Preparing for preparing

Eating supper with my parents and some friends.



My dad and I

 The week ended well.  Most of last week seemed to be preparation for this week, which is preparation for school starting and our trip to Greece.  We are still awaiting the response concerning the house.  The kids school starts on the 4th.  Of course the boys will be with us in Greece for the first week.  I had a few good contacts at the market on Friday.  We had the Bible study on Wednesday night, and we had a friend over for supper on Thursday. I played basketball twice this past week, and I can still feel the results of taking those few weeks off.  I also fixed a computer for some friends this past week.  Had my session with my language partner.  Passed some good time with the kids.  We made several pints of Fig preserves from some figs that were given to us.  It was a little time consuming, but we are happy with the results.  We should have the answer about the house by Tuesday.  I need to have an eye appointment this week.  It has been a couple of years since I have had my vision checked.  On Friday morning we are getting some new tires on the car.  They are all pretty run down, and one had a screw in it.  Friday morning was the only opening they had, I am not sure how I am going to do the market, I may just walk down and talk with some of the vendors.  Services were good this morning.  Arianna has been doing well.  I think that she has some back teeth pushing through because she is chewing on her fingers a lot and did not sleep well the last couple of nights.   She has been taking some steps by herself.  I think up to 5 one time.  God bless, JASON

Summer Outreach

The Bible Exposition in Carcassonne.



Interesting stallagtite in one of the
 caves we toured with my
parents.



 My parents arrived home without any problems.  We have had a good time with the Mission Vacances team (United Beach Mission).  On Friday, we passed out tracts with the information about our work to about 1900 houses in Limoux.  The group had lunch at our house and then everyone crashed.  I think the 100 degree heat wore everyone out.  Saturday morning we stopped by to drop off some Bibles at the church in Carcassonne, they had run out and need some to have until their order came in.  We also did a little shopping and finally got Arianna some shoes that will work for any occasion.  Saturday, it was just plain hot, it got up to over 85 degrees inside.  It is actually not too bad, as long as you don't wash dishes or cook.  Angie doesn't care much for the heat, so in the late afternoon we went for a drive to cool off.  We explored a couple of areas of Limoux that we have not seen yet.  Sunday was another hot one.  Angie stayed home, there was going to be a crowd at church and there would not have been enough seats for all of us. We had a familly from Wales eat lunch with us.  They are Christians who have been staying in the area on vacation.  After lunch we visited in the afternoon.  In the evening Angie went with them to a special service in Carcassonne.  It was a conference on Catholicism.  I heard it last year and so Angie went.  She really enjoyed it.  The man who presented it was a teacher in a Catholic school and very active in the Catholic Church.  He shares his testimony of coming to the faith and shares about some differences and ways to aproach them.  Angie got back late, so we ended up having supper together as well.  Monday I went to the Bible Exposition in Carcassonne.  This is the third time that we have helped with this.  It is an exposition of old bibles and and gives a lot of information about the Bible.  It is a good opportunity to invite people into the church and talk with them about God's word.  There were only two that stopped by while we were there.  This morning I finally got our papers turned in for our house.  We should have a response in a week.  I have no idea how it will go, and either way, I will not be upset.  We just pray for God's will to be done, as I could be happy in that house, just as well as staying in this one.  I'm going to try to go to a few basketball practices this week.  I have not been in about 6 week, and I know that it is going to show.  The weather has cooled off and little and they're calling for rain in Wednesday.  God bless, JASON

Quotation in the American Cemetery

Back to Summer



The birthday party pick.  We had two cakes !



Andrew fell asleep in the car, Arianna
would play with his hand.



We have enjoyed the last few days with my parents.  We returned the rental car on Monday and spent some time shopping.  I picked up a Petanque set for dad's birthday.  He enjoyed playing with us and so I hope he can introduce the game to the States.  Monday afternoon we had an early birthday party for Dad and for Arianna. Tuesday evening we attended the Bible Study in Carcassonne.  We had some friends eat lunch with us Tuesday.  Wednesday evening, Mom and Dad watched the kids and let Angie and I go out.  We had a nice supper together and then helped the church in Carcassonne with their outreach at the walled city.  The team Mission Vacances (United Beach Mission) has come to help with outreach this week.  They will be helping us out here in Limoux on Friday.  At the walled city they set up a stand with some tracts and sing and few songs and have a testimony time.  There are usually a couple of contacts made, mostly tourists.  My parents and I, along with Lilia and Caleb, left the house this morning at 5am to drive them to the airport in Toulouse.  We really enjoyed their visit.  I know that the kids are really going to miss them, especially Arianna.  The weather warmed up these last few days and it looks like we are finally having a summer. It got up to the upper 90's yesterday for the first time and should be even warmer today.  It is back to work now.  I need to finish preparing the paperwork for the house in Limoux that we are trying to get. We are looking forward to the outreach tomorrow.  I will most likely haave my stand at the market, while others go door knocking and some pass out tracts.  Today is my Dad's birthday and we figured out at lunch time that this will be his longest birthday, 41 hours long. God bless, JASON



We also repaired the kids bikes.

Normandy, France

The family on Utah Beach.

The Craters still remain from the bombing of Point du Hoc.

We left early Monday for our trip to Normandy with my parents.  It was a great trip.  The kids did well in the car for the 9 hour drive (it took us 11 hours).  It helped splitting them up between our car and the rental car.  We ate lunch at a rest stop and had supper at McDonalds before getting to our hotel in Bayeux.  The hotel was nice, inexpensive, and centrally located.  Tuesday morning, we had breakfast at the hotel and spent a day looking at the sights.  We first went to the Utah Beach Museum.  We arrived just after they opened and beat the crowd.  We spent about two hours there.  It was amazing and as an American with two grandfathers who served in WWII, it was a great visit.  We took a walk on the beach before packing up to head to the next stop.  We stopped next at the town St. Mere Eglise, where there is the Airborne Museum.  When the paratroopers where landing in the town one landed on the church steeple and was captured.  There is a dummy hanging there now in memory of him.  Afterwars we went to Omaha Beach followed by the Point Du Hoc.  It is a piece of land jutting out with views of both Omaha and Utah beach.  The germans could use it too target both beaches.  It was heavily bombed and then Rangers stormed the point before the main landings and scaled the 100 ft cliffs using rope ladders and destroyed the guns.  They then held out until reinforcements arrived.  On the more than 225 men that arrived only 90 were alive and fighting at the time reinforcements arrived.  The next stop was the American Cemetery, which was the highlight of the visit for me.  It is the burial site for over 10,000 American Soldiers who were killed in the battles in Normandy.  We stopped by one more musuem, the wreck museum, containing equipement salvaged off the seafloor.  It was already closed, but we were able to see what they had out front.  We made it back to a hotel and ate supper in a nice restaurant nearby.  We headed out early the next morning for Mont St. Michele.  It is an island in a bay that floods during high tides.  The island has a Cathedral built at the top.  Once again we arrived just in time, because as we left we saw a line of cars about 4 miles long waiting to enter.  The rest of the trip home went well.  We rested Thursday and Friday.  Friday, I took the papers in to turn in for our new house.  A few items were missing so  I will try to get those turned in on Tuesday.  Saturday we went and looked at some caves in the area.  We attended services in Carcassonne today.  God bless, JASON

Parents Visit

Mom and Dad couldn't wait to hold Arianna again.

Angie took this picture from our house, we are those
little dots hiking up the trail.

Mom playing a game with the boys.



Mom and Arianna trying to stay warm
at the beach.


I picked up my parents on Tuesday.  Monday we finished preparing for their arrival.  I also finished reading through the New Testament in French. I pickd up my parents at the airport in Toulouse at 5:15 pm.  It was an easy drive and a small airport, which was great.  We made the trip back no problem and they went to bed soon after supper. Wednesday, Angie and I had an appointment to look at a house, we liked the house and are going to try and get it.  It is in a good location and is roomy.  Wednesday afternoon I had my language session and then we went for a walk. Thursday, us boys went on a hike.  Friday, we went to the market in Limoux.  I set up my stand and everyone else did a little shopping.  I had one stop by and get a Bible and a tract. Friday afternoon we worked on repairing the kids bikes while a thunderstorm rolled through.  It has been different weather than my parents are used to.  In Texas they have not had any rain since May 14th, and it was 110 degrees (46 C) the day they left.  Here it has been cloudy and in the 70s (20c). Saturday we picked up the rental car, visited with the pastor in Carcassonne, did a little shopping.  In the afternoon we headed to the Meditteranean to go swimming.  The traffic was bad but we made it after 2 and a half hours, it was sunny and warm when we left, but when we arrived it was cool and cloudy. We had a good time anyways.  We made the trip back home in the normal hour and a half.  Suday we attended the services in Carcassonne. I resided over the services (led singing, brought the devotion, and kids lesson).  Dad brought the message while the pastor translated for him.  We listened together to the services in Walnut Street.  Tommorrow, not only are Angie and I celebrating our 13th year of marriage we will be making a trip to Normandy with my parents.  We are looking forward to seeing the sites there even though the drive will be long.  I will hopefully blog again at our return.  If you would like more information and pictures, you can check out my dad's blog by clicking here, or the link to the right.  God bless, JASON

The boys liked getting hit by the waves.

Sun will come out

Arianna looks upat me with those
big brown eyes.

Last week ended well.  The sun came out and it started to get warmer.  That allowed me to get the yard mowed and cleaned up.  We also got some items purchased online for my parents to bring with them.  I got an appointment to look at a house in Limoux. It is in a good location at a good price, but it all depends on the interior and the yard.  Services went well Sunday, I brought the devotion for the kids and there were several visitors at the church in Carcassone.  We are looking forward to my parents arriving tommorrow.  They are flying into Toulouse, which is a lot closer to us than Barcelona and also a smaller airport.  We are making final preparations today. Angie has gone shopping again, she lacks only one item to have all the kids school supplies bought.  Arianna is awake now, and so I'll sign off.  God bless, JASON