A year abroad in Strasbourg

I’m studying French at Queen’s in Belfast, and I spent most of the past academic year living in Strasbourg as part of my Year Abroad. I moved out there in September 2023 to serve as a student volunteer at the Église de la Krutenau and I came back to the UK at the start of May 2024. I’m thinking about going into ministry after my studies, so my time at the Krutenau was an incredible opportunity that provided me with really valuable ministry experience and a helpful insight into church life in another country, language, and culture. Being immersed in and surrounded by the French language really helped me to feel at ease in it and has set me in great stead for returning to finish my final year of studies, starting in September.

The year was full of variety, as I explored the different ministry opportunities with the church and nannied part time for French family friends with 5 children, who by God’s grace, ended up on a military posting in Strasbourg a couple of weeks before I arrived.

The work with the church included co-leading a girls’ group through a course about what it means practically to follow Jesus and obey Him in all aspects of our lives; teaching English; one-to-one Bible studies; homegroups; and co-leading some Bible study evenings with the teenage girls from church. I lived on the sixth floor of a block of flats (no lift, which was a daily challenge…) where lots of local students were living, many of them Christians. I started a few one-to-ones with some of these students, and hosted several girls’ nights at mine, where we got together to chat, eat, and play board games. This enabled us not only to connect with other Christians in the area but also to invite non-Christian friends and get them plugged into a friend group where they would hear the gospel and have many opportunities to be invited to other outreach events. I’m planning on continuing the one-to-ones over the following months and have made wonderful friends that I will be sure to go back and visit.

Another big part of my time was volunteering two afternoons a week at Oh My Goodness – a café that the church launched a few years ago in the city centre with the aim of creating an independent space to get to know people in the area and to host outreach and gospel-centred events. Now, we run different workshops and events throughout the week (such as English and German conversation classes, a group for parents with young kids, an international student dinner with a Christian group called FEU, and “discover the Bible” evening classes), all while operating as a normal coffee shop offering artisan drinks, delicious brunches, and a place to work or study. I’d recommend popping in if you’re ever in the area! It was amazing to see how God was working through the café to bring people to know Him, whether that was through an explicitly gospel-focused event, like the Bible discovery courses, or simply through volunteering in the café. In my last couple of months, we saw one volunteer come to know and trust in the Lord Jesus – an incredible testament to the work of the team, especially those who unpacked the Christian faith with him on a one-to-one basis.

I’m so grateful to the Lord for the people He placed around me, especially the women’s worker, Malia Bridwell, who was a wonderful mentor, counsellor, and friend. And to France Mission for all that was done in providing me with this opportunity to serve.