Normandy Vision - News Update, September 5th 2008

For the most part, the weather was wet, or at least damp, and windy, the skies grey. This turned out to be a real blessing, for when the weather was hot and sunny - which only accounts for about two days during the exhibition - the number of people coming to the Expo was a lot fewer. The weather over most of the Expo period meant that people tended to be out and about, yet it wasn't nice enough to sit on the beach. Needing something to do, "Why not go and visit the Expo?", seemed to be their choice!

We had no idea how many visitors to expect nor if anyone would come at all! So we are amazed that over the course of the Exposition around 650 people visited it and spent time looking at the information that it presented about the Bible, about its history, contents and message, about salvation through the Cross. While some didn't manage to complete the tour of the Expo for various reasons, nevertheless a large percentage spent up to one hour reading every word carefully and thinking about what it meant. Some of these were Christians or from a Church background, but a large number seemed to have very little by way of previous connection with Christianity.

Several people were so impressed by what they read that they decided that they needed to buy a Bible or a New Testament in order to find out more for themselves about it and its message. Others bought various Christians books to help them to read and understand the Bible better, or to find out more about the Christian faith or some key aspect of it, such as the Creation-Evolution debate.

While we haven't yet been able to work out exact totals of how many Gospels, particularly Mark's Gospel, were taken away by visitors, nor how many tracts, the quantities amount to many hundreds in each category. People were allowed to choose for themselves if they wanted to take any of the free literature, and which items they would take, and so these quantities reflect the desire of visitors to find out more, and also the need that they felt of "something more" in their lives. The most popular tracts were "Tu Comptes" (You count - you have meaning and value) and "Qui suis-je?" (Who am I?).

Several people wanted to talk about various things that they had noticed as they walked round the Exposition. Some questions were comparatively trivial, such as "What is the difference between the Catholic and Protestant versions of the Bible?", but many others addressed issues that were more personal and important.

The vast majority of comments that we received from visitors as they left was that they were very impressed with the Expo, both in its presentation and in its content. This was true even for those who might not necessarily agree with what it said. Typical comments were that it was clear in what it said, that the information was presented logically and in a way that carried you along with the story as you moved from panel to panel. Many from a Catholic background commented how surprised they were at how unbiased the Exposition was in what it said!

The way that everything came together for the Exposition, from how the panels just fitted perfectly into the space available through to people being there to help out just when we needed them, all this was a clear answer to prayer. Equally with the large number that were reached with the Bible and the Gospel, with the time that people spent reading and studying the information, and their desire to find out more afterwards through buying a Bible or Book, or selecting some of the free literature, all this too shows that the prayers of many people in many places in the world have borne fruit.

Keep praying for the 650 people who visited the Exposition, that what they learned would be used by the Lord, whether as Christians to build up their faith and to encourage them to read and study their Bibles more, or whether as non-Christians to make them think about what they learnt at the Exposition and that it might be one more step along the path to their salvation through faith in Christ alone.

Several pastors from other churches, visiting the Houlgate area on holiday, wanted to know where they could get the panels from. They were very impressed with the Exposition and its potential impact and so they were considering the possibility of putting on a similar Expo-Bible in their own church and community.

Thank you!

We want to say "thank you" to many people...

To the church at Houlgate for allowing us to take over their church for nearly three weeks and transform it into an Exhibition Centre.

To M. Pierre Wheeler from Arras, both for his encouragement to us to dare to put on this Exposition, and also for all the work he has done through the years in continually developing and improving the materials for Bible Exhibitions in France.

To the "Association ExpoBible" (with its links to "France Pour Christ") that is responsible for the Exhibition panels, for their helpful and patient advice during our initial enquiries and especially in getting the panels delivered to us, and for making the panels available to rent at such low cost.

To all those who helped out with the Expo-Bible, whether from the Houlgate area and its neighbouring towns, or from further afield in the UK. So many people helped in so many different ways at different times during the Exposition that it is impossible to name them all.

To so many who have supported us and encouraged us, with their prayers, their comments and their gifts.

Finally, to the Lord for the many blessings we have seen during this period, in our own lives and in those of others, and particularly for the strength to "just keep on going" at times!