Poste/Phone Panic

What does one do when La Poste doesn't deliver? One writes an email. What does one do when the email response says to call? Well that completely depends on the person. I am not as agile as most french people over the phone so I tend to fear, shake, pray, wipe the sweat from my palms as I dial the phone number for help.

I've been putting my faith into practice a little more than usual these past couple days. The story goes that in faith we bought a plane ticket for the States where I would undergo an interview for a life-time career. Left hanging in the balance by an undelivered ticket and the sudden knowledge of a lost piece of my application (which was found), I'm constantly sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what is next. It is not always easy to live in limbo. But by the Lord's strength and faith, I dare to move forward. I figure there must be some purpose for this crazy lesson in patience.

La Poste

So the post office delivers in the US, but warning: it might take 8 days. I wish it worked that way here in France. I'm still waiting for an important document. I've taking to pleading with the Lord to drop it off. I'll make sure let you know how this saga ends.

The weekend retreat went fine. I took some nice photos to remember it by as well. You can see one here. We sang and laughed, ate together and danced! I even got 'multicultural' hair. 2 hours and 4 hands later, and I'm covered in little braids!

a little prayer

For those of you who pray, maybe you could say a simple prayer lifting up our church weekend. We'll be celebrating our diversity. I ask the Lord to calm my pounding heart- I have one too many things on my head and heart.

Me and the Poste

I've been frustrated lately with the nice little organization we call the Poste. Not that the poste doesn't have an enormously crazy task every single day but for the fact that 2 very important documents have not arrived at their destination in a timely manner. I'll keep my chin up though and pray for their rapid delivery. More to come...

"Danses?" "Oui"

I should have taken my water bottle with me. Even though the Seine runs next to the swing dance floor, there's not much water to be had. I took my very out of shape Lindy legs for a spin tonight. I met a couple people and enjoyed trying my french out on strangers. It was a warm evening and with the swingin' we got pretty hot. I'll go again next week if I can 'swing it'. For now I know I'll sleep super well...my legs are like rubber.

more on the unknown

Not knowing what it will all be like or look like is probably a good thing. It means I have the utmost freedom to be and live out who I am wherever I land. For now the sights are set on the Côte Basque. I know I need only one thing : to be connected to Jesus. (John 15)

life

I was greatly encouraged by the speaker at church yesterday. His exhortation to live a transformed community life only convinced me more fully of my desire to keep moving forward with the "full-time" project. I sometimes wonder how I got where I am today and where it is all taking me. (I think I've said that once before already...) So the task this week is prayer: prayer for the review of my application with CBI and for my plane ticket to arrive. We'll know more on Wednesday.

After a cool party for my roommate yesterday afternoon, the boyz helped us assemble my new bed. We have 4 in total to do but since my room was such a "bazard" I had to get it done. Fortunately Kash and Antoine are 'near' pros at putting together Ikea stuff. My bed came together but I sliced my finger on some metal pieces and needed minor first-aid. We wrapped it up and I'm back at life... paying special attention to not aggravate my fingers and hands where all the little cuts are found.

Oh, and the word is out all over France and the DOM-TOM about the Surfeur Bible Project. My desire is to see this thing come to life, unity of the brotherhood and new brothers and sisters as results.

Par Terre

I sleep on the floor. I've been sleeping there on a brand new mattress for 5 days now. I love it... I sleep well, I even dream or have nightmares that I can remember. The only problem with my situation is that my old bed frame and everything under it are still on the scene. I've been making due though since I am so extremely happy about the new mattress! Thank you Twin Lakes Church for the generous gift to OIKOS so that we sleep better.

on house church

Alan Creech seeks to answer the important question, "why we do church a different way."

I've had a hard time following my own ideas these past couple days. I've been hangin' around the House Church Blog lately. I am wondering where my path will take me. I know that when I think about seeing churches multiply- I want to be a part of it. I also can't seem to wrap my mind around how a movement of believers like this would look- I don't care what you want to call it: house churches, simple churches, home groups... I guess I've been "running around the track" too long.

syndication

I'm curious to know if the little button below my archives works for you. I'm still trying to understand how in the heck it all works. My next task: getting a photo album on this blog. I'm taking one day, one 'add-on' at a time. So far, I'm pleased.

itchin' to Lindy

checking out a few of Evrim's photos from Larry's 'dance-off' made me miss the DJ nights at the Viscount. We used to dance our legs to rubber until the DJ would chase us out by putting on the hip-hop and still then we'd figure out a why to swing to it. I miss the Lindy Hop and figure that I'm so out of the habit that I'll never regain my nimble feet. Still, I hope to visit the Slow Club here in Paris one wednesday night and see if I can find my groove once again.

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ice cream outside auschwitz

I've never visited Auschwitz, but my friend Vic Varis has. And I think what he has to say about this Irak thing was worth reading. There are just some days when you wish you weren't an 'american is Paris'...

ahhh...

thank you blogger... finally I got it right but I had to restart from scratch.

pardon me

sorry for all the messiness with the blog. i'm trying to make it more interesting and reader friendly. but it bothers me that my white frame just disappeared...

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Je pensais- même si je suis une 'meuf' qui parle beaucoup, ça va avec moi. Au moin je peux m'exprimer en français ou anglais... quel avantage!! Et les gars- je vous aime même si vous me critiquez parce que je sais que c'est normal.

Les gars ici me disent que je parle beaucoup- normale pour une 'meuf'.
"Même en français?"
"Bah- ouais!!"
Je trouve interessant que je ne comprends que 60% de ce qu'ils disent parce qu'ils parlent tous en même temps, et rapidement! Je pense qu'eux, ils parlent beaucoup plus que moi mais peut-être qu'ils ne parlent pas sauf quand je suis là...

Peut-être que c'est vrai : je parle beaucoup- mais s'ils savaient combien de pensées me passent par la tête....

its one of those blustery rainy grey days here in Lognes FRANCE. I slept in after fighting a prolonged evening with myself. Sometimes I wish I could just turn my brain off. Thanks to all my friends here who are putting up with me: Michelle, Audrey, the Finley's, the Monge's, Swanson, Elise, Kash, Evrard, Ruben, Antoine...

I'm committed to never compromising my passion for Christ.
I promise myself to keep dreaming big.
I will keep working hard to learn to laugh at myself and be curious about life.

now if I only could get this blog a little more interesting...

It looks as if the Christian Surfer's French New Testament will be taking off. Today with the beautiful liason between Thierry and Christian Bonnet, Lorenzo and I batted the ball into their court. I am in awe of God and how He brings together the things He wants- I'm so stoked to meet the dudes He plans to save through this effort!

The French Bible Society welcomed us and listened to the project, flipped through the english version I brought to them, thumbed through official documents and asked questions. Then they started brainstorming- farther than I imagined. Christian is putting out calls to all french speaking Bible Societies and multiple missions who might add to the order of this "bible". Now we wait... for their decision and estimate for the project.

I emailed off the last of my two papers to CBI. I'm asking myself what is next other than to pray and read the Word as the committee reviews what I and others have said.

I keep dreaming big for the future. I decided that I want two labradors: a black one and a white. We'll name 'em "Tank" and "Toffee". And we'll have a big enough piece of land so that they will be content outside. Maybe I'll give English lessons in the town where I live and work part-time in a café. Or help organize big events and host people traveling through and do photography. Of course I would be located in 'near paradise' with mountains towering nearby but a 5 minute walk from the crashing surf of Southwest France. You are invited- bring your boards, I'll have a garage where you can sharpen and wax. I'll even make you cookies!

I am so proud of the Lagny Youth. Yesterday they all participated to lead worship, act in skits, and share their experience with the Love of God to their elders. The church was full and from my vantage point behind the keyboard on stage. We showed the youth video from February. (I'll do my best to find a place to post it for you.) It went rather smoothly and was a joy to be apart of. Just one more proof that our God works through even my weakest moments.

when one has a weakness,
and one can see it in its reoccuring raw-ness,
one tends to want to correct it.

when one is resolved to correct it,
one takes extreme mesures to ensure success.

that is how one can work with god for change.