After Jean Picq spent 18 years in the secular workforce, he and his wife, Christine, wanted to make themselves more available to God. They were already participating in a church plant, but in 2019, they decided to move to Chad with their three girls. While they had to be evacuated by the French Air Force when COVID hit, God led them back to serve in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR) for two years with Encompass. 

“We saw a lot of difficulties and a lot of poverty,” Jean says about their time in the CAR. “It’s very difficult to see families that don’t have enough food, access to healthcare, or education opportunities.” 

Yet despite all of the hardships, the Picqs were amazed by what God was doing there. He says, “Our ministry partners don’t look at the difficulties and say, ‘No, it’s too difficult to serve God.’ They serve God and don’t think about all the difficulties.”

For example, Jean tells a story of one local evangelist who felt called to go to the northern part of the country, where there was a high chance for him to be arrested by rebels. Many told him not to go because it was too dangerous, but the man just replied, “It’s okay—rebels need the gospel too. If they arrest me, I’ll share the gospel with them.”

As our Africa Logistics Team Coordinator, Jean’s job was to help local evangelists start ministry initiatives. This allowed him to see many ways God was moving. “We witnessed how God was working and how he used local missionaries to do the job,” Jean says. “We could just watch it unfold like a movie.”

While they were there, three Imams (Muslim leaders) accepted the gospel who are now pursuing biblical training to better reach the Muslim world.

Jean also told the story of how God used one evangelist’s prayers to heal a Sultan’s daughter. As a result, the Sultan opened the doors for them to work in that region. “Now there is an evangelical school there that has 1,200 students.” Jean says. “And a lot more want to attend the school, but there isn’t enough space for them all!” Students are going to this school, returning home to their Muslim families, and teaching them to thank God before their meals!

“We are very amazed by how we saw God moving in that country,” they say. 

We praise God for the Picqs and how God used them during their term with us in the CAR. While Jean coordinated projects with local evangelists, Christine was busy teaching, discipling, and developing evangelism tools like “La Reconciliation” that are adapted to African culture. They’re also thankful that their time in Africa was a positive experience for their girls. “We asked our daughters if they’d rather spend next summer in the US or in Central Africa, and they chose Central Africa!” Jean says.

Now that their term is over, Jean and Christine have decided to continue working with Encompass in their same roles from France. “We are very grateful to God because our two years there allowed us to discover how we could work for the mission and for this country.”