God at work in the hood

Earlier tonight I attended the monthly gathering for artists that la fonderie organizes. My part in these monthly evenings is in the publicity ahead of time, as I create & send the e-announcement giving the date & time of the event. I'm also the one who adds names to the list of who should be invited.

A good percentage of the time at each gathering goes around enjoying the meal & talking with whomever we sit by. To my right was Bernard, a professional painter whose done it for 50+ years. To my left was Francisco, a member of our Fonderie team and painter himself. Across the table was a woman who produces documentary films. To her left was a female painter named L.M. who goes to the church that we used to go to.

Peggy, an actress and member of our leadership team, shared about her journey of faith in the midst of her professional acting career. Her testimony was a reminder of God's grace & patience with us.

Afterwards, I discovered that L.M. lives on the same street as the PreK/Kindergarten where my older 2 kids already went for 3 years and where my youngest child is still a student. Having our kids in French public schools has been the primary motivator for us praying for the neighborhood, including its social problems. It seems that one of the answers to our prayers has been the active involvement of L.M. on this street, particularly related to cleanliness & the avoidance of drugs.

After Christmas, I hope to hook L. up with the director of the school where my youngest daughter is a student. Perhaps this collaboration of local school with neighbors who are equally concerned about the neighborhood. If this meeting is able to happen, it would be largely through God's providence through tonight's circumstances.

If we're listening, God can use even "chance" things like seat location and a discussion around a meal to help bring about his projects.

Thanksgiving Weekend Summary

I find that I keep putting off blogs for a better time, which inevitably never comes. So I have 10 minutes before needing to leave to get my 2 older kids for lunch. Here goes.

We ended up celebrating Thanksgiving from Thursday through Sunday. It was nice to be able to stretch it out & enjoy the delicious dishes associated with the American version of it. I'm not sure how Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated.

On Thursday my wife felt inspired to cook a mini-Thanksgiving dinner with chicken, stove top stuffing, potato balls, cranberry sauce & pumpkin pie. It was very nice. Now that she knows she can do it, we may invite a few people for it next year. Or we may not. With the Christmas cookie baking parties around the corner, we may decide to keep Thanksgiving Day as a family celebration.

Friday was a normal school day too. Afterwards, we all went to the local pool. It was fun reconnecting with some others there. Pierre the lifeguard asked what my job is, so we ended up discussing Protestantism. He has a friend who became Protestant recently & whose party he attended. Pierre said that he has done some reading of the Bible.

Saturday we had 9 kids at English Club & the theme was the 4 seasons, as well as American Thanksgiving.

In the afternoon, we went to our colleagues' home in downtown Paris for our annual Thanksgiving dinner. As usual, it was delicious, with a combination of the traditional Thanksgiving foods (turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes & pumpkin pie), as well as specialities that each of us brought in. These included pecan pie, carrot cake, attieke (West African dish), spinach salad, black eyed peas, French red wine, and appetizers including avacado dip, Mexican chips, shrimp, etc. An amazing spread.

Yesterday my wife and I bought taught different kids Bible school classes. One girl in my class was able to improvise melodies to the song of Mary in the Gospels. Very amazing to see an 8 year old with this talent already. We're now officially in Advent season.

For lunch, we had Thanksgiving leftovers, then took a long nap afterwards. It was a relaxing afternoon.

Now it's time to get the kids.

Thanksgiving in Paris?!

Today was American Thanksgiving. In the U.S., it's a big festive holiday. In Paris, it's just a normal work day. My wife & I kept busy on work-related projects, while my kids were all in French school today. My wife did get into the spirit later and made us a delicious meal of chicken, potato balls, stuffing, and pumpkin pie for dessert. My younger daughter, not even 4 yet, was a fairly helpful assistant in the kitchen. She likes to eat, so it would be good if she became a skillful cook.

While in the Wheaton College bookstore, I heard this music I really liked, yet didn't recognize the singers. I asked a saleswoman and she found the album for me. It is Keith & Kristyn Getty and titled "Awaken the Dawn." It was the only "Christian" album I bought on that trip and I listened to it a lot for the rest of the trip. From her accent, I think that they are Irish and some of their music has a Celtic sound to it. The whole album is excellent.

The song I enjoyed the most on this album during my travels is titled "Come People of the Risen King." A good version of Kristen singing it can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=234szPddcak. I think the lyrics are appropriate for Thanksgiving.

COME PEOPLE OF THE RISEN KING,
Who delight to bring Him praise;
Come all and tune your hearts to sing
To the Morning Star of grace.
From the shifting shadows of the earth
We will lift our eyes to Him,
Where steady arms of mercy reach
To gather children in.

Rejoice, Rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice; O Church of Christ, rejoice!

Come, those whose joy is morning sun,
And those weeping through the night;
Come, those who tell of battles won,
And those struggling in the fight.
For His perfect love will never change,
And His mercies never cease,
But follow us through all our days
With the certain hope of peace.

Come, young and old from every land -
Men and women of the faith;
Come, those with full or empty hands -
Find the riches of His grace.
Over all the world, His people sing -
Shore to shore we hear them call
The Truth that cries through every age:
“Our God is all in all”!

Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2007 Thankyou Music

Good News from Wheaton

It's been an excellent time in Wheaton. I plan to head back to Detroit tomorrow (Saturday) morning.

I've sensed God's favor on this section of the trip since I arrived in Wheaton on Tuesday. The time here was gone swimmingly well, with many scheduled & unscheduled meetings with friends, students & professors from Wheaton College.

Before coming, about the only sure meeting was with the Dean of the Conservatory. But doors opened up for me to share about our work in a French literature class, meet with 3 Art Dept profs, speak with 2 students interested in doing projects in Paris. Tonight I got to attend a Kings Singers concert for free, then have a browning at the Stupe.

I visited my former professor & former boss this morning. He's now at a seniors home, as he's had some health challenges. It was good to hear his perspective on some things. Regarding change, he said to "Move into something," rather than to "leave something."

Will now close & go to bed.

U.S. Visit (Nov 6-16): Report 1 (from the Detroit area)

It's 9:00 a.m. and I'm about to get in the car & drive to Chicagoland, more precisely Wheaton.

I was at a global ministries festival at Woodside Bible Church this Saturday & Sunday after flying in from Paris on Friday. Friday began with a bang, as we had a reunion of some high school cronies at the home of Mike & Carolyn. It was an enjoyable get together, although I was feeling jet lagged at the end. We left around 11:00 p.m., which was 5:00 a.m. the next morning Paris time.

The WBC festival was enjoyable. It was good to connect with some new people, as well as some old friends. I was on the Troy campus on Saturday & on the White Lake on on Sunday.

I've been blessed to stay with some great hosts: Mark & MaryAnn on Friday, Mike & Kelly on Saturday & Sunday, and Paul & Jessica this past night. While it can be tiring to sleep in different beds & homes often, I enjoy the interaction with friends along the way. Last night I did scare one of the neighbors, as I got houses mixed up and tried to get into the neighbors house with the wrong key. The lady's eyes looked terrified when she saw me. I quickly explained that I was looking for Paul & Jessica's home and that I wouldn't really be trying to rob her with my big suitcase right behind me. That seemed to resolve the situation and I then went to the right house next door.

This trip has had lots of improvisation to it. As of yesterday morning, I wasn't sure where I was going to spend last night, but it all worked out. I was able to have lunch with a pastor friend, then do short visits at 3 different places, as well as greet the world outreach team at one of our churches. It's much easier to do these when I'm by myself, rather than with the wife & family along as well. My wife is thankful that I'm able to do this trip on my own.

I'm encouraged by how the Wheaton part of the trip has opened up. I have 6-7 appointments for Wednesday and several in the works for Thursday. I get to speak to a French literature class tomorrow, as well as meet a couple of students interested in coming to Paris to help. I'll also see a couple of my former profs who still work there. Thursday I'll meet with the Dean of the Conservatory, as well as a couple of Art Dep't profs.

I am praying for fruitfulness on this trip. Unless the Lord build the house, those who labor work in vain. This applies as well for this trip.

Now I pray for safe travels & good running of the vehicle.

My wife & kids seem to be doing well back in Paris. We're blessed to have the presence of Holly from the Dallas area. She's a long-term friend of my wife. A couple of her friends gave her miles to cover her trip.