We're settled into our hotel near the Paris airport for the night. We need to be up and on a shuttle by 7:30am for our 9:30 flight (that's 2:30am CST).
What an amazing last week in Europe we had. We were in Italy for 5 days and were soooo loved on - by the people and by Jesus! Mitch taught all day for 4 days at a Prophetic School. In the evenings we spent time perusing the nearby mall and then dinner at the pastor's home. ITALIAN food for 5 days! :)
The Italian people were so loving and we felt like family. The last couple days, Jesus began lavishing His extravagant love on me through those beautiful women - I have several new pieces of jewelry, including some diamonds! :) Amazing!
Monday was cleaning, laundry and packing day. And that brings us to the train ride to Paris today - 3 1/2 hours on a fast-moving train, dropped off at a station, hopped on a bus and arrived at this Novotel Hotel.
And so here we are, nestled into our hotel rooms for the night. We have 2 rooms, as is required in France for more than 4 people (so frustrating) but it's kind of a blessing for tonight. The kids are in one room watching "Monsters vs. Aliens and Mitch and I are about to watch "Robin Hood" in our room.
In a few short hours, we'll be off and on our way - headed away from 'home' to home. Until next Spring...
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
our last week abroad
We had a wonderful weekend in Pontarlier. 4 services in 2 days... people were really blessed and ministered too. Jesus is so faithful!
The family we stayed with had a 'petite maison' (little house) behind their home which we stayed in. It's always nice to have your own space when you travel as a family. We have been so blessed by the church body here!
We were just 10 minutes from the Swiss border and there was a group of believers that came over for the weekend meetings. They blessed us with A TON of Swiss chocolate! 20 bars... yikes. Between that and my container of olive oil -fresh from this southern region- I will have a 50 pound bag. :)
Today is again a 'regrouping' day - laundry and clean up. We also will be having lunch with the pastor of the Istres church here shortly. Him and the church have been such a huge blessing to us!
Tomorrow we drive to Torino, Italy - about a 5 hour drive. Thursday begins a 4-day prophetic school which Mitch will teach at all day all 4 days. Unless he pulls me into it. :)
Then we rush back here to Istres to 'regroup' and then take a train to Paris to fly out next Wednesday. It will be quite a week!
The family we stayed with had a 'petite maison' (little house) behind their home which we stayed in. It's always nice to have your own space when you travel as a family. We have been so blessed by the church body here!
We were just 10 minutes from the Swiss border and there was a group of believers that came over for the weekend meetings. They blessed us with A TON of Swiss chocolate! 20 bars... yikes. Between that and my container of olive oil -fresh from this southern region- I will have a 50 pound bag. :)
Today is again a 'regrouping' day - laundry and clean up. We also will be having lunch with the pastor of the Istres church here shortly. Him and the church have been such a huge blessing to us!
Tomorrow we drive to Torino, Italy - about a 5 hour drive. Thursday begins a 4-day prophetic school which Mitch will teach at all day all 4 days. Unless he pulls me into it. :)
Then we rush back here to Istres to 'regroup' and then take a train to Paris to fly out next Wednesday. It will be quite a week!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Nice in November is nice!
Two weeks from today, we'll have landed back in the States from our 3-month adventure in France... and Mitch & I will be on a flight to Houston. Gotta love a traveling ministers life!
We had a great weekend here in Istres last week. The Lord showed up strong in the Sunday morning service as Mitch preached and our family prayed for nearly everyone in the service.
Sunday evening Mitch went to pray for a man and his wife- separately, because their marriage was a mess and they not even living together anymore. The Lord encountered both of them strongly and the next day the man moved back in with his wife. Their marriage being restored in a glorious, supernatural way!
Tuesday we drove to Nice and ministered at a church there. We had an awesome time of worship as the pastor led and Mitch moved prophetically before preaching. It was a wonderful time in the presence of the Lord with our new friends! A pastor from another church was in the service and would like to have us in his church as well - it won't work this time but next year... The Lord's connections are so amazing!
We stayed the night and then spent the next day visiting the downtown and the beach. The kids even got in the water for a while - it was a nice day but too chilly for me! Nice really is a beautiful city and we're blessed to have connections there.
Today we regroup with school and laundry and then get on a train tomorrow to Pontarlier. It is in the northeastern part of France, near the Swiss border and is COLD right now! The forecast even shows snow over the weekend. What a dramatic change - in the ocean one day and 2 days later in snow. I suppose it's the Lord's way to prepare us for our return home. :)
As time is winding down, the excitement in the kids builds. They are so ready to see all their friends and family again. Mitch and I will be ready to be in our 'homeland' again as well!
We had a great weekend here in Istres last week. The Lord showed up strong in the Sunday morning service as Mitch preached and our family prayed for nearly everyone in the service.
Sunday evening Mitch went to pray for a man and his wife- separately, because their marriage was a mess and they not even living together anymore. The Lord encountered both of them strongly and the next day the man moved back in with his wife. Their marriage being restored in a glorious, supernatural way!
Tuesday we drove to Nice and ministered at a church there. We had an awesome time of worship as the pastor led and Mitch moved prophetically before preaching. It was a wonderful time in the presence of the Lord with our new friends! A pastor from another church was in the service and would like to have us in his church as well - it won't work this time but next year... The Lord's connections are so amazing!
We stayed the night and then spent the next day visiting the downtown and the beach. The kids even got in the water for a while - it was a nice day but too chilly for me! Nice really is a beautiful city and we're blessed to have connections there.
Today we regroup with school and laundry and then get on a train tomorrow to Pontarlier. It is in the northeastern part of France, near the Swiss border and is COLD right now! The forecast even shows snow over the weekend. What a dramatic change - in the ocean one day and 2 days later in snow. I suppose it's the Lord's way to prepare us for our return home. :)
As time is winding down, the excitement in the kids builds. They are so ready to see all their friends and family again. Mitch and I will be ready to be in our 'homeland' again as well!
Friday, November 12, 2010
and 2 weeks later...
Internet time has been limited - will be happy to be back to my 'internet-on-demand' lifestyle in a few weeks. :) But wow, life is good!
We had a great time in Strasbourg with our new friends. Wonderful hosts they are! We had a great time with their homegroup a week ago Thursday night and were spoiled with their hospitality through the rest of the week.
Also, Mitch ministered in Germany last Saturday and Sunday. The Lord again, visited and released His power and love, to His people. He drove back and forth from Strasbourg because it was only 1 1/2 hrs drive, so the kids and I joined him for Sunday morning. It was fun being in a primarily Ugandan church with a few German people as well.
We were able to be in a service with our good friend Jeff Collins on Friday night and then have dinner with him on Sunday before he returned to Texas on Monday. Beautiful fellowship...
Before we came home on Tuesday, we visited the European Parliament building - not the inside, but we walked around the outside and released the Kingdom of God in the area. Powerful time!
Once again, we are back in the 'laundry-cooking-cleaning' season for a week before we go back North to a small town near Besascon. This weekend, though, Mitch will minister for a second time at our host-church. We are so blessed to have had this apartment to call home for these three months and pray that we can be a blessing to this church family!
Also before we head north again, we will minister at a church in Nice. We are very excited for this new connection and pray that the Lord will minister His power and love to this group of believers!
Yesterday, we spent the afternoon with our dear friend, Pierre-Daniel - the one who has connected us here in France. We spent some time looking at a potential schedule for another extended trip for our family in Fall 2011, as well as a shorter trip for Mitch and I in the Spring. Then he took us on a beautiful hike right near the Mediterranean Sea in some rocky hills. Beautiful!
We are praying to finish well and strong in these last weeks and are looking forward to being back home for the month of December to reconnect with family and friends before jumping into the new year!
We had a great time in Strasbourg with our new friends. Wonderful hosts they are! We had a great time with their homegroup a week ago Thursday night and were spoiled with their hospitality through the rest of the week.
Also, Mitch ministered in Germany last Saturday and Sunday. The Lord again, visited and released His power and love, to His people. He drove back and forth from Strasbourg because it was only 1 1/2 hrs drive, so the kids and I joined him for Sunday morning. It was fun being in a primarily Ugandan church with a few German people as well.
We were able to be in a service with our good friend Jeff Collins on Friday night and then have dinner with him on Sunday before he returned to Texas on Monday. Beautiful fellowship...
Before we came home on Tuesday, we visited the European Parliament building - not the inside, but we walked around the outside and released the Kingdom of God in the area. Powerful time!
Once again, we are back in the 'laundry-cooking-cleaning' season for a week before we go back North to a small town near Besascon. This weekend, though, Mitch will minister for a second time at our host-church. We are so blessed to have had this apartment to call home for these three months and pray that we can be a blessing to this church family!
Also before we head north again, we will minister at a church in Nice. We are very excited for this new connection and pray that the Lord will minister His power and love to this group of believers!
Yesterday, we spent the afternoon with our dear friend, Pierre-Daniel - the one who has connected us here in France. We spent some time looking at a potential schedule for another extended trip for our family in Fall 2011, as well as a shorter trip for Mitch and I in the Spring. Then he took us on a beautiful hike right near the Mediterranean Sea in some rocky hills. Beautiful!
We are praying to finish well and strong in these last weeks and are looking forward to being back home for the month of December to reconnect with family and friends before jumping into the new year!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
a touristy weekend
After 5 days at 'home', we decided to get out for the weekend and visit the western area of France - the only 'corner' that isn't scheduled into our lives for ministry.
So we drove toward Toulouse, where we had a room reserved for 2 nights, but made a stop at Carcassonne. The upper area of Carcassonne is preserved from medieval times and is still a functioning city - shops, homes, restaurants, etc. We loved seeing this part of the city and enjoyed an AMAZING dinner at a restaurant there. It looked like how a medieval inn is portrayed on TV and had live music. The meats were grilled over an open fire right near our table! Excellent time!
When we arrived at our hotel (which was labled as an 'apart-hotel' online), we were very impressed. For the same price (or less) than a 'normal' hotel room, we had a 3 story apartment - two-bedroom, two-bathroom, kitchenette and dining area and a huge living area. Awesome! We loved our 2 nights and were sad to leave on Monday.
Monday, on our way home, we stopped in Narbonne and walked around the downtown area. Beautiful city!
Today we are doing laundry and packing, preparing to leave for a week in Strasbourg. We travel by train tomorrow and minister there on Thursday evening. Then Mitch will minister in Germany over the weekend, while the kids and I stay in Strasbourg. We will take the train back to Istres next Tuesday.
We have just 28 days before we fly home and it's a bittersweet feeling. We are loving our time here, as God's heart for this nation continues to grow in our own lives. Yet, we are missing family and friends and our life in the States as well.
We know God has our time and seasons in His hand. And we are excited for each step!
So we drove toward Toulouse, where we had a room reserved for 2 nights, but made a stop at Carcassonne. The upper area of Carcassonne is preserved from medieval times and is still a functioning city - shops, homes, restaurants, etc. We loved seeing this part of the city and enjoyed an AMAZING dinner at a restaurant there. It looked like how a medieval inn is portrayed on TV and had live music. The meats were grilled over an open fire right near our table! Excellent time!
When we arrived at our hotel (which was labled as an 'apart-hotel' online), we were very impressed. For the same price (or less) than a 'normal' hotel room, we had a 3 story apartment - two-bedroom, two-bathroom, kitchenette and dining area and a huge living area. Awesome! We loved our 2 nights and were sad to leave on Monday.
Monday, on our way home, we stopped in Narbonne and walked around the downtown area. Beautiful city!
Today we are doing laundry and packing, preparing to leave for a week in Strasbourg. We travel by train tomorrow and minister there on Thursday evening. Then Mitch will minister in Germany over the weekend, while the kids and I stay in Strasbourg. We will take the train back to Istres next Tuesday.
We have just 28 days before we fly home and it's a bittersweet feeling. We are loving our time here, as God's heart for this nation continues to grow in our own lives. Yet, we are missing family and friends and our life in the States as well.
We know God has our time and seasons in His hand. And we are excited for each step!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
daily living back in our French 'home'
We arrive back in Istres on Sunday evening after our week up north. Ministry in Normandy was great! And we loved getting to know the pastor of the churches in Dieppe and in Eu - God has something great for them and their ministry!
Now we are back to the land of laundry, cooking meals, grocery shopping, schoolwork... It's all good! I made sloppy joes yesterday - a very American meal in the heart of France. :)
This weekend we have decided to go to the western part of France for a couple days. Mitch will get to watch the football game and we will visit the area of France that is not yet on the ministry agenda. Because of this weekend, we will have been to all 'four corners' of France at the end of our trip. We feel that's very significant and God-planned!
Next week, we head to the eastern part of the country - Strasbourg. And then Mitch will minister in Germany that weekend while we are in that vicinity. After that is a recently scheduled church in Nice. We are thankful for the Lord directing our steps over this 3 month time!
Right now we are sitting in a coffee shop in the downtown area of Istres. Laundry has finished up at the laundry mat down the street and it's probably time to head 'home'.
Continue to pray for us - we need grace to finish well and not kill each other in the process. 91 days in consistent company of each other takes an abundant grace for sure! :)
Now we are back to the land of laundry, cooking meals, grocery shopping, schoolwork... It's all good! I made sloppy joes yesterday - a very American meal in the heart of France. :)
This weekend we have decided to go to the western part of France for a couple days. Mitch will get to watch the football game and we will visit the area of France that is not yet on the ministry agenda. Because of this weekend, we will have been to all 'four corners' of France at the end of our trip. We feel that's very significant and God-planned!
Next week, we head to the eastern part of the country - Strasbourg. And then Mitch will minister in Germany that weekend while we are in that vicinity. After that is a recently scheduled church in Nice. We are thankful for the Lord directing our steps over this 3 month time!
Right now we are sitting in a coffee shop in the downtown area of Istres. Laundry has finished up at the laundry mat down the street and it's probably time to head 'home'.
Continue to pray for us - we need grace to finish well and not kill each other in the process. 91 days in consistent company of each other takes an abundant grace for sure! :)
Saturday, October 16, 2010
speeding by like the TGV
This month seems to be rolling by pretty quickly... the girls are thankful. They are doing well and are having fun but definitely missing life in America with their friends and family.
We arrived home from the Cevennes on Monday and have been doing school and taking care of normal life stuff all week.
On Thursday, we visited Nimes - the arena and an amazing garden in the city. Beautiful place but a little sobering, thinking of the early Christians who were martyred there so many years ago. May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering!
Mitch is ministering here in Istres (at the church where our apartment is) in the morning. Monday, we leave bright and early for Normandy. It will be an adventure of all day getting on and off trains until we arrive in Dieppe, Normandy in the evening. We have services Tuesday through Thursday evenings, then will spend a couple days in Paris before coming back to Istres next Sunday.
Mitch has been foiled at every turn, trying to get access to internet while in Istres. So we continue at MacDough... and the BIG GAME tonight is iffy since the time difference makes the game later than even McDonalds is open. Oh, the suffering of living for Jesus. :)
The kids are getting antsy so my time here is up. Au revior for now!
We arrived home from the Cevennes on Monday and have been doing school and taking care of normal life stuff all week.
On Thursday, we visited Nimes - the arena and an amazing garden in the city. Beautiful place but a little sobering, thinking of the early Christians who were martyred there so many years ago. May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering!
Mitch is ministering here in Istres (at the church where our apartment is) in the morning. Monday, we leave bright and early for Normandy. It will be an adventure of all day getting on and off trains until we arrive in Dieppe, Normandy in the evening. We have services Tuesday through Thursday evenings, then will spend a couple days in Paris before coming back to Istres next Sunday.
Mitch has been foiled at every turn, trying to get access to internet while in Istres. So we continue at MacDough... and the BIG GAME tonight is iffy since the time difference makes the game later than even McDonalds is open. Oh, the suffering of living for Jesus. :)
The kids are getting antsy so my time here is up. Au revior for now!
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