"For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God." (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

Friday, November 27, 2009

Where does my help come from?











The second leg of our journey home brought us to Lourdes, nestled in the Pyrenees Mountains in the south of France not too far from the Spanish border, to visit Florence’s cousin, Linda, and her husband, Patrice. Total travel time on Monday from Geneva to Lourdes took us 10 hours and 45 minutes (including 2 train changes), so it was a long day. Patrice and Linda had warm food waiting for us at the end of the line, and we soon discovered that Patrice is a chef! You can imagine that we’ve been enjoying some wonderful meals during our stay in Lourdes, not to mention some interesting conversations on politics and religion. Lourdes is world renown as a place of pilgrimage for those of the Catholic faith. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared to a young girl named Bernadette at a grotto located near the river that runs through town 14 times. Mary instructed the girl to build a fountain, purify herself in the waters, and tell the people to come and do likewise. Later, they were to build a place of worship where people could come and bring those with illness to be prayed for. Today, the town of Lourdes receives around 8 million pilgrims each year from all over the world. There are 3 main basilicas that are beautifully made and during the height of pilgrim season, full of worshippers.
lourdes parish and town small
main basilisks in lourdes small
Because of the intense focus on the pilgrimages made to Lourdes, it’s often easy to miss some of the other points of interest in town. The Pyrenees, though not quite as high as the Alps, are still quite beautiful, and the town offers some great views of the mountain range. There is also a castle built on the highest hill in the middle of town. The story is that during the Crusades, King Charlemagne chased the Arabs from Spain to this castle where he found it impossible to enter and had to lay siege on them. Near the end, both armies were near starvation, when an eagle flying overhead dropped a fish it was carrying in its mouth onto the castle grounds. The leader of the Arab band took the fish and pinned it to a note he sent to Charlemagne saying that they still had plenty of food and would outlast him. Thus, Charlemagne decided to pursue a treaty rather than completely obliterate the Arabs. The treaty, though, did put the lands under Charlemagne’s dominion and under the influence of the Catholic church.
pyrenees small
chateau de lourdes small
On Friday we decided to visit a nearby town called Pau. Pau is known for its milder climate and “vacation homes” built by the English in times past. It is also the site of King Henri IV’s main castle. Henri IV reigned in the late 1500s. We were shocked to learn that, while he only ever recognized 14 children, he had as many as 72! Apparently, aside from the 2 wives he took (at different times), he had as many as 56 mistresses among the noblewomen! Also shocking was the news that he only ever bathed once in his whole life! There was a common belief during his time that demons could possess you if you submerged yourself in water, so he never bathed! And finally, we also learned that during his time, because of the cold winter nights, it was common, when visiting a lord, to share his bed, along with his wife and children! Later on in history, the same castle was used by Napoleon III, and more often by his wife, Empress Josephine, who was Spanish and preferred this southern location close to her home country. It seems like so long ago, but our tour guide reminded us that it’s only really been 4 generations since that time. It sure made the castle walls come a bit more “alive” for us!
chateau henri IV small
We missed celebrating Thanksgiving this year, though we did enjoy some roast chicken and potatoes on Thursday evening with our hosts and explained the Thanksgiving story to them. With no Thanksgiving holiday in France, the big burst of Christmas preparations that generally happen the weekend afterwards are also missing, so we are still feeling a bit far off from Christmas! This afternoon we catch the train to Grenoble to visit more missionary friends who spent time with us in Burkina Faso. We are so blessed to experience the fellowship of believers on an international level!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

I Lift My Eyes Up









We made it safely to Switzerland, the first stop on our long journey home. Aside from a tiring day and a few "close calls" the trip went pretty smoothly. It did help us appreciate all the little ways that the Lord takes care of us, even making things work out when we're on vacation!:0) We arrived in Switzerland around 9:30pm on Wednesday, November 18th and were greeted at the train station by our friends David and Aline Lampert, a young Swiss couple we got to know well when they spent a year serving alongside of us in Mahadaga.
view from the lampert house small
Our Swiss hosts have spoiled us! Aside from the beautiful views, we've enjoyed some great meals, sight-seeing, great fellowship and lots and lots of chocolate and cheese! Thursday afternoon we walked around Montreux and got some pretty views of the lake and castle (Chateau Chillon). Friday we toured the castle in Gruyere and then the fromagerie (cheese factory). Saturday we took the kids to a nearby water park (indoor, of course)! And Sunday we had a great time getting to know the Lampert and Bussy families. In a couple of hours we board the train again to make a long trek south to Lourdes to visit Florence's cousin. Stay tuned!
chateau chillon small
boys at the playground small
boys at the pool small
lampert bussy family small

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Off We Go!









It's been a whirlwind of activity the last few days as we've wrapped up our first term in Mahadaga, Burkina Faso. Aside from all the packing and last minute work we wanted to get done before leaving, we had lots of visitors and well-wishers. The team at the CAH had a little farewell party for us on Friday afternoon.
The CAH team had a little party to say farewell to us..
We spent most of Saturday answering the door as various neighbors came to wish us a safe journey. On Sunday after church, our whole church congregation walked us home and gathered at our front doorstep to pray with us, sing us a farewell song, and then wave goodbye.
Our church congregation walked us home, prayed with us, sang us a song, and waved goodbye!
We spent Sunday night at the SIM mission station in Fada (the halfway stop between Mahadaga and Ouagadougou, the capital), then continued on to Ouagadougou Monday morning after saying a few more farewells to a few more friends. Monday evening we had a meal together with three other missionary families, 2 of which are also heading back to their homes in Australia in New Zealand in the next few weeks. It was a good chance for some fellowhsip and for the kids to see their missionary friends one last time before we head home.
A last meal together with some of Caleb and Joel's missionary friends!
Though we are only planning to be gone for 8 or 9 months, this seems like a long time for many of our Burkinabe (and non-Burkinabe) friends and neighbors! In some ways it will probably seem like a long time to us, too, as we will be missing out on some milestones in the lives of some of our friends (births, moving, etc.) and we will be away from our SIM Burkina family who is becoming dearer and dearer to us as time goes on. But we are also looking forward to seeing all of our friends and family in the US and Canada. We will even get the chance to visit some of our friends and family spread out across Europe along the way! So despite how hard it can be to say goodbye sometimes, we are grateful for the Lord's goodness in taking care of us. And we are reminded that one day we will be reunited with many of you for good...no more separation and goodbyes! Let's work all the more to make sure that as many of us as possible can enjoy that day together! In the meantime, keep checking back in and we'll try and keep you posted on our travels! Until we meet again!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

November 09 Prayer Letter

November 2009 prayer letter

Already we find ourselves at the end of a very long, fast journey.  But it's not really the end - it's also the beginning of the next leg of the journey!  We're amazed that time has passed so quickly, and that this is already our last prayer letter before heading home for our first home-assignment.

Looking back, we know that we could not have drug ourselves through all of the difficulties, all of the hurts, and all of the tough lessons without your prayers and encouraging words.  And we know that we still need your prayers as we continue this journey.

Even though it can take some work to get these letters out every month, it's always exciting when we do because of all of the responses we get back from all of you!  Thanks for your encouragement and thanks for bearing with us.

God bless you as you read this letter, and then as we see each other face-to-face once more in the coming months!