So today, we went to a nearby mosque for an afternoon call to prayer. This particular mosque, within sight of the famous Sacre Coeur church, was packed way beyond capacity for the weekly Friday Islamic teaching. Even in the rain, there were probably 700 or 800 total Arab and west African men crowded around the mosque for about quarter of a block on each side. It was tragic to hear the many men chanting each line of prayer (as they have five times a day for many years), desperately trying to please their god, Allah.
We prayed around this and another mosque, asking that God release the men from the bondage of Islam. On our way back, we also met a young Muslim man from the Ivory Coast. He was there for the call to prayer and is in Paris visiting family for the next couple days. We exchanged contact info with this man, "R," and invited him to meet with us soon. Please pray for God to open his heart to the gospel and for us to have the chance to meet with him.
We also prayer walked around several nearby primary schools. There we asked God to raise up a group of students who will walk in His ways and who will hunger and thirst after righteousness, not the acceptance of their peers.
Lastly, we walked around a crowded west African market. There we prayed for the people to come to Christ without fear of rejection from family and friends, for them to pursue Him rather than the things of this world, and for God to clearly reveal Himself to them. On our way back, we actually passed a west African produce store with an "I Love Jesus" sign in the window. Both the employees there are joyful believing men, which was encouraging to see in the heart of this area heavily influenced by Islam.
