31 October

The last 2 1/2 weeks since I last wrote have brought new adventures. I have observed a few different classes, had rehearsals with two different music groups, prayed at the gates of the city, taken a quick trip to Paris to see school friends, been on a hike and walks, and have just generally settled in and gotten to know people better.

I have found from observing classes that French young people are not unlike American young people. That's not to say that there is no difference, but at the core we are all human. We want and need to be loved and respected. We receive better if the giver of information also listens, really listens. We respond well to people who are enthusiastic and passionate.

There is a group of young people that I am working with who are beginning to lead worship from time to time at Eglise Josué. They range in age from around 15 to 21. They are packed with talent and very motivated. Best of all, they have great hearts and are fun to be with. They call me their coach. Where's my whistle... Just kidding! They already know how to play and sing, so we are working to function as a team and I'm just helping to give some structure and stretch them when I can. It's great fun.

My visit with friends in Paris was great. It was so good to see people and to deepen some key relationships. I also got to see some new places in Paris. It was nice to come 'home' to the country though. For me, Paris is a great place to visit but I guess I'm just a country girl at heart.

After talking to a friend at Les Cèdres, the language school I attended last year, I realized even more the importance of what they are doing in equipping the saints to reach the francophone world. I also was reminded of the spiritual warfare that goes on there. It is a light surrounded by darkness. Those of you that are praying with me and for me please remember Les Cèdres in your prayers. Specifically pray for God to protect the school from the enemy's attacks that affect the administration, the teachers, and the students. It is an important call that they are all answering and it is being strongly contested. The French speaking world is in desperate need of the good news of Jesus and our Father's love.

There is much dreaming and scheming going on here. I will give more detail as things develop. I feel I could really be a part of the vision here in Guebwiller. My heart and skill set complement what is needed. Will you pray with me that God will make it clear where I am to go or stay next and how to accomplish that? I still need strategy on finding a job and even more so on getting a visa so I don't have to keep leaving the country frequently.

Thanks to you all for keeping up with me. I will give a list of prayer requests below. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave a comment here or send me and email!

summary of prayer requests:
~*my time in Guebwiller to be effective
-including organizing and preparing music groups
-interceding for the church and school here
~*improving my French skills
~*strategies for finding a job and getting a visa*~
~*financial support
-monthly giving was down this month


**Pictures at the top:
Anne Pierre-Elien, my guide on our hike and a powerful intercessor, in general, a real fireball. I challenge anybody to keep up with her. :)
Anne's family and the Bussiere family live on the floor below me. They have all been very warm and welcoming. Thanks for making me feel at home. Last night I got to have crepes with both families. It was loud and lively and a lot of people packed in a small kitchen. I loved EVERY minute of it.

The chateau from the vineyards on the hill. It's the brown building with pointed eaves at bottom center. The place the pic was taken is a good place to go and pray over the valley.

14 October

Greetings from Guebwiller, France.
It is so good to be back in France. I have many good things to report. I am sure I'm going to forget something, but at least this will help give you and idea of what has been happening and what will be happening. I will start with the more practical and then share my heart towards the end. (You might want to get a cup of tea or coffee for this one. :)

My first four days were spent with the Leigh family until my room became available at the chateau. I am grateful for their hospitality and time with them. I was able to take walks in the vineyards and enjoy the beauty. If you are a facebook friend check out my photos of the area and the chateau where I am living. I was told by another lady who lives in the chateau that I am now a châtelaine (lady of the manor). so fun...

Monday started with two chapel services at the Christian school that is located here at the chateau. There was a guest speaker from Honduras. He brought an inspiring message and many of the students from the youngest who are preschool age to the oldest who are about 15. He spoke in Spanish and Manuela, one of the leaders here, translated. Whew! After the whole day passed in French, the first one for me in a long time, my mind was spinning. The first day was frustrating. I began to understand what was being said fairly quickly but I felt helpless to speak.

Tuesday was better for getting things out of my mouth. I had lunch with a French family Monday and then with another French family on Tuesday. Being surrounded by the language is helping it to come back. I know I am still making a lot of mistakes but at least I'm talking!

The leaders here are keen to get me involved with intercession, which was the first thing I did on Thursday morning. The church leaders came together to welcome me and pray for me. It was a great time. They encouraged me in prayer and I felt loved and welcomed. Then I stayed to pray with the intercession team during their weekly meeting. God is really on the move here and many things are being started. There is a real need to cover this and the people here in prayer. I plan on taking many walks to explore and pray over the area too. There is also daily prayer before school for the school and the students. They really have a heart not just to educate kids but give them a chance to live a healthy life full of God.

Just a quick clarification: There is the church Eglise Josué and there is the school Ecole Daniel. Many leaders of the church are also leaders or teachers in the school. However, the church does not run the school and many of the teachers are not a part of the church. The school is a French Christian school, the largest one in France, and it is not very big. It is a very important work for the future generations of France.

With the school I hope to be involved with music. There are a couple young groups who are interested in leading worship during the Monday chapel services. The leaders have asked if I could help train them in music and playing as a group. There is also talk of other lessons or maybe a small choir. Things are still developing. I would also like to observe some classes to improve my French and to see how the French classroom operates.

I can already see that there are many things to be done and I am here for only 9 weeks total, the first one is already gone. I want to be effective and help in supporting in prayer what is happening and teaching and training where I can. Also during this time I will be sending out resumes and looking for a job teaching English so I can get a visa to work and live in France. These are all things that you could definitely pray for me and with me about.

summary of prayer requests:
~my time in Guebwiller to be effective
-including organizing and preparing music groups
-interceding for the church and school here
-looking for a job
~improving my French skills
~interceding for friends and family in other places
-the more I pray into this place, God puts others on my heart
I need to learn to balance this or learn what God is teaching me through this.
~financial support
-monthly giving was down this month and it's a bit tight right now

Now I want to share some of my heart.
I am a relational person. I am motivated most by knowing people, not projects. With just a few weeks here I've wondered how that would work. In May, God connected me with several people at the France en Feu conference and then a visit to Guebwiller. I knew I had found my French family. It is so odd to feel you instantly have a family but you don't really know them. It's a Spirit thing. That connection was quickly reaffirmed. I feel loved and accepted here. I am a part of what is happening. I haven't had much time with students here but I can already feel a tug in my heart towards them. I think God will do what He does and allow us to get to know one another quickly and work together well, not that that there won't be challenges.

I feel a closer connection to God or maybe greater freedom of access to Him than ever before. While praying in a classroom before school yesterday I was drawn to a particular desk and spent some time praying there. After the time, I asked one of the teachers, who is also one of the intercessors, who sat there. I shared what God had given me and she said it fit that student's situation. God is so cool.

I am at peace and ready to run at the same time. I am grateful for the time of preparation God has brought me through. The struggles, difficulties, and plain old hard work are paying off. I am again reminded of the scripture in Hebrews 12: No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. We all face the challenges of life. How will we respond to them? I want to be trained by them so I don't have to repeat them!

I pray you are finding God in your present situation, whether it be in the valley, on the mountain top, or on the way up. May God's richness fill you today and give you all you need and more.

**Pics at the top are of my new home.
the château
the view from my room

3 October

I'm finished!!! One more step closer to...

The month TEFL course was a lot to do in a short time, but overall a positive experience. I did well on my tests and have a feeling of accomplishment. I am now certified to teach English as a foreign language! God has been gracious to me over this month.

Another positive aspect has been getting to stay with my friends Ruth and Ralph. Their home once again has been a refuge. I have seen them a few times in the last year, but it has been a treat to get a block of time to deepen a good friendship.

I move on to Guebwiller, France on Wednesday the 7th of October. I am really looking forward to seeing friends there and getting plugged in with what God is doing there. It will be so good to be back in France. However, I know my French is rusty and it will take a little time to get it back. Then the goal is to improve for years to come. I will let you know what I am involved in after I am plugged in and know exactly what to report.

I am ready for another stage of this adventure. It has been over a year of preparation and I feel I am close to being able to be a part of what God is doing in France, however that will look.

I read this quote on the side of a church in London. I like it. It offers a bit of a challenge. Maybe it will mean something to you.

"All may have, if they dare try, a glorious life or grave."

27 September

I am looking at the last week of my TEFL course. I have A LOT of homework. However, with just one week to go and having a tough teacher for French last year in Paris (thanks, Régine) I know I can handle it. I did really well on my method test. I actually pulled an A! That's thanks to teaching experience and all of those years of teacher in-service. Now we are on to grammar. It's one thing to know what is right and a whole other thing to know why it's right and then be able to teach it to someone else. Let's just say there will be even more study and preparation for the next big test on Wednesday.

I have thought quite a bit about the love of God this week. After talking to a friend one night, I could feel God's care for me through her. Then the next day on the train I was once again aware of God's love for me. I just relaxed and enjoyed the goodness of it for a moment (taking a break from homework). Then I looked around and realized these people don't know that He loves them like this... how sad. Isn't that what we really want people to know? Don't we want to share Jesus because we want people to know that they are really and genuinely loved by the Great Lover? We all want and need to be loved. And God is the only one who gets it right 100% of the time. What a good message.

Also, I was talking with some friends from school on the topic of marriage. They had the typical view going these days. "Yes, it would be nice if marriage would last forever but people change and I don't know if my marriage would last or not." "Can you really blame someone for leaving if the other person changes or cheats?" All of us were single. Two of them have long time boyfriends. I was quiet for most of the conversation, but when I did share my opinion I was thankful for the good and godly marriages that I knew. The marriages that have survived depression and even infidelity. I could tell it was impressive to them to hear of people choosing to stay together through very difficult circumstances. So thank you to those of you who may not have a perfect marriage (does such a thing exist?) but you have chosen with God's help to be faithful.

Prayer requests:
-a good finish to this last week of TEFL training
-continued provision for the next stage
-continued good health and rest
-a safe journey to France on Oct 7
-a good transition into life in Alsace

**the picture is Waterloo Station taken from my classroom window

17 September

I am almost half way through my TEFL course and so far so good. I have taught two lessons this week and they both went well. I had forgotten how much I like to teach. I seem to forget when I haven't taught in a while. It only takes one lesson to remind me though. There is a lot of lecture, prep and work to be done but I have managed to stay on top of it all. It is a lot of teaching method, which I've had, both as a teacher and as a language student last year. God has prepared me for this course and I am grateful for it. Otherwise, it would be a little overwhelming.

My class is made up of 17 people from several different countries. The reasons they are there are as varied as the people. Our teacher is Polish. She is a ball of energy and really knows her stuff. It's been enjoyable for me to be a part of such a diverse group.

Commuting has been good. I'm definitely getting my exercise. I had a chance last Friday to check out the National Gallery. I love free museums. I realized that when I lived here 11 years ago, I always took the Tubes (subway). I missed so much of the city by being underground for my travels. So, I am hoping to walk around the central part of the city and rediscover London.

Prayer requests:

I am home sick today. (Taking this opportunity to blog.) Please pray for good health to finish this course and throughout the fall.
I will have major tests on the next two Wednesdays. Please pray I do well on my tests and the remaining 4 lessons I have to teach.
Please pray blessings, healing, and grace for Ruth and Ralph who are such kind and generous hosts to me.

**This is a picture of my school in London near Waterloo Station, Schiller International University. However, my certification will come from TEFL International.

6 September

I have safely made it to my English home. I will be here for a month. Tomorrow I start my TEFL course which will train me to teach English as a second language. I will then take my certificate and move on to Alsace, France to volunteer with a church there helping with the youth.
That's the fall in a nutshell if you hadn't heard the plan before.

So starting tomorrow, I become a London commuter. AND I'm actually looking forward to it. Crazy. I'm not much of a city girl, but the idea of catching a train each day and continuing to learn and be equipped for the next stage is exciting to me.

I am ready for a new adventure. I am starting this season of life in fullness and hope. (2 Peter 1:3) I am very grateful to God for all that He has done. The most amazing thing He has done in my life is not paying for stuff, it's not the travel, although these things are great! The most mind-blowing thing God has done in my life is that He is transforming me. He has healed me, grown me, taken me apart and put me back together. I am on more solid footing than ever before. Even when the terrain constantly shifts, I keep my balance. This is a huge change and improvement for me. This is the power of God to save. This is the power of love. This is the power of the Gospel. This is what we must share with a hurting, dying, lost world. We all need this precious Jesus that can set us free and transform us.


**This is the first buddy pic of Liviyah and me. Isn't she sweet!?

20 August

T minus 2 weeks and counting....

I can't believe it's almost time to get to the skies again. It is transition time but I am glad to say that I am more at peace during this transition than I have been in the past. That is testimony to the goodness and faithfulness of God.

It has been a wonderful summer. There have been weddings and births and lots of time with great people.

Last Friday night we had a gathering for me to share about what is going on with me. I was so blessed by the people who came. It is so encouraging to see people come together because they want to hear what's happening with you and be a part of it. The theme for the night seemed to be "we got your back." This is definitely a team effort and I'm on a great team. We're gonna win.

I am pleased to report that much of the money needed to get me back to Europe has been given. Now I just need the $1650 to pay for the rest of my TESOL course. Thanks everyone. And isn't this testimony to the faithfulness of God!

We have a newborn in our home now. Liviyah Grace Knox came to us this past weekend. And will wonders never cease, I am actually enjoying living with a baby! Those of you who know me well know this is a miracle. I am so grateful for how God puts us in family.

Kids went back to school yesterday. It was really odd to be here and not to return with them. But I know my day is quickly coming. And this time my school will be in English! I have a little better grasp on that language so maybe it won't be quite as challenging as French language school was.

As you can probably tell, things are going well with me. God has filled me with His peace. Now I can feel my spirit stirring at the thought of another adventure. There is nothing like life in Jesus. To quote Steven Curtis Chapman, "This is life like no other. This is the great adventure."

**Pictured above are my dear friends and housemates: Liviyah Grace Knox, Danny Knox, and Emily Knox.