Dear friends and partners Going to France As many of you know, we had hoped to go to France in May of 2021 in order to prepare for our definitive arrival this fall. Until a week before May, we had no favorable signs that this would happen. Due to Covid, there were restrictions that were going to prevent us from coming. However, the Lord allowed for all the necessary documents to come just in the nick of time. This was so exciting and we were able to book and board our flights on May 7th. It was great to see my family after 2 years of separation and for Priscilla to get to know them better. We are still in France at the moment and we will be returning in a week. Please pray for our return trip to be uneventful. Serving in France Our presence in France was a great opportunity for us to prepare in many ways for our fall arrival. I was able to preach twice and lead the mid week Bible study twice. This was a blessing as I got to minister through the pulpit to the people. Not only did we minister through the pulpit but also in person. We were able to meet many of the new people in the congregation and, in certain instances, we were able to encourage them in the Lord. In addition we were involved in 3 work days at Church. The goal was to paint and remodel the main entrance. Outreach in France We are also thankful for this trip because the Lord opened doors for us to be a part of the gospel going out. We were not only involved in the weekly tract distribution but the Lord brought opportunities our way. Pray for six of them in particular: Christine, Fabien, Jean, Sam, Paul and Lysie You might recognize Jean and Sam as the two young men I have been sharing the gospel with online. I was pleased to be able to meet them in person and continue in the work started. Jean brought Paul (his older brother) with him to our meeting. Paul and I had a great conversation and the gospel was shared and he expressed the desire to continue these conversations online. Pray that he will yield his heart to the Lord. Lysie is one of Jean's friends and is a well-read and educated girl. Jean had desired to see how I would hold up against her arguments, so he set up a debate-like opportunity with the three of us. Pray for Lysie. She was given answers and many of her beliefs were challenged in great ways by the Word of God. Fabien is a young man married to a member of the church here in Draguignan. He has heard the gospel many times, he was in the service when I preached, and heard the gospel once again. Pray that he will surrender to the Lord. Finally pray for Christine. This lady is a banker and I met with her in order to set up a bank account. During this meeting I was able to share the gospel with her. She seemed hostile to me and to it, however, we have a powerful God that can change hearts. Pray for her salvation. We thank each one of you for your prayers and support without you we could not go, serve, or preach the gospel. God Bless you Jonathan and Priscilla Laase
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