Marc Mailloux's Blog

  “Who has believed what they heard from us?”  Isaiah 53:1

Dear friends,

            We travelled to France once again this summer to fill-in for a vacationing pastor colleague, presiding at worship (four Sundays), preaching,  and visiting some the church folk including some old friends.   It was mostly enjoyable (though we did get robbed—a rucksack with some papers etc.), due in part to the delightful summer weather and the fact that things run at a refreshingly slower pace in France in August when fully half the country closes down for the annual month of vacation.

       As in the past, our stay in the Marseille area included a lot of late nights around the table with friends and acquaintances and lengthy discussions on various subjects.  Indeed, if there’s one element of French culture that should favor the advancement of the gospel, it’s these prolonged mealtimes when the blood sugar is high, the mood is relaxed, and the minds are running freely.  It’s an opportunity to be seized!   Curiously someone calculated that around 65% of Jesus’ words as recorded in the gospels were pronounced in the context of a meal; either just before, during, or after.  Surely the Lord would approve of the French gastronomical tradition.     

       We were slightly dismayed, but hardly surprised, to see the spiritual temperature in France—in contrast with the dry daytime heat of Provence—still hovering around the arctic level.  Most evangelical assemblies plod along with the same handful of folks from year to year with few new additions and little vision or zeal for evangelism.  One might think that most French Christians, with regards to the gospel, have not really appreciated what’s at stake.  In fact, many are frustrated—as we were—by the horrendous indifference of the majority of their compatriots to the questions of eternal life. Eventually, even the most stalwart believer tends to shrug his shoulders in dismay

        We had a vivid reminder of that callous indifference shortly after our arrival as we helped MTW missionary Pete Mitchell move into a new office at the Luminy university campus just outside of Marseille.   As we unloaded some cartons from the moving van, a twenty-year-old woman standing by the door of the office complex casually inquired as to which new business was moving in.   I replied that it was the ‘Reformed evangelical church of South Marseille’ and attempted to hand her a handy copy (I usually keep one in my pocket) of ‘l’évangile selon Jean” with a friendly word of exhortation to read it.  She reacted as if I had the plague and rapidly withdrew her hand.

[ “La religion ne m’intéresse pas du tout !”  (Religion doesn’t interest me at all!)  she exclaimed coldly.                                  “OK, forget about the Church,” I pursued.  “What do you think of Jesus as a historical character? Who was he?”                                                                                                                                                                                     “Je n’en sais rien et je ne veux rien savoir” (I don’t know anything nor do I care to know) was her parting reply.  

One never sees that kind of reaction amongst the Antilleans of S. Florida or the islands who usually fear God even if their theology is often less than rigorously biblical.]

  In addition to the usual visits in Marseille, we organized three “pizza/cinema” nights at the ecumenical chapel showing some edifying films (including Frank Capra’s 1946 classic “It’s a Wonderful life”) followed by discussions.  The fifteen or so folks (average attendance) included a few church-goers and some non-believing acquaintances.  Coincidentally, one had asked me shortly before about the Bible’s teaching on angels, of all subjects.  Hopefully “Clarence” (the angel in the Capra film) didn’t leave a negative impression, Hollywood theology notwithstanding.

    On our last night in France (Aug. 17), I did a conference (on “Creationism vs. Evolutionism”) at an evangelical gathering organized by Aline’s brother Pascal (a pastor in a fledgling Evangelical Methodist assembly) about 100 miles west of Marseille.  Once again, attendance was less than one might have hoped, but one learns to work with small numbers in French evangelical circles.                  

     Finally, a highlight of our time in Marseille was a couple of visits with David P., the 16 year-old son of a dear Christian couple who is dying of an inoperable brain tumor.  David’s is an amazing case of the Lord using the weak to confound the strong.  For several months, a steady stream of visitors has come to the family’s tenth floor apartment to see David.  Clearly the Lord has been using him for the advancement of His Kingdom, even as the inoperable tumor growing around his brain stem has gradually reduced his corporal functions.  Arriving at a point where he was no longer able to speak, David could only communicate by faintly squeezing the hand of his visitors to acknowledge the correct letters as they laboriously spell out what he would say.  David asked one visitor (his French professor) if he were ready to meet his Maker. When the professor claimed to be an atheist, David spelled out:  “You fool.”  His serenity through this whole ordeal has been inspiring to many. 

     Back in S. Florida, we’ll be showing (in French, for the Haitian community) the excellent apologetic series “Origins” by the late Dr. A.E. Wilder-Smith.   We’re grateful for the enthusiasm of a couple of key Haitian students including Moïse J. and Lesly J., the director of the largest Haitian radio station in S. Florida (with a potential audience of ½ million) who is  giving us precious air-time to publicize our efforts—an answer to prayer.   We’re also preparing for the next series of classes (on the book of Revelations) in St. Martin (Oct.3-10) and the start of a new academic year in the ever-struggling Haitian Bible school with our longsuffering colleague Rev. Jean Petit.  Thanks for your prayers for all these concerns!

In His service,                                                                                                                                                                               

Marc (email: MMailloux50@comcast.net;

(blog:www.marcmailloux.wordpress.com)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Praise:  

1-For a blessed journey with multiple opportunities to share the Word in France. 

 2-For signs of progress in our son Calix: in Marseille; still without a full-time job but asking himself more questions, spiritually.  He was reading Dr. Kennedy’s book Why I believe as we left him. 

  3- For the Lord’s amazing use of David P. in Marseille.                                                                                                                                  Prayer:      

1-For the continued work of the Spirit on Calix.

  2-For the projection of the “Origins” series Sept.12, 19, 26 at Coral Ridge PCA

 3-For the welfare of son Justin who has taken a teaching job in difficult conditions in the town of Cabrera on the north coast of  the Dominican Republic.                                                                                                                                                4- For David P. and his family (parents and two sisters).                                                                                                            5- For administrative help (a tri-lingual secretary) for our fledgling Haitian Bible school.