Hey friends, I wanted to share a little glimpse into the real reality of our LIVES ON MISSION here in Paris after 4 months.
Madison Rose and I have been living in a 10’x10’ studio for nearly 4 months now…and yes, we still love each other—by God’s grace, even more now! All glory to our God for helping us navigate this hot, little room.
Allow me to paint the picture for you. Imagine this with me…
It’s 32+ degrees (celsius) outside, that’s 90+ degrees (Fahrenheit) for my American friends, and it’s probably hotter inside this top floor metal-roofed box—there’s no escape. You spent 3:31-4:03am hunting down every last mosquito, even the one hiding behind the bed. It’s now 7pm and you’re dripping sweat inside, cold rags hanging off your bare shoulders, mosquito bites inflamed, skin itching, and the spice jar falls off the table again. And, the fan falls off the chair again. And, the cut up veggies end up on the floor again.
You need to be abiding in Jesus to not let these add to the list of internalized micro-frustrations.
Lots of grace, prayer, and communication have been crucial for us. Keeping our eyes on Jesus has been essential.
Not long ago, God even blessed us with a 3 week house-sit at our friend’s 2 bedroom apartment. Their entryway is bigger than our entire studio. It was amazing and a much needed escape from the tiny space, heat, and mosquitoes.
These first 4 months have been challenging, no doubt.
Madison’s tooth issues were horrible during our first few weeks here. We were in and out of the dentist for several weeks.
The heat is unexpectedly brutal. Heat rises, we’re on the top floor, and we’ve got a metal roof above us that heats up our studio like an oven and only cools off just before the sun rises.
The mosquitos have been relentless, even biting my lips and making my bottom lip swell up like I had a lip injection gone horribly wrong.
Even our pull-out sofa bed has been a source of back pain for both of us.
We do have a shower in our studio, but not a bathroom (including a toilet & sink)—that can be found down the hall. And while our hallway toilet room is private (thank You, Lord for that), there’s not quite enough room to use the toilet without jamming my knees into the sink, wall, or door, so I do my business facing the corner.
You get the picture. It’s not comfy. Just Paris things, you know.✨ Adaptability is key.
This already feels like a mini-rant but I’m smiling as I write and share this.
There’s more. Just a few more things to really paint the picture.
We’ve got probably 4-5 sq. ft. of counter space. In other words, there’s no space for anything. So, we started to keep a tally of all the things that get knocked over or dropped in a day as we shuffle around each and move the table, chairs, and bed to navigate the room.
We’ve chosen to shift our perspectives to thank God in what would otherwise be frustrating moments.
My eczema has been bad, similar to how bad it was during my first sunless winter in Paris. It’s been bad then better than bad, and by God’s grace, it’s been pretty good as of the last week or so. Thank You, Lord, for that!
The city bikes we use to get around function as they should probably 2-3x out of 10, leading to trips like yesterday’s—what should have been a 38 min bike ride with our luggage from one place to another, took over 1h30 min.
The air-quality and pollution here are not good. Seriously not good. We’re coming back from every outing with plenty of fun filling our noses.
We’ve gotten sick more times in the last few months than in the last couple years, I think.
It hasn’t been easy to say the least, and that’s ok. Come to think of it, we didn’t sign up for easy. We signed up to follow Jesus where, when, and how He leads. That can be uncomfortable. We figured it’d be less than comfy at times. Although, with each challenge comes God’s grace to help us overcome and persevere with hope.
We’ve seen it come to fruition again and again:
Where God guides, He provides.
Madison Rose and I have been keeping a handful of passages in mind on the regular. One that really stands out has been 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. It declares the will of God for us:
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
So effective. So powerful, yet so simple. Our Creator God, the Source of all wisdom and grace, the Lover of our souls knows what’s best for us, what’s best for His kids. And it’s amazing to take His words, put them into practice, and see what results. It is mind blowing.
This passage has been such a testament of God’s perfect will truly proving to be for our good. With the encouragement and help of the Holy Spirit, the more we choose to rejoice in the Lord, pray, and give thanks—knowing this is God’s will for us—we experience the Lord and become aware of His presence. The more joy we feel. The more connected we become to God and to each other. The more abundant life we experience, even in the midst of what really seemed to be challenging circumstances.
And this passage simply starts with God’s Word telling us exactly what God’s will is, with three simple commands: rejoice, pray, & give thanks. No conditions added. Simply choose to rejoice, pray, and give thanks to God, and watch. You just wait, in a matter of no time, God responds and things change—especially our perspectives.
There’s another similar verse that we just discussed with friends last night. In fact, this was a verse that God had been really placing on Madison Rose’s heart leading up to our first interaction on the day we met a few years ago in Paris.
In Ephesians 5:20, it says we are to
Give thanks “always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I’ll have to get Madison Rose on this podcast so we can share the story of our first interactions together.
With the help of the Holy Spirit, putting these verses into practice has been crucial for us as we seek the Lord, receive uncircumstantial joy from Him, and seek to love each other well even when our circumstances haven’t been ideal. Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks daily has been key in helping us embrace God’s call for us to be here, living as ambassadors of Christ and His Kingdom.
Despite all we’ve faced, we have unrelenting hope because our God is faithful. He’s got us, and He’s convinced us of that. He cares for souls here in Paris and wants His people letting His light shine brightly in every district, every arrondissement of this city. This has been a powerful four months of persevering and investing in God’s everlasting Kingdom.
I’m excited to share more about the huge need for discipleship here, the Good News of Jesus taking root, powerful weekly home gatherings, and some amazing opportunities God’s given us to invest both in people’s lives and in the Body of Christ here.
There’s more to come in the upcoming podcast-posts. Until then, here’s my encouragement to you: Make your choice today. By faith, not based on the circumstances you see, you can choose to:
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, [and] give thanks in all circumstances”
Why? Because,
“this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Also, a friendly reminder. You’re not alone in this. It says in Philippians 2:13 that:
“It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
God will help you learn to practice rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. And the same God who works in you, is the same God who wants to bless you with His presence, love, grace, and peace. What a beautiful God we get to know and serve. What a faithful Father in heaven.
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