Mornings, of late, are down in the 9-12 degrees centigrade and the days are notably shorter – Wednesday, I even started teaching while the sky was still dark, although we “fall back” this weekend, so that should help the daylight situation a little bit.

The season is not just changing in the physical realm… but it feels like something is stirring spiritually as well…

Nonno & Nonna Visit

Remember last week, Liz & I were headed down to La Rochelle to fetch her parents?

While it ended up being a longer than planned day (their flight was 6hrs late) we eventually made it home safely and Liz & I even got a bookstore & lunch date out of it!

(We may also have had a catnap in the car, on the parking lot of said bookstore… Shhhhh… don’t tell!) 😉

Sunday we enjoyed Canadian Thanksgiving dinner together and celebrated nonno’s 70th birthday at the same time.

They spent the week visiting, enjoying home time, cooking homemade pizza, making a jean skirt for Liz and cracking several kilograms of freshly harvested walnuts, gifted to us by one of the church members.

Today, we head back down to La Rochelle for their return flight to Belgium. Time flies!

Canadian Federal Election

Monday was Canada’s federal election. Liz, Sophie & I were all able to vote by mail-in ballot. It was Sophie’s first chance to vote and that was kind of cool for her.

I come away rather dumbfounded and ever-more disheartened that political leadership, and indeed the political process, around the world is in such a state of disarray.

In several cases, Canada & US included, there is position-based leadership, but certainly not personal leadership.

It’s all a good reminder that our hope cannot lie in this world alone, or – as Paul says – we would be of all men most miserable. We look ahead to something greater and as long as we’re in Christ, we long for what the Bible promises.

Garden Puttering

Though the weather has been cool & rainy for a couple of weeks now, I’m not complaining… it makes up for months of drought this summer.

The grass is greener (meaning more mowing) and the earth is much more easy to work.

This week I was able to plant two different kinds of winter lettuce and put in two grapevine supports. The grapevines were ones that I collected out of an untended & overgrown country field a couple years ago and had been rooting. Most likely wild grapes – so nothing fancy – but they’ll make lovely jelly as they begin to produce.

Changing Seasons

There’s a change in world politics… Have you felt it?

There’s been a change in the weather. You’ve likely felt it too (depending on where you call home).

Spiritually too, there seems to be a bit of a shift of late. I can’t quite put my finger on it, at church, but the Lord is doing something.

You know… I drive through a lot of little villages on my way to & from my teaching gigs. The castles… are stereotypical. The little country city halls & churches are the epitome of “quaint”. The creative ways they display the red, white & blue national colours is always fun… theirs is a well established patriotism.

Just like they represent their heritage in specific, visible ways, it has been challenging me concerning the need for me to make visible the great heritage in which we, as Christians walk as well. As an individual, as a family and as a local church.

Join us in Prayer

Here are some ways that you can pray specifically for us this week:

• Safe travel to & from La Rochelle today.
• On Monday we drive to Toulouse (5hr drive) to file some administrative paperwork. Again, please pray for safe travel.
• Friday I drive up to Bible School near Paris.
• As much as, if not more than, that is all prayer worthy… please pray for the current wind of change that’s beginning to blow. Again, I can’t put my finger on it, but something’s happening. Pray that we be sensitive to the Lord’s leading.

Thank you… you are part of what God is doing here in France, through your prayers and your giving.