This trip was unique in that we didn’t have a person of contact to connect with in-country. Nevertheless, with such a globalized event, we felt we couldn’t pass up this opportunity to evangelize to the large influx of people from all over the world coming to watch the Summer Games.
As the trip was more open-ended, we spent our mornings together with the team in the Word and prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us to which spots to go to and to prepare the hearts of the people we would meet.
I was constantly reminded of the story of Phillip in Acts 8, how God tells Phillip to go out into the desert but doesn’t yet explain what he is to do. It isn’t until Phillip gets to the desert that he sees a chariot with an Ethiopian Official, and the Holy Spirit tells him to explain the Good News of Christ beginning with the writings of Isaiah, which he is reading. I love how the Lord often works in step-by-step guidance rather than laying out the entire plan. It puts us in a place where we must put our full dependence on the Lord and trust that He is sovereign in His plan.
As we made our way through different locations around the city, by the end of the day, we always found ourselves back at Paris’s most famous skate spot, Place de la République. This public square served as a central connecting station between lines for the city’s metro system. It wasn’t just a space for skaters but for the community as a whole, with various activities all around the plaza.
Such a central hub created a welcoming environment where we could build relationships with people over multiple days, opening up many opportunities for prayer and Christ-centered conversations.
Something super encouraging was seeing the various other Christian organizations that had traveled far and wide to proclaim the Gospel, whether through street evangelism, music, or even interpretive dancing. It’s so cool getting to see the body of Christ and how we got to be a small piece of the puzzle that God had been orchestrating to make His name known throughout Paris.
While we spent most of our time in organic, Spirit-led conversations at different skate spots, we were able to throw a small, impromptu contest at one skatepark as a tool to share the Gospel with everyone there. About halfway through the message, we were cut off by a guy there who wasn’t too excited about the idea of us sharing our faith; however, it opened up a bunch of one-on-one, God-centered conversations with the individuals at the skatepark, including the guy who stopped the message. It reminded me of the various stories in the Bible, such as with Joseph or Ester, where God takes the very things that were intended to be used against Him and utilizes them for His glory and purpose.
As I reflect on our time there and the number of Spirit-led conversations we had, the main verse that keeps repeating in my head is Luke 10:2, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” After seeing the openness to spiritual conversations with the people we met, please pray that the Lord would raise leaders to minister to the skaters of Paris, that they would proclaim the saving grace of Christ, and pour into others who can continue to reach their skate community. Please also pray for the seeds that were planted with people who had come from across the globe, that the Word of God would be deeply rooted in their hearts, and that they would continue to reach others for God’s kingdom wherever they may be.
