Some Rules of the French

1. As a woman, don't look a man in the eyes if you do not know him . He thinks you are coming on to him. Unless, of course, he is taking your order for food and he's all smiles and ready to please. I like that.
2. The French are more formal. You should be introduced before talking to someone. (Although I have been approached by 5 people at least, for directions. Maybe they are not French but they are speaking French. I point to the board for them to find their way or tell them I don't know much French.) Even if you speak a little French they think you know a lot and keep going on. I just smile and try to glean what I can.
3. If you smile at someone they know you are an American, unless you are a teen or college student with a group of friends coming on the train. Some people sneak glances, and once in a while, someone will smile at you, be kind and offer you a seat. The trains are relatively silent, people looking everywhere but at each other. That is so sad to me. I've had a man offer me a seat two times and an older woman offer me a seat on the train. She was closer to the seat though and it didn't make sense - but she was being kind. Some of these trains are jam packed. Friday is a big day where everyone is ready to party, though. They come alive.
4. The elderly who are out walking with their groceries and their little carts will not take your help. They are independent!
5. The bus drivers like to take off right after you get on the bus. Only one driver was a great driver, but I've never seen him again. One woman driver was so crazy that an older woman fell down! Many eyebrows raised for that one and mean looks at the bus driver.
6. Try to say Madame or Mademoiselle or Monsieur after saying Bonjour. "Bonjour, Mademoiselle". It's a little more formal and you say it that way if you don't know them very well—like a cashier.
7. "Tout de suite, Madame", said the cashier when my cart du credite didn't work in the machine - meaning go to la banque to get some cash - "in a hurry". They say it so fas the "de" gets lost altogether. Of course, when I returned, my groceries were gone. Then I spent another 15 min. searching, trying to find the customer service area - or "distributor". Finally someone found the red faced Carol, and brought them to her.
8. At the grocery store they have the grocery carts in the parking lot where you put a Euro into it to unlock it. (like Aldi stores) A woman comes up to bring her cart back and I held out my euro to her to see if she wanted that to save time and I would take her cart. Oh, noooo, she must put her own euro back in to return her cart. She told me twice - whatever she said.
9. Fresh baked baguette in the morning. Nothing like it. You go to a Boulangerie - a bread store, or in my case someone at the school brings it in for a Petite Dejeuner (Breakfast). I'm spoiled........................Carol

Life As We Know It

     Doing fine here, pacing myself and learning the lay of the land. For now, I'm working with our French Field directors, on Mondays and Fridays, and the week of Easter to help with a Seder Meal and Easter weekend, also preparing for the prayer conference. The conference is the week of April 9-16th.  All of us have a certain aspect of preparing - getting speakers lined up, the singing team, figuring out which sites we will travel to and who will be cooking when the participants arrive. That week I will be helping the participants get to the prayer sites and doing whatever is needed during that time as well and getting the food ready for lunches for everyone. I have to learn my way around the city, so part of my time is doing just that.
     I watched a team mate's 2 year old,  yesterday morning so they could have a team meeting without interruption. He's such a cute kid and is all boy. You know the type, climbing, dump trucks, hands in the pockets with a rock in one of those pockets as he's surveying the land while we walk. He's confident, curious and adorable.  I went on YouTube with him to watch a few Mickey Mouse cartoons while having a snack. As he was watching Mickey I spent a little time drawing a quick portrait of him to give to mom and dad. That's always fun. Of course I forgot to bring any art materials so had lined paper from a journal and a pencil. That's okay. It satisfies me.
    I will be watching another two little boys one afternoon in a couple of weeks.  The wife is heading to Switzerland for some days to do training on how to teach women to do better in their studies here in France. He will be going down to Musee D' Orsay (an art museum) to teach school age children lessons through Biblical art or pottery. There are many spiritual lessons that can be derived from art. Very cool. That is something we can do with adults or children when we get here full time. It will be great to get to know these children.
    I'm taking the buses and trains everywhere to downtown Paris and around to various teammates homes. I have had to take a few naps and get used to the change. It's still hard for me to wind down. But it's that way when I'm home.
    I'm staying at the French language school in Massy so it's been so wonderful getting to know the students and staff here. Everyone is great. We are supposed to speak French in public places, like the Kitchen area, where we are all cooking and eating. Very interesting to hear and trying to communicate. They give grace on those who have only been doing it for a little while. I'm trying to do as much as I can. Thank goodness for Rosetta Stone as it has helped. People are here not only from the states but Switzerland, Norway, England, Germany, Colombia, Korea, Japan, and Brazil. There may be others I have not met. Most are on their way to a destination that speaks French and others are trying to find out what they want to do and are learning this language.
    I've had fun passing out little gifts to our team for things they do not get here in France - baking powder (go figure), oreos (I heard they are just now getting them but they are expensive), sippie cups for kids with straws, Campbells mushroom soup, Ghiradelli Brownie Mix - some of the French families love them and it's a treat - isn't that funny in the land of chocolate, Kansas City Gates and Sons BBQ sauce - my personal  favorite, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for a family, and I bought a bunch of mascara since it's so expensive over here in France and more. It's been fun passing this stuff around. I had a couple of women donate toward this cause. Thank you my friends! What a blessing it is.
    Russell is doing well and I was glad to hear we gained 250/mo in new support this past week. Go God! Yay! Other lump sum giving came in. Thank you to all of you who are on our team through prayer and through funds. We appreciate your willingness to give of your time and talents, and BIG encouragement. Thank you to our Heart Team and to our coach at World Team who has been there for us in recent days over the holidays and through the dark winter days.
    Russell is staying in  MO with his familly for a week and visiting a church up there sharing our story. Everyone he's been talking to are receptive and very welcoming. We thank God for the many blessings he bestows on us no matter what is happening in our lives. Thanks for being a part of what God is doing................Carol

Musings from a Paris elevator

Hello!
    I can say my time so far in Paris has been walking, buses, trains and some meetings thrown in. I will be taking our conference group with me during that time and showing them the various prayer walking sites during their stay (within 50 km around the Arc d'Triomphe). Some of the sites are that far out. There are approximately 10 sites we will be going to as well as the area where our conference will be held in the city every morning. I'm learning the ropes. The pedometer states approximately 11,000 steps per day are the totals of my wanderings underground and above ground. My teammate, and angel Sister, Jean, said the other day she walked 15,000 steps. Her son got her an Ipod pedometer. Google says 10,000 steps is around 5 miles. Wow! That should get me healthier and since this is my first week I'm very tired when I get back to my dorm room at night. Not good for much of anything but eating, talking, computing and sleeping. I finally had my first full night of sleep.
    Today Jean and I walked to a couple of Hostels downtown, and lots of places in between, to find a place for our conference attendees to lodge when they are here. Both were very nice and the one we picked had easy and close access to many of the sites they needed to get to. This building was built in the 17th Century. That's the 1600s! It had frescos on the walls and marble - just beautiful. Of course my batteries died in my camera, and I'd changed purses. The batteries didn't transfer. Isn't that the way? The hostel itself is only 1 month old so everything in it is new or redone. Just lovely. 29 euros a night including a light breakfast. Adults only but they can be young or old. Sorry no children if you ever want a nice hostel to stay in. www.bvjhotel.com
    We were able to spend time with another one of our teammates, Kim, who came into town to pick up her Marathon number to run tomorrow morning through the streets of Paris. Kim has 2 toddlers. Can you imagine? I prayed for her to run like she was flying on the wings of eagles. She's visualizing that.
    As I was walking through the huge train station to get ready to return back to my home base on the 30 min. train and 10 min bus ride back, I decided I would take an elevator instead of more steps. I got in and an Asian woman about 60 years old got in with me. She realized I was American, with stupid French coming out of my mouth. So she began talking in English and said she wasn't Chinese. I thought that was so funny because I hadn't said anything about her nationality. She said she is Cambodian. I did say my husband and I were going to move to France. She said, "What you and your husband going to do - be missionaries?" I am not kidding. I didn't even say anything. I did respond to her later. She said, "I go to the Trinity church. You come." I looked it up and it's the international church in that arrondisement. Now I ask you, why would she ask if we were missionaries? I said nothing but looked at her and tried to figure out which button to push on the elevator. I'm posing this question. I'm not going to answer because I don't know.
    Help me. What do you think? ...........Carol

Heart of America Christian Writers' Network

     I had the privilege of speaking to the Heart of America Christian Writers' Network last night. I was asked to address the working relationship between writers and artists. There were around thirty of us in attendance.

     Aside from the professional issues discussed, I was given the opportunity to share what Carol and I plan to do in France.
    I had spent time in preparation and had my "speech" typed up, ready to go. After all, I was billed as being a seasoned professional, and felt I needed to say something worthwhile to justify the invitation.
    To start things off each person was asked to share what projects they were working on. As each person stood and introduced themselves, and the projects at hand, they also opened up about issues they were dealing with. It became clear to me that my carefully prepared speech, while accurate and specific to their industry, wasn't what these specific people, at this specific time, need to hear. As a result, after I was introduced, I opened the floor to questions. Don't get me wrong. I needed to be prepared. Even when you decide to shot from the hip, your gun needs to be loaded.
    Instead of hypotheticals, we got down to business. These were thinking people. There was no embarrassing silence, just an hour of constant conversation back and forth. They blessed me with intelligent dialog that ranged far beyond anything I had prepared to say. During that time I was also able to share, as a part of the flow of information, our dream for ministry in France. Two different people came up and asked if they could pray for me; once during the sound check; and once at the end of the evening, after the closing prayer when we were all just chatting. I was relieved to hear, in their comments, and their prayers, that I had been able to give them something.

     Several people expressed an interest in supporting us and/or helping us network in some way.
     One of the things I didn't specifically cover in my talk, was how energizing the working relationship can be to both parties. That was certainly a side benefit I experienced last night. Being in the company of creative people is its own reward. Thank you, Heart of America Christian Writers' Network. -Russell

I'm alive and well in Paris!

     I'm tired, but good, and staying at the French language school in Massy, south of downtown Paris. The grass is green and a few flowers are sprouting up, along side others just planted. That makes it nice. It was in the upper 30s and 40s today, so not much different than home, but it must be a little milder for the grass to be so green.
     I have a dorm room, with a toilette across the hall from me that consists of a toilet. Ha. I have a sink in my room, a twin bed, a desk, wi-fi - yay! and good storage. There is a shared kitchen down the hall, a TV room, an ironing room, laundry room. Reminds me of college but there is a daycare here. I've met 4 people in this dorm. One is from Switzerland - Francesca - my next door neighbor, Becky from Pennsylvania, another girl from London - Joss, and a guy from PA, another girl from China. This is a French school and also a Baptist church so they have church here on Sundays. They also have separate apartments for singles or families and the day care for the little ones is for those who have parents attending the school. Everyone is supposed to speak French in the public areas. I'm not hearing a lot of French. Ha. They are all new students. I have been trying to speak some French today. It's been fun.
    My seat mate on the plane is trying to move to New York from France. Her boyfriend is already there and she is going to do an internship with a Pharmaceutical/marketing firm. Very cute and trying her English out. I thought she was doing a great job. Two beautiful young Morrocan women spoke to me and an elderly French woman as we waited for the plane to leave Philadelphia. The girls were trying to remember their French. They've lived in Ohio for 20 years and couldn't be more than 25. The elderly woman asked if anyone of us spoke French. She was trying to figure out what she was to show the airplane attendants. The girls still have family in Morroco and they were going to have a nice visit in Paris—then head south to Africa where their family live. Many of these Moroccan Muslim families have moved up to Paris. On the bus ride more than half on the bus in Massy were Muslim young men. I am more aware these days. One of them was reading some Arabic - maybe the Qaran, I can't say. Interesting times. Everyone is usually pretty quiet on the buses unless they are with a group of friends, but mostly very quiet. My beautiful black friend, Jean, who is 57 and so much like me - not in looks, obviously, but in spirit, picked me up at the airport. We may be too much for our field director at the same time. Ha.
    We ended up getting a café (coffee) at the Sheritan Hotel above the train station just to use the toilet. Jean and I had never met in person and only talked via email. It was great to finally meet her. Like a pen pal. It was scarey how much we are alike when it comes to cutting up and the way we think—plus our Faith walk. spooky.
    I can barely stay awake because I have only slept an hr. and a half the last 24 hrs. Trying to stay up longer.
    Jean, who is considered a "Midtermer" with World Team (someone who works a few months at a time then comes back to the states to live), grabbed half my luggage, as we lugged it onto the train and buses. Then we walked another 1/2 mile to get our groceries. 300 kinds of cheese. I was in hog heaven.
     I got my exercise in today. I knew this would happen. I probably won't be able to move tomorrow. But this is good. I need it. - Carol

"Hello?"

Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr, an American theologian, wrote, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…" He'd have laughed out loud, watching me run to the bedroom and dive across the bed trying to get to the phone before it stopped ringing this morning. He'd have also understood perfectly what I really wanted to say to the 800 number that was calling. It certainly wasn't the voice I wanted to hear. It wasn't Carol's, letting me know she's alright. You can bet I'll let you know when that call comes. - Russell

In the Middle of the Night

      Our children had us over this evening to celebrate Russell's birthday. It was lots of fun and the grand girls enjoyed the balloons and Jolene rolling around in her hamster ball. Harmony's 1 year old screams of delight towards Jolene were quite amusing. Jolene didn't know what was going on and she kept rolling along.
      Uncle Joe's hair-raising experiments with the girls and the balloons were also a hit as well as showing his bug collection which raised some eyebrows and "Ooh, cool" remarks. Our almost 4 year old Charlotte wasn't too sure of that one big bug that bites. (But Joe explained that they live on the water and they only bite when they are alive.) She was having none of that. Ha.
      The pizza tasted delicious and the ice cream and cake added to the night of fun. But at 1:30 AM the fun returned in that wonderful acidy feeling.
      Since I cannot go back to sleep yet I thought I'd let you know what the latest is on my plans. You may know that we recently got this offer from our French Team to come out to help them work for 3 months in France. They wanted Russell to do various things and for me to help administrate their Prayer Conference since one of their administrators has to come back to the states early. We felt that Russell was needed to stay back here in the States to continue gathering partners and finances to get us to the field permanently. I didn't know if I could be gone 3 months so we finally said, "How about 2?" They were fine with that.
      It was sad to say goodbye to the children and faculty at the 3 schools where I worked. This was my last week to work for PC Kidz, and I was leaving Ronda, the owner of this franchise. She has been great and I appreciate her willingness to work with me so I can go to France to help the teammates over there. We don't always know what lies ahead do we? I would highly recommend this company to anyone who would love their children to learn how to use a computer the proper way. It teaches so many things that will help children do well in school. Contact me if you want to know more.
      My plane leaves this Monday morning in Kansas City and I arrive in France Tuesday morning after a few hour layover in Philadelphia Monday afternoon. I will be there the months of March and April with the conference starting April 9th. I would appreciate prayers for safe travel and that I can be used to the best of my ability to help administrate this in whatever way they need to the glory of God. Pray that Ronda with PCKidz will have her teacher ready to take over for my position soon and that all would go well there. - Carol

Screen Shot

This image flashes on the screen every couple of minutes

First Baptist Church of Raytown's fitness center, called the ROC, has allowed us to display an ad on their video board outside the entrance to the ROC. This exposure is already giving us unprecedented recognition within their church body. The ROC is an amazingly effective way to get out into the community and get the community into the church. Ministry is happening every time I look around this amazing place. Please pray blessings upon the church for it's kindness to us.

Comments Please

I had inadvertently turned off the ability to leave comments. Please feel free to do so.

Une Poule Sur Un Mur

There is a story behind this cute little figurine. Carol and I had a favorite Boulangerie/Patisserie (Bakery/Pastry shop) in Kansas City where we could order something sweet, relax and relive memories of Paris. The last time we were there I bit into the pastry du jour—and found this waiting for me. I was a bit embarrassed to call the shop's attention to it, so I pocketed it with the thought that I'd call the shop later and ask if it was of some sentimental value to anyone. It had obviously found its way into the batter by accident and made it through the fire. Unfortunately the shop didn't, because shortly thereafter it burned to the ground. We lost our getaway but kept this as a reminder of both the shop and our ties to Paris.

     A few days ago, out of curiosity, I finally translated the phrase printed on its base. 

     A HEN ON A WALL.

     What you can't make out in the photo are the faint brick or block patterns behind the lettering. Very strange. Why would anyone go to the trouble of stating the obvious? Does it have some sort of cultural significance? After all the national symbol of France is a rooster. Does it matter? It certainly got my curiosity up. Even with the literal translation, courtesy of Google Translate, I was still clueless.

    Turns out it's a French nursery rhyme:

          Une poule sur un mur (A hen on a wall)

          Qui picote du pain dur (Pecking some dry bread)

          Picoti, picota (Pecky, peckay)

          Lève la queue (Raises her tail)

          Et puis s'en va. (Then goes away.)

     In France there are books (even translated into English); tapes; video games; action figures; and apparently, more of these cute little figurines, all of which are instantly recognizable and in demand by French children. There is even an upscale Parisian restaurant named Une Poule Sur Un Mur.

     We often take for granted the things that we need no explanation for. Our cultural context is a safety net we fall into unawares every day. Even our sense of humor is culturally based. Abbott & Costello's routine "Who's on First", wouldn't be nearly as funny if you'd never heard of baseball. Some of you are even now saying to yourselves, "Abbott & Costello? Who's on first?…" If so google it.

     All of us need to be reminded once in a while that there are things we take for granted. We cannot live without dealing with a certain amount of ambiguity. The question I'd like to pose, and get some feedback on is, "How ambiguous is too ambiguous?" Or stated another way, "Just how heavily do you rely on your cultural framework to maintain productivity and stay sane?"

     In France, we are going to be surrounded by things that look familiar but don't make sense. Please pray that we can navigate through the days filled with ambiguity, removed in large part from our familiar American cultural framework.

One Shovelful at a Time

     The first week of February was off to an amazing start. After months of frustration, here was a week with more than one appointment a day planned! The best record yet in our attempt to raise support.

     We had been praying for a breakthrough, wishing to charge ahead in our attempt to get to France by the end of the year, and here it was.

     Then came the storm of the century.

     Night after night was cancelled. By Friday I was wallowing in self pity and practically shouting at God in my prayers, pouring out my frustration at Him, asking for some indication that He was still involved in the process. Uncertainty is an enemy of the soul and I was nearly beaten senseless by it.

     Saturday morning, I awoke at 4:30, which in and of itself, isn't at all unusual. What made that morning odd was the undeniable prompting to go shovel the rest of the driveway. The missionary residence where First Baptist Church of Raytown is allowing us to live has a really big driveway. We had kept it shoveled through the winter but after this last foot of snow I still had half the driveway to go and there was a couple of feet of snow on that side staring back at me as I walked out at 5:00 a.m.

     As I started shoveling I continued to get the feeling that I wasn't out there by accident. Becky, our appointee coach with World Team, had listened patiently the morning before as I fretted and complained about our apparent lack of progress and my growing impatience with the whole process. A little while later she sent me Psalm 77 in an email. 

               4 You hold my eyelids open; 

               I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

               5 I consider the days of old, 

               the years long ago.

               6 I said,  “Let me remember my song in the night;
               let me meditate in my heart.”
               Then my spirit made a diligent search:

               7 “Will the Lord spurn forever,
               and never again be favorable?

               8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
               Are his promises at an end for all time?

               9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
               Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

               10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
               to the years of the right hand of the Most High.” 

               11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
               yes, I will remember your wonders of old.

               12 I will ponder all your work,
               and meditate on your mighty deeds.

     What was at stake out there in the cold was my faith. Was I going to let my present circumstances and all those cancelled appointments dredge up the criticisms of old detractors, and stir up fears of potential embarrassment—letting them get the better of me—or worse yet, drive a wedge between me and the God I claimed to love and follow unreservedly?

     'Aint gonna happen!

     What ran through my mind with each shovelful of snow was the thought, "How else are we going to get six cars in this driveway?" At that point I didn't know if anyone would be able to come to the French Soirée we had planned for later that evening.

     I had simply come to a crossroads. There was no deal making going on. I wasn't shoveling out of spite, daring God to keep His end of the bargain and fill my driveway with potential supporters eager for a slice of fresh baked apple tart. I just knew I had to go out and clear the driveway. I began to pray for those six cars.

     My faith began to grow (one shovelful at a time). I determined to simply trust in my relationship with God, who had been proven trustworthy over and over from the time of my childhood.

     As it turned out we had a great meeting that afternoon in Topeka and drove home encouraged. Carol and I recalled how, earlier in the week—and in spite of the blizzard, we had made it to a divine appointment with new friends. As we drove I was still praying for six cars in the driveway. 

     You're probably wondering how the evening turned out. And what about the six cars? 

     Does it matter? The only thing that matters is that the next time it snows I know where I put the shovel. -Russell

"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