29 November

This week has been packed with great stuff...

Monday night I had dinner with two women, one from Germany, the other from England. Beckie is a young English woman who lives across the hall from me in the chateau and she teaches English at College Daniel. Astrid is a young German woman who teaches German and art at College Daniel. Astrid shared with Beckie and I what life was like in East Germany and her memories of when the Berlin wall came down. Astrid is a gifted teacher and I can see the purpose of God bringing her to France.

Wednesday Beckie and I went for a walk with Katya, a young Russian woman who is married to one of the French men in the church. Katya is warm and lovely. She has pointed out that we come from countries that at one time didn't like each other. It is such a God thing how we instantly have gotten along with each other, God's redemption story and the beauty of the family of God that knows no borders. Katya shared with Beckie and me about life behind the Iron Curtain and how life changed in Moscow after communism. She pointed out that the older people knew nothing else and it was normal. The change was the most difficult for them. Can you imagine having your future, until you die, decided for you by the government?

You've noticed that Beckie is mentioned twice. We do a lot together given that we live in the same place. She is in France as a part of her language studies at university in England. She had her birthday on Wednesday and a visit from parents for half of the week. She is also naturally equipped to teach as she is friendly and outgoing as well as just having a knack for dealing with students. She also sings and helps lead worship with the group of young people that I'm coaching. We are often in the home of the Pierre-Elien's and I'm sure we will have many adventures together by the end of the school year.

Thursday night after having tea at the Pierre-Elien's with Beckie and her parents, Roland, the father of famille Pierre-Elien, took his daughter, Elisabeth, and me out to eat at an Italian restaurant. We had a great time and it just seemed a happy and fitting way to observe Thanksgiving. Father and daughter both were in good form and it was fun to be with them. Roland is an evangelist with a story that would probably make a good movie. Elisabeth is also in the group of young people who lead worship. She is such a solid young lady and a delight to be around. I have learned from her peaceful and easy going nature. The future of France is bright in the hands of young people like her.

Friday night brought the anglophone celebration of Thanksgiving. There were at least 20 of us from various countries such as: England, Scotland, South Africa, and the USA. I met many new great people and we ate traditional Thanksgiving food. And of course we ate too much of it. There was a woman from South Africa there named Helen. She has been in France for 17 years. Her story greatly encouraged me and I look forward to hearing more. With her story she was reminding me that God is bigger than any government or visa red tape. She also shared with me about life in South Africa during Apartheid. She would go with a small group of friends and look at the island where Nelson Mandela was being held and pray for him.

Saturday night was the monthly Saturday meeting that takes the place of the Sunday morning service. My group of youth lead worship. (I'm going to call them my group, but really the group is theirs and I belong to them.) Worship was great. God showed up. We've been working on songs and music skills, but how do you teach anointing and deep worship. Well, how to worship in spirit and truth can be taught. But these young people come with hearts ready to worship and draw the presence of God. They were able to handle a time of extended worship both at the beginning and again at the end during a time of prayer and ministering for people. Can you tell I'm proud of them!?

Today I am staying with the Beck girls. I got to go bowling and to eat at McDonald's with the family and now the parents are gone for the evening. Tonight will be pizza for dinner. I'm having an American day in France.

In light of Thanksgiving week and learning about several different cultures I reflect upon where I am from and where I am. I am thankful for where I come from and the freedoms I know. I am thankful for where I am and the sense of destiny and purpose I have here. In short, I am content to be an American in France at this point in history.

God is on the move in the earth. Are you listening to what He's saying? Are you watching where He's going? What is your part in bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth? Will you pray for someone who will rise up and be a world leader and change the face of a nation or nations? Will you be the one who changes history? Will you teach the next generation about the goodness of God and impart His love so they can change their society? Will you worship God in spirit and truth and bring the presence of God? Will you welcome the nations into your home and make the foreigner feel welcome or will you go to the nations and be the stranger?

God has given us all a part to play. It will take the whole body to get it done. I am glad that you are a part of that body and that together we move forward.

Prayer requests:
I simply ask that you let the Spirit lead you to whom in this blog you might pray for. Each person or group of people are a blessing and are in need of more of God.

Please refer also to the previous blog where the requests are outlined.

God's peace and abundance in all things to you all.

*These are pics from the anglophone Thanksgiving. I'm afraid I won't get all the names correct so I will just let you enjoy the crew.

20 November

Ok, so much for shorter and more frequent blogs. My intentions were good. But hey it is absolutely perfect outside and I'm inside writing this. Do I get brownie points for that?

There is a lot going on and I am busy. However, I don't have a lot of new to add to my last blog. My time in Germany was good. The best part of it for me was getting to know the people I went with better. I was also even more aware that I am called to France. I came back loving French, the French people, and France more than ever. That's not to say I don't like Germany...but it's not France. It was a stretching weekend for me with all of the different languages being spoken. But God is in the stretching business, might as well get used to it.

Here are some important prayer needs for the school and church I'm working with:
~The school is private and while the students are charged a fee the school depends largely on the donations of others. Please pray God's financial provision for this Christian school that is imparting the goodness of God along with knowledge.
**There is a very strong spiritual battle going on in the class that is the equivalent of 6th graders in the States. The teachers are feeling the strain and are discouraged. Please pray God breakthrough for this class in their home lives as well as at school and that God encourage and give strength to the teachers.
~There is a building project to renovate rooms that were donated. Money and work teams are needed to finish the project and get students in the classrooms.
~Workers for the projects of the church. The leadership is full of vision and there are resources but laborers are needed!

Personal prayer needs:
~The right connections and understanding on the visa process and staying in France.
~God continue to sharpen and strengthen me as He sees fit.
~Continued provision. God is SO faithful! This is also a praise.
~Safe and healthy travels as I come home for the holidays.
~Wisdom on when to return to France and the provision to do so.

Thanks for keeping up with me and these requests. Would love to hear from you when you can take a minute to write a note.

**left pic: The long flat building near the middle of the picture is the part of the school that is in need of work. The four or five rooms on the left are working classrooms. The rest of the building is in the process of being finished.

**right pic: God is making a clear path for me in France. (This is from one of my walks in the vineyard on the hill close to the chateau.)

4 November

Hello, all. I am going to try and do shorter updates more often to keep people up on prayer requests and what's happening here in Guebwiller.

I just want to say again that I am loving working with the youth worship band here. It is my sweet spot: youth, worship, music, discipleship. You can definitely pray that God moves in us all to release and train up these young people. It's not just about having a good worship band. It's about finding who they are in Christ and seeing them set free into that.

God has been speaking to me as well as I walk in the center of the town about the youth there who have nothing to do and just hang around. One of the youth went with me the other day and we prayed in the place where students congregate. We are praying God will give us strategies on how to reach the lost in Guebwiller. Tomorrow, Thursday the 5th, the intercession team will make a tour of the town and pray at all of the schools. I am expecting God to really move. Please pray with us for the youth and the future of France.

I feel strongly that I need to be here in Guebwiller for at least the next year. So the next step is figuring out how to do that with visas, etc. I will begin sending out resumes soon. Please pray that God helps me make the right connections there and even more that I get some clear answers on how to get the proper visa I need. The best situation would be if I could remain in France while the visa is in process. I am going to be checking into this in the next weeks with the authorities here.

This weekend I will be going with some of the leaders to a conference in Germany. It will be with a network of churches from Germany, Switzerland, and France. They come together to share ideas and information and to support one another in reaching Europe. I hope to learn more about what God is doing in Europe and see if there might be any important connections for me. You can be praying for safe travels, health, and the will of God to be accomplished during this time. Praying into this conference is a way you can have an impact on Europe!

A HUGE praise report is that this month's support was for the funds that were missing last month plus the full amount for November!! Thanks so much for giving of your hard earned money to support what is happening here in France. I am grateful and encouraged once again that God has me right where He wants me and with your help we will make a difference in French lives and ultimately in the nation of France.

Ok, maybe not so short, but a lot of positive things are happening.

**The photo was taken from my room window this morning. There was a perfect rainbow that stretched from one hill to the other over Guebwiller. I was reminded of the promises and the faithfulness of God.