This week… an open window. One that we hadn’t anticipated but were extremely glad for… just like today’s feature photo; taken in one of the towers flanking the westernmost end of the grand Henry IV bridge here in Châtellerault.

Open windows are great!

A Sunday afternoon downtown…

Last Sunday after church, we headed downtown to take in the sights and sounds of the Vienne River Festival. Although we’ve been here for 3.5 years, we’d not yet made it into town for this annual festival.

River punters gathered along the edge of the Vienne and waited for the chance to take festival-goers for a ride… old school. These historic river boats are somewhat of a cross between row-boats and the gondolas of Venice. When not navigating the river channel, they demonstrated skills as varied as knot-tying to singing the old river songs of yesteryear.

Another first…. the Tourteau Fromagé.  It’s a typical French pastry from a little to the south of here. If you’re wondering about the burnt appearance, you need not be. It was indeed burnt on one side (this is typical for this pastry), but you honestly didn’t taste it for the lightly sweet, goat-cheese flavour on the inside.

Finally, circus performers circulated through the crown, like this stilt-walker who had fun enveloping unsuspecting festivl-goers in his oversized cloak.

Home Bible Study & Visit

It had been several months since we’d gotten to visit with Danielle, what with her various medical appointments and our departure to Canada over the summer. But things finally calmed down and she invited us up this week. We were able to do a home bible study with her and all of her children … visiting from Gabon and Germany.

How great to have finally met them all after having heard about them for the pas two years. It was also great to be able to have a bible study with them about the step of obedience to God’s word that their mother had taken when she was baptized just over two years ago.

What a special evening we had there in the presence of the Lord. It was a terrific open door and your prayers for us make you part of this highlight of our week.

We also spent some time, yesterday, visiting with another sister from the church who has been limited, by her health, in her ability to be back in church since our return.

Getting up in age is not always easy, and elders can easily find themselves discouraged by circumstances and daily life. I’m glad that the Lord is our ever-present help in times of trouble.

Back to School

This is the final weekend of liberty for French school kids and Tuesday they all head back to school.

Timo & Dominic are excited to be heading back to familiar surroundings. Sophie, for her part, is both excited to begin something new and a little intimidated at the same time… simply because she’ll be leaving the familiar, heading out to public school for the first time ever, and that in a neighbouring city to which she’ll have to take a train and a bus.

Like the kids, I’ll also be heading back to school, but I’ll be on the other side of the desk.

Please remember us in your prayers this week… that we’ll all be light in what is often a dark world, spiritually speaking. Also, there is a possibility that Liz & I’ll have to make a long and quite unexpected road-trip this week as well. We’re not 100% sure but if we do, we’ll only find out Monday and will have to leave later that same day… making things more complicated for the kids’ return to school.  Would really appreciate your prayers concerning this. I’ll give more details next week but check twitter or facebook for an update on Monday.

Your support…

both financially and prayerfully, makes all the difference in the world. Thank you for touching base today and for keeping us in your prayers this week.

Have a terrific day & God bless you!