Remember two weeks ago when I told you that we were heading up to preach in Melun and the Headquarters Church? Well from there we took a few days off and headed up to Liz’s parents’ in Belgium for a bit of rest & relaxation. We were there when we heard of last week’s attack in Nice.
Transparency alert:
Do not read ANY of this post,
unless you commit to read ALL of this post… No skimming! Continue reading
For the first time since coming here… we’ve had someone pay us a visit as a result of finding our church’s web page.
* Feeling Elated * Continue reading
If we were having coffee… I’d tell you that the future both thrills and terrifies me at the same time.
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(Aside re. photo: this is a near-perfect way to drink coffee… we learned how to do it from a waitress in Cairns, Australia back in 2003)
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General Charles deGaulle had a real dilemma about leading France in the 1950’s. He mused about how it be possible to govern a country with 246 varieties of cheese. If that’s the extent of his challenges… his was a good time in which to lead! Challenges are to be expected in the pursuit of any great and worthy goal… and what a goal is ours!
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The month of January is flying by at an incredible pace and we have a lot of “fancy footwork” to do, if we can survive the bureaucracy! 🙂 Continue reading
Châtellerault is the LAST place I’d expect to find Toronto Maple Leafs memorabilia on public display…. but I did! Keep reading to find out where…
As you know from last week’s post, Liz’s parents were here visiting from Belgium.
It was their first time to visit us here in Western France and the first time that we’d had a bit more of a prolonged visit since our arrival in Europe last January. We visited Châtellerault, walked through Île Cognet and shared Thanksgiving dinner last Saturday.
Note re. Thanksgiving…
Canada = 2nd Monday of October
USA = 4th Thursday of November
Liz’s dad also helped me one afternoon down at the church doing some landscaping at the church to help “dress up” the front of the building. We planted a boxwood hedge accented with lavender in front, cypress trees on the ends and two miniature apple trees that we’ll train into standards. The bowed out center section will eventually be filled with roses or some other flowering shrub. (see photo)
Finally, we took them on a short jaunt to Angle-sur-l’Anglin. It was one of the warmer days during their visit and we walked down to the lower part of town (near the river) before gradually making our way back up. Tourist season is over, so the little village was pretty quiet.
While Liz’s parents were here, we also tried out a special little restaurant for the first time: Le Caribou Café.
The atmosphere is built around tons of Canadian icons… cedar strip canoes, a framed RCMP uniform, old Quebec license plates, skis, snowshoes… etc. And the bare wood walls & floor make it feel like a good ol’ fashioned cabane à sucre (maple sugar shack). Speaking of which… lots of their dishes feature maple syrup (like the tiramisu I had), and it’s the real-deal… O. my. word. …So good!!!
Three funnies we saw there:
It wasn’t so much a question of IF it would happen but rather WHEN; it was just a matter of working through the paperwork and red-tape. There were a few minor snags along the way but here’s how I felt on Thursday night:
https://twitter.com/RevMikeLong/status/657307211195092992
To be honest, there are times when I struggle with what to write you. A quick scan of social media gives instant access to great reports from across the globe; miracles that God is doing, new ones being baptized or filled with the Holy Ghost, etc. It is wonderful to experience, but when you’re looking on from the outside, it can be a bit intimidating due to the temptation to compare.
At this point in the life of our little church in western France, life is pretty quiet. We are not seeing the “highlights” mentioned above, and we deal with the challenges of a small congregation. On one hand I’m dissatisfied by this particular quiet but I also know that God does His work in His time, so we simply do our best, knowing that we’re in His will and avoid the temptation to compare.
Liz is off to a Tupperware party in Poitiers… bring on those bowls & lids! It’s being hosted by one of the ladies from our church and it’ll be a great chance to meet some new people.
Thank you for being a faithful reader.
Let what you read inform your prayers for us, for the church here and for France.
God bless your day today!
It’s the end of a hectic work week for many of you, yet here you are… touching base to find out what the Lord’s been doing in France. Thanks for that!
I ended off last week’s post telling you that I was headed to Melun for the first Bible School weekend of the 2015-2016 year. Here are a couple photos of the prayer & devotional time right before lunch. To the right of the top picture you can also see fellow AIMer Crystal Wallace who, along with her husband (both originally New Brunswickers) are furlough replacements for Bro. & Sis. Nowacki there in Melun (follow their AIM updates here, on Facebook).
Here’s what a typical IBF* Saturday looks like:
<
p style=”padding-left:30px;”>7:30 – 9:15 Classes (then coffee break)
9:35 – 11:20 Classes
11:25 – 12:00 Prayer & Devotion
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 2:45 Classes (then coffee break)
3:05 – 5:45 Classes
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p style=”padding-left:30px;”>* IBF = Institut Biblique de France
For Andy and I… this full day is followed by a 3.5hr drive home for services on Sunday!
Pray for these students that God will use them as trained workers in their local churches. That is their desire and is key to the growth of the work in France.
I want to brag for a moment on co-labourers Christian & Vanessa Kabasele. While they’re not mentioned in every post, they are invaluable to the work in Châtellerault.
They’re an example of why it’s important to pray for Bible School students; both are IBF graduates. God used that time to train them before sending them from their home church in Melun to the mission field of western France.
Christian is a huge help with the preaching load and is great with youth. Vanessa is gifted in all things “Sunday School” (she was Asst. Sunday School Director in Melun) and leads worship periodically. They’re a well-grounded apostolic family that makes a difference! Pray for them… coming here was a step of faith for them as it was for us and they currently have a pressing need.
As of this week, all three kids are back to school. Sophie’s material arrived this week so she started on Wednesday (the boys began last week).
Here you can get a sense of the setup. Soph & Dominic share a work table on the upstairs mezzanine in the Brochu’s house (mezzanine may make it sound grander than it is… it’s just an open area at the top of the stairs).
Timo’s setup is a little different. We were able to tuck a desk in under the stairway (previously just a spot for a low bookshelf and shoe rack). It’s a cool spot really… like his own little cubby hole. It also means he’s close to the kitchen and the main living level, making it easier when he needs help from Liz.
Tomorrow we’re having an event to rally our few young people and create an opportunity for them to invite friends. After church we’re going zip-lining nearby and then will come back to church for a bonfire. Pray for safety and for great connections among our youth. I’ll show you pics next week.
We appreciate your prayers. They are vital to what the Lord does here.
On a cultural note… while driving someone home from church, last Sunday, I came across the gate house of the Château de Baudiment, about 10min away. I’d seen the towers from the main road many times and was curious. It’s privately owned and not open to the public so I couldn’t see much, but judging by the gate house… I bet it’d be nice.
The population of Châtellerault grew by “1” this week… and her name is Miranda Carter! She came to us from back home in Saint John, New Brunswick… where her dad is our pastor.
Miranda flew into Paris on Tuesday but since our car isn’t big enough for 6 people, Liz stayed home with the boys. Since the flight wouldn’t arrive until late afternoon, Soph & I took advantage of the opportunity to spend time together in one of the greatest cities in the world.
First stop… “Forever 21” a clothing shop she knew of on Rue de Rivoli… where she eventually scored a few deals. One of the biggest treats that we walked out with though, was the company of two friends – Angela (from Melun) and Melanie (from Bordeaux) – who just “happened” to be in the same store. (What do you suppose the chances are of just randomly running into someone you know in a city like Paris?)
We went for a Starbucks together before continuing our father-daughter date… during which we got some Lemon Shakers fresh lemonade (a must-try!) and a quick stop by the Eiffel Tower before heading…
After a series of delays, Miranda touched down shortly after 5pm. What a trooper… travelling with only a carry-on sized suitcase & backpack (for a 2wk stay!)… THIS is a seasoned traveller! She learned well when she took part in the trip to France last summer.
We headed back downtown for a bite to eat and managed to get a quick bite to eat. It turned out to be McDonalds, but to redeem the “non-Frenchness” of it, we took it to the Tuilleries Gardens to eat… (see photo above).
One of the things that was pretty cool (besides spending the day with Soph) was that I actually drove right into downtown Paris & out to the airport. Here are a couple of pics of rue de Rivoli: on the left side, you can see the Louvre museum.
Normally I wouldn’t attempt to drive downtown, but during the month of August, most parisians are away on vacation so the streets are pretty empty (as you can see).
Wednesday night was Miranda’s first service & afterward she & Soph fiddled with different songs on the piano.
It was a great Bible Study followed by a really great time of prayer. Afterwards, folks were just content to stick around and chat for a while. It was nice to see the 3-4 different pockets of interaction happening. Thank you Lord!
… for your continued support. Let what you read here inform your prayers for us and for France.
Photographs often drive my posts each week. I look through my phone, grab highlights of the week that was and craft the post from there. Today though, let me tell you about photos you don’t see. Continue reading
AIM Long 