John and Sue Halls, missionaries with Youth With A Mission and members of Southside City Vineyard are sharing God's love and truth in France.
For over seven years they have been involved in a variety of ministry including discipleship, evangelism, preaching and teaching in Marseilles City, Southern France.
Food Distribution Programme
John and Sue and their local Marseille church have been ministering to local families in financial need who came each week to receive a large package of various food items. Each family was placed on the programme for about a year and about 40 (often large) families were enrolled. These families represent a number of different cultures especially North African Berbers and Arabs, African Commorians, Romany and Spanish gypsies, Armenians, Spanish and French.
Until recently, John and Sue have headed up an outreach programme that took place each week whilst people waited for their packages. This took place in a large adjacent room and involved greeting each person as they arrived. Refreshments were served and a programme was presented by a team, often involving a practical up-to-date personal testimony or a practical, children's activities teaching as well as personal witnessing and prayer for needs.
Quite a few people have given their hearts to the Lord over this period. Often this has been a result of answers to specific prayer for healing, wayward children etc.. A number of these people have then, helped at the food bank and some now attend church. However, the real challenge has been helping these people, espeially those from an Arab background to go forward in God because integration into the Christian church is not straightforward.
Visitation
Many interesting hours have been spent eating large African meals whilst talking about faith and praying for needs. Also John and Sue have produced some discipleship modules for use in the locale which they have used in homes.
Another aspect of visitation has been ministering to couples in their thirties and forties who have sought
help with life's difficulties.
Preaching and Teaching
Both John and Sue have been involved in preaching and teaching across a wide range of topics, always with a practical emphasis, within church and elsewhere.
Recently, they sensed the leading of the Lord to involvement in the Poitou-Charente region of Central Western France. This will be very much a pioneering effort as there is precious little Christian testimony in the provincial towns there. In July 2009 they moved to Confolens in that area. Please pray for them as they get established.