Malaina Kirschner is a missionary currently serving in Marseille, France as she finishes her degree is in intercultural studies and Bible and theology. She works alongside Christian churches and ministries and building relationships there. I’ve brought Malaina on the show as a friend to share her testimony and how God has further opened her heart while living abroad.
Testimony (2:31)
Malaina grew up in a Christian home – her father being Catholic and her mother Lutheran. She was taught that truth comes from an ultimate creator, and through witnessing her brother’s testimony, started to move closer to God. She watched as her brother turned away from friends and activities that took him further away from God, and saw how he viewed God as our Father; a God that wants to walk beside us every day and have a personal relationship with us. The Holy Spirit infiltrated their entire family and they began to attend an interdenominational church with a vibrant group of teenagers and children all passionately following God and going on mission trips.
Missionary Work (17:49)
Malaina helps with ministries in Marseille and its surrounding towns, but she doesn’t do it alone. She is a part of a “Dream Team” composed of David, Nathan, Mandy, Cally and herself. They help form bonds with these churches and their communities while also teaching English to groups and one on one. Malaina has also started a snack time on Wednesday for anyone to come and visit the church, hoping it helps the community see the space as more than just a cathedral and the religion it houses – but more of a place to build relationships. To help develop a community that can come together to know each other and God more fully.
Adapting (25:54)
Malaina went into the internship with the mentality that she wasn’t going to try and make France the United States. Everyone on her team was called by God individually to go there, but now she sees His strategic planning on bringing this group together. She has had to rely more on others and become more vulnerable herself in the process. It’s shown her that a lot of her identity was wrapped up in the things she was doing for the Lord, instead of seeking that pure acceptance God offers all of us. She’s learned to accept that invitation and be okay with being in a season of growth, vulnerability, and learning.
Cross-Cultural Conversations (33:51)
One of the biggest conversations Malaina has had in France circles around the value of relationships – of how deep relationship is vital for us to grow with the Lord and stay connected through community. The Enemy finds it easier to attack us when we go it alone, and bonding to others seeking God’s word forms a barrier that’s much more difficult to penetrate.
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