Praise and Prayer for January 30, 2012

We are thankful for all that God has done for us during these many weeks since our last post.  Our time of home ministry is now history and we are back in France.  God’s protection and care were evident through the nearly 20,000 miles driven.  It was a blessing to be able to spend some precious time with my Mother before the Lord called her to her heavenly Home on October 24. 

We arrived back in Reims, France on January 18 and had a very special reunion with our church family there.  We were so encouraged by our brothers and sisters in the church and to see all that the Lord continues to do among them.  On Tuesday, January 24, we crammed into our little car to drive here to Bordeaux to go house hunting.  Our teammates, Ed and Sylvia Christy and their daughter Jana are our hosts, and have so graciously given us their bedroom and even the office for the kids to sleep in at night.  Our house search has gone on in earnest since then.  The market is hard, and we have already been turned down for one house that we thought would be ideal. 

It has been good to be in Bordeaux and get involved in different activities and ministries here during this time: the bi-monthly Bible study in Merignac on Wednesday evening, the Friday evening prayer meeting with the church in Floirac where the Christys have been working, a pastors prayer breakfast and Bible study on Saturday morning hosted by the Christys, and the Sunday service at the Bordeaux church where we will be helping out.  We had a special Raclette dinner Sunday noon at the church with the pastor’s family and some of the other leaders.  This dinner from the French Alps is composed of a special cheese melted at the table and poured over potatoes with sliced ham and French sausage. 

  Praise for:

- the safety and care the Lord gave us over a very full 6 months back home.

- a good trip back to France and here to Bordeaux.

- the special reunion with friends and church family.

- the health that God has given our family through these busy times.

- the appointments we have been able to make for looking at houses in the Bordeaux area.

- good opportunities for fellowship and connecting with the work going on in the area.

Pray for:

- God’s provision of a house for our family soon in just the place where He wants us to live.

- for continued health and strength for these challenging days, for Adrianna and Caleb as they do school.

- for all of the details surrounding our move to Bordeaux.

- for the enrichment conference in Malta scheduled for Feb. 13 to 17, right in the middle of our moving month.