Dan and Alexis have been busy, and it's been fun. The creations team has had a steady but reasonable flow of projects in the pipeline. Here are a few of the things we've done: two teaser videos for Athletes in Action camps along with brochures and images to be used online, a training video to help French people share the gospel online, and a new graphic element to celebrate Agapé France's 50th birthday this year (1973-2023). Another challenge I've been given is creating an infographic to keep track of how many new people are engaging with our ministry, noting where they're from, with which ministry they're serving and where. Specifically, we're praying for 25 young people to be a part of the mission for at least six months before the end of 2025. They've also specified the hope that at least half of these will be French, hence the need to show nationality in the infographic. It's a fun challenge figuring out how to represent so much detail in a clean, concise way. It's encouraging to see how many people are coming on board and we greatly appreciate them here where the harvesters are few. In the past 10 years the number of staff in France has seen decreases but currently is relatively stable. Agapé France needs to grow to meet the needs of new forms of ministry like digital strategies. The focus on native French people joining is a real challenge and they are desperately needed. Please join us by praying that courageous French people will have faith to join God's work and pray for the ones who are currently finding financial ministry partners.

This has been a long road for Silas, starting about four years ago when he turned in his application for French citizenship. It's possible to have dual citizenship with the US and France. Having a French passport holds a number of advantages: it allows him to live and work anywhere in the European Union, to vote in French and European elections, and of course, not have to apply for a new residence permit (like his parents have done a dozen times!). Since he accomplished all of his schooling in France, the interview was a breeze for Silas, and a half year later he found out he had been accepted. This past month we went with him to a ceremony for new citizens held in a beautiful old government building we've always been interested to see. There was a speech, of course, and at the end they sang the Marseillaise - at least those who knew the words. They served drinks and refreshments and we had a nice conversation with the Préfet, the regional head of government. It's kind of like meeting the governor of your state. Pretty exciting!