Replacement Ministry in Draguignan

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!

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!

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!

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!!

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!

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

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!