Love people. Love God. – Sally H.

Posted on by LeChemin33

Q

When the day started, I had no idea what we were doing. All I knew was that the plan was to go into the city and doing some praying. I wasn’t sure exactly what that would look like so I spent some time in the morning asking God to prepare my
heart for whatever he may need from me. After walking outside for the first time today, I found that it was going to be a gorgeous day full of sun and clear skies (not something often seen in Paris this time
of year!). Once I saw the sun, I knew God had great plans for what would happen today.

Our first stop was at the Holocaust Memorial near Notre Dame. This was an extremely somber experience that was a reminder of all the French people have been through in their history. Many French Jews lost their lives in this atrocity, but even in the wake of that, the country was eventually liberated. At this time I sat down and looked at the memorial as I pulled out some scripture. In Malachi 1:11 and Exodus 15:13, God talks about freeing his people from captivity and re-establishing that He is their God above none other. I simple thought came to my mind: pray for the new liberation of France. Pray for the freedom from shame, sin, and guilt. It was a simple prayer but one that I prayed expectantly because I know that my God can turn the hearts of men like water in the palm of his hand. I believe that absolutely nothing is impossible with him.

After lunch, a walk through the city, and some special time as a group, we traveled on to Montmartre. This is the highest point in Paris which is home to the basilica named Sacre Cœur or Sacred Heart. Sacre Cœur is a Catholic Church that has stood as a beacon to the people of France for many years. The most interesting thing about exploring the church was watching people. Some were just there to get a good picture while some were there to worship.

So what’s to the big takeaway? What did I get from these experiences? An old saying that I love says: simply love God and love people and you will live out the truth of the Gospel. As we continue to go throughout our week, pray that we would continue to learn how we can love God and love others.