The French Connection-Manu DeMaleprade’s Journey AlongTheWay 21

Don't even ask her. I just say, you have pain in your back right there, right? And she's like, how did you know that? And like, Okay, this is good. This is happening. And I'm so excited that I get actually to be, yes. Awesome. But like, she's looking at me weird. And I said, No, no, but I believe you're going to be healed right now. And that changes the atmosphere is it can I pray for you?

Welcome to along the way. I'm John Matarazzo. Your host and fellow traveler, thank you for joining me along my way is I try to become more like Jesus every day. I love talking with fascinating people and learning how God has met them along their way. Everyone has a story, and I believe that we can all learn from each other, and our journeys. Through this episode, I want to encourage you to look for the story and others, God has placed hidden gems of wisdom and others, and the Holy Spirit will reveal life changing truths throughout our conversations. In this episode of along the way, I journey connects me with French event lyst man who developed but I met him in a very along the way kind of way randomly at church. And neither of us knew that we would be there or knew of each other. But when I heard his stories of how God gives him special words of knowledge for people, and that have led to healing and salvation, I asked him to join me along the way. Before we get to the interview, I just want to say thank you for listening to along the way. I'm really excited to share some upcoming episodes with you. I spent some time in Nashville interviewing some awesome friends that I've met along the way, as a TV producer, as well as new friends from this trip. It's been an amazing trip, and I can't wait to share these conversations with you. Look out for those and more along the way content on Facebook and Instagram. You can always email me at John along the way at gmail. com. My social links and web address are in the show notes. I'd love to hear from you. And now here is my along the way conversation with menu. The metaphor. MAN WHO THE mela pod? Yes. Did I say that? Right? Yes. Okay, good. It's a pleasure to have you on along the way. And

pleasure for me to be on your podcast.

So what part of France are you from? And how did you? How did we end up meeting?

Yeah, so I'm, I'm from France, actually, originally from the southwest of France, like near Bordeaux. If you if you heard of the Bordeaux wine, that's where it's okay. It's made stuff there. Yes, exactly. And so I come from there, but I've never lived there. Like my dad was in the military was a chaplain and actually a Protestant chaplain in the military. And so we moved a lot even lived in Africa for two years. in Djibouti, okay. It's a funny, funny name for American Djibouti. But yeah, and and Lyft. Good part of my life near Switzerland. So in the eastern part of France, and when I was 19, moved to Paris and Paris region, and I've been there for a long time now. Okay, about 14 years.

And so you aren't evangelist? Yes. Okay. And so France is a is a country that isn't hasn't been too friendly with the gospel recently, right.

Not very, ya know, in the past 70 years, the the church increase so much that now we say that there is about 1% of born again, Christians and friends. So 99% of people being like, we are trying to reach them. Yes. 99% said,

so in France. Do you have some amazing cathedrals? Like the Notre Dom Cathedral, which, sadly, had that fire? Yeah. And I know that they're going to invest a lot to repair that, but that's the Catholic Church. Right?

Yeah. It's the Catholic Church.

So there's only like, 1%. That's evangelical Christian. So as what is the remaining 99%? I guess, is what I'm trying to ask.

Yeah. So there's like, it's interesting. Like there's 10% of people from a Muslim background. This I mean, they're Muslim, should I usually they won't eat pork, and they might try to go to the mosque and have it every once in a while. Like, I don't know about the people are really strongly Muslim, but I think it's not more than half of those people. Then there is a lot of people that would call themselves Catholics. Okay. Even though they don't even go to church once a year. Like it's very. Yeah, kind of far from church. Capitalism. So sometimes, I mean, I really think and I feel it's hard to have numbers, but I'm sure probably 2% of French people are regular attenders to Catholic churches. So that that might kind of grow. Yeah, this number, but still 97% of people not really going to church. And there is a close to half of the people in France. Don't say that they have any religion. They're atheists or agnostics. Yeah. Like this is a big number to work with. Definitely. And a few people are in Buddhism, but it's it's hard to know exactly. Other religions. We don't have a lot of Jewish people, but definitely a some Jewish people, especially in Paris. So

So it's almost as if the by those numbers, it's almost as if Francis and under each people group,

I Exactly, yeah. When you when you arrive there. Whether you start working with the very traditional church, and there are people who call to do that, and some traditional churches are seeing kind of renewals within them. Or you're, you just start from scratch with people who have never heard of anything in the Bible. They don't know anything. And you just have to, to tell them exactly what to do how to believe. And yeah, they have no culture of what it is to be a Christian. It says everything is new for them. Wow.

So how did God call you to be an evangelist? And what is what does that look like for you in France?

So it's something that's interesting, in my background, is that even though, like I'm fully French, I come from, like, a big generation of pastors and, okay, yeah, I just have a blessed, legacy, blessed legacy. So my dad is a pastor and an evangelist. My grandfather was a pastor, my great grandfather was a pastor. And so that's kind of like, shaping a little bit like God is really doing something in my family, to get a get to me, and maybe someday to my children. I don't know exactly the legacy, how we're going to keep having but but it's something very powerful. And I take some of the, like, the anointing that was on my grandfather, and my great grandfather, and on my dad and I actually have all of this with me now. That makes actually my ministry grow. And, and, and I'm able to, to connect with so many French people. And that's how I go to that's the first thing that made me consider evangelism. It's because I was familiar with it with my dad.

Okay. Very cool. We'll talk more about that in a moment. But I want to I want to just briefly talk about how you're in the United States right now. Yeah. I've never been to France. I've never I don't even think I've had a layover in a French airport. But one day, I hope to get there. Yeah. So a few weeks ago, you were visiting one of the campuses of my church, and I just happened to be there helping run sound that day. It's not my it's not the normal campus that I go to. And so it was one of those things where you were visiting, and you weren't really planning on being there. Yeah. And I was serving, and it wasn't. It wasn't normal situations that that we met. But yeah, mutual friend, Pastor Jonathan Cordle introduced us and you started telling me some amazing stories of what God is doing through your ministry and in France, about how the spirit is moving. Yeah, in tremendous ways. And so that's, that kind of covers the basis of how we've met. But what what brought you to the knighted states and then let's talk about how, how God's moving in France.

Alright, so what's bringing me to the United States is at eight years ago, I was doing an internship in the Jonathan Jonathan middles church. And that's where I learned English, like I didn't know English before. That's where I learned about church planting. And like that, I really felt like it was cool to plant churches and friends. And so I've had this relationship with, with this church, and with Pittsburgh, actually a mysterious fan. Yeah, I know, being from France, and, and so coming, like I came back for the best two years of came back once or twice a year. And also to raise support for my ministry too. Because I mean, when you have 1%, of evangelical, right, finding people in churches supporting you, and your ministry is difficult. Sure. And so that was kind of a good, a good connection I had here. And I actually met my wife, here, at this church here. Yep, two years ago. And we got married a little over a year ago. And so we came to see family, a great support, just just share about all the connections we haven't shared about what's going on in our ministry in France. So that's why we're in America. Now, if we were at the church, where I met you that day, it's interesting, because we were booked for every churches to speak. And we are mostly an eerie, and there's a church that canceled at the last minutes. couldn't really have us. Uh huh. And so we're kind of all know like, we Sundays, you know, when you're here for nine Sundays, right? And churches asked you to be there. So we couldn't schedule anything. So we're trying

to raise money. Exactly. Make every moment count.

Yeah, exactly. So we decided to come from here and say, well, let's spend some time with our friends Jonathan. And, and, and it happened to be there their weekend off like he's a pastor, but it's his weekend off. And even though they had thought about actually going to spend the day in Iraq, and maybe go to church in Erie, they told me about your church. And I know it's not your campus, but that it's campus of your church. And they said you should go there. It's really a nice church and hung with some of the pastors there. So we thought about going on our own. And then at the last minute, of course, Jonathan, and Nautica felt, well, we're just going to go with your church, and then go show later. And so we just ended up meeting you at the sound booth. And yeah, oh, you're here now?

Definitely. And along the way, and counter show exactly. And you started telling me some awesome stories of how God is moving in it through your ministry. Yeah, France. So let's, let's dive right into that. Yeah.

And I actually, you know, what's funny is that, because I'm in France, it's happening in France. But every time everywhere I'm traveling, it's happening too. And this this thing is that a few years ago, I was kind of blown away by some videos I was seeing on on YouTube about like evangelists who are going in the streets and start praying for people and seeing healing happening. And it was kind of burning in my heart that, wow, that's exactly what the kind of things I want to do, which was hardly, I'm an overweight guy. And I, I tend to care a lot about what people think of me. So kind of going in the streets and randomly and trying to start talking with people and pray for them. And that it was a long process in my mindset took over a year for me to get Okay, it's not about you. It's about Jesus and how he loves people. Yeah, but there was something really strong and powerful in the fact that French people, like if half of the French people don't even care that there's a God. And there is no way to have a conversation with them. Unless you end up like having a miracle in front of their eyes. Yeah, some that I want our face to be based only on miracles, of course, but it's such a, I mean, that's what Jesus was doing. He was just like, performing a miracle, and then teaching about the kingdom. And so I was like, really, craving for this to be part of my ministry. And, and, and that's exactly why I'm doing it. Like I think being able to share it faith with so many people, because if I just start to speak, just talking, people are not not aware. But if I actually come to them, and I have a word of knowledge, something that only God could know about their life, then then they're open to see what's happening. And you tell them exactly what's behind that the Holy Spirit is talking to us. And we have to just listen to him. And as a believer, he was selling me something for you. And now you are, you are here and you have the possibility to give your life to Christ. And so I've had people giving their life to Christ and some so many different places. It's just just funny. Not in churches. That's what I I love. Yeah. Ministry, everything I love seeing church happen outside of the church building. That's kind of my life.

Absolutely. So let's, let's paint this picture a little bit for me. So here's somebody on the street, and what and you're like, Okay, I want to talk to this person. Tell me what happens.

Alright, so, me, I found out a thing that works pretty well. If I don't have anything else, like if I don't have the word or if I don't feel like okay, like somebody with crutches sometimes just go to them and say, Hey, would you mind me praying for you? Like, I think God could heal you or something like that? Sometimes it's hard because you cannot go to everybody on a wheelchair and say, You're not right. You're handicapped. Like, that's not what you want to say at all. Okay, of course, but it's always hard because people some people don't want to be prayed for. But what I do, mostly is to say, Hey, can I ask you a question? Sure. Like, let's, let's, let's say that God is real. And and you could ask him anything that you want to see change in your life personally, something that what would it be like? What would you tell God? OK, change this in my life. And it's interesting, because when I usually ask people, if I can pray for them, they just talked about somebody else may just say, yeah, you prefer my sister or anything. But when you actually end up saying, people understand that it's personal, they don't expect prayer from you. They just say, okay, it's like a question. And so they say, Well, I don't have a job. And you just get like, people sharing some. So they're super personal. Sometimes very often, I think even the French people tend to be personal quickly, sometimes, which is weird. But and so you just like you have a discussion with them. And you and it can be really quick, but I just say hey, okay, right. And I take their hand, like I'm saying goodbye, putting my other hand hand on their hand. And then just like saying, Father, just want to pray for this, this person right now. And I want you to change that in their life in anything. And this kind of those little things are kind of bring the kingdom smoothly, you know, in people's life, and most of them are actually open. And they're just like, what you were praying with open eyes, like, what does that mean? And then you get Oh, yeah, I'm not religious. So I'm a pastor. I say that, but I am anti religion. Say what? What does that mean? So yeah, religion is not my thing. And I don't think it's really, I'm all about relationship with Jesus. And so it just brings to discussions and brings to two words of knowledge often, when I when they actually allow me to pray for them. They don't think I'm going to pray right away. Yes, you pray for me and say, okay, and and I pray with open eyes, because because I just don't want people to think that I'm like the that would make them uncomfortable if I'm starting to pray, and just join my hands and close my eyes. So that's, that's how I'm doing. And it's just like, very randomly, and people are shocked, because they're not used to that at all. When they have a picture of church to think an Oregon and boring, they have no idea. Like if you had if you bring people from France, for the first time in a church that has just one guy playing the guitar, they're going to think it's a revolution for them. You know, like in America, sometimes everybody knows about contemporary churches, you can turn on the TV and have a contemporary worship service and friends. There is there is no churches, and no evangelical churches is so rare that anything is new for them. And that's kind of cool, I think. Yeah. When you're an evangelist,

right? Everything is new. And you just by keeping your eyes open. Yeah. And just being real with somebody, you're taking the religion out of the relationship. Yeah, I guess Exactly. You're making it real to them. Yes, absolutely. So what are some of those things that you remember have happened, when that happened?

I can tell you the something really fresh that happened like the week before we came to America with my wife, which was like back in June. So we're in 2019, Jun 2019. We're going to a glinting area. With a few missionaries. It was like young missionaries who invited us because they didn't speak French. They were from America, and they were there for a mission trip. But they invited my wife and I is saying, well, you speak French maybe you can just get to know people around and so they invited everybody from the Glen being for a barbecue party. And, and those people who are non believers brought alcohol to the party and started getting drunk. So well, I supposed to be you know, this thing where maybe man is going to share in front of everybody faith. That didn't happen. It was just like, now they were here for party getting drunk. And then I'm like, here like, okay, God, I'm gonna have to do something with those drunk people. How do you share your faith to drunk people? And, and after, after a little while, there was one who was not too drunk, that actually the the missionaries had some connection with. And so they said he would be happy, she would be okay for you to pray for her. She's just that. Okay, so so said, Yeah, sure. We went to actually like a, would you say trailer or something that was on the glancing area, we went inside with the two other women and myself to pray for her. And, and I said, Okay, before I pray for you, and I asked her a question. And then I had an hour to share the gospel with her in just, you know, in display, like a living room, a smoking room, and she just gave her life Christ in tears, she was just moved just within an hour, she just was open, and she gave her life. Wow, that was crazy. But then I get back outside, and I have, there's like, still two or three guys who are like, totally drunk. And it's the night is like, 11. And I'm just going and I'm joining them and just joining them trying to talk with them. And it's just so weird, because it's, I'm talking about God a little bit saying, and you know, so God, like, I'm a pastor, and God is, is real, you know, and they say, I don't care about God, I just that, that there's no God or anything. And then I will share a little more and said, you know, Jesus loves you and loves you. And they would actually show me a cross that they have, and say, Oh, yeah, Jesus, I love Jesus is nice. So it's just like, totally crazy. There's no way you can get anything out of them. And so I'm ready to go, I'm ready to leave. It's 11 I'm with my wife. And I feel and that happens to me a lot. That's really words of knowledge is a big part of my ministry. So I feel what we call sympathy Bane. So I feel in my body at some place something and that gives me an information about what the people in front of me might be suffering from. I'm never sure about it. So I'm just sharing it. And so I feel like a tingling in my in my heart. And that tingling in my heart is making me aware, I think that there's a heart disease, something with one of the guys so I'm telling him said before I leave, do any of you as a heart disease, and then they look at me and one starts actually, like crying right there. What's happening? I don't know, it just crying and says, No, no, we don't have heart disease. Okay, but my daughter does. And he's pointing at his daughter that was just behind us all during that time, teenage daughter with another teenage girl and they were just here and actually listening to me trying to share the gospel to the to the two guys who are drunk. Okay, so that guy was drunk. He's like, crying is alcohol off of his of his body, you know, is getting more sense now that he's crying. And and he's saying, How do you know something like that? So Well, the Holy Spirit talks to me. And and he gave me the information that I was supposed to pray for your daughter, I guess that's all. And so the daughter is telling me Well, actually, I got out of the hospital this morning. And so I have this, like genetic genetical heart disease that has been all of my life since I was born. And then the dad is just crying and said, It's crazy, man. It's crazy. Like, God was just his hand was on her all of her life. Jesus is real.

Okay, yeah, sure. And I got to pray for her. Now telling you now, like, it's been two months that she's been healed. I don't know, I have this, this deep feeling that God was up for something that I'm friends with her on Facebook, and I'll have news. I'll post on Facebook, something about her. I'm sure. I got actually to pray for her friend who was losing your earring. You said hearing here here, hearing. And so I'm starting to pray for her as well. And she says, well, tomorrow, I'll know if I'm here, knowing you from that. But this is going to tell you one thing. evangelism happens, especially in France, but I think also in America. when when when you take the opportunities God is giving you, this is like this is really an along the way thing for sure. It's like you're just doing something, and you never know exactly what's going to happen. But you hear and you say, Here I am, send me and then something is going to happen. And that story is just powerful for that. Because Yeah, they're drunk, you're not going to get anything out of them. And until God sends you something from heaven, this, this I know, and I want you to share that information with them prophetically. And you're like, Whoa, okay.

Yeah. And you were ready to give up and call it a night and absolutely is did that to you?

It was the at the end. And often, that's what happens. You know, I'm like, okay, God, there's nothing, not gonna waste my time can like this thing is just personal. It's in the flesh, you know, but, and then God is reminding me No, no, I wanted you there. So yeah.

I love how God allows us to come to the end of ourselves so that we rely on him.

Absolutely.

Yeah. Like, that's exactly what happened there. Like, he's like, you've done everything you know how to do. Yeah. And you were being obedient to God in that. Yep. Then that whole time, then all of a sudden, it's like, okay, man, who now realizes that there's nothing that he can do. I'm going to show up here and I'm going to do this. That's pretty cool. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So we were just talking about hearing the voice of God. Yep. And God speaking through you. Do you remember the first thing that God spoke to you? Like the first time that you heard his voice?

I think I heard his voice a few times, not making sense out of it. But I could tell you, I could tell you the first time I had, I think a word of knowledge. And that acted on it. And then God did something amazing. That could be the story. It happened in America. Okay. So that's good. You know, I can to America and blessed sometime I get support, but I guess a lot of insights from the Holy Spirit. And so I was reading books about healing and words of knowledge. I really like to read the books of Randy Clark. Okay. Randy Clark is very, I am kind of I went to seminary. I come from a conservative background and I became more like charismatic. I call myself a Baptist cost old. Yeah. And and, and so reading somebody that makes a lot of sense out of wonders of God, like signs and wonders is powerful for me. So if anybody actually listening to the podcast is interested in making a lot of theology and sense out of signs and wonders. Randy Clark, is the author

awakening, right? global

awakening? Yes, absolutely. And, yeah, and and so, reading in those books, I was reading about sympathy being so that's the thing that I never heard of before. But he is like he has in his ministry, he can feel in his body, you put in specific places where people are suffering, or what people are suffering from, which is amazing. It's not even in the Bible, I think, per se, doesn't matter. It's just a way that the Holy Spirit has to making us aware of there's something that I want to work in people. And so I'm in the restaurant, and after reading about all those things, I'm not thinking about it then, but I'm interested in for the other friends. And every time the waitress comes, I feel like, it's not even a tingling, it's like, almost a pain that comes in on my spinal cord. And it's like, just in the middle of my back every time and I'm like, Whoa, it's not my pain. It's just weird. It's like, it's that feeling. And I'm sure everybody had had those feelings in their bodies where you know, they feel something work, and it just leaves like a bandit for a few seconds. And I feel that there and then I'm like, a, what if it was a sympathy being? Because I'm sure I had that before. But what if it was actually God, telling me something for that waitress? And, and I'm, like, excited, and then I'm not excited anymore. I'm like, oh, my goodness, I get

this now.

Yeah, I gotta do something about this. And I'm even going in the bathroom, sweating, and like saying, oh, my goodness, what if I'm wrong? And that's the new thing. Like, what if was, God was up for something led to what if I'm wrong, and that was the devil really working and trying to make me avoid to hear God's voice. And especially because of my, like, the being self conscious, you know, self conscious about myself, and I don't want to mess up in front of somebody, I want to I don't want to make a fool of myself. But I think it's important to obey God. And I'm in the in the bathroom, and I'm saying, God, please, if it's a word of knowledge, just tell me. Just tell me. And it's just weird, because I'm not expecting God to tell me anything. But I have this voice in my head said, I guess you're gonna have to figure this out. And it's very in my relationship with God. It's all about this. It's just always like, try it, you know, risk it. Like, I like this, this word like a guy that I know, Robbie Dawkins. Okay. He tends to say, and I'm sure he gets it from somebody else say, faith is spelled RISK. I don't know if you've ever heard Yeah, I just love that. And then I'm in front of it. I'm going back. And I'm, I think until the last second, I was thinking I would I would not try that word of knowledge. And it would just leave, but then I have this kind of like feeling, okay, let's just do it. When I stand to leave the table and to leave the restaurant. And the waitress comes, they say, Hey, what's your name? And so I'm not very confident. Timmy, Timmy. And I don't even ask her. I just say you have pain in your back right there. Right? And she's like, how do you know that? Like, okay, this good? evening. That's a good step. Right? That's just like a big relief. And I'm so excited that I get actually to be, yes. Awesome. So she's like, I have pain in my back. And I'm like, Yes.

You're excited about the pain? Exactly.

I'm excited about the pain. But like, she's looking at me weird. And I said, No, no, but I believe you're going to be healed right now. Yeah. And that changes the atmosphere. I said, Can I pray for you? And and she starts crying right away. And she says, Oh, please pray for me. A year ago, my husband died. And I am left alone. And my life has been very, very difficult. And she's really crying through that. And she's not Oh, my goodness, she needed an encounter from God there. And so I end up saying QR tree for healing first. And so I'm praying for healing. And after like the first prayer, she still has some thing. So I pray again, this is important and keep praying until until it's done. I don't pray once a day. Okay, I guess it was God's timing, though, as I prayed again, and then she's liking it. Now. This totally gone and she's crying. I approve of her. And I feel in the spirit that she left her church actually when her husband died. And so just say that, like, I just felt it. I don't know, I say, and you left your church, and it was actually a good church. That's exactly what God wants you and she's like, crying more you can I'm agreeing to what I'm saying. And she, she just had this encounter, I got her phone number. I got her to text with her a little bit, like Few days later, and she said, I'm going back to church and, and I'm just thinking, This is crazy. Because like 99% of myself wanted to avoid, right that God was talking to me. And that changed this woman's life right there. And so that became a thing where I'm saying, okay, God, I have to be aware, I have to do something. Whenever I feel like you're, you're saying something to me. That was really my first very specific word of knowledge, first of a lot of them because after that, it was just crazy. Almost every day, everywhere I went and healings everywhere was incredible.

What's the most remark healing that stands out to your mind?

But you know, the most remarkable healing actually happened before that. Okay, that's the first healing that I've ever been involved in. And it was part of the church that we're recording the podcast in. Okay. Okay. Yeah. And they have a retreat every once in a while during the year for people, whether they're new new Christians, or people who are new members, and just have to want to do it, it's called encounter. Sure. And so I was just serving at that retreat, because I had done that retreat before. And it's just not to give more too much information. Basically, it's a very powerful time for people to, to spend a weekend away and just spend time with the Lord. And there is an encounter, really, that they do with the Lord during that retreat. And so I'm here and I'm part of the staff in cleaning and everywhere, and there's this guy, who is from the church here, and back then he was, he was homeless, actually. And he used to come to the church too. Because it was a free breakfast eight years ago in this church. And, and he probably also spend the weekend paid by the church. So he had free food, right? Something like that. And he was, he was a grumpy man, I remember him as being a grumpy man, you know, not ever okay. And he was walking with a cane, and it was maybe in his 50s. And with a lot of pain in his legs. And for 10 years, he had been like, with pain and working with a cane and taking a lot of medication. After I think it was a car accident. And he was like this divorced man, not in touch with his ex wife and his children anymore. He had been an entrepreneur before, but now he was in the streets. And that guy is like, he has nothing and I'm seeing this guy, and I'm like, Oh, my gosh, I just want to see this man being killed. And it's kind of like the only thing I'm thinking about during the whole retreat. And so I pray for him at some point when I see him in thing and and I pray and, and he's like, yeah, thank you doesn't work, but thank you, and he leaves and what does it take, Lord, for you to heal somebody? That was my question, then that was eight years ago. And at night, it's like 1230 at night, and I'm in my bed, adjust, went to bed, I'm ready to, to sleep. I'm in my pajamas. And then I feel like, this guy is outside and waiting for me outside of the building in pain, and I need to pray for him. And that's like, the weirdest feeling. And I'm like, Oh, my gosh, what do I do? Like, do I stay in my bed? I was not very tired. So I feel okay, you know what? So I don't take anything and just take my Bible. And I go outside, and I turned around the building everywhere to find him. Luckily, it was in August, and then in January, so I was still in my pajamas. Yeah. But when I actually I don't find him anywhere. And when I actually, I'm ready to get back inside say, Okay, well, I guess it was just my mind. Then it's locked from the the inside. Yeah, I don't know nothing. I'm just stuck outside. I have no cell phone, no keys, I just have a Bible in my pajamas. And I'm like, I'm laughing out loud on myself thinking that I was in my bed. And now I'm stuck outside for all night, right? Because everybody else is asleep. Absolutely. And I cannot contact contact anybody that building is not made that way. And I'm just like, Okay, I guess, Lord, you want to spend some time with me. That's all. I'm trying to trust that God is up for something. And I'm here, and I'm just starting to say, Well, I'm going to pray all night, for this guy to the heels. No matter what it takes, I'm just gonna pray all night. And I ended up praying mostly for this guy for seven hours straight until it was 7am. So six, six and a half hours. And at 7am. I was playing it, you know, with my Bible, like the kitchen was open. The guy was making breakfast, you know, and the cook was just smoking a cigarette outside. So like, oh, and I was playing it. Like I woke up early to read my Bible. You know, I had exactly a second cell light. And I waited for this guy to wake up until like, 830. And I waited and waited. And when I see him, so just to tell you, I'm dressed this time, and

I'm seeing him coming. And I'm like, yeah, how do you feel? And he's like, oh, man, I've been in pain all night. I couldn't barely sleep. And I'm like, so discouraged. What does it cost, Lord? What is the cost for for healing? And I'm just very discouraged. But I feel you know, what I've been spending all night praying, and I think God is up for something. So I went to see the pastor, and I said, Just wanted to let you know not not to put anything on, you know, like, take any glory of it, because it's not, but I just got forced me to spend all night praying, and I think something is going to happen. I thought this guy would be healed, but he didn't. So I'm just just gonna leave it, leave it with you and see you. And let me know if you see anything that's happening during the day during the retreat. I went to bed a little bit. Yeah. And then when I was doing my chores at five o'clock, around five o'clock, the bastard comes to me. And he was like, totally, like white or I don't know, what has he like he saw a ghost. Yeah, it is like many you have to follow me outside. I'm like seeing what what's happening. You say, I can't tell you, you have to follow me. You have to see by yourself. And so I just arrived outside just outside of the building. And then I see the guy I prayed for all night. And he's in tears jumping and having his cane like all over his head. When I see that I fall in tears. Like I've never done that before us. I think, you know, like tears, saying, finally I saw a healing. You know, I was, it was in 2011. And that was the first time I saw that happening after I prayed for somebody. And the guy said, Pastor Tony, you prayed all night for me. And I'm going to be he took me in his arms. And we've stayed friends since and he's still in this church. And he's actually greeting people with a big smile every time it doesn't need a cane anymore. And it's been it's been a like, healing story that I've followed for a long time.

Yeah, that's, that's really cool. Yeah. You know, you weren't you didn't it wasn't through the laying on of your hands right then. But God caused you to have sympathy for him and pray for him all night. Exactly. And he really true veiled. Yeah, you persevered through that. Even though you were stuck outside, you kind of didn't have a choice. Exactly. But God puts us in those situations where we can choose, you know, to focus on ourselves. Or you could have just been like, I'm going to break in somehow, I'm going to get back into my bed where it's nice, and you know, comfortable. But you said, I'm going to pray for this guy the whole night. And you saw something happen, not the way that you thought you would. Yep. But the way that God wanted it to happen. Exactly. Yeah. I mean, you told the pastor because you just wanted accountability, I guess not to glory. So

I think it's very important. And in my story, and the way I do ministry, I I'm end up preaching in churches in more conservative and sometime very charismatic churches, and I have, like a bunch of people are waiting in line for being prayed over. And I've seen healing in churches a lot when I was praying over people. But I know there's a big part of my heart that wants to train people in to do those things. Like, I don't want to be having, not that I'm criticizing at all, but like Benny hints kind of ministry where it's all about, like the gift of Benny Hinn and, and how people can be healed. But I really believe there's a gift for sure. Like I get to pray for, like, half of the people I pray over rz and, and, and, and most of the time, and that's why but the number can be high. Most of the time people are non believers, and it happens outside of the church, the thing, like it's almost like on the streets, it's a 99% chance people are going to end up being healed when I pray for them. It's crazy. And and I think I think, I think spiritually, the heavenly realms are not ready for people going in the streets and pray for healing. And they're not like they're not covering any blessings. I don't know how to explain that. But like, there are no demons protecting illnesses, if you know what I mean. So because those are not there, when I come there, there's nothing that avoids that that makes it impossible for people to be healed. I don't know if that is that makes sense. But again, churches I believe there there are some some spirits that are put over churches to really make us like being in unbelief a lot. And and there are so many, many reasons. I think that in churches, we don't see a lot of healing because actually the devil is after our churches alone. He puts a lot of things against us in spiritual warfare. But once you get into the darkness, the darkness there is one thing that is ruling there and not expecting at all You coming and pray for healing. And that's why it happens.

So it's like you're a special agent or like a special forces operative going into the darkness. Exactly.

I'm ready for you. I try not to tell the darkness is that I'm coming. You know, just just going there. And and and it's a it happens. Yeah. So

how did you feel that you were being led that this was going to be your life's work, the call of God on your life was for ministry? Because in France, where you're from? You said 1% is Christian. Obviously God gave you a heart for the people there. The people everywhere really, but it's not an it's not a normal path that people would take growing up and in France. So tell me a little bit about how God led you to that this is going to be your full time ministry.

Yeah, so it's a it's a long story again.

I'm gonna try to make it short. Okay. Did since the beginning of the podcast. Yeah. I came to Christ when I was 15. And my dad was an evangelist. My dad has been a pastor too. And he's been really struggling a lot through his ministry. Not not because of not only on his fault, but mostly because it's so hard to do ministry, and he was seeing like, division within churches and stuff like that. And my dad always said, I'm not a pastor, I'm an evangelist and couldn't really understand what it was. I knew he was bringing people to the Lord. When after I came back, I came to Christ. When I was 15, I started bringing people to the Lord myself. So I was saying, seeing the same thing, a gift of evangelism. And I don't know exactly if I if I can call it that way. It's very complicated, either. Yeah, either theology about evangelism, that is a little weird. But I was seeing that I could talk to people and people could come to Christ and have a solid happening several times per year, over my life, whether I was in ministry or not. And I knew there was a call in ministry I went to, to get training a Bible College. Like as soon as I could, and then I shifted to do to work in the movie industry for a little while, because I actually had on my heart to do movies. You know, like Mel Gibson is doing the Passion of the Christ. It's not a Christian movie, you can go everywhere in the world and every movie theaters, but but people really see the gospel there. So that I had really a dream to kind of be an evangelist through through movies. So I tried that for a little while, and mostly was a screenwriter. And during that time, I was serving in churches with like it everything is to be done in friends. So I was like the youth pastor and the the worship director and just doing everything, preaching whenever the pastor was in preaching, and I was just like, overwhelmed by ministry, and I had to stop. That's when I came to America, I saw called on church planting, mostly because I felt Wow, there's so many great churches in America. And and if I'm not myself, going to France, and starting those churches will never see them. Loose churches. So that was kind of church planting was really important. God talk to me a lot through this. And at some point, I started struggling because the two, the two first churches that I that I started were house churches. And I had this ability with the people I was working with to actually bring a lot of people in the those group bring a lot of people to Christ within the group. But the cycling them was super hard. Okay, I was just not good at this. It was not my, my gifting. And I think it was a big, big shift in my pride is just to, to accept that I could not pastor church was hard, because I felt where there is no masters here. So I have to be a master. But I am not. I am not. And I was struggling, because I was saying, Yeah, but I have a gift of evangelism. And it's not like it's a ministry or anything. I don't I don't know what to do with that. And I went to a church. And that was funny because it was right before I came back to America for three months, I was studying dating my wife. And I had like this, this wonderful story of how I met her in anything. And just before I came to America, I visited a church out of nowhere little church in the country. And I go there, and there's a guy giving a prophetic word and saying, There's here in this, this church, and we're maybe 35 people, there's a guy, there's somebody that is called to be an evangelist, and God is going to reveal to him what it is. Okay, interesting. And then the guy comes back when he does actually the offering and say, before I do the offering, I have to be obedient to God. And he's looking at me in the eyes. And he said, so you're the evangelist be pointed, right? Exactly right at me and singing, God wants you to be reliable, everything is going to tell you in your trip very soon.

What is that the guy doesn't know me or anything. And so I got to talk with him. Actually, I found a connection. He knows my aunt's, but that we don't, it doesn't matter. And then I'm like, okay, and I go to go to America. And I spent some time with a guy who became my mentor. So I don't know if you ever heard of Robbie Dawkins, I was talking about him. He's a guy who's like feature in all the documentaries like Holy Ghost, okay, goes reborn, like a guy about my like my size of all the way guy and bald guy. And he just goes and prays for people in the streets and everything is as a very powerful ministry in America and in other countries. And so I got to meet with him and I got to see him and what he was doing was never to pray for people or to share the gospel directly to people but he was doing everything to equip people to do so. And and he hit me when somebody else so prophecies very important in my life and not putting everything on prophecy but prophecy kind of gives me like, how do you say I'm confirms things from the Lord. And I really sometimes I'm thinking something the Bible feels like the but it's right for the Bible. And then there is a prophetic word. And then I know I can go there. And some guy is prophesying over me doesn't know at all. It's actually a global awakening conference. And and I have this guy prophesying and says, I see you going from street ministry to strategic ministry, and you're going to over you're going to kind of oversee a lot of evangelist and people doing that. And so I'm just like, okay, now I understand it and went back to France and knowing exactly what was my ministry. And I'm an evangelist, which means it's a minister, which means I equip people to do the job. Yeah, I can do it. I'm good at it, I can do it. I can still share the gospel. people pray for healing, having words of knowledge, but everything I do now and equipping the other people other churches, is to say, okay, you're all cold. You're all evangelist in some ways that not not because you all have the ministry, but because you're all supposed to testify, right to witness about your faith. You all supposed to make disciples and so my job is to make you growing, it's like understand it fully understand what your identity in Christ is. So you can be released to actually talk to your neighbor. If you go to a movie theater, and you feel like the Lord is leading you towards a person, you'll do it and it's actually talks a lot about identity because people don't do that. Because they don't feel like they feel self conscious. They have problems so when I come with my my you know, my silhouette, kind of you know, like they see that I'm struggling with some things I'm not perfect I'm not this like good looking blond guy that goes to the gym. I'm just this guy, this guy who wants to to change the world and and i God has called me to do that in to equip people to do so.

Yeah. No matter what has happened in your life that has showed you that God that Jesus was walking with you, but you didn't realize it until you look back.

Why couldn't couldn't have so many examples. Yeah, can show the example of my wife. Because I, I was like I'm I'm I'm a guy who had never like dated being in a relationship with a girl until I met my wife at 30 years old. So it was a long time to wait in to see God. God's hand in this but it's very interesting because I met my wife and that's that's a whole story about event. I saw really confirmation of God. Like when I came in 2011, God told me really like literally, your wife is in Pittsburgh. So after one and a half year, not meeting her going back to France, I was really not happy. I was like, What and so I felt you know what? Maybe I'd hear God's voice clearly. Maybe it was a lie, or I don't know how I could picture it. And five years later when I come back to Pittsburgh, and then people we met through Jonathan Yeah, and his wife Monica are actually just just inviting a girl and I to Banjul night in bits very, and I get to meet this girl. I'm just thinking, Wow, she's awesome. Yeah, but you know what i'm so I'm so feeling bad about myself, that I'm thinking, wow, there's a guy was gonna have a lifeline man, seriously, and I'm going back to France, knowing Well, I'm in France, she's in Pittsburgh, never gonna have there. And I have this deep feeling that God wants to bless me. But I'm not letting him bless me, bless me. And I learned later, that was actually what we call spirit of poverty. Like, it doesn't mean you're poor all the time. But it's this idea that you don't matter much to God, you're already saved. It's enough. Don't think that God is going to do much in your life. Because now he's really, after our people, especially the last when you're when you're an evangelist, you care so much for the last, that you don't care about yourself. And oh, that's where I was. And that's really yeah. And I'm seeing God, what, why? And, and at some point, I'm in my small, crappy apartment, where everything I own has been given by people because I have no money. I have nothing. I'm saying, I'm not I don't even have a wife. And then God says, will you let me bless you? And it was just crazy for me to think that I was actually preventing God to bless me. Like there's like a whole sermon or book to write about, but I'm just okay. I'm just all right. What would you want me to do? And, and I hear his voice saying, go to America for three months. And back, then I have this, like, small group of 20 to 30 people. And if I leave, it's, it's gonna be hard. You know, it's not like I can be whatever I want. But it's so crazy that I know God is telling me to do something. And so when I come to America, we're like, September 2017, for three months. I'm like, I'm sure I'm here to raise support. And so I'm putting a bunch of different meetings with churches and with people during my time there. And while I'm there, I'm thinking, you know, what about this girl, let's see if she's still single. And so I'm reaching out to her, and we get for coffee, and we have a few dates. And what's interesting is that when I left Pittsburgh in 2011, the church actually gave me to encourage me a plaque that you just put on your wall. That plaque said, Jeremiah 2911, for I know the plans that I made for you that that verse, When I saw that I was actually really angry at God saying, you really sure you promised me I would have a wife in Pittsburgh. And so I left it in America with friends. And when I was dating Emma, who's now my wife, friends of mine, who kept that play, gave it back to me. And I'm like, interested, interesting. I'm not not seeing not making any sense of it. And then I'm, I'm meeting with Emma, and she was wearing flip flops. So for the first time, I see her feet. And actually, there's a tattoo on her sheets. And I'm like, what's that? What did you tattoo on your feet? And she's like, Oh, so like, a few years ago, I needed that for my life. Jeremiah 2911. And like that same day, and I'm like, Wow, so I'm not saying, you know, I sometimes signs are big, like, signs were big in my life. And I made mistakes through through science. But I'm saying, okay, God, I'm just going to keep hearing you, you know, when you when you when you end up, meeting all of her family, and be getting engaged within one and a half months. And all of our families scared at me saying, Who is this guy from another country that is going to take her with him. And and and you realize that if you didn't know English, that well, because you had not been in Pittsburgh, eight years ago, and you had not been taught, you know, through this church here in Pittsburgh, all those things are just making all sense. All the all the pain that I had to be single, I knew that God was preparing me like I had, I was dealing with some sins in my life that I got rid of, before I could meet my wife, which was really great. There was some some very difficult things that I was dealing with. And that was gone, just so I could be prepared for my wife, and it was the same path for her. So it was just a perfect time for us to meet and to be married. That's awesome.

So if you could go back in time and talk to yourself, maybe when you're 15, or before, you know, this happened? What advice would you give yourself? And where would you meet yourself?

Well, I'm gonna, I'm going to tell myself You still set in 19 years. That's the thing that you have not got rid of, but everything else. The Lord has been really, really blessing you and working in your life a lot. Everything else. And so that's, that's, I think I would, I would really encourage myself for sure. I mean, I, it was like, everybody goes through difficult times, main, most of times really were in, I had no money for most of my life, my parents didn't have much. So I was paying for school on my own. I was working at McDonald's sometimes, at night, and going to classes in the morning, I was at this rough beginning when I left my parents, and never really got to be to experience what it was to be at least materially blessed a little bit. And but all that time, God really shaped me and gave me I think, a lot of wisdom. And And now, the way I'm using it in ministry is powerful. So I would actually tell myself, it's going to suck for you, man. But what's coming is amazing. That's what I would say.

Yeah. So in connection with that, what advice would you give me to have that kind of steadfastness with the Lord to stick to it? With what God's calling us to do?

I mean, it's, it's not, it's not easy. It depends where anybody is, um, I think Jeremiah 2911 interesting when you understand the context, Jeremiah 2911, is a verse that Jeremiah is talking to Israel, who is getting far from the Lord, especially during Jerusalem, the kingdom of the South. And, and and telling them that God has plans for them. It's, we've all always used it personally, you know, like, it's for me, it's God is talking to me. But I think if we understand the context, that actually God is talking to people that is rejecting him, and he's actually gonna reject Him. More and more and more. Yeah, they're going to the Babylonian, exactly as telling them I have plans for you have happiness have to thrive all those things, I have them for you. And actually, Israel went away from that, that that teaching us you know, that actually God really has planned for all of us. Yeah, because we're his children. His will for us, is incredible. His will for us is that we healed His will for us is that we're always saved his will for us is that we were blessed through him and we can do his work on earth. He doesn't want us to be in poverty, and doing and doing ministry, he wants us to be comfortable and do ministry. Like that's a big part of of the things. We often think that now God is just calling us to suffer in anything. God doesn't make us suffer. The devil make us suffer, God wants to say you're going to suffer doesn't mean that he's the one making as he said, you're going to go through rough times. This is a truth. I'm not saying that. We're called to happiness and awesome things on Earth. But God wants to equip us also with some blessings in our life. And when I'm reading that, I'm saying, there are promises for all of us. And the first one is, I believe, if anybody that is listening, is single, and has has the will to be married, I believe he can take it as a promise and proclaim that promise over their lives. I really think this is this is powerful. And this is strong. And if that happens, doesn't happen. Maybe the devil doesn't want them to be married. But God wants them to be married. If you don't have the desire to be married in your heart, I would say probably God is giving you a gift of celibacy. And that's great. But if you do want to get married, just proclaim that on your on yourself a lot. And and I learned with all the times where I was not doing that, I learned to proclaim blessings over my life more and more and more, not because I want to have everything. And it's just because I believe that God loves me dearly, deeply. And he wants to do something to me. And by loving me, she's going to give me the things that in my heart desires. And that's like, I'm making him my delight.

Yeah, that's great. Thank you so much for being with with me along the way today. And I think next time that you're in town, let's get together and and continue this conversation, that would be great.

That'd be awesome.

I'm grateful that my journey has crossed paths with meadow. It's awesome to hear his stories of how God uses the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so prevalent Lee in his life, especially with words of knowledge, and then words of healing. You know, God knows us better than we know ourselves. And he knows the plan from the beginning to the end. And he knows what it is that he wants us to do. That brings him the most glory and the most joy for us. And the most purpose as well. I love whenever God speaks to me something in my heart for somebody else. And I just take that step and just be a little bit bold, and say, Hey, I think this is what God is saying. What do you think it recently I was on an outreach with some people from our church. And I was teamed up with this girl named Sarah, we were going around praying for people in the area around our church. And she had a word of knowledge for somebody actually threw his sympathy pain in her throat. She said to this lady, I feel like there's something strange in my throat. And so I'm going to pray for your throat. And the lady started freaking out because she had just had a procedure to stretch out her throat because it was constricting and it was hard for her to swallow. God will show us how to pray for each other and for ourselves and for the world. Even in Romans 826. The Bible says Likewise, the spirit also helps us in our weakness, for we did not know what we should pray for as we ought but the Holy Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groans which cannot be uttered. You know, even when you don't know what to pray, or how to respond. God does. And he will give us wisdom in those right moments. How does God want to use you? That's something that I try to ask myself all the time. Am I making sure that I'm available and obedient? For whatever God wants me to be doing man who made mention of Randy Clark, who is an author, speaker and Bible teacher who has an incredible ministry, I'll be providing links for his ministry, global awakening in the show notes, I want to let you know that I am very excited about the next few episodes, especially that are coming up. I was just in Nashville for the last week or so. And I got to catch up with some amazing people that I've met along the way through my work as a television producer, but I got to connect with them and the Nashville area. People like Donna van leer, who's the author of books like the Christmas shoes and many other Christmas books and actually many other books in general. Some of her books have actually been turned into movies, which is really cool. She has a great story and will definitely minister to you. Bill Deaton is a music producer who's worked with some very well known artists, and you're going to enjoy his story. Jaron Davis wrote the song holy ground when he was 19 years old. We got to catch up at Christ Church in Nashville. And we actually set up on the stage and he played me a lot of those songs and you'll get to hear some stories behind the songs. That is going to be a fun episode. Also can Abraham has worked with many, many people to author more than 90 books. People like john ashcroft, the former US Attorney General under George W. Bush, and Buzz Aldrin, a man that actually got to walk on the moon, and all the way to people like Chuck Norris, and George Foreman. He's written books with a wide variety of people. There's so many more people that I want to share with you, but I got to wrap this episode up. Thank you for listening to along the way. If you've enjoyed joining me along my way, please share this with a friend who you think will be encouraged by this podcast. Also, please rate and subscribe to this podcast. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and on my website along the way dot media. And you can always email me at John along the way at gmail. com. I hope that you've enjoyed this part of my journey. And may you realize when Jesus is walking with you along your way