Written by Ivanova Fotso

 

At 20 years old, Capucine is currently the youngest member of the OM team in France. As the short-term missions leader and participant in ministry among immigrants, she shares God's love with both locals and people from least-reached nations.

Capucine’s motivation is rooted in her own experience of what God has done for her.

“Until I was 16, I had never heard of God,” she shared. “I want many people to hear about God. I am grateful that I was able to meet God at a young age, but I know that many people live in suffering and have never heard of Jesus, so it is my sincere desire to be able to change that.”

A new family

Growing up in the south of France in a family where no one knew the Lord, Capucine experienced loneliness and a lack of love from a very young age.

As a teenager, she tried to fill this void with friends. But those relationships turned out to be toxic and abusive, causing Capucine further physical and emotional suffering. She was also convinced that she would go to hell if she died, reinforced by what she had always been told: that she was a bad person.

Then one day, tired of looking for solutions, “I just decided to pray in my room, and I prayed to an unknown God. I didn't know who Jesus was, so I just prayed like that. But from that moment on, my anxieties reduced.”

Despite not knowing much about Christ, Capucine continued to pray regularly. One day, she prayed to find a friend or someone who was a Jesus follower to help her grow in her faith. Soon after, Capucine reconnected with a friend whom she hadn't heard from in two years. During the time they hadn’t been in contact, the friend had become a disciple of Jesus and was eager to share about her new life in Christ. The two girls began to talk about their faith together.

“It was truly an answer to my prayers,” she said. “We continued to encourage each other from time to time, sending each other verses. And one day, we started going to a small church right next to where I lived.”

Being part of a community of Jesus followers allowed Capucine to tangibly experience Christ's love.

“I felt truly loved for the first time,” she said. “I saw the love of the brothers and sisters and I thought to myself: why do they love me when they don't even know me?”

Capucine took Bible classes and was baptised at the age of 18. At that point in her life, Capucine went through a difficult time and, due to some disagreements with her family, left home.

“I was welcomed by my pastor, and once again, it showed me how much I was loved by God's family. God really gave me a family,” she shared.

Capucine's pastor previously served with OM and had been a missions worker in Africa. Hearing stories about missions from him and many other people resonated with Capucine: “I really wanted to serve God because He had truly changed my life.”

First experiences in missions

Missions had always been on Capucine's mind as she listened to stories and read books about people living out their faith. She felt that God was calling her to missions work but told herself that she needed more knowledge and experience first.

Capucine had been attending her church for about two years when Paul Dixon, director of OM in France, and his wife Stephanie visited. 

“They gave a presentation about OM and preached about missions. At that moment, it became really clear to me,” she recalled. “I said to myself: this is really for me now. I went to talk to [Paul] and told him I was really interested.”

In September 2024, she joined Immersion R12, a three-month programme that includes Bible studies based on Romans 12, training in evangelism and serving in various ministries — particularly among immigrants.

During one of the outreach days, Capucine met a man from North Africa who was visiting France with his whole family. He told her that he was also a follower of Jesus, but that in his home country, he didn't have a church and had to hide his faith. He encouraged her to continue sharing the love of Jesus with those who might not have had the opportunity to hear about it in their home country.

“It touched me deeply, because I realised what a privilege it is to be here in France and to have the freedom to share the gospel with people from all over the world,” she said.

Capucine also took part in the Voyage Actes 1:8 programme, a week-long mission to mobilise French speakers, which she spent in Belgium.

Reaching the least reached

At the OM office in the Paris region, Capucine coordinates the sending of French people on short-term missions abroad, organises evangelism weeks and travels to Montreuil twice a week with the team to share the love of Jesus with immigrants.

The young woman is also responsible for the Immersion R12 programme, which was in its first year when she participated. Considering it a privilege to serve God at a young age, she would like to see other young people get involved in missions.

For 2026, the plan is to form a second team in Vendée, located in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.

“It's a region where there are very few churches. So, as OM in France, we are committed to reaching the regions least reached by the gospel,” explained Capucine.

She acknowledges that engaging in mission work comes with challenges, particularly in terms of financial support and wisdom in choosing which of the many activities to do. But she remains confident in God's provision for those who serve Him.

“God's plan is always worthwhile and is always better than we can imagine. If God calls someone to do something, it will always be a blessing for that person and for those around them,” she concluded.

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