Optimistic Perseverance and 60 DAYS Left to Leave For France!!

Every person knows what it's like when they are ready to do something and they are stuck in time; no way they can move forward. Maybe it's just standing in a grocery line or there's a predetermined schedule but, No! you aren't going anywhere until this roadblock is moved. Today it's been 10 days since a part was ordered for our 1999 Saab 9-5 wagon. We were supposed to leave for California 2 days ago. This car is only needed another 60 days before we hope to leave for France to work and live. It cannot break down permanently until we get on that plane. I mean it! 

Granted, I'm trusting that everything else will be in place for this big move to this far away country in 60 days but just hang with me and "let's believe" (like getting 2000.00 more in monthly financial commitments to join with us on this journey). All my friends say we are the most optimistic people they know, and persevering. Those two words are synonymous in our book. If you want to have a great life, be optimistic while you persevere. That's our motto. Or mine. I have to keep reminding Russell to switch from pessimistic to optimistic. We've been trying to get to France to work there full time since 2007. Hey, we've had over 6100. per month to raise and we are down to 2K now. It's expensive to live in France with their health insurance and ours combined, taxes, fees, etc. etc. besides our salary and benefits and ministry expenses.

The auto makers decided to create a road block when they chose not to make Saab's any more! Of course we had to have one of those. I thought it was a great deal to buy a used one with a rebuilt engine for 4K in late 2009 to drive across from California to New York by way of Kansas City many times telling people we need money to work for our "non-profit Christian church planting" organization to reside in Paris, France. The car, so far, has cost us about $8,000. which isn't bad considering the miles we've put on it. And it gets 32 mpg on the hwy. The people at the auto repair are telling us it's probably not a good idea to go to California once again and yet we don't have options. So, let's not only believe, let's pray that this car will make it.

Other roadblocks along the way is the "Paris, France" part of the equation. Some of the responses we get when we tell our story is, "You want us to give you money to go to Paris, France? I'd like to go to Paris, France. I tell them that I am working with refugees from North Africa and Turkey and there are a some French Christians over there asking for help and yes we are artists, but it's for a good cause. Come on somebody, anybody?

My dream wasn't to ask God if I could go live in France in my 50s, share the Good news of Jesus Christ and leave my children and 2 beautiful little grand daughters behind. I did manage to win a trip to Paris originally in 2000 and thoroughly enjoyed it but never in my wildest dreams did I think God would call me to go work there. He called my husband too and so there you are. We can't get this monkey off our back and we just want these roadblocks to go away so we can get on with it. Life happens, and time goes by and here we are. Ready for blast off if we could just get the Saab out of the repair shop.

It was 70 degrees yesterday and did I say a snowstorm is coming tonight?

"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."
Hebrews 10:36

King Obama in a Manger and a French Christmas

We hope you are looking forward to a wonderful year. We are. I wanted to share French Christmas traditions and what our team does over the holidays.  I'll get to the Obama manger story soon enough.

     Paris is a place for lights and Christmas is no different with special Christmas lights in historical settings and holiday displays. Christmas markets are all around with ice skating rinks and snow villages. The markets are open from the 3rd week in November until New Year's Eve. Christmas day they all have a day of rest. There is even a Christmas market at Disneyland which is in the far NW corner of Paris west of the Charles de Gaulle airport. The markets are taken from an Alsatian tradition in Germany so there will be Alsation gifts and other creative crafts which are truly unique.

     It's a time of wonderful events to share the Good News to those unfamiliar or for those who love great music, fellowship, sharing the wonderful story of Christ's birth and great food (just like us in America). This is a busy time for our team.

     Parisians are familiar with great music, art and food. Meru, our church plant up north, offered a wonderful concert from a professional Christian singer. Christmas Carols were sung in December one evening at our newly formed Gospel Cafe right across from the Palace of Versailles. Many French are curious how Americans or other expats celebrate Noël. This is the name for "Christmas" in French. Natalis, for noël, means birth in Latin. The more developed church plants have music, share about Jesus' birth and the history surrounding this time, and there's always great food just like we would do at our home churches but with French songs and French food. If someone would come into our home we would share our personal Christmas traditions. They are very interested in that. This would be a time to invite our neighbors. Some of our team is from Australia and Germany besides American and French. Each have unique ways to celebrate the Lord's birth.

     You may see manger scenes and some areas of Europe have craftsmans who've carved figurines of local dignitaries to be part of manger scenes! go figure. In some areas where our team sold manger scenes for a small fee and giving away Bibles the person running the sale in their area said we couldn't have religious objects like Bibles because it was a secular event. Really? They must not have thought a manger scene was a religious object. People were buying them and I know it was annoying for our teammates that they had to take the Bibles off the table. It shows you how secularism has affected many people.  I just read an article that there are even an Obama and Romney Italian carved wooden figurines to put in your manger scene. Now Romney has tears streaming down his face and Obama wears a crown! 

     The church bells do ring on Christmas Eve at midnight and worship services are available at the churches which are still open. Some will come out for these events where they may never enter a church any other time. 

     Also on Christmas Eve, the children leave their shoes by the fireplace (if they have one), to be filled with sweets, fruits, nuts and given small toys by Pére Noël or even may believe the gifts come from the Christ Child (le petit Jesus - pronounced zhayzu). Some gifts are hung on a tree (outside).

     In Paris they have a Three Kings Cake and they may make one for their children. A bean is hidden inside the cake. Whoever finds the bean is the queen or king for a day.

     The Christmas tree has not been very popular and even though the yule log has faded, a chocolate yule log cake called " bûche de noël" is a favorite. I am glad the French love chocolate! We do too. 

     Russell and I celebrated a French Christmas with some of our French friends in Olathe, KS. There are two French couples now who are members of our home church and this is the second year they have invited many French/Francophiles to attend this wonderful event. The bûche de noël was there. Very yummy! They talked about the significance of Christmas and we all get to share in music, stories, food and small gifts for the children. It gave us a time to speak with these folks and many we got to meet 2 years ago came back again.

---Carol