Jeremie

My Salvation & Baptism

I was born in a missionary home in France in 1977. As I grew up in a faithful Christian home, I heard the Bible from a very young age. I attended church when I was only a few days old; in fact the church my parents started in Thionville, in the eastern part of France, began officially the same year I was born.

During one winter camp, in 1984, after a sermon my father preached on the sin of man and about the salvation Christ offered, I understood I was a sinner, that I wasn’t pleasing God, and because of that I was not going to be with Him when I die. As my father asked after the sermon if anyone would like to be saved, I raised my hand convinced of my sin and of my need of repentance.

Then my mother took me to separate room, explained to me again the plan of salvation, and asked me if I understood everything. I then said yes. She then told me I had to pray to God and ask forgiveness for my sins, to ask Jesus to be my Savior and Lord. So I did. I remember that after I was done praying I had joy in my soul, I thanked my mother for helping me, and then I couldn’t help it: I had to tell everyone about it the very same night. A few years later I questioned my mother about baptism. And so she explained that baptism is a commandment God wants us to obey, that it is a testimony of what God had done for us through Jesus-Christ. It symbolized Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, and also our death to sin, its burial, and our resurrection into a new life with Christ. I then asked to be baptized. It was in May of the year 1987.

My Calling

When I was about fourteen I went to a Christian camp in southern France, Camp Rainbow, whose director is Damaris‘ father. During that camp I strongly felt the call of the service for God, and in front of the group I gave my life to God for full time ministry not knowing exactly what, when or where God wanted me.

Years went by and I had put aside not only that decision, but also my relationship with God. It was a time of struggle between my will and God’s will. After my high school graduation in 1995 came the time for decisions as to what I was going to do. I remembered my promise to God but I still wasn’t ready to submit.

Since I had no idea, and didn’t want to do anything, my mother pushed me to go to the Bible Institute telling me to remember my decision to serve God. The three years went by quickly. After graduating from the Institute in 1998, I decided to go to the States for a while before having to do my military duty in France.

I stayed in the States from the summer of 1998 until March of 1999. I then was called to serve in the French military. During the whole time God never gave up on me, working in my heart. After my military duty in the fall of 2000, I served among the teens and started to help from time to time in the office of the Institute.

The following year I offered my help to the school as far as secretary work but also accepted to teach some courses at the Institute. During that time God was slowly giving me hints about who He wanted me to marry and build a family with and led me to Damaris. Having the firm conviction this was God’s will, Damaris and I got engaged in September of 2002. We then got married on July 5th 2003 while Damaris was studying at the Institute.

I then started to preach more often at church and continued my work at the Institute. As time went by I felt that God was calling for something more. During winter camp of 2003 I was faced with the possibility of working with another missionary.

Carey ABBETT, whom I’ve known since I was a kid, was there during camp and both of us served in the junior evening services. As I was already thinking about working in the church planting process and praying about it, I was tickled by the thought of: “what would it be like to work with Carey?“, but quickly I scrubbed that out of my mind, because I knew there was great need at the school at the time and that Carey was working with his father.

Then the following day as I was talking with Tim Knickerbocker, he shared the conversation he‘d had with Carey’s father, who was very concerned about finding someone to work with his son. Later on Tim came up to Damaris and me and said he had a great idea that he would like to share with us after the evening service. I then told Damaris I knew what her dad’s thought was: us working with the Abbetts; but also that I didn’t want Tim to be pushing me into a direction or another, and also that if it was God’s will, then He’d show it to us more directly. I told her that I’d rather have Carey come up to me and say something about it and by this show that God was truly leading us in that direction.

So the same evening Carey and I were talking about things and others, and spontaneously he told Damaris and me, that he and his wife both thought that working together could be a very possible thing. As you can imagine I was speechless for a few seconds, then I asked him if by any chance he had talked to Tim about that. His answer was negative. So I shared with him the thought that came across my mind the day before. And at that moment Tim came in the room: “Oh, you’re both there, good. I’d like to share some thoughts I had concerning both of you!…” We looked at him and started laughing. So we explained to Tim what we were talking about earlier. We talked again about it, prayed the same night all together, Tim, Carey and I.

Damaris

My Salvation & Baptism

I have the immense privilege of being born into a Christian family. In fact my parents have been full time missionaries here in France since 1972. My mother is French, and my father is American. He came to France when he was 17 as an Apprentice Missionary. They are still serving in an itinerant ministry in France after 20 years of pastorate in the city of Toulouse, France.

So as a little girl, I grew up with the example of my parents giving their whole life to God. I always went to Bible classes on Sundays, my parents would read stories from the Bible to me and my sisters in the evenings, and I loved to sing the children songs I learned.

My parents managed a youth camp, and one day, I went shopping with my mom. I was 4 years old. In the car we were singing one of the songs I had learned in Bible class. It said: « Jesus has resurrected, to heaven he went, one day he’ll come back to take me, oh what happiness ! » I loved that song. My mom asked me then if I was sure I would go to heaven if I died? She explained to me what hell was and who would go there. I sure didn’t want to go to hell after her description!

She then explained to me what sin is. She had plenty of examples to show mine! I told her I wanted to be saved and go to heaven. She told me I had to talk to God through prayer and ask him to clean my little heart with His blood. I could hardly wait for the car to be parked. As soon as it stopped, I was praying, asking God to cleanse my heart, and accept me someday in heaven. Of course, I probably hadn’t understood everything about salvation or sanctification, but I know my heart was sincere, and that assurance of being with God for eternity has never left me.

During the years that followed, I understood more about what Jesus did for me on the cross, and never have regretted the decision I have made 18 years ago. My heart is full of gratitude to God that made salvation so simple that even a child can understand it, and decide to follow Him.

Several years later, I started to be troubled about baptism. People assumed often that since I was an M. K., I would soon get baptized, and it bothered me so much that I didn’t want to get baptized just because they said it was normal. But one day, I realized, I was being foolish to listen to people talk, and not the voice of God Himself, that had commanded that I be baptized, and I needed to obey him. I needed to tell publicly what God had done for me. I needed to show what God meant to me. So, at 13 years old, I obeyed God’s command through the step of being baptized.

Since I was a little girl, as I said earlier, my parents and their example influenced my life a lot. My parents always were happy in the service of the King, of what I saw. Now I know there where hard times, but yet in difficulties, they showed me that God always takes care of His children.

My Calling

When I was 15, I went to summer camp. I was very worried with the decisions to make for my life‘s’ orientation. I was thinking of becoming a social worker. I really wanted to help people. But I heard that social workers could not share their faith with the people in need. I wanted to help people in their major need, not just financial, but spiritual need. Then I thought about psychology, but still I might loose 5-8 years studying things I didn’t agree with…

Then God showed me that what is the most precious to God is the soul of man, and that I needed to work for Him to bring more to His Kingdom. This is when I decided to study in a Bible school. I had a lot of questions and doubts, because Satan tries to discourage us from putting our life at God’s disposition. I wondered what I would be useful for, since I can’t preach like men…

By studying the Bible I learned a lot on the different ways I can serve the Lord. I’ve had the privilege to realize that God has prepared for me a wonderful man with whom I will be able to serve. It’s so good to know that God is in control of our life, and that He directs us where He wants us to go. I’m very excited and proud to work for Him.