Salut!

Hurrah!  My last schelduled piece of work is over and I’m starting to pack for my 2 weeks back in the UK.  I leave tomorrow at 5am!! 

It has been a very hectic week.  Sunday was the church’s christmas serivce with sketches by the adults and the kids and then a big meal together.  Monday Belinda, from Australia arrived.  She stayed with me till Wednesday and was considering mission here in France.  Apart from tract distribution and visits we started on the christmas cookies.  I made little gift boxes to give to my neighbours along with a Mark’s Gospel.  Wednesday Jan arrived, ECM missionary.  We talked and did tourism with Belinda.  This morning started with an 8am meeting….long!  After that I went round to the house of my mechanic’s wife (!) to learn how to make felt flowers (?!)  and straight after that I had my english lesson where I taught the ladies a Christmas Carol and one gave me a Muslim head scarf!  It has been a week of really good contact with people and I have seen God at work.  However, I’m exhausted and looking forward to long lie ins at mum and dad’s! 

Here’s some pictures of the past week…

Belinda hard at work decorating cookies!

The final product!  My neighbours loved them!  I hope they loved the Gospel too.  Please pray that they would read it.

Enjoying a tea and chat with Jan.

Success story!!  Hurrah!

My rollerblading group does a Friday night ‘rando’ around the city.  In fact they do 2 circuits; a regular one of about 9km with pleanty of stops and a slowish pace, followed by a sporty circuit of about 20km at an almost continous fast pace.  I have been doing the first one since October and I promised myself I would be at a good enough level to do the 2nd one by January.

Well, last night - the last Friday night before I go home - I succeeded in doing the 2nd curcuit!  Hurrah!!!!  I am seriously chuffed!  (I’m seriously exhausted too!) 

When we got back into the city a few people went for a beer and I went with them and had my first ‘regular’ Friday night since I arrived in France!  Success!  It was just so normal!  Beer, pizza, lemonade and laughter.  Admittedly I was exhausted and freezing cold from wearing wet clothes -  but nevertheless…!  Of course they quizzed me some more about my ‘job’.  It does seem so strange to explain.  Sometimes I wish I could just say I did a regualr job instead.  But anyway, it turns out that one of the guys is a builder and has recently done some work on the pastor’s house!  Small world!

This afternoon it’s the monthly tract distribution that I organise…I’m not sure I can put one foot in front of the other! 

Hello again!

I took a few picture of my English class, it was 10 minutes into the lesson so there were only 2 ladies… The other 2 always arrive half an hour late! 

Both ladies are real sweeties, the lady with the scarf brings me little arab cookies to share with my home group!  Please pray for these ladies.  The both have very difficult situations in their life.

We had the annual English Chirstmas Carol service on Sunday.  We have been preparing for about a month with mince pies galore!  (You can’t buy them here…)  Instead of the usual Bible readings Hilary and I adapted the texts into news reports.  I think it went down quite well, there were a few titters!  We hoped that hearing the same story in different words might make people think…

We were able to give away many tracts, 3 gospels and 2 Bibles - which is a big change from last year.  I remember feeling quite dissapointed las year but this time people seemed keen to stay and chat and were open to spritual topics.

The preaher was a Frank, an American missionary studying French in Paris with his wife.  He was really the ‘man for the occasion’ and did a fantastic job.  I’m really greatful to have met them. 

   I’m afraid I didn’t take any pictures…I was too busy running around!

Monday I was in Tours to put the church plant projet to my team leader.  He is favourable.  The next hurdle is the pastors’ meeting on the 20th.  It’s quite scary now that things are getting real.  I relise I haven’t explained what’s going on!  I would prefer to wait and see if we get the go-ahead, then I can explain concrete plans rather than dreams and visions!

This link is quite funny!  : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV1zK8zRCPo

Wow!  God is good!

Today Jean-Aime and I put the final touches to the church plant proposal.  We have spent 3 days together writing it.  I think it is hughly challenging but very exciting.  Lets see what God does next…

We have just had our house group meeting.  Things went very calmly for a change!  We still need your prayers becuase I think this is a long term issue, but at least tonight things were calm and managable!  Praise God!

for 2 things:

1. We are going through a tough time in our house group and I am finding it difficult to walk in love and to deal with some of the issues. 

2. Jean-Aime and I are putting together a proposal for a church plant in the South of Orleans.  It is exciting but we are aware of the huge need for wisdom, vision and guidence from God.

Thank you lots!  I know how much prayer changes situations.  I’ll let you know how we get on.