The parents have arrived.

Mom and Dad arrived yesterday. We had a good time yesterday showing them around town. We had Christmas for our family. At least it seemed like it with all the stuff that they had brought. They made it all day long and only dozed off for a small nap. They slept twelve hours last night. This morning we went into Paris and looked a the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Cœur, and Notre Dame. It was a good time, it has gotton cold but it did not rain on us. Looking forward to tomorrow when Dad and I are going to go on a hike into Paris. Be sure to check out my Dad's blog, link on the right of the page, to see his point of view on things. 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

Caleb sees France.

We took the kids to the Eiffel Tower yesterday. Caleb kept saying that he was finally going to be able to see France. It took a lot of explaining to get him to see that we are in France now. We left at about 8:20 to walk to the train station (RER). We purchased out tickets and then had to come back to the house for a restroom break. Paris has few public restrooms. We caught the train about 9:20, met Virginie and T.J. her son at 9:30 and arrived at the tower by about 9:50. The kids loved it. There was a pretty long line so Angie and I didn't want to wait, but Lilia really wanted to go up and so we got in line. Last time we were at the Tower, it had just rained and the line was not long at all. This time after standing there a few seconds, someone came and moved the last part of the line to a new elevator that had opened up. What a blessing! We made it to the elevator and waited a little bit, then someone announced that there was a problem with this elevator and to follow her. We ended up going to the front on the line that we had started in. We went to the second level and enjoyed the view. I held Micah and took him to the rail and said, "Micah isn't that pretty!" He shouted, "Look at that!" He was pointing to a heart that someone had drawn on the railing. We enjoyed the Tower for a while. Afterwards we were going to go to Sacre Cœur, but the kids were already tired, so we decided we would take them to McDonalds instead. I enjoyed McDonalds, it was the first time I had gone out to eat in two months, since arriving here in France. Big Mac value meal for 6 euros, about $9. Tasted good though. We made it back home about 3 pm. We had a good time and the kids really enjoyed it. I will attach some pictures. JASON