in 3 hours, i'll be on a train to brussels, belgium. i'll spend 24 hours with my family there before flying back to the homeland. whoa.
it's crazy to think that i've been gone 5 weeks! in some regards it seems like a long time, but to another extent, it seems like i have been here that long. i'm sad to leave the Feria's and Paris. they've been so hospitable towards me, the kids are so great, and Paris... well, it's a beautiful city full of so much history and life. it's been exciting living here for a month and experiencing Parisian life with them. however, i'm definitely excited to return home and see my family and friends and share stories and pictures (22 gigs worth!). (tomorrow! it's only a day away!)
i'll try to post some more pictures later! now, i'm going to eat breakfast and chill with the kids before i take the train!
grace & peace.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
just a little taste of the gorgeous sunset from the other night! my computer has not been a good friend to me the past couple days. by some miracle it is a bit workable right now. nonetheless, i can't promise many updates before i leave... on wednesday! just a few more days here. the time has gone so fast. it's crazy.
grace and peace.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
yesterday i witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets i've ever seen... and that's just because it was in paris. God is so glorious.
today i bought red shoes. check.
right now i'm babysitting some cute kiddos. (don't worry... they are sleeping!)
tomorrow we're having a family day! L'Orangerie Museum, dinner and ice cream downtown!
Paris is good. God is better. I have one week left. crazy!
today i bought red shoes. check.
right now i'm babysitting some cute kiddos. (don't worry... they are sleeping!)
tomorrow we're having a family day! L'Orangerie Museum, dinner and ice cream downtown!
Paris is good. God is better. I have one week left. crazy!
Monday, June 9, 2008
a view from the top... (almost)
today was a good day in paris. i started it off with family sunday at church. this was a great laid-back service. they had a guest speaker who was american, but he preached in french. it was easy to understand him :). afterwards there was a lunch and i had two extended conversations with some adults in french. they were so patient with me and really were taking the time to talk with me and help me. plus the food was good!
after lunch i met up with two girls from my french class - katie & wanley. we went to the picasso museum together and then walked around the 3rd district for a while. wanley left us and then katie and i spent another few hours wandering - eating ice cream, grabbing a coffee at a cafe, taking pictures - it was really fun. we had some great conversation, too. it's been fun to get to know her. we're going to try to connect again this week.
after katie and i parted ways, i buzzed over to the eiffel tower to meet up with the texas group! and tonight, ladies and gentlemen... i climbed the eiffel tower (almost)! the lift to the VERY top was closed by the time we got there, but we were able to go up to the 2nd floor, or the middle of the tower. it was gorgeous. and it was really special to experience it with some other people besides just myself! i can't wait to go alll the way to the top :)
anyways... i had to quick write-up about my day just because it was wonderful.
thanks for your love.
grace & peace, jenn.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
samedi (saturday)
my day consisted of baking, children , crepes, and texans. i didn't step one foot out of the apartment today... and i didn't care. a group from texas came to help out with passion: paris and passion: london (thursday). and of course, in typical FERIA fashion, we had them over for a french meal tonight. tomorrow i'm going to the eiffel tower with them! woo!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
i kidnapped a kid today... kind of. a few days a week nicole watches a girl (maria) from emma's class after school. well i was on pickup duty today. nicole didn't mention anything about picking up maria - just emma. however, when i picked up emma, maria started to get her stuff together to come with us. now, maria is french - she doesn't speak english. i had to think french fast. i asked her if she was coming to emma's house today. "oui." i asked her if she was sure because emma's mommy didn't tell me she was coming over. "oui. je suis sur." after a few minutes (and no sign of her mom) we started walk back. i asked again, clarifying that today is thursday in case she had her days mixed up (i certainly don't know what days she comes over!). her answer was the same.
i returned to the apartment with the two girls. "nicole, was i supposed to pick up maria?" "no. why?" "oh, because i have her with me. she told me she was supposed to come today." whoops... fortunately, the teachers told maria's mom that the [stupid american] girl who is helping with the feria's picked up emma and maria. she wasn't too worried and took the extra time to do errands anyways. oh well.
i returned to the apartment with the two girls. "nicole, was i supposed to pick up maria?" "no. why?" "oh, because i have her with me. she told me she was supposed to come today." whoops... fortunately, the teachers told maria's mom that the [stupid american] girl who is helping with the feria's picked up emma and maria. she wasn't too worried and took the extra time to do errands anyways. oh well.
tuesday, wednesday, thursday
it's going to be a cool evening in paris tonight. the sky is cloudy - threatening rain. i'm hoping to enjoy a good parisian sunset before i leave... but we gotta get these clouds out of here! not to be boring and talk about the weather, but the weather in paris has been pretty moody. you never really know what the day will bring (kinda like michigan...), so when you're out for the day, you probably want to bring a jacket and an umbrella. the times i bring my umbrella, it doesn't rain and the times i don't bring it, it does rain. thanks, murphy. anyways, i like to take advantage of the blue skies when they grace paris with their presence. the sky really makes a difference in my pictures!
tuesday night was the Passion World Tour stop in Paris. i really enjoyed the evening and i hated for it to end! it seemed like a quick 4 hours! there were about 1,000 in attendance which was great because at the beginning of last week there were 200. at any rate, this was the largest known christian college event that paris has ever seen - praise God! it was pretty cool to have a translator for louie (giglio) and french words for the worship songs. my prayer is that there will be an obvious impact on the city because of this event and my prayers also go forward to london where the passion team is tonight!
wednesday began round 2 of classes for me at the alliance francaise. this week is an oral workshop. again, i am really pleased with the teacher and my classmates. i wish i could take more classes! after class i had lunch with another american, katie. i had a really good time talking with her over sandwiches. she has a pretty interesting story. i'm praying that i'll have the chance to spend time with her. she mentioned that she wanted to go to the picasso museum while she was here - which ironically (or, divinely?) is on my list! it'd be cool if we could go together! i like crossing paths. after lunch i wandered around the 6th & 7th districts (Paris is divided into 20 districts) until i stumbled upon Saint Sulpice church - an amazingly large and ornate cathedral that has been around for hundreds of years. i took the opportunity to look around there for a while and sit and reflect. pretty cool. i headed back to the apartment around dinner time where i was on childcare duty! al & nicole went out for the evening with some passion leaders while i watched the kids for them. i think they enjoyed getting away for a bit and i was glad to help :)
today was a good day. part of my "internship" with al is cultural immersion. this includes a variety of things from going to the market to visiting a museum to watching the news. one of my 'jobs' is to see a french movie. so this morning, i headed downtown to catch a flick. after doing some research, i found that a morning show is "only" 5.90 euros - translate that into USD... i won't be seeing any evening movies here! anyways. after the movie, i wandered the streets (my favorite thing to do!). today i saw part of the luxurious fashion paris that is famous around the world. i felt like i couldn't even walk by with my jeans and flip flops on! haha - i don't think i'll be doing any shopping in those neighborhoods, but it is sure fun to window shop!
grace, peace, and love.
tuesday night was the Passion World Tour stop in Paris. i really enjoyed the evening and i hated for it to end! it seemed like a quick 4 hours! there were about 1,000 in attendance which was great because at the beginning of last week there were 200. at any rate, this was the largest known christian college event that paris has ever seen - praise God! it was pretty cool to have a translator for louie (giglio) and french words for the worship songs. my prayer is that there will be an obvious impact on the city because of this event and my prayers also go forward to london where the passion team is tonight!
wednesday began round 2 of classes for me at the alliance francaise. this week is an oral workshop. again, i am really pleased with the teacher and my classmates. i wish i could take more classes! after class i had lunch with another american, katie. i had a really good time talking with her over sandwiches. she has a pretty interesting story. i'm praying that i'll have the chance to spend time with her. she mentioned that she wanted to go to the picasso museum while she was here - which ironically (or, divinely?) is on my list! it'd be cool if we could go together! i like crossing paths. after lunch i wandered around the 6th & 7th districts (Paris is divided into 20 districts) until i stumbled upon Saint Sulpice church - an amazingly large and ornate cathedral that has been around for hundreds of years. i took the opportunity to look around there for a while and sit and reflect. pretty cool. i headed back to the apartment around dinner time where i was on childcare duty! al & nicole went out for the evening with some passion leaders while i watched the kids for them. i think they enjoyed getting away for a bit and i was glad to help :)
today was a good day. part of my "internship" with al is cultural immersion. this includes a variety of things from going to the market to visiting a museum to watching the news. one of my 'jobs' is to see a french movie. so this morning, i headed downtown to catch a flick. after doing some research, i found that a morning show is "only" 5.90 euros - translate that into USD... i won't be seeing any evening movies here! anyways. after the movie, i wandered the streets (my favorite thing to do!). today i saw part of the luxurious fashion paris that is famous around the world. i felt like i couldn't even walk by with my jeans and flip flops on! haha - i don't think i'll be doing any shopping in those neighborhoods, but it is sure fun to window shop!
grace, peace, and love.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
another lesson
i think perhaps God is teaching me patience, in addition to love. i really wanted to go to this play last night. 18-25 year olds were free with a limited amount of tickets. i knew i had to get there early to get the ticket! well i hurried of with plenty of time. as i was leaving the apartment a bus was just leaving as well - so i missed it and had to wait 8 minutes for another one even though the schedule said it would be 5. i got on the next bus to catch the metro only to realize that i hadn't bought my metro ticket for this week yet. no big deal - i could buy a metro ticket at the machine. well, when i got to the machine, they didn't take cash and i'm using my credit card sparingly due to international fees, so i couldn't buy a ticket. i ran up to ground level and caught a bus to take me to the next nearest station where i guessed there would be a teller. when i got to the next station there was a line. so i waited. i bought my ticket and headed to the platform... except i was probably the farthest away from the specific platform that i could be in one of the bigger metro stations in paris. as i was finally approaching the platform, a train was pulling away. so again, i waited for the next train. the whole excursion took about 50 minutes when it should've taken half that.
i got to the theater, found the ticket counter only to find out that there were no more free tickets available. darn! i lost the battle, but wasn't willing to just turn around and go back to the apartment after all that. i checked out the pricing and found out that last minute tickets (if available) can be bought at a reduced rate.
i ended up sitting in one of the better seats in the theater for only 12 euros. i was so close! so i didn't get a free ticket... but God had a good laugh with me and i had a good time at the theater. i probably wouldn't have gone if i didn't think i was going to get a free ticket!
patience is a virtue, right?
6 months already??
my dear boaz - i can't believe you're already 6 months old! you're growing so fast! happy half birthday, little man! i wish i could be there to celebrate with you and the family! enjoy some cake for me :) love you!
Monday, June 2, 2008
so it's been a few days
...and there have been some complaints from the peanut gallery. but its just because i'm keeping busy. after 3 years away at college, my parents have figured out that when i don't call, it's usually because i have a lot going on. so if i was blogging all the time, i couldn't be enjoying paris, right? so consider that my excuse: i'm enjoying paris :)
i filled my week since i posted last. the past week has been a lot of helping out around the house as i mentioned before. tomorrow the passion world tour (www.268generation.com) makes its stop in Paris. this is a big project for Al, so it's been my priority to help with the family this week which meant extra runs to/from school and doing what i can around the apartment. i ran alot of errands with nicole last week which i really enjoyed. they may have been boring in a sense, but hey... i've never been to a french pharmacy or supermarket before! i also got to join emma and elizabeth on their annual checkup at the doctor's office. france has a public health care system and as apart of that, all children (0-6 years old) receive free checkups and vaccinations to make sure children are healthy and that parents are informed. my days following around a 'french' parent definitely allows for good cultural immersion!
wednesday and friday were my writing workshops at the french alliance. i really enjoyed both sessions. i interacted with adults from (literally) all over the country. the only common language among us was french! i was the only person who spoke english as their first language. it was a bit challenging, but a really great experience. there was a mixup on the first day of the workshop with my online registration... so that was frusterating. however, it turned into a positive experience because i spent a greater part of my morning with a french professor working out the scheduling (in french) and it was a good opportunity to have an extended one-on-one conversation involving comprehension and speaking. and with the timing of the mixups and the classes, i had 3 free hours to kill. i opened up my map and found that i was just a couple blocks from the Luxembourg Gardens... so i was able to spend a few hours enjoying creation and the sunshine. pretty cool.
thursday night i helped out at le pave d'orsay with an artist's 'vernissage'... which is the unveiling of a new gallery (or, the varnish. get it?). the vernissage was apart of an event called 'les portes ouverts' (or, the open doors).. where all the galleries in the area (it's a very artsy area) open their doors for the evening while people walk around, in and out, talking to artists and friends, eat free food, etc. our gallery wasn't too busy so i had the chance to walk around with adrian for a while. adrian is an american who has been doing an internship with la fonderie for the past year. it was great to have the time to interact with another 20-something, hear a little about her story and enjoy a parisian evening together!
when i'm not helping out with the family or coordinating events, i'm wandering the city. my mother has subtly (was it subtly? :)) asked a few times if paris is a safe city to walk around at all different hours of the day and night. surprisingly, paris is just as busy in the evening as it is during the day... but that doesn't come without caution. it still is a city and i still am a 21-year-old female. while i am cautious walking home/taking the metro late at night, i haven't felt overly unsafe or threatened. i try to take the time to pray for the people i pass and ask for God's blessing on the streets i walk along and the locations i pass. it keeps my mind focused instead of being fearful. but don't worry, mom... i still carry my pepper spray in my pocket. ;)
as i sit in the little office of the small apartment that is home to me for the remaining 2.5 weeks (yea, i'm halfway done! crazy), i'm trying to iron out what it is God wants me to learn while i'm thousands of miles away from anything familiar. i'm trying to help out with the feria's as much as i can while i cram in so much of paris while also trying to polish up what french i can understand/speak. a lot of what i do seems pretty trivial especially while i'm helping hang laundry or carry groceries or the french person resorts to using english with me because they see i'm slow at comprehending their french...
but even as i type this, i'm reminded of a quote from mother theresa (as quoted in shane claiborne's irresistible revolution), "we can do no great things, just small things with great love. it is not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing it."
so i'm probably not here to do great things. maybe i'm just here to learn how to love... love strangers i can barely understand, love a family who is doing the best they can to share Jesus with parisians, love a city who doesn't really care about God, love annoying tourists and point them in the right direction of the notre dame (even though i have yet to visit it).
...but then again, maybe that's just today's lesson.
tomorrow is another day with more faces and different challenges.
on the docket tonight... hopefully a free play downtown - woohoo! tomorrow - spending the day keeping nicole sane with the kids while Al prepares for passion. and tomorrow night - Passion Paris! :)
grace, peace, & love.
<3 jenn
i filled my week since i posted last. the past week has been a lot of helping out around the house as i mentioned before. tomorrow the passion world tour (www.268generation.com) makes its stop in Paris. this is a big project for Al, so it's been my priority to help with the family this week which meant extra runs to/from school and doing what i can around the apartment. i ran alot of errands with nicole last week which i really enjoyed. they may have been boring in a sense, but hey... i've never been to a french pharmacy or supermarket before! i also got to join emma and elizabeth on their annual checkup at the doctor's office. france has a public health care system and as apart of that, all children (0-6 years old) receive free checkups and vaccinations to make sure children are healthy and that parents are informed. my days following around a 'french' parent definitely allows for good cultural immersion!
wednesday and friday were my writing workshops at the french alliance. i really enjoyed both sessions. i interacted with adults from (literally) all over the country. the only common language among us was french! i was the only person who spoke english as their first language. it was a bit challenging, but a really great experience. there was a mixup on the first day of the workshop with my online registration... so that was frusterating. however, it turned into a positive experience because i spent a greater part of my morning with a french professor working out the scheduling (in french) and it was a good opportunity to have an extended one-on-one conversation involving comprehension and speaking. and with the timing of the mixups and the classes, i had 3 free hours to kill. i opened up my map and found that i was just a couple blocks from the Luxembourg Gardens... so i was able to spend a few hours enjoying creation and the sunshine. pretty cool.
thursday night i helped out at le pave d'orsay with an artist's 'vernissage'... which is the unveiling of a new gallery (or, the varnish. get it?). the vernissage was apart of an event called 'les portes ouverts' (or, the open doors).. where all the galleries in the area (it's a very artsy area) open their doors for the evening while people walk around, in and out, talking to artists and friends, eat free food, etc. our gallery wasn't too busy so i had the chance to walk around with adrian for a while. adrian is an american who has been doing an internship with la fonderie for the past year. it was great to have the time to interact with another 20-something, hear a little about her story and enjoy a parisian evening together!
when i'm not helping out with the family or coordinating events, i'm wandering the city. my mother has subtly (was it subtly? :)) asked a few times if paris is a safe city to walk around at all different hours of the day and night. surprisingly, paris is just as busy in the evening as it is during the day... but that doesn't come without caution. it still is a city and i still am a 21-year-old female. while i am cautious walking home/taking the metro late at night, i haven't felt overly unsafe or threatened. i try to take the time to pray for the people i pass and ask for God's blessing on the streets i walk along and the locations i pass. it keeps my mind focused instead of being fearful. but don't worry, mom... i still carry my pepper spray in my pocket. ;)
as i sit in the little office of the small apartment that is home to me for the remaining 2.5 weeks (yea, i'm halfway done! crazy), i'm trying to iron out what it is God wants me to learn while i'm thousands of miles away from anything familiar. i'm trying to help out with the feria's as much as i can while i cram in so much of paris while also trying to polish up what french i can understand/speak. a lot of what i do seems pretty trivial especially while i'm helping hang laundry or carry groceries or the french person resorts to using english with me because they see i'm slow at comprehending their french...
but even as i type this, i'm reminded of a quote from mother theresa (as quoted in shane claiborne's irresistible revolution), "we can do no great things, just small things with great love. it is not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing it."
so i'm probably not here to do great things. maybe i'm just here to learn how to love... love strangers i can barely understand, love a family who is doing the best they can to share Jesus with parisians, love a city who doesn't really care about God, love annoying tourists and point them in the right direction of the notre dame (even though i have yet to visit it).
...but then again, maybe that's just today's lesson.
tomorrow is another day with more faces and different challenges.
on the docket tonight... hopefully a free play downtown - woohoo! tomorrow - spending the day keeping nicole sane with the kids while Al prepares for passion. and tomorrow night - Passion Paris! :)
grace, peace, & love.
<3 jenn
Thursday, May 29, 2008
from across the sea...
looking good, bro. happy 24th birthday, peter! hope it's a good one for you! love ya :)
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
it's raining in paris, france
well, it was a rainy day in paris today... and it looks like it might be that way for the rest of the week, unfortunately. after walking the streets a bit this morning and taking care of some business details (money & metro pass!) i was pretty wet. i picked up elizabeth from daycare and stayed at the apartment all afternoon for some "cultural acquisition." i watched some french television and did a lot of research about the city, the country, the culture, etc. all while drinking some french coffee and eating a pastry. in retrospect, i think i did pretty well with the gloomy day.
tomorrow i have my first language workshop. i signed up at the french alliance language school downtown. this is an oral french workshop, so i'm hoping it will help me be more confident with my speaking and get me more into the swing of things. i understand what people say on the television and on the streets and whatnot for the most part... but i tend to freeze up with the face-to-face interactions. i have a hard time comprehending that quickly and then i have to get a response out. it's not pretty. in general, french people are very proud of their language so there is a lot of pressure! i'm convinced the ladies at daycare think i'm a stupid american who can't speak french. hopefully that will change before my time here is done.
al is working on a lot of preparations for passion: paris which is a week from today. the final details and arrangements are keeping him busy so i'm trying to be available for nicole where i can. i have 2 events this weekend for la fonderie that i will be helping with as well. also, they are hoping to host a group of about 10 students who are in paris with YWAM (youth with a mission) for dinner this weekend, too - so i'm on deck for that!
thanks for thinking of me and checking in on my blog. your thoughts and prayers are appreciated as i work on this french thing i've got going. specifically, you can pray that i can be an intentional blessing to the family where they need me, that i can make some connections with some french people, that i will be intentional to listen for God's guidance while i'm here and that i can get a handle on this language!
grace & peace, jenn.
the first two pictures are from the two events i attended this past saturday at le pave d'orsay... with the wheaton group and the french trio, respectively. the third (this small version doesn't do it justice) is a picture of le louvre museum from my walk back to the apartment saturday night. the final picture is from my sunday afternoon walk around the town... street performers by l'arc de triumphe!
tomorrow i have my first language workshop. i signed up at the french alliance language school downtown. this is an oral french workshop, so i'm hoping it will help me be more confident with my speaking and get me more into the swing of things. i understand what people say on the television and on the streets and whatnot for the most part... but i tend to freeze up with the face-to-face interactions. i have a hard time comprehending that quickly and then i have to get a response out. it's not pretty. in general, french people are very proud of their language so there is a lot of pressure! i'm convinced the ladies at daycare think i'm a stupid american who can't speak french. hopefully that will change before my time here is done.
al is working on a lot of preparations for passion: paris which is a week from today. the final details and arrangements are keeping him busy so i'm trying to be available for nicole where i can. i have 2 events this weekend for la fonderie that i will be helping with as well. also, they are hoping to host a group of about 10 students who are in paris with YWAM (youth with a mission) for dinner this weekend, too - so i'm on deck for that!
thanks for thinking of me and checking in on my blog. your thoughts and prayers are appreciated as i work on this french thing i've got going. specifically, you can pray that i can be an intentional blessing to the family where they need me, that i can make some connections with some french people, that i will be intentional to listen for God's guidance while i'm here and that i can get a handle on this language!
grace & peace, jenn.
the first two pictures are from the two events i attended this past saturday at le pave d'orsay... with the wheaton group and the french trio, respectively. the third (this small version doesn't do it justice) is a picture of le louvre museum from my walk back to the apartment saturday night. the final picture is from my sunday afternoon walk around the town... street performers by l'arc de triumphe!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
it's my fifth day here in france and i feel like i've done soo much already as an "intern" and a tourist! so far i've had meetings and worked at events and tackled a lot of the sites around the town. i think i've successfully grasped the bus and metro system - i was made for the city! i love public transportation :).
i'm still ironing out my "responsibilities" while i'm here. a big part of my time here will be to intentionally help around the apartment and herd kids. nicole, the mom, is pregnant and there are three little ones already. It can be a bit crazy at times, so i'm glad to do what i can! i learned the route to the school and daycare very quickly so i will be helping with at least one or two trips each day to drop off kids. this allows me to be out in their community and also interact (aka speak french!!) with their teachers. a big part of al and nicole's focus (and their heart) is to build intentional community and love others. often, this is done on a small scale... and that starts with building relationships with teachers, going to the same stand at the market every week, buying bread from the neighborhood bakery, getting their kids involved in community activities, etc. already, i've met a lot of the people that they connect with on a weekly basis. and this week, they are opening up their apartment again to a group of about 10 students who are doing some leadership training in Paris for a short term. it's been exciting to begin to grasp a bit about their ministry here and try to find my niche with them.
another responsibility i have is to be involved with the arts' ministry, la fonderie. as well as help coordinate events at the art center, le pave d'orsay - both of which al works with. friday, i attended a work team meeting for le pave d'orsay. following that, al and i headed over to the train station to intercept a group of about 30 wheaton college students and professors as they arrived from london. as a wheaton alum, al was pleased to help host them while they were in paris as well as network with students and the staff members for future parisian visits. the professors played a concert in a brunch-setting at le pave d'orsay saturday morning. the quartet was very talented and well recieved by all. saturday evening, i was back at le pave d'orsay to help setup and run another concert at the venue!
church this morning was pretty cool. it was all in french and while i didn't catch every word of the sermon, i think i got a pretty good gist. just don't quiz me later. :) i had some "jenn" time this afternoon wandering around paris. i spent a majority of the afternoon sitting by the eiffel tower, taking pictures and sitting and watching people. i enjoyed it.
what tomorrow will bring... i'm not quite sure, but i kinda like it that way. maybe tomorrow will bring pictures at least... maybe.
grace & peace.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
just a glimpse...
today, i saw my first site of eiffel tower. granted, it is pretty tall and hard to miss... but i hadn't seen it yet. i didn't even know it was coming... and all of a sudden, there it was! a pleasant surprise. i squealed. tomorrow... the real deal. ohhh yea.
bonjour paris!
i just woke up... in france.
very cool. the last few days have been a bit of a whirlwind. monday, we spent the day walking around thessoloniki, greece. beautiful! i had an amazing greek pita from a little hole in the wall for lunch... and a greek salad for dinner (i had too!). tuesday (my birthday!), we were in three countries. we woke up in greece, had a layover in italy for a few hours (we left the airport and saw the colleseum and the trevi fountain and ate some gelato!) and finally made it 'home' to belgium before midnight. wednesday morning i repacked my things and got on the train to paris!
yesterday was a good day to get settled and acclimated with the kids and al and nicole. we had a young couple over for dinner. they work for YWAM out of Quebec and are currently traveling to visit some teams. it was cool to meet with them and hear a little of their heart and passion. (oh, and we had a french dinner... crepes!)
i'm excited to be here and see what is going to unfold for me! so far, it's been an 'easy' transition to this whole european thing. europe pleases me :). please continue to pray that the transition goes well and that i will be able to connect with some specific people while i'm here!
this morning i'm going to walk with the kids to school so i can get a better idea of the neighborhood, etc... we're leaving shortly!
grace & peace.
very cool. the last few days have been a bit of a whirlwind. monday, we spent the day walking around thessoloniki, greece. beautiful! i had an amazing greek pita from a little hole in the wall for lunch... and a greek salad for dinner (i had too!). tuesday (my birthday!), we were in three countries. we woke up in greece, had a layover in italy for a few hours (we left the airport and saw the colleseum and the trevi fountain and ate some gelato!) and finally made it 'home' to belgium before midnight. wednesday morning i repacked my things and got on the train to paris!
yesterday was a good day to get settled and acclimated with the kids and al and nicole. we had a young couple over for dinner. they work for YWAM out of Quebec and are currently traveling to visit some teams. it was cool to meet with them and hear a little of their heart and passion. (oh, and we had a french dinner... crepes!)
i'm excited to be here and see what is going to unfold for me! so far, it's been an 'easy' transition to this whole european thing. europe pleases me :). please continue to pray that the transition goes well and that i will be able to connect with some specific people while i'm here!
this morning i'm going to walk with the kids to school so i can get a better idea of the neighborhood, etc... we're leaving shortly!
grace & peace.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
two days early...
After surprising the belgian team and the arizona team with a great dinner at one of the local restaurants, uncle doug had another surprise up his sleeve when he had the waiter bring me a birthday cake. He is too sweet :).
We're off to Greece tomorrow where I will probably have a better internet connection...
ciao!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
The internet here at the hotel in Macedonia is spotty... but I can't complain because I have wireless internet for free (something I did not expect to have!). So sorry for the delay of posts (*ahem* Dave & Peter) because I thought I'd be internet-less until Tuesday!
Anyways... more important things! We had the Convoy today! It went well - we had between 700 - 1,000 in attendance. The numbers are what was expected - though we hoped for about 4,000.
What is a "convoy"? Well, my Uncle's organization, Convoy of Hope, teams up with local communities and churches to give a city a "Day of Hope" with the mission of, "when you feed the hungry, you feed the soul." A standard convoy (like the one today) sets up tent in the central part of a given city and invites the community for a day of games for the kids, face painting, hair cuts, medical care, lunch, grocery vouchers, a concert, etc - all for free! The day is intended to be very loving and fun - giving a glimmer of hope to those who can't often find it. Every attendant is given a copy of the New Testament in their language and presented the gospel in a non-threatening way. Later on in the week, each family will have food delivered to their door where a volunteer from the local church will sit down with them and share more openly why it is that Convoy does what it does and share more with them about the love of Jesus Christ. Pretty cool setup, I think.
My aunt & uncle just recently teamed up with Convoy of Hope Eastern Europe when they moved back here in September. Since they moved to Belgium in 1996, I've always wanted to come and see them - but I never thought I'd get to minister along side of them. It's been cool to see a bit of what they do and meet some of the faces they interact with daily. My job today was to be the photographer. My uncle knows me well! :) I got to see every little activity of the day and laugh and smile with all the beautiful Macedonian children that were there. While the language barrier did cause some trouble, overall it was a very exciting and refreshing day. It's a humbling thought to remember our God is big enough to care about each and every one of those smiling faces - whether they are in Macedonia or America. Please join me in praying that the work today will have lasting impact on the hearts and lives of the children and adults that attended!
I know, I know... you probably want to see some of those pictures. If I have time, I will post some later after dinner... but now, I gotta get ready to go... we're leaving in 10 minutes!
grace & peace.
Anyways... more important things! We had the Convoy today! It went well - we had between 700 - 1,000 in attendance. The numbers are what was expected - though we hoped for about 4,000.
What is a "convoy"? Well, my Uncle's organization, Convoy of Hope, teams up with local communities and churches to give a city a "Day of Hope" with the mission of, "when you feed the hungry, you feed the soul." A standard convoy (like the one today) sets up tent in the central part of a given city and invites the community for a day of games for the kids, face painting, hair cuts, medical care, lunch, grocery vouchers, a concert, etc - all for free! The day is intended to be very loving and fun - giving a glimmer of hope to those who can't often find it. Every attendant is given a copy of the New Testament in their language and presented the gospel in a non-threatening way. Later on in the week, each family will have food delivered to their door where a volunteer from the local church will sit down with them and share more openly why it is that Convoy does what it does and share more with them about the love of Jesus Christ. Pretty cool setup, I think.
My aunt & uncle just recently teamed up with Convoy of Hope Eastern Europe when they moved back here in September. Since they moved to Belgium in 1996, I've always wanted to come and see them - but I never thought I'd get to minister along side of them. It's been cool to see a bit of what they do and meet some of the faces they interact with daily. My job today was to be the photographer. My uncle knows me well! :) I got to see every little activity of the day and laugh and smile with all the beautiful Macedonian children that were there. While the language barrier did cause some trouble, overall it was a very exciting and refreshing day. It's a humbling thought to remember our God is big enough to care about each and every one of those smiling faces - whether they are in Macedonia or America. Please join me in praying that the work today will have lasting impact on the hearts and lives of the children and adults that attended!
I know, I know... you probably want to see some of those pictures. If I have time, I will post some later after dinner... but now, I gotta get ready to go... we're leaving in 10 minutes!
grace & peace.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
day two (Thursday)
We're in Macedonia! It was a long day of travel for us today. It was cheaper to fly into Greece and drive to Macedonia, however... it cost us a lot of time! We definitely took the scenic route to get here, but I am not complaining because it was beautiful! we left the house at 4am Belgian time to catch a 6:30am flight to Greece. We had a 3.5 hour layover in Rome before arriving in Thesolonika (yea, like Paul). After the scenic drive, we finally made it to our destination in Macedonia around 5:45pm. A team from Arizona State University is here with the Macedonia team and they have already begun to setup the tents for the Convoy which will begin tomorrow at 6pm with the first session.
Our short time in Italy and Greece today as well as being here in Macedonia makes me want to know every language so I can communicate smoothly with people. When I hear a different language, I automatically think I can speak French to them and they will understand... but, they don't. shooot. I didn't realize it until we got in the van in Greece that I couldn't even say "hello!" to our driver because I didn't know how to say it! Fortunately we were given packets with a brief intro to Macedonia and the language with simple phrases. I'll have to look that over!
On my quick tour of Brussels yesterday evening with Aunt Joan and Uncle Doug... they showed me downtown including the King's Palace and the Grand Place. They also bought me a genuine Belgian waffle. It was delicious! :) It's late here and I'm quite tired... as much as I've tried to fight it, the jetlag is finally catching up to me! I'll leave you with a couple pictures... Ciao!
Our short time in Italy and Greece today as well as being here in Macedonia makes me want to know every language so I can communicate smoothly with people. When I hear a different language, I automatically think I can speak French to them and they will understand... but, they don't. shooot. I didn't realize it until we got in the van in Greece that I couldn't even say "hello!" to our driver because I didn't know how to say it! Fortunately we were given packets with a brief intro to Macedonia and the language with simple phrases. I'll have to look that over!
On my quick tour of Brussels yesterday evening with Aunt Joan and Uncle Doug... they showed me downtown including the King's Palace and the Grand Place. They also bought me a genuine Belgian waffle. It was delicious! :) It's late here and I'm quite tired... as much as I've tried to fight it, the jetlag is finally catching up to me! I'll leave you with a couple pictures... Ciao!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
welcome to brussels
I've arrived in Belgium and I'm hanging out with my cousin and aunt and uncle :). We're gonna see Brussels a bit this afternoon since I only have like 6 hours here! I didn't have any trouble on the flight or getting through the airport by myself so that was good. It's weird to think that I'm in Europe right now! But I'm excited to be here for sure. My dad said I sounded happier when I called him compared to how I sounded when I said goodbye to them in Detroit and when I called them on my layover... So that's good. I guess I'm just content to actually be here now... all the anticipation was getting to me! I'm most nervous for using my french, but that won't happen much until next week in France.
The people here that Uncle Doug works with are pretty great. Michael, the head honcho is Irish and has an amazing irish accent. Joan and Mindy also work here and will be joining us in Macedonia. Poor Uncle Doug will be working with a lot of women this weekend!
We will be driving to Macedonia from Greece. Our flight to Greece leaves at 6:30am tomorrow morning so it is just a quick stop in Belgium.
Have a great wednesday, friends!
grace & peace.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
bonjour mes amis et ma famille!
As many of you know... I'm heading to Europe for 5 weeks! My trek begins on Tuesday evening with my flight to Brussels, Belgium. I will spend Wednesday in Belgium preparing for our trip to Macedonia on Thursday! After Macedonia (4 days) we will spend 2 days in Greece, fly back to Belgium and I will hop a train to PARIS where the remainder of my time in Europe will be spent (4 weeks). How's that for a brief overview??
While I am super excited, I am probably even more nervous as I head over the pond - but I rest in the fact that God knows exactly what's going to happen while I'm there and who I'm going to meet and who I'm going to offend with my improper use of the french language.
With that said, I've started this blog in hopes to update those who care since communication will be limited! Don't worry, I plan on posting lots of photos, too.
I love you all and I appreciate the prayers and support that has been given even before I make my journey. Feel free to contact me via the great internet in a variety of ways while I'm there...
E-mail: jennwebber@gmail.com
Skype: jenn.webber
Facebook: Jennifer Webber
grace and peace,
jenn
As many of you know... I'm heading to Europe for 5 weeks! My trek begins on Tuesday evening with my flight to Brussels, Belgium. I will spend Wednesday in Belgium preparing for our trip to Macedonia on Thursday! After Macedonia (4 days) we will spend 2 days in Greece, fly back to Belgium and I will hop a train to PARIS where the remainder of my time in Europe will be spent (4 weeks). How's that for a brief overview??
While I am super excited, I am probably even more nervous as I head over the pond - but I rest in the fact that God knows exactly what's going to happen while I'm there and who I'm going to meet and who I'm going to offend with my improper use of the french language.
With that said, I've started this blog in hopes to update those who care since communication will be limited! Don't worry, I plan on posting lots of photos, too.
I love you all and I appreciate the prayers and support that has been given even before I make my journey. Feel free to contact me via the great internet in a variety of ways while I'm there...
E-mail: jennwebber@gmail.com
Skype: jenn.webber
Facebook: Jennifer Webber
grace and peace,
jenn
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