France suffers from “Christophobia”!  What is meant by that term?  For example, a French student began attending a Bible group on her university campus and decided to attend a weekend retreat.  When her father found out about it, he became upset.  He had thought she was just going off for a weekend with a new boyfriend, but when he found out she was actually learning about the Bible, he became worried.  To go off with a new boyfriend was acceptable, but reading the Bible was not!  He also said that his daughter was becoming too religious.  His proof was that she had a Bible by her bedside. 

 St. Remi of France stated the following at King Clovis’ baptism in 498 AD.:  “The kingdom of France is predestined by God to defend the Church of Christ our Lord.  This kingdom will be great among all the kingdoms of the earth.  In as much as it is loyal to its calling, it will be victorious.  If it proves unfaithful in this, it will be punished harshly.  Nevertheless, it will remain until the end of time.”

 Obviously, God’s heart is for the people of France to return to Him, to fulfill their calling as defenders of the faith, and be instrumental in the salvation of many in Europe and around the world.  It is God’s will that not one of them should perish.  2 Peter 3:9

From Edward Buck
AGWM Personnel

Pastor Steve Gray of the international church in Padova, Italy is intentionally training the youth of his church to be the leaders of tomorrow.  Steve and his wife Patti are AGWM personnel, leading the International Christian Fellowship whose congregation includes around 50 young people from 15 different nations.  He sees the importance of investing time, training, care, and resources in seeing that they succeed, and even exceed his own personal and generational accomplishments. 

Gray feels the challenge of training the youth, likening it to a relay race.  As the runner approaches the next runner, that next runner begins his run before the first runner finishes.  Precision, timing, and hand-off must be the focus. 

Sunday mornings are filled with children in the fellowship hall.  Kid’s church is a big hit!  The younger and older children worship together.  Then they break out into smaller groups for different projects.

During the week, Patti Gray runs an after-school program for all ages with up to 20 children at any given time.  The children are learning or strengthening their English through reading and writing activities, games, videos and Bible reading. 

Teens gather each Friday night to study the Word of God, discuss life issues in light of the Word, and do diverse activities together. 

The next generation of Christian leaders are intentionally being grounded in the Word of God and in God’s ways.  The future is victorious.

One by one, people are coming to the Lord and finding a personal relationship with him.  One such testimony of a changed life comes from Henry and Karen Linderman, AGWM missionary personnel in France.  They share the story of a young man, Benoit Bonnemaison.

 “I was raised in a very devout religious family, my father being a deacon in the church and my mother a firm believer in the church’s doctrine and in prayer.  I was a choir boy, attended mass and cathechism, and did all that the church taught.  Yet I felt that something was wrong and I just couldn’t latch on the way my family had.

 “As I began my university studies, I met Karine Perez, a young lady who had come to Paris from a city in the south of France.  As we talked about our beliefs, I was surprised as she told me of her faith in Christ.  I had faith in Christ, but she spoke of Jesus in such a personal way.  That was it!  She talked of a personal relationship with the heavenly Father, of Christ dying once, taking the punishment for our sins, and that he rose again.  That’s what makes all the difference in why we can believe that the Bible is the Truth and that Christianity is not just another religion.

 “Karine and I began attending the church of Pastor Linderman.  The Scriptures finally made sense to me and I gave my life to God, receiving forgiveness and freedom to worship Him through a personal relationship.

Man, it’s the “greatest.”

 The Lindermans go on to relate that Benoit and Karine are a part of “The Puzzle” team.  “The Puzzle” is an evangelistic musical presentation for children.  They are using their talents to share the Gospel through this ministry.  They will be getting married soon.

Seventy-two adults, children, and youth from the Moosburg church in Germany traveled to the mountains south of Munich for an unforgettable weekend retreat in spring.  The weather was ‘cooperative’, the view of the mountains invigorating, and the time of worship and fellowship was very uplifting.  A number of people were new to the church and several youth had never been to the church before.

 God’s Spirit was there and moved in a special way, melting walls between generations.  Three teens committed their lives to Christ.  A small swimming pool at the retreat center became the site of a spontaneous baptismal service on Easter Sunday evening.  Thirteen people between the ages of 9 and 79 gave public testimony of their faith in Christ.

 God’s power at work was particularly evident among the youth.  AGWM personnel and pastor of the church, Steve Dunn, stated that the church had been struggling to develop an effective teen outreach.  However, since the retreat, up to twenty teens have been coming to the regular church service.  There is a new excitement and vision.  Dunn is thanking God for this breakthrough.

AGWM personnel in Spain, Bill and Diane Jackson, and members of their team had regularly been ministering and preaching in the park.  But one day the police came, saying someone had filed a complaint about this.  They asked if permission had been obtained to use the sound system.  The Jacksons had asked but been refused, and so now the police said they would have to preach and sing without the sound system.  They continued ministering for another half hour, but as Bill states, “The wind was taken out of our sails.  For months we had preached and testified using the sound system.  Young people would come to listen.  Now, suddenly, our voices were taken away.  We would be at the mercy of passing cars, honking horns, and noisy crowds.

For the next three weeks, we were like the cowardly lion in ‘The Wizard of Oz.’  Any excuse was good enough.  But Jesus was telling us to trust in Him and His power.  He said, ‘Bill, I don’t need a sound system to touch lives.’  I knew He was right.

I know that whoever called the police thought they had seen the end of our evangelism ministry there in the center of Zamora, (and for three weeks they were right!)  But what they meant for evil, God used for good.  After those three weeks, God has worked in amazing ways.

First, the team who goes out to minister in the streets has grown from 5 or 6 to around 20.  Second, since we aren’t using a microphone, we are able to preach just walking around and among those who are seated and passing by.  I felt a wonderful sense of anointing and power fall upon me.  How liberating it is to be able to move around and preach!

Third, as we preached and sang, team members handed out literature and talked with people.  We are expecting some great results from those conversations.  Fourth, there was absolutely no opposition to our singing and preaching.

Fifth, several friends and acquaintances passed by.  Some acted like they didn’t know us, many waved, and others came up to greet us, even while we were preaching or singing.  We were able to give them tracts as well.

So we are just beginning to see the miraculous things God can do.  Because someone got mad and called the police, and the police came and told us that we had to preach ‘unplugged’, we are seeing that God can work, even through ‘cowardly lions.’”

Inspired by the stories of how American youth raise money to purchase vehicles and equipment for missionaries around the world by participating in a program called “Speed the Light”, Czech youth have decided to do something similar.

AGWM personnel in the Czech Republic, Jason and Andrea Morrison relate how they have launched this fund-raising program in support of the Czech missionaries. Already, the youth have raised over 13,000 Czech crowns in two collections which will help several emerging missionaries reach sensitive mission fields.

 The Morrisons state that, “A major key to the health of the Czech church is its ability to be self-supporting. When the younger generation recognizes that they are able, with God’s help, to send out missionaries and to become missionaries themselves, we will begin to see another wave of Moravian (Czech) missionaries that will reach throughout Europe and beyond.  Thank you to all American youth who participate in Speed the Light. You are helping to inspire an entire generation of Czech believers to go beyond anything they have done before.”

During Pentecost weekend (May 21-24) students and young adults from across the country of Germany gathered for a retreat and evangelistic outreach. This strategic event was a partnership between  Students for Christ-Germany and the national church targeting the city of Darmstadt, a town of about 140,000 people.  Over 40 attended the retreat and together with more than 100 youth from across Germany, they teamed up for an outreach in the city. 

 Through music, testimonies and preaching, the Gospel was shared in the town square. Hundreds of people gathered to listen, and AGWM personnel, Kirk Priest had the privilege of preaching at an open-air service.  Following the retreat,  he stayed in Darmstadt for an additional week of outreaches and evening services with the local church. As a direct result of these events, two men in their fifties gave their hearts to Jesus! An outreach was also held in the middle of the University cafeteria where around 70 gathered to hear Priest share about the “Journey of Faith” and what it means to follow Christ on campus. He is praying that much fruit comes from these outreaches, as one of the goals was to plant a new student group there this year together with the local church.

AGWM Personnel, Shawn and Deb Galyen, are serving the Lord in Granada, Spain, particularly focusing on sharing Christ with university professors and students. Recently, they welcomed a short-term missions team of 22 American university students. As Shawn was preparing for the ministry activities in which they would be involved, he felt strongly that they should share some bluegrass music as a cultural outreach.

 During the wonderful week the team was in Granada, sharing with young people and doing outreaches in public schools and community centers, the American students were approached by a Spanish man in a café. “Why are you here in Granada?” he asked curiously. The young people explained that they were Christian students from Virginia, in Granada for a faith and culture learning/exchange program which we call ’Roots/Racies’. The man introduced himself as a professor of American culture at Granada University and immediately invited them to speak to a class of 70 Spanish students. He was thrilled to hear that bluegrass music was part of their presentation, as his class was focusing on southern American traditional culture. God opened a door that the Galyens or the team could never have budged on their own, and the university presentation was a huge success.

AGWM Personnel, Michael McNamee, Director of Convoy of Hope/Europe recently made a trip to Montenegro, investigating ways in which to help the spiritually and materially needy in that country.  In the city of Berane and its surrounding villages, the Lord directed the CoH/E group to some people living in 20 foot containers.  The conditions were terrible and it was shocking to see a  family of 18 living in one of them.  There are no known Christians in that city.  A shipment of food had been held up in customs, but delivered after the group left.  Food will be distributed and will feed over 100 families for a couple of months.

 McNamee had been praying for a “God moment” as a sign to guide in the on-going efforts there.  He relates, “We were drawn to a particularly filthy wooden hut, blackened with grime and smoke.  Looking in, I saw a wooden fire lit on the ground, the origin of the smoke, which heated the hut.  Several animals ran around a litter filled room.  Over at the side, a bed was covered with all types of disgusting items.  The stench was terrible.  It was total squalor.

 The owner of the hut, Miso, was at least 80 years of age and boasted that he hadn’t washed in 10 years.  Through an interpreter, he told us that several years ago he had died and had gone to Heaven where he met a celestial figure.  This figure looked in a book and then told Miso that as his name was not in it, he would have to return to earth.

 Miso who we understand had never read a Bible, then started to quote several scriptures to us, mainly about the second coming of Christ.  We were stunned.  Was it the “God moment” I had been expecting?  I am not sure, but what I do know is that from that moment on, I knew that God wanted us to reach out to these people.  He works in mysterious ways!”  May Miso’s, and many other Montenegrins’ names be written in that heavenly book through the ministry of CoH/E.