This week will have been marked by two significant events, one happy, one sad, with the French national holiday right in the middle.

We’ll go in chronological order, meaning I’ll start with the more difficult and work my way to a positive note for the finish…

Jean-Marie

About two and a half years ago we baptized Stephanie. Her parents, Jean-Marie & Catherine, and her grandmother attended service that day. It was their first time out to our church, but not their last.

Not long afterward, Jean-Marie found himself dealing with cancer and, looking for hope, began attending church from time to time. He didn’t come every week, but generally a couple times per month which, when you’re in your 70s and from a Catholic background, is a pretty big change of routine in and of itself. He underwent treatment, we prayed and God healed him. He was not afraid to share that testimony.

Two or three weeks ago, they found that another cancer had installed itself in and around the liver. The prognosis wasn’t good.

Monday, Stephanie’s husband & I went to the hospital around 4:30pm to pray with him. He was in rough shape and non-communicative. We prayed and worshipped, and Jean-Marie went into eternity to the sound of us singing Reuben Morgan’s song, “Still” (see lyrics to right).

I’d appreciate your prayers as we do the funeral at a local funeral home on Monday. That Jesus would be lifted up amid Jean-Marie’s family and friends.

National Holiday

July 14th is the French national holiday and all throughout the country celebrations were somewhat muted or at least scaled down due to Covid-19. We had a bonfire in the back yard before watching the fireworks show from Paris via the internet (photos taken while watching online).

It was 30 minutes of dazzling spectacle. Paris knows how to put on a show!

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Sophie… a Self-Published Author

It started in October 2016 on a drive home from Paris. She mentioned having stories & characters in her mind. I asked her about it and she proceeded to talk, uninterrupted, for an hour of our 3hr drive; describing the characters, their personalities, and the storyline.

I encouraged her to put them on paper and bring them to life through self-publishing and she did. She got a lot done between 2016 and 2017 because she was still homeschooling. Progress slowed in 2018-2019 as she went into the French school system. It may have slowed… but she made significant progress.

She’s written the 3-volume “Grey Flame Series” totaling some 214,000 words.

Book 1, “The Hexagon” published yesterday in Kindle and paperback versions, across all Amazon marketplaces.

It’s the story of Faera, a teenage girl in a dystopian world who makes an unexpected discovery, linking her to an ancient civilization. What she finds could either destroy or save her, if she can keep it hidden.

Would you do me a favour?

If you know someone who would enjoy a teenage, coming of age story, would you pick up a copy of Soph’s book for them? It’s would mean a lot to a young lady who’s put a TON of work into this project over the last 4 years.

Very Different Book Ends

As I mentioned, two very different events to bookend our week. Again, please keep us in prayer as we minister to a number of Jean-Marie’s friends and family from the community on Monday. Pray that the Lord be lifted up in their eyes.

God bless you this week. Thank you for stopping by!