Jamie and Michaela Cutting have two children: Aya (3) and Ezra (1). This summer they moved to France from Brighton, in the south of England, to begin working with OM France. Previously Michaela had been a nursery teacher, and Jamie had been an estate agent, holiday salesman, Church intern and secondary school cover supervisor (at different times).
What is your role ?
Initially Michaela is going to be focusing on language learning and getting the children integrated into French life and school systems and Jamie is going to be the coordinator of short term missions. The STM coordinator role includes sending French nationals to work with OM partners abroad as well as engaging both French nationals and foreigners with short term missions within France. A key part of this role is building relationships with French churches that are wanting to reach those around them in their areas and helping them as they host and organise short term missions events.
How did God call you to serve with OM in France?
God called us to France in a number of smaller ways that built up to be an evident calling when pieced all together. Since being a teenager Jamie has spent several summers and a full academic year (as part of his degree) in France and so had always felt comfortable here. Equally Michaela had often visited France as a child and had really felt at home here too. When we got married, we felt God calling us to serve him somewhere that wasn’t our home country and spoke about our joint love of France but believed it was more likely to be somewhere we retired to in later life as we wrongly believed God could only be calling us somewhere new, different and difficult. Our church really got behind us in supporting our calling and giving us the space to listen to what God was saying to us by employing us as interns at the church for 2 years. During this time, we visited other mission partners of the church in Ethiopia and in North Africa and spent time praying until God spoke clearly to Michaela about France being the place that he was calling us to. God reminded us of how, as believers, we’re all called to share Jesus with those around us, speaking into the culture we are already a part of. The STM role seeks to engage local and foreign believers in reaching out to those around them, not just through week/month long outreach events, but through on-going commitment to allowing Jesus to transform our lives so that we’re constantly sharing him with those around us.
How can we pray for you?
Please pray for us practically as we adjust to living in France and for Michaela and the kids as they learn the language. Please also join us in praying that God would encourage and challenge French believers to be a part of reaching their country. And finally join us in praying that God would so radically affect the culture here, as people come to know Him, that it would have a drastic effect on the rest of the Western Secularist world.
Is God calling you to serve Him on mission?
France:
