7 Things to Know and Pray for Nice, France

We are waking up this morning to the realization that yesterday’s terrorist attack in Nice, France was not a nightmare.  It was very real.  Here are seven things provided by Pioneers International missionaries in France to keep in mind as you ponder and pray for those affected by the attack in Nice: 

1.  Most people around the world think of Nice as a glamorous beach vacation destination, home to mansions, yachts, and movie stars.  But Nice is also home to a significant Muslim population (France has the largest percentage of Muslims as compared to their total population in the EU). Nice is the second largest French city on the Mediterranean, after Marseilles, which is the most Muslim French city with a 20% Muslim population.  The Joshua Project says that Nice is a “formerly or falsely reached” city.  

2.  This attack follows the Charlie Hedbo newspaper attack (killing 12) in January 2015 and the attacks on the Bataclan Theatre and Stade de France (killing 130) in November 2015.  The people of France are grieving deeply and again. 

3.  Pioneers International missionaries in France report that people are increasingly afraid and have little faith in politicians to protect them from such heinous, random, and unpredictable acts of barbary.  These events trigger strong feelings of fatalism and despair, a feeling that the world is spinning out of control, leading the secular French to often turn to astrology and sorcery for guidance.  Without a deep faith in the Lord people are filled with fear.  

4.  Pioneers International has a team in Nice ministering to the Muslim population.  Situations like this—terrorist attacks done in the name of Islam—cause many moderate Muslims to question their faith in a supposed religion of peace.  Ask the Lord to provoke Muslims across France to seek God and question their faith.  

5.  There are small churches in Nice who will be assisting those who are grieving.  Ask the Lord to allow these small congregations to be a source of His love and that many would see the compassion of local believers.  Ask the Lord for open doors for the Gospel. 

6.  Pray that the authors of this attack and the mosque associated with the attacker’s radicalization would be soon identified and respective imams and mosque leaders deported, as that is increasingly how France deals with terrorists.

7.  Pioneers International has 12 other teams in France working in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Bayonne, Lourdes, Lilles, and Nantes.  They minister among other Muslim populations and also agnostics and cultural Catholics.  Operation World reports that France has an Evangelical population of less than 1%.  Pray that they would be able to minister to an increasingly fearful France and that France would turn to the Lord and be filled with a peace that surpasses understanding.

Video: From Albania to Greece

From Albania to Greece from Pioneers-USA on Vimeo.

After living in Albania for several years, Andrew and Alecia moved to Greece to make disciples among Albanians who have immigrated there. They recently partnered with local believers to plant an Albanian-speaking fellowship at the foot of Mars Hill in Athens, just steps from where Paul preached the gospel 2,000 years ago.

While It Is Day

BY PIONEERS' ARAB WORLD MEDIA AND PIONEERS USA March 17, 2016

It’s everywhere. News of violence and terrorism.  Talk of how to insulate ourselves from the refugee crisis. But we hear little of how God is working in the Arab world.

Pioneers’ Arab World Media is making a difference in the lives of Muslims. Through media—video, social media, chat rooms, articles—they share Jesus and His offer of hope and love. And God is using it to bring a fundamental shift in the lives of Arab people.

See what some of these Arab world Muslims and new Christians have written in the last few months…

How can I make a fresh start in my life and begin again? 

Thank you so very much for your care and encouragement. Now I don’t feel lonely. I have a very special family after my conversion to follow Christ. I’m not alone when I go through difficult times as a new believer in Christ. Jesus gives me peace, joy and security that I have never experienced before. Thank you again. 

I think I am totally blessed. It is the first time I have found answers to my prayers. I am isolated and living in a corrupt place. Now I have found on [your website] rich articles, answers to my questions and someone to care for me and guide me. Now I can say I can be a really good Christian because of [your website]. 

I saw the Lord Jesus Christ in a dream three months ago. He said to me: “Trust that I am He.” I asked him: “Are you Jesus?” He answered, “Yes.” 

I used to be a Muslim, but I have become a Christian. Life is very difficult for me with my family who are still Muslims. They don’t know about my faith. I can’t read the Bible in front of them or go to church. 

I’m attracted by the Christian religion. Back home I wouldn’t have the freedom to talk about this. Our society doesn’t allow it. I had a dream about Jesus. I need your help. 

I feel as if I’m a new person. Yesterday, and then again today, I remembered you in my prayers. I told my husband about you and said that you had opened my heart to see the love of Jesus for me. I feel a great sense of peace. 

I would like to become a Christian, but I would be killed if I changed my Islamic religion—although I never chose it in the first place. What should I do? Please help me or guide me to someone who can. 

The word “love” that I read in the Gospel made me think about becoming a Christian. I want to know more about God’s love, as I’m a new believer. Could you please tell me what you know about that? I am hungry to know more. 

I feel like a young child who is full of joy, jumping up and down all the time, after my salvation, I don’t know what to do! 

Would you consider giving to our While It is Day campaign? Read more here or even download the full proposal here.

Global Glimpse: Everyday Life - France

In this Missionary Perspective, we hear from a husband and wife who have been serving in France for a decade. They seek to build relationships through everyday activities and then find opportunities to share the good news about Jesus.

In this global glimpse, we hear from a husband and wife who have been serving in France for a decade. They seek to build relationships through everyday activities and then find opportunities to share the good news about Jesus.

How Millions of Migrants are Entering Europe

The immigrant crisis Europe is currently facing is providing a tremendous opportunity for God's people to show the love of Christ and to share the gospel with immigrants from unreached people groups from Africa, the Middle East, and beyond. 

He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:18-19)

Are you interested in helping to show God's love to the masses of immigrants coming from these closed countries? 

Contact Us to Get Involved

Refugee Crisis

AMANDA LYNN September 16, 2015

One refugee explained to a reporter* that the sea is the only country without visa requirements. Many have risked dangerous travel by boat across the sea to find refuge in Europe, and some of those risks have ended in tragedy. Many others actually arrive and find that border restrictions are increasing.

And tensions continue to rise in Europe as refugees search for asylum and a fresh start. One particular hotspot of activity is the Hungarian-Serbian border, where the influx of refugees has already doubled from last year’s totals. The eyes of the world have been focused on Budapest in the last two weeks as Syrians, Afghanis and other victims of war have been detained from trains and kept from crossing the border by a new razor wire wall. Some asylum seekers protest their detention by refusing to eat and drink until they are able to cross.

Though the situation is dire, God is mobilizing Pioneers on the ground in nearby areas to join forces with local Christians and humanitarian aid organizations to bring relief and a message of hope.

One of Pioneers’ core values is innovation and flexibility—something in high demand during this crisis—allowing many of our field workers to shift gears to provide medical attention, set up warm water washing stations, distribute kits with essentials for hygiene, share coats or blankets for the increasingly cool weather, give food and water and pray for them in the name of Jesus when the refugees are willing. Many refugees just need someone to hear their story. Pioneers listen and look for opportunities to share the story of how a life in Jesus can bring hope.

Would you consider making a gift to our Pioneers on the ground in Hungary to help them provide for the needs of the refugees they meet every day? If so click here. You may also want to contribute to a wider effort to help victims of war around the world. If so, take a moment to check out our Victims of War project. 

*NPR Morning Edition report on September 15, 2015.