What a month. From our time in Lisbon at the CA leadership summit to our time in Aix en Provence for the CA France Retreat to the two short term teams from the states, Gerald Tilley and the SFC team, there have been so many great things happening in the ministry here. It is definitely time to catch our breath though. Easter was awesome. What a wonderful time of fellowship we had as we celebrated our Savior's death and resurrection. 

Not sure where to begin with all of the above things. We continue to see God moving in great ways in our lives personally and the lives of those around us as we seek to be a network of missional communities living in the way of Jesus. Our time with Gerald was wonderful as we dug in deep to Colossians with him verse by verse. Thank you Gerald for your teaching. Our time with SFC was great as well. What an amazing group of students with a passion for God and a desire to be a blessing to others. It was a pleasure to celebrate our Savior's resurrection with you on Sunday. 

Family news:

Thea is five now and had a wonderful batman birthday party on Saturday. We had a big Easter egg hunt and a pinata which the kids loved.

Isaiah is loving his razor scooter right now and his XBOX star wars game. He is getting so big

Silas is saying so many words now.

Samantha and I are excited that spring is here and the chance to play in our garden with our kiddos. I am still hobbling around on a bum knee that I hurt a few weeks ago playing soccer. I am getting antsy not being able to do anything athletic!

 Loving March Madness as usual. 

Got to go pick up my car now from Midas. 

Posted by Samantha at 1:34 PM MEST

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So after our snow trip, the rest of February flew by. Silas is getting so big. He repeats words all the time that we say. He doesn't miss anything. He loves to go outside and play. The other day he walked wih me the whole way to school and back to pickup Thea and Isaiah. It is so fun to see his personality developing!! Thea is doing well in French now. We are so proud of her. She continues to enjoy her swim class  and to color. She also likes to pick flowers for Samantha. Isaiah is doing well too. He is growing up fast. He had so much fun skiing but desperately wants to snowboard already! He also likes riding his razor scooter and playing his Star Wars game on the XBOX.

So, Renee and Carolyn came out to watch our kiddos while we were in Lisbon. It was so good to see both of them. Samantha and I had a great time at the leadership summit in Portugal. It was great to reconnect with so many of our friends within CA and be able to encourage one another. The teaching by Alan Hirsch about the missional church was awesome and challenging. I highly recommend his book Forgotten Ways. We are seeing God open doors for ministry all over the place!! Our student group on Friday nights continues to grow! Our involvement in Grasse with Bras Ouvert is also a huge blessing.

We are looking forward to Easter and also to the team from Santa Fe Christian coming to join us. I can't wait for March Madness too. 

Posted by Samantha at 9:26 AM CET

Updated: Monday, 14 April 2008 4:04 PM MEST

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Mood:  happy

So, we had quite a month in February. First we spent a week in the snow with our friends the Goldspinks. Wow, that was fun. The snow was amazing. We stayed in a place outside of Briancon and it was sunny everyday. The mountains were stunning. Sometimes I wonder if I would like to live in the mountains. I love the outdoors so much. Thea and Isaiah learned how to ski in a ski school. It was so fun to watch them!! We went sledding a bunch and Thea had a blast creating a snowman. Samantha and I went snowboarding one day which was so much fun!!

Here are a couple photos from the trip:

Posted by Samantha at 9:05 AM CET

Updated: Monday, 14 April 2008 4:05 PM MEST

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So, I am at home today on my day off with Thea and Silas hanging out while Isaiah  is over at a buddy's house playing. Samantha is taking some much deserved free time. Our kiddos are growing up so fast. My little girl will be 5 in two months. She is now going to school in the mornings and afternoons and is doing well. Her teacher says that she is really progressing now in her French which is encouraging. Silas will be two in May! He is quite the bundle of energy these days and is saying all kinds of new words. He also seems to be the one who clowns around in our family and makes us all laugh. Sometimes as a parent you stop and think, man I have to seize these moments because they are flying by so fast.

Between Christmas and New Years we were able to take some much  needed vacation time which was a lot of fun and got to spend a lot of guality time together as a family. 2007 was quite a year for us with many challenges but also many blessings. We really feel that God has put a hedge of protection around us as we move forward as a team and ministry. 

Our gatherings have been a rich time of fellowship and time in the word lately on Sunday mornings in our home. The youth group has also been going well with several new students joining us recently. Vincent and I continue to be involved at Bras Ourvert. It is exciting to see how we can be a blessing to the people of Grasse. We are so excited to see what God is going to do with our missional community in 2008.

On a random personal note, I have been able to watch some of the NFL playoffs with some of my friends here recently which has been so much fun. I still can't get over the fact that I can see these games live and in English. Too bad my Cowboys lost again. We will definitely have folks over to watch the super bowl even though it starts at midnight here.

Books I am reading: The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch

Shows we are watching: Samantha and I just finished watching 24 season 6. Now we are watching a combo of House and the Simpsons. Thanks Doug for letting me borrow a couple seasons. Man I forgot how hilarious the Simpsons are sometimes.

Things we are looking forward to:

A week of vacation in the snow in February with our friends the Goldspinks. We shall see how it goes with 6 children under 8 in one cabin! This is the first time we have ever done a vacation with our kiddos in the snow.

Renee and Carolyn coming to visit us and also watching our kiddos while we are in Lisbon for the Leadership Summit. 

The SFC team coming to be with us for a few days in March

 March Madness

 a silly photo of a scavenger hunt with the students in December

Posted by Samantha at 3:05 PM CET

Updated: Monday, 14 April 2008 4:07 PM MEST

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So Christmas is just a few days a way. In the midst of all the hussle and bustle I feel like God has been teaching me a simple lesson recently. About a month ago I began getting involved in an association called bras ouvert or open arms in english. Some of our friends who attend a different church here lead this outreach. This has actually been an answer to  prayer because we have been trying to find places to serve in the local community to be a blessing to others.

This association gives out clothes and food to needy families in Grasse, which is a city 10 minutes from us. Grasse is a city of about 50,000 and is the perfume capital of the world. It also has a very large north african immigrant population living in the old city center which is mostly muslim. Many of these families are just struggling to survive here in France. I have been helping with the clothes store every Tuesday along with Vincent, and I have been slowly getting to know some of the  people who come each week. Almost all are from North Africa, and each of them has a story. Samantha and I have received so many baby clothes and the like from families over the years. Compared to most people in the world we are truly rich. It's truly disturbing how much inequity there is in the world isn't it? It has been such a joy to pass these clothes and the like along to others. Each time we have been able to give some of these things away it brings joy to our hearts and reminds us like Jesus said that it is more blessed to give then receive. This is such a simple yet profound truth. I must confess that I don't often feel very generous and feel that I have forgotten this truth. As followers of Christ we have been blessed to be a blessing in this world. Each week that I go the Lord teaches me something or helps me gain perspective on something. It is such a privilege to be involved in the community this way.

Posted by Samantha at 5:14 PM CET

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Christmas is coming. Our kids are so excited. In the midst of all the holiday bussle, here are a couple things going on in our neck of the woods.

1. Thanksgiving was a blast in our home. We had 19 adults and 15 kids over to celebrate. A great time was had by all. Samantha did an amazing job preparing the food. Many of our friends also contributed to the meal in different ways which was such a blessing.  There was a real sense of community the whole evening. I shared a bit about the history of the holiday. We still had friends we couldn't invite so I am not sure what we are going to do next year. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and even pumpkin pie!

2. Silas is non-stop. If you turn your head for one second he is into something, climbing on top of something, etc. He is so curious and so stinking cute that it's hard to get mad at him. He loves to read books with us right now.

3. Isaiah had an awesome time at his 7th birthday party which was a batman theme. Samantha made a batman pinata which the kids loved.

4. We are all trying to recover from colds. The cold and flu season is definitely upon us. Poor Silas seems to catch everything from his older brother and sister.

5. I got to watch a full football game last night after the kids went to bed live and in English. Yes I love technology. I got to see my Cowboys beat the Lions in the last minute of the game. Boy it was fun to sit down and soak in some good old fashioned American football. It also made me realize that we haven't lived in the states for a while now. Interesting.

6. Christmas is coming and I haven't started shopping. Nothing new there. Samantha is almost finished. She is so good at gift buying.

7. I am back in french classes again which I am excited about. I really want to keep improving. Isaiah is way beyond me now.

8.  I have had several significant conversations with people in our community about what it means to follow Jesus recently and what it means to be a community of Christ followers. Very exciting.

9. Our neighbors just had a baby boy, their first. It was so fun to visit them in the hospital yesterday. 

10. Samantha and I went on a date for the first time in 6 months the other night. We got to go to the movies in Nice and see the Bourne Ultimatum. Wow, it was so nice to be out just the two of us. We have to find some more babysitters so we can get out more often

Silas enjoying some turkey with daddy.

Posted by Samantha at 3:02 PM CET

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Today, I just finished playing football (soccer for Americans) with a group of guys in Sophia. I play with them every Wednesday at lunch time and it's lots of fun. They still can't believe that an American knows how to play the game and loves following it. Anyways, today we played against a group of young French guys in their early twenties. It just made me laugh how out of shape and slow I am compared to them and how easily I can get hurt these days. They were much more skilled then we were, but we still won. I managed to score a couple goals. Boy do I miss playing competitively on a team. Sometimes it feels like it was only yesterday that I was playing college ball and then I realize that was 14 years ago! Yikes.  It just made me laugh to see the way they were looking at us like old farts. I used to do the same thing when I was 22! Now the roles have reversed. At least when I cycle I don't get hurt.

The kids have been on holiday for the last week or so, and I had Thursday and Friday off last week which was nice. We went to the zoo in Cap Ferrat. Silas loved it this time. He just kept pointing at all the animals and going beserk. He says "this, this, this" to everything. He also says truck, duck, yuck and batman of course. He has figured out how to climb up on to a chair and then climb on our dining room table. Nothing is safe :) 

Isaiah has been working a bunch on his legos and Thea has been painting. She paints really well in my opinion. She always has a creative idea in her head. She sure didn't get the painting skills form me! Our kids really enjoy their breaks from school especially with all of the extra tension of being in a second language. Thankfully, both are doing well in school this year. Isaiah has had no problems with the kid that was bullying him last year. We are so thankful.

Team wise things are going really well. This is the most hopeful I have felt about our team and ministry in the two and a half years we have been here. Our teammates Nicole and Vincent are moving into their new place in Grasse in a couple weeks. We are continuing to get to know one another and God is knitting our hearts together. It's exciting to be on the same page in terms of vision, values, etc.  We can't wait to have them living closer to us and the rest of our community.

Last Saturday, we had a Guy Fawkes party at our friends Barney and Tiphanie's house. This is a British festival. We basically had a big bonfire in their backyard and the kids played with sparklers. It was so fun to have many of the people we have been building relationships with in one place together. It seems like everyone had a great time and enjoyed the welcoming and inviting community.  

Samantha and I are looking forward to Thanksgiving once again. I think it is my favorite holiday because it hasn't been corrupted by commercialism and is an opportunity to thank God for all the blessings in our lives. Plus what can be better then sharing a meal with friends and family and eating turkey, stuffing,  cranberry sauce, yams, pumpkin pie, etc and watching American football. We wish we had a bigger place because there are like 25 adults we would like to invite and just as many kids. We aren't sure what we are going to do.

The other day I was rereading my journal from the last couple years. It is always good to reflect. In ancient times, the Jews would make memorials to what God had done so that they wouldn't forget. For me, my journals help me do this. I so quickly forget things. It was amazing to look back and see how God has answered prayers, equipped us and prepared us for the trials and challenges we have faced, revealed truth to us and so much more. God is so in control. What a faith builder to see all the answers to prayer. 

Well, I am off to play Legos with Isaiah. He is so looking forward to his "batman" birthday party. I can't believe my little boy is going to be seven!! 

Posted by Samantha at 2:59 PM CET

Updated: Monday, 14 April 2008 4:08 PM MEST

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This fall has been a very encouraging one for us and the ministry here. Our children are doing well in school. Isaiah has progressed a ton in his writing in cursive in French. I am so proud of him. He writes better than I do! He is also doing judo now which he really loves. Thea is learning more and more how to follow instructions in French in her class. She is also doing a gymnastic class. She is so creative. For my birthday she helped make a happy birthday sign for me with Samantha. She colored and painted each piece of paper that spelled out Happy Birthday and it was so creative. She loves to paint. Her love language is definitely gifts and acts of service.

Speaking of my birthday, Samantha surprised me by inviting a lot of our friends here over to celebrate. It really touched me to see so many of the people we have developed relationships with here together wishing me a happy birthday. Samantha and I also celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary on October 14th. After 12 years it sometimes feels like it was just yesterday that we were getting married and heading off to Russia. In other ways, we have learned so much about each other that going to Russia as a newly married couple feels like ages ago. Samantha means so much to me and I continue to learn more and more about the woman that I love. We have grown so much in our relationship. What a gift she is to me.

Our team along with others in our community are participating in life transformation groups which are groups of two or three people who meet weekly to help one another live an authentic spiritual life. Because our goal here is to see Jesus Christ change lives and to be followers of Christ who make other followers of Christ, these groups are big part of what we are doing here. The "LTG'' groups consist of reading a steady diet of Scripture (30 chapters a week), confession of sin, and prayer for others who need Christ. Because lives change in the context of community this is a natural environment for growth to take place. One line that Jesus says in the book of John has really stuck with me recently. He says that you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. This year I feel like God has revealed so much truth to me and to my teammates and it truly has set us free in so many different ways. Personally, I feel a joy, freedom, peace, etc at a level I have never felt before in terms of my relationship with Christ and with others. God's desire is to make each of us whole and to restore us into the men and women he created us to be. It's always encouraging when you can look back and see how God has been working in your life. There are so many areas where I need to grow, to be healed, etc but God is working!!

 Well, this is getting wordy. Gotta wrap it up.

Justus

Posted by Samantha at 9:21 AM MEST

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September is flying by. It is so good to be back in France. Our kiddos have been in school for a month now and are doing well. Isaiah's teacher is great this year. Isaiah came home the first week and said, "My teacher doesn't yell at us all the time like my teacher last year." We are so grateful for this. Isaiah is continuing to progress in his french skills. He is reading so well now and also writing in cursive no less! Isaiah has also started judo which is so popular here in France. Thea's teacher is also really nice. She tells us that Thea needs to work on her French but we keep reminding ourselves that this is only pre-school! She loves to paint and color and is always so creative. She is getting to be so big. Silas is a fireball. He can make the house a complete disaster zone in 30 seconds flat. He loves to play in our backyard and just learned how to say, "batman" thanks to older brother's promptings.

Samantha and I are doing well. We are feeling like life has returned to a more normal routine. We are very exciting about reconnecting with all the friends we have been making in the community. We have also connected with some new folks in our town as well. As a community of Christ followers, we have been studying through the book of John together on Sundays. Youth group has started up once again so we are very excited about that too. I just finished reading an amazing book by Neil Cole called "Organic Church." I highly recommend it to anyone who desires to see the church be more like Christ intended it to be. Our teammates, Nicole and Vincent, just returned yesterday from their trip to the states. We are so excited to have them back and look forward to serving together in the ministry here this fall.

I just returned from a short trip to Paris where I attended a conference with Erwin McManus pastor of Mosaic church in Los Angeles. He gave us a lot of food for thought. More importantly, I had a great time connecting with fellow CA leaders, Frank, Darrin and Phil.

Random thoughts:

I have been getting into the Rugby world cup here. It's a very interesting game. Those guys are pretty crazy to to play without pads.

In the past couple weeks, I feel like my passion to be in the Word has really increased which is cool.

I love being a dad of three little ones, but sometimes I feel like I have no idea what I am doing:)

Posted by Samantha at 9:00 AM MEST

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So, this summer has just flown by!! Isaiah and Thea start school next Tuesday. Unreal. We have been gone for almost the whole summer between our furlough to the States and our annual Staff Conference with CAI in Hungary. Both were incredible experiences for our family. It has been an amazing summer, but we don't want to travel anymore for a while :) Poor Thea was so confused. Everywhere we were travelling this summer she kept asking "Are we in America yet?". God has refreshed us and encouraged us in so many ways. It was so good to be with friends and family in the States. We just wish we had more time. There were so many people we still didn't get to see or have quality time with. We ate lots of Mexican food and enjoyed reconnecting with people. So many people encouraged us in different ways from sharing scriptures with us, to praying for us, to providing a wonderful place for us to stay and a car to drive. We felt so loved.  Samantha and I counted up that we shared a "formal" update in a group setting like church, a dessert etc. about our life and ministry in France on 16 occasions in 20 days!! Through all of those times of sharing we were able to gain perspective on what we went through in our first two years here and also look forward with anticipation to the future. God actually used our sharing as a chance to help us process and heal from some of the difficult things we went through this past year. We were also able to reflect on the many good things that God did with us here these past two years.

We are so excited about this next chapter in our lives as a family and also in the ministry here. We hope to see a network of missional communities seeking to live in the way of Jesus established here. We look forward to getting to know our teammates even better this fall and working closely together. Without being super long winded because there is so much to catch up on I will  share a verse that was given to us by one of our former students, Jackie.  She was praying for us one evening while she was watching our kiddos and sensed God speaking to us directly through this verse:

Isaiah 43:18-19"But forget all that - it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun!  Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness for my people to come home. I will create rivers for them in the desert!"

Our team: Renee, Nicole & Vincent, and Samantha and I

 Closing thoughts:

Isaiah has learned how to ride his bike without his training wheels

Thea has been painting and finding even more ways to be creative

Silas is into everything right now- we had to baby-proof our house to a whole new level this past week

It's amazing how fast you can fall out of shape. I feel like I am starting all over after two months of travel and not many opportunities to be active. It's good to be back on the bike. I had two old men pass me yesterday! I hope I am as fit as them when I am their age. I loved their competitiveness. They both had to catch me and beat me to the summit.

Samantha and I agree now that are house is too small for our family and for the ministry. We are praying about our options of finding a bigger place.

We just had an awesome couple days with Linus and Sharon Morris, Phil and Laina Graf, and the Perrimans. It was good to spend time together and learn from each other. 

Posted by Samantha at 10:39 AM MEST

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