Our Greece Trip

There was even a swing for Arianna.

One of the swimming pools.

The boys passing time in the airport.

Kiss for dada.

Andrew and I on the 4-wheeler.

Our time in Greece was well spent.  We left the house right on time and arrived at the airport at around 9:30 pm.  We left a little late from Barcelona, but that was okay with us because we had a 4 hour layer waiting for us in Athens.  The kids all slept good for the flight and we found a quiet corner in the airport in Athens to sleep before catching our flight for Corfu.  We arrived at the hotel at about 11 in the afternoon.  After eating lunch at the hotel the whole family enjoyed a few hours of sleep, before waking right at supper time.  We enjoyed eating supper with some of our missionary friends who had arrived.  The conference did not start until Monday night, so during the day on Monday we went swimming with the kids.  The services every evening where great, and I enjoyed learning some new songs in English as well.  In the mornings while Angie and I had classes and share sessions, the kids had Vacation Bible School.  In the afternoons we did all kinds of fun things together.  We had a wonderful time.  I am already looking forward to next year.  We left Friday morning and flew to Athens and then to Madrid and then Barcelona.  We had a funny moment in Athens when the security guard wanted us to take the blanket away from Arianna who had just woke up.  He wanted to pass it through the x-ray.  It took a little coaxing but finally she gave it up without any tears.  We made it home at about 1:30 am.  I defintely think that next year we will try to fly out of Toulouse.  Enjoy some pictures and the video below as well.  Today is the 10th anniversary of the attacks on September 11th.  We were living in Corsicana and I was about to leave the house for work when we received a call telling us to watch the television.  I remeber being shocked and having the radio on all day.  Thinking that there could be 20,000 people in those towers was just shocking.  Our prayers continue for those who lost family and friends that day and in the war against terrorism.  God bless, JASON

Update from Greece

Just wanted to take a few minutes to let every one know that we are having a good time in Greece.  The trip went well.  The kids slept good, but Angie and I . . . not so much.  Lilia had a good first day at school.  The hotel we are staying in this year has made several changes which are good . . .free drinks and ice cream throughout the day, three free meals a day instead of two, free water park access (the boys are loving it).  However, we do have to pay for wifi which I am trying to avoid.  Check back on Saturday and I hope to be able to post some pictures and share more about what we have been up to.  God bless, JASON

House Approved

Arianna and I praying.

Arianna's first watermelon.

Andrew at the lake.

Arianna's birthday party.

The important news that we just received this evening is that we were chosen to get the new house.  We (esp. Angie) are excited about this opportunity, having more space, being in town with more contacts, having a home easier accessible, all more the same or even a little less a month.  It will probably be the end of October before we move in.  Other than that, the week has been good.  We took the kids to the lake on Tuesday afternoon.  We celebrated Arianna's first birthday party with a few friends Wednesday.  This morning Angie and Caleb went and picked up some clothes for Caleb that Angie bought online.  Online shopping is a real blessing, she looks most often at leboncoin.com or ebay.fr (petits announce).  You can great condition clothes, good brands, for sometimes one euro or less per article. We had a good bible study with three present this evening. Tommorrow, I will get new tires on the car, and while that is getting done, I will walk into town and visit at the market as well as run a few errands.  In the afternoon, Angie will hopefully finish getting Lilia prepared for school, we still need to get her lunch ticket and her bus card.  We will hopefully get some packing done as well.  We will be leaving the house, Saturday, around 6pm to arrive at Barcelona at 9pm, we fly out at 12:35am, four hour lay-over in Athens, arrive at Courfu at 9:30 Sunday morning.  It should be a fun time.  Maybe ?  We are looking forward to spending the week with friends, relaxing, hearing some good preaching and conferences.  I may not have the chance to blog, but I will sure update you when we return.  God bless, JASON

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

College

Arianna asleep in Angie's arms. 
She had cut her finger and we
had to "sock" it to keep her from
pulling the bandaid off.

We have spent quite a bit of time the last few days getting Lilia's paperwork for "college" (junior high).  We turned that in today.  Unfortunately, in September, school starts Monday the 5th this year.  Which is also the start of the Greece Missionary Retreat.  The last several years, school has started on a Thursday and we left for the retreat the following Saturday. We are prayerfully considering whether to leave Lilia here or to take her.  She really doesn't want to miss the first day or first week for that matter.  The pastor in Carcassonne and I stopped by the mayors office.  Thankfully he was with me because the free room that we were looking at using is not available to religious organizations.  Thankfully the Church in Carcassonne is not yet big enough to be registered as a religious organization, they are listed as an Cultural Association, which thankfully can use the room.  The pastor has sent a written request which I hope will be granted.  I also picked up our French tax forms this afternoon.  We do not pay income tax in France, but we do need to register and this will help if we ever need to get a loan in France.  The school year is winding down.  Lilia and Micah had their end of school swimming party yesterday.  Caleb will have his Saturday.  Saturday is also the end of school program for Andrew and the youth meeting in Carcassonne.  I'm all ready for the Bible Study tonight.  I pray that the weather will be nice for the market tommorrow.  I don't mind so much an occassional drizzle, but the a strong to moderate wind us unbearable as far as tracts are concerned.  I have contacted the organization that does outreach at the Tour de France bike race.  Looks like everything will work out good with them, I just ordered 2000 tracts.  God bless, JASON 

The Bug

This past weekend Lilia and Andrew had a cold and now Angie seems to have caught it. As heard a lot in Texas, there is a "bug" going around. She felt pretty tired and congested all day yesterday and today. So I have been trying to run things, which means the kids are really praying that mom gets better faster. Angie's birthday is Saturday as well. Yesterday I took the kids on a little hike in the hills near our house to give Angie a little quiet time. Caleb enjoyed it. Micah enjoyed it. Lilia . . .not so much. I plan on stopping by the sous-prefecture tomorrow to see about our visa status. We would like to stay in France until June to give the kids a chance to finish the school year. Our visas, however, expire in February and since we are own student visas for this term, but not in school we hope they can extend them. At the office in Massy they said that this would not be a problem, let's hope they say the same thing here. We have learned a little about time differences in France. We ordered Lilia a desk two weeks ago and it said it would arrive the 20th. We went the 2oth to check on it and they said it would be two more weeks. We are still waiting for our internet stuff to come in as well. So a warning to all who are praying for patience, God may call you to France. Attached picture is one of my favorite recent picture of Lilia, she is holding another missionary kid, Samuel Taylor, while we were in Greece. Now I need to go and by some more Kleenex for Angie. God bless, JASON

A routine.

We are finally starting to settle into a type of routine. Routines are good as long as they are good routines. Tuesday night Angie went to a meeting with all the teachers and parents at Lilia's school. We have been busy getting paperwork and kids pictures for the school as well. I had to purchase insurance for the kids for while they were at school. It was inexpesive just $15 a piece for all year, but still one more thing to get accomplished. We have been transfering money to finishing paying off the language school which goes slow when you can only move 1000 euros a day. The exchange rate seems to continue to rise as was expected. Yesterday we purchased a stove, which we are real thankful to have. To celebrate we bought some frozen pizzas and made some french fries. Today I have spent the good part of the day getting paperwork and catching up on reading. The pastor of the church in Carcassonne gave me a list of books to read to help build biblical vocabulary. I got caught up reading one today. I find you have to read slowly to catch the context and of course I usually have to look up a couple of words on each page. I am really looking forward to getting internet hooked up soon. It will make a lot of things easier, including looking up the meaning of words Currently I am sitting at McDonalds using their free WiFi. I think the McDonalds in the US should take a lesson from them. Attached picture is the judgement area in Corinth, where Paul spoke in Acts 18. God bless, JASON

Back in School.

The kids have started back to school. It was almost like starting all over again. The same excitement and nervousness was experienced. Angie and I went yesterday and signed up with an internet, TV, and phone provider, it should arrive and be hooked up by weeks end. Thankfully it comes with free calls to several different countries. Today we have been searching for a stove. We found some good prospects online (leboncoin.com) and will call them this evening. Now it is about time to go get the kids. The attached picture is the head of Nike (click the picture and read the plaque) what are the odds of seeing him in Greece. God bless, JASON

Back in France.

We finished out the retreat well. We left the Island of Aegina Thursday and took a bus to Corinth. We looked at the ancient city and then looked at the 3 mile canal that was dug to cross the land and connect the two seas together. The ancient city was very interesting and well preserved. I had not put the pictures on the computer yet and so I'll have to attach some later. We flew out Friday and arrived back at our house at 11 last night. Today we are getting clothes washed, getting some groceries stocked back up, banking, and paperwork. Overall the retreat was great. I feel very much worth the expenses. I would like to thank all the churches and individuals who gave over $36,000 to help pay for the expenses for this trip for the missionaries. Attached is a pic
ture of us and our missionary friends from Kenya, the Taylors. We had a lot of good times and made some more good memories with them. God bless, JASON

Greek to me.

The retreat has been going real good. We enjoyed the sites we saw in Greece. It was amazing standing on Mars Hill (a big rock formation pictured) and looking at the idol temples on all the hills around it and thinking of the words that Paul spoke in Acts 17. We walked in the old city and saw some streets mention in the Bible. We left after the tour and headed by Hydrafoil ferry to Aegina. Sunday it was warm but the services went well. Bro. Lynn Raburn is bringing an excellent series from Characters in the Life of David. I have learned and been touched and changed already. The kids have loved being with their friends and playing in the pool. This morning (monday) they had their first VBS while we had sessions and they really enjoyed themselves and came back to the rooms with loads of candy and other goodies. I am overwhelmed at the volunteers from Faith Baptist Church in North Little Rock who raised their own funds to come and serve the missionary kids in this way. It means a lot to us and them. The fellowship has been great. I have had wonderful and enlightening conversations with many missionary friends already and have enjoyed them all. We have spent good time with our overseas family. I have missed catching our family back in the states. The WiFi does not reach to our room so tomorrow I will have to go to the lobby and update everyone. The kids have been exhausted but loving every minute of it. The weather was cool and cloudy and so we let them spend several hours in the pool and outside with their friends. Today (now tuesday) the group of ladies from Faith Baptist Church babysat all the missionary kids so that the couples could enjoye three hours alone. Angie and I enjoyed a leisurely walk and shopping in town. In the message to night we learned about David and Shimei (2 Samuel 16). David was fleeing for his life from his own son and Shimei, a relative of Saul, throws stones and dirt at him and curses him. What would have been our reaction if we had been king to someone doing this to us? Davids right hand man wanted to kill him. David says “What if God told him to curse me? I probably deserve it. After all my own son is trying to kill me, maybe God will see me and have pity on me.” Do we ever react that way when someone is being cruel and saying means things to us? A man after God's own heart should.

Barcelona to Rome to Athens

The kids all had a great first day of school. All said that they made new friends and a couple of the kids could even remeber their name. We left right after they got out and drove to Barcelona. Stayed the night in a hotel and woke up at 3:30 to head to the airport. We flew to Rome them on to Greece. All the flights went well, flying still holds some awe for the kids. I would think that they would be getting used to it, but it was like it was their first time. We met our good friends the Taylors (missionaries in Kenya) at the airport and Athens, rode over to the hotel and went out for supper at McDonalds together and even let all the kids watch a movie together. Tomorrow we are going for a walking tour of Athens and then we will head to Aegina where the retreat will be held. We are all very excited about it.

Let me also mention how well we have enjoyed our car. It has been hauling a lot of furniture and people the last few days and has still averaged 45 mpg. Attached is a picture of me and Caleb when we took a hike together. God bless, JASON

Tomorrow

The kids start school tomorrow. We went to the Mayors office today to make sure that they were all registered right. Come to find out that Lilia and Caleb were registered for the wrong class and Micah was not registered at all. Hopefully when we get there tomorrow everything will be worked out. After school we will leave for Barcelona and spend the night and then fly out for Greece. The kids are really looking forward to both events as are we. I'll will update you from Greece where we will have Wifi in the hotel room (yippee). God bless, JASON

Corfu, Greece

We are having a good time in Corfu. The trip was a little rough at times. Caleb got his fingers stuck in the door of the Subway. Bruised and cut his little finger pretty back, I had to jerk them out. We checked with the Doctor here just to make sure it was okay, he prescribes Iodine and Ice and charged 50 euros for his time. The flights went well with the kids, it is handy being able to open the laptop and put a movie on for the kids in the Airport to make the layover hours pass faster. We got some interesting looks but the other missionaries liked it and understood. We have been having good fellowship, learning and relaxation. There is a large group of french people here and so we have been able to keep a little french speaking going. One of the best things I have liked about here is I feel that it is okay to act like a tourist here. In France we are always trying to fit in, but this is a vacation spot, so I can let the kids be loud and speak English without having a problem. The sessions have been good and I have already learned a lot. I had the privilege of bringing the message this morning. The kids have immediately made friends with all the other missionary kids they didn't know and rekindled friendships that they have already made while we were on deputation. I am having to pay for this Internet connection so I will write back more later from the house on Saturday. Attached are pictures or Sacre Coeur and from Sacre Coeur (large old catholic church). God bless, Jason

Preparing for another trip.

Lynn and Brenda are at the airport now. We enjoyed our time with them. We had many good conversations and fun times. Monday we visited Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur. Tuesday we took the kids to school and then went to the Louvre. Come to find out it is closed on Tuesdays. We walked from there down Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe and then over the the Eiffel Tower. It was a little over 4 miles but a scenery filled walk. Tuesday evening Lynn and Brenda took the kids to McDonalds and let me and Angie go out to eat, very brave of them. Wednesday we rode a tour boat on the Seine (bateau mouche). Thursday we had school and afterwards ate at Pizza Hut. Lynn and Brenda headed to the airport this morning. Now we need to get packed up to go to Greece tommorrow. Tonight we have meetings with Lilia's and Caleb's teachers. Yesterday I met with Lilia's and Caleb's French teacher and had a good visit. She, like many teachers here, is very direct, to the point of being rude. She praised Caleb for his intelligence, pronunciation, memory, and then said, but he colors like a baby. After the meeting was all over I asked Caleb if he heard all that she said. He said, "Yup, she said need to color better." I found out that since they did away with school on Saturdays, they have the option of keeping kids a half hour later each day if they need extra time. I will be taking my computer to Greece and hopefully have time to update the blog during the week. I will also try to post picks of our trips into Paris as I go. God bless, JASON