More Stories From Lille

Prayer was one of the biggest lessons I learned in Lille. I learned to wait on the Lord, to pray constantly, and how God uses it. I heard a story (a true story I was told by one of the coolest ladies I've ever met while I was discouraged) while I was there about a missionary in Africa that went a very long time without seeing results, no one coming to faith in Christ. Frustrated and exhausted, he started making his way across Africa to return home. Along the way the Lord prompted him to preach the Gospel to a village he was passing by. Reluctantly he went, with the intention to preach and leave, not to stick around. The village ran him out and completely violently rejected the Gospel. As he passed another village he felt the same call from the Lord. Even more reluctantly, I'm sure, he went into this village and preaching the Gospel. The response was overwhelming! So many came to Christ in that moment! God had clearly prepared this village. He passed many other villages along his way and they each had one of the two responses. Baffled and yet encouraged, the missionary returned home. He shared this strange story with many people and eventually one of his listeners was reminded of a missionary known as "Praying Hyde" who was mostly known for his work in India. But he had traveled in the same area and through mapping out both travels they realized that "Praying Hyde" had been to and prayed over all the villages that received Christ 100 years earlier! God uses our prayers. And any fruit we see is just a small part we play in His grand scheme. We all have a different part to play, none of them more glorious or important.
I also learned a lot about planting seeds. We are called to sow seeds broadly. We don't try to find "good soil" and then plant there (as we so often approach it here in America) but we find "good soil" by planting the seeds everywhere and seeing where it grows. God is the one that prepares the soil, and He's the one that causes the growth. I can't dress the Gospel up nice enough, I can't argue someone into the kingdom. There is so much freedom in that though! I also can't mess it up! I am to seek after God and to share His love and Gospel with the world. He will take care of the work He has for me. As long as my heart is to glorify Him and surrender my will to His, I'm good to go!
I'm learning how to be bold. I am learning to practice these things I learned in Lille everyday. This is great training ground for my future in France!