Has it really been a year since our last post? Our slogan should read - "Where are you and where did you go?" Instead, our school slogan reads: "Where are you and where do you WANT to go?"
A year ago in April we had already completed our France winter retreat/workshop in Normandy. Four Women from one of our team churches in Riverside, CA had come a long way to put on a great program for all our children while our team, at that time, consisted of 35 adults from around Paris who could bond, enjoy the winter beach (with kids) and work through some training.
Elizabeth had arrived by then via North Carolina, and she and I had been tag teaching together. My load had been lightened and we worked really well together. Her stint with us was almost a year and we were sad to see her go in December. Waa!
The UPside to living far away from our children and grandchildren is our thankfulness to the company that invented SKYPE. Our daughter, Emily, and I have enjoyed exercising together once or twice a week while we share a screen on Skype or watching a movie. The rest of the family, while Skyping, may be drinking something or eating while talking. We could be watching the "petite filles" dance around the house, read us a book or whatever while dad or mom are off doing something else. New baby Ruby arrived last May and we get video updates with all her new tricks from daddy James and mommy Rebekah. Today she ate biscuits and gravy for the first time.
Also in May I was stretched and challenged as I prepared to be the guest
speaker at a women's retreat in the Netherlands. This was a very
exciting weekend, meeting with women from around the world, including a Syrian refugee, and sharing
"We are God's Masterpiece". My friend, Jessica, who lives in Maastricht,
and I want to bring this retreat to the women in France.
Our 2 year mid-term assignment with Worldteam had finalized January 2015 and we headed back to the states once school was over in June. Worldteam had us do a "home assignment" to meet at headquarters not far from Philadelphia to give them updates on our work here in France. Then we traveled from one coast to the other letting everyone know the "goings on" and future plans. This extended to August where we rushed back to get ready for the new year starting in September 2015.
We added a weekly women's Bible discussion group last September and now 8 women are participating. Pretty exciting. The women have been inviting others and those who would like to attend, but that time/day won't work, have caused me to consider adding another day in the fall. Russell is working with 2 of our men on staff in mentoring and encouragement. I am mentoring a teammate who works in Spain. R has been focusing on French in the mornings as Sylvie is giving him assignments and encouraging him to speak more. We are on the communication team at our church with Baptiste and Sylvie and to be a sounding board for him as we work out the Magny church's programming.
We helped gather shoes and blankets for the men at the refugee camp in
Calais. Some of our M team went down to Calais and also gave out
Bluetooths so the people with cell phones (many of them) could watch the 'Jesus' film in
their own language or read the Bible in their language. The people
really appreciated that.
In between our work we've had multiple trips back to the states from July to February. R's dear stepmother, Pauline, passed away at 98 years old in October. Gail, my cousin, with whom I've been her executor, POA and trustee since 2009, had been really ill for 2 months and at Christmas we were able to be with her in the hospital for 10 days. This gave me an opportunity to get her set up into hospice before travelin back. She passed away on R's birthday, February 23rd. He was heading to the states to speak at a missions conference at First Baptist Raytown, MO that day when I got the call. 2 days later I flew out. Needless to say, we are 'tripped out' and don't plan on traveling for awhile.
November 8-13th we had to be in Italy for a workshop with others from the European team who had been on the field less than 3 years. "How are we assimilating into the culture?" And got helps on the things we hadn't learned yet but needed to know. At the end of this training and assessment we woke up the next Saturday morning to calls from our kids and being bombarded on Facebook from a 100 people wondering if we were there, are we okay? A couple from our team had been to the soccer game where one of the bombs exploded but had left earlier. Another had just been to the Bataclan the week or so before. One young man died whose family has a house nearby. His girlfriend was shot multiple times but still lived. One of my adult students who is a high school PE teacher told me that one of the girl's at her school was invited by a friend to attend the concert in Paris at the Batalan Theater. She didn't feel well so she didn't go. Her friend died that night. Even though we live over an hour away from these events it still touched our lives in some way. Our friends think this is the beginning of things that will escalate and some have fears. We shared the words of Jesus, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
2016 - a new year and new dreams of where we've been this year so far and where we want to go. Next Post - Joyeux printemp!!
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