From the streets of Saint-Lô, Normandy — the “Capital of Ruins” after WWII — comes an extraordinary story of obedience, sacrifice, and God’s unexpected plans. In this on-the-go episode of the SmallCircle Podcast. recorded just minutes before catching a train, Steve and Carrie McCoy sit down with Pastor Mauricio Prunera in a car outside the Saint-Lô train station. Mauricio, originally from El Salvador, shares how he left a thriving youth ministry to follow his French wife sweetheart, Rachel back to her hometown in Normandy. What started as a painful transition filled with cultural shock, language barriers, and loss soon turned into a powerful calling. Through visits to the D-Day beaches, his mother-in-law’s extraordinary 13-year faith, and the moving moment he first led someone to Christ in French, Mauricio realized God had brought him to “liberate Normandy again” — this time with the Gospel.

Today, he pastors Chemin Nouveau (“New Way”), the only evangelical church in a city of 80,000. Pastor Mauricio and his church family welcomed SmallCircle to visit Saint Lô to experience a personalized training in SmallCircle tools. Twenty people responded enthusiastically, marking an exciting new chapter as they begin multiplying an intentional one-to-one discipleship in Normandy.

This episode is a beautiful reminder that God’s purposes often unfold through our hardest “yeses,” and that true love for family and obedience to God’s call can birth something greater than we ever imagined. A story full of God’s grace, resilience, and the power of simple faithfulness. Pray for the church in France and the work of liberating Normandy with the Gospel. 

Click the link below to view our Instagram reel on our trip to Saint Lô, France:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZF6gtao-ak/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Ep. 9

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Hosted by Carrie McCoy, Director of Global Relations | SmallCircle