Someone has zipped off to Paris for a quick trip and for a change it’s not Mike!
It’s Liz… she spread her proverbial wings and flew the coop! (in a good way) 🙂
I’ll tell you about it further down, but let me start earlier in the week and work my way there.
Book Mailout
Here we go… the last of the first-run copies of my book being mailed out.
There are a number of people that I acknowledge in the front of my book, people who have informed and encouraged our STM process … from the early years until present. I wanted to thank those individuals by sending them each a copy… they were mailed earlier this week.
I realize that we are a great example of the “turtle on the fence post” image. Do you know it? If not, it simply goes like this:
“If you see a turtle on a fence post, you know it didn’t get there on its own. It had help.”
That’s us… we didn’t get here on our own… there are 30 years-worth of people who’ve helped us get here… each one, a hero!
Associate Missionary Status
Earlier this week we received notification from Bro. Tuttle, our regional director, that our application for Associate Missionary status had been approved (from our interview in July) and ratified by the Global Missions board.
This change will not make a great deal of difference in our day-to-day life, but puts us a little further into the Global Missions structure. There are essentially four levels of active Global Missions involvement: 
- A.I.M. (Associates in Missions)
- Associate Missionary
- Intermediate Missionary
- Appointed (Career) Missionary
From a human resources standpoint you could think of it in terms of a career progression, where time is spent at each level before progressing to the next.
Typically AIM appointments are in the 3-month to 1-year range, and obviously we were well beyond that, having been here for over two and a half. It was time for us to simply formalize the apparent longer-term working relationship in which we were already functioning.
Liz in Paris
Last night Liz hopped on a train bound for Paris, although it’s just a quick trip.
She looks after the church finances and is being trained on a new software program that’s designed specifically for churches and which helps facilitate the otherwise complicated French accounting requirements.
It’s a bit unusual for it to be her the one heading off to Paris solo, but it’s also a nice break for her. She had supper with the Brochus last night and, after the seminar today, will be home tonight.
“La Rentrée”
In the same way that we use “Back to School” in North America, so the French use the term “la rentrée” (meaning simply ‘the return’) to designate the mad-rush associated with September.
While Sophie successfully navigated her rentrée a couple of weeks ago, the boys will tackle theirs this week. Keep that in prayer. Dominic will be about a 1/2-hour away in Poitiers although Timo will be in the same school as last year.
A taste of Accordion?
Let me end today’s post not only thanking you for again touching base this week but sharing a bit of the old world with you.
When I was in Paris last week, I was walking through the Trocadero metro station and passed not one, but two accordion players, entertaining passers-by. Care to listen in? Just close your eyes and imagine you’re there… walking through the bustling crowd to the sounds of old Paris.
https://anchor.fm/mikelong?at=705060
God bless you richly this week!
AIM Long 