Salut!

Yesterday I started weekly English lessons with 4 ladies, 2 from Morocco, 1 from Mauritania and another from Guinea.  A real mix!  Afterwards I went and joined in with a mother and toddler group.  The kids were being looked after while we played games with the mothers to help increase their literacy levels.

 

Please pray for this time that it is useful for the ladies in terms of their education, social and spiritual life.

 

It was one of the young adults in the church birthday on Saturday and we had a surprise party for her…I don’t think she was too surprised though!  Imagine one room in an appartment with 10 adults and 6 children under 3 years old…NOISEY!!!  Also I was handed a meat kebab, I didn’t want to be rude and took a nibble before passing it discretly to Paul.  In turns out it wasn’t just normal meet it was chicken gizzard!!!  Ewwwww!!  Thankfully I just touched the sauce on the outside!

 

I went on the ‘Rando-Roller’ round the city again tonight - fun fun fun!  I kissed 3 people hello and the leader shouted hello to me, and one man even gave me a flower!  The point being - I’M GETTING TO KNOW PEOPLE - HURRAH!!!!  A bonus was that I didn’t fall and I managed to get in and out of the car park without stress!

After we had finished I went and caught the last half hour of the rugby.  There was a giant screen outside the cathedral.  The building itself was all lit up with swirling lights and there were about 1000 people watching the match - as you can imagine it was a great atmospehere.  I was there on my own and I didn’t feel the in the least intimidated and I saw no drunks! 

After the short ‘rando-roller’ there is a longer and faster one for the more experienced people…after they finish that around 23h30 they go and get a drink together.  It is my aim to be doing that by January!!  I want a normal young persons life, meeting other people my age!  It’s all very well drinking tea with 70 year olds, but there’s a limit.  And I didn’t come to France to talk to old Christian ladies either…what did Jesus say about ill people and doctors?  Roll on January! 

Ok…lots to tell you!

Friday night was the first get together of the young adults group.  I suggested an Indien…cheekily because I can eat veggie there!  Anyway, we had a nice time and the food was yummy!

Then Saturday morning I went rollerblading with Jessica and her boyfriend, Francois.  It was the first time Jessica had put on rollerblades  - so it was fun and there was pleanty of screaming and laughter.  Happily Francois is a bit of an expert, so he was able to help her along.  And here is the proof - a photo of Stacey in her new rollerblades!

I really am loving it!  Yesterday I went for another lesson and they allowed me up to the next group! Da da daaa! This time instead of staying in the safe confines of the hall we went out onto the roads and cycle tracks on a busy Saturday afternoon!  It was seriously fun and I screamed a lot.  I managed to get down the hill that 2 weeks ago that terrified me that I needed help with, alive!  Next Sunday is a family trip.  However, I have been invited to an old lady at church’s birthday party.  Hmmmm.  Torn loyalties.

Anyway, after the Saturday morning exploits we had an inter-church youth event at the church all afternoon.  The theme was getting stuck into the Bible.  The worship was led by a guitar and an accordian.  Very French!

Me and Myriam led a workshop on cookie making!  It was quite funny seeing all these cool 17 year olds making cookies!  

Afterwards there was a question and answer session out in the sunshine.  It reminded me of a worthers originals advert with Grandad explaining stories to his grandkids!  The kids asked great questions, such as Was Jesus God or man?  How can I trust God when people around me die? 

Sunday was church and rollerblading.  But then in the evening I went into the city with Hilary and one of her work friends to watch the rugby, France v Namibia.  It was a good atmosphere and I stuffed my face with chips and jammy dodgers (sent from the UK!).  

   All in all a busy but fun weekend! 

Look what I made today!  Yum yum! 

Nobody could get my name right.  One lady called me Steffi and another Sexy!  Ha ha ha!!  I couldn’t hold in the laughter!!  I am going to be teaching English to 2 ladies, their names are Fatma and Mina.  Please pray for the time we spend together.

I have joined the local community skills exchange group.  I went thinking I would simply offer a few hours of English tuition so that I can meet more people in the neighbourhood - and now I’m sucked in!!  I’m making arab flat bread with a group of ladies on Friday afterfternoon and I think I might be learning how to make curtains sometime this month too!  I want to make a real effort this year to meet with people outside of the church.  It is far too easy to get sucked into the church and create work to do.  But I’ve come here to share Jesus with people who don’t know him yet.  So out of the church I go!  Pray with me!

Tonight I was feeling daring and I went on my very first ‘Rando-Roller’.  Every Friday night hundreds of rollerbladers gather in front of the cathedral in the city center at around 9.30 and then they do a 6 - 10km circuit of the city.  It’s fantastic because the police give an escort and the roads are blocked so we can go in the middle of the road. 

I have taken 3 lessons so I thought I would give it a go.  I was quite nervous because I was going on my own and didn’t know if I’d recognize anyone from the lessons.  I arrived and tried to get into an underground car park…I had gone down the ramp and the car in front of me couldn’t get the barrier to lift.  He started reversing…that meant I had to try and reverse up the curving entry ramp….arghhh!!  Hill starts and reversing round an up-hill corner…after lots of engine revving it was humiliatingly clear I wasn’t going to do it.  I was on the point of getting out of my car and telling the driver in front that if he wanted to get out he would have to drive my car out first!!  Thankfully, at this point, probably alerted by the noise and petrol fumes I had created, a man arrived and lifted the barrier.  I was so relieved that I didn’t think about it and just drove in and parked well away from the other car so we didn’t have any awkward conversations in the lift!

 

So, I arrived outside the cathedral and there was a big screen TV there with a huge crowd watching the rugby - a great atmosphere!  I sat on the steps and got kitted up, scanning the area desperately for anyone that I might have vaguely seen before.  One of the more experienced lads was there - and he came to talk to me - I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief!!  Also one of the patrol guys knew me and he came and said hello.  With all these competent people around I felt a bit more confident and we were off!  It was soooooo much fun!  At one point we had to go down a big slip road.  Because I can’t break that well one of the lads let me hold on to him - conga style - and we went down the hill together!!  I was screaming and I think he was seriously embarrassed!!  Ha ha!!  Anyway, we did 6.5Km and I didn’t fall once!  Hurrah me!  When I got back I sat down taking my boots off and there was another guy that I knew - in the crowd I hadn’t seen him.  We will be going for a skate together after work…if I decide whether or not I think he’s an axe murderer!!

 

All elated and feeling very proud of myself I made my way back to the car park.  Found Fifi - always a bonus - and set off.  Only of course I had entered without a ticket and I couldn’t get out!!  Arghhh!  It was only when I got to the gate with a queue of cars behind me that I realized this!  D’oh!  I had to jump out and run and find someone to help…all this while the drivers behind were pomping their horns and getting stressed!  Opps!

 

So there’s the story.  I’m having lots of fun and FINALLY meeting people who don’t go to church!  Hurrah!  Lots of thank yous to the VERY kind people who bought my rollerblades for me.  What a great gift! 

Last week I was at a Christian Holiday centre in between Bordeaux and Agen, the South West of France.  I had a fantastic time!  It was a retreat for singles and I felt so stupid signing up but I really wanted a hiliday and I didn’t want to be on my own.

Anyway…there was a group of about 20 of us.  In the morning we had a worship service and the afternoons were free and there were activities in the evening.   During the afternoons we usually went off together…we went canoeing, to a spa, on a barge, to a plum plantation…fun!  And all of this in beautiful sunshine.    I feel very refreshed and very greatful to God that he blessed me with such a wonderful week.

Now it’s back to living on my own and dealing with the ups and downs of church life!  The BBQ that was planned for the 15th has been cancelled…it’s a long story and I’m rather dissapointed and frustrated.  Tomorrow I’m off with the pastor to look at a retreat centre that we may use for our regional church weekend.

The rollerblading is going great!  I really love it!  I’m falling less and less and I am learning new techniques and meeting new people.  It’s great!  Please pray for these contacts that not only would good friendships be formed but that they would be fruitful for the Lord too.