"A Night for France" in our home next week - Feb. 16th

Bonjour!
     We invite you to come to a night of a little cultural fun with French music in the background. Visit the wonderful missionary home supplied to us by First Baptist Church in Raytown, MO. We are having a soirée on Friday, February 16th at 7:00pm.
     Enjoy some fromage (cheese), sparkling juice, a slice of baguette, and taste a délicieux French dessert. Hear, and get the feel for French church planting and how you can get involved.
     Please comment below or call us on our landline, 816-356-3383, or my cell, 785-218-1717, to let us know that you would like to come. What a great "Date" night! Ooh la la! -Carol

Moving In!

Update on our teammates, Erica and Nate: They were able to get an apartment near the language school finally and moved in on Saturday thanks to so many new International friends.  - Carol

Trying to find a place to live in Paris these days...

Here is a post from a couple of our team mates, Erica, Nate with toddler Kaden, who arrived in France on Dec. 28th. Our staff locates apartments ahead of time for new missionaries arriving to help them acclimate quicker. But times have changed. Read on:


     "As of this weekend, we remain without any apartment in sight. We have visited three more since the other fell through on Tuesday, and after submitting all necessary paperwork, all three fell through as well.
     It's given us a bit of a lesson on France's legal system with laws constantly changing and people constantly finding more ways around them. So many laws have been created to protect renters that it has become next to impossible for landlords to kick out tenants if they are not paying their rent. (ie: You can't be kicked out in the winter, because it's too cold. You can't be kicked out if you have kids. And that's just the start.) As a result, landlords have started renting through insurance agencies, letting these agencies decide who the best tenants will be, and then landlords are guaranteed to get their money. The problem is, these insurance agencies seem to have something against foreigners--perhaps because this town has a large immigrant population with a bad track record, or perhaps because they expect foreigners to move on fairly quickly. 
     Add all this up, and it means we can't get into an apartment, even though we can and would pay the rent! We promise! We've unfortunately missed out on some pretty perfect places, too."


On top of that, Erica is 4 months pregnant so in the mean time they are either staying with someone from the team and having to take buses and trains to get to language school that started the first week of January. Our apartments for school are supposed to be within walking distance. Visualize Nate holding Kaden with a 30 lb. backpack on the back and Erica outdistancing them to catch this transportation. Everything in French to get to language school and drop Kaden off to his child care on time. Please pray for Erica and Nate to find housing soon. - Carol

You get what you pray for.

     This morning's Bible study centered around the non-existance of the "sacred/secular divide." In other words, according to the Bible there is no such thing as a "secular" job. When we work, we work for the Lord first—our "boss" second, period. While the motivation for work may be a varied as, "I need to eat." and, "I'm trying to save a third world culture from starvation," the ultimate goal is to bring glory to God in the marketplace—and sow the seeds of the gospel in the process. (When we leave the workplace at the end of the day it should be plowed ground.)
     As I was listening, a thought suddenly occurred to me. In the past, I've often thought how different I am than most people I know. (You can stop snickering now.) Let me explain what I mean. I grew up in a Christian home. I was in church every time the door opened. Growing up, one of my dad's jobs was to clean the church. After high school, I went three years to Evangel College, a private liberal arts college run by the Assemblies of God, before transferring to Truman State University. When I graduated, I started an advertising agency catering to Christian businesses. Most of my career in business has been more of the same, working for Christian ministries, or gathering Christian clients. We've worked in the art departments for Campus Crusade For Christ, Scripture Press, and Moody Bible Institute. I do have secular clients but one of my biggest clients over the last decade has been the Nazarene Publishing House, for whom I design elementary children's curriculum. I've had to purposefully go out of my way to rub shoulders with non-Christians.
     That has often concerned me enough to ask God to give me opportunities to witness to my faith in Him, and as I listened to the lively banter back and forth between the teacher and the class this morning, I realized that where Carol and I are heading we may be the only Christians in sight. Some of the people we will rub shoulders with in Paris have never met a Christian, ever. And, that, once again, God has snuck one in on me. I will have nothing but opportunity to meet; work with; and minister to non-Christians.
     Of course, I will be surrounded by the rest of our team of missionary church-planters, but my focus will have changed. It sheds a whole new light on the "sacred/secular divide" for me. -Russell

1974

A friend of mine told me the cover I illustrated for my 1974 Blue Springs High School Yearbook was posted online. Here it is. It was drawn from a picture of me leaning against the flagpole out in front of the school. Saddle Oxfords—can you believe it? (I was considerably thinner then.) —Russell

Off to School

This is not your typical off-to-school photo. I snapped this picture of Carol this morning just before she drove off to her new part-time job with PC Kidz, teaching preschoolers how to use the computer. My keyboard isn't nearly as cool as the one she gets to use. She works a couple of mornings a week. This is a real answer to prayer because BARRgraphics hasn't generated much income for the last three months.

For the New Year

     Carol and I want to wish all of you a year filled with blessing and a renewed sense of God's presence in your life. - Russell

Night in Bethlehem Pics

Here are a few pictures of me getting to do what I love to do. And I got to talk about the Lord in the process, which was the point. I really enjoyed being a part of Independence First Assembly of God's first annual "Night in Bethelehem". In spite of the frigid weather it was a great effort to get the reason for the season presented to the community there.

Pageant Pictures

Carol and I helped to paint the new sections of backdrop shown in these scenes. It was a privilege to be a part of First Baptist Church of Raytown's production of "I Need a Silent Night". It was amazing! 
Russell