Yesterday was birthday cake for two at our “Over and Above” spot…

Let’s go…

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Usually, I start at the beginning of the week and work my way to the present, but this week I’m going to change things up a bit: I’ll start with where we are this weekend, and then work my way back, because there’s a lot to unpack about last weekend.

Spread Out

All three of our kids are in different spots this weekend:

• Dominic is finishing up his internship in Spain and is planning to return to France on July 11th Lord willing.
• Sophie has spent the week with a friend at their family cottage near the ocean and
• Timo is in Bordeaux for the week surrounded with his church tribe.

So strange to have them all gone at once. A sign of things to come no doubt, as they continue to grow.

I had been asked by friends to house-sit (hobby-farm sit) for them this weekend so Liz joined me last night and will head back home today. It’s probably even a bit better that way as, on top of the farm animals which live outside, our friends have a new puppy and two new indoor cats to manage. Let’s just say there’s a LOT of playful energy and these feline friends have the run of the place… even countertops and kitchen tables are not off limits. 🙂

Usually I come out here by myself, but Liz didn’t want to see me alone for my birthday yesterday so she opted to join me and it was nice she did.

Drive in the Country

We started off the week with a drive in the country. Timo had finished his internship and would be headed to Bordeaux later in the week so we opted to go out for supper and then take in the countryside.

What. A. Rarity.!

Neither of those things are things we do often so it was a real treat. We were in an area that we’d never seen before, down by the Creuse River, and only about 30km from home.

My thumb was on the mend after a DIY accident over the weekend including a drill fitted with a screwdriver bit. No broken bones or tendons, but a bit of a mess just the same.

Did You Know?

That putting pure, raw honey on cuts before bandaging them does wonders? The enzymes in the honey react with the water in the blood or seepage and form hydrogen peroxide, meaning that as the honey breaks down, it is continually killing bacteria under the bandaid.

Yet again… #BeesAreCool !

When I took the bandage off, later in the week, I put home-made propolis tincture on it a couple of times a day. Propolis is what the bees use to seal up cracks in the hive as well as to sanitize it. Again… another bee product that helps keep things tidy.

Last Weekend… God is Great!

A week and a half ago, I received a phone call from someone in Blois (about 1.5hrs from Châtellerault). They were interested in being baptized and made the trip on Saturday to discuss it. It was clear from their testimony that God had been dealing with them progressively over the past couple of years as they’d been building back up their relationship with him.

We looked at scripture together and as we did, his eyes widened several times. The scriptures I was referring to were all ones that he’d underlined in his Bible and either had questions about or that God had used to talk to him about baptism.

He made his decision… he wouldn’t be baptized anywhere else. He was ready to be baptized then and there, like Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch, but I suggested he consider returning the following day, when his wife and kids could experience it with him. In the end, he opted to do this.

Toward the end of service we baptized him and he spent between 20 and 30 minutes in the baptismal tank, thoroughly lost in God’s presence. God did a work of deliverance in his life and filled him with the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance (Acts 2.4).

Just like on the day of Pentecost, when those in Jerusalem accused the Spririt-filled disciples of being drunk with wine… our new brother in Christ left church drunk in the Spirit. It was really quite something to experience and we give God praise for what he wrought.

Through your prayers for us and for France, you are part of days like this one… Where someone new takes on the name of Jesus in baptism and rises from the water to walk in newness of life.

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Thank you for your prayers and financial support &
thank you for stopping by today.
God bless you this week!