I love Camp Arc-en-Ciel and the children therein ;)

Hello from the mountains once again! :)

This week has been quite wonderful. I continued to work in the kitchen during the junior and teen camp and thoroughly enjoyed it. I also continued with the daily chalet inspections. It is a two week camp, and we finished this past Monday. A man from Jessica's church in AL also joined us starting this week. He is here for a month to do renovations and repairs around the camp. It's been a joy getting to know him and have another American here! :)

Again, the days sort of all run together here, but I shall try to recount as much as possible. :) On Thursday, I did the usual activities, but I had some free time in the afternoon, so I went across the street from the main camp building to see the inside of the local Catholic church. It is open daily but only used for mass about twice a year. The building is about 8 or 900 years old (!). So basically, there's this amazing, gorgeous historical building that is empty all day, every day. And since the weather had been hot, and there is really no AC here, it was a cool place to hang out. :) I went in and explored, and then settled and read a bit and caught up on journaling the details of the trip--something I really want to be doing! Here's a little of what it looks like inside:

So amazing!

Check out the stained glass. And no one is ever here!

Friday was a special day at camp. They had this fun game that they set up the night before... basically called "Monkey and Peanuts." Everyone in the camp was given a name of another person there, including the personnel of the camp. You didn't reveal the name that you received, but for the entire following day, it was your job as a monkey to give "peanuts" to your monkey. :) Basically it was a way to get the campers thinking about people other than themselves. Some typical peanuts: a bouquet of flowers, some chocolate, a hand-made bracelet, sweet notes with verses on them or kind words about the person and anything else you could find. You could also have your monkey get an extra dessert at lunch, or have their snack in the middle of the day paid for, etc. It was really neat to see everyone getting creative.

One of the peanuts I gave. :) Some souvenirs from America!

In the evening on Friday, we had a big banquet for the whole camp. The campers spent the whole afternoon preparing for it. Some were assigned to music, some for preparing skits, others helped serve the meal itself, others made decorations... it was so wonderful! The theme was "futuristic," so there were a lot of interesting elements. We all dressed up in whatever we could find that we thought would look futuristic yet still dressy for the dinner. I decided to wear a ton of the jewelry that I brought, so I wore four necklaces and two pairs of earrings, plus a whole lot of gold eye shadow. ;) (Oh, and side note: some inspectors came and found things in the main building that were not up to par with electric requirements and such, so we had not not allow the kids inside it any more. So basically we lost the use of our dining room/classroom. Thankfully, we were able to take the games out of the game tent outside and convert that into the dining area. Pray that they can fix the problems quickly and be back inside.) 

The evening was a great bonding time with the campers--full of laughs, skits, special music, great food, and more. The American girls led a game for everybody and sang a very silly rendition of "White Christmas" in English. Jessica and I particularly hammed things up. ;) It was especially cool to see so many of the campers going all out in their particular responsibilities for the evening. Here are a few fun photos from the night:

A few of the counselors looking very futuristic :)

Some of my favorite boys 

And favorite girls :)

Gaby!

a skit

Lynn and I-- kitchen and chalet inspection buddy. She improved my French, and I improved her English. :)

Rewind a little bit: on Friday I had another wonderful experience... and at the Catholic Church no less! I shared it on Facebook already, but for those of you who only see my blog, here it is from my post. I posted a video there as well, but unfortunately I am not sure how to do that on the blog.: Tim said it'd be fine if I wanted to practice there...so here's me singing a little bit in French from a piece I did for a competition this year (minus the acting and accompaniment)  . Cool story: some people in the village heard me singing, and I got to have some great conversations with them. And there was no way to escape speaking in French!  I got to share what I do in America, and also what I'm doing in France. There were two young girls in the group, and after the other two people left, they came back inside. By that time I was reading my Bible on my iPad. They were interested, so I told them I read it because I love the Lord Jesus Christ, and I asked them if they ever read it. I told them it is an important book. We talked about a number of other things, and I found out that they had just arrived on vacation in the village. I told them that I have many friends at the camp who are their age and invited them to come to our meetings where we sing and study the Bible if they want. I also offered for them to meet my friends, so we walked over to the camp building. On the way I met their dad and uncle and got to talk with them a bit too. Then the girls got to meet many campers, counselors, and Mrs. Knickerbocker got to talk to them too. I'm glad they could finally talk to some people who really know French. Anyway, just pray that maybe if they are bored in little Larodde these next two weeks that they might join us for a gathering. It was such an special opportunity to talk to them!

So that was pretty awesome. And getting to sing in there for a while was also just wonderful! It had fantastic acoustics. Also, I DID get to see the girls again... the next day in fact! Jessica and I were preparing "The Power of the Cross" to sing in French for church on Sunday, and they came and listened to us practicing it in the town hall. They were outside the building looking in. We told them that they could hear us sing the next day in the service if they want and mentioned the time. The next day, apparently they showed up after the service and asked Mr. Knickerbocker if they could hear us sing, but the service was done. Pray that their curiosity continues over the two weeks that they are here, and that God would plant seeds of truth in their hearts.

So Friday was a very full day. Saturday was my day off, so I joined the juniors on a special trip they took to to a sort of adventure park about 1.5 hours away. I loved seeing the countryside on the drive. Once we got there, we just spent about 3 or 4 hours letting the kids play on the different games (trampolines, tubing hills, bounce houses, petting zoo, etc.). Lots of French speaking and lots of fun. I just love these children! Here are me and a few of the girl counselors and a dear little camper, Noah, at the park.

Sunday I sang with Jessica in the church service and then did the final chalet inspections before helping with lunch prep. I rested a bit in the afternoon and evening and enjoyed watching a film with the Americans. The campers also had a special time of sharing testimonies of what God had done in their hearts during camp. Quite a few of my little buddies gave their hearts to Christ within these last few days of camp!

Since it was the last night of camp, the teens stayed up late into the night, and I got to play games with them. Playing "Whisper Down the Lane" in French at 2 AM is not exactly the easiest thing I've ever done. :p 

The next day the campers left starting around 10 AM, and all of them were gone by about 4. The goodbyes were very long and emotional. I definitely experienced the true French goodbye. Some photos taken as they were heading out:

My special girls! :)

my "little French boyfriend" ;)

Cutest kid ever!

Being silly with some of the last kids to leave

During much of the evening on Monday we began deep cleaning the chalets. This was a very long process! Tuesday morning and afternoon we spent cleaning them as well. I have a sort of uncanny love for cleaning, so I greatly enjoyed these times! The teen boys' chalets were a special challenge. :) 

Tuesday night began the retreat for pastors and elders from across France. Two families from the church in Rouen came, so I got to see some friends again! Yay! Just love them. 

I will be babysitting children for most of the retreat and helping out in the kitchen as needed. Today was a full day of babysitting. Some children speak only French, others only English, and some both. That made things kinda tricky today when I'd need to tell the kids something. Or they'd run up and start talking to me or asking me something, and I'd have to switch gears back and forth with no warning. It's very good for me! :) Also got to learn a few French children's playground games today. Very fun. 

Finally, I got to see some dear friends today who are missionaries nearby, Jared and Rebekah Stevenson. So good to catch up with them. They also gave us American girls and Mrs. Knickerbocker a surprise by offering us one of their kittens. Mr. K caved in and agreed that we could have one at the camp to help with pest control. So he was dropped off tonight, and we've already had a great snuggle time. :) Photos to come. 

Anyway, thanks for reading through all of this... I hope it is a blessing! Please pray as I leave the camp this Saturday and spend the weekend in Rouen before heading to England on Monday. I will then begin ministering with Art and Debbie Cunningham for two weeks. May you see God's grace in a thousand ways today. I so appreciate your prayers and support.

Camp life :)

It's hard to believe that another week has already passed since my last post. Life at camp feels much slower than life in Rouen, for sure. It has been a welcome change, but certainly an adjustment.

I have trouble remembering which days are which, because they are all quite similar. Well, right after my last post, I was able to move into my own room. I am now living on the premier etage. It was very fun to get to make my own space special. I even made some makeshift curtains out of a bedsheet. :) I also used my jewelry and postcards as decorations around the room. The weather continued to be very chilly up until the last three days, so I collected many blankets. It was in the 50s quite a lot up until Monday, and now the weather has just been beautiful! The rain has stopped, and the sun is shining. The kids are very happy about that. Here are a few photos of my room. :)

I love the old lamp with the fringe. :) Most of the rooms here don't have any lamps, so it's a treat!

Generally, every day I help out with at least 2 of the meals of the day. Lunch is at 12:30, and dinner is at 7. The prep can take anywhere from 2-4 hours. It's been SO wonderful getting to learn more how to cook and also to get to know the ladies in the kitchen. The head cook is usually a young American lady named, Rachel. She speaks French fluently, so it's been nice to get to have the security of knowing that I have an explanation when I need it, but also an opportunity to learn some French too. Two dear, elderly French ladies are working in the kitchen during this two week camp as well as a young girl named Lynn. (I mentioned her in my last post. She and I do the cabin inspections). Tim and Elisabeth Knickerbocker also take turns working in the kitchen, so I've enjoyed the time spent with them as well. The meals are generally all "home-cooked," and I'm pretty sure if there's a "France 15" I've gained it. ;) No, actually the food here is much less artificial, and great care is taken in preparing and presenting it. Generally we start with a bread and salad course and then move on to the main dish. And there is always dessert. :) We slice fresh bread for all three meals as well.

When I'm not in the kitchen, I've been able to take some time for myself to read, catch up on correspondence, relax, and spend time with the Lord. It's been refreshing, but also a little difficult. I am such a social person, and sometimes it is hard feeling a little bit isolated here (especially because of the language barrier). But I do have many wonderful friends, and especially over the last few days, I've really connected with a few campers and other workers here at the camp. My French is continuing to improve very slowly, and it's been fun to try to talk with the campers more and get to know them. Some of them have British or American parents, so they know English. Others just know it from school. So we're both learning from each other. I've especially enjoyed my friendship with Lynn as we inspect the chalets daily. That's been an adventure. Many of the campers have decided to leave us notes in English and French, chocolate, candy, flowers, juice, granola bars, etc. etc. :) They also have enjoyed making little rock art formations outside their doors. It's been great.

 

One of my favorite little buddies is a boy named Gabriel. His mom is British, and his dad is French, so he speaks both languages. He has quite the imagination. During one meal this week, he sat next to me at the table and caught one of the hundreds (literally) of flies that we have here under his drinking glass. He then proceeded to torture and kill it with scissors. It's a comfort to know that boys will always be boys... ;) Here he is with me after he won a medal for a game.

 

I continue to enjoy the services in the evening here and am really learning the French children's songs! I was able to sing in their morning service on Sunday. I sang "Rejoice in the Lord" in French. Come to find out, it was very special to Mr. K's son-in-law, who is French. He is here to teach the teens in the mornings. He lost his father at the age of 15, and apparently that song was sung at his father's funeral, and his mom put the words from it up on their fridge for years after that. He was touched deeply. I felt rather inadequate as I stood up there to sing that morning, and I prayed that God would use it in even just a few hearts. I didn't know if this man really spoke much English, but today he came up to me and thanked me for the song. He spoke English very well! We were then able to have a very good talk about what he has learned from losing his father as well as what I have learned from losing my dad. It was so encouraging. I am so thankful for these sort of graces that are given each day. I would love to tell you all about many more that have come through the Knickerbockers, through creation, through God's Word, through so many ways.

 

Even so, I still struggle with discouragement and other things here. I had a wonderful talk with my mom on Saturday, and God used that to really help me refocus my heart and mind. I am so grateful for my amazing mom! She is a constant example to me.

 

I also have had time to get to know another American girl here, Mercedes. She is doing the laundry for the camp. What a great friend she has been! We have perfected the art of late-night, girl parties. :) We've had a couple movie nights with her laptop and any spoils we could find on the snack shelf in the kitchen. She finds joy in the little things, and it's nice to just simply enjoy those along with her. Here's a photo from one of our particularly chocolate-heavy parties. :)

 

 

Although the schedule generally remains the same from day to day here, things are also a lot less "structured" as some people might be used to at camp, so every day is also an adventure. I never know how much I'll be needed in the kitchen. Some days the meal is easier, and they don't need as much help. Monday was one of those days, and instead of cooking,  I went on a cleaning spree in the main building. I listened to a John Piper message while deep-cleaning the bathroom, and then I swept the bazillion flights of stairs in the building and few other spots. :) It was fun. Here's a picture of the building I was cleaning (also the one I live in). Also, check out the view out my bedroom window at sunrise!

 

Another example of the unexpected each day: because the weather was so nice today, the junior campers got to go to a local lake to swim and hang out. The K's offered for me and Mercedes to join, so we did! It was definitely a highlight of my trip. I also got to really build some relationships with a few campers. I taught them the game "Marco Polo" in the water too. It was a hit. :) Enjoy a few photos! Mercedes is in the third photo from the bottom.



 Well, once again... there is much more that I could write, but I better go for now. Thank you so very much again for your continued prayers! Please pray for these dear children at camp that God would use the messages from Acts that Tim is preaching to really open their hearts to the Gospel and toward following Christ in their day-to-day lives. Thank you also for your prayers for me and my own walk with the Lord! I long to be used by Him each day here.





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.