Winter into Spring (Update Part 1)

Emily Mintz
Jul 17, 2021
6 min read

Winter turned into spring pretty fast here in

France, and as usual, so much has happened!

So I'm breaking my newsletter into 2 parts.

Here are a few quick testimonies from the spring quarter and updates on

what's been happening.

- ReConnecting on Zoom & Owning Day! -

We had our first YPC Zoom meet up!

Thanks to everyone who joined in our first connection time on Zoom in May!

It was so fun for me to see friends and family from all over the world show their faces and also meet my leaders and the people who I serve with here. We had a good time of sharing some testimonies, updates, and even praying for each other. We will probably have another one of these connection times in the future, so if you are curious to join and connect, let me know!

We also had an amazing time celebrating the 1st phase of our Property Project being completed as a YWAM campus. We've been trying to raise money to buy our current campus, plus the warehouse next door to expand, and we've have made it half way! We raised 250K, which was enough to get a loan and purchase the first half of our building. So now, we're in Phase 2 and trying to raise 400K to move forward with purchasing the warehouse and remodelling it to create our full missionary training campus.

It's incredible to see the way God is supplying. We are all just volunteers, and he's using us to create something way bigger than ourselves. So we took an evening to stop, thank Him, re-dedicate this land to Him, and celebrate the victory so far.

So now, we have signed for the first half of the property and have officially put a stake in the ground in this land! Thanks to everyone who's been giving and praying for us.

- On Campus -

The Birth Attendant School

We've started our Birth Attendant School! From April to June, 8 students came and trained with this second-level school. It focuses on training people in midwifery care and I got to help teach on it! This school has been worked so hard to learn the proper skills needed to care for women in need. They left for their 3 month outreach at the end of June to different nations in Africa and are now serving in hospitals and homes to help deliver babies and care for women and families.

Birth is a huge risk in developing nations. About 295,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2017. As well, 94% of deaths in labor & delivery happen in underdeveloped and impoverished countries. This school is so important, because these deaths are preventable! They will be the hands needed to aid some of these women and provide them help that often they can't afford or don't have access to.

The team has already seen some miracles! For example, last week a mother in labor came into the clinic in extra pain, and after a complicated delivery, they prayed over the baby, and began to see the infant recover and stabilise. Without the help of the team, who knows what could have happened to that baby. But God has these babies and families on his heart and wants to see them healed and reached!

I personally got to teach a few workshops and training for this school and it's been a joy to using my background in nursing to train people to bring aid.

The Backpack Europe DTS

Our 3 outreach teams from the January DTS returned in March from serving 3 months in nations like Albania, Kosavo, Macedonia, and more! They did several different types of ministry, like working with children and refugees, homeless, gypsy and muslim communities, youth groups and church serves, and of course every day evangelism.

I got the honor of doing debriefing sessions with each of the teams and heard some incredible stories. Here are some of their outreach statistics and a quick testimony below!

Testimony:

In Macedonia, one of the teams met with several youth groups and ministries and did frequent evangelism. One day they met a young man who was skeptical about the idea of Jesus and came from a muslim background, but after weeks of building relationship with him, and sharing with him, the young man gave his life to Christ! He was connected with a church and really grew a hunger for getting to know God more.

How I'm Serving Daily:

This quarter I'm continuing to serve and lead our Accounts team, as well as help still with Media for the base, and continuing to do one on one Discipleship & Mentoring, with some of my fellow volunteer staff. As said above, I also got to do more Debriefing with the outreach teams that returned from their trips. It was a real joy for me to sit down with the students and walk them through processing the events and circumstances of their outreaches.

We've also been preparing for our 2 week summer outreach called "Paris je t'aime", which I will describe more in my update Part 2 next month!

- Coming Up -

After our 'Paris Je T'aime' outreach finishes, I'll be taking a few weeks off to rest before I embark on something new this fall!

- French Immersion! -

This fall, I've been accepted to join a 3 month French school!

The program teaches a month of French lectures, then 2 months of full French immersion where I'll be speaking & hearing only French every day and also doing ministry and living with French families!

The school is located at another YWAM base in Provence, France, and costs $2,000 for the full school, housing, and food (which is a great deal).

I really feel like this is the next step in my ministry. Improving my French! I can understand so much, but this will take my communication and ministry to the next level so I can reach even more people who speak the language, and continue to grow the French relationships I already have.

God has always had reaching French speaking nations on my heart, from France to Africa to the many French islands, God will use the skills I bring to the table to reach the lost. So I'm so excited to work with Him towards this goal!

It's another big chunk of money to trust for (missionary life haha), but God never fails to provide. If you would like to support me in this financially, or even in prayer or other ways, please let me know!

The school officially starts Sept 27, and I need to submit a downpayment of $300 by the end of August.

I will share more in my next update next month! Thank you everyone!

Help Support Me: In Prayer & Finances

I can never say enough how grateful I am for you, my support system, back home. Your prayers and gifts are what make it possible for me to stay on this mission God's given me. - - - - - As most of you know, All of this is volunteer work! No one on our ministry campus gets paid. We pay to be here and help because we fully believe in the impact this place is having on youth, Paris, and the nations. Please pray and see if you would like to support me in this ministry here. Thank you!

Things I'm Trusting for:

French School - The 3 months immersion cost $2,000, plus travel ($200~)

Moped License / Insurance - The finances to buy my scooter are in! Now I'm just trusting for my French driver's license to finish being processed (it's been accepted, but the paperwork is hitting a lot of blockages). So please be praying for that! I'll also need finances for insurance to cover my moped for damages, theft, & accidents. I'm trusting for a few supporters to help me! Full coverage will cost around $90/month
Healing & Wisdom on for my back problems and continuing forward.

Monthly Financial Partners - I'm still trusting for about $400 more a month to help cover my daily expenses and ministry. I'm inviting people to join my team and partner with me monthly. Please pray about joining my team and funding my ministry here in YWAM.
More Photoshoots - if you know any friends or family traveling to Europe, please refer me to anyone and everyone!
- My Photography Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilymintzphoto/
- My Photography Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilymintzphoto/

If you could help me in ANY of these areas, I would be SO thankful! Love you all! Thanks to everyone for all the support and prayer! I couldn't do this without YOU!

WAYS TO GIVE: 1. Checks - mailed to Emily Mintz 17 Country Squire Ct Saint Louis, MO 63146 2. Paypal, click here for USD gifts - https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/emilymintz click here for EURO gifts - https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/emilymintzmissions 3. Venmo Phone App, to me @emintz92 ( no fees here! ) 4. Apple Pay (+33 6 28 42 44 87) 5. Sign up for monthly giving through YWAM automatic withdrawals & tax deductible receipts - message me for how! 6. Direct American or French bank transfers, or Transferwise: message me for bank details