women's ministry begins in the 12th!

It's 8:30 here at Chamfluere Retreat in Grenoble,France. All of my traveling companions hasveretired after a long travel afternoon and a busy day of ministry on our last day in Paris. Let's start at the beginning.

On Tuesday, we started out at the Luxembourg Gardens for our quiet time. Though snow covered the ground, it was the perfect setting for some alone time with the creative director of all that our eyes took in. I can only imagine how beautiful the grounds must be on a warm spring day. The sights were breath taking.

We headed back to N and A's apartment in the 12th district to prepare for the first women's only event hosted by this missionary couple. N has had the neighborhood children in for four Christmas cookie parties and egg dying parties to introduce them to the basics of their faith. It has taken eight years in France where she could freely invite the mom's into their home. Eight years! That seems like an eternity! N is no shrinking violet. She is outgoing and warm. Yet, it has taken this long for relationships to be strong enough for her to freely invite the ladies into her home.

Our US team's job was to help ready the house and provide some Californy foods for the ladies cocktail party (remember this is France!). And Californy is no typo. That is how they say California. Our team brought and prepared SM pinquito beans, small tacos with all the fixings, and a chocolate chip cookie desert topped of with a scoop of ice cream. We were providing a concert also via our troubador Erin Ajenjo. Check out White Owls website.

The 15 women loved the event! Food disappeared from the table and most were unwilling to let us take their plates, wanting to go back for more. All commented on how we were willing to come serve them, unable to grasp that this was a pleasure for us. I commented more than once that it was because we loved women. Nicole's goal is to soon share that it's our love for Christ and his love for women that drew us to the far away place. We all left certain that this was only the first of many like soirees that would be held in their home.

The women didn't leave until after 11pm (remember, this is France!). After some debriefing and prayer we headed back to our hotel on the metro. Our host insisted that the metro didn't close until after 1:30, but to our surprise it closed at 1 am, precisely when we were ready to make our last connection! The metro worker clearing the station gave us directions to the hotel and assured us that it was safe, mainly because it was so cold. So cold in fact that it started to snow!. We walked for almost an hour in a steady snow fall. What could have been a tense hour turned into a wonderland as we strolled home in awe. Another one of God's simple pleasures! My head didn't hit the pillow until 3am.

We were up early this morning to catch the train to Grenoble and then on to Champfluere. This is where the school will take place on Saturday. Jan Johnson from So. Ca will be leading some sessions with the local pastors, teaching young men and women at the Christian school for young adults here at Champfluere, and then leading a session at the school on Saturday morning. Jan is a spiritual director. I'll tell you more about that later, as I am not fully certain what that all entails. I may have a sessions with her if time permits this week. She will also be our speaker at women's retreat the following weekend in Monterey. I am looking forward to sitting under her teaching.

I've had a little time to reflect on yesterday's party. I am wondering if the church as gotten away from the "at home" concepts of ministry. Home is where people feel more comfortable.I am going to need to spend more time praying about focusing more events at "home" when it comes to evangelism.

It's almost 9pm. I need to hit the pillows myself.

Au Revior!