just thought i'd write a bit. its been a while since i was inspired to write and i don't know why but a certain movie always throws me into the mood to write, to indulge my thoughts and listen to beautiful music. although i'm here, able to write as i doubt anyone reads my thoughts or takes any notice, there is a bit of apprehension. what i'm feeling may come across as though i'm horribly unhappy or that i'm discontent. when in all honesty, i'm blessed beyond comprehension. i have the best family surrounding me everyday, i have an amazing husband who loves me, i have the best pets ever - yet there is something in me that is missing. some of it i know is the longing to be back home, in hong kong. some of it is the lack of luck i've had getting a job. another bit of this feeling is the anguish i feel over the current state of the church and their general lack of generosity, propriety and care for those surrounding them. but their is more to this feeling that i have that i cannot put my finger on it. memories are dawning again as i'm but a week away from a bitter anniversary. but still, i am not confident enough to know if this is the crux of it all. but i'll concede to this feeling for right now, until i can further articulate that which i'm feeling. agape.
Hello all, Liz asked me to write another blog for you all to capture whats going on so far with the trip. We are actually winding down for our departure this Tuesday. It is bitter sweet because I feel like I could do so much out here but I am SO excited to get back home to be with my lovely husband, my animals and Liz's family. For the past week or so we've been working hard in a room upstairs. I guess its going to be Liz's daughter Sabrina's room. Linnea and I were painting and Liz and Amber were putting mud and plaster on the walls. We have all suffered a bit from the dust and other particles flying all over the place, landing in our beds, clothes and such. But nonetheless, God has been faithful to keep us all in pretty good health considering the mess we've been making! Unfortunately, I did not take any before pictures and have yet to take an after picture of the room - but I will try to do that before we head out.
When we aren't working in the house putting more "drip drops" into the bathtub, we've been having a blast with our neighbors and friends we've made so far. A sweet couple, Claude and Isabelle came over for dinner and we were able to spend a good amount of time with them. They were delighted although shocked when we gave them their basket of goodies. They don't eat many sweets, so I think they said they will send the candy to some family! Claude has lived all over the world for his jobs and he has a lot of interesting stories to tell. Having them over was so fun. Amber and I got the chance to sing and practice our songs we'll be singing at the Retirement Home tomorrow with Claude and Isabelle as an audience! They enjoyed it very much from what I could tell. It was also very helpful as we will be singing one song in French and Claude helped us with the pronunciation of some of the words. We will be meeting up with them again when we go to Paris this weekend, for the end of our trip. Here are some pictures of the evening we had with them.
Us with Claude and Isabelle.
Claude preparing the toast.
So another weekend came and went, but this time, we actually went to church at the Catholic church in the village. It was pretty encouraging, although I did not understand 99% of what was being said! It was a special weekend, due to Armistice Day coming up, so a lot of people were there to pay their respects to people who have past away over the past year. Seeing so many people show up for the service warmed my heart on a very cold day, knowing that the people here have faith and a respect for things of the Lord. Now if only we can get the little stone church up and running soon - we could offer them another place to go. One day, one day! Its exciting just to be apart of the vision and works of God's hand. During the church service a little old lady came in slightly late for the service so Linnea gave up her seat so she could sit down. Once she sat down, Amber and I noticed that it was the same lady we met the previous week. She and I were trying to find the cafe in the village to have some french coffee and have a quiet time. We mistakenly almost walked into the little old ladies house. After many apologies and smiles, we left, but I believe God used it to make her smile and it allowed for us to meet with her again on Sunday at the church!
The town showed up for the monthly church service.
Inside the church before the service started.
Monday we worked in the house a bit and I believe it was Tuesday when we met up with our British friend, Norma and went to a Gite in another town. The man was very interesting and since Liz has an eye for good deals, she and Norma went back several times throughout the week to pick up the stuff she bought for the house. She had to go back several times because her cute little "Spot" of a car only has so much room. Anyway, Linnea and Liz were able to have some good conversations with the man and hopefully we can remain in contact with him. Would love to see the Lord bless the new acquaintance. Later that evening, we went to Norma's house to play Wii and bake cookies. After some amazing cookies baked by Liz and Norma (mmm... everybody loves chocolate chip cookies!), we all played bowling on the wii! And believe it or not, I have video and picture evidence that Liz did in fact play the wii, but not only did she play it, but she also enjoyed it! Once I can, I'll post a video of her having fun too!
Liz playing bowling!
Tuesday was Armistice Day. The French's equivalent to Veteran's Day and in the center of town, they had a bit of a celebration. They did a mini parade, read off the names of Soldiers who had passed away to honor them, children read and sang the National Anthem and they also had a moment of silence. It was an honor to experience this little town paying hommage to the many soldiers that have laid their lives down for their country. Praise the Lord for men of honor and valor! It was also neat to see a town united in such a way. It was definitely not something you see happening in the states. After the ceremony, we all hopped in the car and went to do some touring. We went to Niort, an amazing city that has so much history to it! They even have legends of "dragon slayers" and such! Its pretty awesome. We had great food and enjoyed a nice walk up a hill to visit St. Andres Chateau. Its absolutely stunning and again, like I mentioned in my last update, I love sitting and just thinking in the chairs. The history of the cathedral and the love I have for the Lord wells up inside me and I love the peace I have.
Linnea bundled up to go out to the Ceremony.
Armistice Day Parade.
Towns people at the ceremony.
The children who sang for the ceremony.
St. Andres Cathedral in Niort.
The doors are massive!
A beautiful river scene in Niort.
Wednesday, we worked all day. Literally from around 11am - 6:00pm. We had company over for dinner, Norma and some other friends from the U.K. We had a feast for dinner! Beef Burginion, Yorkshire Pudding, Rice Pudding, Quiche and Apple Pie! It was awesome. We had great conversation, a great time of fellowship and at the end of the night - Amber and I practiced one of our songs again. This time we did "Amazing Grace". They really enjoyed it and I believe they will be coming to the Retirement Home to hear us sing tomorrow! How fun! I love talking to people from different countries. You learn so much about the world view on general things as well as political and religious things as well. It was such a peaceful evening and I really am blessed to have met all these people. As soon as I get them, I'll add some pictures from our dinner!
Today (thursday) was a day to go shopping. We went to Ruffec and went shopping in a big shopping center. We got some souvenirs! Whee! Then we went through to Melle after lunch so that I could get a video singing inside the 200 year old church. It was so beautiful and the Lord brought people in to hear! Random people from the street came in when they heard me singing (almost made me cry) and once I was finished singing, they asked me to continue, asked me to sing another song. Sadly, when put on the spot like that, I couldn't think of any songs. But I did sing Amazing Grace and I Love You, Lord. Two songs that are near and dear to my heart! And it turned out that they spoke english, so they understood what I was saying. So God used my voice today, to let them hear a little bit about God and His gospel. Praise the Lord! It reminds me of how beautiful His love is, how He guides us and provides for us situations where we can be used and where we can use the gifts He's given us!
Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
i'll leave you with the video that I FINALLY successfully uploaded to youtube. Enjoy! At the end you can see the people coming in. Praise the Lord for using a sinner such as me! Agape.
When we aren't working in the house putting more "drip drops" into the bathtub, we've been having a blast with our neighbors and friends we've made so far. A sweet couple, Claude and Isabelle came over for dinner and we were able to spend a good amount of time with them. They were delighted although shocked when we gave them their basket of goodies. They don't eat many sweets, so I think they said they will send the candy to some family! Claude has lived all over the world for his jobs and he has a lot of interesting stories to tell. Having them over was so fun. Amber and I got the chance to sing and practice our songs we'll be singing at the Retirement Home tomorrow with Claude and Isabelle as an audience! They enjoyed it very much from what I could tell. It was also very helpful as we will be singing one song in French and Claude helped us with the pronunciation of some of the words. We will be meeting up with them again when we go to Paris this weekend, for the end of our trip. Here are some pictures of the evening we had with them.
Us with Claude and Isabelle.
Claude preparing the toast.
So another weekend came and went, but this time, we actually went to church at the Catholic church in the village. It was pretty encouraging, although I did not understand 99% of what was being said! It was a special weekend, due to Armistice Day coming up, so a lot of people were there to pay their respects to people who have past away over the past year. Seeing so many people show up for the service warmed my heart on a very cold day, knowing that the people here have faith and a respect for things of the Lord. Now if only we can get the little stone church up and running soon - we could offer them another place to go. One day, one day! Its exciting just to be apart of the vision and works of God's hand. During the church service a little old lady came in slightly late for the service so Linnea gave up her seat so she could sit down. Once she sat down, Amber and I noticed that it was the same lady we met the previous week. She and I were trying to find the cafe in the village to have some french coffee and have a quiet time. We mistakenly almost walked into the little old ladies house. After many apologies and smiles, we left, but I believe God used it to make her smile and it allowed for us to meet with her again on Sunday at the church!
The town showed up for the monthly church service.
Inside the church before the service started.
Monday we worked in the house a bit and I believe it was Tuesday when we met up with our British friend, Norma and went to a Gite in another town. The man was very interesting and since Liz has an eye for good deals, she and Norma went back several times throughout the week to pick up the stuff she bought for the house. She had to go back several times because her cute little "Spot" of a car only has so much room. Anyway, Linnea and Liz were able to have some good conversations with the man and hopefully we can remain in contact with him. Would love to see the Lord bless the new acquaintance. Later that evening, we went to Norma's house to play Wii and bake cookies. After some amazing cookies baked by Liz and Norma (mmm... everybody loves chocolate chip cookies!), we all played bowling on the wii! And believe it or not, I have video and picture evidence that Liz did in fact play the wii, but not only did she play it, but she also enjoyed it! Once I can, I'll post a video of her having fun too!
Liz playing bowling!
Tuesday was Armistice Day. The French's equivalent to Veteran's Day and in the center of town, they had a bit of a celebration. They did a mini parade, read off the names of Soldiers who had passed away to honor them, children read and sang the National Anthem and they also had a moment of silence. It was an honor to experience this little town paying hommage to the many soldiers that have laid their lives down for their country. Praise the Lord for men of honor and valor! It was also neat to see a town united in such a way. It was definitely not something you see happening in the states. After the ceremony, we all hopped in the car and went to do some touring. We went to Niort, an amazing city that has so much history to it! They even have legends of "dragon slayers" and such! Its pretty awesome. We had great food and enjoyed a nice walk up a hill to visit St. Andres Chateau. Its absolutely stunning and again, like I mentioned in my last update, I love sitting and just thinking in the chairs. The history of the cathedral and the love I have for the Lord wells up inside me and I love the peace I have.
Linnea bundled up to go out to the Ceremony.
Armistice Day Parade.
Towns people at the ceremony.
The children who sang for the ceremony.
St. Andres Cathedral in Niort.
The doors are massive!
A beautiful river scene in Niort.
Wednesday, we worked all day. Literally from around 11am - 6:00pm. We had company over for dinner, Norma and some other friends from the U.K. We had a feast for dinner! Beef Burginion, Yorkshire Pudding, Rice Pudding, Quiche and Apple Pie! It was awesome. We had great conversation, a great time of fellowship and at the end of the night - Amber and I practiced one of our songs again. This time we did "Amazing Grace". They really enjoyed it and I believe they will be coming to the Retirement Home to hear us sing tomorrow! How fun! I love talking to people from different countries. You learn so much about the world view on general things as well as political and religious things as well. It was such a peaceful evening and I really am blessed to have met all these people. As soon as I get them, I'll add some pictures from our dinner!
Today (thursday) was a day to go shopping. We went to Ruffec and went shopping in a big shopping center. We got some souvenirs! Whee! Then we went through to Melle after lunch so that I could get a video singing inside the 200 year old church. It was so beautiful and the Lord brought people in to hear! Random people from the street came in when they heard me singing (almost made me cry) and once I was finished singing, they asked me to continue, asked me to sing another song. Sadly, when put on the spot like that, I couldn't think of any songs. But I did sing Amazing Grace and I Love You, Lord. Two songs that are near and dear to my heart! And it turned out that they spoke english, so they understood what I was saying. So God used my voice today, to let them hear a little bit about God and His gospel. Praise the Lord! It reminds me of how beautiful His love is, how He guides us and provides for us situations where we can be used and where we can use the gifts He's given us!
Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
i'll leave you with the video that I FINALLY successfully uploaded to youtube. Enjoy! At the end you can see the people coming in. Praise the Lord for using a sinner such as me! Agape.
I've been blessed with the opportunity to come out to France with Liz and 2 other ladies, Amber and Linnea. We've been having a great time of fellowship together and the Lord is providing us with ministry opportunities within the area of Couture D'Argenson. When we first arrived to Paris, France; we got our rental car and stayed in a hotel the first evening. Everything went well minus a few wrong turns here and there. I will say, I'm glad Liz is driving because I would be terribly confused driving the streets of France, but God bless the person who thought of Round-A-Bouts. If you don't know what that is, let me know, I'll explain. As we were taking the 4 hour drive from Paris to Couture, we took a few detours to look at a castle, we went to Chartres Cathedral and Leonardo DaVinci's house. Leonardo DaVinci's house was a pretty amazing place, it was fun to see his experiments and to see the beautiful acreage his house is on. It is a stunning place and seeing such history in front of me was a lot of fun.
Leonardo DaVinci's House at Night.
When we stopped in Chartres Cathedral, it was something I've never experienced before. The cold and drafty church with years of history inside and out was a bit overwhelming. You enter and immediately you feel the need to be very reserved and show a bit of humility. As we were looking around inside, randomly someone started playing the massive pipe organ. It was absolutely gorgeous. I took a seat in a pew and read Revelation 19. I don't normally open and read Revelation, but I felt drawn to read about the rejoicing in heaven, the marriage supper of the Lamb and to read about the Rider on a White Horse. What a gorgeous opportunity to sit before the Lord in such a historic place.
A Castle in France on the way to Couture.
After a day of sight seeing, we finally reached the little stone house late in the evening. Got to sleep and slept in late into the next day. We all suffered severely from jet lag. I think some of it had to do with the cold, rainy weather. After a few days of recuperating from jet lag, getting used to the house and getting the house warmed up with fires and heaters - we put together gift baskets for a few of our neighbors and the mayors of Couture & Chef Boutonne. We went down the street and visited with our neighbor Norma and gave her a gift basket, complete with chocolate, lotion, a cooking sheet and other little trinkets. We also gave her some Bibles to put in the rooms of her B&B. The smile on her face was enough to light up the room. Visiting with her was so much fun and I just fell in love with her. She is a beautiful lady and I hope to spend more time with her throughout the trip and get to know her a bit more. That is kind of the vision we have for this particular trip, to reach out to the town and bless the neighbors in anyway we can. We want to emanate the love of Christ to all those in this area.
A Gift Basket.
Liz, Norma, Myself and Amber.
We met up with some friends from the UK in front of the Little Stone Church. We thought that we'd only visit with them for a few minutes but we were so excited that they accepted the invitation to come over for some Chili! We rushed home, set the table for all 12 of us, Liz cooked up some amazing chili and we had some time together. It was so nice to just sit and entertain some friends. They were very encouraging and so kind! I wish they could have stayed longer but they were on their way back to the UK in the morning.
Mayor's Office in Chef Boutonne.
A table set for Twelve!
The table, filled with 12!
We have also been cleaning here and there around the house. We're also just having a bit of a retreat if you will in the evenings, having fellowship together - having great conversation and moments of laughter that bring us to tears! Its been very relieving from the normal life in the States. Its very relaxed out here in the countryside! I love it. I even love the cold rainy weather. But with that being said, God did bless us with a beautiful day of warmer weather and sunshine! We took the opportunity, fixed up the garden outside, planted a few plants and then headed out to do some more sight-seeing because we are not sure when we'll have another nice weather day to do so! We drove to Melle and went to the Post Office to exchange some DOllars into Euros and walk around. We visited a church that was built in the 11th Century. The acoustics were so amazing. Liz had me sing (as that's my most favorite thing to do EVER!), so I sang Amazing Grace. It was a phenomenal feeling to sing in a church that has so much history! It moved me almost to tears, I squealed like a little girl with excitement. We also drove and visited the Cele-Sur-Belle Cathedral. It was a beautiful time of day as the sun was setting. The scenery in France really makes you quite speechless!
On the road to Melle.
Cele-Sur-Belle Cathedral.
On Sunday, we had church at home. Amber and I led worship and Linnea led us in the scriptures. We read out of Daniel 2 and discussed King Nebuchadnezzars Dream and how God revealed it. It was a nice time of discussion. After we spent about an hour or so covering this little town in prayer, that the Gospel would go forth, even with broken French, a limited amount of time, and bad weather. It was one of my favorite days spent so far. Amber woke up and found a butterfly in her bedroom, and the picture just reminds me of the newness of life that is found in Christ and the burden we all feel to tell all those in our path of His beautiful redeeming Love and His sovereignty.
Amber's butterfly.
I pray that we will continue to bless those that come in our path. In the coming up week we have some more friends coming over for dinner and Amber and myself will be going to the Retirement Home to sing to the residents there. We're very excited with what the Lord is doing and I am humbled to be able to spend time in this beautiful town with so many amazing faces. Thank you all for reading and we covet your prayers as we do have another week and a half left on our trip.
Leonardo DaVinci's House at Night.
When we stopped in Chartres Cathedral, it was something I've never experienced before. The cold and drafty church with years of history inside and out was a bit overwhelming. You enter and immediately you feel the need to be very reserved and show a bit of humility. As we were looking around inside, randomly someone started playing the massive pipe organ. It was absolutely gorgeous. I took a seat in a pew and read Revelation 19. I don't normally open and read Revelation, but I felt drawn to read about the rejoicing in heaven, the marriage supper of the Lamb and to read about the Rider on a White Horse. What a gorgeous opportunity to sit before the Lord in such a historic place.
A Castle in France on the way to Couture.
After a day of sight seeing, we finally reached the little stone house late in the evening. Got to sleep and slept in late into the next day. We all suffered severely from jet lag. I think some of it had to do with the cold, rainy weather. After a few days of recuperating from jet lag, getting used to the house and getting the house warmed up with fires and heaters - we put together gift baskets for a few of our neighbors and the mayors of Couture & Chef Boutonne. We went down the street and visited with our neighbor Norma and gave her a gift basket, complete with chocolate, lotion, a cooking sheet and other little trinkets. We also gave her some Bibles to put in the rooms of her B&B. The smile on her face was enough to light up the room. Visiting with her was so much fun and I just fell in love with her. She is a beautiful lady and I hope to spend more time with her throughout the trip and get to know her a bit more. That is kind of the vision we have for this particular trip, to reach out to the town and bless the neighbors in anyway we can. We want to emanate the love of Christ to all those in this area.
A Gift Basket.
Liz, Norma, Myself and Amber.
We met up with some friends from the UK in front of the Little Stone Church. We thought that we'd only visit with them for a few minutes but we were so excited that they accepted the invitation to come over for some Chili! We rushed home, set the table for all 12 of us, Liz cooked up some amazing chili and we had some time together. It was so nice to just sit and entertain some friends. They were very encouraging and so kind! I wish they could have stayed longer but they were on their way back to the UK in the morning.
Mayor's Office in Chef Boutonne.
A table set for Twelve!
The table, filled with 12!
We have also been cleaning here and there around the house. We're also just having a bit of a retreat if you will in the evenings, having fellowship together - having great conversation and moments of laughter that bring us to tears! Its been very relieving from the normal life in the States. Its very relaxed out here in the countryside! I love it. I even love the cold rainy weather. But with that being said, God did bless us with a beautiful day of warmer weather and sunshine! We took the opportunity, fixed up the garden outside, planted a few plants and then headed out to do some more sight-seeing because we are not sure when we'll have another nice weather day to do so! We drove to Melle and went to the Post Office to exchange some DOllars into Euros and walk around. We visited a church that was built in the 11th Century. The acoustics were so amazing. Liz had me sing (as that's my most favorite thing to do EVER!), so I sang Amazing Grace. It was a phenomenal feeling to sing in a church that has so much history! It moved me almost to tears, I squealed like a little girl with excitement. We also drove and visited the Cele-Sur-Belle Cathedral. It was a beautiful time of day as the sun was setting. The scenery in France really makes you quite speechless!
On the road to Melle.
Cele-Sur-Belle Cathedral.
On Sunday, we had church at home. Amber and I led worship and Linnea led us in the scriptures. We read out of Daniel 2 and discussed King Nebuchadnezzars Dream and how God revealed it. It was a nice time of discussion. After we spent about an hour or so covering this little town in prayer, that the Gospel would go forth, even with broken French, a limited amount of time, and bad weather. It was one of my favorite days spent so far. Amber woke up and found a butterfly in her bedroom, and the picture just reminds me of the newness of life that is found in Christ and the burden we all feel to tell all those in our path of His beautiful redeeming Love and His sovereignty.
Amber's butterfly.
I pray that we will continue to bless those that come in our path. In the coming up week we have some more friends coming over for dinner and Amber and myself will be going to the Retirement Home to sing to the residents there. We're very excited with what the Lord is doing and I am humbled to be able to spend time in this beautiful town with so many amazing faces. Thank you all for reading and we covet your prayers as we do have another week and a half left on our trip.
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