In Earthen Vessels

January 2012 Newsletter

2012-01-23T07:53:00.000-08:00

Warning…
…the objects in your mirror may be closer than they appear. All of us have read this warning before, or something close to it. It is printed at the bottom of almost every side view mirror in the States. For us, it turns out that it is not the objects behind us, but those in front of us that are closer then we originally thought. In the matter of a few weeks, we went from thinking we had 2 years before our first home assignment, to 1 year, and finally to 3 months.

Most of it is Phoebe’s fault. That’s right. At just 5 months old, Phoebe is already causing all kinds of trouble. Not long after Phoebe’s birth, we started talking about making a short trip to the States so friends and family could meet this wonderful little girl. In fact, in our November newsletter asked people to consider giving so we could take that trip. After much discussion, we were still unsure how it would be possible to get enough money to fly our whole family back to Georgia, so we started praying.

We began praying and asking the Lord to provide a way for us to return to the States. In no way were we thinking, much less asking, that the Lord hasten our home assignment. That idea never crossed our minds.

It was only in, what we thought at the time were, totally unrelated talks that we discussed shortening our first term on the field from 4 years to 3. It seemed to be a better idea in relation to both ministry and family life. These discussions prompted an email to our international director, whose response shook things up even more.

It was in the wake of his email that we began to see a clear connection between what we had been asking the Lord for and our discussions about home assignment. Our director’s response was simple and very encouraging. He told us we already had 9 months of home assignment time built up. We had been a year and a half in France, and two years in Senegal, totaling 3 ½ years. For whatever reason, we had never though about it that way.

After more prayer and discussing things with our team, we decided to take our first home assignment at the end of the next school term- April 4th to be exact. We had been praying about a way to spend 3 weeks over the summer with family and friends and God responded by giving us from April to January.

“9 months of vacation?” That has been the question from several of our Senegalese friends. It has been a challenge to explain to them all the reasons for our return, but we hope they understand it is not 9 months of paid vacation. We have plenty of work to do.

While we are excited to see family and friends, and for them to meet Phoebe, that will not be the only goal of our 9 month home stay. We will be visiting supporters, taking a trip out to CrossWorld’s headquarters in Kansas City, looking to raise the support we are presently lacking, and be involved as much as possible in our home church. Our 9 months home assignment will not look like a 9-5 job, but we will have plenty to do.

We want to praise the Lord for His answer to our prayers. We know many of you all were praying for us in this matter, so please rejoice with us. God is such a good Father. He knows just what we need, when we need it. Even though we do not always know exactly what to ask for, He always knows exactly what to give us.

“Please say we’re finished!”
A sprint to the finish…that is how a good race with fit runners is supposed to end. The final straightaway is no time to give up. It is the moment when a runner gives everything that he or she has left inside. That is, of course, if you are a fit runner. If you run more like me (Eric), then you may convince yourself upon seeing the finish line that you have run far enough and call it quits for the day.

This is the temptation for us as we begin making plans to return to the States. It would be so easy to just stop now and cruise to the finish. We are on that final straightaway, but instead of kicking harder, we find ourselves wanting to walk.

It was with those thoughts in mind that we went to talk to our pastor here in Senegal. We wanted to let him know of our new plans, and we wanted to see if there was anything he wanted us to do before leaving.

Our time with him was really great. He was encouraged and so were we. He was also more than willing to help make sure that we do not walk across the finish line of April 4th. He gave me 3 Sundays to preach, including the last Sunday we will be here. With those three preaching dates, as well as Sunday school to prepare for, I will be plenty busy. My need to study leaves much of the packing and preparation for leaving on Amanda’s plate. Between that and the kids, she will be quite busy as well.

We would still ask for your prayers. This is our first home assignment, so it is a new experience for us. We want to finish out our time here well, and prepare well for our time in the US.

Back Again

2011-12-26T13:37:00.000-08:00

The saying is that time changes things. The funny thing is that sometimes that change brings you right back to where you started. If you glance at the last post on this blog, you will notice that it was the announcement of a our new website. A website that, at the time, we really thought was a great idea.It was a great idea for a time. A time when we were first starting out and everything was new and exciting. A time when we thought lots of people were actually going to read our blog. (We do not mean that in a negative way toward anyone, but more a confession of our pride.) A time when we had two kids instead of three. A time when we were fully supported, so spending a little money for a website was not a big deal. It was a great idea for a time.However, that time has gone. Now is the time for a free blog, a blog that will be posted on from time to time, read by a few, and closely followed by even less. What we are trying to say is that we're back. For those of you that kept up with the other website, it will soon be gone, but you will be able to find us here. That is, until we get another great idea...

Another Step Up

2009-02-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

Well, we are moving again. This time not in person, but on the internet. We are stepping up to a real website and you can follow the link is below to find In Earthen Vessels. We are excited about the new website because it will give us an even better way to keep our friends and family up-to-date. This blogspot blog that you're looking at right now will not go away, but we will not be updating it anymore because there is a new blog on our new website. Come check it out: www.inearthenvessels.com

The Day We Joined the Communist March

2009-01-30T03:51:00.000-08:00

We have been in France for five months and it was well before then that we started the visa process. We’ve had appointments at government offices, filled out mounds of paperwork, paid fees and finally, yesterday we took yet another step in the process- hopefully the last. Although have officially been issued our cards, we were still required to travel to a nearby town for a physical.

Almost all of our fellow students were given an appointment at the same time and at the same place, so at first things seem like they were going to be simple. We would just leave school as a group after lunch, catch a train to Chambery, have our little checkup, and get back in time to pick up the kids from school.

Well, thing didn’t quite turnout that way. First, we caught wind of a strike in Albertville for all the teachers that was to take place the same day. When that happens, Hannah and all of her friends do not have school and all the parents organize what to do with them while we’re in class. Amanda took this responsibility on the first time there was a strike in the local school and did a great job, so she was given the task again. After making all the plans for a group of 15 kids, we found out Tuesday afternoon that there had been some confusion. It was only the primary school that was going to strike, not Hannah’s school. Oh, the joys of living in a country were you don’t understand much of the language.

The second problem came with the plan to take the train to Chambery. In general, France has a very good public transportation system…that is when they are not on strike. On Thursday, January 29, guess what? The regional SNCF train employees were on strike, too. When we learned this, we began planning how to get us all to Chambery (only 2 families here have cars).

With quite a bit of ease, thanks to the help of the staff here at the school, we loaded up and headed off. We made it to the doctor’s office without too much excitement and we were all seen quickly. While we were waiting in the doctor’s office we began to hear music coming from the street outside and also what sounded like the voice of a man shouting over loud speakers. Know what? It seems that yesterday was not only a good day for teachers and train workers to strike, but it was also a good day for the communist party of France to put on a demonstration.

It would have mattered little to us if the communist party’s demonstration had not been right next to the doctor’s office we were in and blocking the route we need to take to get to our other doctor’s appointment.

Now before you begin thinking we were in some great danger, it would probably be good to inform you that demonstrations and strikes happen a lot in France and they are almost always peaceful. In America, if things get to the point of a strike it means things are bad and a strike can turn into a riot at any time. In the States, a strike is at the end of the process, when all else has failed and communication is not working. In France striking or demonstration is the first step in the process. It’s how they say, “Pay attention. We are unhappy and we want to talk about it.” All this to say that we were not in any physical danger.

Even though we know there was not immediate threat of physical danger, it was still a little scary to have to cut straight through the middle of the demonstration for the Communist Party. As far as we knew, we had no other choice because our second doctor’s appointment was a few blocks down on the other side of the demonstration.

Crossing the demonstration turned out to be not a big deal and we made it through, not withstanding a few stern looks. Rather easily, we made it to the next appointment in time, saw the doctor and walked away with yet another piece of paper from the French government (that, of course, we now have to take to another office at a later date to be stamped by another person).

The really interesting part of our day came when we tried to leave the parking garage where we had parked. The rest of the group left about an hour earlier and there was only a van full of us left, so we all loaded up into the van and headed for he exit. I think most, if not all, parking garages in France are underground (and nicely maintained)- a good idea if you’re short on space. We paid the parking ticket went through the bar thing and began the steep climb up the hill to street level. As we came to the top of the hill we all felt a quick jolt as the driver slammed on the brakes That demonstration that I mentioned…well, it moved directly in front of the parking garage and the road was completely packed with people who were in no hurry to move.

There were two problems now. The biggest problem was that we had stopped on a steep hill and, let’s just say that the van we were in was far from new. Rob, our driver and the van’s owner, tried to get going again on the hill, but first gear would not catch. We are very thankful there was no one behind us because each time we rolled further and further back down the hill. Finally, Rob was able to back down the hill to a level place and get the van into first gear again. Praise God it worked and we climbed uneasily to the street.

This time we did not stop on the hill. There was just enough space between the hill and the street full of protesters for the van to stop on level ground. So there we sat. After a few minutes a man came up to the window and kindly informed us that we may want to just park our van again because the demonstration would take over an hour to pass by because of the large turnout of people. For us, this was not really an option because everyone in the car had kids waiting for us in Albertville.

After a little waiting and considering our options, there came a break in the mob of people in the street. Rob, adventurous and unashamed, decided this was our chance and just eased the van out into the street and into the middle of the demonstration. Oh, the looks we got! It was pretty funny. We had not gotten very far down the road when the crowd in front of us stopped moving, but thankfully by this point we hand been spotted by one of the organizers of the demonstration. He waved people out of the way and led us to the other side of the demonstration. On our way Rob, our driver, thought we would make the most of the situation. He kept honking the horn and hanging out the window giving a ‘thumbs up’ to the demonstrators. If you knew Rob, you would realize this in just normal behavior for him.

Well, we made it through and all the way back to little Albertville just in time for dinner. It was an exciting day full of memories and a first-hand experience of French culture. While looking back it is a lot of fun and make for a good story, I hope that next stage of getting our visas is not nearly as exciting.

Drop it Back!

2009-01-28T21:46:00.000-08:00

There are challenges to coaching any sport and sometimes particularly depending on the group you happen to be coaching. For several years I coached middle school boys soccer and my first season coaching the boys, of the many things I found difficult, one was trying to get them to understand that sometimes the best thing to do in a game was go backwards, not forward.

You see in soccer, much like basketball, one can pass the ball backwards. In fact there are many times in soccer were passing the ball backwards in the best thing to do. When a player passes the ball back to a player behind them, it is called a drop. If you have played soccer, then you are familiar with this term as you hear it on the soccer field all the time.

The challenge with my guys was trying to help them see that passing backwards was not always a bad thing. In their heads I am sure they are simply thinking, “The goal is in front of me. You only get points for getting the ball in the goal, thus the best play is always a play toward the goal.” Again, if you have ever played soccer, you immediately see the faulty logic in this way of thinking.

There are times when a player’s way to the goal is completely blocked. If he tries to go forward he will likely loose possession of the ball. In this case, the best play may be behind him. Rather than give the ball up to the other team he should just pass the ball backwards and get help from the rest of his team.

I have found this principle to be true in life as well. Not long after returning to France, Amanda and I decided that the best way forward for me in language was to take a step back. As many of you know, I have found learning the French language to be quite a challenge. Some of that challenge is just my personality and giftings and some of that challenge I have brought on myself by not being willing to use the French that I know.

Due to all that happened over the Christmas break, our family got back to France two weeks after the semester had started. I was already feeling behind at the end of the first semester, and by the time I got back to class this semester I felt completely lost. After a few days of class I talked with my teacher about all this. Amanda and I also meet with the director of the school, talked with our international director at CrossWorld, and prayed a lot. After much talking and praying we decided that the best option was for me to go back and to repeat the beginner class.

While our goal is to learn the French language and get to Senegal, like with soccer, it became clear the best way forward was to drop the ball back. No, in many ways this is not what we wanted. This means our time in France will be extended. Which, of course, means we will be even later getting to Senegal. It is also difficult for me to see all the people I came in with going forward while I feel like I am going backwards.
This is when I have to be reminded that what seems like backwards to me is not always backwards to God. There have been many steps along this journey to Africa that have seemed like steps backwards, but now looking back on them we are so thankful that God redirected our path or simply made us wait. I do not know all the reason God might have for causing us to linger in France, but what I do know is the sometimes the best way forward is to take a step back. I am also fully convinced that God is in control and He does not make mistakes. Amanda and I pray Proverbs 3:5-8 for our family over and over. We trust God is and will answer those prayers.

We are so thankful for all of your prayers. Please continue to pray that God will help us learn the French language. We got a call for one of our teammates in Senegal, and just talking on the phone with him reminded us of what is at stake. There are people who need hear the blessed message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are people who need be drawn into the worship of our great God because He is worthy of their worship. So your prayers for us to learn the language are not too simple or small. It is an important part of getting the gospel out to the people of Senegal and strengthening the church there.

Little Blessings

2009-01-22T03:52:00.000-08:00

Since we've been back in France, there are a few little things that have been "little blessings," like:

Discovering how to use fabric softener in a front load washing machine- The washing machines that we use here automatically dispense the detergent, so I don't have the opportunity to choose the great smelling laundry detergent like I would like to. One of my favorite scents is the smell of clean laundry. Now, with the aid of fabric softener, our clothes are oh-so-soft and smell good enough to eat.

Discovering how to get my hair clean- The water here is very hard, so my hair feels oily- I guess because I can't get all the soap out. Well, Eric had the idea to wash my hair with cold water because he noticed that when the hot water comes out of the faucet, it has a whitish color to it until it cools down. Possibly, that's the problem (because I love very hot showers). So far, my hair feels better, but the jury's still out until I wash it a few more times.

Malachi's drawings- Yesterday, Malachi drew his first-ever "person." He's growing up way too fast! But, it's absolutely adorable to see the pictures and to hear his explainations. He says of this masterpiece, "He sad. He say, 'What?!' And, he has a playground (on the left, I think slides)." By the way, he specifically said that this picture was for Aunt Em and Uncle Paul.

New Friends- There are several new families here and a few of them have kids Hannah's age, so that's very exciting for her.

A week's worth of home-cooked meals- Friends here arranged meals for the first full week here. It was such a blessing to not have to do shopping (they stocked our fridge and pantry for breakfast and lunch stuff) or any cooking as we transitioned back.

Good report from Hannah's teacher- Yesterday, when I picked Hannah up from school she yelled, "Maman!" That's how the French say "Mamma!" and her teacher said (in French), "See how she's using French! She's started doing it more and more in class." Then Hannah brought me a picture she drew and said, "Regarde Maman, mais je n'ai pas fini." (Look Mom, but I haven't finished.) Her teacher then told me how well she's picking up the language, that she finds her to be very bright. And, that she thinks that Hannah could easily learn to read in French if we were to stay a bit longer. Very encouraging to us, as parents, who are sad when we hear her talk about how she would like to be able to speak with her friends at school. She's learning!

Fear and Faith

2009-01-16T05:25:00.000-08:00

So here we are…flying back over the Atlantic. According the screen that is in front of me, we are about half way between Atlanta and Paris. I think just about everyone knows by now that this trip has not gone as planned. Let me clarify that… not as we planned. According to our timetable we should have been back in France over a week ago. We were suppose to have all our luggage. Most of all we were still suppose to be eagerly awaiting the birth of our third child. God’s plan was clearly a lot different than ours. His plan included staying in Georgia until the 14th of January, leaving with one of our big suitcases still at large, and taking our third child home to be with Him.

One of the things Amanda and I realized we did not bring enough of when we first got to France was books. For Christmas I asked Amanda to buy me several new books. One of those books was Welch’s new book Running Scared. The book takes a biblical look at fear, something that language study and living in a new country has clearly brought to the surface of my life. I have a long way to go before I am done with the book; however what I have read has been very insightful.

I am finding that dealing with fear and dealing with testing have a lot in common. One of the big things they have in common is faith. In one of the chapters I recently finished Welch makes this statement: “Faith is not seeing less, faith is seeing more.” Those words hit me hard and made me stop and think.

I would be lying if I told you I was totally excited about going back to France, or that I was really stoked about starting back at language training. The truth is that is has been a real test of my faith. No shocker, but I am not really good at French. Another understatement is that living in another country is hard. Having spent the past ever weeks back in the USA it only reinforces what I already know. France is not America. When you add in all the emotions of what has happened with the loss of our third child, it becomes the perfect setting for doubt. I find myself wondering if my family and I are really supposed to do this mission thing.

These are the thoughts that fill my head when I look only by sight and not by faith. When I look by faith, then I can see much more. Instead of only seeing all the hard things my family and I have faced over this past trip, I also see the hand of God lovingly caring and providing for us every step of the way. When I look by faith, I see beyond my language ability to a God who is not fazed or limited by my own inability. Like Welch says, “Faith is not seeing less, faith is seeing more.” Faith does not forget the hard circumstances that we are facing, but that also sees God’s faithful provision in the past and His rich promises for the future.

Our Story

2009-01-16T01:04:00.000-08:00

January 3rd, 2009 was a day that we will never forget. It had already been an emotional day as we had to once again say goodbye to our friends and family. Little did we know how emotionally draining the day would become. We thought our trip had started off with enough difficulty, as we had to wait in line at the ticket counter for over an hour because there were only two, and sometimes just one, ticket agents working the counter. Our first flight went well enough. It was just a little hop from Atlanta to Chicago. The next leg of the trip was the big one, all the way from Chicago to Germany. We boarded one plane, were we sat and waited for what seemed like forever. After being unable to fix a leak they had been working on for over an hour, we were instructed to leave the plane. It was while we were waiting for this second plane to fly to Germany that Amanda’s pain seemed to go from bad to really bad. We waited at our new gate for at least another hour and finally we boarded the new plane. We settled into our seats and were ready for takeoff, or so I thought.

By now, Amanda’s pain had now gotten much worse. As the plane was taxing out to the run way she looked at me and said, “I have to go to the bathroom now.” I think it was at that moment that we both realized what we desperately hoped would not happen was happening. Amanda was having a miscarriage. I am assuming the flight attendants could see the distress on my face because they asked what was wrong and I told them, “I think my wife is having a miscarriage.” The got on the PA system and asked if there were any doctors on board and two German men came to the back of the plane, but prove to be little help in the given situation. Another lady also came to the back of the plane, a lady Hannah had befriended while we were waiting for our plane. She was a midwife and she gave me the most helpful advice. The flight attendants had been asking me if I wanted them to taxi back to the gate and call for paramedics. After talking with the mid-wife about potential concerns for a little bit, I said yes.

It didn’t seem like long before they were taking Amanda from my arms and putting her in the ambulance. I had to tell her goodbye and that I would see her at the hospital because I had to go take care of the kids. I did not see Amanda again for well over an hour. Between trying to find a cab that would take the voucher the airline gave us, and the cab driver first taking us to the wrong place, it seemed like we were never going to get there.

Our time in the hospital was a blur. When we first got there the word was Amanda would be discharged that night. Well, after many sleepless hours and a lot of bad food Amanda was finally discharged about 4:30 pm the next day.

We left the hospital and checked into our hotel. The first night we all stayed together- we crashed hard because we were all exhausted. That next day Amanda’s mom came to Chicago and took the kids back to Georgia. It worked out well because it gave Amanda and I sometime to be alone together, to process the previous 24 hours and grieve together. The next afternoon Amanda and I flew back to Georgia where Amanda was able to get some much needed rest and the kids had time to rest and get over being sick. It was really nice to be able to be with friends and family and begin the process of working through thoughts and emotions from these very traumatic few days.

Oh the pain...I mean fun...

2008-12-15T04:12:00.000-08:00

Well, it finally happened. I waited 30 years and it finally happened. I went snow skiing for the first time. The good news is that I am alive and that I can say I have skied in the French Alps. The bad news is that I tried to learn to ski in the French Alps. After 3 times down the beginner slope (which I was sharing with kids Hannah's age and younger), one of my buddies convinced me I was ready for the regular slope. Well, the picture above (although not actually of me) tells the story of how that went. Apart from "manger beaucoup de neige" (eating lots of snow) and being really sore the next day, it was lots of fun. Once again I came away amazed at God's creation. Words can't describe the beauty I saw, that is, when my face was not planted in the snow.

Taco Salad with a French Touch

2008-11-23T08:57:00.000-08:00

When we first arrived here in France and were looking through our cabinets here in our apartment, we came across an interesting kitchen contraption. Later, we found out that it’s a table-top raclette grill and a friend showed us how to use it. Raclette is a type of cheese that melts very nicely and doesn’t have a very strong taste (my kind of cheese) and all the grill us used for is to put slices of raclette into the trays and melt the cheese so that you can pour it over the other things prepared to eat. Usually, a meal like this consists of small baked potatoes, deli meats (several raw types), tomatoes, and, of course, bread. It’s kind of like eating with a fondue pot. It makes the meal sort-of an event. It’s a lot of fun.

So, last night we used the raclette grill with one of Hannah and Malachi’s favorite meals- taco salad. Taco salad is always a bit hit and there’s never much left at the end of the meal. Yesterday, we decided to try something new and use the grill. It’s hard to find cheddar here (and very expensive, too), so we usually substitute a cheese called mimmolette for anything requiring cheddar. However, it doesn’t really give that nice melty-cheese effect. Raclette did the trick. Voila! Taco Salad with a French touch.

Side note on cheese. As far as I know, there is no other country in the world that can boast as France can that they have more types of cheese than there are days of the year, maybe as many as 500.

Sweet Potatoes for Thanksgiving

2008-11-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

When I think of fall, the vegetables that come to mind are all shades of orange- pumpkin, squash, and sweet potatoes. I have come to believe that even in the States, we eat more sweet potatoes in the South than anywhere else in the country. Just an assumption. There is only one store in Albertville where you can buy that wonderful vegetable. So, if we’re to have sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving (which we’re celebrating with the other students on Wednesday because we have class on Thursday), it requires a bus trip to ED’s, a store across town. So, Friday during our lunch break, I caught the bus (in the rain) and made a quick 45 minute trip to load up on sweet potatoes so that I can make a huge casserole. It’s a bit of a whirlwind trip to do some shopping in my 2 hour lunch break (without a car), but well worth the effort.

Now, what about turkey? Well, the French only eat turkey one time a year- at Christmas, and they don’t cook the whole bird like we do for Thanksgiving. So, one of my classmates has been working on ordering all the turkeys (special order) for the big meal. Unfortunately, there’s been a mix up on the exact cost of the bird and she found out on Friday that we were looking at more than 700 Euros (more than $900 US) for 8 turkeys. Wow! I would be sad to not have turkey for the Thanksgiving meal, but not that sad. I think she’s worked it out to buy fewer turkeys and add some other types of meat. Regardless, it’ll be fun to share a common meal with our classmates and the staff here on Wednesday.

The Little Things

2008-11-16T08:56:00.000-08:00

Some of you may remember the blog entry I wrote a while back about my trip to the local sports store and the excitement that came when the store alarm went off when I was trying to leave. Well, for the past 2, almost 3 months, that story has repeated itself over and over again. Almost every time I have gone into a store with an alarm it has gone off. It has gone off in the toy store, the grocery store, and the sports store.

I tried wearing and not wearing all kinds of different things to try and find out what it is that trips the alarm. I was beginning to think that my parents put a plate in my head when I was a kid and not told me about it. (If that were the case, it might explain a lot more than just alarms going off in random stores)

Just the other day our family was planning on going to one of the local grocery stores. It happens to be the store where the alarm has gone off every time I have been in it. In preparation for our visit to this particular store I was running down the list of possible combination of pants, shirt, jacket, belt, and shoes that I could go with to see if I could find a winning combination (I’m not talking about style…one that would not set the alarm off). After selecting what I hoped was just the right combination I started gathering the other little things I need for our trip. One of those little things was my wallet. I looked through my wallet before, thinking maybe there was a chip in one of cards I had in there. My searches before turned up nothing, but I was desperate and thought I would look again. This time I decided to search every little pocket my wallet that I could find.

At this point you have probably already guessed what happened. In one of the small back pockets of my wallet was a sticker. It was not just any sticker. It was a security sticker. Before we left for France I bought a new wallet because most money in the world is wider than the American Dollar. With a mix of feeling stupid for not checking before and excitement that I had finally found the cause of the problem I peeled the sticker out of my wallet.

I will admit, my heart was pounding when we got to the store. I let Amanda and the kids go through security alarms first. With my heart beating and Amanda looking back in hopeful expectation I walked through, and the strangest thing happened…nothing. Nothing! It was great. The alarm did not go off when I went in or when I left. It may seem crazy, but I told Amanda on our way home that it was a huge blessing to have that mystery solved. I can now go to the store without fear of alarms going off and awkward conversations.

I kept that little security sticker I found in my wallet. It is on my bedside table so I see it every day. It is there to remind me of something. Sometimes the little blessings turn out to be the biggest. I would have taken finding that sticker over getting a new music CD or a new movie. I would have taken finding it over a day off from French class (now that should tell you something). It was a small, but huge blessing to me, and that is the way it works sometimes in life. We think a great blessing equal a big blessing. We think waking up and finding a brand new car in our drive way is a great blessing, or something like that. However, God in His great wisdom, being a perfect Father, gives us better gifts that we think to ask for. He knew just how to encourage me that day in a way I would never have though of.

Over the Break

2008-11-08T06:39:00.001-08:00

Wow! We jumped back into class two days ago and went straight into all French. That means class is only in French and we're only allowed to use French during the breaks during school hours. It's a stretch, but already we can see the benefit.

Over our 12 day break we mostly hung around our grand little city- Albertville. The first several days it rained very heavily, so we found ourselves infected with cabin fever after about 3 days. The next week was filled with finding creative ways to spend time with other families here- potluck dinner, games in the evening, meals together, and even a little Halloween party (they don't trick-or-treat here in France as in the US), complete with bobbing for apples.

BUT, the main even was potty training. Isn't that what you would want to do with your vacation? Well, it is nice to be using a few less diapers, so it's time well-spent.

We did manage to take one trip out of Albertville via the train system here. It was quite an adventure. We planned to visit Annecy, known as the Venice of France, for the day, but when we took the wrong train in Chambery (toward Lyon, the opposite direction), the day changed a little. Rather than spending the entire day in Annecy, we spent 2 hours in a little town called Pont de Beauvoisin while we waited for the bus that would take us back to Chambery and then to Annecy. We made it to Annecy in time to spend 1 1/2 hours there before our train ride home. As crazy as it was, it really was a nice day. This part of France is just beautiful, so riding the train through the mountains and countryside is really nice. Malachi thought riding all those trains was the plan the whole time...he was quite content.

Snapshots of Life

2008-10-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

Last week we took a field trip with the school to experience a bit of French culture and history. We visited a glass blower, who explained the process of making glass- all in French, of course. After that, we visited a museum/park dedicated to the history of mining in the Savoie region in France (the region that we live in). It was a bit of a rainy day, so that spoiled the outside tour a bit, but it was nice to have a break from a regular school day and see a new place.

Did you know that our apartment came with an indoor gym? You can see here that our hallway doubles as a workout room. Working out is still a priority to Eric and, as you can see, it's rubbing off on Malachi too. He's getting in his daily push-ups while Daddy works on his pull-ups.

The day we receive a package is always a special day. Here you can see the kids enjoying the discovery of the contents of a package from our family in Georgia.

Riding the bus, our secondary mode of transportation (the 1st being walking, of course), is always a hit with this little man. Can you blame him? No seatbelts, people getting on and off all the time, and a great view of the city. Here, he's avoiding a picture and drinking some applesauce. Yes, I said drinking applesauce. Applesauce comes in these neat little foil packages with a spout for the kids to suck the applesauce out of. It's both convenient and yummy at the same time!

A Parenting Moment

2008-10-08T03:15:00.000-07:00

When I was in college, I had a professor who said that if you can simplify a concept enough to explain it to a kindergartner, then you really have a good grasp of the essence of that concept. For example, how do you explain grace or righteousness to a child? You must really know the essential components to that particular concept and be able to explain it in language plain enough for a 5 year old to understand.

Well, yesterday I had an opportunity like that. Recently, there has been a bit of talk around here regarding the upcoming presidential elections. We've all been working to register to vote absentee and there's been talk of candidates, voting, etc. Yesterday, on our way to the postoffice (which we found closed, of course, because everyone knows that the post office closes for some reason on Tuesdays at noon- except me, of course) Hannah asked me, "Mommy, what is voting?" So, as I tried to explain voting, I had to also define candidates, democracy, what a president is, etc. After we got through all that, the question came, "Mommy, how do you know who to pick?"

Well, for me there's a very simple answer to that question. Abortion. It's the very first thing I ask of anyone who wants my vote. It was one of those moments when, as a parent, you ask yourself, "Do I really want to answer this question honestly, or should I give an easy answer?" No doubt, there are certainly times when you must do the latter. Sometimes Hannah's not ready to know the answer to the questions she asks, but yesterday, I think she was.

So, asked her, "Hannah, have you ever heard the word abortion?" As the words came out of my mouth, I was shocked by the immediate sadness that overtook me. Maybe it's because I carried her inside of me and helped give her life, maybe it's because I knew that what I was about to tell her would be very difficult for her to understand or would change the way she looks at the world. For whatever reason the sadness was overwhelming to me. How do you explain to a child the depravity of such an act? As simply as I could, with as much composure as possible, and in as G-rated language as possible, I explained to my 5 year old daughter the horror of abortion. She asked me why people do such a thing, how they do it, what happens to the babies and more. It was a very difficult conversation, but one that I want her to have with me and not with someone else later on down the road.

The questions that fell from her mouth are the same ones that many of us adults ask as well. "Mommy, that's so mean. Why can't they give the baby to someone else?" To her, it just didn't make any sense, and really, it doesn't, unless you understand and believe in the innate sinfulness of man.

Moments like this hit parents out-of-the blue, usually when you feel least prepared. No one tells you that kids ask the most difficult and simple questions with such an abundance of ignorance as to the depth of the depravity of man. No one tells you that you must be prepared for these kinds of moments...you just have to be on your toes all the time.

Thank you Lord for your grace to us in showing us the Truth and please help our little ones to see the very same thing. Lord, please protect the lives of the unborn.

...And Then it was Winter

2008-10-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning to one of the most beautiful and cold things. The picture above should make it clear. Two things came to mind when I saw the scene above. The first was, "The heavens declare the glory of God." If these mountains were made for me they are way to big and beautiful, but if they are for God they could not be big enough.

The second thought was, "What happened to fall?" Right now there snow is only on the mountain tops, but we have two little kids who are hoping it gets much closer. When Malachi saw the snow he asked if he could go up there.

An Interview with Hannah

2008-10-04T05:46:00.000-07:00

We thought it might be interesting to give you a glimpse into Hannah's perspective on this new phase in her life. First, we'll let her answer a few questions for you and then we have a couple of 'Hannah moments' we'd like to share.

What are your favorite things about living in France?

I like that I have nice friends who live in the apartment building with me and I like my class at school. I think it's neat to sleep in a bunk bed with Malachi.

What is school like?

Something that I really like about my school is that we have a library (in the class). We have neat toys at school like toy tools and stuff to play house- a baby room, a kitchen room. My teacher is nice because she tries to keep me comfortable and help me know what's happening in class.

What new foods do you eat here?

I like the chocolate cookies that we get at la boulangerie (bakery). Sometimes we walk there and get treats. Mommy and Daddy try new breads when we go. I like it when we eat taco salad at home with beans in it. There are a lot of new yogurts here, like the ones my friend Hayden (another kid whose parents are students here at CEF) brought to class.

What does it look like outside in Albertville?

Right now there's snow on the mountaintops and trees on the mountain. I like when it's sunny here and I get to go outside and ride my bike. The roads are different because they have bike lanes and places for people to walk.

Now, a couple of glimpses into Hannah's life:

Last week when she was making a card for a friend's birthday, Eric thought it would be fun to spell happy birthday for her using the French alphabet (same as English, but with different names/sounds). To our surprise, as Eric spelled the words, she wrote them down correctly. It was shocking, to say the least.

A couple of nights ago, Hannah woke up early in the morning after having a nightmare. I asked her what happened in the dream and she said something about Dora coming out of the television with something scary. So, I suggested she think on something good, like Dora going on an adventure somewhere exciting, like Six Flags. Hannah replied, "No, Mama. I think I'll think about Dora going to the Eiffel Tower." What in the world.

What is Class Like?

2008-09-30T02:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are curious how we spend our school days, here's a quick synopsis:

For Eric:

Eric has spent the past several weeks learning the basics of the French language... structure, the sounds of the language/pronunciation, common/useful verbs and how to use them, basic vocabulary, numbers, days of the week/month, which words are masculine and which are feminine- just to name a few things. Anne-Marie will teach in English until after the school break at the end of October (1 1/2 week break) and then she will switch over to teaching in French. It's crazy to think of learning a language you don't know in a language you don't know. But, it works, however painful it is.

For Amanda:

Since I've had a few years of French (2 years in high school, 3 semesters in college) and understand some basics of structure, vocabulary, etc., I started out in the intermediate class, where my teacher spoke French from day one. Many days it gives me a headache, but I can certainly see how helpful it is. We usually cover the same things that Eric's class covers, but more in depth and we're required to converse in French. Some days we have discussions on various topics, debate, or make up skits using the concepts we're studying. We do all this, but at a very basic level...I'm sure we sound like 5 year olds. My classmates are all good sports, so that makes class not quite as painful as it could be (we laugh a lot- at each other and at ourselves).

Other Stuff

There are a few other things that we do collectively as a school. Monday, Thursday, and Friday we have chapel. Sometimes the teachers share and sometimes students in the advanced classes share (next year we'll be required to do that!). Fridays we have a music-only worship service where we sing French hymns and praise & worship songs (some are familiar & translated into French, others are new to us).

Also, we have chorus on Tuesday afternoons. This is quite a difficult task, especially for those who have no idea how to read music. Supposedly, it will help with pronunciation. Also, we're told it's good to learn French hymns because they're used throughout the francophone world (French-speaking countries).

Outside of that, I (Amanda) have a language helper I meet with on Wednesday afternoons. Her name is Helen and she was the cook here at the school for 20 years and is now retired. It's a bit of a nerve-wracking experience to try to use what I know, but she is a very gracious lady and, like many others here at the school, she sees it as a ministry and as part of building God's kingdom.

Hope that paints a picture for you of life here. We welcome questions!

Take a Hike

2008-09-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

I am 30. There is no question about it. Now I know 30 is not old, but that is not my point. My point is 30 is not 21 or 25. 30 is just 30. This past Sunday I, and all 30 of my years, went with a group from the language school for a hike in the French Alps. I spent an hour and a half trying to keep up with a 15 year old guy and an 11 year old girl, who were both shooting up the mountain like it was a mole hill. Despite the pain I felt in my legs (and the shot to my pride), the hike was amazing. The view from the top was something only a Master Designer could have created.

A Medieval Date

2008-09-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

For our first date night in France I went all out. Like a good night is shining armor, I swept my lovely bride off of her feet, took her back for a tour of my castle and then treated her to some fine French cuisine. Okay, so that is not exactly how our first date night went in France. Here’s the real story…

I didn’t really sweep Amanda off her feet because we had to walk everywhere we went (we missed the bus). I did take her to tour Conflans, a medieval town in Albertville, but you could not get inside the castle. However, the view from outside was fabulous. Dinner was French cuisine, but not overly-fancy. We went to a creperie in downtown Albertville and enjoyed good conversation and some good laughs as we tried to order in French.

Hannah and the biker gang

2008-09-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought France was a good place to learn French, but apparently it is also a good place to learn how to ride a bike. Three kids Hannah’s age have all broken free from the bondage of training wheels and are now flying around the school parking lot on nothing but two wheels. Why am I telling you this? Because Hannah is one of them. That’s right! Our darling little girl has taken to the road. She is getting quite good at riding around the parking lot here at the school. Before long, the trip to school will be much more exciting, but we’re working our way up to that.

Malachi is not quite ready for the bike thing yet, but he has taken to running all over the place when he is outside. He tries to get the attention of anyone who will listen and says, “Watch me run fast!” He then takes off around the parking lot. We thought a jump to France might mean a jump out of diapers for Malachi, but even with a fine 3 euro French potty, he is not interested. Other than that, he is picking up a little French (it’s cute to hear him say “bonjour” and “au revoir”). They have certain phrases they purposely use as often as they can in the nursery to help the kids learn and adjust (he is only spoken to in French!). All in all he is doing well and just as cute as ever.

Tower of Babel Experience

2008-09-13T01:19:00.000-07:00

So what was it like? What was that moment like at The Tower of Babel when all of a sudden people spoke completely different languages? Until this past week I have not given that moment in history much thought. But now that I have found myself in several different situations were being able to speak the language people around me speak would be really helpful, it has given me a better feel for just how overwhelming that moment must have been.

Earlier today I went to a local sports store to get an attachment for my bike. After riding through the rain and spending a good bight of time trying to make sure I was getting the right part, I entered the checkout line. When I got up to the front the dialogue went something like this:

Cashier: Bonjour. Ca va?
Me: Ca va?

Cashier starts ringing up my stuff. I after putting all of my stuff onto the counter. I walk to the end of the counter where you pay. To get there you have to walk through security censers- security censers that started going off as soon as I walked through them. The lady looked at me with suspicion and I really can't blame her. After all, I was wearing a big raincoat with lots of pockets and I also had my backpack on. I opened my backpack to show her there was nothing inside and then set it on the counter. I walked through the detectors again, and again they go off. I emptied my pocket, took off my jacket, and even my hat. Each time I took something off I walked through the detectors and each time they went off. All during this time there was a dialogue of some sort going on that went something like this:

Cashier: Monsieur .... blah blah blah blah blah blah... Monsieur blah blah blah...
What I said (from the cashier's perspective): Pardon, Madame... blah blah blah blah blah...

This was one of those time speaking the same language would have been really helpful. Eventually she gave up. I payed and left the store.

Now, if simply buying a part of a bike can be so confusing when you don't speak the same language, I can only imagine how impossible it would be to work on a building project without a common language.

Well, all of that to say we finished our first week of classes, and we can say two things for sure. One, we are blessed. This school has been teaching people French for longer than we have been alive. They see their work as a service to the Lord by helping make sure missionaries that head to the francaphone parts of the world can communitcate the message of the gospel effectively.

This is not just the mindset of the administration, but also of the teachers and that shows in the classroom. Second, language learing is going to take more strength than we have to give, but not more not more grace than God will supply. This process, as everyone has told us, and as we are now witnessing first hand, is going to be very trying. However, no matter how trying it may be God is able and worthy.

First Day of School

2008-09-02T03:49:00.000-07:00

At 8:20 this morning we set our for a walk to St. Sigismond, the primary school in our area where Hannah will begin school in "la grande section," the class for 5 year old students.

The school is colorful, clean, and looks like a lot of fun. Although Hannah will have some days ahead of her that will be a stretch for a little girl who has always done so well in communication, I don't doubt that she'll adjust and eventually thrive. Her teacher does speak some English and there will also be another student in her class who speaks English (her parents are students at CEF with us), so that is a comfort to us during this transition stage.

A couple of nice things about school here are that she will only go on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and that she will come home from 11:30 to 1:30 on school days. So, hopefully that will aid in a smoother transition into being immersed in French.

Adventure: The Bus & Shopping

2008-09-02T03:31:00.000-07:00

We felt quite brave yesterday, maybe more than we should have. Maybe it's the jet lag. Who knows. The apartment feels pretty settled, as much as can be expected at this point and we were ready to venture out for a few things (fans, clocks, bath toys, a printer) to help make life here a little more comfortable.

Since we don't have a car, on foot and by bus are our two options for transportation. We've made several trips out on foot- to the grocery store, the park, exploring Albertville- but in order to get to the large shopping area with the kids, it's best by bus.

Thankfully, there's a bus stop just a short walk from our building. So, we loaded up the stroller and took our shopping bags with us for a big trip. Plastic bags are not given out at stores as they are in the U.S., so everyone here carries reusable shopping bags (like the kind that are becoming popular because of being "environmentally friendly") or small push carts. We took our rolling duffel bag, expecting to bring a load home.

After studying the bus schedule and map, we had a pretty good idea of where we were going and successfully communicated that to the bus driver, who was very kind. Having two cute kids doesn't hurt in helping people feel compassion toward us. Malachi was overjoyed to ride the bus- he asked about it as soon as he woke up from his nap yesterday and even asked again this morning if he could ride it. Big windows and not having to ride in a carseat are quite a treat for that little guy.

It was a treat to see a little bit of Albertville and orient ourselves to where things are a little more. Already, we can see that the bus will be an excellent place to practice our French, especially with two cute blond heads tagging along. Many times we had to communicate to people that we couldn't understand French when they tried to ask us about the kids.

We did make it to the Grand Geant, a smaller equivalent to Super Walmart (but much, much more expensive), and found almost everything we were looking for, including fans, a printer/scanner, clocks (there were none in our apartment- not good for school!), bathtoys, school stuff for Hannah, and a few other assorted items. The only thing I haven't been able to find so far is popping corn- I'll have to ask someone about that.

The ride home was uneventful, other than that we were packed in like sardines. The bus seats 9, with some room for bags and strollers and standing room, but I think we were close to 20 in there. The kids just sat on the steps and giggled. We were certainly tired by the time we lugged all our treasures up the steps, but very thankful for the few things we found.