Tag Archives: Melun

Busyness to Madness

September 12, 2015 By in Blog Tags: , 5 Comments

Thank you for stopping by to check in with us today!  I just have a short post as I’m up in Melun for the beginning of a new Bible School year.

Île Cognet

Île Cognet, Châtellerault, Pont Henri IV, La Vienne,Last week you’ll recall that l’Île Cognet is what put “exploration” into the post. Well… on Sunday afternoon, we decided to go back as Liz had not been with us on the previous trip… and we wanted to change that!

Once again, the kids split it up between looking for frogs, playing hide ‘n’ seek and climbing trees while Liz & I explored on our own.

Not only did we see a rat on one side of the island, but we saw another, on the other side, get this… carrying a piece of baguette!  I kid you not.

…must truly be a French rat!  We’ll call him “Ratatouille”.

Week of… “madness”?

Here are some positives of the week:

  • We got the lawn mowed at the church (HUGE lawn and using an electric-mower… slow and tedious, but a great time of prayer).
  • I got the remaining paperwork off to the government concerning residency. Please pray that it things go through there.
  • Dominic started school on Wednesday (he’s our “I like structure” kid… so he was glad to start back up).
  • Timo began his new school year on Thursday… someone say “AMEN!” for a staggered school start – this explains why Liz is still in one piece!
  • Sophie’s books were only shipped from Abeka this week so it’ll be a few days before she begins classes… she did, however, read a book that she’ll need to do a report for later in time.

Later on in the week though (Thursday & Friday) a few things just turned weird (not with us personally, but with some folks that we know in the community).  Please pray that God gives us wisdom in working through a few things with this family. To God be the glory, great things he will do!

Paris-Bound

Yesterday I headed up to Paris earlier than I normally would because there was a couple of errands that I needed to run in the city. When those things were done, I was able to spend about an hour in the Garnier Opera… my all time favorite place in Paris! It was my first time back inside since 2012… ahhh… like going to see an old friend. (see pics below)

Today I’m at the church in Melun kicking off the new Bible School year. There will be administrative things shared and then 6 hours of classes – of which I’ll have two… starting the Pastoral Epistles (I & II Timothy + Titus).  Looking forward to a great day!Opéra Garnier, Garnier Opera, Salon des Glaces, Ice Cream Parlor Opéra Garnier, Garnier Opera, Grand Escalier

Thank you again for stopping by… please let what you read, fuel your prayers for us, for our church and for the nation of France.

A Wedding & the 1st Century

August 29, 2015 By in Blog, Churches Tags: , , 2 Comments

As many of you were reading the post last week, we were headed about an hour and a half south to our second wedding since arriving in France.

Wedding Bells

Ville de Saintes, Saintes, Bernard Palissy, Charente, mariage, arènes, gallo romaine

Sylvain and I met during the 2001-2002 school year when I was teaching French at the University of New Brunswick and he spent a year there as an exchange student from France and was my Teaching Assistant. Our friendship remained and shortly after our arrival in January, we received their wedding invitation in the mail.

We arrived the day before and Sylvain and I went zip-lining with several of his friends (what a blast!) while Liz & the kids stayed back at his parents’ house where the kids made good use of the pool!

Following the civil ceremony, we spent 2.5 hours on a river boat, cruising the Charente River; catching up with a few folks we knew and getting to know others as well. The meal went until about midnight but we didn’t get home until after 3:00am due to torrential rains. There was time for a “night-nap” before getting up for church.

1st Century

The photo above Sylvain & Camille shows the kids (along with their Travel Buddies) at the ruins of a Gallo-Roman Arena in Sylvain’s hometown of Saintes. In Roman times the city was known as Mediolanum Santonum and it was then, during the 1st century, that they built the arena, the ruins of which are visible behind the kids. Pretty neat to think that it was being built as the New Testament was being written!

Fond Farewell

Almost immediately following Sunday morning service, Andy (our Bible School student) and I drove Miranda to the airport where she caught a plane home the following morning.

We’re thankful for a young person willing and able to spend a couple of weeks familiarizing themselves with and contributing to the work of God here in France!

Bible School

IBF, Institut Biblique de France, EPUFrance.org, EPU France, Melun, CELR, Centre Évangélique le RocherAfter dropping Miranda at the airport hotel, we headed to Melun (an hour away)  for an intensive week of Bible School where classes began at 7:30am and we typically left the building around 9:00 pm.

I taught for 2 hours each day on the Epistles but was also involved in grading students’ oral theses (they pick from over 100 questions out of a hat and must teach a short Bible Study on it. Very impressive).

On Tuesday, classes had to be cut short due to a funeral for a young person from the Melun church who died unexpectedly, making it a tough day overall. That evening was the normal midweek service in which 3 of the IBF students brought short messages to the congregation.

You can also see the IBF instructors for the week including fellow AIMers and fellow New Brunswickers, Rev. Kevin & Crystal Wallace who are furlough replacements for Bro. & Sis. Nowacki. I’m very much enjoying the chance to work with and get to know this couple. Their ministry to the church in Melun, following the unexpected death of that young person, has been “hand in glove”… The Lord always knows!

Coffee & “Crash”

Last night was a “drive home & crash in bed by 9:30pm” kind of night. Very glad for a low-key Saturday morning with coffee brewing.

As you drink your coffee and read about our goings on, thank you for letting what you read, inform your prayers. Through Christ we can do all things but without him we can do nothing (Philippians. 4.13 & John 15.5).

God bless you today as you go about your day!

Luxury Restrooms???

August 1, 2015 By in Blog, People, Places Tags: , , 2 Comments

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

Angle-sur-l'Anglin, Crêperie d'Angles, Anniversary, anniversaire de mariage

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

Paris, selfie stick, arc of triumph, arc de triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Tour EiffelMonday 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!

Luxury Restrooms, pointwc.com, WC de luxe, public washrooms, public restroomsWhile 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!

France & Luxembourg with AYC

June 27, 2015 By in Blog, Events, People, Places Tags: , , , , , 2 Comments

According to “theFreeDictionary.com” the acronym AYC could stand for:

(1) At Your Convenience
(2) the Association of Yukon Communities
(3) the Austin Yacht Club or
(4) Are you confused? 

In our week, however… it has referred to Apostolic Youth Corps…
and they’ve lived up to their name!

Ministry

Melun, France, AYC, Apostolic Youth Corps, Missions Trip

The #AYCFrance team arrived last Saturday and barely did the wheels of their Delta flight touch the ground but that they were off to the races!

Day one started off with orientation at the Headquarter’s church in Melun, getting settled in to the hotel and then heading into downtown Paris for a river cruise on the Seine followed by dinner Chez Clément on the Champs Elysées… I was VERY impressed with this restaurant – fine cuisine but not at all overly formal!

The next day, Sunday, was spent back with the Nowacki’s church family where the AYCers ministered in song, testimony and through the preached word.

Pictured along with Liz & I are veteran missionaries John & Anne Nowacki, AYC chaperones Josh & Rachel Carson and Luke & Amy Levine.  By this point the team had only been together for two full days (give or take a little jetlag).  Can’t even begin to say what a great team these chaperones make… just incredible!

Luxembourg

IMG_1956

Over the next few days, the group did 3 more services in as many days, visiting Romilly-sur-Seine, Longwy and Arras, in northern France.

Along the way from Longwy to Arras, however, they had a neat opportunity to visit the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg where we handed out – in roughly 1 hour – nearly 2,000 business card invitations for church services being held weekly by AIMers Jeremy and Khrista Favors.

There was a “God-moment” when Bro. Levine met a man from Brazil in whose town he (Bro. Levine) had preached several years ago. Although they’d never met personally, the man shared that he’d been looking for some time, for a church that preached about the Holy Ghost as it was his desire to have this experience. He immediately put the man in touch with Pastor Favors who did a short Bible study with him there on the sidewalk and voilà… God opens a door for someone who is hungry.

AIMers to Luxembourg

Jeremy Favors, Khrista Favors, The Sanctuary Luxembourg, Luxembourg, AIM, UPCI

Here you can see the Favors along with Liz & I. It’s one thing to do what Liz & I are doing…. jump into a community where there is already an established work in place (with a building, a core, etc.). It’s something very different, however, to go into a completely new community and be the one to lay the foundation for a brand new church.

I admire this couple!

Prayer

Luxembourg, The Sanctuary, UPCI Church, #AYCFrance

Some of the team members, as they were handing out invitations, met Pierre a cab-driver who, when asked if there was anything in particular the team could pray for, said this…

“There’s never really been a real-led revival in Luxembourg and every day I pray that God would raise up an army of believers who would bring God to this country. Pray that God uses me, in my taxi, to be a witness for Him… for only what’s done for Christ will last.”

We prayed.

Sowing & Reaping

Within only two hours of us leaving Luxembourg, Pastor Favors texted us to let us know that he’d already had several calls from people wanting to come to church. Praise the Lord!

Normandy

WWII, Normandy, Normandie, Colleville, American Cemetery

Several in the group really wanted to visit Normandy so we did our best and managed to fit it into an already jam-packed schedule.

We visited the Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, run by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Pretty incredible and very sobering to see several thousand white crosses overlooking the English Channel… either crosses or stars of David… most identified, some “known only unto God.”

Following that we dipped down to the city of Arromanches, where a Mulberry Port (artificial port) had been built to offload some 9,000 tons of weapons and supplies each day, with some days seeing as many as 18,000 tons.

Today

Today we’re accompanying the team to Disneyland Paris before spending another day tomorrow in services across greater Paris. Before we head to Disney however, I’ll be teaching a 1-hour course at the Bible School (this is going to be a very long day!).

Prayers

Today we could use your prayers for strength. It has been an awesome week, but one during which we’ve gotten little rest.

Thank you for praying for us… as you pray, you are part of the work here and our victories are YOUR victories too!

Seeing & Hearing

March 28, 2015 By in Blog, Events Tags: , Leave a comment

Hi folks… a happy Saturday to you!  Whether you’re curled up with your hands wrapped around a warm cup of coffee or reading this on the go via mobile, thanks for stopping by again today!

Final move… (for now)

La Grande Bruyère, ChâtelleraultThis week we moved from our temporary accommodations into Bro. & Sis. Brochu’s house, where we will be for a good while as they travel on deputation in North America.

The “house” feels a bit more like a “home” particularly because it’s more furnished, but also because we are once again connected to the WWW (disconnection has been a mixed blessing – but the kids have been doing the “happy dance” since our arrival).

You can see from the bottom pic that it’s already nice enough to put out flower boxes (the gardener in me has been doing the “happy dance” over THIS… gardening weather!) and in fact the ceremonial first time ’round with the lawn mower will likely be this week.

On moving day, Liz was obliged to take to the driver’s seat so that I could drive the moving van. She’s been hesitant to do that up to this point (the first time is always the hardest). Although she grew up in Europe and drove a standard here this summer, she’s been a bit hesitant. Drivers here are pretty aggressive!

Sale of our House

Thank you for your prayers everyone… as of yesterday afternoon, our house was no longer our house. The sale closed and we no longer have to worry about ensuring that what seem like weekly monster-blizzards are cleaned out… Those mountains of snow are now someone else’s responsibility.

It does feel a little strange though… that’s the neighbourhood we’ve lived in for the past 17 years and when we return from AIM, we’ll not be returning “home” per sé. It’ll be strange.

National Sunday School Seminar

For those of you reading this on Saturday, you will no doubt be reading this as Sophie and I attend the National Sunday School Seminar, held at Bro. Nowacki’s church in Melun, along with one of our Bible School Students, Pierre. The guest speaker is Sis. Vickie Oliver, a veteran children’s evangelist from Columbus, OH. She has written a book, available from Pentecostal Publishing House entitled: Birthing your Burden in Children’s Ministry.

Liz could not come because there wasn’t room for all of us + Bro. Pierre in the car so she is home with the boys and Soph & I are on a mission with our good brother.  We drove 3.5 hours up last night and will head back as soon as the seminar is over so that we’re home and in good shape for church tomorrow.

Ever-seeing…

I’ll leave you with this today…  Liz & I found the following while on a recent visit to a 15th church in Châtellerault… it is on the sacrament of Baptism: I’ll translate for non French-speakers… Catholic_Baptism

“In this world of ours, so beautiful yet so disquieted by evil, there is, for the believer another world besides ours.

At the heart of our search, we discover that the Kingdom is within us. We cannot, by ourselves, enter this world of diving love unless we receive from the Lord the possibility to do so.

We accomplish this step by joining ourselves to Christ by the sacrament of baptism. Before preaching the gospel, Jesus was plunged into the Jordan River – symbolizing our purification and our death to sin and pride which turn us away from the Light.

Having chased away this darkness, our spirit is inhabited by the Holy Spirit, in other words, by God Himself.“

…and hearing not

Reading that poster above made us think of the what Jesus said in Matthew 13… Himself reaching back to what Isaiah said in chapter 6 of his book: “Seeing, they see not and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand… for their hearing has grown dull and their heart over-full.” 

It’s surprising, really… with the exception of a few words here and there… this could be something that you’d see or hear taught in Oneness Pentecostal churches… “Our spirit is inhabited by the Holy Spirit, in other words, by God Himself.”

Someone sees folks… at least someone saw enough to write what they wrote, using the words that they did. But somehow, at the same time… they didn’t see completely.

We are indeed buried with Christ in baptism… it’s more than just the public expression of a private decision; yet… just as Jesus was plunged into the Jordan River, we must be BURIED… plunged beneath the water as well.  God Himself will inhabit us… but it is not automatic at baptism. I’m so glad for the infilling of the Holy Ghost!  God still does it just the way he did in the book of Acts… it never gets old!

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be my witnesses (Acts 1.8) ….and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2.4)”

God is leading people – right in Châtellerault – and we are glad to be part of it… we’re glad YOU’RE part of it – Thank you!

In a couple of weeks I’ll share with you the incredible story of Sébastien…
Have an awesome day! The Lord is with you!

News from “our Missionaries”

December 6, 2014 By in Blog Tags: , , Leave a comment

Today we want to serve up to you some news directly from Pastor & Mrs. Paul & Darla Brochu.

Why do I refer to them as “our Missionaries” in the title of this post? Many of you know the Brochus already, but for the benefit of any who may not, these are the missionaries whose shoes we will be trying to fill during their deputation travels in the United States. We have had the privilege of working with them in the past, enjoy an important friendship and look forward to carrying forward their vision during the time of our stay in Châtellerault, beginning in late-January.

 Focus on France is the title of their Partners in Missions newsletter.
You can also connect with them via their Focus on France FaceBook Page.

.

Focus on France, UPCI Global Missionaries, Paul & Darla Brochu

Greetings, Partners and Friends !

As it pertains to the work of God, great, great things are happening in France and throughout Europe! What a privilege it is to be about God’s business in these last days. The darker the obscurity of this world, the brighter the Light of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Regional Evangelist George Craft, UPCISince 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!

Institut Biblique de France, epufrance.orgThe 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?

Thank you for the role you play in making all of this possible.
God bless you richly for your faithful support and prayers!

Euro Youth Convention, Melun, Chadwick King.

For more information on “our missionaries” you can click here.
Want to support “our missionaries” ? Click the “Support Us” link on this page.

France at a Glance

September 13, 2014 By in Churches, Places Tags: , , , , , , 1 Comment

Today’s post is simply an “at a glance” overview
of the United Pentecostal Church in France and
general numbers around religious adherence there.

Enjoy!

United Pentecostal Church, France, Église Pentecôtiste Unie

I created this infographic using Piktochart:
An online web service for just that purpose.
Pretty easy to use and if you’re a church or
a not-for-profit, they give a discounted rate
for the full version and are wonderful to
deal with… I highly recommend!

From our #AIMKid Sophie

July 26, 2014 By in Churches, Places Tags: , , , 7 Comments

As part of her schooling, Sophie did a written report summarizing her time in France between June 30 and July 10th… we offer it up to you as today’s post on AIMLong.ca.  Enjoy!

In Her own Words…

Hi my name is Sophie, and this year I was privileged to go on the mission trip to France. I was one of the 13 people who went, and my friend Maggie & I were the youngest ones on the trip. picstitchWhile over there we were involved in three places, Châtellerault (Western France), Bordeaux (the Southwest) and Melun
(the headquarters church).

Our first stop was Châtellerault, where we spent three days in the city, prayer walking and holding services. Châtellerault is a church of 20 some people and is also the church we will be stationed at as replacement for the Brochu’s while they are on deputation. During the time we were in Châtellerault a lady came with her friend and we got news that she has continued to come. So the first experience in the city was cool for me, to be able to see the church, meet some of the people, and just get used to the place.

Next was Bordeaux, we spent one and a half days there, and that’s where we did an all-youth service with the youth of Bordeaux on a Saturday night. That night was the day I chose to give my testimony (that was also the night where my head decided to have a migraine it was gone within a couple hours so it was all good). After service the youth took us walking downtown to see some sights and also to go eat. After having a nice meal we started to head back and before we got to the tram, one of the young people from picstitchChâtellerault noticed we had a little problem; we now had one less person. Our friend Nick Cannon had bent down to tie his shoe, saying he’d catch up but had totally lost sight of us. No worries, he was found in about 10 minutes. Once we got to our destination, via tram, we had a five minute walk back to the hotel, and it started to downpour. We got to the hotel wet and tired, but we dried off and had a good night sleep.

We woke up the next morning got ready for church. As soon as the service was over we took pictures with the youth of the church, and headed out to eat. After we finished, we hit the road because we had six hours of driving to get to Melun. The drive was long but with my friends and some hilarious people in the car it made it feel a lot shorter.

The next morning we were going to the headquarters church in Melun (Bro. Nowacki’s church). There we met with the young people for an hour-long prayer meeting to help us prepare for the day. In that prayer meeting a boy from the youth was filled with the Holy Ghost. After praying we went upstairs for some breakfast where we mingled with the youth and got to know some. They brought us outside where they created teams for evangelizing. We handed out invitations to the church, then we went to a square were we sang like a choir. It was really fun too do. Since it was lunch time they took us to a park where we had a BBQ and just had a lot of fun. picstitchThat night we had a service where there was another young person that was filled with the Holy Ghost.

The last day of the trip was dedicated to sightseeing in Paris. It was a rather foggy day but we made the best of it since we were in Paris. We saw a lot of sights and then we headed to the Eiffel Tower. It started raining… then it rained harder. Thank goodness we had ponchos and umbrellas, but our feet were still uncovered. Well, we went to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower and it was nice, for a few minutes, then we were all begging to get down. We had finished that day and now we had to get ready to leave. We got all packed and ready, set our alarms, and slept.

And of all the times for our alarms not to work they decided to not work the day we had to leave. We were scheduled to leave at 8:45 A.M. and our alarms went off at 8:00 A.M. we jumped out of bed, threw the last things in our suitcases and got dressed… all in 45 minutes, which we were proud of.

This trip meant a lot to me. For one thing my family will be moving there in the new year and being there in the church that we will occupy, and meeting people that we will see a lot more, just prepares me, I guess, for when I’m over there.

“I hope to make a difference and help with the growth of the church.
I’m not just going to maintain, but I’m going to see growth.”

Your turn…

What do you think of what Sophie had to say. Want to give her a “shout-out” or a “Kudos”? Leave a comment below… she’ll see every one.

Thanks for encouraging (and praying for) our AIMKids!

#MPTeamFrance 3

July 9, 2014 By in Blog, People, Places Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

in the Homestretch…

France composite pic 3Yes… we’re still in France, and yes… we still have Nick Cannon with us (He may just make it home Tanya & Jason!).

Over the past few days we’ve covered a great deal of territory and witnessed some pretty incredible things!

After saying good bye to the Brochus in Châtellerault, and in Bordeaux, we got to spend a few short hours with Pastor & Mrs. Paul Majdling, while our young people had a service with the youth of their church. We got to meet and hear an incredible testimony by one of the young men in that church before singing, testifying and bringing a message from God’s word.

After church, we headed back to Bro. Nowacki’s church in Melun (roughly a 6+ hour drive from Bordeaux). We arrived rather late and readied ourselves for a full day Monday:

  • Prayer meeting at 8:00am (one of the local young people was filled with the Holy Ghost in that prayer meeting).
  • Breakfast all together at 9:00
  • Downtown to hand out invitations for church from about 10-11:30am
  • Back to the church & then to the Bois de Bréviande for a BBQ lunch
  • Youth service at 8:00pm (another local young person was filled with the Holy Ghost in this meeting… incredible!!)

After a busy few days, Tuesday was a “sleep-in-a-little-later” kind of morning followed by a visit to the UNESCO designated “World Heritage Site”, the medieval city of Provins where the ramparts date back to the 11th & 12th centuries.  This was the first real rain that we had all week, and did it rain!  Later that evening we attended the mid-week Bible Study at the church in Melun with Bro. Nowacki. (to the right you can see our young people mixed in with the young people from Melun).

Today… Paris!

France composite Broch-Majd

Liz & I with the Majdlings (top). Shown with the Brochus (bottom), standing in a field of ripened wheat… with Châtellerault in the background.

As you are reading this, we are SOME-where trekking through the city of Paris. The team is, of course, very excited to see this incredible city!! We got on a bus at 8:30 to take us to the local train station where we caught one of the RER trains that whisked us in to the Gare de Lyon.  From there we begin to tackle the city one attraction at a time!

Ka-BOOM…. Paris!

Since we will end our time in France in the capital, you can be assured of one thing… by the time we hit the airport tomorrow, we will be completely wrung out!! To all family members reading this… please have nice comfy beds ready to receive some very tired bodies!!  🙂

Overall it will be a “good tired” though…. our hearts are full!
Thank you LORD for all the good things you’ve done during these days!!

Marcus Brainos Family

April 19, 2014 By in Blog, People Tags: , , 4 Comments

BrainosA Rare Treat!

How cool that we got to spend time with part of the Missionary Family in France, a week or so ago – both in our home for supper, at church for service and at Tim Horton’s (where else?).

Marcus and Renee Brainos are currently on deputation for their second term in France.  Having spent the first term in Melun, at the headquarters church (where we met in 2009), they will branch out during their second term and head down to the southern city of Nice (pronounced: Neece), establishing a new French-language work there.

Deputation Travels

The Brainos’ were with us in the context of their deputation travels. It was the first time that they’d been to Mission Point and there was a great connection between them and the church congregation.

Bro. Brainos, brought out some incredible information on France:

  • There are currently 20 United Pentecostal Churches or preaching points in France… meaning that there is one for every 3,000,000 people in the country. Compare that to roughly- one church per 90,000 in North America or
    – one church per 12,000 in New Brunswick.
  • Statistics in France tell us that there are some 700 people who attempt to take their own lives each year. I don’t know about you… but that’s a lotta hope that’s missin’.

As of the publishing date for this post, they will have been travelling for just under 1 year (having begun in May 2013.) and they may have to be on the road for another year before they are able to get back to France.  If you would like to contribute to the Brainos family’s missionary support, send them an email by clicking here where you’ll see the Email Us button.

 More numbers

One of the things that I’ve begun working on recently are stats for the city of Châtellerault itself. I want to be able to understand the city when we get there.  I realize that numbers do not tell the whole story… but they are part of the story.

Already I can tell you that Liz and I fit right into the average age of adults in Châtellerault, which – I think – is a good thing. It means that there will undoubtedly be a good number of families similar to ours in terms of age and age of children… allowing us to connect – at least in theory – with them.

Keep an eye out for that in coming weeks.

Bowtie Madness!

Bowties(I mention this only because it’s in the picture that I’d thrown on Instagram and which I’m using for this post.)

I’m not typically a bowtie type of guy, however Bro. Brainos is and it just so happened that the afternoon of their arrival, I was in the mall and found this purple-ish bowtie at RW & Co. I was in a rare “buying mood” and thought I’d pick it up and wear it as a tribute to my good brother!

Quote of the Evening!

I’ll end this post on a not so serious, but oh-so funny note which, in order to understand, you must know that Bro. Brainos’ father was French (from France) and his mother American (from Illinois) and the family made no fewer than six trans-Atlantic moves during his school-years.

“I’m half-French and half-American…
so basically I hate myself!”

 I know it’s not truly as bad as all that… but I do get the idea of cultural duality.

Thank you for sharing your burden Bro. & Sis. Brainos… we look forward to working together, for the sake of God’s Kingdom, in France!