WEBVTT
00:00:00.190 --> 00:00:02.790
You're listening to the sounds of Normandy.
00:00:02.790 --> 00:00:05.490
These are the birds of Normandy, France.
00:00:05.490 --> 00:00:12.810
D-Day originated as an American military term, but today the entire world knows it.
00:00:12.810 --> 00:00:29.670
While it began as a specific US Army jargon during World War I, the massive global scale of the June 6th, 1944 Normandy invasion permanently cemented it into the universal vocabulary of world history.
00:00:29.670 --> 00:00:33.659
D-Day, the "D" literally just stands for "Day".
00:00:33.659 --> 00:00:35.890
It was a placeholder code.
00:00:35.890 --> 00:00:42.850
If an invasion date was secret or undecided, planners called it "D-Day" and scheduled events related to it.
00:00:42.850 --> 00:00:46.350
D-3 meant three days before.
00:00:46.350 --> 00:00:49.280
D+2 meant two days after.
00:00:49.280 --> 00:01:05.340
The story you're going to hear today, though, however, comes from a historic commune in Normandy called Saint-Lô, famously known as the "Capital of Ruins" after being 95% destroyed during the July 1944 Battle of World War II.
00:01:05.340 --> 00:01:17.459
So what does a young man from El Salvador and his French girl sweetheart and a mother with big dreams have to do with Saint-Lô and have to do with SmallCircle?
00:01:17.459 --> 00:01:21.371
Welcome to the SmallCircle Podcast, everyone.
00:01:21.371 --> 00:01:30.828
We're here to tell you all about it It's so great to be back with all of you today.
00:01:30.828 --> 00:01:33.539
I'm your host of this podcast, Carrie McCoy.
00:01:33.539 --> 00:01:38.028
Today we're going to introduce you to Pastor Mauricio Prunera.
00:01:38.028 --> 00:01:52.498
He's a man from El Salvador and the pastor of a church in Saint-Lo called Chemin Nouveau Can't wait for you to hear his story, how he got to Saint-Lo, and I'm just gonna tell you, you're in for a treat.
00:01:52.498 --> 00:02:02.879
We were so busy during this time, we didn't have time for a podcast until 30 minutes before we were catching our train out of the city and leaving to Paris.
00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:11.038
We just busted out the podcast microphones and recorded it right there in the car on the curb right there in the road next to the train station.
00:02:11.038 --> 00:02:12.609
I hope you enjoy it.
00:02:12.609 --> 00:02:13.588
Pray for them.
00:02:13.588 --> 00:02:28.328
This is an amazing story full of God's grace and goodness, and I'm so happy to bring it to you right here today on the SmallCircle Podcast So we're actually sitting in a car getting ready to catch a train back to Paris.
00:02:28.328 --> 00:02:37.948
We are in Saint-Lô, close to Normandy, and we're here with Pastor Mauricio, and we're going to just do the best we can to come up with a podcast interview.
00:02:37.948 --> 00:02:44.967
We had so much ground to cover, and we have so many stories, and we just had to capture some of them and have you guys get to know Mauricio.
00:02:44.967 --> 00:02:45.707
So here we are.
00:02:45.707 --> 00:02:46.617
I'm with Steve.
00:02:47.388 --> 00:02:47.568
Hello.
00:02:47.627 --> 00:02:49.657
And Pastor Mauricio, introduce yourself.
00:02:49.657 --> 00:02:50.548
Let's start with that.
00:02:51.758 --> 00:02:52.177
Hola, que tal todos.
00:02:52.177 --> 00:02:53.997
Hi.
00:02:53.997 --> 00:02:57.777
That was some Spanish because I am originally from El Salvador.
00:02:57.777 --> 00:03:02.957
My name is Mauricio Prunera, and I am married to Rachel.
00:03:02.957 --> 00:03:05.068
She's a French lady.
00:03:05.068 --> 00:03:12.388
We got to meet in Argentina 21 years ago, and we have been married for almost 20 years now.
00:03:12.388 --> 00:03:13.487
We have two children.
00:03:13.487 --> 00:03:15.837
Esteban, he's 16.
00:03:15.837 --> 00:03:17.798
Lydia, she's almost 12.
00:03:17.798 --> 00:03:21.777
And it's a pleasure to, to me to, to be here with, uh, Steve and Carrie.
00:03:21.948 --> 00:03:23.187
That was a great introduction.
00:03:23.187 --> 00:03:31.277
And, and it's a great place to start because, uh, we were taken, Carrie and I were taken by several points of your story.
00:03:31.277 --> 00:03:35.467
And you were serving in El Salvador.
00:03:35.518 --> 00:03:35.818
Mm-hmm.
00:03:35.948 --> 00:03:38.328
Um, and, uh, Rachel was with you?
00:03:38.407 --> 00:03:38.888
Yes.
00:03:39.027 --> 00:03:41.247
And, uh, that happened for how long?
00:03:41.798 --> 00:03:44.397
So we were in El Salvador for 10 years.
00:03:44.397 --> 00:03:50.828
I was a youth pastor in a church in the capital, San Salvador, and we lived there, yeah, 10, 10 years.
00:03:52.283 --> 00:03:56.883
And then, um, the church was pretty large- Yeah and growing.
00:03:57.234 --> 00:03:57.514
Yeah.
00:03:57.514 --> 00:04:02.963
Uh, I mean, when, whenever everybody was there in the youth group, we were 120 people.
00:04:02.963 --> 00:04:04.984
So a pretty big church.
00:04:04.984 --> 00:04:10.473
Every Sunday we have between four, uh, 450 to 500 people.
00:04:11.223 --> 00:04:16.173
But then at the moment of that success, something happened, right?
00:04:16.173 --> 00:04:20.233
Rachel's heart, uh, w- something was going on, and was-
00:04:20.233 --> 00:04:21.504
She wanted to go home.
00:04:21.504 --> 00:04:21.884
Yeah.
00:04:21.884 --> 00:04:23.473
Sha- Yeah share a little bit about that.
00:04:23.473 --> 00:04:24.353
Yeah.
00:04:24.353 --> 00:04:28.303
I think that the, the, the phrase in English is that she was homesick.
00:04:28.303 --> 00:04:46.874
After 10 years giving a lot over there, I mean, she adapted really well, f- uh, being a French girl, uh, from this little rural area in Normandy, coming to San Salvador, one of the most violent, um, uh, cities in the world at that time.
00:04:46.874 --> 00:04:50.184
We were experiencing 18 homicides-
00:04:50.684 --> 00:04:51.293
Wow
00:04:51.353 --> 00:04:52.653
per, per day.
00:04:52.653 --> 00:04:56.473
And so this French girl adapted, learned the language.
00:04:56.473 --> 00:04:58.173
She was always with me.
00:04:58.173 --> 00:05:04.113
We have this outreach ministry visiting every city of El Salvador.
00:05:04.113 --> 00:05:08.803
We just have 262 cities, and we wanted to cover all with the gospel.
00:05:08.803 --> 00:05:11.303
So we visit during this 10 years.
00:05:11.303 --> 00:05:19.634
Uh, that was like a beside ministry that we have, being a pastor, a youth pastor, but also an, I will say an, an evangelist.
00:05:19.634 --> 00:05:30.983
In my country, we visited 170 different cities- um, doing missions, doing theater, music presentations, sports clinics, medical campaigns.
00:05:30.983 --> 00:05:32.223
I mean, I can keep going.
00:05:32.264 --> 00:05:35.954
And you walked away from all of that because the love of your life-
00:05:35.983 --> 00:05:36.434
Yeah
00:05:36.533 --> 00:05:38.653
needed to come back, wanted to come back home.
00:05:38.713 --> 00:05:42.543
So that happened in the 10th year, and, and she was...
00:05:42.543 --> 00:05:44.834
In the mornings, she was crying.
00:05:44.834 --> 00:06:03.093
Some- sometimes when I was coming back from the church, she was crying in her bed, and I was like, "What, what is happening?" And she want, she didn't wanted to tell me, but in some point, I mean, "You need to tell me what is happening." And she say, "I need to go back to France." And I'm like, "No way." Mm.
00:06:03.093 --> 00:06:05.473
"Please don't, don't, don't say that." You don't speak any French.
00:06:05.473 --> 00:06:05.874
No.
00:06:05.874 --> 00:06:07.423
At that time, I didn't speak French.
00:06:07.423 --> 00:06:10.894
Never, to be honest with you, I never prayed for France.
00:06:10.894 --> 00:06:22.723
I, I mean, maybe in general, like, "Lord, you love the world and save..." As I, as I will pray for North Korea, you know, like, save some people there," but never, like, "Lord-
00:06:22.723 --> 00:06:25.483
You never thought God was gonna take you guys and bring you back here-
00:06:25.504 --> 00:06:26.244
Never, never
00:06:26.244 --> 00:06:26.430
to Normandy.
00:06:26.430 --> 00:06:27.283
That was the deal.
00:06:27.403 --> 00:06:35.454
And, um, just because there's another part of the story I don't wanna miss, what year was that, that she started feeling a needed to go back home?
00:06:35.463 --> 00:06:35.473
2015.
00:06:37.744 --> 00:06:38.244
Okay, 2015.
00:06:38.244 --> 00:06:45.100
And from that moment- How long did it take you to eventually land back in France?
00:06:45.529 --> 00:06:46.529
A year and a half.
00:06:46.529 --> 00:06:46.550
Mm.
00:06:46.550 --> 00:06:49.709
Because we move in October 2016.
00:06:49.709 --> 00:06:50.370
Mm.
00:06:50.370 --> 00:06:55.709
So we were receiving a counseling, but it was, it wasn't a couple's problem, you know?
00:06:55.709 --> 00:07:05.410
It's just this French girl needing to go back to her country, and it was, uh, feeling stronger than herself.
00:07:05.410 --> 00:07:08.680
I mean, she didn't want to come back, but she needed.
00:07:08.680 --> 00:07:21.459
And so I find myself in that place when you have in your hand a successful ministry evangelizing, pastoring, discipling, and in the other hand you have your wife.
00:07:21.459 --> 00:07:21.810
Mm-hmm.
00:07:21.810 --> 00:07:23.600
So what you, what you will choose?
00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:23.620
Mm.
00:07:23.620 --> 00:07:33.160
You can close your eyes to the need of your wife and keep doing the ministry because it's your call or whatever, but I think that we know where that's gonna end.
00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:33.459
Mm-hmm.
00:07:33.459 --> 00:07:33.750
Mm-hmm.
00:07:33.750 --> 00:07:37.089
Uh, separation, divorce, suicide, I don't know.
00:07:37.089 --> 00:07:37.449
Mm.
00:07:37.449 --> 00:07:48.012
And then so to make the long story short- We decide, I decide in this, in this point, I decide to start moving from our ministry.
00:07:48.012 --> 00:07:57.862
I, I train a successor, and we had 18 leaders at that time in our church, all discipled, and, and everybody was ready.
00:07:57.862 --> 00:08:02.992
But even, or depart was a very difficult time for our local church.
00:08:02.992 --> 00:08:08.502
But we start selling the things, and we move to France in October 2016.
00:08:09.351 --> 00:08:16.882
So when you made that move in 2016, um, what was it like for you coming to, to France?
00:08:16.882 --> 00:08:24.802
'Cause that, as it was a big change for her, that was a pretty big change for you, being in the cities, being, facing danger, going to cities.
00:08:24.802 --> 00:08:29.331
Now you're in, um, in a rural area of France.
00:08:29.401 --> 00:08:29.742
Yep.
00:08:29.771 --> 00:08:30.601
What was that like for you?
00:08:30.601 --> 00:08:32.261
Things flip-flopped, right?
00:08:32.261 --> 00:08:33.442
Emotionally and-
00:08:33.501 --> 00:08:37.412
Emotionally, uh, almost dying, I will say.
00:08:37.412 --> 00:08:41.412
Uh, I didn't speak French, but I needed to have a job.
00:08:41.412 --> 00:08:49.971
My first job was unloading and loading fish trucks in this place that it was zero degrees in order to have...
00:08:49.971 --> 00:08:51.322
Zero in Celsius- Mm right?
00:08:51.322 --> 00:08:52.831
That is, like, 32 Fahrenheit.
00:08:52.861 --> 00:08:53.817
Freezing, in other words.
00:08:53.817 --> 00:08:57.721
And so freezing, because the fish needed to be f- uh, frozen.
00:08:57.721 --> 00:09:04.292
And so I was dying of cold, because in Salvador we, we just have two seasons, hot and more hot.
00:09:04.292 --> 00:09:05.152
Okay?
00:09:05.152 --> 00:09:07.451
And, and here they have the four seasons.
00:09:07.451 --> 00:09:12.312
And it's a beautiful country, beautiful place, but I didn't want to be here, to be honest.
00:09:12.312 --> 00:09:14.142
And no churches.
00:09:14.142 --> 00:09:20.331
I mean, a, a little church of 12 people, a German pastor who planted the church 30 years ago.
00:09:20.331 --> 00:09:22.131
Um, no friends.
00:09:22.131 --> 00:09:27.272
And then nine months after I took that decision of moving to France, my mom passed away.
00:09:27.272 --> 00:09:27.792
Mm-hmm.
00:09:27.792 --> 00:09:31.461
So I went back to El Salvador to do the funeral of my mom.
00:09:31.461 --> 00:09:35.721
And, uh, my father, he has already passed away in 2012.
00:09:35.721 --> 00:09:39.841
And so, um, I, it was a difficult time.
00:09:39.841 --> 00:09:51.182
I spent, like, two very dark years in, in my Christian life not understanding what the Lord did, not understanding why I'm here working.
00:09:51.182 --> 00:09:55.001
And we start renting our house, and the children in the school and all that.
00:09:55.001 --> 00:10:07.251
But I min- the m- the, the ministry part I was missing, and I couldn't fi- f- found what is the next step for our lives- Mm regarding ministry, serving the Lord, right now.
00:10:07.251 --> 00:10:16.892
So God was really working in you those two years and preparing you and getting you ready for this amazing purpose that he had for you in this city,
00:10:16.942 --> 00:10:16.961
mm-hmm.
00:10:16.961 --> 00:10:21.251
Yeah, I think, I, and there, I'm always interested, what was the turning point?
00:10:21.251 --> 00:10:31.206
So these two years of just brutal questioning and transitioning and- Probably just learning the language because you have to, right?
00:10:31.206 --> 00:10:31.405
Yep.
00:10:31.405 --> 00:10:34.546
Yeah, because I had to, not because I wanted to.
00:10:34.546 --> 00:10:43.515
And, um, three things happened during that time to change my mind, and I will say to broke, bro- broken my heart.
00:10:43.515 --> 00:10:47.975
The first one is when I, when I visit the D-Day beaches.
00:10:47.975 --> 00:10:50.176
I went to Omaha and Utah Beach.
00:10:50.316 --> 00:10:56.745
Oh, the, the Omaha- The D-Day beaches where D-Day took place, June 6th, 1944.
00:10:56.796 --> 00:10:57.336
That's right.
00:10:57.336 --> 00:10:58.015
That's right.
00:10:58.015 --> 00:11:00.186
And so my father-in-law took me there.
00:11:00.186 --> 00:11:05.885
And I mean, we have studied that in history in El Salvador, you know, like what happened the Second World War and all that.
00:11:05.885 --> 00:11:10.975
But being in those places, it completely gives you another perspective.
00:11:10.975 --> 00:11:12.346
So we went, and I...
00:11:12.346 --> 00:11:57.135
when I was learning what the Canadian, British, and, and American army did to come and bring freedom, bring peace, bring liberation to this country, the country of France, firstly in Normandy, and then in the whole country, and even the whole continent, I was very impact in my heart, saying like, "Okay, these, these soldiers, they were just obeying their authority, not loving the country necessarily, not learning the language, but just fighting for a cause, bringing freedom here." So that was the first time when I ever think maybe the Lord brought me here to liberate Normandy again.
00:11:57.135 --> 00:12:04.614
And when I say that, I was like, "Wow, Lord, maybe this is your next step for me.
00:12:04.614 --> 00:12:19.183
I am here as a soldier obeying you, saying, 'Lord, um, I am here to liberate, bring the freedom, bring the peace, bring your gospel,' this time with the gospel of Jesus Christ." So was, that was the first breaking point.
00:12:19.374 --> 00:12:19.854
Okay.
00:12:19.854 --> 00:12:23.774
Before we get to point two or three, let me just say that is amazing.
00:12:23.774 --> 00:12:28.894
Liberate Normandy again from a spiritual point of view.
00:12:28.894 --> 00:12:29.114
Mm.
00:12:29.114 --> 00:12:38.833
That's just incredible, and that imagery of fighting out of obedience to the authority, uh, for the sake of other people, that's just, that's really stunning.
00:12:38.894 --> 00:12:49.573
And when we walked in your church, the first thing I saw after you told us that with the bookmarks you had laying out with that very saying, like, this is what our church's mission is here to do.
00:12:49.714 --> 00:12:50.083
Mm.
00:12:50.083 --> 00:13:00.894
To bring the peace that only God can give, to bring the freedom that only Jesus can give, to bring the love through the Spirit that these people needs desperately.
00:13:00.894 --> 00:13:03.423
Uh, some numbers about France.
00:13:03.423 --> 00:13:13.464
67 million people in this country, and just 1.7% of the population, they profess to be evangelical Christians, you know?
00:13:13.464 --> 00:13:15.933
Some people profess Catholicism.
00:13:15.933 --> 00:13:16.754
That's okay.
00:13:16.754 --> 00:13:21.443
Uh, but evangelicals, 1.7%.
00:13:21.443 --> 00:13:23.563
Uh, the Muslims, they are 7%.
00:13:24.153 --> 00:13:24.543
Wow.
00:13:24.543 --> 00:13:24.803
So.
00:13:24.803 --> 00:13:26.734
What a stunning, stunning number.
00:13:26.734 --> 00:13:31.653
Okay, so turning point number one, Normandy, Omaha Beach.
00:13:31.653 --> 00:13:32.333
How about two?
00:13:32.933 --> 00:13:44.083
Number two is when my mother-in-law, uh, took me to her attic and showed me how she has been keeping 80 chairs- full of dust.
00:13:44.083 --> 00:13:47.984
Very old chairs, but let me tell you the story.
00:13:47.984 --> 00:13:57.173
What happened is in 2008, so many years ago, she was a waitress in a French restaurant here in the city of Saint-Lô, where we live.
00:13:57.173 --> 00:14:00.809
And, uh, she was working in this place.
00:14:00.809 --> 00:14:04.389
This is a very nice restaurant, and she was a waitress there.
00:14:04.389 --> 00:14:21.000
And one morning, the owner say to her, "Okay, we're gonna clean up everything, and help me to take all the chairs out and even the plates because I bought, I purchased new chairs and new plates, and we are going to remodelate a- a- all this."
00:14:21.019 --> 00:14:25.659
They were gonna remodel- Remodel so they were gonna just throw away all these chairs and plates.
00:14:25.659 --> 00:14:26.100
And plates.
00:14:26.100 --> 00:14:27.000
But Beatriz-
00:14:27.470 --> 00:14:28.070
Beatriz, yes
00:14:28.070 --> 00:14:30.120
your mother-in-law, said, "Wait."
00:14:30.750 --> 00:14:31.710
She say, "Wait.
00:14:31.710 --> 00:14:35.620
Can you give me the chairs and the plates, uh, to me?
00:14:35.620 --> 00:14:41.409
Can you ask the guy from the truck to bring all that to my house?" The lady say, "Listen, I don't care.
00:14:41.409 --> 00:14:52.279
Uh, you, you can take it, and but why do you want 80 chairs and 100 plates?" And Beatriz reply, "Because one day the Lord will send a pastor-" Mm.
00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:58.169
and we will start a church, and we will need chairs so the people can listen to the gospel.
00:14:58.169 --> 00:15:12.909
And we will need plates so we can feed the people in making fellowship, uh, dinners or lunch or whatever." And so she, she keep those chairs and tho- those plates for more than 13 years.
00:15:12.909 --> 00:15:15.679
She stored them for 13 years.
00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:16.809
Wow, that is stunning.
00:15:17.509 --> 00:15:18.490
By herself.
00:15:18.490 --> 00:15:23.850
This is the part that I, that I, that I was crying in that attic with her.
00:15:23.850 --> 00:15:27.029
I say, "Who help you with this?" And she say, "No one.
00:15:27.029 --> 00:15:27.309
This is, this is my-"
00:15:27.309 --> 00:15:29.809
She moved all of those her- herself in her attic
00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:30.990
with the Holy Spirit.
00:15:30.990 --> 00:15:34.320
Like- Mm not even my father-in-law was converted at that time.
00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:36.710
Today, my father-in-law is attending our church.
00:15:36.710 --> 00:15:40.470
He's coming, prayer meeting, Sunday service, and everything.
00:15:40.470 --> 00:15:42.750
But at that time, she was by herself.
00:15:42.750 --> 00:15:46.970
She got saved when she was 37, growing in the Lord by herself.
00:15:46.970 --> 00:15:51.600
Nobody disciple her, but she has this special connection with the Holy Spirit.
00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:51.940
Mm.
00:15:51.940 --> 00:15:53.669
And she received this vision.
00:15:53.669 --> 00:16:07.000
So I cannot explain to you, whenever we started the church in our house and the church was growing and we, we, we s- start renting the venue at the church for the ch- for, for the church people, uh, this building that we have.
00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:16.570
I rented a truck, and I, they did the move 13 years later of the 80 chairs and 100 plates- Mm to come to our church.
00:16:16.570 --> 00:16:28.870
The faith that Beatriz had, it is like a, li- like a kingdom winner, you know, for Jesus- Wow bringing this, uh, this, uh, reward, you know?
00:16:28.870 --> 00:16:33.100
And, and we have been using those chairs, yeah, in order to establish the church.
00:16:33.100 --> 00:16:34.009
And no pressure.
00:16:34.009 --> 00:16:35.230
How many of them were there?
00:16:35.230 --> 00:16:37.029
You have to fill every one, right?
00:16:37.090 --> 00:16:40.409
Well, today you were with us in the worship service.
00:16:40.409 --> 00:16:42.090
We were 47 people.
00:16:42.090 --> 00:16:42.683
47.
00:16:42.984 --> 00:16:43.514
It's incredible.
00:16:43.774 --> 00:16:45.423
That's super stunning, man.
00:16:45.423 --> 00:16:53.183
Just think about every year that passed for 15 years for her, waiting- Mm for those chairs to be used.
00:16:53.183 --> 00:16:55.403
And those are the chairs that are in the church right now.
00:16:55.403 --> 00:16:57.203
We were sitting on those chairs.
00:16:57.203 --> 00:16:57.583
Amen.
00:16:57.583 --> 00:16:57.594
Amen.
00:16:57.594 --> 00:16:58.293
Were we not?
00:16:58.293 --> 00:17:00.354
And, and she didn't get discouraged, right?
00:17:00.583 --> 00:17:03.244
Oh, um, I guess that she had ups and downs, you know?
00:17:03.244 --> 00:17:03.524
Mm.
00:17:03.524 --> 00:17:05.844
Like, "Lord, when are you going to send somebody?" Mm.
00:17:05.844 --> 00:17:13.614
And then when we came in 2016, she, she shared with me about the need of a new church in the city, and I say, "No, I'm not the one.
00:17:13.614 --> 00:17:17.913
I mean, I'm not here to, to do nothing." I say, "I just came because of Rachel." Wow.
00:17:17.913 --> 00:17:23.723
"I came because Rachel was desperate, and dep- with depression, and this and that.
00:17:23.723 --> 00:17:29.554
We are here just so she can recover." By the way, her, her, she recovered, like, in the first month, you know?
00:17:29.554 --> 00:17:29.814
Wow.
00:17:29.814 --> 00:17:31.153
Rachel was so happy.
00:17:31.153 --> 00:17:33.064
Our marriage was doing well.
00:17:33.064 --> 00:17:36.513
I mean, as I say before, it wasn't a problem between her and me.
00:17:36.513 --> 00:17:38.624
It was just the situation in El Salvador.
00:17:38.624 --> 00:17:39.144
Mm-hmm.
00:17:39.144 --> 00:17:40.334
But then we came here.
00:17:40.334 --> 00:17:43.574
We were doing well, um, having a good life.
00:17:43.574 --> 00:17:51.483
But then with these two points of breaking my heart, uh, the Lord was showing me that there is a new adventure for us.
00:17:51.483 --> 00:17:51.993
Mm.
00:17:52.594 --> 00:17:54.233
Now you wanted to learn the language.
00:17:54.344 --> 00:17:54.683
Yes.
00:17:54.693 --> 00:17:54.763
Right?
00:17:54.763 --> 00:17:59.913
'Cause God had given His breath to it and breathed life into it.
00:18:00.243 --> 00:18:01.334
And give me a vision.
00:18:01.334 --> 00:18:04.554
I, I mean, now I have a vision, you know, liberating Normandy.
00:18:04.554 --> 00:18:06.163
Now I have some tools.
00:18:06.163 --> 00:18:08.173
We have the chairs, the plates.
00:18:08.173 --> 00:18:21.923
I'm like, "Okay." But this is what really broke my heart, is when sh- Beatriz took me to see a lady that she knew because her husband, he was, uh, cutting the hair of the lambs that they have.
00:18:21.923 --> 00:18:22.253
How do you say that?
00:18:22.253 --> 00:18:22.493
Mm.
00:18:22.493 --> 00:18:22.894
That there is a very- Shearing.
00:18:22.894 --> 00:18:23.423
Shearing.
00:18:23.423 --> 00:18:28.804
Shearing the lambs and the, and the sheep that, that they were raising.
00:18:28.804 --> 00:18:30.663
And so we went and visit her.
00:18:30.663 --> 00:18:34.034
And, and a lady, like 65, maybe 70 years old.
00:18:34.034 --> 00:18:37.953
And, um- And I shared the gospel with her.
00:18:37.953 --> 00:18:45.544
And for her, it is like the Lord has been working in her heart because for her it was so easy to say yes to the Lord.
00:18:45.544 --> 00:18:54.534
When I explained to her, "Jesus died for you," and s- and I give her the, the illustration of the Lamb of God, and so she works with lambs.
00:18:54.673 --> 00:18:55.594
Oh, wow.
00:18:55.663 --> 00:18:57.003
And were you doing this in French?
00:18:57.213 --> 00:18:57.864
In French.
00:18:57.864 --> 00:19:00.384
This is the first time I shared the gospel in French.
00:19:00.384 --> 00:19:04.114
And this person, she's saying yes to the Lord.
00:19:04.114 --> 00:19:06.513
And, and I'm like, "Really?
00:19:06.513 --> 00:19:10.023
Do you want to accept the Lord in your heart?" She said, "Yes, I believe.
00:19:10.023 --> 00:19:12.134
I mean, it, it makes sense," she said.
00:19:12.134 --> 00:19:21.574
I think that she had a Catholic background, and she said, "This is the lamb, the, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin, as the priest is saying," she said.
00:19:21.574 --> 00:19:24.713
And I said, "Yes, like with the blood and the bread.
00:19:24.713 --> 00:19:30.584
So it's Jesus's blood and Jesus's body who pay the price." And she's like, "Wow.
00:19:30.584 --> 00:19:35.314
And he suffer for us?" And I'm like, "Yes." And all this in French, right?
00:19:35.314 --> 00:19:35.854
Wow.
00:19:35.854 --> 00:19:38.354
And then I said, "Do you want to accept the Lord in your heart?
00:19:38.354 --> 00:19:48.973
Do you want to accept this lamb who pay your sins, who rose again for you, in your heart?" She said, "Yes." I even asked her three times- Mm-hmm in French.
00:19:48.973 --> 00:19:58.372
And then when I am hearing myself leading this beautiful lady- to Jesus' feet- In French accepted the Lord.
00:19:58.372 --> 00:19:59.082
In French.
00:19:59.082 --> 00:20:01.642
That broken my heart- Wow finally.
00:20:01.642 --> 00:20:07.682
It is like that salvation moment, it was for her for sure, but it was also for me.
00:20:07.682 --> 00:20:07.701
Mm.
00:20:07.701 --> 00:20:09.832
Like, hey, this is why you are here.
00:20:09.832 --> 00:20:10.301
Mm.
00:20:10.301 --> 00:20:13.932
So these people can accept the love of God through Jesus Christ.
00:20:13.932 --> 00:20:15.801
And so she opened her heart.
00:20:15.801 --> 00:20:17.372
I couldn't finish the prayer.
00:20:17.372 --> 00:20:21.122
Beatrice finished the prayer, which is very meaningful, I guess.
00:20:21.122 --> 00:20:21.571
Wow.
00:20:21.571 --> 00:20:28.811
The first person that is getting convert through my new ministry here- Mm it is like, Beatrice, you finish that.
00:20:29.392 --> 00:20:31.612
And why, why couldn't you finish the prayer?
00:20:31.711 --> 00:20:33.061
Because I was so broken.
00:20:33.061 --> 00:20:33.082
Mm.
00:20:33.082 --> 00:20:36.231
I was crying, weeping- Mm understanding.
00:20:36.231 --> 00:20:42.541
It is, it is like the Holy Spirit was giving me now the picture, the new season of her heart.
00:20:42.541 --> 00:20:43.281
The v- yeah.
00:20:43.281 --> 00:20:46.602
The, the, uh, for her, her family, for, for myself.
00:20:46.602 --> 00:20:49.422
There's so many layers in that one moment coming together.
00:20:49.422 --> 00:20:53.201
Your purpose- Yeah the language was finally you're at the point and-
00:20:53.432 --> 00:20:54.961
With Beatrice there- Yeah.
00:20:54.961 --> 00:20:55.622
who had the vision-
00:20:55.692 --> 00:20:56.912
Who had the vision many years ago.
00:20:56.912 --> 00:20:57.932
You can't make this up.
00:20:57.932 --> 00:20:58.382
No, no.
00:20:58.382 --> 00:20:59.011
Yeah.
00:20:59.281 --> 00:21:14.701
And so that's how finally I say, "Okay, let me start a new church in the city." We were seeing that with the German pastor, we were not attending every Sunday the church, but we were see- seeing that, and I'm not saying this to criticize, but we didn't have the same values.
00:21:14.701 --> 00:21:14.981
Mm.
00:21:14.981 --> 00:21:21.961
And we wanted a church open for all nationalities, all languages, all, everybody, you know?
00:21:21.961 --> 00:21:28.872
It, it is a French-speaking church, but everybody can come, and we wanted to create like a family atmosphere.
00:21:28.872 --> 00:21:42.791
Everybody feels welcome, and no matter which color is your skin, no matter from where are you from, and just come and enjoy the love of God with us in, in, in this atmosphere, you know?
00:21:43.503 --> 00:21:46.273
And we, we experienced that this weekend where I-
00:21:46.304 --> 00:21:47.554
We met so many people yeah, we met
00:21:47.554 --> 00:21:54.933
so many people from different, uh, countries, different backgrounds, and there's just, there was like a, a tapestry.
00:21:54.933 --> 00:21:55.213
Mm.
00:21:55.213 --> 00:21:56.973
And, uh, just beautiful.
00:21:56.973 --> 00:22:01.963
So God is fulfilling even that, uh, the, that value of reaching the nations.
00:22:01.983 --> 00:22:07.903
Well, you were t- you were telling us the story of, of the building and, and how Eric is living upstairs, and how you came to know Eric.
00:22:08.183 --> 00:22:08.864
Yeah, yeah.
00:22:08.864 --> 00:22:09.124
So that whole story.
00:22:09.124 --> 00:22:11.253
So Eric, this is a guy from Benin.
00:22:11.253 --> 00:22:12.700
Because what happened is that a-
00:22:12.700 --> 00:22:14.144
The coun- the country of Benin.
00:22:14.144 --> 00:22:14.554
Benin.
00:22:14.554 --> 00:22:14.733
Of
00:22:14.733 --> 00:22:15.423
Benin we would say in Russian.
00:22:15.423 --> 00:22:16.064
In, right, okay.
00:22:16.064 --> 00:22:16.354
Okay.
00:22:16.963 --> 00:22:30.203
So what happened is that in fall 2018, so exactly two years later that we moved, and now I am seeing the light, and, and so we started a Bible study in our house.
00:22:30.203 --> 00:22:39.423
Every Sunday I was coming to Saint Lô, picking up some people, friends, family, that wanted to hear about God through the word of God.
00:22:39.423 --> 00:22:46.773
And, um, three years passed when finally we have a group, a core group of 10 believers.
00:22:46.773 --> 00:22:47.173
Mm.
00:22:47.173 --> 00:22:49.374
So 10 believers, three years.
00:22:49.374 --> 00:22:57.983
In El Salvador, if, if you want to be used for the Lord to, to gain 10 people, you just need to go and do some street evangelism-
00:22:57.993 --> 00:22:58.374
Right
00:22:58.374 --> 00:22:58.884
one afternoon.
00:22:58.963 --> 00:23:01.943
It's a totally different, totally different experience here.
00:23:01.943 --> 00:23:04.273
It's such a slow pace.
00:23:04.284 --> 00:23:04.794
Yeah.
00:23:04.794 --> 00:23:10.384
And you have to pray and fast and create the relationships, gaining confidence.
00:23:10.384 --> 00:23:13.314
I mean, it, it is another kind of evangelism, right?
00:23:13.314 --> 00:23:13.763
Mm-hmm.
00:23:13.763 --> 00:23:27.288
And but finally, from 2018 to 2021, 10 believers, and that is how we say, "Okay, now we have to rent a venue in the city." Coming out from our house and having a place in the city.
00:23:27.288 --> 00:23:39.137
By the grace of God, some churches and friends, uh, pastors from the US, and a church in Canada, uh, started to support our ministry, this, this church planting that we started.
00:23:39.137 --> 00:23:40.678
We got a name.
00:23:40.678 --> 00:23:43.577
The name of our church is Chemin Nouveau.
00:23:43.577 --> 00:23:46.768
That means new way or new path.
00:23:46.768 --> 00:23:52.528
Now we have a family of churches who adopt our, our ministry, too, here in France.
00:23:52.528 --> 00:23:59.238
The French Baptist Federation, uh, is a local denomination here, a national, national denomination here.
00:23:59.238 --> 00:24:01.307
And we are all set.
00:24:01.307 --> 00:24:06.748
So we started to rent the venue, but we really wanted a venue that has also rooms.
00:24:06.748 --> 00:24:08.087
What I mean is, uh-
00:24:08.097 --> 00:24:10.137
To host people who- Yeah who are in need.
00:24:10.228 --> 00:24:17.288
To host people, immigrants, homeless, whoever needs a roof, because this is the reality here, right?
00:24:17.288 --> 00:24:21.577
There is a big movement of people coming from all over the place.
00:24:21.577 --> 00:24:32.827
A- and mostly, I will say, from Asia, uh, Middle East, Africa countries, French-speaking countries in Africa, so a lot of movement of immigration, right?
00:24:32.827 --> 00:24:35.807
But they come over here, and then they're not allowed to work, right?
00:24:35.807 --> 00:24:36.337
Unfortunately, no.
00:24:36.347 --> 00:24:36.928
So how do they...
00:24:36.928 --> 00:24:37.468
You know, they had a...
00:24:37.468 --> 00:24:41.458
They don't make a living, and it's hard for them, and so this was Eric's story.
00:24:41.518 --> 00:24:46.028
So Eric, he was living here in the train station that you will be using in a few minutes.
00:24:46.028 --> 00:24:47.137
And, uh-
00:24:47.178 --> 00:24:48.557
You mean, uh, like a homeless?
00:24:48.557 --> 00:24:49.548
He didn't have a home, right?
00:24:49.577 --> 00:24:50.528
Yes, yes.
00:24:50.528 --> 00:24:50.738
Wow.
00:24:50.738 --> 00:25:03.278
Because at the beginning, an immigrant has an, a little apartment, but whenever their process finish, and they got rejected, they just give h- give them a paper that says, "Go back to your country." But they don't do like a deportation.
00:25:03.278 --> 00:25:03.988
Mm.
00:25:03.988 --> 00:25:10.167
So people just stay here, stay in the train station, under the bridge, whoever they find a place.
00:25:10.167 --> 00:25:10.718
So-
00:25:10.718 --> 00:25:16.627
But Eric's situation, he was, his, he was running from Benin for fear of his life.
00:25:16.718 --> 00:25:17.097
Yes.
00:25:17.107 --> 00:25:17.397
Correct?
00:25:17.397 --> 00:25:19.837
He was a newspaper, um, editor.
00:25:19.837 --> 00:25:20.307
Mm-hmm.
00:25:20.307 --> 00:25:29.079
And he was- writing some things that the government ne- didn't like, and so he, he was, I think that the very in English is threat.
00:25:29.079 --> 00:25:30.390
He was threat.
00:25:30.390 --> 00:25:30.980
He received threat.
00:25:30.980 --> 00:25:31.900
And-
00:25:32.089 --> 00:25:32.700
Threats, yes threat.
00:25:32.700 --> 00:25:33.140
Threat.
00:25:33.140 --> 00:25:35.660
And so he run away to France.
00:25:35.660 --> 00:25:36.819
He came here.
00:25:36.819 --> 00:25:38.450
His process started.
00:25:38.450 --> 00:25:41.579
Now he find himself in the street, in the train station.
00:25:41.579 --> 00:25:45.549
And somebody told him, "Go to the Evangelical church of the city.
00:25:45.549 --> 00:25:46.450
They have rooms.
00:25:46.450 --> 00:25:50.119
Maybe they can host you." So Eric came one morning.
00:25:50.119 --> 00:25:53.420
He was waiting for me at, at the door of the church.
00:25:53.420 --> 00:25:55.240
And, and I say, "Hey, how are you?
00:25:55.240 --> 00:26:01.750
What's your name?" "Eric from Benin." And I, and he explained me how he has been living now.
00:26:01.750 --> 00:26:03.150
He doesn't have food.
00:26:03.150 --> 00:26:05.930
He doesn't have a, a, a place to take a shower.
00:26:05.930 --> 00:26:14.509
And, and so to make the long story short, I say, "Eric, tonight, you, you will have a bed, so you can rest, and you can take a shower here.
00:26:14.509 --> 00:26:19.750
We have some food here." So he start crying, and he, he just went down to my feet.
00:26:19.750 --> 00:26:25.829
And I say, "No, no, please, Eric, don't do that." But he, he was so, um- Moved happy.
00:26:25.829 --> 00:26:25.859
Yeah.
00:26:25.859 --> 00:26:28.920
But also moved, humble.
00:26:28.920 --> 00:26:29.720
I don't know.
00:26:29.720 --> 00:26:40.410
His, his reaction, I just start crying with him, and I say, "Brother, you are not anymore alone." So what happened with Eric is that three months later, he accepted the Lord in his heart.
00:26:40.410 --> 00:26:40.940
Mm.
00:26:40.940 --> 00:26:44.470
Now he start a, a relationship with me, with the Lord.
00:26:44.470 --> 00:26:45.769
We did a discipleship.
00:26:45.769 --> 00:26:48.039
Uh, he got baptized.
00:26:48.039 --> 00:26:51.910
Uh, he was the first African person that I ever baptized.
00:26:51.910 --> 00:26:56.220
So, um, and he, now he's helping us.
00:26:56.220 --> 00:26:58.819
He was receiving the training, the SmallCircle.
00:26:58.839 --> 00:27:00.009
He was there for the training.
00:27:00.009 --> 00:27:01.509
He's the caretaker of the church.
00:27:01.509 --> 00:27:01.750
Amen.
00:27:01.750 --> 00:27:02.769
He lives upstairs.
00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:04.670
So lives change.
00:27:04.859 --> 00:27:09.089
It's, it is really amazing, and it just seems like there's a movement of God.
00:27:09.130 --> 00:27:09.490
Mm-hmm.
00:27:09.500 --> 00:27:16.029
And so, um, so our train, crazy enough, we're sitting out in front of this train station, arrives in nine minutes.
00:27:16.029 --> 00:27:16.440
Okay.
00:27:17.599 --> 00:27:19.799
We had to really book to get this podcast in.
00:27:19.799 --> 00:27:24.369
I would just say from my heart, we had an amazing weekend with your church.
00:27:24.369 --> 00:27:24.410
Mm-hmm.
00:27:24.410 --> 00:27:33.599
Um, we're all over the world, as you know, but the heart of your people leaning in, and I believe that comes from the leadership.
00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:33.940
Mm.
00:27:33.940 --> 00:27:46.640
And, uh, so we can't wait to hear how discipleship is even playing a, a new chapter in, in, um, Chemin Nouveau, and, uh, and what happens from this point.
00:27:46.640 --> 00:27:53.125
But I just wanted to say, wow, it has been- Uh, an immense joy, an immense-
00:27:53.246 --> 00:27:53.976
An honor
00:27:53.986 --> 00:27:56.115
an honor and privilege to be with you.
00:27:56.115 --> 00:28:01.036
And, uh, this is the, for us, the first of many chapters- in coming to you.
00:28:01.086 --> 00:28:09.596
And we were praying right before the service together, and I, I really feel in my heart, I was praying, asking God, "Don't just let your church be a light, but be a lighthouse."
00:28:09.665 --> 00:28:10.236
Amen.
00:28:10.236 --> 00:28:10.766
Amen.
00:28:10.766 --> 00:28:12.875
So no, thank you, guys.
00:28:12.875 --> 00:28:17.125
Uh, we were honored to welcome SmallCircle here.
00:28:17.125 --> 00:28:19.026
We have been learning a lot.
00:28:19.026 --> 00:28:21.066
We have a lot of, a lot of, lot of job to do.
00:28:21.066 --> 00:28:27.685
And, uh, but we are happy because 20, at least 20 people respond positive to this invitation.
00:28:27.685 --> 00:28:28.195
It's amazing.
00:28:28.195 --> 00:28:31.165
And they received the training, and we are ready to go.
00:28:31.165 --> 00:28:37.006
And so thank you, Steve and Carrie, for your love for the Lord, for the Kingdom, for the Church of God.
00:28:37.006 --> 00:28:40.895
And, um, and thank you for everybody that has been listening.
00:28:40.895 --> 00:28:42.445
Uh, pray for France.
00:28:42.445 --> 00:28:47.945
Whenever you are eating a croissant or a- baguette or whatever you are eating.
00:28:48.476 --> 00:28:50.766
Which won't be as good as, as France.
00:28:50.996 --> 00:28:52.375
Please, please pray for France.
00:28:52.375 --> 00:28:53.506
We need your prayers.
00:28:53.506 --> 00:28:59.655
And pray specifically so, uh, Normandy can be liberate again with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
00:29:00.016 --> 00:29:06.776
Because one more thing, the city has about 80,000 people, and you are the only Evangelical church in this entire city.
00:29:06.875 --> 00:29:07.875
That is right.
00:29:07.875 --> 00:29:08.226
Yeah.
00:29:08.236 --> 00:29:08.925
Lots of prayers.
00:29:08.925 --> 00:29:14.746
Unfortunately, the, the other, uh, church got closed last year in 2025, so we are the only one.
00:29:14.915 --> 00:29:17.185
We're here for you, and this won't be the end.
00:29:17.185 --> 00:29:20.385
We'll be back with Mauricio, uh, in the future.
00:29:20.385 --> 00:29:21.346
Pray for him.
00:29:21.346 --> 00:29:29.006
Pray for the work of God in Normandy and France, and God bless you, Mauricio, and your church and- Amen we appreciate you.
00:29:29.006 --> 00:29:29.605
We love you.
00:29:30.365 --> 00:29:30.855
Amen.
00:29:30.855 --> 00:29:31.645
We love you, too.
00:29:31.645 --> 00:29:32.425
Bye-bye.
00:29:32.425 --> 00:29:33.155
Au revoir.
00:29:33.385 --> 00:29:35.006
Au revoir merci, Mauricio.
00:29:38.199 --> 00:29:40.519
Thanks for listening to the podcast, everyone.
00:29:40.519 --> 00:29:48.878
As always, we try to make it feel like we're just pulling up a chair for you to be right there with us in the conversation, and thank you for bearing with the audio.
00:29:48.878 --> 00:29:54.358
It, you know, being inside a car, we didn't have the perfect audio for you, but thank you for listening.
00:29:54.358 --> 00:30:00.806
I'd love for you to check out the show notes for a link to our video reel from Normandy and Mauricio's church.
00:30:00.806 --> 00:30:06.435
You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook @YourSmallCircle, and the links are there as well.
00:30:06.435 --> 00:30:15.266
Coming up next, we're headed back to the Middle East with our regional director, Yazan from Jordan, and Pastor Khalif Barakat from Egypt.
00:30:15.266 --> 00:30:20.955
We'll introduce more of our team and hear powerful stories of disciple-making in Jordan and Syria.
00:30:20.955 --> 00:30:23.395
That is to come in the next few episodes.
00:30:23.395 --> 00:30:27.316
Thank you so much for listening all around the world, wherever you are.
00:30:27.316 --> 00:30:32.266
We're truly so grateful for every single one of you we'll see you next time, everybody.
00:30:32.266 --> 00:30:32.935
Take care
00:00:00.190 --> 00:00:02.790
You're listening to the sounds of Normandy.
00:00:02.790 --> 00:00:05.490
These are the birds of Normandy, France.
00:00:05.490 --> 00:00:12.810
D-Day originated as an American military term, but today the entire world knows it.
00:00:12.810 --> 00:00:29.670
While it began as a specific US Army jargon during World War I, the massive global scale of the June 6th, 1944 Normandy invasion permanently cemented it into the universal vocabulary of world history.
00:00:29.670 --> 00:00:33.659
D-Day, the "D" literally just stands for "Day".
00:00:33.659 --> 00:00:35.890
It was a placeholder code.
00:00:35.890 --> 00:00:42.850
If an invasion date was secret or undecided, planners called it "D-Day" and scheduled events related to it.
00:00:42.850 --> 00:00:46.350
D-3 meant three days before.
00:00:46.350 --> 00:00:49.280
D+2 meant two days after.
00:00:49.280 --> 00:01:05.340
The story you're going to hear today, though, however, comes from a historic commune in Normandy called Saint-Lô, famously known as the "Capital of Ruins" after being 95% destroyed during the July 1944 Battle of World War II.
00:01:05.340 --> 00:01:17.459
So what does a young man from El Salvador and his French girl sweetheart and a mother with big dreams have to do with Saint-Lô and have to do with SmallCircle?
00:01:17.459 --> 00:01:21.371
Welcome to the SmallCircle Podcast, everyone.
00:01:21.371 --> 00:01:30.828
We're here to tell you all about it It's so great to be back with all of you today.
00:01:30.828 --> 00:01:33.539
I'm your host of this podcast, Carrie McCoy.
00:01:33.539 --> 00:01:38.028
Today we're going to introduce you to Pastor Mauricio Prunera.
00:01:38.028 --> 00:01:52.498
He's a man from El Salvador and the pastor of a church in Saint-Lo called Chemin Nouveau Can't wait for you to hear his story, how he got to Saint-Lo, and I'm just gonna tell you, you're in for a treat.
00:01:52.498 --> 00:02:02.879
We were so busy during this time, we didn't have time for a podcast until 30 minutes before we were catching our train out of the city and leaving to Paris.
00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:11.038
We just busted out the podcast microphones and recorded it right there in the car on the curb right there in the road next to the train station.
00:02:11.038 --> 00:02:12.609
I hope you enjoy it.
00:02:12.609 --> 00:02:13.588
Pray for them.
00:02:13.588 --> 00:02:28.328
This is an amazing story full of God's grace and goodness, and I'm so happy to bring it to you right here today on the SmallCircle Podcast So we're actually sitting in a car getting ready to catch a train back to Paris.
00:02:28.328 --> 00:02:37.948
We are in Saint-Lô, close to Normandy, and we're here with Pastor Mauricio, and we're going to just do the best we can to come up with a podcast interview.
00:02:37.948 --> 00:02:44.967
We had so much ground to cover, and we have so many stories, and we just had to capture some of them and have you guys get to know Mauricio.
00:02:44.967 --> 00:02:45.707
So here we are.
00:02:45.707 --> 00:02:46.617
I'm with Steve.
00:02:47.388 --> 00:02:47.568
Hello.
00:02:47.627 --> 00:02:49.657
And Pastor Mauricio, introduce yourself.
00:02:49.657 --> 00:02:50.548
Let's start with that.
00:02:51.758 --> 00:02:52.177
Hola, que tal todos.
00:02:52.177 --> 00:02:53.997
Hi.
00:02:53.997 --> 00:02:57.777
That was some Spanish because I am originally from El Salvador.
00:02:57.777 --> 00:03:02.957
My name is Mauricio Prunera, and I am married to Rachel.
00:03:02.957 --> 00:03:05.068
She's a French lady.
00:03:05.068 --> 00:03:12.388
We got to meet in Argentina 21 years ago, and we have been married for almost 20 years now.
00:03:12.388 --> 00:03:13.487
We have two children.
00:03:13.487 --> 00:03:15.837
Esteban, he's 16.
00:03:15.837 --> 00:03:17.798
Lydia, she's almost 12.
00:03:17.798 --> 00:03:21.777
And it's a pleasure to, to me to, to be here with, uh, Steve and Carrie.
00:03:21.948 --> 00:03:23.187
That was a great introduction.
00:03:23.187 --> 00:03:31.277
And, and it's a great place to start because, uh, we were taken, Carrie and I were taken by several points of your story.
00:03:31.277 --> 00:03:35.467
And you were serving in El Salvador.
00:03:35.518 --> 00:03:35.818
Mm-hmm.
00:03:35.948 --> 00:03:38.328
Um, and, uh, Rachel was with you?
00:03:38.407 --> 00:03:38.888
Yes.
00:03:39.027 --> 00:03:41.247
And, uh, that happened for how long?
00:03:41.798 --> 00:03:44.397
So we were in El Salvador for 10 years.
00:03:44.397 --> 00:03:50.828
I was a youth pastor in a church in the capital, San Salvador, and we lived there, yeah, 10, 10 years.
00:03:52.283 --> 00:03:56.883
And then, um, the church was pretty large- Yeah and growing.
00:03:57.234 --> 00:03:57.514
Yeah.
00:03:57.514 --> 00:04:02.963
Uh, I mean, when, whenever everybody was there in the youth group, we were 120 people.
00:04:02.963 --> 00:04:04.984
So a pretty big church.
00:04:04.984 --> 00:04:10.473
Every Sunday we have between four, uh, 450 to 500 people.
00:04:11.223 --> 00:04:16.173
But then at the moment of that success, something happened, right?
00:04:16.173 --> 00:04:20.233
Rachel's heart, uh, w- something was going on, and was-
00:04:20.233 --> 00:04:21.504
She wanted to go home.
00:04:21.504 --> 00:04:21.884
Yeah.
00:04:21.884 --> 00:04:23.473
Sha- Yeah share a little bit about that.
00:04:23.473 --> 00:04:24.353
Yeah.
00:04:24.353 --> 00:04:28.303
I think that the, the, the phrase in English is that she was homesick.
00:04:28.303 --> 00:04:46.874
After 10 years giving a lot over there, I mean, she adapted really well, f- uh, being a French girl, uh, from this little rural area in Normandy, coming to San Salvador, one of the most violent, um, uh, cities in the world at that time.
00:04:46.874 --> 00:04:50.184
We were experiencing 18 homicides-
00:04:50.684 --> 00:04:51.293
Wow
00:04:51.353 --> 00:04:52.653
per, per day.
00:04:52.653 --> 00:04:56.473
And so this French girl adapted, learned the language.
00:04:56.473 --> 00:04:58.173
She was always with me.
00:04:58.173 --> 00:05:04.113
We have this outreach ministry visiting every city of El Salvador.
00:05:04.113 --> 00:05:08.803
We just have 262 cities, and we wanted to cover all with the gospel.
00:05:08.803 --> 00:05:11.303
So we visit during this 10 years.
00:05:11.303 --> 00:05:19.634
Uh, that was like a beside ministry that we have, being a pastor, a youth pastor, but also an, I will say an, an evangelist.
00:05:19.634 --> 00:05:30.983
In my country, we visited 170 different cities- um, doing missions, doing theater, music presentations, sports clinics, medical campaigns.
00:05:30.983 --> 00:05:32.223
I mean, I can keep going.
00:05:32.264 --> 00:05:35.954
And you walked away from all of that because the love of your life-
00:05:35.983 --> 00:05:36.434
Yeah
00:05:36.533 --> 00:05:38.653
needed to come back, wanted to come back home.
00:05:38.713 --> 00:05:42.543
So that happened in the 10th year, and, and she was...
00:05:42.543 --> 00:05:44.834
In the mornings, she was crying.
00:05:44.834 --> 00:06:03.093
Some- sometimes when I was coming back from the church, she was crying in her bed, and I was like, "What, what is happening?" And she want, she didn't wanted to tell me, but in some point, I mean, "You need to tell me what is happening." And she say, "I need to go back to France." And I'm like, "No way." Mm.
00:06:03.093 --> 00:06:05.473
"Please don't, don't, don't say that." You don't speak any French.
00:06:05.473 --> 00:06:05.874
No.
00:06:05.874 --> 00:06:07.423
At that time, I didn't speak French.
00:06:07.423 --> 00:06:10.894
Never, to be honest with you, I never prayed for France.
00:06:10.894 --> 00:06:22.723
I, I mean, maybe in general, like, "Lord, you love the world and save..." As I, as I will pray for North Korea, you know, like, save some people there," but never, like, "Lord-
00:06:22.723 --> 00:06:25.483
You never thought God was gonna take you guys and bring you back here-
00:06:25.504 --> 00:06:26.244
Never, never
00:06:26.244 --> 00:06:26.430
to Normandy.
00:06:26.430 --> 00:06:27.283
That was the deal.
00:06:27.403 --> 00:06:35.454
And, um, just because there's another part of the story I don't wanna miss, what year was that, that she started feeling a needed to go back home?
00:06:35.463 --> 00:06:35.473
2015.
00:06:37.744 --> 00:06:38.244
Okay, 2015.
00:06:38.244 --> 00:06:45.100
And from that moment- How long did it take you to eventually land back in France?
00:06:45.529 --> 00:06:46.529
A year and a half.
00:06:46.529 --> 00:06:46.550
Mm.
00:06:46.550 --> 00:06:49.709
Because we move in October 2016.
00:06:49.709 --> 00:06:50.370
Mm.
00:06:50.370 --> 00:06:55.709
So we were receiving a counseling, but it was, it wasn't a couple's problem, you know?
00:06:55.709 --> 00:07:05.410
It's just this French girl needing to go back to her country, and it was, uh, feeling stronger than herself.
00:07:05.410 --> 00:07:08.680
I mean, she didn't want to come back, but she needed.
00:07:08.680 --> 00:07:21.459
And so I find myself in that place when you have in your hand a successful ministry evangelizing, pastoring, discipling, and in the other hand you have your wife.
00:07:21.459 --> 00:07:21.810
Mm-hmm.
00:07:21.810 --> 00:07:23.600
So what you, what you will choose?
00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:23.620
Mm.
00:07:23.620 --> 00:07:33.160
You can close your eyes to the need of your wife and keep doing the ministry because it's your call or whatever, but I think that we know where that's gonna end.
00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:33.459
Mm-hmm.
00:07:33.459 --> 00:07:33.750
Mm-hmm.
00:07:33.750 --> 00:07:37.089
Uh, separation, divorce, suicide, I don't know.
00:07:37.089 --> 00:07:37.449
Mm.
00:07:37.449 --> 00:07:48.012
And then so to make the long story short- We decide, I decide in this, in this point, I decide to start moving from our ministry.
00:07:48.012 --> 00:07:57.862
I, I train a successor, and we had 18 leaders at that time in our church, all discipled, and, and everybody was ready.
00:07:57.862 --> 00:08:02.992
But even, or depart was a very difficult time for our local church.
00:08:02.992 --> 00:08:08.502
But we start selling the things, and we move to France in October 2016.
00:08:09.351 --> 00:08:16.882
So when you made that move in 2016, um, what was it like for you coming to, to France?
00:08:16.882 --> 00:08:24.802
'Cause that, as it was a big change for her, that was a pretty big change for you, being in the cities, being, facing danger, going to cities.
00:08:24.802 --> 00:08:29.331
Now you're in, um, in a rural area of France.
00:08:29.401 --> 00:08:29.742
Yep.
00:08:29.771 --> 00:08:30.601
What was that like for you?
00:08:30.601 --> 00:08:32.261
Things flip-flopped, right?
00:08:32.261 --> 00:08:33.442
Emotionally and-
00:08:33.501 --> 00:08:37.412
Emotionally, uh, almost dying, I will say.
00:08:37.412 --> 00:08:41.412
Uh, I didn't speak French, but I needed to have a job.
00:08:41.412 --> 00:08:49.971
My first job was unloading and loading fish trucks in this place that it was zero degrees in order to have...
00:08:49.971 --> 00:08:51.322
Zero in Celsius- Mm right?
00:08:51.322 --> 00:08:52.831
That is, like, 32 Fahrenheit.
00:08:52.861 --> 00:08:53.817
Freezing, in other words.
00:08:53.817 --> 00:08:57.721
And so freezing, because the fish needed to be f- uh, frozen.
00:08:57.721 --> 00:09:04.292
And so I was dying of cold, because in Salvador we, we just have two seasons, hot and more hot.
00:09:04.292 --> 00:09:05.152
Okay?
00:09:05.152 --> 00:09:07.451
And, and here they have the four seasons.
00:09:07.451 --> 00:09:12.312
And it's a beautiful country, beautiful place, but I didn't want to be here, to be honest.
00:09:12.312 --> 00:09:14.142
And no churches.
00:09:14.142 --> 00:09:20.331
I mean, a, a little church of 12 people, a German pastor who planted the church 30 years ago.
00:09:20.331 --> 00:09:22.131
Um, no friends.
00:09:22.131 --> 00:09:27.272
And then nine months after I took that decision of moving to France, my mom passed away.
00:09:27.272 --> 00:09:27.792
Mm-hmm.
00:09:27.792 --> 00:09:31.461
So I went back to El Salvador to do the funeral of my mom.
00:09:31.461 --> 00:09:35.721
And, uh, my father, he has already passed away in 2012.
00:09:35.721 --> 00:09:39.841
And so, um, I, it was a difficult time.
00:09:39.841 --> 00:09:51.182
I spent, like, two very dark years in, in my Christian life not understanding what the Lord did, not understanding why I'm here working.
00:09:51.182 --> 00:09:55.001
And we start renting our house, and the children in the school and all that.
00:09:55.001 --> 00:10:07.251
But I min- the m- the, the ministry part I was missing, and I couldn't fi- f- found what is the next step for our lives- Mm regarding ministry, serving the Lord, right now.
00:10:07.251 --> 00:10:16.892
So God was really working in you those two years and preparing you and getting you ready for this amazing purpose that he had for you in this city,
00:10:16.942 --> 00:10:16.961
mm-hmm.
00:10:16.961 --> 00:10:21.251
Yeah, I think, I, and there, I'm always interested, what was the turning point?
00:10:21.251 --> 00:10:31.206
So these two years of just brutal questioning and transitioning and- Probably just learning the language because you have to, right?
00:10:31.206 --> 00:10:31.405
Yep.
00:10:31.405 --> 00:10:34.546
Yeah, because I had to, not because I wanted to.
00:10:34.546 --> 00:10:43.515
And, um, three things happened during that time to change my mind, and I will say to broke, bro- broken my heart.
00:10:43.515 --> 00:10:47.975
The first one is when I, when I visit the D-Day beaches.
00:10:47.975 --> 00:10:50.176
I went to Omaha and Utah Beach.
00:10:50.316 --> 00:10:56.745
Oh, the, the Omaha- The D-Day beaches where D-Day took place, June 6th, 1944.
00:10:56.796 --> 00:10:57.336
That's right.
00:10:57.336 --> 00:10:58.015
That's right.
00:10:58.015 --> 00:11:00.186
And so my father-in-law took me there.
00:11:00.186 --> 00:11:05.885
And I mean, we have studied that in history in El Salvador, you know, like what happened the Second World War and all that.
00:11:05.885 --> 00:11:10.975
But being in those places, it completely gives you another perspective.
00:11:10.975 --> 00:11:12.346
So we went, and I...
00:11:12.346 --> 00:11:57.135
when I was learning what the Canadian, British, and, and American army did to come and bring freedom, bring peace, bring liberation to this country, the country of France, firstly in Normandy, and then in the whole country, and even the whole continent, I was very impact in my heart, saying like, "Okay, these, these soldiers, they were just obeying their authority, not loving the country necessarily, not learning the language, but just fighting for a cause, bringing freedom here." So that was the first time when I ever think maybe the Lord brought me here to liberate Normandy again.
00:11:57.135 --> 00:12:04.614
And when I say that, I was like, "Wow, Lord, maybe this is your next step for me.
00:12:04.614 --> 00:12:19.183
I am here as a soldier obeying you, saying, 'Lord, um, I am here to liberate, bring the freedom, bring the peace, bring your gospel,' this time with the gospel of Jesus Christ." So was, that was the first breaking point.
00:12:19.374 --> 00:12:19.854
Okay.
00:12:19.854 --> 00:12:23.774
Before we get to point two or three, let me just say that is amazing.
00:12:23.774 --> 00:12:28.894
Liberate Normandy again from a spiritual point of view.
00:12:28.894 --> 00:12:29.114
Mm.
00:12:29.114 --> 00:12:38.833
That's just incredible, and that imagery of fighting out of obedience to the authority, uh, for the sake of other people, that's just, that's really stunning.
00:12:38.894 --> 00:12:49.573
And when we walked in your church, the first thing I saw after you told us that with the bookmarks you had laying out with that very saying, like, this is what our church's mission is here to do.
00:12:49.714 --> 00:12:50.083
Mm.
00:12:50.083 --> 00:13:00.894
To bring the peace that only God can give, to bring the freedom that only Jesus can give, to bring the love through the Spirit that these people needs desperately.
00:13:00.894 --> 00:13:03.423
Uh, some numbers about France.
00:13:03.423 --> 00:13:13.464
67 million people in this country, and just 1.7% of the population, they profess to be evangelical Christians, you know?
00:13:13.464 --> 00:13:15.933
Some people profess Catholicism.
00:13:15.933 --> 00:13:16.754
That's okay.
00:13:16.754 --> 00:13:21.443
Uh, but evangelicals, 1.7%.
00:13:21.443 --> 00:13:23.563
Uh, the Muslims, they are 7%.
00:13:24.153 --> 00:13:24.543
Wow.
00:13:24.543 --> 00:13:24.803
So.
00:13:24.803 --> 00:13:26.734
What a stunning, stunning number.
00:13:26.734 --> 00:13:31.653
Okay, so turning point number one, Normandy, Omaha Beach.
00:13:31.653 --> 00:13:32.333
How about two?
00:13:32.933 --> 00:13:44.083
Number two is when my mother-in-law, uh, took me to her attic and showed me how she has been keeping 80 chairs- full of dust.
00:13:44.083 --> 00:13:47.984
Very old chairs, but let me tell you the story.
00:13:47.984 --> 00:13:57.173
What happened is in 2008, so many years ago, she was a waitress in a French restaurant here in the city of Saint-Lô, where we live.
00:13:57.173 --> 00:14:00.809
And, uh, she was working in this place.
00:14:00.809 --> 00:14:04.389
This is a very nice restaurant, and she was a waitress there.
00:14:04.389 --> 00:14:21.000
And one morning, the owner say to her, "Okay, we're gonna clean up everything, and help me to take all the chairs out and even the plates because I bought, I purchased new chairs and new plates, and we are going to remodelate a- a- all this."
00:14:21.019 --> 00:14:25.659
They were gonna remodel- Remodel so they were gonna just throw away all these chairs and plates.
00:14:25.659 --> 00:14:26.100
And plates.
00:14:26.100 --> 00:14:27.000
But Beatriz-
00:14:27.470 --> 00:14:28.070
Beatriz, yes
00:14:28.070 --> 00:14:30.120
your mother-in-law, said, "Wait."
00:14:30.750 --> 00:14:31.710
She say, "Wait.
00:14:31.710 --> 00:14:35.620
Can you give me the chairs and the plates, uh, to me?
00:14:35.620 --> 00:14:41.409
Can you ask the guy from the truck to bring all that to my house?" The lady say, "Listen, I don't care.
00:14:41.409 --> 00:14:52.279
Uh, you, you can take it, and but why do you want 80 chairs and 100 plates?" And Beatriz reply, "Because one day the Lord will send a pastor-" Mm.
00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:58.169
and we will start a church, and we will need chairs so the people can listen to the gospel.
00:14:58.169 --> 00:15:12.909
And we will need plates so we can feed the people in making fellowship, uh, dinners or lunch or whatever." And so she, she keep those chairs and tho- those plates for more than 13 years.
00:15:12.909 --> 00:15:15.679
She stored them for 13 years.
00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:16.809
Wow, that is stunning.
00:15:17.509 --> 00:15:18.490
By herself.
00:15:18.490 --> 00:15:23.850
This is the part that I, that I, that I was crying in that attic with her.
00:15:23.850 --> 00:15:27.029
I say, "Who help you with this?" And she say, "No one.
00:15:27.029 --> 00:15:27.309
This is, this is my-"
00:15:27.309 --> 00:15:29.809
She moved all of those her- herself in her attic
00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:30.990
with the Holy Spirit.
00:15:30.990 --> 00:15:34.320
Like- Mm not even my father-in-law was converted at that time.
00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:36.710
Today, my father-in-law is attending our church.
00:15:36.710 --> 00:15:40.470
He's coming, prayer meeting, Sunday service, and everything.
00:15:40.470 --> 00:15:42.750
But at that time, she was by herself.
00:15:42.750 --> 00:15:46.970
She got saved when she was 37, growing in the Lord by herself.
00:15:46.970 --> 00:15:51.600
Nobody disciple her, but she has this special connection with the Holy Spirit.
00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:51.940
Mm.
00:15:51.940 --> 00:15:53.669
And she received this vision.
00:15:53.669 --> 00:16:07.000
So I cannot explain to you, whenever we started the church in our house and the church was growing and we, we, we s- start renting the venue at the church for the ch- for, for the church people, uh, this building that we have.
00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:16.570
I rented a truck, and I, they did the move 13 years later of the 80 chairs and 100 plates- Mm to come to our church.
00:16:16.570 --> 00:16:28.870
The faith that Beatriz had, it is like a, li- like a kingdom winner, you know, for Jesus- Wow bringing this, uh, this, uh, reward, you know?
00:16:28.870 --> 00:16:33.100
And, and we have been using those chairs, yeah, in order to establish the church.
00:16:33.100 --> 00:16:34.009
And no pressure.
00:16:34.009 --> 00:16:35.230
How many of them were there?
00:16:35.230 --> 00:16:37.029
You have to fill every one, right?
00:16:37.090 --> 00:16:40.409
Well, today you were with us in the worship service.
00:16:40.409 --> 00:16:42.090
We were 47 people.
00:16:42.090 --> 00:16:42.683
47.
00:16:42.984 --> 00:16:43.514
It's incredible.
00:16:43.774 --> 00:16:45.423
That's super stunning, man.
00:16:45.423 --> 00:16:53.183
Just think about every year that passed for 15 years for her, waiting- Mm for those chairs to be used.
00:16:53.183 --> 00:16:55.403
And those are the chairs that are in the church right now.
00:16:55.403 --> 00:16:57.203
We were sitting on those chairs.
00:16:57.203 --> 00:16:57.583
Amen.
00:16:57.583 --> 00:16:57.594
Amen.
00:16:57.594 --> 00:16:58.293
Were we not?
00:16:58.293 --> 00:17:00.354
And, and she didn't get discouraged, right?
00:17:00.583 --> 00:17:03.244
Oh, um, I guess that she had ups and downs, you know?
00:17:03.244 --> 00:17:03.524
Mm.
00:17:03.524 --> 00:17:05.844
Like, "Lord, when are you going to send somebody?" Mm.
00:17:05.844 --> 00:17:13.614
And then when we came in 2016, she, she shared with me about the need of a new church in the city, and I say, "No, I'm not the one.
00:17:13.614 --> 00:17:17.913
I mean, I'm not here to, to do nothing." I say, "I just came because of Rachel." Wow.
00:17:17.913 --> 00:17:23.723
"I came because Rachel was desperate, and dep- with depression, and this and that.
00:17:23.723 --> 00:17:29.554
We are here just so she can recover." By the way, her, her, she recovered, like, in the first month, you know?
00:17:29.554 --> 00:17:29.814
Wow.
00:17:29.814 --> 00:17:31.153
Rachel was so happy.
00:17:31.153 --> 00:17:33.064
Our marriage was doing well.
00:17:33.064 --> 00:17:36.513
I mean, as I say before, it wasn't a problem between her and me.
00:17:36.513 --> 00:17:38.624
It was just the situation in El Salvador.
00:17:38.624 --> 00:17:39.144
Mm-hmm.
00:17:39.144 --> 00:17:40.334
But then we came here.
00:17:40.334 --> 00:17:43.574
We were doing well, um, having a good life.
00:17:43.574 --> 00:17:51.483
But then with these two points of breaking my heart, uh, the Lord was showing me that there is a new adventure for us.
00:17:51.483 --> 00:17:51.993
Mm.
00:17:52.594 --> 00:17:54.233
Now you wanted to learn the language.
00:17:54.344 --> 00:17:54.683
Yes.
00:17:54.693 --> 00:17:54.763
Right?
00:17:54.763 --> 00:17:59.913
'Cause God had given His breath to it and breathed life into it.
00:18:00.243 --> 00:18:01.334
And give me a vision.
00:18:01.334 --> 00:18:04.554
I, I mean, now I have a vision, you know, liberating Normandy.
00:18:04.554 --> 00:18:06.163
Now I have some tools.
00:18:06.163 --> 00:18:08.173
We have the chairs, the plates.
00:18:08.173 --> 00:18:21.923
I'm like, "Okay." But this is what really broke my heart, is when sh- Beatriz took me to see a lady that she knew because her husband, he was, uh, cutting the hair of the lambs that they have.
00:18:21.923 --> 00:18:22.253
How do you say that?
00:18:22.253 --> 00:18:22.493
Mm.
00:18:22.493 --> 00:18:22.894
That there is a very- Shearing.
00:18:22.894 --> 00:18:23.423
Shearing.
00:18:23.423 --> 00:18:28.804
Shearing the lambs and the, and the sheep that, that they were raising.
00:18:28.804 --> 00:18:30.663
And so we went and visit her.
00:18:30.663 --> 00:18:34.034
And, and a lady, like 65, maybe 70 years old.
00:18:34.034 --> 00:18:37.953
And, um- And I shared the gospel with her.
00:18:37.953 --> 00:18:45.544
And for her, it is like the Lord has been working in her heart because for her it was so easy to say yes to the Lord.
00:18:45.544 --> 00:18:54.534
When I explained to her, "Jesus died for you," and s- and I give her the, the illustration of the Lamb of God, and so she works with lambs.
00:18:54.673 --> 00:18:55.594
Oh, wow.
00:18:55.663 --> 00:18:57.003
And were you doing this in French?
00:18:57.213 --> 00:18:57.864
In French.
00:18:57.864 --> 00:19:00.384
This is the first time I shared the gospel in French.
00:19:00.384 --> 00:19:04.114
And this person, she's saying yes to the Lord.
00:19:04.114 --> 00:19:06.513
And, and I'm like, "Really?
00:19:06.513 --> 00:19:10.023
Do you want to accept the Lord in your heart?" She said, "Yes, I believe.
00:19:10.023 --> 00:19:12.134
I mean, it, it makes sense," she said.
00:19:12.134 --> 00:19:21.574
I think that she had a Catholic background, and she said, "This is the lamb, the, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin, as the priest is saying," she said.
00:19:21.574 --> 00:19:24.713
And I said, "Yes, like with the blood and the bread.
00:19:24.713 --> 00:19:30.584
So it's Jesus's blood and Jesus's body who pay the price." And she's like, "Wow.
00:19:30.584 --> 00:19:35.314
And he suffer for us?" And I'm like, "Yes." And all this in French, right?
00:19:35.314 --> 00:19:35.854
Wow.
00:19:35.854 --> 00:19:38.354
And then I said, "Do you want to accept the Lord in your heart?
00:19:38.354 --> 00:19:48.973
Do you want to accept this lamb who pay your sins, who rose again for you, in your heart?" She said, "Yes." I even asked her three times- Mm-hmm in French.
00:19:48.973 --> 00:19:58.372
And then when I am hearing myself leading this beautiful lady- to Jesus' feet- In French accepted the Lord.
00:19:58.372 --> 00:19:59.082
In French.
00:19:59.082 --> 00:20:01.642
That broken my heart- Wow finally.
00:20:01.642 --> 00:20:07.682
It is like that salvation moment, it was for her for sure, but it was also for me.
00:20:07.682 --> 00:20:07.701
Mm.
00:20:07.701 --> 00:20:09.832
Like, hey, this is why you are here.
00:20:09.832 --> 00:20:10.301
Mm.
00:20:10.301 --> 00:20:13.932
So these people can accept the love of God through Jesus Christ.
00:20:13.932 --> 00:20:15.801
And so she opened her heart.
00:20:15.801 --> 00:20:17.372
I couldn't finish the prayer.
00:20:17.372 --> 00:20:21.122
Beatrice finished the prayer, which is very meaningful, I guess.
00:20:21.122 --> 00:20:21.571
Wow.
00:20:21.571 --> 00:20:28.811
The first person that is getting convert through my new ministry here- Mm it is like, Beatrice, you finish that.
00:20:29.392 --> 00:20:31.612
And why, why couldn't you finish the prayer?
00:20:31.711 --> 00:20:33.061
Because I was so broken.
00:20:33.061 --> 00:20:33.082
Mm.
00:20:33.082 --> 00:20:36.231
I was crying, weeping- Mm understanding.
00:20:36.231 --> 00:20:42.541
It is, it is like the Holy Spirit was giving me now the picture, the new season of her heart.
00:20:42.541 --> 00:20:43.281
The v- yeah.
00:20:43.281 --> 00:20:46.602
The, the, uh, for her, her family, for, for myself.
00:20:46.602 --> 00:20:49.422
There's so many layers in that one moment coming together.
00:20:49.422 --> 00:20:53.201
Your purpose- Yeah the language was finally you're at the point and-
00:20:53.432 --> 00:20:54.961
With Beatrice there- Yeah.
00:20:54.961 --> 00:20:55.622
who had the vision-
00:20:55.692 --> 00:20:56.912
Who had the vision many years ago.
00:20:56.912 --> 00:20:57.932
You can't make this up.
00:20:57.932 --> 00:20:58.382
No, no.
00:20:58.382 --> 00:20:59.011
Yeah.
00:20:59.281 --> 00:21:14.701
And so that's how finally I say, "Okay, let me start a new church in the city." We were seeing that with the German pastor, we were not attending every Sunday the church, but we were see- seeing that, and I'm not saying this to criticize, but we didn't have the same values.
00:21:14.701 --> 00:21:14.981
Mm.
00:21:14.981 --> 00:21:21.961
And we wanted a church open for all nationalities, all languages, all, everybody, you know?
00:21:21.961 --> 00:21:28.872
It, it is a French-speaking church, but everybody can come, and we wanted to create like a family atmosphere.
00:21:28.872 --> 00:21:42.791
Everybody feels welcome, and no matter which color is your skin, no matter from where are you from, and just come and enjoy the love of God with us in, in, in this atmosphere, you know?
00:21:43.503 --> 00:21:46.273
And we, we experienced that this weekend where I-
00:21:46.304 --> 00:21:47.554
We met so many people yeah, we met
00:21:47.554 --> 00:21:54.933
so many people from different, uh, countries, different backgrounds, and there's just, there was like a, a tapestry.
00:21:54.933 --> 00:21:55.213
Mm.
00:21:55.213 --> 00:21:56.973
And, uh, just beautiful.
00:21:56.973 --> 00:22:01.963
So God is fulfilling even that, uh, the, that value of reaching the nations.
00:22:01.983 --> 00:22:07.903
Well, you were t- you were telling us the story of, of the building and, and how Eric is living upstairs, and how you came to know Eric.
00:22:08.183 --> 00:22:08.864
Yeah, yeah.
00:22:08.864 --> 00:22:09.124
So that whole story.
00:22:09.124 --> 00:22:11.253
So Eric, this is a guy from Benin.
00:22:11.253 --> 00:22:12.700
Because what happened is that a-
00:22:12.700 --> 00:22:14.144
The coun- the country of Benin.
00:22:14.144 --> 00:22:14.554
Benin.
00:22:14.554 --> 00:22:14.733
Of
00:22:14.733 --> 00:22:15.423
Benin we would say in Russian.
00:22:15.423 --> 00:22:16.064
In, right, okay.
00:22:16.064 --> 00:22:16.354
Okay.
00:22:16.963 --> 00:22:30.203
So what happened is that in fall 2018, so exactly two years later that we moved, and now I am seeing the light, and, and so we started a Bible study in our house.
00:22:30.203 --> 00:22:39.423
Every Sunday I was coming to Saint Lô, picking up some people, friends, family, that wanted to hear about God through the word of God.
00:22:39.423 --> 00:22:46.773
And, um, three years passed when finally we have a group, a core group of 10 believers.
00:22:46.773 --> 00:22:47.173
Mm.
00:22:47.173 --> 00:22:49.374
So 10 believers, three years.
00:22:49.374 --> 00:22:57.983
In El Salvador, if, if you want to be used for the Lord to, to gain 10 people, you just need to go and do some street evangelism-
00:22:57.993 --> 00:22:58.374
Right
00:22:58.374 --> 00:22:58.884
one afternoon.
00:22:58.963 --> 00:23:01.943
It's a totally different, totally different experience here.
00:23:01.943 --> 00:23:04.273
It's such a slow pace.
00:23:04.284 --> 00:23:04.794
Yeah.
00:23:04.794 --> 00:23:10.384
And you have to pray and fast and create the relationships, gaining confidence.
00:23:10.384 --> 00:23:13.314
I mean, it, it is another kind of evangelism, right?
00:23:13.314 --> 00:23:13.763
Mm-hmm.
00:23:13.763 --> 00:23:27.288
And but finally, from 2018 to 2021, 10 believers, and that is how we say, "Okay, now we have to rent a venue in the city." Coming out from our house and having a place in the city.
00:23:27.288 --> 00:23:39.137
By the grace of God, some churches and friends, uh, pastors from the US, and a church in Canada, uh, started to support our ministry, this, this church planting that we started.
00:23:39.137 --> 00:23:40.678
We got a name.
00:23:40.678 --> 00:23:43.577
The name of our church is Chemin Nouveau.
00:23:43.577 --> 00:23:46.768
That means new way or new path.
00:23:46.768 --> 00:23:52.528
Now we have a family of churches who adopt our, our ministry, too, here in France.
00:23:52.528 --> 00:23:59.238
The French Baptist Federation, uh, is a local denomination here, a national, national denomination here.
00:23:59.238 --> 00:24:01.307
And we are all set.
00:24:01.307 --> 00:24:06.748
So we started to rent the venue, but we really wanted a venue that has also rooms.
00:24:06.748 --> 00:24:08.087
What I mean is, uh-
00:24:08.097 --> 00:24:10.137
To host people who- Yeah who are in need.
00:24:10.228 --> 00:24:17.288
To host people, immigrants, homeless, whoever needs a roof, because this is the reality here, right?
00:24:17.288 --> 00:24:21.577
There is a big movement of people coming from all over the place.
00:24:21.577 --> 00:24:32.827
A- and mostly, I will say, from Asia, uh, Middle East, Africa countries, French-speaking countries in Africa, so a lot of movement of immigration, right?
00:24:32.827 --> 00:24:35.807
But they come over here, and then they're not allowed to work, right?
00:24:35.807 --> 00:24:36.337
Unfortunately, no.
00:24:36.347 --> 00:24:36.928
So how do they...
00:24:36.928 --> 00:24:37.468
You know, they had a...
00:24:37.468 --> 00:24:41.458
They don't make a living, and it's hard for them, and so this was Eric's story.
00:24:41.518 --> 00:24:46.028
So Eric, he was living here in the train station that you will be using in a few minutes.
00:24:46.028 --> 00:24:47.137
And, uh-
00:24:47.178 --> 00:24:48.557
You mean, uh, like a homeless?
00:24:48.557 --> 00:24:49.548
He didn't have a home, right?
00:24:49.577 --> 00:24:50.528
Yes, yes.
00:24:50.528 --> 00:24:50.738
Wow.
00:24:50.738 --> 00:25:03.278
Because at the beginning, an immigrant has an, a little apartment, but whenever their process finish, and they got rejected, they just give h- give them a paper that says, "Go back to your country." But they don't do like a deportation.
00:25:03.278 --> 00:25:03.988
Mm.
00:25:03.988 --> 00:25:10.167
So people just stay here, stay in the train station, under the bridge, whoever they find a place.
00:25:10.167 --> 00:25:10.718
So-
00:25:10.718 --> 00:25:16.627
But Eric's situation, he was, his, he was running from Benin for fear of his life.
00:25:16.718 --> 00:25:17.097
Yes.
00:25:17.107 --> 00:25:17.397
Correct?
00:25:17.397 --> 00:25:19.837
He was a newspaper, um, editor.
00:25:19.837 --> 00:25:20.307
Mm-hmm.
00:25:20.307 --> 00:25:29.079
And he was- writing some things that the government ne- didn't like, and so he, he was, I think that the very in English is threat.
00:25:29.079 --> 00:25:30.390
He was threat.
00:25:30.390 --> 00:25:30.980
He received threat.
00:25:30.980 --> 00:25:31.900
And-
00:25:32.089 --> 00:25:32.700
Threats, yes threat.
00:25:32.700 --> 00:25:33.140
Threat.
00:25:33.140 --> 00:25:35.660
And so he run away to France.
00:25:35.660 --> 00:25:36.819
He came here.
00:25:36.819 --> 00:25:38.450
His process started.
00:25:38.450 --> 00:25:41.579
Now he find himself in the street, in the train station.
00:25:41.579 --> 00:25:45.549
And somebody told him, "Go to the Evangelical church of the city.
00:25:45.549 --> 00:25:46.450
They have rooms.
00:25:46.450 --> 00:25:50.119
Maybe they can host you." So Eric came one morning.
00:25:50.119 --> 00:25:53.420
He was waiting for me at, at the door of the church.
00:25:53.420 --> 00:25:55.240
And, and I say, "Hey, how are you?
00:25:55.240 --> 00:26:01.750
What's your name?" "Eric from Benin." And I, and he explained me how he has been living now.
00:26:01.750 --> 00:26:03.150
He doesn't have food.
00:26:03.150 --> 00:26:05.930
He doesn't have a, a, a place to take a shower.
00:26:05.930 --> 00:26:14.509
And, and so to make the long story short, I say, "Eric, tonight, you, you will have a bed, so you can rest, and you can take a shower here.
00:26:14.509 --> 00:26:19.750
We have some food here." So he start crying, and he, he just went down to my feet.
00:26:19.750 --> 00:26:25.829
And I say, "No, no, please, Eric, don't do that." But he, he was so, um- Moved happy.
00:26:25.829 --> 00:26:25.859
Yeah.
00:26:25.859 --> 00:26:28.920
But also moved, humble.
00:26:28.920 --> 00:26:29.720
I don't know.
00:26:29.720 --> 00:26:40.410
His, his reaction, I just start crying with him, and I say, "Brother, you are not anymore alone." So what happened with Eric is that three months later, he accepted the Lord in his heart.
00:26:40.410 --> 00:26:40.940
Mm.
00:26:40.940 --> 00:26:44.470
Now he start a, a relationship with me, with the Lord.
00:26:44.470 --> 00:26:45.769
We did a discipleship.
00:26:45.769 --> 00:26:48.039
Uh, he got baptized.
00:26:48.039 --> 00:26:51.910
Uh, he was the first African person that I ever baptized.
00:26:51.910 --> 00:26:56.220
So, um, and he, now he's helping us.
00:26:56.220 --> 00:26:58.819
He was receiving the training, the SmallCircle.
00:26:58.839 --> 00:27:00.009
He was there for the training.
00:27:00.009 --> 00:27:01.509
He's the caretaker of the church.
00:27:01.509 --> 00:27:01.750
Amen.
00:27:01.750 --> 00:27:02.769
He lives upstairs.
00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:04.670
So lives change.
00:27:04.859 --> 00:27:09.089
It's, it is really amazing, and it just seems like there's a movement of God.
00:27:09.130 --> 00:27:09.490
Mm-hmm.
00:27:09.500 --> 00:27:16.029
And so, um, so our train, crazy enough, we're sitting out in front of this train station, arrives in nine minutes.
00:27:16.029 --> 00:27:16.440
Okay.
00:27:17.599 --> 00:27:19.799
We had to really book to get this podcast in.
00:27:19.799 --> 00:27:24.369
I would just say from my heart, we had an amazing weekend with your church.
00:27:24.369 --> 00:27:24.410
Mm-hmm.
00:27:24.410 --> 00:27:33.599
Um, we're all over the world, as you know, but the heart of your people leaning in, and I believe that comes from the leadership.
00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:33.940
Mm.
00:27:33.940 --> 00:27:46.640
And, uh, so we can't wait to hear how discipleship is even playing a, a new chapter in, in, um, Chemin Nouveau, and, uh, and what happens from this point.
00:27:46.640 --> 00:27:53.125
But I just wanted to say, wow, it has been- Uh, an immense joy, an immense-
00:27:53.246 --> 00:27:53.976
An honor
00:27:53.986 --> 00:27:56.115
an honor and privilege to be with you.
00:27:56.115 --> 00:28:01.036
And, uh, this is the, for us, the first of many chapters- in coming to you.
00:28:01.086 --> 00:28:09.596
And we were praying right before the service together, and I, I really feel in my heart, I was praying, asking God, "Don't just let your church be a light, but be a lighthouse."
00:28:09.665 --> 00:28:10.236
Amen.
00:28:10.236 --> 00:28:10.766
Amen.
00:28:10.766 --> 00:28:12.875
So no, thank you, guys.
00:28:12.875 --> 00:28:17.125
Uh, we were honored to welcome SmallCircle here.
00:28:17.125 --> 00:28:19.026
We have been learning a lot.
00:28:19.026 --> 00:28:21.066
We have a lot of, a lot of, lot of job to do.
00:28:21.066 --> 00:28:27.685
And, uh, but we are happy because 20, at least 20 people respond positive to this invitation.
00:28:27.685 --> 00:28:28.195
It's amazing.
00:28:28.195 --> 00:28:31.165
And they received the training, and we are ready to go.
00:28:31.165 --> 00:28:37.006
And so thank you, Steve and Carrie, for your love for the Lord, for the Kingdom, for the Church of God.
00:28:37.006 --> 00:28:40.895
And, um, and thank you for everybody that has been listening.
00:28:40.895 --> 00:28:42.445
Uh, pray for France.
00:28:42.445 --> 00:28:47.945
Whenever you are eating a croissant or a- baguette or whatever you are eating.
00:28:48.476 --> 00:28:50.766
Which won't be as good as, as France.
00:28:50.996 --> 00:28:52.375
Please, please pray for France.
00:28:52.375 --> 00:28:53.506
We need your prayers.
00:28:53.506 --> 00:28:59.655
And pray specifically so, uh, Normandy can be liberate again with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
00:29:00.016 --> 00:29:06.776
Because one more thing, the city has about 80,000 people, and you are the only Evangelical church in this entire city.
00:29:06.875 --> 00:29:07.875
That is right.
00:29:07.875 --> 00:29:08.226
Yeah.
00:29:08.236 --> 00:29:08.925
Lots of prayers.
00:29:08.925 --> 00:29:14.746
Unfortunately, the, the other, uh, church got closed last year in 2025, so we are the only one.
00:29:14.915 --> 00:29:17.185
We're here for you, and this won't be the end.
00:29:17.185 --> 00:29:20.385
We'll be back with Mauricio, uh, in the future.
00:29:20.385 --> 00:29:21.346
Pray for him.
00:29:21.346 --> 00:29:29.006
Pray for the work of God in Normandy and France, and God bless you, Mauricio, and your church and- Amen we appreciate you.
00:29:29.006 --> 00:29:29.605
We love you.
00:29:30.365 --> 00:29:30.855
Amen.
00:29:30.855 --> 00:29:31.645
We love you, too.
00:29:31.645 --> 00:29:32.425
Bye-bye.
00:29:32.425 --> 00:29:33.155
Au revoir.
00:29:33.385 --> 00:29:35.006
Au revoir merci, Mauricio.
00:29:38.199 --> 00:29:40.519
Thanks for listening to the podcast, everyone.
00:29:40.519 --> 00:29:48.878
As always, we try to make it feel like we're just pulling up a chair for you to be right there with us in the conversation, and thank you for bearing with the audio.
00:29:48.878 --> 00:29:54.358
It, you know, being inside a car, we didn't have the perfect audio for you, but thank you for listening.
00:29:54.358 --> 00:30:00.806
I'd love for you to check out the show notes for a link to our video reel from Normandy and Mauricio's church.
00:30:00.806 --> 00:30:06.435
You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook @YourSmallCircle, and the links are there as well.
00:30:06.435 --> 00:30:15.266
Coming up next, we're headed back to the Middle East with our regional director, Yazan from Jordan, and Pastor Khalif Barakat from Egypt.
00:30:15.266 --> 00:30:20.955
We'll introduce more of our team and hear powerful stories of disciple-making in Jordan and Syria.
00:30:20.955 --> 00:30:23.395
That is to come in the next few episodes.
00:30:23.395 --> 00:30:27.316
Thank you so much for listening all around the world, wherever you are.
00:30:27.316 --> 00:30:32.266
We're truly so grateful for every single one of you we'll see you next time, everybody.
00:30:32.266 --> 00:30:32.935
Take care
