Friday, April 18, 2014

God is still in heaven.

The above title is the first words that Arianna spoke when I woke her up this morning.  She makes a good point. 
 Arianna had been sick since last Friday.  I took her to the doctor yesterday and got her some antibiotics and she is back in school today.  We had a good visit from our friends in Bordeaux.  They arrived Sunday night and left Tuesday morning.  Their daughters performed a piece from the orchestra they will soon be performing.  I will try to add the video below. We saw the city of Carcassonne together, visited the beach, and just had a great visit.  Monday night we celebrated their middle daughters 18th birthday with cake and tacos. 
 Above the boys help prepare dessert with mom. Andrew lost both his upper teeth and one lower tooth in three days.  He made out good with the tooth fairy. 
The market went will this morning.  The weather has been really nice this week, with temperatures in the mid-70s each day.  Arianna did get stung by a bee yesterday, she tried to pick him up.  I think she learned her lesson.  The kids Bible study on Wednesday afternoons kicked of this week.  It went well.  I helped out for part of it.  Hopefully we will see more kids coming in the next weeks. This evening I have my computer class, and Caleb has a doctors appointment, all before Bible study.  This weekend I will be busy with the training for referees.  God bless, JASON
 

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

A few filled days.

Caleb's first b-ball tournament of the year.
I have put the blog on the backburner for the last couple of weeks.  So, I have the calender beside me and will try to sum up what has been going on.  Tuesday the 18th of March, I attended a conference at the AVF concerning the Carnaval at Limoux.  The Carnaval is one of the main tourist attractions at Limoux and it was interesting to learn about it.  I found most interesting that the written history that speaks about the Carnaval dates back to the 1640's.  I had a good day at the market the 21st, the weather has gotten better and better, and more and more people are getting out.  Our bible study was well attended with 15 including our family.  We are continuing our series through John, and are now at the moment just hours before his death (chapters 13-17).  THe following weekend, Lauren, Micah, Caleb, and I went to Bordeaux to visit with another missionary family there.  They have 25 years of experience serving in France, and in their second church plant, have five children, and reach-out though basketball and english classes.  It was a great time of fellowship and we were able to ask alot of questions.  Tuesday the 25th, Angie had the ladies prayer meeting at our house, while I went to the AVF and had my computer class.  The 26th, we had a Tea Party with the AVF, my first.  It was a good time of visitation and the tea and snacks were good.  The 27th, I was gone all day with the regional AVF meeting.  I enjoyed the meeting, and getting to know everyone, and I had a good visit with the current AVF president (during the 2 and a half hour drive), whose place I will be taking in a few weeks.  The 29th, Caleb's group had their first basketball game this year.  They played well but lost by five points.  The first of April, while I was busy with the AVF, Angie had a meeting with Caleb's teachers.  I had a chance to share in the AVF about the origins of Baptist and Protestants, a presentation that I hope will lead to more interest. Wednesday the 2nd, Lilia had a swimming competition with their school, I had a good time watching until I had to leave for bastketball practice. Their team came in frist place and will advance to regional tryouts.  Thursday we had an all day outing with the AVF visiting a castle and a wine cave situated in an old mine.  I had a good visit with a lady on the ride there and back, she was  german but has lived the last 50 years in France.  She remebers the bombs falling on her home town during the Allied invasion of Germany.  Friday, the 4th, it rained, so I didn't go to the market, but I had lunch with my AVF class and visited a local museum.  Saturday morning, I ran with the boys in the local cross country race, 1030 kids participated.  After lunch, I went to help a man install windows 8 on his computer.  Later that afternoon Lauren stopped by and we looked at the backyard to have an idea of the movie night that we hope to start soon.  Our back yard has a natural theater seating with the retaining walls.  AFterwards I went back and made sure the Windows 8 had installed good and gave a crash course on using Windows 8 (no pun intended).  Sunday Angie and Lilia went to her swimming competition.  I went with the other kids to church and afterwards a basketball tournament in Limoux, while Lauren watched Arianna.  Everyone finished in time for the English services that evening.  That was the end of a busy couple of weeks.  Yesterday I had a training meeting at Montpellier with four other people from our local AVF.  We left the house at 6 and didn't get back until 8 that evening.  Just in time for basketball practice. Today I am trying to get caught up with emails and blogs.  It has been busy, but all of these activites have resulted in relationships being built and opportunities to share about us and our God. God bless, JASON