Salut!

Up again quite early to finish off the cleaning in the church kitchen before heading off to Chinon with 6 other young adults for the Claire’s baptism.

Claire, you may remember, was the young girl who turned up at my house out of the blue in August 2006 and gave her life to Jesus!  She then followed the Alpha course and early in 2007 found a long prayed for job in Chinon.  So we said a sad goodbye to our new sister.  However, we have kept in contact over the year and been out to visit her last September. 

Today was the day of her baptism.  It was a wonderful occasion.  She shared so honestly about the pain and rejection she had felt in her life and the peace and freedom from fear that life with Jesus gave her.  It was a very moving time for me as she was the first person I have seen in France go from conversion to baptism.  It was a real priviledge to be there.

The baptsim itself was in a blow-up paddling pool, which in the baking sun the children had to be physically restrained from jumping in!  When the moment of the baptism arrived a little voice cried out, "She’s so lucky!" 

Another of my language flops:  I was taking with a group of people when a man joined our group who is a bee keeper.  So I lightly asked him how the bees were going.  He mumbled something very quietly and I had no idea what he said, so simply replyed, "Chouette!" (Fantastic!)  The bee leeper looked a bit puzzeled and moved on.  Paul turned round and said, "Chouette?  He just said he had lost 90% of his hives though disease."  ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!   D’oh!

Car boot sale day!  I was at the church at 7.30am to set up the drink stall  - already the stress was showing and people’s tempers were a bit frayed!

We had a great day in the sun and LOADS of our neighbours came and wandered round.  About 100 people came into the church for the Martin Luther King Exhibition, and many encouraging conversations were had around my little drink stand.  It was a very hot, tiring, but succesful day.  Thanks God!

Friday I spent 5 HOURS with 3 other ladies making little Algerian cakes for the car boot sale.  I am SO THANKFUL to be English where a cup of tea and a slice of victoria sponge would suffice!  No, we had to make little fiddly (but very tasty) little cakes with 3 different parts to them etc. 

I mananged to escape the women and have a quiet half hour before heading out to rollerblading.  It has been a wonderful weekend weather-wise and there was about 150 people waiting outside the cathedral.  It brought memories of last September flooding back when I sat on my own, literally terrified of what was ahead of me and ashamed and humiliated that I had no friends.  How things have changed!  As soon as I arrived about half the staff came and did the French kissy hello and many other regulars greeted me.  I felt SO HAPPY!  It has taken so long to simply make relationships and friendships here and living on my own has been very lonely at times.  How much God has blessed me through rollerbalding and prooved that often we have to "Feel the fear and do it anyway"!  I had an excellent evening, got back home at midnight absolutly exhausted but very sastisfied with life.