We’re coming to the end of our second week in France so I wanted to give a bit of an update over and above what you’re seeing in the “AIMKids Missionary Moments” posts.
Musically Speaking
If you follow our Facebook page (if not, like it here) you will have seen one of these two photos already… the one of the kids practising before Wednesday night’s Bible Study.
The second one is a composite photo of Bro. & Sis. Brochu helping the kids with their various instruments. It’s not that they’re getting lessons of how to play, they’ve been taking lessons for several years. Rather, the Brochus have been helping them learn some of the songs that are sung here in the local church which are, for the most part, choruses. Although they are mostly familiar to Liz & I, they are not the songs that the kids have grown up singing.
It’s good really, because they are fairly easy to pick up… both in terms of the music and the lyrics… making the learning curve somewhat less intimidating.
Timo has not played in a service yet… he’s still working up the courage, but Sophie & Dominic both played for 1/2 of Wednesday’s song service.
Getting Around
In my last picture post you saw a photo of the church in our backyard… We live in the village of Antoigné which is a neighbourhood within the greater Châtellerault area. It’s a wonderful little community and here you can see the kids getting out to explore it by bicycle (on loan from the Brochus).
Two of the three photos will immediately make sense to you… Dominic at rest in front of that little country church and Sophie cruising the roadway near the village. The photo in the upper left corner might, however, be less easy to figure out. Can you take a guess at what it is?
If you guessed ancient community washing machine, you’d be right!
This is called “un lavoir” and would have been found in just about every rural village at one time. Some have disappeared, but our little village has kept theirs very well maintained. The steps lead to 2 small basins at one end of which is a hand-pump (not visible in this picture). Residents would pump enough water to replace any that had run off or evaporated and do their laundry while visiting with neighbours at the same time. Definitely no spin cycle in those days!
Home heating
It’s pretty common here, and our house is no exception, to heat and cook with natural gas. We’d never done that before so it’s taking a bit of getting used to although I must say that things heat up on the stove very quickly! Even our hot water is heated using gas.
As I was out walking the other day, I saw a couple of posters protesting the practice of fracking for natural gas. It reminded me of home… as that’s a real hot button issue in our province.
Daily Details
The last few days have also seen us get more and more settled into daily life:
- Of course there are some things that you don’t realize you need until you don’t have them within reach… so we’ve made several trips to the grocery store to stock up on some of the staples.
- I’ve gotten a new French telephone number for my cell phone so my Canadian number will soon be cancelled. For now I switch between the two SIM cards as needed… so if you text on the Canadian number and I don’t respond right away… that’s why.
- It turns out that you need an appointment to open a bank account… that’ll happen this week. Go figure!
- Next Saturday will be my first Saturday teaching at Bible School up in Melun…
Thank you for your prayers and for partnering with us!
Mark Robertson
On Monday we got to spend the afternoon with our friend and missionary to Guatemala, Lynne Jewett. What an inspiration!
The first time that we visited Châtellerault as a family was in 2006. I had been there previously by myself and then with a friend, but in 2006… we went together.
It’s the morning coffee syndrome:
Since hosting a group of young intercessors from Mission Point Church of Saint John, NB last summer, prayer walks and prayer drives have continued each week in and around Châtellerault with amazing results. We’ve had trained Apostolic help move in from other parts of France. We’ve had an increase in church attendance. We’ve made new contacts and have had several new Home Bible Studies. God is impacting these new attendees, and the local church has also been impacted in a very positive way. Please keep the work in Châtellerault in your prayers. Planting this church in the West of provincial France has been no small challenge!
The international work known as the “UPC of Paris Centre” is thriving, with 7 water baptisms since our last newsletter, and new ones receiving the Holy Ghost regularly. Our numbers there are also up with an average attendance of close to 70 people in our worship services. Currently limited to meeting just a few hours together on Sundays, we’re seeking a bigger place to rent that we can have throughout the week. Will you help us pray?
Perhaps it’s only fitting that our final service be in Temperance Vale, NB with our Atlantic District Superintendent and his wife. We drove up on Sunday afternoon, after having attended morning service at Mission Point and had no trouble finding the church, although we’d never been there before.
I was a bit disappointed when I learned that she wouldn’t likely be there that night due to fragility and advancing age, but my spirits soon lifted again when her daughter Ann (also mother of our District Youth President, Bro. Paul Thornton) got up to lead worship. She looks so much like Sis. Priest and sang with just as much gusto!
I wonder what it will feel like when the plane touches down at Charles-de-Gaulle, knowing it’s not for a 2-week stay.
AIM Long 