Any of you who are connected to us on Facebook or Instagram will already be aware that Liz & I celebrated our anniversary this week. That was, without question, the highlight of our week…. even moreso than realizing that we have now been in France for a full 6 months! Where does the time go?
Angles-sur-l’Anglin
We knew that our anniversary would fall on the Sunday, so on Saturday evening I’d planned a little surprise for Liz.
That morning I drove out to Angles-sur-l’Anglin with some flowers, a candle and a card. The restaurant would then do the rest. I came back home, got cleaned up and then together, we went out to spend the afternoon discovering a truly lovely little French provincial town.
When we arrived at the restaurant, at 7:00pm, there was no question which table was reserved for us. Not only did they set out the flowers & fixin’s, but they’d added a table-cloth & fancy napkins. We sat beneath thick, leafy trees on the tiny public square in the middle of town. At least twenty other small bistro tables around us, but ours was the only one “dressed for the occasion”.
We spent the next 3-hours… yes, three, having a simple & leisurely dinner at a little crêperie (la Crêperie d’Angles) so the fare was light… but also laid back. It’s actually pretty rare that Liz & I have a chance to be alone so this was a treat.
Proverbs 31
A major part of Proverbs 31 is dedicated to describing the virtuous woman. Verse 28 says specifically (in response to all that she is and does) that “her husband rises up and praises her”. It was a chance to, privately, recognize the value that she brings to my life. Her strength is incredible – although she likely wouldn’t say that. She is an incredible lady and contributes greatly to the ministry here in France.
Team Spirit
Something else that doesn’t happen all that often is a chance to meet with the other missionaries on the field. Given that Pastor Nowacki would be leaving to head back to Canada during the week, we pulled together a last-minute meal on Sunday evening. Liz and the kids and I drove to Melun following our morning service and got to dine with:
- The Nowackis (founders of the modern UPCI church here in France)
- Fellow AIMers Kevin & Crystal Wallace (Jacksonville, NC – formerly of New Brunswick: shout-out to Milleville, Fredericton & Saint John!) They will replace the Nowackis for the next 5 months.
- Fellow AIMers Dean & Loreen Byfield (originally of the New York District and here in France). They are replacing the Brochus at the work in Paris-Centre.
(Later in the week, we also got to dine with missionaries Marcus & Renée Brainos who have just returned to France following their deputation and are settling in to start a church in the southern city of Nice.)
Paris
Monday morning we had breakfast at the hotel with the Wallaces before heading into Paris for a quick visit to the Arch of Triumph. It’s one thing we’d not yet done and Liz’s friend Milena was still in town so we got to do it together which made it extra special.
Timo had been wanting a selfie stick and the cheapest place to get them is from street vendors, so before heading back out of town we walked to the Eiffel tower and he got himself a bright green selfie stick! We are now one of those families!
While in Paris we also saw: Place du Canada, a boat named New Brunswick and had a chance to use “luxury washroom” just off the street in a shopping galleria. What constitutes Luxury restrooms you ask? According to the poster…
- Interior decorations
- Design restroom fixtures and
- Japanese Spa toilettes (whatever they are)
What they don’t publicize is the price. To use this restroom costs roughly $2.50 as opposed to the $1 average for public restrooms.
ummm…. our need wasn’t that pressing!
We’ll never know just how luxurious they are!
Thanks for following our adventures.
Whenever you think of us, please pray that God builds a great church in western France!
Yep…. eighteen! They arrived with about 40lbs of other things. Let me explain:
We weren’t only glad to get the goodies that she brought, it was also nice to spend time with a familiar face from home. Milena was one of the first folks that Liz got to know when she began at Air Canada 18 years ago.
We recently got a couple of other things from North America as well:
A few years ago, Liz & I translated Bro. Timothy C. Mitchell’s 
Ahh… at last. The kids have been getting to know two kids who’ve been spending lots of summer-vacation time with their grandparents, who live across the street from us. Last night they went for an evening swim at the same lake where 
If you find yourself in open water and the wind kicks up you can easily get in trouble given the canoe’s shape and the way they ride low in the water. The canoe will rock & roll with the crests & troughs if you remain parallel with the waves and, if they are rough enough, you can easily capsize. Still, it’s not impossible to safely navigate such water… the secret is to drive the canoe into the waves… crossing them perpendicularly. In this way they slice the waves, rather than being victim to them. We would do well to face trial & difficulty head-on as well: Tackling and mastering it rather than hesitating and falling victim to the agitation that it can bring.
The boys were thrilled to find a basketball hoop for only 3€. Although there’s a court a short walk from the house, they were keen on finding one to mount in the back hanger of the church for after service. It’s not installed there yet, but they couldn’t wait to use it… so they took turns climbing the apple tree in the yard and holding the net while the other tried shooting hoops…
haps I should back up a bit and tell you, too, that this past Sunday was also Mothers’ Day here in France. Bro. Christian preached and Liz brought an “exhortation” that was absolutely right on the mark. She’s not one that cherishes the limelight… but she’s definitely qualified to speak on motherhood… she takes the gold medal!
Randy & Carolyn are currently working with inner-city kids in Dublin, Ireland; putting their love for God to service with World Partners mission organization.
Bro. Majdling asked if I would minister there with him. 
To end with today… a bit of “Translation humour.” Can you see the mistake in this photo? 
After hosting the Atlantic District Kids Convention last night and today, we are excited to be heading to Fredericton tonight to hear from Bro. Lee Stoneking. He had a significant influence on my early time in Pentecost and so whenever I get a chance to sit under his ministry, I don’t pass it up.
I’m so grateful for that conversation at the altar. It was both direct and balanced enough that I went home, looked up the 80+ verses that have a derivative of the word “baptize” in them and saw that with the exception of Matthew 28:19, every time we see people being baptized in the Book of Acts – it was either “In the name of Jesus” or “into Christ” etc. …Either the apostles were accomplishing Mt. 28.19 when they baptized in Jesus’ name or they were completely disobedient to it; and if they were disobedient, then the foundation of our faith is severely eroded. There was no doubt in my mind that I needed to be baptized in Jesus’ name. …and I was, on Dec. 14th, 1997.
thanks to an ongoing community outreach. Then, at around 9:00pm we set out for a 3hr drive to northwestern New Brunswick.
This church is predominantly French-speaking, although there are some English-speakers in the mix as well. Rev. Keith Carter has been leading the church for the past couple of years but will be relocating in October, leaving the church looking for a new pastor.
AIM Long 