Salut!

So now I have a different washing machine!  My landlord took time out of his lunch break to bundle my leaky one into his car and drive to the shop.  We then proceeded to have a very loud and typically French ‘discussion’.  The lady refused to give me a refund but would exchange for another up to 20€ more expensive then the one I had.  Not perfect, but OK.  So I added another 20€ to the kitty and bought a more expensive one in the hope that it wouldn’t wash my floors as well as my clothes.  We’ll see.  My landlord is coming round tonight, hopefully, to plumb it in.

This time Rachel from Christian Celebration came out.  I have never met her before so it has been interesting getting to know each other.  Yesterday morning we spent quite a long time doing a mamoth cooking session.  The pastor was arriving back after 3 weeks and I wanted to leave him and the family a cake…cookies were needed for gifts and visits…a huge rice pilaf was needed for the young adults group and we wanted a cake for ourselves!  Phew!  Here is me with some of the results:

An amazing thing happened too - You can so tell that many people are praying!!!  My landlord came round for something and asked about my washing machine.  I explained and he was quite angry with the company and said he would ring them first thing tomorrow and demand a refund.  Hurahhh!!!!  Let’s pray that he has more success than I had!  Anyway, I was able to furnish him with chocolate cookies so that was nice!

 

It was also the 2nd young adults group today.  They came and ate, and stayed 6 hours!!  We had a good time and played a game to get to know each other more.  A couple of the boys arranged to meet together for prayer.  And we hope to do a ’spiritual survey’ together next time to find out where our strengths and weaknesses our so we can pray and encourage each other.  I was very encouraged! 

Here is the group plus Rachel, and me and Coretha who will soon be leaving to study in the US.   Please pray for more single girls to join us.  She was the only one!  (apart from me!!)

 

Beth (a friend from Bible College) came to visit me last week.  It was lovely to see her and just spend some time chilling out.  Unfortunatly I had a bad cold most of the time and spent most of my time blowing my nose and feeling weary - but I survived!! 

 

On Saturaday morning we went to a market and bought a flower box for my balcony.  You won’t believe how happy this has made me!!  It is so beautiful!  (And so is Beth!)

We visited the floral park which was lovely…

And Hilary a girl I am doing weekly bible studies with took us to a castle for the afternoon

Friends are a good gift from God!

I had an amazing ‘first’ this afternoon.  I was literally stepping in the door after getting back from a Bible study and the phone was ringing.   The person was in tears and said could they meet me.  I asked them to meet me first at the church (I wasn’t sure who it was…).  Anyway, a young girl arrived in a bit of a state who had been to our church for the first time this week.  I invited her back to my flat and had the amazing privilige of leading her to Christ.  It made me realise so much more that when Jesus says ‘He will build his church’ that he really means it!! 

 

Please pray for this young girl.  She is going away for 2 weeks so will be unable to meet with us on Sunday.  I have encouraged her to join the Alpha course I will be starting in about a month…  We need to hold our new sister in prayer!

I have been given an ‘old ladies shopping trolly’!!  At first I was humiliated but then I got over my pride and realised why these things have been the chosen shopping aid of countless old ladies accross Europe - They are wonderfull!!!  No heavy bags to carry, no crazy trolly to push round the store, no bad-for-the-environment plastic bags.  Oh the joy!!

 

 

On a more negative note I have considrable amounts of water escaping from what seems like the bottom of my washing machine.  None of the pipes seem wet so I guess there must be a leak somewhere.  I can’t face calling the shop.  I know the routine.  I argue.  They refuse.  They give in and send rude incompetent men round to remove machine while scraping my paintwork.  They keep machine for 2 weeks.  They return machine in exact state that they took it away in.  They cause a flood in my kitchen before they leave.  ARGHHHHH.  I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.  The only solution is to buy a new machine from a ‘proper’ shop.  That’s not going to happen anytime soon.  So in the mean time I will continue to get angry with this annoying company.

 

To end on a positive note - I went to the pentecostal church yesterday which was like a breath of fresh air.  I agreed to do evangelism with them in the markets this week Tuesday and Thurday.  After we went for a an Indian with 2 atheists.  Had wonderful conversations and an excellent 7 course meal - get that, 7!!! - for 11 euros!! 

Just got back from a week in Normandy with an extended French Family.  Each family unit has bought a flat in a huge big house right on the sea front in Hermanville (Sword Beach for those of you who know their WW2 history).  It was lovely to wake up each morning to a beautiful sunrise.  The weather was perfect and I had 2 swims in the sea and I have at last got a bit of colour on me!  It was quite tiring living with people I didn’t know for a week.  From my Au-pair experiences I’ve learnt that all families are different and it was no different this week!  I had a great time but I am happy to be back in my own little flat, enjoying the peace and quite and a long bath!

   This is me next to Pegasus brigde.  The first bridge to be taken by the Allies in the battle of Normandy.  Very significant to the liberation of France.

 

The big house on the left was ‘ours’!  The first floor balcony was attached to my room!

 

One of the glorious sunrises seen from my balcony.  Was worth the effort!

These little hurdels are important though aren’t they?  I could feel the presence of people’s prayers so strongly in the room.  There were only 10 of us but when you closed your eyes it felt like there were many many more.  A very powerful experience of prayer and an encouragement to those of you that prayed for the meeting that God answered your prayers and you are very much as part of this mission as I am!

 

In fact amazing things happened…the girl that I mentioned in my prayers letter arrived and stayed for the whole meeting.  It was a real shock as she is totally against reading the bible.  But God spoke to her through what the others said and she even was able to start a discussion that I think will have helped a lot of people in the room.  There are at least 3 people dealing with recent deaths of close relatives so it was a very poingant meeting.

 

Then at the end I asked people to pray for me as I was going to spend 3 days with a French family in Normandy and was worried about speaking French with ‘no escape’.  Just as we said Amen the husband walked into the room.  He isn’t a Christian, doesn’t come to church and as far as I knew didn’t know I was there!!  It was a bit surreal.  He boomed hello across the room to us and to fill the startled silence he added that I was going to spend 8 days in Normandy with him and his family.  This created more startled silence and then laughter as people realized that they would have almost x3 as much now!  Ha ha!!  A very encouraging, if not surreal evening.  Amazing how God answers prayers!