,
May God's hand be upon you and your family! For years, we've dreamed
about what exactly it is that God has in store for us in France. It's so
exciting to see now bit by bit how God is at work and what may be ahead
for our family. I can't thank you enough for partnering with us
financially and giving us this opportunity to live and share the gospel
in France.
I wanted to take a moment to describe what we've seen, beyond the
beautiful landscapes and buildings and national monuments, a "behind the
scenes" look at where we've sensed God's touch. May the list continue
to grow!
In the course of a month, we have a French bank account, cell phones, a
car, and I learned how to operate the wood burning furnace! And our
friend, David, who for the first time in over 30 years has to make a
special trip to the states to raise additional financial support, was
here long enough to walk us through it all (Many thanks!).
Our little town of Le Deluge has been very welcoming and accommodating.
Additionally, no one has seemed put off when we tell them that I'm a
pastor. And perhaps optimistically, I think some even seemed intrigued.
The kids have done better than we could have imagined at their schools
without knowing the language and at each school there has been a teacher
that can speak English to them when needed.
After the first week, Karis was invited to a classmate's birthday party.
There has been another mom that has said we could call her with any
questions or problems we had. We've already had the chance to meet
families that David and Kathryn may never have had the chance to meet
simply because our kids are classmates.
We're
also excited about what we've seen from our new church family in Meru.
Their love for one another is obvious and they've done much to minister
to our family during our first few weeks as well. But what's most
exciting is to see their passion for their community and their vision to
multiply and expand their reach. I've had the privilege to be in a
prayer meeting that lasted for hours and where prayer was the only thing
on the agenda. I was humbled to listen as they cried out for God's will
and plan to be carried out in the lives of the church. Then last week
we were able to celebrate the baptism of two of the youth within the
church.
We've also had the opportunity to see into our "future." The team in the
city of Gisors is about 3-5 years ahead of us on the projected
timeline. The have a group that meets together for worship once a month
and just recently formed small groups that will begin meeting the other 3
weeks. We spent Halloween with one family in Gisors that has kids the
same age as ours, as well as some of their neighbors and friends. That
night I sat and listened as one man openly confessed that he wasn't very
religious and hadn't read the Bible but had many questions and wanted
to know more! "As they've been going" and as they've "lived life
together" with the French they gain the chance to share Truth. I look
forward to beginning some language study next week and soon being
prepared to have some conversations of my own.
And
as a bonus, if you didn't see this creative outreach telling the story
of the Bible using classical paintings depicting Biblical stories from
Genesis to Revelation, you should check it out
here.
Once again I thank you for your gifts, your encouragement, and your
prayers. We look forward to sharing with you again in the coming months.
God bless, Brandon and Michelle
