Follow Vicky’s adventures with Heroic Nation every week!
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Firstly I wanna thank my mom for helping me with spelling, she has always been there for me whether it’s for work, breakups, trips, mental breakdowns… she has especially raised me to become the woman I am today. Without her without my family I wouldn’t be me, they are a gift from God they are the ones who put him in my life. I know that they did everything to keep me safe from the bad things in this world. I did fall a couple of times but what my parents taught me is that it’s okay to fall if you get back up and boy did they help me get back up. Mom, I thank you because I know you prayed for me during my whole life and I thank you because you and dad showed me, God, you showed me what he does, you introduced him to me and I was able to meet him a year ago. Thank you for believing in me the way God does. Thank you for being my inspiration.
First day
Coming from a family who moves a lot I’ve had a lot of first days, it became something I’m not afraid of anymore. The first day in a new town a new city, with new people, with new faces, the first day where you must speak a new language. So, I’m going to tell you about my first day with heroic Nation. I got to the train station with my two big suitcases and my “How to become Michelle Obama book”. (a book from which I’ve only read one-chapter haha). I was ready for an adventure. And it’s when I felt it. I felt that something was different from usual, this adventure was with God , I mean sure I climbed the Mont Blanc (which I’m really proud off because it was my dad’s dream and we achieved It together) sure I worked at the United Nation sure I’ve traveled to Mexico to Spain and many other countries… but this time God is in the middle. It’s as if I wasn’t going alone God was with me actually… he is directing me. And you know why? If I’m in Pau with Heroic Nation today, it’s because it’s God’s plan.
In the DNJ of 2018 which was, by the way, a turning point in my life, where I was baptized with the Holy Spirit chains broke from my past and I was made new, and as if I hadn’t been blessed enough I met Heroic Nation. Before meeting them the pastor during the big youth meeting said raise your hand if you want to become a pastor then they prayed for the young adults who were called for this. After a couple of similar calls, they said “if you want to create for God raise your hand” and there I didn’t think my hand rose to the sky and the pastors all around started praying, proclaiming, for all those like me who wanted to create for God. Get this a couple of minutes later I met Jeremie from HN and we talked got along and ended up talking about design. He then asks me if I wanted to help them out and work for them and well, we talked about my internship and now here I am.
Here are a few pics by Baptiste Levasseur at the DNJ, you can find some more on his Instagram:
Anyways going back to my arrival in Pau, when I saw Lydie and Manu I was so happy because I already felt like a sister to them a sister in Christ and that they would take good care of me, scratch that, Amazing care of me. And they did! I arrived in the room they had prepared for me, they had made my bed and gotten my breakfast it was so sweet, I already knew how golden their hearts were. Lydie gave me my schedule which was pretty full which is a good thing! I got to meet Celia and Lucile who I’m living with and they are also taking amazing care of me and showing me around. When I went to bed, I really did feel like this first day wasn’t my first day it was our first day because God was next to me.
Second day
Don’t worry I won’t make a speech about second days, haha but a lot still happened on this second day! I am actually just now realizing that making a blog about my internship is going to help me a lot with my memoire althouuuugh the memoire definitely seems less fun…So my second day went well I woke up kinda early (okay not early it was 8 it’s actually pretty cool haha). Lydie came to pick me up and we visited Pau, I love this city it’s really cute and the fact that there are mountains gives it an adventurous vibe. So as we were around coffee she explained what I would be doing in Heroic Nation, which days, with whom. I could see that they put God in the middle of all their plans and wow their life as a couple as a family is such a testimony, I drank every word she said. At that moment she told me I would make this journal and frankly this is the first time I’m truly committed to writing every day. I mean I’m the type of person who loves to start things and then move’s on to something else. So yes I probably started 10 journals in my life that I never finished..oops! But this blog is different God is in the middle and in a way helping me write a bit of my testimony that’s pretty exciting!
So I went home afterwards and Lydie gave me my first task, translate one of the stories in their blog from French to English. After spending my childhood in America I became bilingual which I have to admit is pretty useful. So as I translated the first story from the blog, it was about their trip to Ukraine, I was very moved by everything they experienced there. Let me tell you something, I have translated many things before, for my friends, brothers, sisters, teachers, etc… and never have I taken this much pleasure in translating. When I was translating there blog I felt like there was more. What they had experienced needs to be shown abroad what God did in Ukraine through Heroic Nation is a true testimony and by translating their experience somehow it gave a whole other meaning to translating. If any of you out there are bilingual or want to be bilingual, I can only encourage you to use this for God for example by translating at church.
To finish with this day I got to go to church in Pau the Le Phare church. I felt at home there I think that’s what happens when you’re in the house of God. I know that if I’m here in Pau with Heroic Nation for 2 months then God will for sure use the church here to edify my faith with the teachings and the worships. I can’t wait to meet the wonderful people in this church and I’m also very thankful towards them for their warm welcome.
Third day
I’m not really used to this, getting up knowing I’m going to spend my whole day with God. I mean sure I know he is always with me every day at my side and amen I feel it! But waking up getting dressed and not going to College where I’ll study some things that have absolutely nothing to do with God or my faith and sometimes, sadly, studying things that are opposed to my faith, wow that’s truly something I’m not used to. But I love it. I love being part of Heroic Nation, I love working for God all day working for his kingdom! This internship is strengthening me in my faith I can already feel it. I try to remember to pray every time before I start working because I don’t want to be led by my own intelligence or emotions but the Holy Spirit. This morning Lydie told me to keep translating the blogs and to find some YouTube strategies so we can have more views.
What Lydie told me to translate was so powerful if you get a chance to read it it’s about the 8 days Lydie will never forget. Translating this event that happened in Lydie’s life was… wow… so powerful it had me in tears all morning. After translating and reading this blog I realized how blessed we are by God every single day how every moment we have on this earth is a blessing. Wow, this internship is already surprising me more than I thought! Usually, internships are places where u sit in a chair and make coffee aha and here I was crying my eyes out on the 3rd day of my internship in front of my first task. (Don’t worry only happy tears). God is already flipping the flow. He is making this internship what he want’s it to be Amen!
Fourth day
Today was the day we had our first real meeting with the Heroic Nation group. Before leaving I prayed and read my bible, I’d like to keep this important “routine” a routine that I believe is necessary to stay close with God during this internship to truly give him my whole day and ask him to teach me through the gospel. As I got to Lydie’s house I was like “dannnnng that lady can decorate!!” I mean wow!! Have you seen her house?? It’s beautiful and perfect apart from the fact there is no cellphone service buuut we won’t tell aha. So after taking pictures of pretty much every room in her house (sorry Lydie if I seemed like a stalker), we talked business.
We discussed what social networks situations they were experiencing, and we globally talked about their main challenges. They explained to me a bit more how the whole music business works especially the Christian music business. I’ve gotta admit I didn’t know much about strategies on youtube and Spotify because well I don’t use them in the business way.
After the meeting, I headed home and watched every single video on youtube that could help out to get a better youtube and Spotify strategy. As I drowned in the endless list of videos on youtube about how to get more views etc… I found more and more information and learned a lot about how to use these tools for marketing purposes. ( btw for people who don’t like reading: you don’t need to read articles these days, 10 youtube videos are more than enough aha).
Oh by the way! if you guys have snapchat, I’m taking care of the account for these two months so go ahead and follow HN on there if you want! ( Just a heads up we are crazy aha!)
@heroicnation
Fifth day
the last working day of the week was quite exciting! Jeremy taught me how to use WordPress. Here’s what you should know though, in my IUT ( college) we learned how to install servers, coding, yeah all that stuff you kinda want to stay away from. well, we learned how to create a server and later on how to install WordPress HOWEVER our teachers didn’t teach us the whole ” how to use WordPress” part. So poor Jerem had to start teaching me how to use it. he explained it clearly and I was able to start posting the blogs and getting to know the website better. Short but productive day!
Weekend!
Wow, it’s been at least two months since I haven’t had a Saturday where I can sleep in! where I’m from Le Havre (LH like LA of course) classes started at 8 am almost every day and sometimes ended at 7 pm ew ew. on Sundays I would wake up to go to church (obvi) and on Saturdays I had a part-time job where I taught English in a company called Les Petits Bilingues. So these few extra hours I had this morning were a like little treasure. so if we continue in this lazy day where I slept til 11 I also went shopping ( not my fault Lydie showed me the mall I couldn’t help it haha). I noticed people in Pau were extremely friendly people where so sweet helping me out in stores. it’s like here everyone carries a little part of sunshine in their hearts and you feel it. As the evening came we went to the youth meeting. It was very powerful we could feel God’s presence. Le Phare church has a lot of instruments and many singers which made me feel like I was in a Megachurch so cool!! Again as I said on Tuesday I felt at home because I was with brothers and sisters in Christ and God’s house is home. I can’t wait to get to know more people because they all seem wonderful!
when the youth meeting ended Lucile and Celia ask me ” do you wanna come to the fair with us?” and I was like ” well, of course, let’s go!!” so we went! You should know that Lucile and Celia are not afraid of heights or going on crazy rides! So we did the cooooolest scaaaaariest oneeees! and during every ride, we screamed (and prayed aha)!
Sunday came by quickly, we went to church and guess what their church gives breakfast before the ceremony!! like I’m talking croissants and pain au chocolat breakfast, oh sorry ( chocolatine haha).
So church started and it was powerful there church has bleachers so at first, you feel like your gonna watch a game which is funny but as the count down starts the music does too and bam just like that the whole building turns into the house of God! I love that they mostly put new songs it’s my personal opinion but I can relate to these songs more than old ones even if old ones are powerful too. I can’t wait to spend these two months with this church! at noon, we went to eat out with people from church in this cute little bistro we talked about God and being Christian is was very edifying. Afterward, I got to meet a good part of Lydie’s and Jerem’s Family and If I were to resume the moment I spent with their family I would use the word: Happiness actually Joy. that’s what you feel when you enter their home when you talk to them when you see them, God is in their hearts and in their home.
So see you guys next week because God isn’t done writing this story!
