The Lord continues to do amazing things among us in Paris, France. We have so much to be grateful for as one year rolls over into a new year of possibilities and opportunities.
COMING HOME
We are planning to be in the USA from 23 February – 10 March, to attend to some legal matters. We are looking forward to reconnecting with our family and church. If you would like to connect, reach out to us, and we will try to make it happen!
2021 SUMMARY
The 4th quarter of 2021 was an incredibly fruitful time for our ministry. Pastoring Paris Centre Church as furlough replacements these past few months has been a privilege and a joy. In 2021, we saw multiple blind eyes open, withered hands come back to life, and people baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. We don’t know how we are so blessed to work for Jesus, but we are thankful.
ROCKER BAPTIZED
In the past few months, we have seen more people baptized for a total of 20 last year. One of these people is from a region in France where we do not currently have a church. The man had been in a heavy metal band, and he came to faith in Christ. He and his family traveled three hours to Paris for him to be baptized. He has since started witnessing to his bandmates, and they are interested in following Jesus. We are very excited about what God is doing in the Normandy area. We believe for his family and bandmates to be saved also!
THE NETHERLANDS
We have made two trips to the Netherlands in the past few months. We taught a church growth and leadership seminar to the church in Hoofddorp during one of these trips. It was such a warm experience to reconnect with our dear friends in Holland and share principles that will help grow and develop their leaders and church. While we were there, a first-time guest received the Holy Spirit, and another was healed. God still confirms His Word!
CAMPUS MINISTRY
In November, we hosted Sarah Mock, the German Speaking Nations Campus Ministries director. She facilitated a training weekend in Paris to help our churches reach the local universities. In the last several months, God has sent us many university students. Some studying theoretical physics, biomedical engineering, linguistics, international business, etc. These are beautiful opportunities for us to reach these universities and to train and impart Kingdom principles to young people who will be world changers in their home countries. The Lord has set before us an open door. Will you help us pray about this?
MENTAL HEALTH
Mental health has become an important topic over the last year. It is a topic that we are very passionate about. We were honored to be one of the guest speakers for the RUACH Conference in Brussels, Belgium. RUACH is the very first apostolic mental health conference. Within a few days of registration opening, the conference was sold out! It is so indicative of the need in this sensitive area. People from all across Europe gathered to be renewed and restored as the breath of God blew over us. Baron spoke on depression and about being distracted by the busyness of life. The impact of RUACH can not be overstated. We are so impressed by the vision of Pastor Jeroen Van Gorp and the Rock Church Brussels. Next year, they plan to rent a conference center to accommodate the demand. Additionally, Baron spoke on depression to our missionary family in the Europe Middle East region during a special online meeting. Jesus came that we might have life and life more abundant!!
PARIS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
We have seen much growth and development take place in our local church. We have become strategic about developing young leaders and releasing them to work. Over the last several months, we have seen two new worship leaders, three new translators, and new ministry positions developed. Earlier in 2021, we had the vision to create a GROW Team. This GROW Team is a council of our ministry directors. We frequently meet to map out a path toward future growth and ministry development. This has been incredibly beneficial to our church! Some weekends, the local team will handle the entire service without us, and they do a great job! The future of the church is now, and it is in good hands!
ACCESS CHALLENGED CONNECTIONS
To conclude the summer we had a picnic with our church family. It was a fun and wonderful time of fellowship and connection. Through this, we connected with a Christian refugee who is in Paris on asylum from his predominantly Muslim country. He loves our church and people, and even wrote an article recommending our church to other Christians who needed a place to belong.
Most of us watched in horror as the United States pulled out of Afghanistan. The human tragedy that unfolded would leave only the calloused untouched. During this time, we went to grab a quick bite one night. At the restaurant, we connected with an Afghan refugee. We can not share his story for security reasons, but this gentle spirit spoke to us with tears in his eyes about his countrymen and family who were still in harm’s way. We have started eating there regularly to connect with him. He and Baron have gone for coffee, and he has shared his heart. He is alone with no one. We believe that Jesus placed this man in our life. His name is Fazel. Will you pray for him and his family? He has a wife and kids he is desperate to see again in his home country.
DAILY PRAYER MEETINGS
We have seen so many wonderful things this last year. Some of the unfolded stories are like living in Acts of the Apostles. The miracles, signs, and wonders we have experienced only come by prayer! Our church has had daily prayer meetings for the last 15 months. In an average week, we have 25-30 people connecting and seeking the face of God. It is a tremendous privilege to serve these God-loving people!
We look forward to a productive 2022 and eagerly await the return of Missionaries Paul and Darla Brochu in February. We wish you, your family, and your churches a very happy new year! We bless you in the Name of the LORD!
Baron & Jen Carson
