This is the first of, I hope, a series of monthly news about my ministry with students in Quebec.
Ephesians 2:10: ” For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
It seems that this verse comes back to me frequently, and even more so now in the midst of this COVID-19 crisis. I remember that the first time I really studied this text, I was at a student meeting hosted by a member of the GBUC. Years later, it often comes up in my discussions with members of the GBUC and my church. It is a fantastic idea that at all times, good or bad, GOD has a plan for us to practice what is good. Having said that, what are these good works?
For me, they have taken the following form. On June 30, 2014, I arrived in Montreal filled with the hope of completing my PhD in Industrial Engineering in three years… Six years later, on August 6, 2020, I found myself defending my thesis online due to the restrictions related to the COVID-19 crisis. Needless to say that things did not go as I had planned. Yet I am very grateful. I have faith that this journey beyond my control made me realize that God was giving me the opportunity to serve Him in universities. He has therefore trained me to become a Doctor in Engineering but also a missionary.
A few months after my arrival at Montreal, with friends and with the support of the current directors of GBUC, we started a Bible Study Group at Polytechnique. There were 3 of us and we invited our friends to come weekly to discuss texts from the Bible. Even though I had served with other Christian groups for a long time, especially in Côte-d’Ivoire since 2003, this experience was special because Christian faith in Quebec has seemingly been put in a corner, as if it were marked by a certain shame or embarrassment. During the 6 years that I spent at Polytechnique, I was able to see an administration in the image of our province reluctant to have our faith openly lived. I also saw Christians hiding their magnificent light on a campus with students who were mostly atheists or Muslims.
However, I also shared some great experiences that made me grow. I think of this Congolese student who, encouraged by our little Bible studies, envisioned and directed a humanitarian project in his country, a solar powered well that brought water to a few thousands. I think of this French student who accepted Christ through a Bible study. I think of the moments during which I freely shared my opinions on the question of faith with my research supervisor. I think of the courage it took me to write the following words in the acknowledgements of my thesis, which should not include any religious signs:
“There are many people that I would like to thank who contributed directly and indirectly to the completion of this thesis. Having said that, let me first thank the One who is and who led me on the path of each of these people. For me, who carries out research in industrial engineering on reliability models, I see links between phenomena that seem at first random. For me, there is in the concept of this Person that we do not master the explanation of these phenomena that we live and apprehend sometimes in stochastic forms, and whose interactions produce the beauty of the world and the lives that surround us, whether they are for us coherent or not. These aspects motivate my vision of the world, my way of being and have inspired my research, which I hope will have brought a bit of meaning to my life and those of all the people I have met during my studies.“
I am encouraged by what GOD has done in our lives, even though to this day there is still much to be done. Our group is not officially recognized by the administration. This restricts any possibility of openly share our faith on campus. Moreover, to take up the idea of Matthew 9:37, Polytechnique has thousands of hearts that could be won for Christ and a dozen GBUC students.
The recent health crisis does not make things any easier. In order to cope with it, the university has opted for mostly online classes. This implies an additional personal workload for the students. And as if that wasn’t enough, for all these future engineers, a recession is looming and the job market is becoming tougher. In response to the crisis, the GBUC have also adopted an online formula. The challenge is that these additional online moments be different and bring rest to students on the verge of exhaustion. The work of helping, accompanying and training students as disciples of Christ becomes more complex but also more important with the necessity of social distancing, the abrupt changes in the university programs, and the overall impact of the crisis on professional career dreams.
If all students in Quebec and around the world are exposed to these difficulties, we, as Christians, have hope and belong to the One who is in control of the situation. We must therefore continue to share our faith. Inspired by our recent biblical studies in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we, GBUC in Montreal, want to persevere. Indeed, Paul’s example speaks to us. He, imprisoned, evangelizes his jailers and communicates hope and joy to those who are not in jail. He takes advantage of his seemingly unfavorable status to share his faith. Therefore, since we have to do most of our activities online or are restricted to smaller than usual communities, we must come closer to GOD so that HE may use our situation for the His kingdom. To this end, we train, encourage and accompany students in sharing their faith.
I am particularly working on our strategy regarding social networks that occupy such a large place in the lives of young people. According to recent statistics, it is estimated that approximately 100,000 French-speaking students between the ages of 18 and 30 are regular users of Facebook and/or Instagram in Quebec. I think that seeing people like them, of their age and from diverse backgrounds, sharing their faith openly and courageously on these networks can have a great impact. But it is a work that requires a lot of investment and in which students need to be mentored. The following link leads to a video that was made for the beginning of fall 2020, in order to open our arms to students that might be isolated: https://fb.watch/1f9d7F6nHv/
Currently, I am giving a class at Polytechnique for this Fall. This allows me to stay close to the campus and invest time in accompanying students. Although working and taking on such a ministry suggests financial and organizational challenges, I remain full of hope because these works have been prepared in advance by GOD. This means that HE has planned everything, HE already provides the means through ways we know or not, and HE also provides for our training even if we are not fully aware of it. These works involve the participation of an entire community. And for those who have chosen and will choose to be part of this community by praying or being generous, I am very grateful and pray that GOD bless them abundantly.
If you would like to know more, please do not hesitate to contact me by email and come back at the beginning of each month for updates regarding my ministry with students in Quebec.