Spring

Spring is here, the sun is out, tout va bien. Some photos of life at 70 F.

Teaching guitar to my friend Teresa.

Next goal: learn, and then teach songs in French.  

My front yard.

The vineyard on our front lawn.  The co-operative has been coming every Saturday this month to prepare the vines for this growing season.  

Enjoying the Saturday market with my classmates.

Different classmates this month, another group photo. New nationalities represented this month: Ugandan, Lebanese, Costa Rican, South African and Philippino. I continue to really enjoy and learn from this international community.


On a more somber note, please keep in prayer the families of the victims of the terrible events in Toulouse this past week.  This is the first ever school shooting in France and the incident is having a profound impact on the entire nation.

Visitors

I have had a busy few weeks, and amidst the flurry of visitors, transitions and exciting happenings back home (Baby Lucia Gloria Johnson was born to Matt and Elsa! What a joy to meet her via Skype!!) I continue to move forward with my French. One of my professors remarked several times that he thought I was making good progress.  It's important to hear that once in a while because language learning is NEVER finished.  I often still feel like a kid when I'm trying to communicate, but I have to remember where I started and I am thankful for how far I've come in a short time.

I said good-bye to another group of friends at the end of February.  Sandrine (right) from Madagascar was a presence of wisdom, patience and encouragement here, I will certainly miss her spirit.  Rosine is from Central African Republic and has invited me to stay with her when I travel through Bangui, the capital.  We will practically be neighbors when I am in Northwest Congo!

Paris!

I was incredibly blessed to spend the entirety of last week with my family in Paris! My Aunt Kathleen, Uncle Mike and cousin Emily came for the French experience, and we lived it up! Some highlights from our week together:

Our Parisian apartment for the week! It was the 5th floor of a building from the 19th century, with low ceilings but just enough room for the four of us.  Aunt Kathy bought the fringed tulips the first day so we could enjoy them all week.  

Breakfast in Paris.  Every morning one of us would run to the boulangerie down the street to pick up fresh grainy bread to go with our fromage.  This picture highlights my favorite cheese that we tried - a camembert crusted with rosemary and cloves.  I'm sure I added a few pounds this week, we ate well!

Bridge over the Seine.  These locks run all the way across, and have cutesy things written on them like "Mike et Kathy pour l'eternite".  

I have to say, Paris lived up to its "city of romance" stereotype.   Locks of love, and PDA at every corner!

Sainte Chapelle.  We waited in line for almost an hour to see this.  It really is jaw-dropping when you enter the chapel, being basked in the magnificent light of floor to ceiling stained glass from the 17th century.  Truly stunning.

Aunt Kathy taking it all in.

One of the best parts of Paris is the sidewalk cafe culture.  Even in February lots of people are outside enjoying a coffee, and sharing life together.

Notre Dame.  Em and Kathy are tiny in comparison! I  was disappointed that inside people paid 5 euros to light a candle and say a prayer for someone.  Awfully reminiscent of the type of church Luther was trying challenge....and they sold souvenirs right in the church! Blech.

Backing up a bit, Em and I visited the Cathedral in Angers before we headed to Paris for the week.  We were lucky to experience an impromptu organ practice session.  That has been one of my favorite church experiences, listening to the organ in these ancient churches.  It makes me think of my Mormor and Winnetka Covenant.

Emily loves cool old doors.  Who wouldn't, really?

A secret old neighborhood Emily and I found hidden away in Angers! There is always more to discover.

Thanks to Uncle Mike and our guide books, we had a thorough historical introduction to many sites  we visited.  I have to admit, I am a Rick Steve's convert!  He is fabulously dorky and informative, no turning back.

Em and Mike discussing our next museum visit in front of the l'Orangerie, the museum that has Monet's water lilies.  The paintings take up the entirety of two large rooms, you MUST see them if you're in Paris!

The whole crew in front of the obelisk, near the Louvre.

We climbed to the top of the l'Arc de Triomphe, and this was the view!  This was the closest we got to le Tour Eiffel.  Maybe on the next visit...although I would be happy to buy a pair of pink Eiffel Tower earrings instead and consider it visited.

It was an incredible blessing to spend an entire week with my Auntie.  So glad she was feeling good and able to travel, it was truly a perfect week!

Night life.  Can you see what's hanging in the trees?  They neighborhood we stayed in has lots of history in regards to the early Enlightenment thinkers, and it is very close to the Sorbonne, so there were tons of antique books shops.  And yes, those are books hanging in the tree.

Le Cafe Procope.  Mike and Kathy were excited to bring us here - this is the cafe where Voltaire, Rosseau, Diderot, Dalembert and their contemporaries spent lots of time drinking coffee (the first cafe in the Western world! Opened in the 17th century) and discussing philosophy, religion, science and politics.  The restaurant has Voltaire's desk on the second floor.  It was cool to be there with a tour guide (Mike) who knew so much about this era of French history.

Emily's friend Sabine joined us for a day too.  We had a great day shopping together, and this is the girls in front of Notre Dame.

Sabine is French but grew up in Germany.  It was fun to hear her take on French culture and Parisian life.  Her apartment has a bed that cranks up to the ceiling when she needs more space during the day.  Crazy small apartments.  That's why everyone hangs out outside at the cafe's - even during February!

Winged Victory was one of the more memorable works of art from the Louvre.  She is so strong, beautiful and mysterious, it's not surprising to me that there was a huge crowd around her, gazing in awe.  We saw the Mona Lisa too - much smaller than you would expect.  We had to wait our turn to get close to her, there were so many people wanting to meet her.  

Em and me on a pont over the Seine.  I am still glowing with all the family love I had last week.   Thanks again for a great week Mike, Kathleen and Emskies:) I will never forget it.

World Vision/Covenant Partnership in Congo

A few weeks ago at the Midwinter Conference there was a partnership announced that will have an enormous impact on the Northwest region of Congo, where I will be serving.  Please check out this link, and click on the video to see images and hear stories of the region, and some of the other missionaries that I will be serving alongside.

http://www.covchurch.org/covenantkidscongo/#!prettyPhoto

Pray over this! It's too big for us to take on alone, but I believe with all my heart that when we come together as the body of Christ to make right what is unjust in our world, we become part of a plan much bigger than ourselves.  This partnership is centered on the principles of sustainable development and empowerment of people. God has opened a door, it's on us to walk through it.

all the single ladies

This past month and a half I have had the unique opportunity of sharing life with men and women who have made vows of chastity and poverty to better serve the God they love.  The Catholic church is structured to welcome the service of single women and men, and to support them in their chosen lifestyle through forming communities of work and support.  The nuns I work with share everything with their fellow sisters - work, chores of daily life, organization of daily liturgies and service to their neighbors.

I have always been drawn to the idea of living a monastic lifestyle, and I found other outlets of community living though places like Covenant Bible College in Ecuador, and Reba Place Fellowship in Evanston. My international family here has been a glimpse of heaven in many ways - people from 18 different nations coming together to live, to work, to learn with the end goal to serve the people of God and see the Kingdom come.

I appreciate the structure that supports my single Catholic brothers and sisters.  The Covenant Church does not have the size or capacity to have the same kind of structure, but it is something I have been reflecting on as I embark on the next stage of my life as a single missionary.  Our church culture welcomes married couples and singles alike into ministry, but I sometimes wonder if there could be an improved support system for single men and women in ministry?  We don't have spouses and families to fall back on in times of need, we are utterly reliant on the church community to fill that place in our lives.  It can be a beautiful thing to be humbled and vulnerable, but scary too.  We have to keep faith that God will bring individuals into our lives to keep us accountable, to challenge us and to encourage us during those moments when we start to lose sight of our hope and purpose.

I recognize the many blessings that go with me during my time here and France, and that will follow me as I begin work in Congo this spring.  I am not alone because I have a cloud of witnesses cheering me on and covering me in prayer.  If you're reading this, you are probably one of that family.  When I don't have a family to turn to, I remember that you are lifting me up with love, in prayer.  So, thank you, and remember that your partnership with me on this journey is not only welcomed, it's essential for me in overcoming doubts and fears of working as a single woman in the Congo.

market day

Before it snowed, I enjoyed going to the open market in Angers every Saturday morning in Centre Ville.  The vendors offer clothing, purses, shoes, antiques, food and more! I have posted a few pics of the food section of the market.  They have everything from seafood still squirming in the box to cheese the age of my grandmother.  These open markets are known for having the best local food at reasonable prices.

goodbye friends, hello snow

This weekend marks the end of my first session at Mission-Langues! The time is flying by.  We said good-bye to 7 of my classmates and have welcomed 8 new students from Colombia, Brazil, Japan, Poland and the Philippines.  There is a little "fete', or party, every time a session ends so we have a chance to celebrate and say good-bye to the people we have shared life with for the past month.

This was our class for the first session, including our professor, Nathalie.  We said good-bye to Marlene (standing next to me).  Her community is in Quimpir, another town in Western France.  

Rita, from Brazil grew to be a close friend.  I didn't think I would be sad to say good-bye after only four weeks, but it's amazing the bond that is built in such a short time.  In a sense, we are all children growing up together in the French language.  There is something about being so vulnerable and sharing  many mistakes and triumphs together that imprints people on your heart.  

The good-bye dinner.  I am sitting across the table from Nikola and Hazel, the only other North Americans in the program (both from Canada).  They will not be returning for the next session, so now I am the only North American remaining!  I appreciated having people here who understood my home culture for my first month of transition.

For the good-bye celebration some of us dressed up and shared dances from our home culture.  Dora, one of my favorites, danced for us in this beautiful sari from Bangladesh.

The day after our friends left, it snowed!! This is very rare for Angers to have snow like this.  Usually, if  it snows at all in the winter, the snow doesn't even stick overnight because of the warm temperatures.  It has been 10 years since Angers has seen snow like this! Lucky me.  But fun for my southern hemisphere friends.  This is Prudence from Central African Republic, enjoying the cold.

And Ernesto, a Priest from Colombia working in Chad.  This was the first time he has ever seen snow in his life! 

I appreciate my friends here.  Ernesto and Prudence have excellent French, so it's fun to talk with them and be able to learn so much at the same time.  I am thankful they are patient with my mistakes.  One thing I have learned well here is to laugh at myself!  I have a tendency to be sensitive, but I'm finding that's not an option when you're learning a new language.  

A snowman named "Monsieur Ernesto" made by Theresa, Dora and Prudence.  This is the baby, we'll work on making the papa snowman when we get a few more inches.

We also went to visit the chateau in Angers today because it's free the first Sunday of every month.  Unfortunately, it was closed due to potentially dangerous conditions of falling snow and ice.  Maybe next month we'll have better weather.  

Bon Hiver!