Important lessons learned in a life of serving God

After years of service first with Mission Populaire and then with FPC, the time to retire has come for François-Régis and Evelyne Mougel. FPC asked François what great lessons has he learned throughout his journey.

“God reveals himself in stages. He does so before, during and after our new birth, in preparation for that blessed moment when we will be eternally in his presence. He does it in our search for the Truth the paths we take, or after discovering the Gospel and its author now our Father, or the blessed moments of discovery of the Church, then of mission, without forgetting, as Romans 8.22-23 reminds us, our many groans and struggles when we see our limitations, our misery and weakness, and that of our brothers and sisters. BUT, in the midst of it all, we see the grace and wonderful power of God. Yes, God has made us pass through all these stages of life in which we have had and have the immense privilege to travel as a couple and as a family. A true happiness!

I continue to learn many lessons: to continue to grow my attachment to my God, to change my ugly character, to move from propaganda to demonstration, and to act with an awareness of my poverty and the ambition of my means.”

We asked Évelyne the same question and what has helped her to persevere.

“I have learned patience and perseverance. I have learned that as a couple, we must agree to move forward together, that Christ must come first, to prioritize our “vertical” relationship so that our “horizontal” relationship can work well. I have learned that we must be able to let go of our plans, to hold on to our projects with the tips of our fingers so that we can let go if the Lord has something else in mind. I have learned that God answers our prayers in his own time, in his own way and in his own way.

God has provided for all our needs. We have five children, and the material needs were obvious, but we learned to live by waiting on him. If we have remained in ministry here for 33 years in a rural area, it is because he has kept us. It is thanks to the prayers of our brothers and sisters, to their help and to the various exchanges with each one, that we felt carried, supported.

To persevere is “to continue to do what one has resolved to do, by a renewed act of will”. I am renewed by the reading of the Word, by reviewing in my heart the promises of God knowing that my “work will not be in vain in the Lord”, disciplining myself to find daily time with God, in prayer, in fraternal communion. God’s faithfulness encourages me to persevere, he has been and is there in good times and bad, and I know he will always be there. This is my certainty and my peace in the future. The Lord will provide!”