November 3

So another 2 weeks between updates... Couldn't be helped. I was on holiday...Here's what happened.

Hannah and I spent the weekend of October 24th with the Leighs. We had a great time. David showed us around the area. It's very beautiful in Alsace and the Fall colors just enhanced the experience. We were able to tour the French Christian School and attend the Sunday service of their church. God is really at work in Alsace. I was struck by the presence of God in the prayer time before the Sunday service. Then we had an extended time of prophetic worship during the service. It was very powerful.

Somehow I got out of Alsace without a Leigh family pic! But here is a pic of David and Hannah in a WWI battle trench.)

Thanks again David and Angela for your hospitality. They are great people!

Then we moved on to Switzerland to visit my friend Simone and her family. Naomi, Simone's daughter, was 2 yesterday! Bonne anniversaire, Naomi! It was so good to see Simone. God started our friendship 10 years ago in England and it is still a blessing today. It rained most of the time we were there but it's still beautiful. And the last night we were there it snowed! I was like a little kid out in the street playing in the snow in the dark. It was also a great opportunity to practice speaking French with Simone's parents. It was a time of peace and rest and amazing Swiss food! Thanks Simone. You and your family are always so generous.

Swiss pics are: Simone and Naomi; Simone's parents, Ursula and Willie, Naomi, Hannah and me.)
**As always there are a lot of pics on my Facebook page. Check them out! Lots of scenery.**

We had a bit of an adventure getting out of Switzerland because we booked our train tickets online with a French company and the tickets wouldn't print. So we thought, we'll just do it at the station.... Well, Swiss stations can't print from the French system. So after trying all we knew to do, we just got on the train and prayed. Shortly after the trip began, the porter came by to take our tickets. We handed him the printout from the internet showing our reservation and did our best to explain. He was not happy. All he wanted was tickets, this meant nothing to him. We stayed calm and polite and when Hannah finally said ok how do we buy more tickets, he said to check at the main station! Then the next porter, because they changed during the trip, was completely cool with it and didn't mind. And we didn't see anyone on the last leg of our journey into France. God gave us favor that day. We thought at one point we would have to pay twice for our tickets back to France.

I had been longing for the country after being in the city for two months. This was the perfect break. So imagine my surprise as I thought to myself as the train pulled back into Paris, "I'm so glad to be back. Wait, did I really just think that?" I guess this is home for now. God is good to keep that settled in my heart.

Classes start again this Thursday. Then it will be December 19th before Christmas break. For those of you who may not have heard, I will not be home for Christmas. That had been my original plan. Now I am planning on finishing the school year at Les Cédres at the end of June. So I will return for two weeks in February for Christie and Andy's wedding. (What a great thing to come home for!!) But I can't really do 2 trips so close together. So I should be stateside for about two weeks starting around February 14th. Then I think I will be around for a while this summer after school is out working on getting a visa to return. This is what I know now. Everything is subject to change! So just stay tuned in folks....