October 18

Sorry I missed a week to update all of you. And I had sent a prayer request with no follow up for you to know what has happened. So now I can fill you in.

All is well. I had asked for prayer because several of us were experiencing sleeping problems, sickness, and general malaise that we couldn't shake. We (five ladies) got together to pray and felt we discerned there was a spiritual element involved. So we prayed for each other and our school. Then a few of us wrote home for prayer support as well. Within 24-48 hours everyone was sleeping better, feeling better, and one of the ladies had some direction come through for her time coming up. It was so exciting to see the power of God and the prayers of the saints at work in our lives. Thank you to all of you who took the time to pray! It made a big difference in our lives and the atmosphere here. Please don't stop praying!

Last weekend I was blessed with a visit from Jeff and Maureen Grace. They are friends from home. It's always good to see people from home when you're in a strange land. I spent the afternoon with them. It was a great visit. They filled me in on their trek up Mt. Kilimanjaro. They were on their way home from two weeks in Tanzania. What a fantastic couple! You see them pictured here with the Eiffel Tower in the background. (The other pic is of the clock that is in the building of the Musée d'Orsay. Hannah and I enjoyed the impressionist paintings there.)

This Friday, October 24, Hannah and I are going to visit David Leigh and family in Alsace, an eastern region in France. I am so excited about this trip. David has been helping me since last December and is the reason I found Les Cèdres. I think this will be a significant time for me this semester. Please pray that God will bless this time with the Leigh's and that He will bless the Leigh's for their hospitality and generosity. This is their website if you'd like to check it out: www.leighweb.com

We will move on to Switzerland to visit my friend Simone. Simone is a dear friend from my DNA year in England. I get to meet her two year old daughter, Naomi, for the first time. I really enjoy Simone and her family. Another reason I am really looking forward to this trip. And fortunately Alsace and Switzerland are next to each other.

In the midst of the language learning, the growing friendships, and planning trips, God has been working in my heart. I'm sorry I can't really put it into words what He's doing or what I'm feeling. My teacher has caught me daydreaming in class and asked if I was ok because I had been so quiet. I assured her I was good and that God was doing something in my heart. The morning before that conversation I suddenly became aware that people were praying for me. It was an amazing feeling. Thank you. I can feel your prayers and I covet them.

October 5

It's October!! How did that happen? Time is flying by. I'm sure you find it the same with work, school, and activities.

I'm going to post some pics from last weekend in Paris with the girls. We went to Sacre Coeur and Montmarte. And for the evening we had a picnic on a lawn by the Tour Eiffel. It was a great day, the weather was perfect. But what makes such a day wonderful is the company. I cannot express how rich I am in relationships here. God has been so good to bring good friends, each with their own gifts, beauty, and treasures to share. Three of these special people, pictured here, are Hannah Glover, Elizabeth Bricken, and Katie Berry.

I mentioned time flying by. Well, the days are so full and I realized I hadn't taken time to pray. I missed God. I mean He's the reason I'm here in the first place. Don't get me wrong, my days are spent in communion with Him. It was some quality one on one I was needing. So, yesterday I went to the park for a walk and talk. On the way home, the face of a teenage girl in the back of a car struck me. Again, I was aware of how people need hope. People everywhere in every country need hope. Who's going to share it with them? Will it be you or me? In the States the odds of someone who knows Jesus being around to share Him are so much greater than in France.

I learned Friday about laicite. The idea is basically "separation of church and state." But it runs much deeper in France than in the States. Our politicians will still affiliate themselves with religion. Religion is not even mentioned or talked about in schools, government, etc. Religious symbols such as a cross, star of David, or Muslim head covering are forbidden in schools. If one is not raised in a religious family how will they learn about faith of any kind? Can you begin to see the odds? Where are the workers for the harvest? God prepare the soil.

Ok, so there is so much more I could go on and on about, but I won't. If anyone is interested in knowing more about the culture here just let me know and I will share as much as I know, which at this point is still not a lot.

So, I was sobered by the need for Jesus in France. But I know that it is God who will reach the people of France. And for some reason He has historically chosen to use His people, as frail as we are. So, I'm going to end this blog with a word of hope. (Which is fitting, don't you think?) I received an email from missionaries in Italy that I've kept up with since my YWAM summer there. They shared about two ten year olds, a boy and a girl, who had had God visit them in dreams. After the girl shared her dream she said, "Something big is going to happen!" These kids have no agenda for making these things up. God is up to something, something BIG! HA! I can't wait!

May God fill you with His hope and visit you with dreams and visions.