A Divine Romance | Capturing God’s Heart for Paris through Creative Expression

Oct 14

On July 26, 2024, the world watched as the Olympic Opening Ceremonies unfolded, making a mockery of Jesus and His disciples. In the midst of this warped expression of a powerful moment in the life of Christ, however, the Lord was pursuing the Nations with His steadfast and unfailing love. A Divine love story was unfolding behind the spectacle.

Thousands of missionaries made their way to Paris, la ville de l’amour, to spread the love of God through the gospel of Jesus. I was invited by a friend - Kate Saurman, who runs an arts non-profit called Zion Rose, to join her and two other women on a mission as a photographer to capture the work of the Lord in Paris during the 2024 Olympics. As I, alongside my group of new friends, was preparing to travel to France, I kept asking the Lord what He wanted me to capture. What was the story He wanted to tell? Kate then sent me a voice note through WhatsApp sharing a word she felt was from the Holy Spirit. “You have been a faithful steward capturing human love (as a wedding photographer) so now watch and capture as I romance the nations.”

I was so moved and so honored to say yes to this opportunity to capture moments of His Divine Romance.

While we had done some research and connected with some organizations prior to our trip, our small group really had no real idea of what we were going to see or encounter.

We originally connected with YWAM through their mission Paris Je T’aime, and were able to witness some of their street evangelism and corporate worship. Through performance art, music, dancing and conversation, the youth of YWAM - from all over the world - boldly stepped out to or watched the good news. 309 youth - some as young as age 12 - were empowered to preach the gospel. 268 people were saved and 182 of those people were connected to a local church body.

It was so encouraging to see Gen Z put their hearts for Jesus on full display.

We then connected with an organization called Ensemble, whose mission was to bring ministries together from all over Paris to work in unity and on mission during the Olympics. Ensemble brought together organizations in the arts, music, community outreach, sports and prayer.

The Ensemble home base was in a beautiful local church called La Cité Eglise Chrétienne. Walking into La Cité was a breath of fresh air. It was so encouraging to see all of these people coming together to see Jesus move in the city they love.

Our first experience with La Cité was with their homeless outreach Mains Tendu, which translates to outstretched hands in English. Main Tendu goes out into the streets of Paris, loving on the least of these through prayer and compassion. Our time together started in prayer and worship to prepare our hearts. The team prepped food and water to bring and we set out to minister. Food, prayer, and our hearts. That’s all we had. Simple but powerful connections were made. I was amazed at how many people said yes to prayer. Just a few moments of connection helped people to feel seen and known.

Images from Main Tendu Outreach

The other ministry we connected with that operated in evangelism and community was Unite Paris24 - an affiliation of Awakening Europe. We went out with these outreach groups capturing street evangelism, praying for people, answering some of their questions about Jesus, and connecting them to local churches. I even had an opportunity to assist in some translation between English and French, which was incredible! Watching my peers boldly proclaim the gospel with no shame and despite fear was powerful. When the Holy Spirit highlighted someone, obedience was immediate and these new friends shared the heart of God right away. The Lord even brought an artist across our path as Kate and I were out one day and he let us pray for him. God connected us through our love of creativity and expression, and it opened the door for conversation about our Creator. After 17 days of Unite Paris24’s time in Paris, 1592+ people heard the gospel, 151+ people received salvation and 50+ people received healing! I ended our time with Unite Paris24 by offering to take portraits of the missionaries there for their use. It was a blessing both to them and me!

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Unite Paris24 Outreach + Evangelism

Along with outreach and evangelism groups, we were connected with a local art gallery called La Baptisse, which is housed in a beautiful old Baptist church. Run by Estienne and Johanna Rylle, this gallery hosts exhibits as well as live performances, often using creative expression to glorify Jesus. They are first and foremost focused on building relationships with the local artist community, connecting through art and music. This leaves room to form friendships and leave the door open for conversation surrounding Christ.

Johanna performed an interactive art exhibition titled “Le Puits” or “The Well” which was part of their larger exhibition, “Humanity Gathered.” Each audience member was invited to pour water into the basin representing a well. Johanna then added pigments and oils to the basin and we watched as the colors swirled and settled on the water’s surface. We were then invited to press a piece of canvas into the water, imprinting onto it a unique pattern. The purpose of this exhibition was to show the way humanity - across cultures and history - has historically gathered at the well. During an event that brings people together from all over the world, “Le Puits” also brings all sorts of people together.

An additional and more subtle meaning behind this piece of art is the water itself being like living water with each performance yielding a unique finished canvas. This living water element was inspired by the Living Water, Jesus Christ Himself, and the woman at the well who encountered Him in the book of John. As Johanna explained her inspiration for this piece, I watched as she remained sensitive to the Holy Spirit, discerning what to share and when. If she did not expressly share the biblical inspiration right away, she left room to do so individually with those in the audience who approached her one one-on-one. I overheard her connecting with a watercolor artist, sharing who Jesus is and how He saved her. The artist was engaged and moved, and I know she left a little closer to Christ than she was when she walked in.

Performance of “Le Puits.”

Rich Swingle depicting the life of Eric Liddell.

We also had the opportunity to watch and photograph a play at La Baptisse titled “Beyond the Chariots” a play by actor Rich Swingle depicting the life of Eric Liddell. Eric Liddell was an Olympian and missionary in war-torn China in the 1920’s. The play ended with the gospel message and an invitation to learn more about Jesus. It was an incredible story and a creative depiction of the life of this missionary.

One of our last experiences was with the Paris Maison de Prière (Paris House of Prayer.) Housed within La Citè, this gathering happens every Sunday evening and is a powerful time of prayer and worship over Paris! The Lord was clear that this was simply a time to be with Him, no camera in hand, so these images are just memories I will carry in my own heart and mind. Singing “Holy Forever” in French (A Jamais Tu Es Saint) is an experience that I will not soon forget.

I will be forever grateful and blessed to have had this opportunity and I am so grateful to Kate for asking me to join her. The Lord invited me on this adventure as a photographer and let me use this gift to capture His glory. It felt like I was walking in the fruit of my stewardship of what the Lord has trusted me with over the last couple of years. He used my creativity and professionalism to serve His Kingdom in real-time, and it was an incredible experience. I know this is just the beginning, and through the connections He brought to me through this trip, there is already an opportunity to return to Paris soon. I can't wait to keep saying yes to this adventure with God!