Praise and Prayer for February 8, 2012

Praise the Lord for leading us to a house in Saint Medard en Jalles, a small town outside the busy city of Bordeaux located just a few minutes from Merignac.  After visiting several more houses, we called the owner of this house to let him know that we were interested.  We knew very well that he could also turn us down so were relieved to learn Thursday that he was happy to rent to us.  Later we learned that he had called our current landlord in Reims and been given a very positive overview of our nearly 5 years as tenants here in Reims.  We are so thankful to the Lord for opening this door and pray our presence in the new neighborhood will bring glory to Him.

We drove home Friday after signing the contract with the new landlord.  The Lord gave us a good trip with beautiful weather for travel – all the way up until we entered Reims at about 8 p.m. under falling snow and slippery roads.  There are many details to care for this week before we return to Bordeaux Friday.  We are trying to arrange our move for around February 23.  We appreciate your prayers as we work under pressure these days and try not to forget important details.  These include getting estimates from moving companies, making arrangements with consignment shops here in Reims to take large furniture that we won’t be moving, ordering a telephone line at the new house, contacting utility and insurance companies to stop service in our current apartment and begin service at the new house, disconnecting and packing all light fixtures, etc.  On Friday, we return to Bordeaux and on Saturday we will go through the new house and receive the keys.  In the middle of the move, we will be attending the EEC (European Enrichment Conference) with our mission in Malta February 13 to 17.  We trust the Lord will minister to each of our hearts through the messages and seminars as well as the fellowship that we will enjoy.

Praise for:

- the small house that the Lord has given us near Merignac.

- safety in traveling, for dry roads, and for a warm apartment with the freezing temperatures outside (between 15 and 25F).

- well-attended services on Sunday here in Reims, including 20 at the Sango service.

- our car starting again after a scare this weekend.  The motor was immobilized Sunday night after I dropped off a family and I had to walk home.  After replacing the battery in the remote control key, the motor was unlocked.

- continued contacts and opportunities to witness here in Reims.

Pray for:

- wisdom and guidance through all of these moving details.

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

- God’s protection with all of this travel (by car and by air).

- for the enrichment conference in Malta next week.

- God to use the time we spend with church members here in Reims before our move.

- God’s provision for our needs.  We have a number of exceptional expenses related to our move.