Think of a time you felt empowered. Maybe when you were handed some keys or asked to lead a big project. Campus ministry strives to be "student led," which is all about empowering. We encourage the students to dream, then we help those dreams become reality. This month we hosted an event called Faith at Work. The idea was from a student, implemented by the student leaders. And it was brilliant! A panel of 7 professionals were asked to talk about how their faith plays out at work. They fielded questions from a group of students who were eager to hear how being Christian affects how you teach, run a business, code programs, perform physics research, or organize mass transit. What are the challenges? How does it affect your relationships or the way you approach work? Are there opportunities to talk about faith? They want to benefit from experience and wisdom. I would love to hear what you might have said had you been on that panel!
The atmosphere in France can be overwhelmingly hostile to Christians, who are swimming upstream against a strong current. 63% of the French claim to be atheist or non-religious. These people are so far from Christ. Please pray for the French, and for the courage to share the gospel!
We mentioned earlier that Silas had the big decision of which high school to attend next year. He has taken tests and been accepted into the international section at Saint Vincent, a private school not far from the music conservatory downtown. Until now, Silas has attended public French school, which is naturally taught in French. This international section, however, has roughly a quarter of the classes in English, including American history. This should firm up the years of American homeschool we did with Silas and insure that he can perform at a good level in both English and French. Silas also wants to continue studying violin at the conservatory, pursuing a diploma which would allow him to play or teach professionally. An important test in September will decide if he makes the cut. This all comes at a cost, but like any parent we're wishing the best for him!
Thursday I spent 6 hours on the train to attend Agapé France's general assembly. It's an administrative necessity to be a recognized association. Two different people from up front thanked May for her efforts resolving a technical problem with donor processing. Ironically, May was at home wrestling with even more programming issues, and making great progress on a major enhancement to www.agapefrance.org.
