Hello from Santa Maria. I am now home and experiencing a little jet lag, but I'm sure that I'll recover soon. I wonder how my friends are doing after they faithfully took "No Jet Lag." Did it really work as promised?
My eyes are open, and my heart has changed after what I experienced in Paris. Paris is a enormous city of culture, fine food, high fashion and fabulous sights. It can also feel unfriendly and remote. Especially if you are an outsider choosing to live in Paris. On Thursday and Friday, our team met two such women who had chosen to leave their homes in the US and live in Paris. Both women were experiencing extreme loneliness and the fellowship of other Christian women. Each talked. And talked. And talked. At first, it was almost comical. Then it became extremely sad. It was as if they knew they had a limited time with us and felt compelled to educate us on everything that was happening around them. My heart still aches for them.
"N" lives in a multi ethnic area of Paris. We walked with her to pick up her child from school at 4:30PM. In France children go to school early, have a two hour lunch break, and then are released at the end of the day. "N" makes this back and forth journey several times a day, and I would estimate that she walks almost a mile each way. We were told that it was safe to walk the streets during the day, but at night it was not. I quietly prayed to myself knowing that though we were supposedly safe, I didn't really feel safe for the first time on our trip. Once at the school, "N" quickly forgot that we were with her after formal introductions. Because she lives in a diverse neighborhood, "N" is able to mingle with the other mothers with ease. If was fun to watch her interact with the other mothers while the little ones ran circles around everyone on foot or on a scooter. Because all of her children have attended this school, she has developed long standing relationships. She invites them all to birthday parties and most recently her annual egg coloring party for Easter. To keep things above board, her invitation informed the parents that the Easter story was to be told. This allowed each parent to make their own choices about whether to send their child or not. Many choose to send their children believing that is would be culturally enriching. "N" and her husband "A" pray that they would find the Lord. Janice, who has a good knowledge of french, began an easy conversation with a mother who wore the traditional Islamic scarf. Near the end of their time together, the mother pulled out a book and asked Janice if she was familiar with the author. The book was about numerology. You'll remember that France has a large occult population and are open to all forms of mysticism. It was an eye opening moment for us all. But it offered some hope. Though is women was Islamic, she was open. We pray that she will be open to Christ.
After we dropped the children off at their home, our team took "N" out to a lovely park near her son's school to pray with her. A soft drizzle began to fall as we prayed. It is hard to express the tenderness and emotion during our time talking to our Father. The team was there to support and encourage "N." Prayer is the best way we could support her while in France and when we are back at home. Continued prayer will be vital.
We ended our time with "N and A" at their high rise apartment which they share with their three children. It is very small; well under 1000 square feet with one small bathroom and two bedrooms. I learned that when they say "water closet" they mean water closet literally. The toilet is in it's own closet with a door out to the hallway. A small sink and tiny shower are right next to it with it's own door. The total is smaller than a moderate sized recreational vehicle bathroom. I think you have the picture. We had dinner and dessert crepes which were fun to make and very yummy. It was a fitting end to our time together. We couldn't stay longer because it was getting dark and we needed to get to the metro for our trip back to our hotel in the Latin quarter.
As we said our farewells, I sensed that this would not be the last time I would see "N" and her family. It appears that I will be returning to France, perhaps even again this year. Please pray with Carl and me about my involvement in France. If He is indeed calling me to an extended ministry of encouragement there; I will go.
Tomorrow I will tell you about my visit with the missionary in the arts district of Paris last Friday. Until then, au revoir.
My eyes are open, and my heart has changed after what I experienced in Paris. Paris is a enormous city of culture, fine food, high fashion and fabulous sights. It can also feel unfriendly and remote. Especially if you are an outsider choosing to live in Paris. On Thursday and Friday, our team met two such women who had chosen to leave their homes in the US and live in Paris. Both women were experiencing extreme loneliness and the fellowship of other Christian women. Each talked. And talked. And talked. At first, it was almost comical. Then it became extremely sad. It was as if they knew they had a limited time with us and felt compelled to educate us on everything that was happening around them. My heart still aches for them.
"N" lives in a multi ethnic area of Paris. We walked with her to pick up her child from school at 4:30PM. In France children go to school early, have a two hour lunch break, and then are released at the end of the day. "N" makes this back and forth journey several times a day, and I would estimate that she walks almost a mile each way. We were told that it was safe to walk the streets during the day, but at night it was not. I quietly prayed to myself knowing that though we were supposedly safe, I didn't really feel safe for the first time on our trip. Once at the school, "N" quickly forgot that we were with her after formal introductions. Because she lives in a diverse neighborhood, "N" is able to mingle with the other mothers with ease. If was fun to watch her interact with the other mothers while the little ones ran circles around everyone on foot or on a scooter. Because all of her children have attended this school, she has developed long standing relationships. She invites them all to birthday parties and most recently her annual egg coloring party for Easter. To keep things above board, her invitation informed the parents that the Easter story was to be told. This allowed each parent to make their own choices about whether to send their child or not. Many choose to send their children believing that is would be culturally enriching. "N" and her husband "A" pray that they would find the Lord. Janice, who has a good knowledge of french, began an easy conversation with a mother who wore the traditional Islamic scarf. Near the end of their time together, the mother pulled out a book and asked Janice if she was familiar with the author. The book was about numerology. You'll remember that France has a large occult population and are open to all forms of mysticism. It was an eye opening moment for us all. But it offered some hope. Though is women was Islamic, she was open. We pray that she will be open to Christ.
After we dropped the children off at their home, our team took "N" out to a lovely park near her son's school to pray with her. A soft drizzle began to fall as we prayed. It is hard to express the tenderness and emotion during our time talking to our Father. The team was there to support and encourage "N." Prayer is the best way we could support her while in France and when we are back at home. Continued prayer will be vital.
We ended our time with "N and A" at their high rise apartment which they share with their three children. It is very small; well under 1000 square feet with one small bathroom and two bedrooms. I learned that when they say "water closet" they mean water closet literally. The toilet is in it's own closet with a door out to the hallway. A small sink and tiny shower are right next to it with it's own door. The total is smaller than a moderate sized recreational vehicle bathroom. I think you have the picture. We had dinner and dessert crepes which were fun to make and very yummy. It was a fitting end to our time together. We couldn't stay longer because it was getting dark and we needed to get to the metro for our trip back to our hotel in the Latin quarter.
As we said our farewells, I sensed that this would not be the last time I would see "N" and her family. It appears that I will be returning to France, perhaps even again this year. Please pray with Carl and me about my involvement in France. If He is indeed calling me to an extended ministry of encouragement there; I will go.
Tomorrow I will tell you about my visit with the missionary in the arts district of Paris last Friday. Until then, au revoir.
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