Visitors!

One of the joys that we have here in the ministry is the occasional visit from students who have been here in the past. This month, we have had two such visits.

This week we are hosting Albert and his family. Albert is dutch and was here as a student several years ago. His Christian family is a delight to have here.

About two weeks ago, Laetitia (on right) came back for a short visit. One day, we made a trip to see Jeanine and her family. The two girls were great friends while students here. They are both very special young ladies.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of our dear friends. Thank you so much for your faithful love, prayers and support that make our ministry here possible!

The Newborn King--Cantata 2008

Last Saturday we had the Three Church cantata. We did Soundforth's "The Newborn King." It was lots of work (translating, etc.) but it was worth it all. There were almost 90 people in all there--25 in the choir. Many unsaved people. Bob talked to a 77 year old man who said that the message afterward by Florent, young pastor at the Right Bank church, really spoke to his heart. Please pray for all those who heard the real meaning of Christmas.
Some special facts: Although Sylvia Christy was the main pianist, two teen boys each played one piece. It was good to see so many teens participating (7, I believe!). Florent is the pastor of the Christy's church but he was actually saved as a teen in our church many years ago.

Annual Student Christmas Party!

We were 18 last night for our annual student Christmas party. We had raclette for supper and played some games around the tables. Then Bob shared a Christmas meditation before we had our traditional "white elephant" gift exchange. It was an enjoyable evening--especially since Laetitia Anstett is back to visit for the weekend. Many of you know her since she has been to the states with us.

Girls' Night!

This evening five girls came over to help me decorate our Christmas tree. We had pizza and then decorated. We then sang some Christmas songs and had a time of sharing. The girls are (from left to right)--Alex (English), Lianala (Madagascar), Laetitia (Congo), Prudence (French) and Sonna (High School age--Korean). They enjoyed finishing up the chocolate fondue from the Ladies' Tea, too! (Bob is at the Bible Institute this week--thus, the girls only party!)

Christmas Tea!

Today we had a Christmas Tea for ladies and girls. We had 22 who came for the afternoon. Besides lots of yummy cookies, we had a chocolate fountain. It was the first time that many of the ladies had seen one--and they all loved it!! We had a great time together. We did impersonations of the 3 woman in the Christmas story for the devotional time. The 3 actresses did a wonderful job and Ando was great in "pulling it all together." Since we are studying woman of the Bible in our Bible study this year, we hope that we sparked some interest for future meetings.

Our Thanksgiving

Every year we host the Thanksgiving dinner for our American friends. This year we were a small crowd of only 16 people, but it was a wonderful get-together. We found a 23.2lb turkey which was yummy. Normally, we have to order a turkey in advance because they are not in the stores until Christmas time here. After the meal we had a time of singing (Christmas carols!) and then testimonies. It is always a special blessing to hear how the Lord in working in other lives. This year the group included the Bergman family from Spain, the Christy family from here in Bordeaux, the Cheloudtchenkos from Biarittz, Huguette-my neighbor whose husband was American, Roxanne--American/French woman living in Bordeaux and us.

By the way, one thing we are grateful for is all of you, our dear friends!

Cantata Coming Up!

We have been working on a cantata now for over two months. Cantatas are always lots of work, but I wonder if you can imagine doing one in French. First, we have to find a suitable cantata in English, then we have to have it translated (or do it ourselves!), then the words have to be carefully adjusted to the music, written out, copied, etc. All that before Bob teaches his choir the songs, note by note! You can see by the white board, that he also throws in some music theory! This year, he has had two practices each week since some of the people couldn't come on Saturday afternoon. This is a "three church" effort--Bob is directing and Sylvia Christy will be playing the piano. Two teenage boys are also going to play one song each--a first for them. It is always lots of work, but worth it in the end. Please pray that we have many unsaved visitors for the performance in a rented hall on Dec. 13th.

Bixby Bulletin--Fall 2008

Dear Friends,

We are coming to the end of a whirlwind fall. We turned on the heat this weekend so our cold weather is officially here.

The tract distribution in the university dorms has been strung out over several weeks this year. We had new tracts printed in Spain. Our friend Andy Bonikowsky was gracious to work with us at the last minute and reproduce an updated brochure. The students have folded the tracts and slid them under a couple thousand doors. At this point, there is only one village left to do. (You can see a picture of the students at www.bixbys.blogspot.com.) We have had several students come already from the distribution. In fact, in that picture there are at least four new students who helped last Friday night!

Our biggest effort this fall has been preparing for the Three Church Retreat. This year it was our turn to pull it off--that means you do everything! Our theme was "More than Conquerors." Our guest speaker, Jeff Abbett, did a great job and people were really blessed by his messages. There were 74 who attended, and we were grateful that the Lord answered so many prayers. Our major concern was that there would be a warm spirit and fellowship with everyone. God answered in such a marvellous way. In fact, our people feel that it was the best retreat ever. (For some pictures, look at the blog!)

After the retreat, we had the privilege of having the Andy Bonikowsky family here for a couple of days and tonight we are waiting for Roy and Lou Ann Keiser to arrive. Both of these families are dear friends and missionaries in Spain. Actually, Roy is coming to do some much needed work in my kitchen. I have one burner out of five that work and with all my company, that is sometimes tricky. We will post a picture when it is done!

Our big news is that we will be going to the States next summer for a 5-6 month furlough. Tim and his family are going to come out to replace us. They will take over the work here, plus squeeze in some French study. We have two major prayer requests for this:

1. That Tim and Ruth will be able to raise a significant amount of support before June. They would love to be at 100% so they can just stay on! We would love that, too.
2. Our traveling schedule. Please contact us right away if you have any special dates that you would like us to visit. This is the first time since 2000 that we will be in the States in the fall, and we are looking forward to it. We want to visit all of you, so we have to start scheduling now.

Thank you all for your love and support. Please don't forget to check out the blog for up to date news.

In Christ,

Bob and Bonnie Bixby

Distribution Continues...

Tonight we put the students to work, instead of having games...they folded some more tracts and left to slip them under the doors at Village 1. Please continue to pray that the Lord will use these little brochures to bring students to church and to know Him.

Don't worry--I am sure they are having fun doing it and will be back soon for dessert!

Three Church Retreat--2008

We just got home from the retreat. Thank you so much for praying. We were thrilled at how the Lord answered prayer in many areas. There were 74 people in all and everyone seemed to enjoy himself. The preaching (Jeff Abbett) was excellent and the children loved his wife as their teacher. Our theme was "More than Conquerers" and we had "olympic" teams named after cities in the Bible. The Colossians won the "candy" medals!

Retreat Preparation!

Preparation for the "Three Church Retreat" is under full swing here. It is our church's turn to plan the retreat so there is a lot of things going on here this week! The theme is "More than Conquerors" and we are going to have some "Olympic games," as well as three Christian sports heroes from the past who are going to visit us!
Please pray for Jeff Abbett, our speaker and for all the different aspects of the retreat. We want it to be a blessing to all who attend. We are expecting about 70 people. It starts Friday, Oct. 17 and ends on Sunday afternoon.

Swiss Visitors!

This week our "Swiss son" has come home for a visit. Some of you might remember that in 1999-2000, Nati came to live with us. Since then, he has gone back home, finished Bible School and is a full time worker in the mission where he grew up. We always love it when he comes back for a visit. It is exciting to see how the Lord is continuing to work in his life. Another young man, Markus, came with him. (For those who don't know him, Nati is the one with the camera!)

A short hospital stay!

I just got home this afternoon from the hospital. There is nothing like spending a couple of days in a hospital to make you appreciate the comforts of home! Wednesday I had gall bladder surgery. I know most of you did not know but for those of you who did, thank you so much for your prayers. All went well and now it is just the recovery process! While I was there, I could not help but reflect on how good God has been to us over the years concerning our health. The last time I was in the hospital was 25 years ago when we left Africa and I had Hepititis B. The last time I had an operation was when Daniel was born Cesarean--and he is 37 years old.

Baptism Day !

Today was a very special day for us here in Pessac. Corine Oulai was baptized. She has been saved for several years, even before her marriage but had never been baptized. She really wanted to be here before they leave for Ivory Coast because this is where she was saved. We had our regular Sunday and then had a special meeting in the afternoon. Several of her unsaved friends came.

"Grandparenting"

Since our own grandchildren are so far away and we don't see them often, it is a treat to be substitutes once in a while for others. This weekend, Ando and Lala had to be gone on business so we are keeping their three children. It is the first time that they have been away alone for over 9 years! We are enjoying the kids and we trust they are enjoying each other. Continue to pray for the Razafindrabe family as they have some important decisions to make in the near future.

The Parker Family Concert

Sunday we had the privilege of having the Mark Parker Family with us. Both Dr. and Mrs. Parker are on the music faculty at BJU and the two girls are exceptional musicians, too. In the morning service, Mark preached (in French!) and they presented several specials. We had a concert at 4pm. It was great! We were happy with the crowd and especially thrilled that several neighbors came as well as the owner of our house.

...and then they were gone!

...the dining room, the bedroom, the kitchen!

Singing in town, taking the tram home and then having a Bible study with Bob.



Watching the sunset at the dune de Pyla. Gina, the German girl who was saved here two years ago, was their guide.

Saying good-bye this morning. Have any of you ever had 21 guests leave all at once and your house be cleaner than it was when they arrived? Come again, Youth group of the Guetli!

We had a wonderful time. Now to get ready for the next event...

Youth Group from Switzerland Arrives!

Yesterday the youth group from the Guetli in Switzerland arrived to spend a couple of days with us. In a matter of minutes, they had transformed our yard into a camping ground. They came well prepared with lots of homegrown food. The boys slept out in tents and the girls were in our meeting room. We already have three girls there--Donna, her friend Jeanine
and Gina, a German girl here visiting.

It was Tuesday night, when we regularly have our prayer meeting so they joined us. The 22 Swiss far outnumbered our small group, but we really enjoyed listening to them sing and share testimonies. What language did we use? Well, it was a mixture of French, English, Swiss German, German and Hand!


We dearly love these people. Learning from others of different cultures is one of the blessings that we have as missionaries.

An "Old" Student comes to Visit!

Today we were thrilled to have Jean Jacques Bouka Bouka come for a short visit. In 1992, he came as a student to Bordeaux from Gabon. Also that year, we moved to Pessac and started the church. By January we had 3 faithful students--Jean Jacques being one of them. In 1998, he went back to his country where he is working in a government post. It was exciting for us to see him again and to catch up on all that the Lord is doing in his life. He enjoyed seeing the few "oldies" that are still here from that era!

A Friend and Co-Worker is with the Lord

During the night, John Stauffacher went to be with the Lord. He and his wife Margaret have been working in France for over 40 years. In many ways, John was the "solid rock" on whom the French team counted. Bob regarded him as a close friend and mentor. He will be greatly missed by all. Pray for his wife and children (all 3 grown and married and living in France). We plan to go up to the Paris area for the funeral on Friday. Pray that we have a safe trip up and back in one day. In less than 9 months, our field has lost two leaders of wisdom to cancer. Dan Lacey passed away in November.

Friends from the Past

During our second term in Africa, we were on the same station with Don and Betty Teachout. We have not seen Betty since we left CAR over 25 years ago. Following the death of her husband in March, she came out to visit with her youngest son, Jonathan and his wife Cherith. Jonathan and Cherith and their two children are missionaries with BMM in Reims, France. It was a joy to see Betty again and to visit with the family.

The Oulai Family

Some of you may remember four years ago when Jean Claude and Corrine were married here in our church. Yesterday they had their second child, Joshua Mark Owen. Naomi is three.

The family has become a vital part of our church family here. By a series of "circumstances", they have not been able to defend their doctrinal theses (both of them!) . They have been waiting for two years! Jean Claude shared with Bob on Sunday how that they can look back and see how the Lord has used these two years to help prepare them for the future. It has been a real time of spiritual growth. Next month, they leave for the Ivory Coast where they will have the doctorates conferred and then they will be teaching in a University. We will miss them but are confident the Lord is going to use them in His work in Africa

Visitors!

We have had several visitors this week--a mother and daughter from PA who are on a Christian tour to France, a missionary family of 8 from Spain who spent the night here before flying to England on vacation AND our daughter Donna Ruth and her friend Jeanine who arrived yesterday. We were so excited that they had finally arrived! They will be here for one month--in and about visiting France and squeezing in time for Mom and Dad in between. It has been almost 2 years since any of our children have been home, so you can imagine our joy.

39 Years Ago!

It is hard believe that we were married 39 years ago today! 10 days after our wedding, we were accepted by Baptist Mid-Missions to go to the Central African Republic. The Lord has certainly blessed us through the years. Some of you have been faithful friends and supporters all those years. Thank you.

Good-bye Time Again!

Every year about this time, we have to say good-bye to many students. Sometimes they have been here for several years and have finished their studies and are going back home. Others come just for one year of studies. That is the case with Marian in the picture above. She is a very sweet Christian girl from Ghana. In spite of the fact that she has only been here for a while, we will all miss her loving smile. We have already said "au revoir" to many and have very few students left here for the summer. Please start praying now that the Lord will send us many new contacts next fall.

Father's Day in France!

This last year, we changed our service schedule and started having our Sunday School classes in the afternoon. That meant, among other things, that we had a "repas fraternel" or fellowship dinner every Sunday. We have all enjoyed the new program and will most likely do it this way again next year. Since Sunday was Father's Day, we did something special and cooked out up on our veranda. Samuel Lee gave a sweet little speech about how grateful he was for all the fathers and how they took care of their children before he helped hand out a book that the church had purchased for each father present.

"Spring Cleaning!"--Annual Ladies' Banquet

Saturday, June 14, we had our annual Ladies' Banquet. This year the theme was "Spring Cleaning!" We had a good turnout and everyone enjoyed herself immensely. The message was brought by Sylvia Christy, a fellow BMM missionary. It was practical and challenging to all. I was encouraged by the creative participation of all our ladies.

Communication is so important!

To all of our Friends around the world!

We have created this blog to help to keep you more up-to-date with our life and ministry here in Bordeaux. So much happens in a month that it is hard to squeeze it all into one letter. We hope that this will help you not only to visualize more the ministry here but to pray more for us. We can let you know instantly of blessings and prayer requests.

Please drop in often and leave a word of comment so that we know you did!

Your missionaries to France