Approaching the end :)

Hello again! Sorry for the delay in this update. The last two-ish :) weeks have been quite eventful!

Last time I wrote, I was still in England preparing for a family night with the Cunninghams. :) We had a nice time together that night eating, playing UNO, and watching one of my favorite films.

Saturday, we again did a street outreach downtown, and Mr. C was able to make contact with a few people he has been building a relationship with there. I spent a while at home later preparing music for the service the next day. Some close friends of mine from home were also getting married that day, so I also watched Facebook very carefully for any little photo update I could find. :) I had some good time Skyping my mom that day, and then baked a special treat for the C's after dinner--a recipe that Debbie had shared with me earlier in the visit.

Not much to look at, but super yummo :)

I woke up to a very rainy Sunday, but I was excited to go to church. Debbie's chemo continued to be very difficult to deal with, so she was unable to attend that Sunday. I led the music by playing my violin and was able to offer two more special music songs for the people there. My friend Josh from school again recorded an accompaniment for me to sing along to, and I got to sing Dan Forrest's "Lord of the Small" for them. It was a very sweet time with God's Word and His people. I said goodbye to the church people that day after their tea and biscuit time. When we got home, I helped Mrs. C with lunch, and we all took it easy together. We watched another "Essential Virtues" session in the evening and then had other fun family times together.

After cleaning up and packing my things Monday morning, I said my goodbyes to Debbie and Robert. It was very hard to leave Mrs. C knowing how hard everything is going to continue to be in chemo. Mr. C and David drove me to the Manchester airport, and we made it one time without any issues. Again, I was quite sad to leave the Cunninghams but excited to get back to France and help Kristi. She picked me up at the airport, and we got home around 7. Even though the flight itself is only an hour, it had been quite an exhausting day.

Now that I was back with Kristi, our next project was to pack up her apartment. She is leaving on a 5 month furlough a few days after I leave France, and when she comes back, she will be working in a new place of ministry near Paris. She hasn't found an apartment there yet, so for right now, she needed to put all of her belongings in storage. It made packing rather complicated as she had to decide what she needed for furlough, after furlough, and after actually getting a new apartment. Tuesday we packed, and I made some sugar cookies for some neighbors she wanted to say goodbye to. She was also hoping to give their kids one of her "Stories of the Bible" CDs. It was great to be baking yet again!

After braiding Kristi's fringe "curtains" :)

:)

On Tuesday night, we had prayer meeting, and Kristi showed a recent "Dispatches from the Front" DVD about the work of some missionaries she knows in Morocco. The church in Rouen does not have much interaction with missionaries and their work, so it was a very special time for the people! Kristi was hoping it would help in continuing to open their eyes to how God is spreading His Word around the world. 

Wednesday was another day of packing, and I also did some grocery shopping for Kristi and myself. We delivered the cookies to one of the neighbors that Kristi was hoping to see, but the other wasn't home. We had a good conversation with the couple and their little boy though, and were able to give them one of the CDs. In the evening, Kristi held a "goodbye" for a number of her friends in Rouen that are not from church. About 10 people came, and it was all very French. I had a nice full conversation in French with the first lady to arrive, which was encouraging after being away from the language for a few weeks in England.

We all talked and ate together for a few hours. There was one younger person my age there, a college student named Maxime. He and I had a great time talking in French and English! Near the end of the evening, I got to sing a few French songs that I've studied for my major at school, and they loved them. I also sang "The Power of the Cross" in French, and it was very meaningful to get to testify of the Gospel to these people. Please pray for these friends of Kristi's.

You'll never guess what we did Thursday! Packing! :) We also had lunch with one of Kristi's Muslim friends, Miriam. She is Algerian, so she made us some amazing Algerian food. Oh, so good. I got to tell her about where I'm from in PA and about the Amish people. She was very interested to see pictures of them. She then showed me photos of where she's from in Algeria as well as her wedding photos. They were amazing! It is a tradition to wear at least 7 dresses on your wedding day there. She looked like a completely different person in many of the photos! :)

The view out of Miriam's apartment in Rouen

After lunch with Miriam, I went downtown and had tea with a friend of mine, Robert, whom I had met earlier in the summer. Next was more packing and more packing! :)

Speaking of... Friday was the marathon day! Kristi and I packed for about 14 hours straight. She needed to move most of her things into storage on Saturday, so this was our last day. We had a blast though... listened to lots of music, TGC women's conference sessions, Focus on the Family radio theatre of Little Women and Narnia, Adventures in Odyssey, etc. etc. :) I also got to try out making some homemade French vegetable soup that I had learned to make at the camp. Unfortunately, we couldn't blend it and make it smooth because we had already packed most appliances, but it was still very tasty. :) 

Noticing a theme for photos in this post...? 

After the 14 hours............

.............satisfaction and exhaustion

We finished so late on Friday that we decided to stay in the apartment one more night rather than moving to our next location like we had planned. We kept joking about how it was like camping. :) 

I actually did not help with the move on Saturday. Instead I watched three little cuties from church, so that their dad could help with the move. :) Anne Marie, their mom, had to work, so I was the designated babysitter. :) So instead of 14 hours of packing, I had 14 hours of non-stop French with people who basically speak no English. That was a challenge, but very good for me! The girls and I watched cartoons, made bracelets, colored, played games outside, and looked at photos of my family and cats. :) 

Around 6:30, Alexis, their dad, returned from helping Kristi. We all had dinner together around 9. Out of all the families from church, I have connected most with Alexis and Anne Marie. They were at the camp for church elders as well, so we've spent quite a lot of time together. Love them very much. After dinner, Kristi and I headed to the Blanc's house--where we're living for the next week. If you were reading my blog earlier in the summer, this is the house where all the elders and their families came together for lunch on a Sunday in June. Stephane, Carolina, and Ahna are on vacation for two months visiting Caro's family in Columbia, so they offered for us to stay here during this transition. It's a gorgeous home out in the countryside with the Seine being just a few 100 metres from the house, so it's been quite like a resort getting to stay here!

Sunday was kind of a hard day for Kristi and I, as we were both so exhausted, but it was so good to be with God's people at church. I said goodbye to many of my dear friends there. We went to Evelyn's for lunch... an older lady in the church whose daughter and her kids also attend. We had been there before this summer, so it was good to be back! :) I had an interesting experience with the food there. Besides a sort of "pie" main dish made out of crepes and various smoked fish, I also had a very special French delicacy. I don't remember the French name, but it was a paste of duck liver. Thankfully I didn't know what it was when I ate it, or I'm sure I wouldn't have kept it down. Needless to say, I had about one bite. That's the last time I trust Kristi... :)

the fish thing...ehe

 We then went to the apartment to do a quick renovation job that needed to dry before Monday, and then headed home. We both took naps that evening and tried to gather our strength for the next day. :)

Monday was our big painting day. We first shopped for a few things at a Home Depot sort of place downtown and then prepped and painted the kitchen at the apartment. It was another fun time complete with Narnia radio theatre! Here are a few crazy photos we took.

We just loved our protective get-up.

We did a few other odd jobs and also started the cleaning process. One of Kristi's friends from town, Jessica, whom I had met once before, joined us for the cleaning. Around 8:30, we decided to call it quits for the night and go downtown for dinner. Kristi was very gracious to treat us to this special treat! We went to a French restaurant on one of my favorite streets downtown and had a quiet, restful time together. I just loved the ambiance of the restaurant, and it was the perfect little encouragement in the midst of a long week!

Kristi and Jessica

I loved all the art that was for sale on the walls! 

Fondant chocolat avec creme anglaise

Tuesday morning we took a little break from house stuff to work on Kristi's new CD. She is doing another recording of Bible stories for children in French, but this version is more geared toward European French-speakers, rather than African ones. She has to do quite a bit of editing yet with the sound engineer, so we went to his studio to work. It was very interesting to watch them work and give a little input here and there about sound effects. The man doing the work is not a Christian, but he and Kristi had some very interesting conversations about spiritual things that day. 

:)

After grabbing a baguette at a boulangerie for lunch, we headed back to the apartment to finish it off! After cleaning and loading and cleaning and cleaning... we finished! YAAAY! :) Kristi had me celebrate by walking over to the Carrefour grocery store and buying some ice cream as a reward. I found little Ben and Jerry's minis, and they were just the perfect snack for us! :)

Me and the ice cream :) (Kristi is rightly represented in this photo outside of her CLEAN and EMPTY apartment) :) 

We then ran over to prayer meeting and joined in a very heartfelt meeting. It was refreshing to slow down and pray with these dear believers. I again said a few more goodbyes to some of them before we headed home. We further celebrated by watching a little bit of "Up" before bed--Kristi hadn't seen it yet.

And then that brings us to today! :) I was planning to go out with Kristi on her errands today, but we decided it might be better for me to stay home and catch up on a few things like writing this :), school planning, and other details of the return home. 

On Friday we leave for eastern France to do a music conference there. I will be leaving from Paris on the 29th. I so appreciate your prayers as I finish out! Kristi especially needs extra grace during these next few days, as she is also leaving for the States a few days after I do. May the Lord's grace surround you today, and may your joy be found in Him!

Family life with the Cunninghams

Greetings! I've passed another very nice week here in England. :) Where I left off last time, we were just about to have prayer meeting. Last week it was held here at the house. Mr. C shared a short challenge from the Word, we had a good long time of prayer, and we also sang a few songs. It was a joy to get to play my violin for that! Afterwards we had tea and biscuits. The people really enjoyed my violin playing, so I got to play a few pieces for them too as we relaxed.

Friday was a stay at home day, and I got to help with the cooking and hang out with the family. Every Friday, they do a special family night. It was so neat to be a part of that! We played some ping pong, ate, watched a movie, and generally had a great time together. :)

Every Saturday morning, they like to do an outreach in downtown Darwen and hand out Gospel literature. It was a bit rainy when we went, but we still saw many people. Since it's a relatively small town, Mr. C knew quite a few of the people there and had some good conversations with people he already had met. I talked for a while with a man that Mr. C has been discipling. He just became a Christian a year ago and is very thirsty for spiritual things. Pray that God would help him in committing to a local church. For various reasons, he's been unable to commit up to this point, but should be able to be more committed after a few months. Pray that God would continue to open up his heart and grow him.

Where we ministered on Saturday in Darwen

The rest of Saturday was very music-filled. Mrs. C and I spent a few hours working on music for the next day. It was fun to get to put a little bit of my music ed training into practice. We especially worked on internalizing the beat through movement. It was fun. :) Later in the evening, Mrs. C and I had a nice walk together in a park near the house. It was so good to get to talk with one another. She was feeling very good then, and it was hard knowing that the chemo would be coming up again soon.

Sunday was my first time getting to see the building where the church meets! They use a community center in Darwen. We set up quite a bit beforehand which was fun. There are about 9 people in the church right now, and everyone was there this Sunday! I got to take part in all of the music with Mrs. C, and it was so neat to see the people drinking in the music. They sang their hearts out. Sometimes (especially at school) in the USA, it's easy to feel like your gifts can't really be a blessing to people or that they're not good enough. But here I was reminded that the Lord CAN and WILL use your gifts. And for most of the world, even a little bit of skill in music will be a blessing and a help to a church. There are so many needs here in the churches in Europe, and it's been good for me to gain some perspective on things. Pretty sure I will be campaigning for getting involved in European church ministry with all my friends when I get back. :)

Also something neat: I played a violin solo for the church, but I also wanted to sing a special vocal piece for them too. Mrs. C is just starting out on piano, and I certainly have very limited piano skills as well, so neither of us could play or record an accompaniment. However, I was able to ask one of my friends from school in the US, Josh Sparkman, to record the accompaniment and send it to me to sing along to. Within a few hours of me asking, he had sent over the mp3, and we were able to use it in church that Sunday. I just thought it was so neat how we could use technology in that way and have a random American friend also helping us worship that day.

Singing for church

After the service, we had tea and biscuits, and I enjoyed getting to know the church people a bit. Later that night, we had a little family service at the house. Right now they are watching a DVD series of Jim Berg's called "Essential Virtues." I was able to take a bike ride through the park afterwards too, which was wonderful. It felt so good to be active.

Enjoying the ride

A pretty sight along the trail

Monday was Mrs. C's chemo day, so her and Art left early in the morning to go to that. This was another stay at home day for me, so while they were gone, I was able to get some work done for school regarding my books, senior recital, etc. I was very thankful to get to use that time. Mrs. C was obviously very weak and ill after she returned, so we just enjoyed being together and letting her rest. The boys and I watched a film together that night too. 

One plan that Mrs. C and I had sort of devised was for me to take each of the boys out for a day trip this week. It would be a nice way to see some new places and would also help the house be a little quieter for Debbie as she recovered from chemo. Because of the cancer situation, they haven't been able to go on a special trip together this summer as a family, and the boys' birthday is also coming up, so it was also sort of a mini "vacation" for them. I felt so spoiled having my work be "taking the boys on day trips in England," but it honestly has been very good for them. I am very thankful for the opportunity to go with them. 

Anyway, my first trip was with Robert on Tuesday. We decided to go to Manchester for the day. I'm not used to being the only responsible adult ;) in the group, so it was good for me to have to be proactive about figuring out train routes, bus transport, time, money, etc. Yay for being an independent adult. ha Anyway, I made him go to the Manchester Museum, which was largely a natural history museum. SO interesting. I could've spent a week there. It was nestled right in the heart of the University of Manchester. I  think Robert enjoyed it a bit too. ;)

Lovely street in the city

Next we headed to the more "interesting" stop :) ... Old Trafford stadium--home of Manchester United. We took an awesome tour of the stadium as well as the museum there. Robert especially enjoyed being in the dressing room and lounge area of the team. We got to sit in a special spot where the team plans all their plays, etc. Even though I'm not a huge football (soccer if you must) fan or anything, it was still super interesting! 

Representing the BJU soccer team :)

In the dressing room :)

Later we went to Trafford Centre (a massive, massive mall a few miles from the stadium). We got dinner there (my first time having fish and chips), and Rob got Dave a birthday present. After that, we finally headed home. We took a few double decker buses throughout the day, and the front of the top level really is a great way to see a city. Here are a few shots I got: :) 

Wednesday I hung around the house. Mrs. C and I spent quite a lot of time together in her room just talking. She was feeling a bit better in the afternoon, so we watched the movie "Miss Potter" together. I helped with dinner, and then went off on a quick bike ride through the park again. When I got back, Mrs. C and I spent some more time together in her room, and I got to teach her about the music player Spotify, which she was really excited about! :)

Thursday I took Dave on a day trip to the Lake District. I must say, as far as the "European experience" that everyone pictures people having when you come here... this was a day where that really was the reality! It was honestly one of the most gorgeous places I have ever visited. Just indescribable beauty. We didn't know the area we were going very well at all, so we spent quite a bit of time just getting around, but everything was so pretty, that it really wasn't a bother. We had a nice little lunch in the village of Windermere at Cafe Renoirs, and then we took a ferry across the lake over to Beatrix Potter's home, Hill Top House. It was so enchanting! The weather was also perfect--sunny and warm, which doesn't happen all the time here! We were thankful to the Lord for that. We did a bit of hiking around the hills and farms and eventually made our way back to the pier. 

Dave adored his lunch--baked potato, prawns, and a strawberry milkshake ;)

Hill Top House

right outside the house. So gorgeous!!

Waiting for our ferry at the pier

After a long (but beautiful) trip home on the bus and train, we made it back to Darwen, and then walked through the town to the home where the church prayer meeting was that night. The whole church was there :) except for Debbie, who was still not able to come because of the chemo.

Today was another day at home, except some of the Cunningham's neighbors came over to check on Debbie to see how she is doing. They then offered to take me and the boys up to the Darwen Tower (built for Queen Victoria's Jubilee year celebration). We hiked about 2 hours on the moors, and the sights were just gorgeous. We got caught in a thunderstorm near the tower, but thankfully we were able to take shelter until it passed. I really enjoyed getting to talk with the family. They seem to really appreciate the Cunninghams. 

A view from our hike today

Well, tonight is family night again, so I must go help with dinner... :) I appreciate your prayers and love so much! Please pray that the Lord would continue to work mightily in hearts here in England. There are so many needs here for Him and His Word and Gospel. I will also fly back to France this Monday, so I appreciate your prayers for safety in travel!