From Rouen to Paris to Larodde... a week full of changes :)

Greetings from the mountains of Auvernge! :) What a crazy week this has been.

When I last posted, I was still in Rouen with Kristi. So much has happened since then, that I'm actually having trouble remembering all of what I did early on last week. :) Well, I continued in my last week of classes at the Alliance Francaise. The teacher I had last week was the best by far, and I learned so much from him.

On Tuesday, Kristi and I went on some errands and decided to visit the ruins of castle from the 11th century... You know just the everyday stuff. ;) Seriously though, it was very cool. It is the castle of Robert le Diable, and it's been built, demolished, and rebuilt many times. It's currently under renovation yet again.


Chateau de Robert le Diable

Afterwards we went to the prayer meeting and Bible study at church. I took part a little bit more during the prayer time. It was very bittersweet knowing it would be my last time at the church for a while. 

On Wednesday and Thursday, I continued to take care of details at home as well as spend some time with my friends from school. We had lunch together on Thursday right near the school. On Wednesday, Kristi and I got our hair cut which was really fun. Mine doesn't look too much different, but the stylist had fun with it after she cut it. Here's a photo...  

 



Later that day we visited a young lady from church and had some time to talk with her about spiritual things. She is a believer and has been in the church for many years, but she has much going against her in her life right now. Please pray for her faith to grow stronger and stronger.

 

On Thursday I learned some new cooking skills with Kristi :) and also said goodbye to a good friend from church, Sophie. She will be returning to her home in another part of France soon, so we won't be seeing each other again during the trip. After dinner, Kristi and I spent a while recording songs for a CD she is making for the children of her church. I sang children's songs in French while she accompanied me. So fun!

 

Friday was my last day of French class. It was so sad saying goodbye to my friends there. We have already been staying in touch since then though, so I am thankful for that.

 

 

After class on Friday, it was time to say goodbye to Rouen for now. :( Kristi and I drove to Paris that afternoon to meet the BJU Musical Mission team at the Bixby's home. It was SO good to get to see so many of my friends from school! Kristi and I parted ways that night, and I stayed with another wonderful missionary family, the Coles, in Paris for the weekend. I toured Paris with the team on Saturday, and then they had a concert that evening. The next day we worshipped at the church in St. Denis (on the edge of Paris), and one of my friends from school preached the message. We stayed and fellowshipped with the church that afternoon, and then the team had another concert that evening. The weekend with the team was truly wonderful. It was like a time to recharge and be encouraged in the middle of the trip.

 

On Monday, the next leg of my adventure began--working at Camp Arc-en-Ciel for three weeks. I had to take a train out of Luzarches (where I was staying with the Coles) into the center of Paris and catch the metro to the Paris Austerlitz station where I would meet up with some French friends and take another train to Ussel. While carrying all of my stuff on my back. Whew. :) I am so thankful that the Lord helped me through the transportation I had to do by myself. Asking questions in French (and English) is always a good thing. I left about 7 in the morning and finally arrived at the camp around 4 or 5. It was quite a long day.

 

The camp is run by Tim and Elisabeth Knickerbocker, and it is located in the tiny village of Larodde in the mountains. Going from a city of 500,000 to a village of 50 has been quite a change, but it's really lovely here. The camp has much renovation work to be done, so the living conditions are a little different than in Rouen. For instance, there are no sinks in the restrooms yet, so if I want to wash my hands, I have to go down 6 flights of stairs do so. :) It's really quite fun, but just very different than I am used to. I've enjoyed the challenge of having to be creative in order to get certain things done. It's also been very cold and rainy here, even more so than Rouen, and I've been wearing sweatshirts and long pants. That's been different too. :)

 

One of my friends from school, Jessica Bowers, is here, and we are currently sharing a room. Here's the view out the window: :) 

 

 

Right now it looks like I will primarily be working in the kitchen. I already love it! :) I will also do cabin inspections with a French girl, Lynn, who is working with me in the kitchen. Here are a few food photos. First one is a beautiful beet salad, next some amazing French cheeses, and last are our wonderful cupcakes that we made this evening. :)

 

Every night there is also a service that I get to go to where there is much singing and then a message given by Tim. I'm starting to learn more French little by little and am especially understanding it more when other speak. Listening to Tim's messages has been a real blessing. I can finally follow pretty decently without a translator, and the messages themselves have been a real encouragement spiritually.

 

There is so much more that I could say about the camp, but I shall have to wrap up for now. I must be up early tomorrow for making breakfast! :) Thank you for your continued prayers. Overall, I found myself getting more discouraged this last week, and I really need God's grace to keep running to Him and His Word during those times. Please pray that I would make good use of the time I have here at the camp to be a help to the Knickerbockers and the campers, and that He would also refresh my heart with His Word while I'm here.

 

Bonne nuit!



 

  





 

 

A more restful week full of French cultural immersion :)

Greetings from Normandie!

This last week was a little less busy as far as running around goes. :) I was able to spend quite a bit of time at home at the apartment getting caught up on little details like correspondence, finances, rest :), etc.

I also was able to spend a lot of quality time with my friends from the Alliance Francaise. We went to the Jardin des Plantes de Rouen on Tuesday and to the Musee des Beaux Arts de Rouen on Wednesday. It was just wonderful getting to talk and spend time to together and see so many beautiful things. I loved the religious art at the museum as well as the impressionistic art.

Mariana and I at the jardin

They're so great :) 

One of my favorite Monet paintings at the museum

I am continuing to get to know people from the church in Rouen. On Tuesday, I was able to attend their prayer meeting and Bible study again. Kristi also had two young ladies over on Thursday--one goes to the church and the other does not. We had a very nice dinner and some great conversations.

I also finished out my 3rd week of French classes. Unfortunately, my experience this week was not as good. We were given another new teacher, and the way she taught the class was not very helpful for learning. I was still able to learn some from her, but I am very thankful that this week we have gotten a different teacher. He is just superb, and I am trying to soak in as much information as possible this last week!

This past Friday Kristi was planning to get together with some ladies from church, but those plans fell through, and we suddenly had the evening free. Two hours before it started, Kristi was able to find an amazing classical concert being performed in the Abbatiale Saint Ouen by orchestra and some organ as well--works by Part, Beethoven, Poulenc, and others. It was one of the most moving and excellent concerts I have ever been to! What a treat.

End of the concert on Friday

Saturday, Kristi had a special meeting with the teachers involved in the children's ministry at the church, and I was the designated babysitter. I also got to know a few of the young people from the church better that day. Trying to explain how to play UNO in French to an 11-year-old boy was a highlight. :) 

On Sunday, I enjoyed another Sunday of worship at the church. Stephane preached a wonderful message on doubt. He compared the stories of Abraham and Sarah in the OT with how they are spoken of in Romans and Hebrews in the NT. He helped us to see how there isn't a contradiction between what we see in both places testaments, and how it actually shows forth God's great grace and omniscient perspective. In the afternoon all four of the elders of the church and their families got together at Stephane and Carolina's house for lunch with Kristi and I. This was very special and a very French experience. :) We left the lunch table around 5:30 or 6. That night, Stephane had to go to Paris, so Carolina and Anah came over to our apartment for a sort of spur-of-the-moment slumber party. We didn't want her to have to stay in an empty house. :)

Our full table--such dear brothers and sisters!

Kristi with some of her buddies :)

Our hosts Stephane and Carolina with their beautiful Anah

On Monday, we also had some friends from the Alliance Francaise over again for lunch. That was again a special privilege! 

This next week involves a lot of last little details before I head off to work at Camp Arc-en-Ciel in Larodde next Monday! Many thanks for your continued prayers.

International lunch, going visiting, babysitting, and the Louvre :)

Well, another week has come and gone. This one really flew by as Kristi kept us very busy! :)

I continued in French classes daily, and praise the Lord-- on Tuesday I was placed in a different class that is MUCH better suited to my level! I am really enjoying classes now, and the homework is much more manageable. I also went to the doctor on Tuesday (another fun cultural experience!) and got some meds. Thankfully I was fully recovered by about Friday or so.

On Tuesday we enjoyed another prayer meeting at the church in Rouen. They had a very lively discussion about I Corinthians 8.

On Wednesday, I had 3 of my best friends from Alliance Francaise over for lunch. We had a splendid time talking together! We hope to get to do it again one more time before we finish classes.

Lining up from West to East according to where we are from: Mexico, U.S.A., France, Germany, Africa, and Australia

Later that day, Kristi, Steph, and I went and visited a family that has been visiting the church. About a month ago, their 18 yr-old daughter was murdered. It was heartbreaking to be there with them and see the photos of her, but it was special to get to be an encouragement to them and get to know the family. 

Stephanie and I also packaged up some CDs that Kristi produced... they are narrations of Bible stories in French for children. She gives them out here in France and has distributed many in French-speaking African countries. A group is taking a large amount of CDs to Madagascar soon, and Stephanie and I packaged a few hundred of them. We watched the movie "Little Women" as we were packaging, so that was a fun break.

On Thursday, Stephanie and I went over to Stephane and Carolina's house for the afternoon and evening. Stephane is an elder in the church. They also have the cutest baby girl, Anah. :) We spent a few hours helping Carolina with a project she was working on for church, and then after Stephane came home, we went on a walk around their neighborhood for and hour and a half. They live outside of Rouen more in the countryside, and we saw some of the most beautiful countryside we've seen here yet. 

Little Anah 

On Friday, after French class, Stephanie and I again went to Stephane and Carolina's and babysat Anah so that they could have a date together. We had a wonderful time! We slept over at their beautiful home, and the next day Kristi picked us up to go to Paris for the day.

Kristi spent a lot of the day apartment-hunting, and Stephanie and I went off on our own little adventure. It was fun taking the metro around everyone and having to navigate the city on our own. I pulled out as much French as I could muster. :) This was Stephanie's last weekend, so it was kind of a last celebration for her. She really wanted to see the Louvre, so we went there for about 4 hours. We also got to visit Montmartre and hear many, many musicians perform around the city, as it was the national annual Fete de la Musique that day.

At Le Louvre 

On Sunday, we enjoyed another day at the church in Rouen. Stephanie played piano during the offering, and Kristi and I sang a duet of "Power of the Cross" in French. I also got to help Carolina in children's church. After church we had lunch with a wonderful family from church in their home and enjoyed building relationships with them. One of the young men in the family who is 18 was just baptized a few weeks ago, so that was exciting!

Today, Stephanie headed home to the U.S., and Kristi and I are already missing her very much! In the coming week, please pray for me that I would be very intentional about my time with the Lord each day, and that He would give me wisdom about how to follow His path day by day here! Kristi also has some important decisions to make in the coming weeks, so be praying for clear wisdom for her as well.

Starting French class, getting sick, going to church, giving a concert, and other such things :)

This last week I started French classes at the Alliance Francais in Rouen. I take class for 3 hours every weekday morning. I have enjoyed it very much, but it has proven to be quite a challenge. I expected there to be some learning curve, but it seems I've been placed in a level that is much higher than where I should be right now. Kristi described it to me as basically that I've been placed in 3rd grade when I should be in kindergarten. :) I have studied a small bit of French, so I didn't need to be placed in a beginner's class. They advertise a new level 1 class starting every Monday, but it seems that they are short on teachers. Therefore, a few of us that are just starting out are in a class that's been meeting for 3-4 weeks already. There does not seem to be a very good solution except to take what I can from class and go over the homework extensively with Kristi. (Pray for her!)  :) Seriously though, we would both appreciate your prayers. I want to learn as much as possible, but it is difficult without a lot of explanation from Kristi.

I have had the opportunity to meet many wonderful friends at the class as well. My class currently has students from Japan, Australia, Germany, Mexico, and the United States, all of different ages and learning the language for various purposes. My German friend and Kristi, Stephanie, and I were able to go to a special event downtown on Friday night. It was called the Cathedrale Lumiere, and it was a huge multimedia presentation that was projected on the side of the Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Rouen. (Monet painted this cathedral numerous time in all seasons and weather.) It was spectacular! Three of my friends are coming over for lunch at the apartment on Wednesday, so I'm excited about that!

A moment of the Cathedrale Lumiere :)

I also became sick starting last Tuesday. It's just a cold, but it's really been sucking the strength out of me and slowing me down. I can't seem to beat it, so please pray that God would bring healing so that I can serve at full strength!

This week we were able to go to the church for prayer meeting and the morning service on Sunday. It's SO wonderful being at the church and getting to know the believers there! :) We were able to scope out what work needs to be done at the church with cleaning, organizing, etc., so all three of us are excited to get started on that this week. On Sunday, Stephanie and I got to share our testimonies in front of the church and offer some special music. We also took a lovely trip to the seaside in the afternoon with a deaf man from the church. One of my favorite sight-seeing trips so far for sure!

Today we did a classical concert in the nursing home in Kristi's neighborhood. It's been a long time since I enjoyed making music that much! I sang 5 songs in French that I have studied for my vocal work at college, played 3 folk-type violin pieces, and Stephanie and Kristi played a number of piano pieces. :) We ended with a sing-a-long of "La Vie en Rose," which was a popular song of the residents' youth.The people there seemed to really love the program. Afterwards we met so many dear people. One 94-year-
old man said it was the most beautiful concert he had ever been to, and that he only teared up in one song: "La Vie en Rose" because he had been married for 60 years and only recently lost his wife. So special. Another lady that sat in the front row was a musician herself. Her husband had played clarinet in the symphony of Rouen, and she had studied voice in a conservatory. She particularly liked my "Que-fais tu blanche tourterelle?" opera piece because she had studied it in her day. She said she thought it was very well done... very smooth, and that she was singing along to it as I sang. :) Please pray as Kristi has continuing opportunities to do concerts there that she would be able to build good relationships with the people there. I hope to do another concert with her there before I leave!

Well, this is about long enough, I think. I applaud anyone reading this for making it this far. :)

Loving the seaside :)

Weekend in Paris

Well, this weekend has been extremely full. After my luggage arrived on Friday, we drove to Paris and met a number of Kristi's friends from the church at various places throughout the city. We were able to see the Arc de Triomphe and meet Alice, a young lady that Stephanie would be staying with. Later that night Kristi and I went to the prayer meeting at the church. It was very special. They prayed all together on their knees for about an hour or so. That was a great first introduction to the church. Later I got settled in with the family I was staying with from church. They live about 20 minutes from Poissy, which is the part of Paris where the church is located.

Saturday was our main touring day. Among many things, we visited the Jardin de Luxembourg, Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower. We also met more of Kristi's Christian friends. It was a wonderful day. At 8 pm, we got to the church for the first session of the music conference. There were about 30-40 people there at any given session. This church is unique in that, since it is so close to Paris, many of the members are extremely well-educated. It was overwhelming to hear of the many jobs that the men and women have--engineers, scientists, professors, etc. One of the church members taught the first sessions on the importance and purpose of congregational singing in the church. From what I could tell, it was very good. :)

Sunday was a full day of ministry. We got there at 10 and left at 10. :) The morning worship service was great... started with a long time of spontaneous requests for different hymns interspersed with spontaneous prayer and readings. We then took the Lord's Supper. After that, I left to go help with children's church by playing my violin. We only had one child that day, but he was very attentive. :) After the message was given in the worship service, we took a break for lunch. The rest of the day was filled with four other sessions concerning music in the church and with learning new music for use in worship. Kristi taught one and Stephanie and I helped here and there with playing/singing examples. We also did some special music. Before dinner, a few of the young people went on a walk to the Seine River, so Stephanie and I joined them. Learned much that day. We also really got to talk with the church people and get to know them. 

On  Monday we ended the conference with one last teaching session that Kristi did as well as another session of learning new songs. Ended with a wonderful lunch. It was sad to say goodbye to those dear people, but I'm hoping to see at least some of them again before leaving.

We stopped by Poissy Cathedral on our way out of Paris. It was massive and gorgeous. We are now home and catching up on everything. 

This weekend was so, so good. Most of our time was invested in getting to know the church people, and it was such a privilege.

Luggage has arrived!

That's basically all that needs to be said. :) I am so thankful that it came before we needed to leave for Paris! Headed out now for a weekend of doing a music conference as well as touring.

Thank you for praying!

Adjusting

Thank you for your prayers.

The last few days we've taken it easy as we've adjusted to the time change and other differences. Yesterday Stephanie and I caught up on a lot of sleep (though I shall not disclose exactly how late we slept in to...) :) . Kristi taught a piano lesson to a Nigerian boy from church. It was wonderful to meet him, his sister, and his dad. He had met Dad and Dan on their trip a number of years ago, so that was neat. Later in the evening we went grocery shopping with Kristi and helped her make crepes. One of her church friends Sophie came over for a bit, and we enjoyed getting to know her. 

Today we went to downtown Rouen, and I signed up for 4 weeks of French classes. The placement test was very interesting. I came out a very humbled American. ;) I am very much looking forward to learning there though. I will be taking classes every weekday morning from 10-1 starting next Tuesday. 

This afternoon we had the privilege of meeting more friends from Kristi's church. We had lunch together in Kristi's apartment and again enjoyed conversation with them. We also worked on a recording that Kristi is making of French Christian children's songs. I was able to sing along with a few of them, which was really special! They were very sweet, enthusiastic believers, and it was a joy to fellowship with them and sing together. 

We've run a number of other errands and are preparing for a weekend in Paris doing a music conference in a church in Paris. Stephanie and I are preparing special music numbers, and Kristi is hard at work preparing for her teaching.

My luggage is also set to arrive tomorrow (!!!), so I am very excited about that. It is set to come between 8:30-1, so please pray that it comes on the earlier end of things, so we can start our trek to Paris. 

Bonsoir! :)