Road Construction

Arianna showing what "joy" is.

Caleb showing the results of his bike accident.

Angie showing us walking down the road.

Showing the construction, the boys liked the big rocks,
they actually has to use dynamite to remove one of them.

Lilia showing some new clothes.

I am trying to show the mud on the car.

Arianna showing how happy she is playing outside.



Arianna showing us her ball.

 We have been busier recently, with life.  I can't name exactly what has been keeping us busy.  I guess recently the work on our road has been throwing a curve into our routine.  They are widening our road and so we never know throughout the day if we will be able to use it or not.  That means sometimes we have to park at the end of the road and walk up to the house.  The boys really enjoy this.  The distance is not that great, maybe between a quarter to half a mile, but still it is something that you have to factor in.  Last Thursday we got a call that someone might come look at the house.  We spent Thursday getting it ready and packed up a couple of boxes as well.  Friday morning, we called to let her know that the road was muddy because it had rained overnight, and found out that she had cancelled.  We have been having the Bible Study at our friends house in Magrie because of the road trouble.  They are supposed to be finished this Friday, but I doubt they are going to make their deadline.  Just now, I have to straddle a trench going down the middle of the road for a few hundred feet.  Otherwise, things are going well.  Lilia is still enjoying school.  The boys as well.  Micah went and played with some classmates Sunday afternoon, twins who are new to this area.  It was nice to meet them.  Arianna is happily walking all over the house and grabbing for everything that is within her ever expanding reach.  I met a lady at the park yesterday who had a 20 month old little girl that was quite a bit shorter that Arianna who will be 14 months old at the end of the month.  This past weekend, the temperatures dropped down to around 40 degrees, but yesterday it got back up to 80, so looks like the Indian summer is not over yet.  Let me add some pictures and let them tell some more about what is going on.  God bless, JASON

Surprises !

Micah with his 7th birthday cake. He asked for yellow.

Arianna loving on her blanket.

Final goodbye to the aquarium. We had it exactly one year.

Micah and I and Caleb (the mummy in the background)
sleeping in the airport.

Well, we have had a few surprises keeping us busy the last few day.  Last Thursday we had two present for the Bible study.  Friday, things were pretty quiet at the market.  I did get to speak with three regulars.  Friday I placed an online add for our aquarium.  We decided part with it.  It is just a little too big and the kids were no longer interested in it.  We did get the house papers officially signed. So far the official date to move in is November 24th.  We are excited about it and are looking forward to getting closer to town and having a little more space.  Friday afternoon I had a physical which was required for basketball.  The doctor was impressed with my heart rate.  At rest it was 59 beats a minute. I think that is probably inherited more than me being in excellent shape.  Sunday morning I was going to be leading the services in Carcassonne.  As we were getting ready to leave the plumbing stopped up and water was everywhere.  We couldn't really do anything about it then, so we laid out some towels and headed for church.  The services went well, one of the members told me that I seemed more at ease.  The afternoon was spent getting the drain unclogged, which we finally did.  The boys really enjoyed the experience.  Monday morning, we had coffee with some British friends. In the afternoon I went to help a church member in Carcassonne with his internet.  He had recently moved and was having problems with his internet.  I figured out that his phone line was not activated.  Monday we also got a call from someone interested in the aquarium.  They came over to look at it Monday night and said they would take it.  This morning I was working on getting it ready, while Angie dropped off the boys and went to the store.  I got a call from the school saying that Caleb had hurt his knee and was wondering if we could come pick him up.  However Angie did not have her cell phone turned on. I called a friend who drove to the store and let Angie know about it.  She picked him up and went by the doctors office just to make sure that it wasn't serious.  They said it looked fine and gave him an anti-inflammatory and told him to take it easy for a few days (which will be tough for him).  The young couple came by at 2:30 to pick up the fish take.  I have it all ready and surprisingly, even though it was over a meter and a half long, it all fit in their little car.  We celebrated Micah's birthday this evening.  Angie made two cakes today, one for serving at his school this afteroon and one for us this evening.  The 7 year old seemed liked he loved his cake and his new toy, a spinning top. He even let the top fly right after opening it, and it landed on the birthday cake spinning icing all over me and Arianna. Everyone had a good laugh at least.  Hopefully there will not be many more surprise activites for the week.  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

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

House hunt approaches the end.

Our house hunt is nearing the end. A few days ago we visited again the house in Magrie and we received a call yesterday saying that we can come by Wednesday to sign the papers. So here we go. We still are trying to not get too excited just in case it does not end up working out. Services went well at church. A group of about 20 tourists from Holland visited in the services. We had to bring out all the extra chairs. Angie stayed at home this morning with a head ache and tired. The younger boys were real tired as well because some storms came through last night and they stayed up watching. Lilia, Caleb, and I enjoyed the services and lunch at the church afterwards. I will try to keep you updated as soon as we find out about the house. God bless, JASON

Dacia Logan MCV

I justed picked up our car, 2009 Dacia Logan MCV 85ci 1.5 liters. It had 12 km on the odomoter when I got it. We were able to get it insured in Carcasonne for a real reasonable amount. Only 49 euros a month, full coverage. Lilia and I traveled to Massy yesterday to pick it up and get the last few things out of our appartment here. The car is great. It has more room than the Opel Zafira we had rented. I'm looking forward to the drive home to see how well it does on the highways. It is supposed to get 4.8 liters per 100 km in gas mileage. Which is real good for a 7 passenger car. I am sure that I am in France because after we settled all the paperwork, they gave me a bottle of champange. When we get it back home, I will take pictures and post them here. Sunday went real well, we ate lunch with the Pastor's son and daughter-in-law and had an excellent time. Hopefully we will now be able to put all our time and efforts into the search for a house. Picture is Lilia in front of some vineyards near our house.

Houses and Cars

Tuesday – We went and saw a house in Magrie, about 1.5 miles south of Limoux, It was nice inside and had a good yard, three bedrooms, but it was a little difficult to get to, the view was real nice. Angie and I also saw the house in La Digne D'amont. We both decided that it would not be good for the work. The dining area was small and also two bedrooms were had a slanted roof, that made parts hard to reach. We mentioned that we would be interested in three bedroom homes around 100 meters squared with yards in Limoux and we'll see if they what they can find. If nothing, then we will pursue another the one in Magrie. I called the car salesmen today and left a message, he called back and said that the car will arrive the 23rd and that they will have it ready by the 28th. Tomorrow, I will go to Carcassonne and see about getting car insurance. I will also stop by the hertz rental place and see about extending our car rental by a couple of days. Attched are some pictures of the kids at the cross on top of the hill near our house. God bless, JASON

Confirmation

Friday - The beach trip did not go so well. It was a little cool and real windy. We saw 2 large jellyfish and caught a small one, but the worst part was that the wind would kick up the sand and sand blast us. The kids really did not like that. I think it all lasted maybe 20 minutes before we left. The wind has continued to blow all day and it cooled off to about 60 degrees by days end. This afternoon we went to Limoux. On the way I got a call from the Car salesmen who sold us our Dacia. He had the wrong address on a paper, so we stopped by a McDonald's and faxed him the right paper. He said everything was going well. I showed Angie the home that I toured Thursday. The only negative aspects are that is has no parking, no yard, and the front door opens to the street, but it is roomy, around the corner from a school and in good condition, and only about 2.5 miles from Limoux. I mentioned to Angie that maybe God wants us to start out living in a smaller town because we are going to make a lot of mistakes. It's possible. We have another house that I found online that we are waiting to hear back about. It was in Limoux and had a yard, I called and emailed and have not heard back yet. Tomorrow we are getting a visit from the pastor of the church in Carcassonne.
Saturday – We had a good visit with the pastor this evening. He offered to give us a loan for the car. We took him up on it. It is amazing how the love for Christ unites us. Can you imagine loaning someone that you have only met twice $20,000 interest free.
Sunday – Services went real well this morning. We had some good visiting afterwards. There were several visitors. One family from Ireland was spending there vacation in the south. We had a good visit, they come to this church each time they take their vacation here. There were also fist time visitors from Limoux! It was a French lady who had recently married a man from England and they had just settled in Limoux. How amazing is that. I had planned for the work in Limoux to start slowly. I had in mind to spend a year building relationships and having Bible studies before I even brought up the idea to plant a church. If things continue as they have been we could already have a core group. This couple makes four that we know from Limoux who travel to the church in Carcassonne. As soon as this couple introduced themselves and where they were from the Pastor leaned over to us and said, “interesante”.
Monday - Just got a call that said the house viewing for tomorrow was cancelled because the couple decided to stay in the home. So, I scheduled us to see the home in La Digne D'amont, so Angie can see it, and then we will probably try for it. We are currently at McDonalds, just finished some grocery shopping. God bless, JASON

The search is on (again).

Sunday – Services went well at church. They had a good number there are several people who drive in from villages further out during the summer. People remembered us and had been praying for us. Monday - We had planned to go to the beach. We had put it off all last week and the kids had been begging to go. The weather end up being perfect for it. It was cloudy and cooler, it had rained a little in the morning so the beaches were not crowded at all. I thought being before the French holiday that it would be packed but that was not the case. The kids had such a good time. They are a lot of fun just to watch. Andrew would just get so excited he would start running down the beach. After we got back home and cleaned up, Angie and Lilia went grocery shopping and to check out the clothing sales one more time. They hit a lot of traffic and so were slow going. They did not make it back in time for supper so the boys and I had hotdogs (yeah!). Tomorrow we are trying to decide if we need to go to the fireworks in Carcassonne or not. It is the French independence day, the fireworks in Carcassonne are popular and famous, but about 10,000 people drive in for them and from what they were saying at church Sunday, it could take up to three hours to find you way out.

Thursday - We decided not to go to the fireworks. We enjoyed the Bastille day activities in our little village, they had some kid games and activities. Wednesday and Thursday was spent by me traveling to Limoux and visiting real estate agencies (immobiliers). We have two prospects in mind for a house, I saw the first today. It was a good size, nice location about 2 miles from Limoux, real nice interior, everything practically new, but no yard. I will see the other one Tuesday. We might take the kids to the beach again tomorrow. With me being gone during the day they get kind of restless at home. We did go for a walk Tuesday and saw a large cross on top of a hill near our house. It was dedicated to J. F. Bousquet who died "for the faith" in the 1700's. He was from the town of Ginestas where we are staying. Can anyone find out anything else about him? Enjoy the pictures from the past few days. God bless, JASON

Packing Up

This week the kids still have school, so Angie and I (and Andrew) have spent the time cleaning and packing. Today I have an appointment with the bank for a car loan. I am not really looking forward to going, not because of the paperwork or speaking in French, but because it is supposed to get up to 90 today and the bank has no A/C and only a few small windows on one side. I think that I will bring Lilia with me so that I have someone to suffer with.

We found out Monday from the real estate agency that the house we were looking into renting was not going to work out. So, Angie went to Paris yesterday with a friend and dropped off the deposit for the rental house that we are moving into next week. Interesting arrangement. The owner lives full time in the house, but works at a camp site. So in summer he rents out the house when he can, lives at work, and brings in extra money that way. Angie dropped the payment off with his mother who lives in Paris. Angie said she was very nice and had a good conversation with her.

We do not know what kind of access we will have to the internet over the next month and a half, I will try to blog at least once a week. The kids are really excited about the move. Today they helped us pack up all their toys. What they are really looking forward too is traveling to the beach. I must insert another Micah quote here. One day at school he got in trouble for playing roughly like the other boys were doing. Angie had a talk with him at home about making the right choices concerning his behavior. The next morning Micah walked in and Angie said, "Micah, I want you to make good choices today". Micah sighed and said, "Okay Mom, go ahead and tell me what they are."

We pick up the rental car Friday and the moving van monday. We will keep the rental car for three weeks because our car we purchased does not arrive until between July 20th - 28th. I took some pictures of the kids sleeping the other day (attached). Somehow Micah and Caleb ended up in the same bed, and Lilia always sleeps so crazy. God bless, JASON

Tests are in, school is over.

School finished well. We finished and corrected the last tests. Students met for the last times and said our goodbyes and prayed for eachother. We also received the TCF test results. We both received a level B2. As always Angie's grade was better than mine in fact she was close to a C1 level. About these levels, A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2. They are levels of language speaking ability. A1 would be beginners who can just speak greetings and ask simple questions. C2 would be levels that most french have not even attained, more for French teachers. Our level B2 is described as

Intermédiaire avancé

Maîtrise générale et spontanée de la langue. La personne peut comprendre l'essentiel d'un texte complexe. Elle peut participer à une conversation sur un sujet général ou professionnel de façon claire et détaillée en donnant des avis argumentés.

I have no idea what all that means. No just kidding. . . General mastery and spontanaity with the language. The person can understand the essential of a difficult text. The person can participate in a conversation about a general or professional subject in a manner clear and detailled while giving their points of vue or argumentative opinions. Of course the learning will never stop. Our vocabulary will continue to grow, we plan on finding language partners to help our conversational skills continue to grow as well.

As of right now I am waiting to hear the final answer from the real estate agent. We really appreciated the help of the the school and our contacts in the south who we able to vouch for us and get the process moving again. The kids do not finish school until Thursday, we will spend the time between now and them packing, securing our housing, and researching more about a car loan. Attached pictures are from the church kermesse (fair or bazaar) for the kids. Andrew did not go but he did not want to be left out so we did what we could. God bless, JASON

Fireworks

This weekend was the celebration of music in France. There have been concerts and activities all weekend. Saturday night there was a firework show. We wanted to take the kids but it does not get dark until about 11 at night. We decided why not and stipulated that they must have a nap Saturday and Sunday to make up for it. We ended up having a wonderful time. We got there about 10:30 and bought the kids some fancy flashlights to play with while we waited. There must have been several thousand people there in the park, and no telling how many others viewing from their apartments and other parts of the city. We were not sure how Andrew would react to the fireworks because Caleb never liked the noise of them and spent his first few shows burying his face in Mommy or Daddy's shoulder, but after the first ones went off, Andrew said, "Wow!" It was amazing. The theme was "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". It was celebrating the anniversary of landing on the moon. It was well choreagraphed (spelling?) with the music that played on the loud speakers.  We ended up walking down and watching some of the concert after the fireworks were over. Overall the night was a wonderful success. Which led to a three hour nap for everyone Sunday afternoon. That was an excellent fathers day gift.
Sunday morning we enjoyed hearing from some representatives of the French chapter of the Gideons. There was some great testimonies and I will be sure to look them up in our region in the south. The house hunt still continues, we sent our paperwork today to another prospect. We pray that all will go well. School went well today. Two more tests behind us and one more to go. God bless, JASON

Avis d'imposition

We received a letter from the real estate agent that said . . . actually we couldn't understand what it said. We knew it said we were rejected but we could not tell why. So we took it to the language school where . . . no one know what it meant. So finally we received a call from the agent. What is boils down to is the home owner has insurance that requires that the renters have an "avis d'imposition". That is a French tax paper stating the annual income of the person. No problem we say, we do we get it. Angie went to the office and asked about it. They said that they would need our tax papers for the last two years. Those are being sent to us and should arrive tomorrow. Angie forgot to ask while she was there how long it would take to receive the avis d'imposition. So hopefully when she goes with the paperwork tomorrow they will be able to get it to her right away. Not likely.
School is going well, mainly because the end is almost here. That does not mean that the homework load is any lighter unfortunately. I just realize that it has been a while since I included a quote from Micah. Here is one from today. I said to him, "I'll give you four or five more minutes to clean your room. He said, "I choose five." The picture is from when Micah's class went on a field trip to the woods. On the way back he was tired from all the running around. Angie, who went along with them, took this picture on the bus ride back. God bless, JASON

TCF

The week is passing well. We finished three tests already this week. The main test was today. The TCF (test de connaissance de la langue française) is a test that tests the french level of foreigners. We took the parts "grammaire", oral comprehension, and reading comprehension. There are two other parts that were optional oral and written expression. We opted not to take them. The test took about and hour and a half. It was difficult at times. The questions are organized so that they get harder the further you go. In three weeks we should have the results. They will be program down by section so that we will know what areas we are weaker in and which we are stronger in. I am hoping for a level B2. I will explain later exactly what that is. Thanks for the prayers . We are still waiting to hear if we have been approved for the house in Limoux. I got a call yesterday from the real estate agent saying he needed another paper. I wrote it quickly and got it signed by our missions treasurer and faxed it the next day. Hopefully we will be hearing from them soon. Attached picture is from Caleb's end of school program last week. He in the center. He did an excellent job. God bless, JASON

Friday again.

We have had a busy but productive Friday. Today is Andrew's birthday. He is now three years old. We will have a party with his friends at the language school garden tomorrow. He is pictured above playing soccer, he has a good level of skill already. He has already got it down to say three and hold up the three fingers when someone asks how old he is.

Last week we sent our papers by email to the real estate agent in Limoux. We never heard anything from him. We called earlier in the week and left messages but received no call back. Angie called and got a hold of the secretary today. She said that the could not open the PDF files. Okay. Angie asked why they didn't but the lady had no answer. So we got them faxed this evening.

In slightly less amazing news, Barak Obama arrived at Orly Airport today, just about 2 miles from where we live. He plans to be here for the D-day festivities in the North. I do not think that he plans on coming to the birthday party.

This weekend I have a lot of school work to do. We have a test Monday and Tuesday. The big language test on Wednesday. I have a short lesson to bring Monday and the chapel service to do Friday. And on top of that our usual homework. But right now it is time to enjoy a movie with the birthday boy. God bless, JASON

Pics of the house

Sorry, I forgot to attach these yesterday. ANGIE

House Hunting in France

Hello everyone, Angie here. I thought I would write about all that has happened lately. The trip to Limoux went great. Michele, a friend from language school went with me and we had a blast. We got a late start for the trip down south because we both had morning class and while she returned from her class in Paris, I watched Andrew so Jason could give his devotional at school. Finally we were both ready and we left. We had McDonald's on the way and saw a Tati (really good discount store)and had to do some quick 10 minute shopping because it was closing at 7pm. Back on the road we were just enjoying all the sunshine and green fields all around. It took a while but we finally arrived at our hosts home at 11pm. We were warmly welcomed by our hosts and their two little doggies. After putting our bags in our room Genevieve immediately took me out across the street to show me this superbly kept home. It was vacant thankfully since we were taking a very close look. The owner had even put in air conditioning. But I have already stayed in a house in that neighborhood and they are all almost the same and I really wanted something a little more spacious and private. This was a new neighborhood and non of the hedges were grown up enough for privacy. I wasn't too interested but it was kind of our host to show us. Saturday we met the agent and he said he had some houses planned to show us, one I had seen online and one that I had not seen. Another one online had already been seen by two couples who were both serious and he said he was going to let them have their chance at it. Then he had a phone call. Then we left to see house number one. It was outside of town about 3 miles in a little village neighborhood. It was updated with fresh paint and a new shower but it had tiny rooms and felt cramped. Another drawback was that the yard wasn't fenced so it wasn't as safe as we would like it for the kids. As we finished the tour of house 1 the agent begins to tell me that he really has no other product to show or offer me. I think what he was saying was none that are as well done as this one. But I said to him that I really needed him to show me another one to compare with this one. ( In my mind I was thinking that house 2 will have to be really bad to make me feel at peace with this one and besides that I made an appointment and drove 8 hours and I think I should get to see more than one house.) I have learned to be more insistent here because that is just the only way things get done. So he took us to house 2. It was right in town in a really cute neighborhood. The house was attached on one side to another house but the yards were divided and private with really big hedges. The house looks very old world French with the dark wood (which I love) and the French doors, just charming. The living/dining area was much larger than the first house. The kitchen was decent sized with a stovetop, oven and cabinetry already there! Somethings we would have normally had to purchase ourselves. There was a "back" kitchen with a sink just next to the kitchen (very commom here) which would be a laundry room. The back yard was really good sized (for France) with a cute cherry tree in one corner and totally fenced -good for the safety of the kids. Then we went upstairs, and at this point I hadn't caught on that it was a 4 bedroom but Jason and I had discussed having a 3 bedroom with a back kitchen that could serve as a guest room if needed. So I was already thinking that this house could work. Upstairs the bedrooms were roomy and they had closets already, something else we would have had to buy ourselves! What a blessing- God sure knows our needs! The bathroom had a bathtub not just a shower - I was really glad about that. Then we noticed that there was a fourth bedroom. And as if we weren't enchanted already that did it for us. One bedroom also had a cute balcony. I think the agent was surprised we liked it but glad he had brought us there. There were other great things about this house too. We had discussed the need for parking space if we had a home Bible study and this house looks out over a big square- one side with shrubs and benches and the other side with trees and along two sides of the square, there are about 20 parking spaces. Also, in the connecting house/building the lower floor looks like it is an office space and it looked empty. The agent said that the upstairs was an appartment that is vacant and the owner is not trying to fill it currently. Very interesting. The kids schools are very nearby. Hopefully, if all works out, we will meet lots of people from the neighborhood just on the walk to and from school. Let me say that I couldn't have done it without my friend Michele. She was such a great help to me in giving a second opinion. I knew I would need someone with me and the Lord provided me with the perfect person I needed for the trip! Although the agent didn't much like her. If she looked as though she was about to say something negative he would interrupt her. Salesmen and their tactics.
After the appointment we went to Carcassonne to enjoy having a car to do some shopping. I showed Michele the big castle and at 8pm we had dinner back with Roger and Genevieve. It was a really nice time and we stayed up late visiting. They were sharing some of their heartaches with me. Please pray for them. Sunday we headed back to Paris and read and discussed God's word on the way. It was a great trip- although short and busy. We are so thankful for our hosts generosity and pray a special blessing on them for it. We are also thankful for God's amazing providence. We hope to hear from the agent this week if we are accepted as renters. If something should not work out though we know God has something else in mind. God Bless You All, ANGIE