 10 people attending. Half are High Schoolers and the other half are their mothers and a couple of men looking to improve their business english. All are well aware that we are a Christian association.We meet in our 'Worship Center' and there is a large cross in front, but even here in France that doesn't put them off...so far.
We are hoping that as the youth get to know us, they will feel comfortable to start attending our Youth Group. Already one family has asked us to come camping with them. Vicki has really connected to one of the moms.

Frederic one of the men is Serge's nephew in law, a rescue diver for the fire dept here and together with his wife is investigating Christ. They have come several times to church are reading the Bible and other books. Pray that they would see Christ prove himself in their lives.

We are also planning an English Week during Spring Break. A team from Faith Bible of Orange County is coming out. They will be having various activities each day and sharing their lives and testimonies with the students...in English.

To Learn...Teach

2009-02-06T00:20:00.000-08:00

We are back in Marseille. The trip back went well and everyone was happy to see us return. They were especially happy to see Vicki and have her back playing guitar for the worship singing. Two months of acapela or an 'almost piano' were a bit trying for them.

The house was ok, but the yard was buried under leaves. The next morning all of that was covered under a foot of snow, a very rare occurrence for Marseille. It hasn't snowed like that for 40 years. Several of you asked me if it ever snowed in Marseille and I answered 'Maybe once a year we will get a light dusting.' Well, I lied...but didn't know any better. We weren't here 40 years ago when it snowed. A week later when the snow had finally melted we raked the leaves and cleaned the yard up.

Anyway that is really not what I wanted to share. Sometime later I will try to express what our time in the States was like...we REALLY had a great time seeing everyone. It is just hard to live out of a suitcase for two months.

What I really want to talk about is the incredible joy of studying God's Word. Currently at our church plant we are studying two books: The Gospel of John on Sunday mornings, and 1 Corinthians in our home Bible study. In the past years we have looked at Ephesians, Romans and James.

In my times at various theological institutions I have taken courses on each of these books, memorized outlines and written papers about them. But I have to admit that once the final exam was written, those outlines faded into memory past. I have learned so much more in the past several years of going verse by verse, chapter by chapter through these books and seeing each passage in its context.

Right now we are going through 1 Corinthians and have arrived at ch 14. A hard chapter to decipher on its own, hard enough taking it in its context. Seeing how Paul struggles to correct a church gone wild. As we have gone through each chapter in our home group, I ask the question, 'Is the Corinthian church a model for us to follow or a warning for us to of what to avoid?'

I think the people are getting something out of the study, but I know that I am greatly profiting from being forced to think through and explain each verse: what it says and why it was put there. Rick Holland, a really great preacher, explained sermon preparation as 'Writing a research paper every week'.

It is really good to be back at my desk getting ready to present God's Word to the church !! Especially to those here in France who so rarely if ever have had the Bible clearly explained to them.

Thanks to each of you who give, who pray, who write, who encourage us. We are but the tip of the spear, God our Savior uses you to direct and propel us.

Life in the Fast Lane

2008-12-23T07:51:00.000-08:00

When we began planning our time in the States we had several goals. One was to spend time with family and friends in California. It had been almost 6 years since we had spent more than a couple of weeks either at funerals or conferences. Second to spend holiday times with our families: Thanksgiving with Rob's family, now in Indiana; and with Vicki's in LA. Third to care for all the details in the transition from TEAM to Grace Ministries International.

Two months seemed like adequate time for these simple objectives. Two months seemed like an eternity to the church in Marseille. But have you ever tried to see everyone you know in two months? Sounds like an episode for the Great Race or another reality show. We have visited a good number of you and have ben greatly encouraged.

Thanksgiving in Indiana was great. I love Turkey and cornbread dressing! We stayed with my parents, Dad now 88 and Mom 74. My sister Susan and her family also now live in Indiana and my youngest sister, Renee came up from Texas.

We followed this with a trip to southern California, Orange County and beyond to speak at a long-time friend's church. John Koh is the pastor of Faith Bible Church of Orange County. A great group. It was great to meet the church and see the kids growing up.

Another trip took us to Northern California, Aurora to visit Sovereign Grace Fellowship. We had another great time at lunch with the church's leadership as they plied us with questions for a couple of hours. It was encouraging to see a church's leaders so interested in missions.

Interspersed with these have been numerous visits, side trips to see various friends.

Anthonys in LA

2008-11-19T10:40:00.001-08:00

We are in California ! It has been great to see old friends and get caught up and reconnected. But before we go any further we did want to let you know how this new ministry year got started.

First of all we began with our Church Retreat in September. The three France Mission churches in Marseille unite each year for the retreat. So it is a great time for each of our small churches to see that they are a part of something larger, that they are not alone here in Marseille.

Of course we start off with a time of games and fun as people arrive and see those they met last year and are introduced to those who are new. Later in the afternoon we begin our Bible studies. As we are trying to train up our lay people, the pastors prepare the studies, but it is the members who lead the groups. A great encouragement for me was to see Serge leading a group for the second time. Our study was based on John MacArthur’s booklet ‘Found: God’s Will’. I gave Serge the booklet a week before the retreat and he read and researched the topic to make sure he was ready. He has a great heart for the Lord and a hunger for learning the Word.

Our High School group got off to a good start as well…but with fewer youth. It seems that some of them were put off by the fact that we constantly talked about God. We were really encouraged by this loss. Why? Because we were wondering if we were being direct enough with the Gospel and if we were being understood. Most of them are from a special education school and sometimes don’t understand everything. So it was encouraging to see that ‘Yes we are getting through to them’ and ‘The ones that are continuing aren’t rejecting the message’.

We also started an English Club to make contacts in the neighborhood. The original plan was to target young adults. Several had asked us about this, but the time we had before leaving for the States fell right at Ramadan and many of them were unable to come. But we did have a number of parents and their High School age children come. In the end we had fifteen students more than half of them High School age. I told Vicki that we should just reconcile ourselves to the fact that we will be doing a lot of work among youth.
We arrived in the States on Halloween and will be here now until Jan 4. We are looking forward to spending time with a lot of you and phoning those whom we can’t actually spend time face to face.

Summer Whirlwind - Part 2 Israel Conference

2008-08-09T06:16:00.000-07:00

Every two years Grace Community Church organizes a conference for their missionaries. All of us come together from all around the world, for most of us this is the only time we see each other. At each conference they try to do something nice for us. For some of us this the only time we really take any kind of a vacation. This year's conference was in Israel.

Vicki and I thought about going to Israel when we were in Chad, but due to the health problems that cut short our time there, we never made it. While it seemed a nice idea, it was expensive, didn't know really how to organize such a thing and just never looked into it seriously. Having an organized Conference with fellow missionaries was a perfect solution.

I'll spare you the 'missionary slide show' of each days travels. Sufficient to say we began on the Mediterranean Sea at Agrippa's palace where Paul gave his last defence before sailing to Rome, traveled to Galilee stopping at Megiddo across the valley from Nazareth. Spend 4 days in Galilee in the region where Jesus did most of his ministry. Then down to Qumran and on to Jerusalem. A mandatory trip to the Dead Sea, where we floated and took mud baths; a short trip to the Elah valley where David slew Goliath, a walk through Hezekiah's Tunnel and several days looking around Jerusalem. All I can say is that I can't wait to preach through one of the Gospels now that I can picture the setting of each story.

Our favorite place was the Southern steps of the Temple mound. Here is where Jesus would have discussed with the scribes when he was 12 years old and would have walked up each time he visited the Temple. Where Peter would have given his sermon on Pentecost, where he and John healed the lame man and where the 2000 saved would have been baptized. And there were practically zero other tourists.

Afterwards we had the fabulous treat of meeting some friends in Jordan and making a trip to Petra, the Biblical capital of Edom, then known as Mt. Seir. An incredibly wealthy town, founded at the crossroads of trade routes now in ruins. 2500 years ago Ezekiel foretold of this

Ezekiel 35:1-3 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it, and say to it, Thus says the Lord GOD:
Behold, O Mount Seir, I am against you;
I will stretch out My hand against you,
And make you most desolate;

It was an exhausting time. July is definitely NOT the time to visit the Middle East. Temperatures were over 100 - 120. We had to constantly drink water, most of which was a bit salty. We left each morning around 8 and got back around 5 or 6 pm. Lots of walking, hiking and climbing...but I didn't have to answer telephones or check my e-mails. The church team organized everything and we had zero responsibilities. So while it was physically tiring it was trememdously refreshing, both spiritually and mentally.

Thanks to everyone at Grace Community Church who gave and made this possible!!

Summer Whirlwind - Part 1 Basketball Camp

2008-08-09T05:29:00.000-07:00

Our last post was about two months ago. Just before our Basketball Outreach, 2 weeks before our trip to Israel and 4 weeks before our TEAM France Annual Conference in Austria. A lot of traveling, a lot of time away, our first real vacation in several years and it has been a great summer.

I hope you have visited the site the Basketball team posted about the Outreach www.teamfrance07.blogspot.com (I'm not sure how to make this a link, but you can copy and paste it into your address line). In the end we had 47 boys attend the Basketball Club this year. All but two of them from Muslim families. An hour of basketball drills, a team talk on sportsmanship and a testimony from one of the team members, followed by a second hour of basketball.

Nadir, a 17 year old from an Algerian Berber family, has come all three years. He was our first year overall champion. Great kid! He was there again and we were able to give him a biography of an athlete who became a believer. He has become an amateur filmmaker and I am hoping to get him to help me put together a movie about our Basketball camp. This is him, his friends and the Basketball Outreach team.

Each day the team picked out a boy from each group to receive a basketball as a prize. The prizes are based on sportsmanship, conduct and improvement. Each day they gave them out to boys that often seemed like the wallflowers. Kids that really didn't fit in and stayed near the back of the crowd. They were good kids...at least they didn't get into trouble like the majority (nothing major, just pushing, cutting in line, etc.). But they also didn't do much of anything else. They weren't good athletes, not good basketballers. I mentioned this to the guys. 'Yes we want to award the prizes for good sportsmanship, but also to kids that can play a bit'. The team really didn't buy this idea.

One of the kids that received a prize was a Kurd. He first came last year, couldn't play ball, but didn't cause problems. This year was little better. The last day of the camp, John Adams gave his testimony, the black actor who was in the series 'The Dead Zone' (referring to a part of the brain, not a place where dead people hang out). Afterwards this kid comes up to me and gave me a hug saying, 'That was a beautiful story!'. Pray for Aydin.

Our Evangelistic Garden

2008-05-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

When we moved into our house the previous owner had planted a variety of plants and the ground was covered with a kinds of ivy. It was very green, but had little organization. A walnut tree, a nectarine, a spruce and a couple of pines gave shade and numerous bushes were scattered around. The ivy made it hard to collect the walnuts , but we didn’t have to mow either. It was a pleasant and very green yard, but not very useful.

A year ago a friend of ours Mark Britten and his family came to visit us. Mark is a professional landscaper & gardener. I asked him about making the area more useful and he drew up a plan.

Our yard is split in two by the driveway. The design called for pulling up most of the ivy on one side. Removing several bushes, transplanting others and then planting some grasses and plants that wouldn’t require a lot of maintenance. A path led through part of it, with an area for a bench.

The other side was be divided into a section for the fruit trees and an area for some rose bushes.

This was how I spent my summer vacation last year. The Sunday after I had finished most of the work, we had church at our house and the bench immediately became our counseling area when one of the members pulled me aside to talk some things over.

This last year we have also started a High School youth group called FreeStyle Jeunesse (FreeStyle Youth). All of the kids who come are school friends of Laurie, Serge & Michelle’s daughter. This is a special education school, which prepares kids for a trade, as opposed to the regular schools, which prepare kids for university. Some of these kids are dyslexic, some are mildly mentally handicapped, others just poor students. The school has several sections and Laurie and her friends are all in the horticulture section. They all want to work in landscape and gardening…hmmm.

We are beginning from The Beginning and talking about God as creator. Last Saturday our topic was how man was made in God’s image. After the lesson, Alex, the sharpest of the guys, started asking some hard questions. “You know all of us are in a special school, and were put there since we are below normal. How does this fit in with God creating us?” (We had looked at Gen 1& Psalm 139). This opened up some good discussion time. He is pretty serious, especially for a 16 year old. The other guys were alternatively listening and then throwing out comments meant to impress the girls.

Next week they are studying ‘Plant sicknesses’ so they wanted to look at the garden and try to determine what kind of insects are eating our roses. It has been cool to see how God has used our yard… for church services, for pastoral meetings and now to reach out to a group of kids whom society has told are below normal.

The New 'Worship Center'

2008-04-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

Things have been super busy, but did want to post a few pics of the finished 'Worship Center'. We had everything finished enough to celebrate Easter in the new place and then two weeks later had our 'Grand Opening', 10th anniversary and farewell service for the missionary who first moved into this area of Marseille: Olaf & Ruth Bachman.

We were packed out with 40 people total counting kids. A large number were guests from either outside of town, the other side of town or other churches who came to celebrate with us. We had a meal afterwards. This showed us just what having extra room will mean, more room = more possibilities = more work = more involvement from everyone !

Easter in the new 'Worship Center' !

2008-03-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

Three long months of work has paid off. This past Easter Sunday we were able to have our first worship service in our new “building”. Our new ‘worship center’ is actually just one room, 500 sq. ft. But for us it is huge. We can now hold up to 50 people, rather than the 20 of before. And if we have 20 children in the old room our total possible goes up to 70, a large church here in France!

The last week I was there everyday. In the evening Serge dropped in and we would work until 7 at night. Saturday everyone, but me, was there cleaning, straightening things up and getting the last minute necessary items finished. I was at home finishing up the message for Easter morning.

The room still isn’t quite finished. One wall needs the last coat of paint. The outside entrance needs to be plastered and painted, shelves put up and a few things here and there. But it was finished enough to hold our Easter service there.

We only have 23 chairs total and they were all full on Sunday. All the members came and one lady had her granddaughter and family with her. The message was ‘Who moved the stone?’ looking at the events of the resurrection and the historical reality that Jesus rose from the dead. One thing people don’t realize is that no one has ever questioned the fact that the tomb was empty. If the resurrection could ever be shown to not have happened then Christianity collapses. I even used a PowerPoint presentation, now possible for the first time, to illustrate the message !!

After the service we had a meal together and everyone had a great time. People are really excited about the possibility to invite family and friends.

The one person missing was our neighbor, Jean-Pierre. Vicki had seen him a week or so before and he had said his health was bad. I hadn’t seen him for a while and when I did try to visit him, he was gone. Monday afternoon I saw his car in the alley and dropped in. His health is shot from 50 years of cigarettes and drinking. He has had surgery to remove one lung and a couple of other large scars decorate his stomach (In the summer time he oftens goes without a shirt…not a pretty sight).

He was happy to see me and I asked how he was and told him about our service. He said that just because he hadn’t come in a while didn’t mean that he had forgotten us or had abandoned God, just he wasn’t able to walk much anymore. Before I left I asked him if I could pray for him. I prayed and then was surprised when after I said ‘Amen’ he took up. He asked God to hear my prayer because he really needed it and he closed by saying, “Lord, I adore you.” I was really moved. All he said seemed genuine. For a while we wondered if he only came and acted ‘nice’ because he didn’t have any other friends and would have done anything just to have someone care for him. But yesterday I saw some real fruit. I continue to pray that he has really understood the Gospel and has a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Space - The New Frontier

2008-01-25T04:04:00.000-08:00

In our last thrilling episode we found our dauntless heroes engaged in a desperate struggle against the hostile Galactic Empire of Mars A . As their plans for a new world were crushed by the Empire’s minions, a new hope had arisen. Unbeknownst to them, a second space portal had opened just behind them. Stepping through the shimmering facade they entered a place of strange and twisted shapes. A thought sprang into their mind, “Different, but it just might work!”.

Well it wasn’t quite as exciting as that, but the old plumbing shop we found for rent right next to our storefront has proven to be a good solution for our “space” problem. An ‘office’ of plywood and cardboard, rotten stone walls, and a fetid toilet area all had to be demolished and carted off before we could even see what the open space looked like.

Since then we have put in a suspended ceiling, redone the entire electrical system, put sheetrock on the walls and should have a new ‘worship center’ ready by the end of February. When it is all finished we will have a room of 50 square meters or 537 square feet. Legally enough for 50 people. Not large by U.S. standards, but for France a decent size meeting place for an evangelical church.

We are doing all the work ourselves and the times of the men together have been great. The whole church has been encouraged by this development. Five years of searching and to have something open up just beside us has shown God’s hand in all this. If God prospers, there is also the possibility to purchase the apartment behind us and use that for classrooms. It has also shown our people the solidarity of believers around the world. Churches in England, France, Canada and the States have all given funds towards this project. On behalf of the members of Point Bible I thank you all.

On a second note, we have started / are starting / trying to start a youth group here. We have had 3 meetings once a month and trying to gain inertia for the kids to come. We call it Freestyle Jeunesse (Youth). Only two of the 8 to 10 kids who have visited are from families in the church. The others are friends they have invited. At least half of these are from a special education school. This has been a challenge since even though they are 15, 16 years old they are at a mental level of 8-10. They are good kids, but again trying to just gather them so that we can communicate the Gospel to them is difficult. They have no habit or tradition of church or youth meetings. The time slots it is possible to meet are very limited and often their parents are hesitant to let them attend: 1. because anything religious or spiritual is considered a sect, 2. because of their mental level their parents are extremely cautious about letting them go anywhere.

We need prayer for wisdom, creativity and simply the know how to communicate to these kinds of kids.
Ciao,
Rob & Vicki

At Last...A New Building

2007-11-22T07:40:00.000-08:00

It had to happen. At least a lot of people have been praying for the past 4 years for it to happen. We were informed last summer that our project to purchase and renovate a building was refused. It was not handicap friendly enough. Everyone was pretty discouraged. It had taken months of visits to the city offices, 10 complete folders of all the paperwork for each office, etc. So to be back at square one was a big disappointment. Especially for the two missionaries handling it. The church members took it in stride and said it was just not God's plan for us.

A month later we found that the Plumber's shop next door had a For Rent sign on it. We had asked before, but he was always hoping we would close down so he could have more room. We called the owner and found out the rent was only 300 Euros a month. The place is about 535 square feet, a good size for our "worship center". The low rent would let us keep the place we have now and still make ends meet. Since they are side by side it will work out nicely.

We do have several months of renovation to finish first. Sheetrock the walls and ceiling, update the electric system, floors but it is all work we can do ourselves.

One huge prayer request is that the times spent working will provide opportunities with several men. Several non-christians have expressed an interest in helping us renovate the place. Pray that God would allow us to share the Gospel with them and let them see it lived out.

Another cool thing has been the start up of a youth group. Our group only has 2 youth, but at our first meeting we had 6 kids. Each of them brought several friends. Everyone had a great time and said they will bring more friends this next time. We will meet again on Dec 1. Again, almost none of these kids are believers so pray for us.

The Competition

2007-09-10T06:05:00.000-07:00

In light of the recent refusal by the city to purchase the building, we contacted the Catholic priest of the local church. In other parts of France evangelical churches had been able to rent Catholic halls and such for their services. The Catholic church is probably the second greatest landholder in France and with a declining membership finds many of its buildings empty and unused.

We met with Jean-Benoit, the Catholic priest, last week and gave him some literature about France Mission and a booklet written by the Catholic church about evangelicals. An interesting piece that in essence clearly gives the Gospel and is very favorable towards us.

His first question was “Why do evangelicals not accept the baptism of the Catholic church?” Not wanting to refight the Reformation at that moment, we explained simply that the Bible tied faith with baptism and since a baby is incapable of faith we believed in believer’s baptism. He gave some arguments from their tradition. His next question was if we are just trying to get people to follow Christ, when we meet someone why don’t we just tell them to start attending their local Catholic church?
Since it had become clear that he was not going to allow us to use any buildings, I asked him “And if someone asks you to suggest an active church, would you direct him to an evangelical church?” He responded that it wasn’t the same.

In the end he did say that, in the future, they may be able to rent us a hall for special occasions, but nothing on a regular basis. He said that, yes, they would prefer to leave a building empty rather than letting us use it.

We are the competition.

Our Chickenville Friend

2007-09-10T06:03:00.000-07:00

Chickenville. The newest “restaurant” in our neighborhood is kind of like a KFC. Fried chicken that is “halal”. Muslim kosher. We have driven by the place numerous times and Vicki always just laughs when I suggest it. Coming from Houston, I love fried chicken.
Well, we were coming back from our church weekend retreat to kick off the new year. It was already eight p.m. We had been driving for 3 hours, stuck in the last weekend of summer traffic. Vicki was tired… Chickenville was just ahead…nothing else but takeout pizza available, so she suggested fried chicken.
Without an argument I pulled in.

We knew from the sign advertising “halal chicken” that the owners were probably Muslim. We ordered and started talking with the guys. The owner, Ashraf, said that I spoke French well. I thanked him and asked him where he was from. “England”. He went on to say that he and his family had been in Marseille for 3 years and were having a hard time. They didn’t feel at home speaking French and had not found many English speakers.

As we left we exchanged cards and I told him we would have to invite them over sometime. I just sent him an e-mail and he responded positively, but that it would have to wait. Ramadan begins next week.

Just because it's France, doesn't mean it's French

2007-09-10T05:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday I went down to the Housing Project to see if any of the boys were there to play some basketball. I found a group of the Kurdish boys that had participated and we went down to the sports field.
This summer has been very mild, even cool at times, but today in the first week of Sept, it was hot. Too hot to play basketball in the open sun at 4 pm.

I took the kids back, had an opportunity to meet their dads and then went to take a CD of some photos from the basketball club to one of the boys, Nadir. He is from Algeria, a Kabyle, one of the Berber tribes there. I didn’t find his apartment, but ran into some of the Turkish girls who used to come to the Kid’s Club. I asked them why they didn’t come any longer. One of them said their mother wouldn’t let them. In fact, none of the Turks in that building would be coming. Seems that someone had told the community not to get involved with the Christians.

The same thing has happened to some degree to the Comorean kids who had been coming. We often see large groups of this ethnic group walking through the projects. Even though they are here in France they enforce their cultural identity.

We are learning that this area of Marseille is even more Islamic than we had thought.

My Iraqi Barber

2007-09-10T05:48:00.000-07:00

In Marseille my barber is a Muslim guy from Algeria. I was speaking Arabic with him and trying to see how much of the dialect from Chad he might understand. One of the women hairdressers mentioned that she understood me and said that it was close to her dialect. I asked her where she was from. She replied, “Iraq”.

Whoa! That really stopped me in my tracks. I had to regroup. What do I say? How do I proceed with this conversation? An American face to face with an Iraqi both in a foreign country.

I told her that I was going to be traveling to the States and that people were going to be asking me about how the war was viewed overseas. I asked her what her thoughts were, how she viewed Americans. “I hate them.” she told me, and then she continued on for a number of minutes … she didn’t mince words. She had been born in France and her parents had come here almost 25 years ago, but she still considered that the land of her heritage.

As she expressed her frustration and anger at my country, there were times that I wanted to interject something. To say, “Yes, but…” I didn’t like some of what she was saying. I was struggling over being a citizen of the United States and a citizen of heaven.

I could have argued over politics, but more importantly I need to provoke her to jealousy for Jesus Christ. I needed to put aside my patriotism and listen to her, her anger, her grief, her pain and through that pray that God would open a door for the gospel. Convincing her of the “Just Cause” of the U.S. would really accomplish nothing.

I think when I risk asking the real questions that people have; touching the real issues they face; then I risk having my earthly citizenship trampled and disdained.

Sometimes I even find that I don’t have the answers. That I have never even thought of these questions. They come out of a left field that I never even knew existed.

When we left for Africa almost 20 years ago, being an American missionary was a plus. It pretty much guaranteed you automatic respect. The reputation of previous generations of missionaries had bought that.

Today, being an American missionary is becoming a barrier. But when we remember our heritage, both spiritual and physical, that we are refugees, looking for a better country, waiting for a savior the Lord Jesus Christ, then that places us in a position to testify to others of a citizenship which cannot be shaken.

No New Building for Point Bible

2007-08-23T04:42:00.000-07:00

I will no longer post blogs which give the new location for Point Bible. Not until we have signed, sealed and delivered the building and actually moved in.

As many of you are aware, we have been looking for a meeting place for Point Bible. We thought we had one, well situated near the High School - that fell through when the owner would only sell it for 10,000 Euros over the agreed price...at the last minute. The second place was well in the works, various architects were engaged, initial papers had been signed. It was well situated, affordable and while not the most ideal building still adequate for our needs.

Well this last possibility bit the dust last week. We received a final letter from the Mayor's office informing us that our permits had been refused and we would not be permitted to purchase the building for a church. They stated that it was not handicap friendly enough (the entrance had two stairs) and that, even though situated on the top of a hill, they were afraid that it would be subject to flooding. Even though the building has been there for 100 years, has never flooded and an entire valley would have to flood before water reached it.

A local Christian architect contacted the city office and confirmed that there was no way they would approve our project. He knew the people well, but they said it was just not possible.

So we are back to square one. We really need something before the weather turns and we will have to hold services indoors. People's homes are still a possibility, but we are about at a limit of what living rooms over here will hold.

Both Simon and I have to admit it has been frustrating. It took a lot of work and a lot of trips to the Mayor's office, meetings, papers and all that is involved and now it arrives at nothing. But now we know what to do, how to do it and what to look for.

Please join us in praying that God would direct us to a good location.

No Summer Slow-Down

2007-08-23T04:10:00.000-07:00

In France summer means vacation. Especially August. A large percentage of the French take the entire month of August off for vacation. Many churches are even closed for several Sundays as the pastor and a large part of the congregation are gone. Other churches shorten services to an hour in an effort to deal with the heat and fewer people. In Summer, everything is just slower.

At Point Bible, summer is our high point. We blast off with the Basketball Camp, from then on throughout the summer, each Sunday is at a member's home. Since Marseille suffers from incredible weather, we can count on sunny days throughout the summer. We meet at noon (allowing people to sleep in on Sunday is one concession we make to vacation!), eat together and then around 3 or 4 we have our worship time. While very informal we try to make it as interactive as possible with a lot of personal involvement. We end summer with a week-end retreat with the two other churches here in Marseille. That is what I am planning now.
Summer has also proven to be a good time for making contacts. The basketball camp makes a lot in the housing project. Last year's picnic at our place brought Jean-Pierre into our group. He still comes to almost everything, but still has not made a committment to Christ yet. This year at a flea market we met another man who visited our group.

He was selling a variety of things, cleaning out several years of unused items, and my eye was caught by a wetsuit. The water around Marseille can be cool to cold and the clearest water is found during the colder months. So I bought the wetsuit to do some off-season snorkeling. He mentioned he had some other items at home and offered to bring them by the house. I gave him the address and two days later he dropped by.

Vicki offered him coffee and he agreed to come into the yard and sit down. We talked about Marseille and etc. He asked the usual question, "What are a couple of Americans doing here in this neighborhood?". I told him I was a protestant pastor and that piqued his curiousity. He asked about our church, when and where we met. I gave him the information and one of our brochures. He left saying he might stop by some time.

The next Sunday he showed up. I was leading the worship, several others helped him find the songs and Bible readings. That Sunday Jean-Francois was preaching at our church. Afterwards several of us talked with our visitor. When he needed to leave he turned towards the door and headed out. Just as he stepped out the door he turned to Simon and said, "You are all going to be misled." and walked away.

One of the ladies asked what that was all about. Later Jean-Francois said that in talking with him he had mentioned that he had been deceived earlier in his life by a cult and felt that we were in that same group. For the majority of people here in France, anything besides the Catholic church is a cult, especially those led by an American!!

We haven't seen him since.

Basketball Camp Blowout

2007-07-01T04:59:00.000-07:00

Monday June 25 saw the team head scatter back to the other side of the Atlantic, but they left behind a great witness here in Marseille.

4 guys and 1 girl (Stephanie married to Kyle) made up the Basketball Outreach Team this year. Two tall white guys:Kyle & Jeff, one black guy: John and one Hispanic: Kevin. A great mix that the kids here really identified with.

We started out easy, they had just traveled 9 time zones and been on the plane for about 15 hours and were extremely jet-lagged. Some of them thought jet lag was a myth, until they started falling to sleep uncontrollably at 3 pm and waking up at 2 in the morning.

So the first several days we did some sightseeing, letting them get used to Marseille and the south of France. We took the bus and subway visiting downtown and the Old Port of Marseille. Picknicked at the Pharo, Napoleon III's almost summer house built by a "grateful" city as a present to him and his new bride - now one of the best viewing spots for Marseille. One day was at Les Baux de Provence: the ruins of a castle which was formerly a Protestant stronghold torn down by the Catholic king's royal army after a three week siege, the site where Bauxite (aluminum ore) was first discovered and now a nice medieval village surrounded by vineyards and olive groves.

Sunday before the camp the team led our worship service for Point Bible and that afternoon we handed out flyers for the camp and made some contacts with different groups within the housing project. With two guys 6'3" & 6'6", wearing our 'California Basketball Club" t-shirts and bouncing basketballs people were asking the usual question: "Are you guys basketball players?"

Monday afternoon at 3 pm we started out with 10 kids which doubled after school got out. Some kids have school until June 30th. We got them organized had a talk on sportsmanship and ended the afternoon with 22 kids.

Tuesday we hit full stride. Kids who had brought back their parental permission slips received a genuine "California Basketball Club" T-shirt a prized asset in the projects. Since Kevin & John had cut their sleeves off, several of the kids returned the next day with cut off sleeves also.

We also started the testimonies that day. Each day we would do warm-ups, run various drills and contests then break for a short lesson on sportsmanship and playing as a team. Then one of the team members would give his testimony of how God had changed his life. One or two Bible verses were included, but the emphasis was not to preach at the kids, but to say "Hey this is what happened in my life. If you have any questions let's talk."

Their testimonies were meant to serve as an introduction for the Gospel. This year we were able to work on the form and content of the testimonies a good bit and it paid off. The kids were very attentive and afterwards were applauding the guys and asking who would give their story tomorrow.

John & Kevin's testimonies especially hit home since they had grown up in similar settings as the kids here. John was also popular since he is an actor and the show he was on "Dead Zone" is pretty popular here in France. Thoughout the week we had a number of parents stop by to see what was happening. Several also heard the testimonies. Vicki and Stephanie would sit with them on the sidelines and talk. Older kids also would stop by to check it out. Hey it's not everyday that a group of tall Americans drops into your neighborhood to teach you baskeball. Jeff's dunks helped out in that regard as well.
There is a social center next to the courts and they came out to see what was happening. They were amazed to see 35 boys having a great time without fighting and no real problems. This may open up some more possibilities in the future and allow us to make more contacts in the neighborhood.

Each day we gave out awards - basketball shirts, caps, posters etc. to the best improved kids and those with the best attitude. The last day NBA basketballs were given out to the best overall improved and attitude. This year two brothers won, Roman and Ludovic. Great kids from a Muslim family, as were all of the kids except two: one from a family who attends our church and one kid who was Spanish.

More details can be found on their blog site - www.teamfrance07.blogspot.com

Yeah Monday came pretty soon, but after we took them to the airport and took the rental van back we crashed. Vicki had been making meals for 7 people 3x a day. I went back to sleep and woke up around noon.

Now our real work begins making contacts with the families. Pray that Christ would open doors into this community. Ciao!

Four Years in France

2007-06-15T00:29:00.000-07:00

I often use the marine weather service to check the weather forecast for Marseille. They tend to be the most reliable. Although we have a ‘mediterranean climate’ and sunshine is usually forecast, the wind is a huge factor. This is measured by numbers. Force 5 being a strong wind. 6 will push you around, 7 will knock you over and 8 will push cars off the road. We often have gusts reaching 60 mph. The wind keeps the clouds away and air clean, but can also reek havoc along the coast.

Life in France has turned out to be much like the sea. We find ourselves going flat out just to keep up with a constant hard wind in our face.

I have had to assume more administrative duties with the permanent departure of our TEAM France treasurer. This has meant a lot of long hours at the computer trying to translate yet another language: ‘financese’
Every mission I know, everywhere could use people with the gift and talents for administration. Living overseas and its endless bureaucracy means there is always one more piece of paperwork needed just to fulfill government requirements to be here.

This year we realized that it had been four years since we had visited many of you who make the ministry here possible.
We were able to spend the month of April in the States and visited Texas: Houston, Huntsville & Grapeland. Then to Indiana: Columbus and West Lafayette. We had a great time seeing everyone. The Mexican food was wonderful, the snowfall at Easter in East Texas a great surprise and it was encouraging to see churches, bodies of believers engaged. It is not an easy time to be a solid Bible believing Christian, but God is faithful.

We had several opportunities to preach and talk with various groups. Our messages included :
-“Missions is a waste of time, if Christ is not risen from the dead”
-“Our citizenship is in heaven” or as one pastor put it “Leave the flag at home”.
-“Heaven: Jesus vs Islam”

And lots of times sharing about the work in the Projects.
A few quick updates on Point Bible:
1. We are still in the process of the building purchase. The city keeps asking for more paperwork. Pray that it will be approved before the summer break.

2. The home Bible studies are going well and we see growth in the members. We hope to finish Romans before the summer vacations.

3. The Summer Team arrives June 12 - 25 for the Basketball outreach. Pray for good weather and lots of kids! For many of them this will be their first exposure to the Gospel.

4. We will begin having our Sunday worship at homes during the summer opening up opportunity for people to bring friends and families. We begin at noon with lunch together, have our worship time at 3 or 4, then people stay around until 6 or 7.

5. This past year Vicki has been leading music on guitar by herself. We just found out that Jacques, a new believer, also plays, which will allow her to add… ACCORDION! We hope to start a small praise group to lead worship.
You know our music & worship is hurting when I am the one leading singing?!!?

You know we love you, because He first loved us.
Ciao,
Rob

After 20 Years: A Roman Holiday

2007-02-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

On January 17, 2007 we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary and our fourth year in France with a short trip to Rome. Cheap airline tickets and off-season hotel prices made this possible and it was a great get-away. Our time in Europe has turned me into a history buff and Rome was a great eye-opener.

Churches are more museums for popes than places of worship. Then seeing the world's once mightiest super-power with nothing left but two city blocks of ruins gives one something to ponder. We enjoyed the Italians, very friendly and the ice cream is the best anywhere. Especially the orange-chocolate or the wild cherry!!

My image as a rich American has not changed. I continue to be a target for pickpockets. So far only one, in Chad, has ever succeeded. One in Barcelona was caught red-handed and turned over to the police. This time it was a mother breastfeeding her baby!!

We were waiting for the subway and as it arrived we saw it was packed. We worked our way down the cars to find one with some room. Two gypsy ladies pushed past us and then stood right in the doorway as the bell sounded. We pushed our way into the car and I felt a hand pull on my purse. Yes, I have become French and carry a man-purse. It's like a fanny pack with a strap. Anyway I looked down and saw it was unzipped. I had put money and papers in a pouch inside my shirt and only had a pair of small binoculars in the purse. They were still there. I looked at the lady. A large purse covered her front, but it was empty, only serving to cover her hand underneath. As I fixed her with my gaze she quickly began to breast-feed her baby.

I was somewhat stupefied. I knew she had tried to pickpocket me, but my brain could not process that action with a mother and her newborn baby. What a camouflage!! I shouted out to everyone in the car "This lady is a pickpocket, a thief!". The Italians looked at me with mild surprise and nodded. "Of course" was their silent reply. The lady looked at me with a mock shocked expression, and then moved on through the crowded car to find an easier target.

From that point on Vicki and I made a game of "Find the Pickpocket in the Crowd". Sure enough we found two more!!

Other thought on Rome: St. Peter's Basilica is enormous. As one tour book puts it, "Calling this place vast is like calling God smart!" According to the Romans the Roman emperors palaces, now in ruins on the hills were pillaged for their marble to decorate this and the other churches in Rome. You really can't walk more than 100 yards in Rome without passing a huge church. They aren't the gaudy gold plated things like France often has, but enormous, intricate and awe-inspiring workmanship. Of course most took several hundred years to build also.

Our favorite building was the Pantheon. You have to see the Colosseum, but it is a real ruin. The Pantheon is almost like it was 2000 years ago. Again awe-inspiring to imagine how they could have built a domed building so huge without modern equipment.

And did I mention the ice-cream.

This blog doesn't mention our work in Marseille or the current situation of the new building for Point Bible, but then again we were on holiday. After twnety years of marriage to me, Vicki deserved and needed a break.

Ciao,
Roberto

Reaching the Comoros

2006-12-23T01:45:00.000-08:00

The Comoro Islands is situated between Madagascar and the African mainland. They are 98% Muslim and there is no open witness permitted. Only a handful of believers is known about on the islands.

Here in the northern sector of Marseille they make up a sizeable percentage of the immigrant population. In our kids club they are the predominant group. This past week we had our monthly kids club/annual Christmas club. Fifteen youth showed up, ages 8-13. Thirteen of these were from the Comoros Islands, two were from Senegal, all from Muslim families.

Again we had a craft, the story of Christmas from the Bible, a memory verse, some Bible question games and of course food and presents. Each family also received a CD of scriptures translated into their language.

I am continually amazed at their interest. There are three sisters and their friend who visit Madame Frechet, the lady from church who hosts the group. She has taught them several scripture songs that they love to sing. All of the kids memorized Luke 2:11 "Today, in the city of David, a Savior has been born for you, who is Christ, the Lord". Their memories are surpassed only by their desire to be the first to recite it completely.

We continue to develop a good testimony among the community in the housing project, but still one family just pulled their kids out of the group and told them to stop visiting Madame Frechet after hearing them sing that "Everything the Bible says is true, true ,true.

I continue to meet some of the guys from the summer basketball club on the courts each week. Most of the ones who come out to play basketball are from Algeria and are Arabs.

Pray that God would continue the testimony of Christ in this neighborhood and that His word would bear fruit.

The First Step: A home for Point Bible

2006-12-23T01:24:00.000-08:00

Thursday Dec 21 we signed the first papers for the purchase of a building for Point Bible! One of the directors of France Mission came down from Paris and met with the owner and Notary to sign the promise of sale contract. Wow! This is easy to write, but just to get this far has taken over two years of searching, negociating and praying. Even so at the last minute it seemed as if everything was going to evaporate due to our insistence that a clause be included that we would not be forced by the mayor's office to provide additional parking.

In the end everything went smoothly, we were able to visit the building, the owner was understanding about all the clauses in the contract and even told us about the history of his family and its Protestant influence. Rare in the Catholic south of France.

Everything now is submitted to the Mayor's office. For the sale to go through we need approval of the bank loan, a permit to change the classification of the building from commercial to a public meeting hall and permission to use existing parking. Please join us in praying that these would quickly be obtained. We have been told that this could take 6 months or more.

And More Youth Outreach

2006-12-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

We had hoped to begin several new youth outreaches this Fall. Here in France, as many places, the new year really starts in September with the school year. We had a retreat with the 3 churches here in Marseille which went well. But then Vicki and I had to take off for a Missionary Conference celebrating the 50th anniversay of Grace Community Church. The Conference was great, but arrived just when things kick-off for the Fall. This meant we had to wait until the first of November to start things up.

Our first new project is the Computer Club. All Junior High students here in our region receive a laptop computer . It is part of France's effort to make sure the youth are not left behind in the information age. We saw this as an opportunity, since many don't know how to type or how to use the computers for anything other than a DVD player. We started Ordi 15, right now we only have two students... Laurie and Lucie. Due to a vacation period we have only had 3 classes before the Christmas break, but already one of the church families, Laurie's, has made contact with Lucie's family. Lucie lives in probably the largest housing project in Marseille: La Castellane.La Castellane Housing Project

Please pray for this outreach. Once the holidays have passed we will publicize the club and should have more students. Pray for Lucie and her family as well.

The basketball outreach has also gotten off to a slow start. We haven't been able to have a full blown club, but I do manage to get down to the courts once a week to talk with the guys. It is always a delicate situation working with youth here. Authorities and parents are very suspicious of anything religious.

Another new location for Point Bible

2006-12-09T05:13:00.000-08:00

Well, what can I say. The northern sector of Marseille is noted for being a bit seedy. That is probably the best way to describe the owner of the property we were trying to purchase. Each visit revealed a new hidden charge or a change in what was actually being sold. In spite of this we pressed forward. The evening before the signature, the owner sent us a message that after all he wouldn't sell it at the agreed price, but would for $10,000 more. That put it well beyond our budget and was God's intervention.

A few weeks later Simon found another place for sale. The same size for a lot less. It is right in the very center of the village, 50 feet from the main bus stop and 2-3 short blocks from the High School. The interior will need much less work than the previous place. There are no neighbors to worry about their approval either. We should sign the agreement next week: Dec 11-15. The actual building is the old storeroom for a furniture store above. Since the building is on a hill, this floor is both the first story and the basement of the entire building. A bit of painting, some additional walls and such and we could be in!

Please join us in praying that this would go through. We all feel very good about this. It matches our budget much better and is more centrally located. Our people are excited, but waiting. This last year has seen so many almost possibilities that we do not want them to get frustrated and discouraged.

A New Location for Point Bible !?!

2006-09-25T02:14:00.000-07:00

Progress on the purchase of the building! We are moving ahead, slowly, hesitantly, but moving. We sign the first papers for the sale of the building on Thursday 28 Sept. This is a promise of sale and begins the process here.
There are still two barriers to overcome. The papers will have several clauses which could stop the sale. One of them depends on the other residents of the building. They will have an owner's meeting this month and vote on whether or not they want to allow a church to occupy part of the building. Even though our part of the building is separate from the main appartment, it is still part of the property. Pray that they would see this as a positive addition to their community and allow the purchase to go through.

The other obstacle is ...funding. Currently the group, I hesitate to call us a church yet, has raised 70,000 Euros for a down payment, through several years of offerings and donations from churches in England and Canada. This is a tremendous beginning, but in reality, for the group to be able to meet loan payments and still have a budget for ministry and outreach, we need to have a downpayment of 100,000 Euros.

We are contacting churches, foundations and individuals who are willing to help jump start this work. The members of the group and several other churches in Marseille are willing to do the renovation themselves, but the initial building costs are the main barrier. If everything goes well, we will be able to start moving in around the end of the year.

The Location would be ideal for reaching this community. At the entrance to the large housing project Consolat, 100 yards from the North High School, just below an enormous housing project Campagne Leveque. And close to three other housing projects or cités.

Here is the High School, just across the valley. The new location would be on the route students going to school would take. Perfect for English Outreach classes!!

New Projects for Places of Worship

2006-08-17T00:05:00.000-07:00

As we continue to pursue our project for a building, still in the works but on hold due to vacations, the Muslim community is also pursuing their agenda. The planned site is about 1/2 mile from where we are planting the church. We thought you might be interested in this article:

Photos: The site of the future mosque.

Marseille will have its Great Mosque

MARSEILLE, France, July 6, 2006 (AFP) - France's second city could see the long-awaited construction of a grand mosque, its mayor said Tuesday after a half-century of arguments over the sensitive issue. The French city of Marseille on Thursday broke a decades-long deadlock over the construction of a Great Mosque in the Mediterranean port, where Muslims make up a quarter of the population.

In a ceremony attended by Muslim, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Buddhist leaders, the mayor of Marseille allocated a plot of land for the mosque, paving the way for the project to begin.

"We wanted to perform this act of justice towards our Muslim compatriots in Marseille, to allow them to build a place of worship like all the other major religions in Marseille," said Gaudin.

It was also about catching up with other major cities such as Paris, Lyon and Strasbourg, which either have or plan to build Great Mosques, he said.

While Marseille's Muslim community is estimated at around 200,000 people - the city's 62 places of worship provide room for only around 13,000 faithful.

The Grand Mosque will be finished is slated to be finished in 2008 on the site of the ancient slaughterhouses in the neighborhood of Saint-Louis in the northern sector of Marseille.

The 2,500-square-metre mosque - to be adapted from the existing buildings in a simple, modern style - will provide room for up to 5,000 faithful, and be the largest in France.

Statistics show that Islam is the fastest-growing religion in France; some 50,000 Frenchmen and women are said to be converting annually.

A working vacation

2006-07-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

July 2006

From the 8 through the 15 we were in Holland for the TEAM All-Europe Conference. 300 of us missionaries, spouses and children gathered together to discuss church planting methods and learn what others are doing around Europe. It was great to get away from everyday routine, although I still had to work in taking the minutes for our business sessions.

Holland is a beautiful country, very flat, canals and rivers criss-crossing the country and bicycles rule. They have the right of way all through the cities and country side and there are bike paths everywhere.

We returned Saturday night and Sunday had a church picnic and gathering at one of the members houses (they are the only other ones to live in a house). I brought our neighbor Jean-Pierre and several friends of members came as well.

Jean-Pierre is 65, retired, divorced after 33 years of marriage, Corsican and miserable. He admitted that he had attempted suicide and then two days later met me. When I invited him to a gathering at our place, he said that a door opened that gave him hope. Serge and Michelle, two members, shared with him extensively during the time on Sunday. Serge is also Corsican. J-P is searching, pray for him.

One of our joys has been seeing the kids from the Youth Group growing up! Daniel has finished college and is working, Dio just finished his first year of university. Oceane just graduated from High School and Lydia has finished two of three years of university and is getting married !!

She has asked Vicki to be her witness and matron of honor and asked me to lead the ceremony. France does not allow a church to perform marriages. They are a strictly legal ceremony, but believers may have a religious ceremony of dedication. She is marrying a great young man who also has a heart for Christ. It will be a great privilege to share this moment with them.

We are trying to take 2 weeks off until the end of July as vacation here in Marseille, but there are still tasks that must be completed. I am also handling some of the France field treasurer responsibilities and people still need to get their salaries and pay their rents. Internet makes transfering money across the ocean easier, but still time consuming.

Difficult Decisions in Church Planting

2006-07-03T01:22:00.000-07:00

July 1, 2006

The last month has been incredible! The Summer Team Outreach went great, the church group is reaching out and inviting friends and family, the picnic and barbecue outreach gatherings have been wonderful and we have a great possibility for a building that is progressing. Everyone has been excited by the direction of the church and seeing Christ at work in our midst.

Then catastrophe! Afaga, an African man from Cameroon, the father of one of our families and who had participated in leading the worship services wrote a letter to another man in the group. In it he accused the pastoral team of making all the decisions independently and foolishly, of permitting and encouraging debauchery among the youth, and of giving unbiblical counsel to his family. He insulted the other pastor and called him a bum. He also sent copies of the letter to each of us.

One of the main accusations was deciding to make an offer to purchase the building, which two days before all of us had looked at together and decided to make an offer on. The man he wrote the letter to, a new believer, was shocked and told Afaga he was not in agreement with the statements in the letter and knew them to be false. Afaga responded that he had a diploma in theology and knew what he was talking about.

In the end we have had to tell Afaga that he is no longer welcome at the church activities. He replied that he is also pulling his family away from any association with us. This is tragic since his family is already splitting apart. He has not talked to his wife in two months and his children have stated that they do not love him. We pray that this discipline will provoke him to examine his life and repent.

In the past he has had outbursts of anger in church meetings and has become more and more combattive when discussing issues in the church. The church has been the only outlet for his wife and children into the outside world, as he keeps very close reins on them.

It was a sad decision and we pray it will lead to repentance and healing in the family.

Youth Outreach into the Projects

2006-06-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

June 16, 2006

25 kids crowded into a small apartment living room. It's the monthly kids club outreach in the Projects. The Bible lesson was on Samuel and again kids from Africa, Algeria and Turkey raced to see who could be the first to recite a Bible verse or answer a question about the Bible story. Almost all the boys had been in our Basketball camp, including a couple who had never come to club before.

The next day Joel Vanderbijl and I continued the Basketball Club. This time no big tall americans, no prizes. Just a time of basketball drills, a bible lesson, and then more drills. But we still had 12 kids come out. A week later also 10, some different and some new who had heard about the camp we had held earlier. Our three principles of our club are: A respect for God, a respect for others and a respect for ourselves. All of this from Genesis 1 & 2. It was hot and the kids were a bit slow, but still wanting us to come more often.

Bible & basketball in the Projects

2006-06-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

This last week was one of intense action. We invited a short term mission team from Grace Community Church / The Master's Seminary to come and help us put on a basketball camp for youth in the Public Housing Projects of the northern quarter of Marseille. Each day we held an hour of basketball training with various drills and games, then a lesson on sportsmanship, followed by a testimony of one of the team members.

All of the kids came from immigrant families. Algerian, Comorien, Senegalese, Cameroon and elsewhere. The team was even invited to play against some of the local basketball clubs, after a humbling defeat they came back to regain their honor in the last 3 games. This led to discussions after the game and us inviting several players over to our place for a barbecue the next evening.

Friday night after the clinic, we got things ready and 4 players showed up, all of them from the Comoros Islands. They were all Muslims. Their island nation is 100% Muslim and they had never met a christian before. After the meal, they mentioned how cool it was that guys of different backgrounds and religions could hang out together. This opened up a time of discussion with each of us telling of our beliefs and then one of our guys presentedthe gospel. They appreciated having christianity explained and when they departed it was with the desire to meet together again.

The basketball clinic had two purposes. One, to reach the kids in the neighborhood. We have had a youth club in the projects since Christmas and all of the boys came out for basketball also. The second purpose was to open doors into the families. Most stay locked inside their apartments, afraid either of the danger of gang activity within the projects, or of the Immigration agency from the government. Most speak only limited French and most refuse to open the door, especially to strangers. Through the basketball club we hope to become acquainted with the families and eventually to be able to present the gospel to them.

To read all about the week's outreach you can also visit the team's blog at http://teamfrance06.blogspot.com