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

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

Odds and Ends

Allow me to jump around and little and gives a few tidbits. I went to the sous-prefecture this afternoon to find out if we could extend our visa for a few more months to June of next year. After waiting in line for two hours I find out that it should work out. They would have expired in February, waiting to June would allow us to get the kids closer to finishing school. We are close to getting all of our paperwork together for the house. I hope that it goes smoothly after we get it all to him. We had two tests this week and another on Tuesday. The TCF (official test of french knowledge) is creeping up on us as well. Monday is a national holiday, Pentecost. We all made a good trip together to the store. The weather has been beautiful that last couple of days and it was nice to get out as a family and get some shopping done. Caleb and Micah got some new shoes which boys always seem to need. The exchange rate has been on the climb the last week but seems to be dropping down a little bit which is good. I will need to get started soon on getting my monthly report out. The whole family seems to be really looking forward to moving on to Limoux. It is great that the kids are excited about it was well. I brought a short sermon at the school last Friday. I tried doing it without a transcripts and just glancing at my notes. It went fairly well. I only tried doing it this way because it only had to be about ten minutes long. I hope that you can hear and understand it well enough. There was a moment of laughter because I mispronounces the word for "sin" and said "fishing" instead. Enjoy and God Bless, JASON