Bixby's Bordeaux Bits

Our 12th Grabndchild is here!

2012-02-12T14:39:00.002+01:00

We are happy to announce the birth of our 12th grandchild!. Gabriel Timothée was born on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 in St. Denis, France. This was especially exciting to us as we were able to be with the family for the exciting event. Only one other time have we had the joy of being present at the time of birth of one of our grandchildren.
Timothy and Ruth and the family are replacing another missionary in the Paris area for four months. We are continually amazed at how the Lord works out the timing so that everything 'falls into place' perfectly.
Thank you for praying for the family; we all appreciate it.

Here it is December already!

2011-12-12T00:13:00.002+01:00

My pictures are not in the right order...but you can still see a few of the things we have done so far this month! I had a "girls party" one evening to decorate the tree. One of our former students was back visiting and gave the challenge. It was a great time for all-- young and old!

One evening last week we went as a family downtown to see the lights, do some shopping at the Bible bookstore and to visit the "Christmas village". Since Tim and Ruth are moving to Paris in a few weeks, these times are special.

Friday night was our annual Christmas Raclette Party. We were fewer than expected, but there were several first time visitors. Counting everyone who attended we were 35. It was a fun evening.

Tonight was the English Christmas meeting. We have not had many coming to this monthly meeting this year, but tonight we were 19. There was one young man from Ruth's French class here for the first time. It was great singing Christmas carols in English, listening to special music, and a Christmas message and then enjoying some American Christmas cookies together.

Church Retreat 2011

2011-11-02T19:49:00.003+01:00

We just returned from our annual " Three Church Retreat ." This year our church was in charge. It is always a lot of work, but in the end we are so blessed that it is worth it all! Steve Barnes, from the Paris area, was our speaker. His theme was "How Long". It was an interesting series of messages and so helpful to the 75 people there. The ambiance was great, too. Thank you to all of you who prayed for it.

Pray for Our Distribution!

2011-09-29T21:42:00.004+02:00

Today we received our new brochures that we are going to distribute at the University. It has been a long time since it has had a "face lift" and we are really happy with the new updated look. Would you please pray that the Lord will use these 5,000 tracts to reach many, many students. They should start going out this weekend.

On another note, we have been so excited to have many visitors-- in the last 3 weeks we have had about 25 first timers! Most of these are University students who have found us either by internet or have seen the posters that we have put up. Seven or eight have come at least twice now. We really want this year to be a fruitful year with students and are thrilled with the start!

Bible Institute in Bordeaux

2011-09-20T18:51:00.002+02:00

Last Saturday we had the first session of the extension of our Bible Institute in Algrange that has started here in Bordeaux. It is scheduled to meet once a month for 9 months and cover three different courses. The first one "Bibliology" is being taught by Tim. We were thrilled with 23 students-- almost evenly divided between our church and the church on the Right Bank.

Finally Home!

2011-08-21T08:12:00.003+02:00

Thank you all for praying for our niece-in-law Amy during her long struggle with cancer. She is rejoicing with the Lord now but she leaves behind a sorrowing husband and 7 children. Please continue to pray for them.

"I want to shout from the rooftops that if you will just believe Him, even though you can't understand now, even though some things hurt now, He will never truly hurt you. The pain we feel is a reminder that He is making it more than better - He's redeeming things so perfectly, that the pleasure He's preparing for me is beyond my comprehension; and so, even the pain is a grand evidence of His grace." --Amy Caldwell Bixby (May 23, 1974 - August 19, 2011)

Good-bye for the Seely Family!

2011-07-31T17:19:00.003+02:00

Dan and Karis Seely and their three children, Kayla, Krista and Elliot, have been here with us for the last year. The Seelys are missionaries to Cameroon and came to France to learn French. They will be returning to Africa in a couple of weeks. Our church people have grown to love the Seelys during this year and they will be greatly missed. Last week we had a special "Seely Day" and after the meal Dan presented their work in Cameroon.
Please pray for them as they go to Cameroon to teach in a theology seminary. They came to France with the goal of learning French and have done a splendid job. We'd all like to keep them here but want them where the Lord wants them to be.

Please Pray!!

2011-07-14T10:27:00.001+02:00

We are re-posting a letter that our son Bob wrote about our nephew and his wife. It is worth reading. And please pray for Jonathan and his family at this time.

Counting Down – A Letter to My Church Family

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Bob Bixby

I know so many of you have been praying for my cousin’s wife, Amy. You may have read her last word to us, a blog post that has been read by thousands already and has been powerfully useful to strengthen the faith of many of us. Amy has had some very rough nights lately. There are signs that the cancer has begun to encroach her brain and her very last days are upon her. You can read updates here: http://www.amycbixby.org/updates/

If you have not read Amy’s own words, I urge you to take the time to read them. They can be read here: http://amycaldwellbixby.blogspot.com/

When one considers that she is a Mommy with young children — she had a good day a couple of days ago and so she asked her husband to take her and the girls to the mall to get all the girls’ ears pierced, something Moms do with their girls — and that she is still in her thirties, it is incredibly moving to think of her reaching the point that she now longs for home. Perhaps some of the suffering she must face now is necessary so that her loved ones will be able to release her as well, knowing that her afflictions will finally be forever over. I urge you to pray for Amy, Jon, and their seven children.

I have often read Pilgrim’s Progress and one of my favorite sections is in the lesser known part of the Pilgrim’s Progress when Christiana, Pilgrim’s wife, is about to enter the Celestial City. John Bunyan is much more detailed and explanatory in his words for dying Christians than in the first part when he tells about Pilgrim’s glorious exit. This detail is helpful because it is appointed unto man to die. And I urge you all to read about all of Christiana’s friends as they make their way to the Celestial City. I have actually read the Pilgrim’s Progress sections into the ears of a dying saint.

The pastoral part of me wants to guide. And I am not in a position to pastor or serve or hug the Jon Bixbys. I hardly know Amy. I’ve talked with her more in the last year than I have with my cousin. We were discussing a potential book that I wanted to do in cooperation with her, one that is mostly written. I stepped back from the effort while Amy was healthy because I knew she was counting her kisses. Yes, that’s the suggested title for the little booklet on suffering and dying — “Counting Kisses” — that I hope will actually be produced. A mother of seven only has so many more kisses to give and receive when she knows she is dying, and the goals of the booklet on suffering and death could be just as easily accomplished without distracting her. Amy did her writing in the blog piece you all read.

But, anyway, as I said, my pastoral instinct wants to guide and shepherd. So, I would guide and shepherd all of us who are part of our church family with these words: have you stopped long enough to reflect on your dying? Do you really look forward to seeing Jesus? Are you living life in the light of your mortality, convinced that to die is gain, but to live is Christ? If you are a parent, are you counting your kisses?

Grandbaby #11

2011-06-18T09:48:00.002+02:00

It is with great joy that we announce the birth of our 11th grandchild. Silas Ridley Hanson was born on June 15th to Brian and Johanna Hanson. Brother Stefan and sister Olivia are getting a first look. We are thrilled with this new life that God has blessed them with. We only wish we could hold him! Skype has been wonderful-- at least we can see them all! All four of our stateside children are together this weekend to welcome Silas to the family. (Tim's family is here with us and we are so thankful for that!!)

Work Day!

2011-06-18T09:37:00.003+02:00

June 13 was "Penecost Monday"-- a holiday here in France. The church was in desperate need of some deep cleaning so we called a last minute work day. We were thrilled with the outcome. 25 people showed up -- from age 1 to 84! Every one worked hard and we got a lot of jobs done. We ended the day with a cookout on our veranda and enjoyed the christian fellowship. It was a great day!

Cherry Picking!

2011-05-27T18:30:00.003+02:00

Last Saturday, David and Esther Licois invited the whole church out to their home about one hour from the church. We were thrilled that 36 people went out for the day. It was a wonderful time. They had prepared a delicious meal for everyone, we played a group game, had a time of singing and sharing the Word and we picked cherries--over 110 pounds of cherries! I believe they have the biggest cherry tree that I have ever seen in their yard. It was a wonderful day of fellowship and we all came home with some delicious fruit. Cherry pie, anyone?

88th Birthday Party For Doris Gilbert

2011-05-09T21:01:00.005+02:00

Sunday afternoon we had a reception for Doris Gilbert. She turned 88 last week and since she was visiting us here, we decided it was a good time to have some of her "kids" as she calls them and other friends drop in to see her. Doris has been a missionary with BMM for over 60 years. She served in Martinique, Central African Republic, Chad and finally in France. Through her efforts the first work with University students was started over 30 years ago. Lala and Ando, our key couple, were both saved under her ministry. There were over 60 people who were here for the afternoon.

Easter 2011

2011-04-29T15:54:00.004+02:00

We came home from conference just in time to prepare for Easter. Traditionally, we start the day off with a breakfast. During the morning worship service which was centered on the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, we had a special choir number. Afterward instead of eating at the church as we normally do, we went to different homes. We kept the kids at the church. We had tacos for dinner (a little less formal than the other homes :-)) and then we had a Bible time and played games. It was a wonderful Easter Sunday!

BMM France-- Annual Missionary Conference

2011-04-29T15:49:00.004+02:00

This year our annual conference was held in a beautiful spot near the middle of France. We were at the Domaine de Chadenac in Ceyssac. It was a wonderful week of spiritual refreshment, some touristic moments and a little mission business :-) We were especially thrilled that Tim's family was there. They came along to help with the children and enjoy the fellowship.

Repas Agape 2011

2011-02-20T09:02:00.004+01:00

We want to thank all of you who prayed for our annual Repas Agape last Friday night. We were really thankful to the Lord for a wonderful evening. We were fewer people than normal (I served 33 adults) but there was a great ambiance and the majority of the crowd were visitors. Unfortunately, we forgot to do our annual count of countries but it would have been interesting! We had some different countries represented this year: Japan, China, Iraq, Algeria, Mexico, Mauritius, France, etc.

The Theme was "Une Lettre d'Amour"-- A Love Letter. We are praying that everyone went home realizing just how much the Lord loves each of us and grateful for His letter of love to us. Continue to pray for all those that need Christ.

Potato Party!

2011-01-21T22:48:00.003+01:00

Tonight for our student evening we had a "potato party." We started out with a potato bar which is unheard of here in France. We had a table of different things to put on big baked potatoes (almost everyone put it on top but a couple put it on the side!). Then we played a game of Mr. Potato Head. After that Michael Cole (on deputation to come here and work with our son Tim and visiting for the month) gave a devotional which Bob translated. Some of kids were really touched and convicted by his meditation on "abandoning the Lord."

We are blogging this to remind you to pray for the University students. We were not very many this evening--not counting the missionaries and children, there were only 7 students. Of those 7, however, 3 were unsaved.

2011 is here!

2011-01-12T11:17:00.003+01:00

This note

is to wish all our friends

and supporters

in the states

a “bonne année”

which being interpreted means

Happy New Year.

We’ve had a great ending of the old year,

and great beginning of the new one.

I trust the same for you all.

May God make this the best year yet in serving Him.

The Joy of watching your Grandchildren discover the Joy of Giving!

2010-12-26T13:03:00.003+01:00

Christmas with the family was wonderful but we will never forget when Micaiah gave his Dad the gift that he had for him. He had heard his Dad say a few weeks before that he wished he had some gloves for the cold mornings. From that moment on, he knew what he wanted to get him. He was sooo excited to give them to his Dad. Priceless moment.

Some more pictures!

2010-12-21T14:47:00.000+01:00

The Voyage of Christmas!

2010-12-19T20:29:00.002+01:00

Today we had the third and final performance of the Christmas Cantata "The Voyage of Christmas." It has been a long but fruitful "voyage" for us as we, along with others, have worked on translating, printing, practicing, getting costumes, etc.

We were really excited this evening as the room was filled. Many of them were visitors. Our neighbors were here as well as the owners of our house and many friends of church members. Thank you so much for praying for this outreach.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Christmas Cantata

2010-12-09T21:03:00.003+01:00

Since August we have been working hard on the Christmas Cantata-- translating, printing, practicing, etc. We are doing "The Journey of Christmas" by Glenn and Jan Christianson. Our two sister churches are deeply involved, too. Saturday will be our last big practice and the first performance will be at the downtown church on Sunday. The next weekend there will be two more performances-- the church on the Right Bank Saturday and then Sunday, Dec. 19th here at our church. Please pray for this outreach. We know that the owner of our house will be here with his wife and hopefully some other neighbors.

Thanksgiving at 162bis!

2010-11-29T11:16:00.004+01:00

Last Friday we had our annual Thanksgiving meal with friends and family. It is the first time in many years that we can add "and family!" What a wonderful day we spent as 23 people shared a delicious meal together (traditional turkey, of course!) and a time of singing and sharing the blessing of the last year. The Lord has been so good to us and we are grateful for His faithfulness year after year. We trust that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, too.

Three Church Retreat- 2010

2010-11-14T17:45:00.002+01:00

Over the November 1st holiday weekend, we had our annual "Three Church Retreat" in the château near Tonneins. There were 90 people this year and there was an excellent spirit. The speaker was a retired French teacher. His messages on the book of James were very encouraging and convicting!
Bob did two workshops while there. The first one was a choir and the group sang for one of the services. The second one which he presented two times, was on "Simplifying your Spiritual Life." He based a lot of it on the book by that title by Donald Whitley. We had just finished reading it together.

This post is late since I have been battling a virus since coming back from the retreat, but we wanted to let you know that we were blessed by it again this year. We had 30 people go. One young Hungarian couple went who are non-believers. The young man comes from a Pastor's family and knows the Gospel clearly. Please pray for them.

English Service

2010-10-15T14:31:00.003+02:00

For many years, we have had an English service once a month. We often have visitors-- students who just want to hear something in their mother tongue or students who just want to learn more English. This past Sunday one of our visitors definitely caught our eye-- he was 6ft.10in. tall! Now our son Tim is tall, Dan Seely is even taller but they were both looking up!
Actually, the young man is an American who plays on a professional basketball team here in Bordeaux. He was one that "just wanted to hear something in his mother tongue" but we are praying that we have many more opportunities to share the gospel with him.

Special Visitors!

2010-10-06T21:48:00.004+02:00

It has been our joy and delight to have our brother and sister here for a couple of weeks. Steve, Bob's brother, and Donna, my sister, are one of the main factors that the Lord used to lead us to France years ago. This is the first time that they have been back here to visit in many, many years. We had a great time together and were overjoyed to see them enjoying the "old" and the "new" things here in France. Steve was able to preach here at our church one week and then last Sunday in the church that he started near Paris.

Baptismal Service!

2010-09-28T08:31:00.002+02:00

On Sunday, September 19th we had a baptismal service for Tsiry, the son of one of our families. It was a big day. Over 100 people came to the afternoon service. Tim and Elisabeth Knickerbocker were in town so he preached. Tsiry had surrendered his life 100% to the Lord while at their camp last summer (Camp Arc-en-Ciel). Afterward we had a wonderful time of fellowship.

We are so thankful for the work that the Lord is doing in the families of our church. Two other young people were saved this summer.

Please pray for Christian families as they endeavor to raise their children for the Lord in a very hostile environment.

A Day in the Country!

2010-09-14T16:39:00.004+02:00

The first Saturday in September about 25 of our church people went out to the new home of the Licois family. It is almost an hour away, but the drive was well worth it. We had a wonderful time together-- playing games, sharing in the Word and eating a great meal. The Licois wanted to thank the Lord for giving them a large home where they will be able to entertain more.

Replacement Ministry in Draguignan

2010-08-20T22:18:00.002+02:00

One of our fellow Baptist Mid missionaries and his family went home for a short furlough this summer. They asked Bob to replace them for 3 weeks. Since Timothy could replace us, we came here to the southeast corner of France. Sunday as soon as church is over, we will start home. It has been a rewarding experience for us to get to meet a small congregation (smaller than ours!) and to minister them. They have a beautiful church building.

It has also been fun to get to know another corner of this beautiful country. Draguignan is about 45 minutes from the Mediterranean Sea and about an hour from Italy.

One of Bob's major "projects" while here was to translate the cantata "The Journey of Christmas" by Glenn and Jan Christianson. He is just now finishing up the last song. There is still much work to be done before it is completed and ready for the first practice the end of September.

The Dan Seely Family arrive in Bordeaux!

2010-08-07T09:21:00.003+02:00

Yesterday we were able to greet the Seely Family-- BMM missionaries to Cameroon, where they have been serving already for two years. They are coming here for their French studies. We are excited to have them and to have them a part of our church for the next year. They are the same age as Tim and Ruth with 3 small children-- so you can imagine the excitement around here! Pray that they will be able to find housing soon and get settled in before school starts. We are leaving in a few minutes to go to Draguignan to replace a fellow missionary for three weeks, so the burden of installation will fall on Tim and Ruth.

Bike Hike!

2010-07-31T14:37:00.004+02:00

On Thursday 17 brave cyclists went on a bike hike. They went 23 kilometers-- quite a distance for many of them. The youngest was 5 (although she rode on the back of her Grandpa's bike!) and the oldest was her Grandpa. The weather was gorgeous , the scenery was beautiful, and the fellowship was great. After a picnic lunch and a short devotional by Lala, the men went and got the cars to bring everyone back home.

Fun Times--July 4th and 14th!

2010-07-26T17:11:00.004+02:00

Summer is always fun since it is different from the regular routine of the school year. This summer has been extra nice for us as we have been able to spend time with family. You can't imagine how many times we thank the Lord for His gracious gift to us in getting Tim and family a house just down the street.

We celebrated the 4th with the family, but the 14th (France's National Holiday) we hosted a picnic for our sister churches' pastors and their families. The reason behind the picnic was so that Ken and Joan Jensen (bottom left) could meet everyone. Ken Jensen is the director of the mission that Tim serves with. It was such a success that we all decided that we should make it a tradition.

Surprise Visit!!

2010-07-24T15:40:00.002+02:00

What a delight we had last Tuesday night when Luc and Brigitte and their two girls showed up in prayer meeting. They were our pillar family for several years before they left for La Reunion 13 years ago. They come back to France for a visit every few years and it is always a joy to see them. It is an encouragement to see the fruits of the labor here continuing to grow in another part of the world. Miora and Mialy have both finished High School now and we would love to see them back here as University students!

Joys of June!

2010-06-28T14:33:00.002+02:00

This has been a full and joyful June for us! Starting with the Ladies' Banquet that we already blogged, the month never "let up". We went to Limoges one weekend to visit our dear friends, Mattieu and Jeanine Desilles. They now have two children. Bob was able to preach for him on Sunday. Squeezed in were family highlights when Micaiah turned 7 and we remembered what a thrill it is to walk over to a grandchild's house for his birthday! Then Donna came for two weeks. Happy to be home, she, too, was excited that she could meet her youngest nephew (and spend oodles of time with the Micaiah and Miriam). Christy Elmer Gascho came for a quick two day visit from Czech Republic. She and Donna, mk friends almost from birth, spent time catching up on the last 18 years since Christy's family were in Bordeaux with us for 9 months. The Musical Mission Team from Bob Jones University were with us for 2 days. It was the "Fete de la Musique" so they were able to sing on the walking street downtown. Tuesday night we had a concert here and were excited as we had several visitors. The last big event for the month was a visit from Derek Pin Harry. He was Bob's "right hand" for many years and has been back home in Mauritius for 2 1/2 years. It was great to catch up! Oh, yes and we did have a church family night with good food and fun fellowship. June was a month of blessings.

Mother/Daughter Banquet 2010

2010-06-07T09:25:00.003+02:00

Saturday, June 5th was our annual Ladies Banquet. This year the theme was "An Instrument in His Hands." Kristi Colas, a young missionary from Rouen, France, was our speaker and did a wonderful job exhorting us from II Tim. 2:21. She and her sister, who is visiting from the states, also provided lots of the special music. There were 30 women present with several first time visitors. Our church has had some disappointments lately and we were so thankful for the sweet fellowship we had together. We personally were excited because two of our neighbors were present. It was a busy but blessed day!

A Swiss Wedding!

2010-05-31T16:21:00.003+02:00

Many of you will remember about 10 years ago when a young man named Nati came to live with us for about seven months. Our challenge at the time was to help him put down some solid stakes in his Christian life. It was indeed a challenge-- for one thing, when he arrived he did not speak either French or English. Today he speaks great English and is a missionary with the group in Switzerland where he grew up. He has made many trips to Ethiopia as part of his mission work, as well as a myriad of other things. Last weekend, we had the privilege of attending his wedding near Zurich, Switzerland. What a joy to see him serving the Lord with all his heart and taking for a wife a sweet young lady who loves Him, too.

Ascension Day Picnic

2010-05-25T16:38:00.003+02:00

Here in France, even though they strongly believe in separation of Church and State, they still love all of their religious holidays! Thursday,May 13, was Ascension Day. Traditionally, the church has a picnic at a park about 45 minutes away. This year as always, the food, fellowship and fun were all great.

Bible Quiz Champs!

2010-04-24T22:08:00.003+02:00

Last weekend our "sister" church here in Bordeaux sponsored a Bible Quiz. Our kids studied hard the book of I Thessalonians and came home with first prize! We were very proud of them. There are two university students in the group and 3 high schoolers. We are looking forward to hearing them recite the entire book soon.

This is just a reminder to pray for the children and young people in our church. It is not easy to be a Christian in secular schools any where today.

BMM Missionary Conference in Germany

2010-04-13T10:58:00.003+02:00

Last week was our annual Baptist Mid Mission's Family Conference. This year we met with the German Team in Mainz, Germany. What a treat! Not only did we enjoy a wonderful conference with Pastor Randy Gilmore from the Indianapolis area but we were able to see some historical sights, too. In Mainz, there is a museum about Gutenberg and his press. Not too far away in Worms we were able to see a monument in honor of Luther and other reformers.
A highlight of the conference was the presentation of a page of the Gutenberg Bible to Roger and Jean Reisacher who are retiring after many years of missionary service here in France.

Easter!

2010-04-04T23:04:00.003+02:00

Today was a very special day for us here in Pessac. The morning service was planned to center around the great truths of the Resurrection. The choir sang and an instrumental group played. Then instead of eating together as we normally do, we split up into 4 homes. So that the adults could enjoy the meal and fellowship, we keep the 4-10 year olds at the church with us. I am sure our group was the liveliest one! The second picture is of the group that ate at Tim and Ruth's home.

Christian Fellowship!

2010-03-19T13:54:00.002+01:00

We all need fellowship with other believers. We do a lot of that with the people in our own church but from time to time, we have the joy of fellowshipping with other missionaries and pastors. This has been one of those weeks. On Monday, we enjoyed a meal with the Christy family, BMM missionaries who have a church here in Bordeaux. Tim and Ruth and their children were also invited by Ed and Sylvia for a great meal and evening together.

Last night we had Ando and Lala and their 3 children over for a meal. It was good to catch up with them after our six months away. Some of you might remember that their oldest son Tsiry was with us for a month in the states.

Then this morning was the monthly pastors' breakfast. This time it was at our home. Normally, there are five pastors who come but one was unable to make it this morning.

At noon, a former student from 1998 came for a four day visit. Susan was almost 50 when she came to Bordeaux to study French. Pretty brave of her. And now 12 years later she is back for a visit.

Tonight is a regular soiree, but Ruth and I are making tacos for the group. Normally, they make the meal on Friday nights but we thought they needed a treat and a break :-)

Tomorrow morning there is a men's breakfast here at church. This is a first for us.

And then it is Sunday with all of it's normal responsibilities.

Full week-- but one full of Christian fellowship!

Repas Agape 2010!

2010-02-20T11:06:00.003+01:00

Last night was the annual Repas Agape. Since we had just returned from the states, there was not a lot of time to plan, but we are thankful for the great help we had to pull it off! It was a great evening. We were fewer students than in year's past, but we had many first time visitors. Bob emceed the evening and Tim preached. Several of the visitors promised to come to church tomorrow so please pray that the do!

Back Home in France!

2010-02-06T17:01:00.003+01:00

What a joy to be back home in France after six months in the states...and the joy was more than doubled to be met at the airport by family!!! Here we are meeting our newest grandson Zacherie. We were, of course, just as thrilled to see Micaiah and Miriam and their parents!

Bob boarding plane from DR to Haiti!

2010-01-22T23:20:00.002+01:00

Please Pray for Haiti and our son Bob!

2010-01-22T15:28:00.002+01:00

Our oldest son Bob is on a plane right now that is headed for the Dominican Republic and then Haiti. He was asked to go along with a team of eight doctors, some of whom are Haitian. His role is to to be the chaplain. It was a door of opportunity that opened quickly for him. After Bob's church collected over 1/4 million dollars worth of supplies for this group, the head doctor said, "All we need is a chaplain who speaks French." When Bob replied that he spoke French the man was elated. He said "You're our man!" You can keep up with the news here, but we as parents would appreciate your prayers as they go into a very volatile and potentially dangerous situation. He will be there for two weeks (and during that time we fly back to France!).

A New Grandson!

2009-12-21T16:51:00.003+01:00

We are happy to announce the birth of Zacharie Christian Bixby on December 16th in Pessac, France. We were disappointed not to be there for his birth, but are grateful for the beautiful baby boy that the Lord gave to Timothy and Ruth. Please continue to pray for them as Tim fills in for his Dad as well as looks for a house, a car, does paperwork and takes care of his precious family.

Furlough Travels!

2009-10-16T18:28:00.002+02:00

We have now been in the states for 3 months and have traveled over 13,000 miles. Right now we are in New York state. One thing that we have especially enjoyed is the beautiful scenery. We didn't expect, however, to see "fall" one day and "winter" the next!
On this trip so far we have had meetings in Covington, PA, Elmira, NY and Sunday we will be in Horseheads, NY. Then it is off for Michigan. Thanks for praying for us.

Distribution in France

2009-09-20T01:23:00.002+02:00

Distribution of invitations to our church has begun! During the next week, students will slide the pamphlets under the doors of thousands of rooms. Please pray that there will be many who respond and come to the church because of this effort. It is an exciting time and we miss being there!

Bixby Bulletin-- Aug/Sept. 2009

2009-09-16T18:08:00.001+02:00

August/September 2009

Dear Friends,

As I write this, we are in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, wishing we were about two weeks later to enjoy the even richer colors of autumn. The trees are changing and the leaves are falling, but not like it will be in a few short weeks. God’s creative ways are “infinitely interesting.” We are in our sending church in Stephenson, and will be leaving in a couple of hours for another supporting church way up on the banks of Lake Superior. Following that we will be heading for Minneapolis, then down to Charleston, IL. Then out to Arkansas and Mississippi, and finally back to Greenville for a week.

In just over six short weeks we have put over 9000 miles on our car. A good bit of that has been getting around to see our children scattered around the country. Tsiry, the teenage boy who came to the states with us, returned to France as planned after spending one month traveling with us. Little did I know that less than ten days after his return, I would be following him. Our dear Rene Rottier, age 86, went to be with the Lord. We were shocked to learn of his sudden death of a heart attack. Rene and Marcelle have been with us since day one of our Bordeaux ministry, and have faithfully stood by us and with us over these long years. I knew that my place was there beside his widow and son as we are the only “family” they have. We will miss him dearly. I was there eight days before returning to Boston where I had left Bonnie with Johanna and Brian during my absence. We returned the following day to Greenville and then headed out for meetings in the north mid-west.

One bonus from my quick trip to France was to spend some precious time with Tim and Ruth and bonding time with my two grandchildren. They are adapting so well in the ministry in France. We are so thrilled to have them on the field. Micaiah and Miriam started school last week. There was some apprehension on all of our parts as to how they would do going into a strange school where a foreign language they didn’t understand was spoken in a strange culture that they weren’t used to. Up to this time they’d only known home schooling. They are doing well – very well, in fact. They love it. Their teachers seem excited to have them. Ruth began the semester of French learning on Monday of this week. They are doing a wonderful job of “filling our shoes.”

Continue to pray for us as we travel. It has not been wearisome, although these aging joints need more stopping and stretching than before. That didn’t stop us from traveling non-stop 1010 miles last week (from Boston to Greenville) upon my return from the funeral in France. Who says we’re old?

We are looking forward to seeing many of you over the next 4 months before our return to France on February 2^nd. We long to be a source of blessing and encouragement to whomever we meet along the way. We have been refreshed and encouraged already by those of you whom we’ve seen up to now.

Once again, thank you for your faithful love, prayers and support.

In Christ,

Bob and Bonnie Bixby

First Funeral in our church--

2009-08-28T22:38:00.004+02:00

On Wednesday, our church in Pessac said "farewell" to our oldest member. It was a sweet funeral and Bob was so thankful that he was able to be there. Tim actually preached the message and Bob gave the eulogy and a testimony as his pastor of 19 years. He also preached at the grave site. Lala gave a testimony on the part of the families of the church and Laetitia, who returned just for the occasion, gave a testimony on the part of the students.

We are so proud of the church as they have pulled together to help Marcelle in many different ways. (She is the one in the middle bottom picture along with their 42 year old son, Daniel, who is in a mental instituation.) She is truly a "widow" in the Biblical sense.

I thought some of you would enjoy seeing the difference in a burial in France to the US! The plot was actually above ground. You can see our grandson Micaiah getting ready to throw in some petals. They have a family tomb (it was already marked with the family name) with 3 places and it is their's for 50 years. I doubt that they will care in 2059 what they do with it!!

Bob returns on Wednesday, Sept. 2. Thanks for praying for him during this time. He spoke at a Family time tonight and will be preaching on Sunday.

Change of Plans! and Prayer Requests.

2009-08-23T22:48:00.004+02:00

Yesterday, Tim called us from France to tell us that Rene Rottier (86) had gone to be with Lord just minutes before. Rene and Marcelle have been with us at the church since our very first service and was very precious to us as a family. After prayer and talking it over with others, we decided that Bob needed to return for the funeral. So, we quickly threw things in suitcases and drove up to Boston where he flew out last night. I am staying here with Johanna while he is gone.

Would you please pray with us for:
1. His wife, Marcelle-- they were always together as a couple and the loss will be great.
2. Their son Daniel-- Daniel is 41 years old but is in a psychiatric hospital. He probably knows Bob better than anyone except his parents.
3. Our church-- this is a "first" for us as a congregation. Everyone has jumped in and are really helping out and doing all they can.
4. For Timothy-- He has been "tested" in his new position--learning French laws quickly! His loving spirit was much appreciated in the first few hours after death when, among other things, he helped move and dress the body !
5. For Bob-- He arrived safely tonight and went directly to see Marcelle. He was met at the airport by 4 families and a bunch of kids shouting Papi!! (Grandpa). Pray for wisdom as he plans and directs the funeral.
6. The funeral-- It will be Wednesday at 10 at the church. May it be encouraging to believers and convicting to unbelievers.

As I mentioned, our plans were changed. We were going to take a trip out west to see Bob's old home, etc. for our 40th wedding anniversary. We were thankful that we had saved the money for the trip and it could be used for this important "change" which was a surprise to us, but not to the Lord.

Grandchildren !

2009-07-28T00:05:00.002+02:00

Grandchildren are definitely a wonderful gift from the Lord. We are so thankful for this time to see them. We were with Micaiah and Miriam (Tim's 6 and 4 year olds) for three weeks before leaving France and have now enjoyed a few precious moments with the rest of the gang. Starting at the top left-- Stefan (Johanna's 19 month old). Corban (Bob's 2 1/2 year old), Elise (Dan's 14 year old), Isabelle (Dan's almost 8 year old), Patience (Bob's 8 year old) and Ben (Dan's 12 year old). Great kids with great parents :-)

In The States!

2009-07-16T13:05:00.004+02:00

We arrived in the states on Tuesday, July 14. Yesterday we spent the day getting re-established into the "american way." We have a 16 year old with us for a month. Tsiry is the son of Lala and Ando Razafindrabe, a key family in our church. He is excited about seeing lots of states as we start furlough with family visits.

Tim and Family in France!!

2009-06-28T19:38:00.002+02:00

Thursday Tim and Ruth and Micaiah and Miriam arrived here in France. What a joy for us as parents to see our children here in France ready to serve the Lord! It was a great day for us ! Thank you so much for praying. The "turn-over" is now under way-- we leave July 14 and want to help them settle in as much as possible before then.