France 2010

Yet, Another Video!

2010-07-08T18:01:00.001-04:00

Here's another video of our Monday Evening in Grenoble...this is the best footage yet!

Notes from France

2010-07-08T15:00:00.003-04:00

Below are some notes and emails that the members of the two Grenoble churches have sent us since leaving. It's great to hear about the trip from those who went, but it's most telling to hear about if from those who stayed behind.

A wonderful experience.
It was as if we were with brothers and sisters in our local church.
We shared a time of joy and praises to the marvelous God.

We were very happy to meet the team.
Be blessed by the Lord.

love,
Cécile

When American people meet French people, "nothing like this has been done before".

American people and French people can think different, can eat different, can support different sports, can like different music, can have different sort of churches and services.

But Jesus is able to unite different people, to share good times.

That is what we lived during these days with people we’ve never met before!

We are on the same team (the Church) with the same goal and the same Chief.

Jean-yves

My two youngest sons both took a big shine to you. Although our encounter was brief, it was heartfelt. We were very moved by your testimonies which made your lyrics come alive inside us. Things get out of perspective in our lives so often and singing full blast to your songs that Sunday pushed everything back into its proper place. Thank you.
The strong sense of brotherly love that oozed out of everyone in that room on that Sunday morning was there for all of us to soak up. It was great and very humbling. God was definitely there with us and pulling us on towards Him.

Sending you all our love,
Heather, Sacha, Noah (Joshua and Fabrice too)

The coming of MP13 to France transformed us, to see different people, but all in communion to glorify God.
The blessings that you have received from God, you gave us.
We felt your love for us.
It was a very good experience for Rachel and us too.
God used us all.
Now we have many friends in North Carolina.

Thanks to God and we send our prayers.
Thank you so much and we miss you.

Christophe, Marie and Rachel

I want to express my gratefulness to the Nags Head Church for sending this group of people to us. We were blessed by each of them! Thank you for the way the group served the church and shared their faith and gave useful advice for the church leaders and for the musicians.
I want especially to thank Nathan and Tricia for sharing their lives with us, both at the women's Bible study for Tricia and at the Concert to raise awareness about CF for Nathan. Many people were touched and saw God through this amazing story!
We will be amazed, I am sure, to see the fruit that will grow from your obedience, your faith and your love!
This morning, I went to take some flowers to thank the lady from Nigeria who let us use the power from her shop for the incredible concert that took place on Monday night. At first she first didn't want to take the flowers and said that she did not deserve them. I had to tell her that God made the flowers for us to enjoy and then told her how so many people were blessed by this concert and how God was glorified ... and she bursted into tears, in front of all her customers and hugged me! She said that everyone must do his little part, here and there... and God will do mighty things!
All my love and blessings to my dear brothers and sisters from Nags Head Church,

Rejoicing with you for the good news we've read about Impact OBX!
Sylvie Glock

We are so happy to have meet you all. We really lived something exceptional with you all we can't explain. We felt god in our relationship. We had in front of us people who are very simple, true and sincere. It was as if we had always know you. We really lived Psalm 23:2 (He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.). We felt inside of us: "if it's like that in the heaven, i want to go there".

We felt so good with you even if it was hard to speak english. When we had to leave and say goodbye to you, it was so hard because, for the first time, we realized that perhaps we will not meet again before heaven. Afterward, we felt empty for several days. We really feel the holy spirit was with all of us.

"Thanks God for what we felt and lived with you. And please God, work in that hearts who listened to you... "

God used us together and that's fantastic...

For me, Christine, i couldn't be to your last concert in Grenoble, but at about 9 or 10 in the evening, I was prompted to pray for you, for people around you and for the place where you were, so that the holy spirit works in you and around you. I was so happy when Matthew explains to us how the second part of your concert was so good. I was with you by the holy spirit.

For me, Jean Paul, i was disappointed to have to work in another place in town and didn't be with you in the streets.

Happy to meet you all again.

Please tell all that Buddy and Heather now have a part of our heart

Jean Paul and Christine

Dear Nags Head Church Family,
Our hearts are overflowing with thankfulness. Sylvie, Anastasia, Pascal, Juliet and myself keep singing the songs and reliving the moments we spent with Team France. We are not alone. It seems everyone who was involved with the project is having the same reaction. Their example of Christ like love has had an impact in the lives of many.
The team was a huge blessing to both us and the churches here in France. They were always ready to help and displayed a unity of spirit and purpose. They were full of grace and joyful. Their attitude was always positive. The power of God was present in their lives. They were filled with the Holy Spirit.
When Paul was thanking the church in Philippi for their participation in the Gospel, he spoke of having the Philippians in his heart and that he longed for them with the affection of Christ. Those types of relationships have been forged between the believers here in France and you. We are living out the wonderful truth of the communion of the saints that reaches beyond borders and language. We are the body of Christ.
Paul also recommends Epaphroditus to the Philippians, telling them that he gave himself fully to Christ’s service. He put it all on the line to accomplish the job he was given. Team France gave their all in accomplishing the job they came to do. Paul said that people like Epaphroditus are worthy of honor...
Sylvie and I thank God for the relationships that were created and the ministry that was both given and received. We look forward to seeing how God will grow the seeds that were sown during Team France’s stay. We are already talking of bringing a team your way next summer. May it be so!

We love you very much.
Matthew and Sylvie, Anastasia, Pascal and Juliet

Photos

2010-07-06T20:32:00.001-04:00

Here are some more photos of our time in France, set to a sweet French song!

CEP/ICG Tour

2010-07-06T18:04:00.001-04:00

Here's a quick video tour of the local Grenoble church building where we spent much of our time.

Fete de la Musique!

2010-06-24T11:42:00.000-04:00

Here's another great video collage somebody put on youtube...if you ask members of our team, they'll tell you that they recognize several locations and bands on this video.

Slide Show

2010-06-24T11:27:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos from Matt Glock that will give you an idea of what our concert on Monday night looked like!

Tuesday Update

2010-06-23T10:15:00.000-04:00

It's amazing to think that we woke up in the French Alps this morning. By noon, we were pulling into Paris via train. Then, flying with the sun and jumping six time zones, we found ourselves flying over Nova Scotia to land in Philadelphia. And, we were all in our own homes by 8:30pm. It truly is a small world after all.

After our concert on Monday night, and after returning to the CEP to unload all of the musical gear we've been using all week and say our final goodbyes to the Glock family, we arrived back at camp around midnight. With a 4am departure, some of the team decided to simply stay awake until our train ride, while the rest of us chose to get a few hours sleep.

Matt and Christophe arrived at 4am to take us to the train station. The 3 hour train to Charles de Gaulle Airport just outside of Paris was uneventful, and most of the team slept nearly the entire trip. Our timing was perfect, as we literally rolled through customs and security and right onto our plane.

At least two members of the team slept the ENTIRE 7+ hour plane trip, while the rest of us entertained ourselves with photos and video from our week and the free in-flight movies. Again, we had just enough time in Philly to roll through the 5 layers of customs and security, check on the soccer scores, make a few phone calls to family and friends, and roll onto our plane to Norfolk.

Less the one hour in the air brought us "home" to Norfolk by 5pm, where Roxanne Staples was waiting for us with our two vehicles. A quick stop for some truly American dinner at Chic-fil-A, and we pulled into the church parking lot just a few minutes after 7:30pm.

My goal today (Wednesday) is to put together some photos and video of our trip to show you.

Monday Update

2010-06-22T09:54:00.000-04:00

Although we thought Sunday afternoon's concert would be the climax of our trip, Sunday night turned out to far exceed our expectations, especially when you consider that we didn't even yet have a location to play on Monday morning.

Monday was our last full day in France. It was the first and only day that we were able to "sleep in"...we ate a late breakfast at 9am, and then drove down the mountain to the small village of Froges. We simply spent some time walking around, enjoying the quietness of the mountain village.

Late morning, we drove into Grenoble to eat another great meal at the CEP. We then drove into downtown Grenoble to scout out the awesome location that Matt had worked out for us and to do some final site-seeing and shopping (and find one more eclair chocolat).

A few of the guys returned to the CEP to load up the equipment, and by 8pm we were set up and ready to rock! Within just a few blocks of us in nearly every direction, there was another band on every corner, and with thousands of people celebrating fete de la musique in the city, it wasn't difficult to attract a crowd, especially considering we may have been the only American band in the entire city that night.

Our first 60 minute set went well, although it was a bit rough in spots, figuring out how to deal with the wall of sound from the other bands coming at us from every direction. We took a 45 minute break to walk around and take in the music from other bands before beginning our second set around 10pm.

What took place next is not something that is easy to explain...those next 60 minutes or so were some of the most fun and God-filled moments of musical worship that anyone on our team has ever experienced. Again, I promise that we will have photos and video very soon to show you. Our guess is that around 500 people came by to at least stop for a few minutes to listen to us play and sing about Jesus, and at least a few hundred stuck around for more than a few songs. Many people from the two local churches were there to support us, but most of the people who heard us that night were most likely Grenoble locals who had no relationship with God.

Perhaps the highlight of the night was the opportunity to sing/pray "God of this City" as a few hundred people stood around listening. Knowing that God indeed has greater things to come for the city of Grenoble is a powerfully encouraging thing, both for our team and for the fellow believers that we are leaving behind.

On Tuesday, we head home...leaving the camp at 4am, traveling with the sun all day, and hopefully in our own homes by 8pm that same night.

Sunday Update

2010-06-21T06:20:00.003-04:00

Sunday was our most fruitful day yet.

Sunday morning, we all arrived at the CEP around 9am with our host families. We practiced some familiar songs with Alan, a US missionary and worship leader for the two churches. The service was a combined service for the CEP and ICG, which is something they do six times a year, so the sanctuary was packed out.

The service went at least 1.5 hours, with more music that what we're used to at NHC...but, we weren't complaining. After leading worship with Alan, Tricia and Nathan briefly gave an update and shared their gratitude to the churches for praying with them over the past few years.

Rick preached, with the help of an interpreter about being a holy people. MP13 played a few of our own songs to prepare people for the concert in the afternoon.

At 4, the building was again packed out for the concert (it was planned for outside, but the weather wouldn't cooperate) Nic and Alex (with help from a few others) played a few of their Contagious songs to warm the crowd up, and then MP13 played for about 90 minutes. After the concert, we all spent an hour or more just hanging out with people and sharing about who we are.

Matt told us that about 1/4 of the people attending had never been to either of the local churches, and at least one person came as a direct result of the invitation she found in her mailbox. A few team members were able to share their faith with those attending, including Tricia, who spent time with a young Muslim girl.

In the evening, we were fed a "BBQ" meal of sausage, hamburger and duck breast, along with several traditional French side dishes. To say this was the best meal yet on our trip would be an understatement.

Monday, we will spend time walking around the small mountain village near our camp before heading back into Grenoble to walk around downtown and get an idea of what the night's open air concert will be like.

Pray that the people walking the streets tonight taking in all of the music will stop to listen to us and will be able to understand our message.

Saturday Recap

2010-06-20T08:29:00.003-04:00

Saturday was a great day! We ate another awesome breakfast at Champfleuri before driving into Grenoble. Both Pastor Rick and Nathan drove the two vans we are using for the week. The roads are very similar to the states, and they drive on the right (not left) side, which makes it easy.

We spent several hours in the morning and early afternoon sharing ministry experience with local musicians and church leaders. Rick led a corporate time of teach about purpose and vision, then brunch. After the food was gone, Nathan led a group of MP13 and local musicians discussing worship ministry, while Rick and a few others from our team talked more about ministry strategy with local church leaders.

After lunch, the team split up as several members were picked up by their host families for the night. About 6 members of the team drove up the Chartreuse Mountain to get a view of the city from 2000 feet above. Impressive to say the least!

Last night, everyone spent the evening and night with host families in and around the city of Grenoble. We'll be sure to post personal stories of that time with you ASAP!

Here is a video that Nags Head Church is showing this morning during their worship gatherings!

Friday Recap

2010-06-18T19:26:00.002-04:00

Internet connection here at our camp is slow, so I'm going to keep this short, and hopefully post more with photos tomorrow!

We're staying at a Christian camp named Champflleuri ("field of flowers") about a 20 minute drive outside of Grenoble. Probably nicer than most Christian camps in the states...we are in dorms in one building. Each married couple has their own room and bath, and the Beacham ladies are in a room and the single guys are in a few rooms. Definitely makes getting a good night sleep very easy. The staff at the camp is taking care of our breakfast every day, and we're eating some amazing food. The camp is on the side of a mountain, and the view of the mountains on the other side of the valley is incredible.

Today, we were up early and into the city by 9am. The ladies spent a few hours this morning with some women of the local French church ("CEP") in a Bible study. Tricia was asked to share her story, and they all spent time talking and praying together (and eating some more food).

Pastor Rick, Larry, Chris and Buddy spent several hours this morning with local pastors, sharing their experience serving in a church that follows a Purpose Driven model. They had some great conversation, learning about the local churches and how ministry is most effective in Grenoble.

The rest of the guys walked through the neighborhoods around the CEP, delivering invitations to Sunday's concert in every mailbox (this is legal in France).

The afternoon was spent at another local church, setting up for the concert tonight. While the rest of the team set up equipment, Nathan & Tricia drove with Matt Glock to a small village about 30 minutes away to visit with a local CF Family (visit Nate's blog later this week to learn more about this visit).

The concert tonight was actually organized to help raise awareness for the local Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. About 50 people attended, and everyone was very excited about the music by the end of the evening. The strategy is to build excitement with our first two concerts so that Monday evening's concert will be a big event.

After a long day, the team spent time back at camp around midnight, sharing their experiences from the day, talking about the culture and how we can better engage people, and looking at what God has to say about reveling his glory through conversation (David Nasser's "Glory Revealed).

Tomorrow morning we will spend more time with local musicians and church leaders, sharing our experiences with each other. Tomorrow afternoon gives us some free time to drive up the mountains and get a better view of the surrounding area. And, tomorrow night, we eat and sleep in the homes of local church members and missionaries...something that we are all very much looking forward to!

In Paris

2010-06-17T04:45:00.001-04:00

We arrived safe and sound. Spent the day walking around Paris. Train to Grenoble this afternoon. More later.

Tomorrow/Schedule!

2010-06-14T22:13:00.002-04:00

We fly tomorrow!

Here's a quick rundown of our schedule:

Leave Norfolk, Virginia for Paris, France (via Philadelphia, PA) at 11:30am on June 15.
Arrive in Paris at 8am on Wednesday.
Spend 24 hours in Paris, catching our breath and being tourists.
Catch a train to Grenoble, France on Thursday morning.
Concert on Friday evening.
Time with local musicians and church leaders on Saturday.
Worship with local church on Sunday morning.
Concert on Sunday afternoon.
Concert on Monday evening.
Train to Paris on Tuesday morning, plane home via Philly, arriving in Norfolk at 5pm.

In between all of that, we'll also be spending lots of time serving with local churches. Needless to say, we're stoked!

Thanks for your prayer and support!

1 Week!

2010-06-08T18:29:00.002-04:00

In just one week, we'll be on a plane to France!

We spoke with our Grenoble missionary, Matt Glock today on the phone. Our schedule is lining up...looks like we'll be very busy! We can't wait to arrive and begin serving!

2 Weeks!

2010-06-02T16:20:00.000-04:00

In just two weeks, we'll be in France!

We'll be flying into Paris, arriving on the morning of the 16th. We'll spend 24 hours in the city, catching our breath from the flight, recovering from jet lag and seeing a few of the sights before hopping on a train the morning of the 17th to Grenoble where we'll spend the next 5 days serving with the local churches there.

Can't wait! We're still raising financial support, and would also love your continued prayer!

Here are a few photos from a recent outdoor concert at our church.

Team Jerseys

2010-06-02T10:27:00.002-04:00

We've designed a France Team jersey for our trip. The World Cup will be taking place in South Africa while we're in France, so we thought it would be fun to design a shirt that resembled the France jersey.

Music Party!

2010-05-25T13:33:00.000-04:00

Here's another poster we found online.

Videos of The Music Party!

2010-05-24T13:35:00.002-04:00

Check out This Site for a few videos of what we might see/hear in Grenoble during this national music celebration.

Music Party!

2010-05-24T13:29:00.002-04:00

Here's a poster we found online for the event we'll be playing at in Grenoble.

4 Weeks to go!

2010-05-18T13:10:00.002-04:00

In exactly 4 weeks, we'll be on a plane, flying to France! This weekend, we have our second and final training weekend for our team as we prepare! Our plane tickets should be in our hands by the end of this week.

We're still busy raising the financial support we need, and would continue to appreciate your prayers on that end. Also pray that all of the last minute details will be worked out and made clear for everyone involved!

Thanks!

Fund-Raising Goals

2010-01-30T11:00:00.000-05:00

Our fund-raising goals, both on a personal level and as a team:

25% by February 15
50% by March 15
75% by April 15
100% by June 1

Pray with us that God will add many to our team who will support our mission financially.

Meeting With Matt Glock

2010-01-28T17:40:00.003-05:00

The France Team will be hanging out with Matt Glock this Monday evening. Matt is traveling around the US and will be making a pit stop on the OBX just long enough to give his mom a kiss and spend a few hours with us before flying back to France.

We're really looking forward to spending this time with Matt, as this will most likely be the only opportunity we have to hear first hand from him about the trip and what to expect in France.

Thanks for your continued prayers!

Urgent Praying

2010-01-21T08:46:00.002-05:00

Please pray with us that airline tickets will drop dramatically, very soon. Typically, this time of year, an airline ticket to France can be found for well under $1000. Unfortunately, the price has yet to come anywhere near as low as $1000. Tickets are, by far, the biggest part of our budget for this trip.

Thanks for praying with us! We're trusting that God will provide.

January

2009-12-31T12:47:00.003-05:00

January will bring our official "kick-off" for our France mission trip! Our France Team, now secured at 18 members (see This Post for team members), will begin meeting regularly for prayer, spiritual discipleship and logistical and cultural training as we prepare for June.

Burnie Staples, our Missions Pastor and one of our MilePost13 Band bass players, will be working closely with our team in the coming months. Although Pastor Burnie is unable to travel with the team to France, he will be helping to train the team, particularly working with the team to better understand the Biblical Foundation of Missions.

Along with our regular meetings, the team will also be gathering together on the evening of January 7 to spend some time with Tom Nylander. Tom is a personal friend and former boss of Nathan, and has several years of experience serving with and leading short-term mission trips as Director of Light Ministries. Tom will be sharing about his experiences with our France Team.

We'll also begin to update the blog on a regular basis, as we document each step of this journey with photos and video. Fortunately, we have two professional photographers on our team. We've recently purchased two Flip Video cameras to use as well.

Check back in often this coming month of January to stay up-to-date with our France Team!

Rich's New Bass!

2009-11-10T14:02:00.004-05:00

Rich C. is normally one of our electric guitarists, but he's been filling in on bass recently and will be our bass guitarist in France. He decided it was about time that he stopped borrowing other guitars and buy his own bass...here he is testing his new guitar out with an amp for the first time. (apparently, cell phones do not pick up low end very well, cause the amp was cranked)

Bonjour France!

2009-11-06T13:51:00.005-05:00

A Greeting to France from the MilePost13 Band in Nags Head, NC!

More Trip Details

2009-10-23T12:19:00.011-04:00

Tentative Schedule: June 16 – 23, 2009 (Wed. – Wed.)

Wednesday, June 16 – Leave States for France arriving June 17
Thursday, June 17 – Get settled in to accommodations, team orientation and visit Grenoble
Friday, June 18 – Concert
Saturday, June 19 – Participate in a worship leader/musician training day with local churches
Sunday, June 20 – Worship services with local churches, Open-air Concert in neighborhood of churches
Monday, June 21 – Concert
Tuesday, June 22 – ?
Wednesday, June 23 – Return to the States

The purpose of the trip is to partner with two local churches (a French church called "The CEP" and an international church called "The ICG") in the city of Grenoble, France to reach the people of the city to discover life in Christ. The trip is centered around the MilePost13 Band's involvement in a few concerts during La Fête de la Musique (The Music Party), an annual, national celebration of music, but those participating in the trip will be busy with much more.

The team will also be working with the local churches to serve their communities in different ways. As well as leading worship on Sunday morning for both local churches, the MP13 Band will be participating in a music/worship leader training day with several local churches. The team will also be serving in the community in various ways with members of the two local churches, learning about French culture and investing their lives into their communities.

The 17-member team is made up of partners of Nags Head Church, including several members of the MilePost13 Band, the Contagious Youth Band, the NHC Tech Teams, and a few immediate family members.

Cost: $1000/person x 17 people = $17,000

The cost may change and will become more definite as the trip approaches because it is dependent on several factors, including the cost of airline tickets, the amount of luggage and equipment we have to take, etc. The band will be borrowing/renting as much equipment and instruments as possible while in France.

Please, consider becoming a part of our team by investing your Prayer and Financial Support. You can learn more about the city of Grenoble Here.

Team France Prayer Journal

2009-10-23T11:37:00.010-04:00

Last updated on December 31.

Thank you for your investment in our mission to France through your encouragement and prayer. Please feel free to leave a comment under this post with an encouragement to the team or a prayer for the trip.

Visit this page often for updates on the team's prayer journal!

The France Team:
Bonnie B.
Alex B.
Rich C.
Lauren C.
Larry C.
Chad H.
Chris J.
Nathan L.
Tricia L.
Rick L.
Nick N.
Buddy N.
Heather N.
Rachel S.
Ramon S.

> Several members of our team admit that their financial situation could cause burdens for them as they plan and prepare for this trip. The economy has hit our are of North Carolina hard, and especially those who have independent employment are constantly relying on God to provide for their families from one week to the next. The summer is the most profitable time for the local economy, and spending a week away from work is a huge sacrifice. Please, pray with us that these members of our team will continue trusting in God's provision and that they will be blessed beyond explanation because of their sacrifice.

> Most of our team members are parents, husbands and wives, etc. and many will be leaving behind their young children, spouses and other family, which can be a big emotional sacrifice. Please pray that those on our team who are making this sacrifice will be able to do so with joy, and that parents especially will be able to make adequate plans for child care during the week of our trip.

> Please, also pray that every partner of Nags Head Church will join our team in one way or another. Although only a small number have been chosen to go this time around, everyone can join the team through prayer and encouragement.

> Pray that the details for this trip will begin coming together. With eight months to go, there are still plenty of questions and details to confirm, both here in North Carolina and in France. Pray especially that our contacts in France will be given permission to allow us to perform the concerts in the city.

> Please, pray for the hearts and attitudes of those on the team, that the focus of this trip will be about obeying God and serving others, and that Satan would not be given opportunities to distract the team from their mission.

All About Grenoble, France

2009-10-21T11:55:00.000-04:00

Grenoble is the destination of the team in June, 2010. Click the links below to learn more about the city.

View a Map of Grenoble.

Read what Wikipedia has to say about Grenoble.

View the official page of the Tourism Office of Grenoble.

Financial Support

2009-10-20T11:59:00.005-04:00

International travel is, unfortunately, not cheap.

With 20 team members traveling from North Carolina to France, at a cost of $1000 per team member, the total cost of the trip is approximately $20,000. The majority of the cost will go toward travel expenses. Each team member has made a commitment to personally finance a specific amount for their trip from their own pockets, and already, less than one month into preparations, the team as a whole has raised nearly 10% of their $20,000 goal.

Obviously, our team can't finance the entire trip on our own...we need the help of others who see the importance of this trip and desire to invest in our mission of reaching the people of Grenoble to discover life in Christ. We invite anyone who has a passion for God and a love for people to consider making a financial investment in our team and our mission.

If you are able to make a financial investment of any kind, we'd ask you to follow the directions below to mail a check. If you are interested in supporting this trip financially, but would like some more information or have questions, please, send an email to Nathan@NagsHeadChurch.org

To mail a check:

Please make the check out to "Nags Head Church" with a memo of "France Trip" at the bottom and mail to the following address.

France Trip
Nags Head Church
PO Box 302
Nags Head, NC 27959