Well, maybe not the very last letter ever, but this will be our last official prayer letter that we send out as missionary workers with One Collective. We’ve had the privilege of sending out these letters to our faithful prayer partners for 43 years. Whew.

But as of December 31, 2025 we will no longer be employees with One Collective. That feels big. And as a gal who likes to write, I have so much I want to say to you. But in the end, I think it can be summed up in one word: MERCI!

MERCI

Merci, Lord Jesus, for Your saving grace, for giving us a desire to leave our home country to share Your love and grace in France. Merci for the way You have provided and kept us during all these years. We have story after story of Your great care and our joy at watching You at work first in our lives and then in the lives of so many others.

And then Merci to YOU, our dear prayer partners, for investing in our lives, many of you for decades. As we have said throughout those decades, your prayers to our mighty God on our behalf are what has allowed us to continue our ministries throughout all the ups and downs, challenges, heartaches, joys, and victories of these years.

Paul’s Reflections:

We’re nearing a finish line, and it’s now in sight! This is an exciting time to be tying up loose ends, to seek to listen even more intentionally to God’s leading, to dream about next steps and yet to stay in the present!  We’ve asked many friends to pray for us during this time of transition, and are confident God will speak into our story in ways that enable us to continue serving Him, even if it looks different ‘on the other side of work’. You perhaps noticed I wrote “A finish line” and did not say “THE finish line”… That one awaits us some unknown day in the future, when we’ll stand before the Lord face to face! This one is more like finishing a chapter in a good mystery novel. You want to keep going to see what’s next!😁

This fall we’re continuing our work with One Collective, facilitating transitions, encouraging our teammates as they pick up our load, and making ourselves available to the organization in whatever ways we can be useful.

Special Visits

These past months have provided us with extra opportunities to connect in meaningful ways with family, supporters, teammates and friends on both sides of the Atlantic. In July we had the joy of bringing our three oldest grandkids back to France with us, spending three days in Paris before heading to Lyon where Andrew, Lacy and the two little girls joined us for two weeks.

August 31 was our 40th anniversary, and we invited about 60 friends to stop by our house on a sunny Sunday afternoon to celebrate with us.  It was precious to see friends come together, to hear their encouraging words, to celebrate God’s faithfulness over the years!

The Global Member Care Team

September gave us the long-awaited opportunity to gather with our Member Care team at a large Air BnB in the quaint little town of Nashville, IN. This 4 day retreat had been 18 months in the making, since we live all over the place and it’s challenging to coordinate all our schedules. Only one member couldn’t make it, and the rest of us dove into sharing our lives together through walks, meals, meetings and trainings, and especially standing around the large kitchen during any free time we had! Watching this team’s cohesiveness and commitment to caring for workers (and one another) was really encouraging and rewarding. We see again that we’re stepping back from a group that’s very healthy and engaged with the Lord. What a blessing God allowed us to enjoy!

The Future

Although our work as employees with One Collective is ending, our experience in overseas work and in providing pastoral care for global workers will enable us to offer periodic volunteer help in the future with One Collective.

But for a good part of 2026, our priority will be to step away from previous commitments, take a deep breath and REST. We know our physical bodies are tired. We also think our souls could use some rest, some unhurried time to wait on the Lord, listen to Him, and discern His direction for the next season. He has been faithful to guide us through the past many years. We have no doubt He will lead us into exciting new opportunities IF we take the time to seek Him first BEFORE dashing ahead into the ‘next thing’.

We greatly value your prayers that we will finish well at the end of the year and indeed guard this time in 2026 to make space to debrief these many years of ministry, seek wisdom from wise counselors, and listen to the Lord.

Before this can happen for me, Elizabeth, I have a novel to complete. No, I am not retiring from my writing ministry. I would also value your prayers for space in my head (and on the computer) to finish this story due at the end of March, 2026. If you would like to receive bi-monthly updates about my writing life, you can join that mailing list here.

In Case You Have a Few Questions:

<> Does this mean you’re done in France?

• Absolutely not! We still consider France as a home, and intend to continue dividing our time between the two countries, occupying ourselves as God leads us.

<> So, how will you spend your time abroad?

• That’s part of the reason for a period of discernment… We know we’ll continue to invest in the community of believers around us, but if God has anything else in particular for us – we trust He’ll open that door in due time.

<> What about financial support during the transition?

• Those of you who are financial partners with us will receive further information in the coming weeks.

<> When will you make that final decision about relocating full time back to the States?

• We’re confident God will make that clear to us in His perfect timing

<> Are you finished with mission work?

• One Collective will welcome us to do some volunteer work down the road, but we have no details at this time. While it will no longer be our employment, we trust God will continue to use the gifts He’s given us whether at home or abroad.

<> How can we keep in contact with you and will you send any more updates? You said this was your last letter (sort of)?

• We will be sending out our annual New Year’s Letter in January, 2026, and in it we will include our new email addresses. In the future we will occasionally send an update on our lives along with a few prayer requests. And we would love to hear from you and receive your Christmas cards if you send one out. Our home address is below.

KEPT

We were honored to be featured on One Collective’s website with an article highlighting the lessons we’ve learned from our years on the mission field. You can read that article here.

Across the Years

And what would a letter from us be like without a few parting photos from our years of ministry with One Collective?

These two verses have been a source of guidance and encouragement for us throughout these years.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know. In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them and rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do and I will not leave them undone.” Isaiah 42:16

Much love to you all and once again, MERCI! And may you have a lovely Thanksgiving celebration.

Elizabeth and Paul

P.S. Here’s a Christmas essay I’ve written called The Angel of Lost Things.

Paul and Elizabeth Musser, 80 S. Victor Drive, Flintstone, GA 30725