Starting out the New Year

After seeing some super hero movies, here are the boys with a
hammer, sword, and shield.  The have them all painted now.

Arianna has gotten to where she loves wearing
everybodies shoes, sometimes she has trouble
getting them on, but she seems to walk well in
them no matter how big they are. 

The kids got right back into the swing of things with school.  Lilia has moved up into a higher level swimming class, so she is there everynight of the week, though she didn't go Tuesday might because she had homework.  Wednesday, the Irish lady we know, made us and Irish Stew.  She had seen a recipe in one of our cookbooks and explained that it was not right.  What she made us was excellent and we really enjoyed it.  The kids started basketball practice on Wednesday, as did I.  I think they took to it better that I did, because I was sore for a few days following.  I think I had a little too much Turkey, or maybe it was the Irish stew.  At basketball practice I found out that one of my teammates, had lost a baby last week, the baby passed away one hour after birth.  We sent him a card and are praying for him and his wife.  Thursday night bible study went well.  We had three present an picked back up into the study on John after a break from the holiday's.  This past weekend, we met a lady at the church in Carcassonne, who was really happy to meet us.  She has been living in Limoux for a year and had been praying to meet some Christians who live there as well.  You could tell how pleased she was at the church in Carcassonne after meeting us.  She plans on attending the Bible Study thursday night even called me Sunday night so that we could learn a little more about each other.  I also spoke to a lady at church who has a son who plays basketball in Bordeaux, we are having a bastketball outreach planned for the spring of next year.  I was hoping to have a contact with a basketball player in Bordeaux, because I know the pastor of a church in Bordeaux and was hoping to have a basketball match there.  This will be a busy week.  Saturday I have a basketball match, and Angie and Lilia will be going to the youth meeting in Carcassonne.  Sunday, I will be leading the services in Carcassonne as well. The church in Carcassonne is meeting in a new place in order to have a little more space.  Outgrowing your meeting place is a good problem to have, one that I hope we will have recently.  Angie has had a headache off and on the last couple of days, she is now off of caffeine to see if that helps.  God bless, JASON

Happy New Year

A couple of picturs I took in Andorra.

The kids on Christmas morning.

The Estrada family.

Our time with new friends finished well.  On Thursday they showed us how to make Tortillas, the real way.  They were very good.  Lilia said that they were better than chocolate.  We also had a visit from our friends from Magrie.  Their daughter is leaving soon to spend 6 months in Australia to improve her English.  She will be staying only a hour from a good pastor friend of mine.  I took the Estrada family back to Barcelona on Friday, we saw a pretty rainbow on the way down.  Andrew and I stayed for lunch with the pastor in Barcelona.  We enjoyed getting to know them better. I was able to follow the gist of most of the conversations, the pastor speaks fairly good English.  He has invited me to come speak for them in February, which I am already looking  forward to.  It will be nice to have the family with me as well, so they can meet all of us.  Saturday the kids played outside a lot, they are enjoying the basketball goal that they got for Christmas.  We did not let them stay up to midnight, because they were already tired, but we did let them stay up later than normal.  Angie and I saw the New Year in together.  We celebrated our fourth year in France this past week.  What an amazing God that we have, to get to the end of the year and see how good he has been to us, not just this past year, but our entire time in France, and our time together, and out entire lives.  Surely those reading this can realize the same thing, I pray that each of you know my King and Savior.  I try not to get too preachy in this blog, because the goal is to keep everyone up to date with our family and life here in France.  But, I do think it is important to share the greatest love in my life, Jesus Christ, and I hope that it is evident even as you read about our daily life in France.  If you do not know Jesus and you would like to, you can contact me by email at abainfrance@hotmail.com.   Sunday services were well.  There were a half dozen first time visitors at the church in Carcassonne.  One young couple were from Australia, he is playing Rugby for Carcassonne.  I stayed for the meal and business meeting with Lilia and Micah.  We enjoyed the rest of the day and hearing the services of our sending church over skype.  Monday was somewhat surreal, the kids realizing that it was their last day of vacation.  They were excited as well about school starting back.  I am enjoying my first day back in the office for a while.  God bless, JASON

Christmas guests

The Sunset from the Walled City of Carcassonne

This is actually the work of a marker in the hands of a
teething child.

 Christmas went well at the Clark house.  The days leading up to Christmas were busy preparing things and keeping the peace between the kids.  Friday I went with Micah and Andrew to distribute some Christmas tracts.  We woke up early on Sunday and opened gifts.  Caleb and I left at 8:30 to travel to Barcelona, where we attend the services of the church there.  We had a wonderful time and I was shocked by how much of the services I was able to follow with what little I remember of Spanish, and what sounds close to the words in French. Caleb was real good in the services and even went right in to Sunday School as well.  We brought the visiting pastor, who is doing a conference for the missionary in Barcelona,  and his wife and daughter to our house to spend a few days.  The Estrada family is from Mexico City and even though we have only met them once, several years ago, and have a few friends in common, we get along real well.  Amazing how Christ can unite people.  Monday Angie took them around Limoux and shopping, and that evening we went to the to the walled city of Carcassonne, saw a beautiful sunset while we were there. Tuesday we visited the country of Andorra.   It was a pretty two hour drive and the snow in the Pyrenees was a nice sight.  I'll have to post pictures from there later, because they were on the cell phone.  Today Angie took them shopping in Carcassonne, where they found some good deals.  We plan on makings some Tortillas tommorrow. Yeah!  God bless, JASON

Playing with Tops

Arianna brought me a stadium for the tops the boys play with and wanted to play it with me.  Angie thought it was cute and grabbed the camera.  You can hear Arianna saying, "there it is" and "uh-oh" and she shakes her head yes.  She is cute. - JASON

Reindeer games

Happy 9th birthday Caleb!

Lilia was serving tables at the Christmas dinner.

Andrew and Micah during the Christmas play.

We had a good week, busy but we did get a lot accomplished.  I prepared lessons for Thursday night, devotion and kids lesson for Sunday, English devotion for the Carol Service.  Unpacked several boxes, installed shower head, installed new bathroom lock, hung a light in the kitchen, repaired a door knob.  Thankfully the sickness was all behind us.  The kids had a good last week of school, the whole family seemed to be waiting for Friday to come.  We celebrated Caleb;s birthday Saturday.  He turned 9.  He had a friend over that he had not seen in a while, because the boy had changed schools.  They had a wonderful time playing together.  Even Arianna joined in the fun and roughness that comes along with boys.  Saturday evening was the big Christmas dinner outreach with the church in Carcassonne.  The kids performed a sketch, I will try to share the video later.   The dinner went well, and the kids did a good job on the skit.  Sunday services went well, Angie said I did a good job leading the service and I try to believe her.  Of all the opinions of others, hers counts the most.  We had a restful afternoon.  The director of the skit to the kids out for ice cream at McDonalds sunday afternoon.  Today we had a good time enjoying the activities downtown.  They had a free obstacle course and zip line, as well as a reindeer sleigh ride, that all the kids enjoyed.  We met another family there and they visited at our house afterwards.  We did have a good time even though it was cold and misting at times.   Angie has gone shopping and I now hear a little voice calling to me, it seems to be saying, "I have woke up from my nap and I want to get up and have a snack."  Of course to others it would just sound like a baby crying, but I know what she means.  Arianna is saying several words and even phrases and it is cute.  Blessings, JASON

Christmas Sickness

Saturday Angie did some Christmas shopping and we put
up the tree.

Had some play time putting some legos
together with Caleb.

The sickness seems to finally be behind us.  It lasted all last week and we did end up cancelling the Bible Study and our Thanksgiving meal.  We will try to reschedule after the first of the year.  We did manage to get some stuff unpacked inbetween sick moments.  Let me run down the schedule for you.  Andrew became sick Saturday night.  Arianna joined him on Monday.  Caleb and Micah hopped on the sick wagon on Monday night.  I had fever on Tuesday.  Angie joined in the fun on Wednesday, and Lilia on Wednesday night.  Andrew had a slight relapse on Friday night.  The sickness lasted one or two days for everyone, except Andrew, who stomach was still hurting on the third day.  We found out that is was because he had not gone "potty" of anykind for two days.  I went to church on Sunday with the three older kids.  Services were good.  Caleb and Micah had a basketball tournemant that afternoon.  They tied two games and lost the third.  This week I am hoping to have things back to some kind of ressemblance of normal.  I have a lot of work to do.  Prepare for the Bible study, for the Christmas outreach in Carcassonne, and for leading the services in Carcassonne on Sunday.  Better get to it.  God bless, JASON

The last meal

I enjoy every meal as if it were my last . . .let me start from the beginning.  Last week went well, we got probably 75% of boxes unpacked.  The Bible study went well, I had sent out a text message to all that we have had contact with, we still just have our usual audience, but I am confident that we will experience better growth in town.  Friday morning the stand at the market went well, I passed out one Bible, almost two.  Limoux has a large psychiatric hospital, so often mentally handicaped people will frequently walk through the market under supervision.  Two young teenagers passed by with an adult, one young teen asked me how much the stuff cost, I mentioned it was free, he then asked the adult if he could have a Bible.  They went back and forth for a while, the adult stating, "You can't even read, you don't even know what it is."  He answering back, "But so and so can read, and it's free, I don't care what it is." I wanted to give it to him, but couldn't overide the authority of the adult in charge of him.  Friday we got the heat turned on and it has been nice.  Friday afternoon I went and met with our former landlord and finished the papers on our old house.  There are some things that I will miss about the place.  Basketball was cancelled Friday night, I found out right before, which I missed.   Saturday we cleaned and unpacked.  Which brings us to Saturday night. About 1:30 am, Andrew arrives at the bedside stating that he wet the bed.  Angie got up to help him, and a few minutes later calls for my assistance.  He had vomitted in his bed, next to it, even under it.  It took three loads of laundry to get it all washed.  We made him a palet on the floor and gave him a bucket.  He carried on three more times through the night. I stayed home on Sunday with him and Arianna and Micah, while Angie and the others went to church, she needed to speak with someone about preparing for Thanksgiving.  Andrew didn't eat much that day and everytime he did, he threw up.  Arianna followed suit yesterday (Monday). 

 The poor thing, we have never had one so young get the stomach virus. It has not been so bad for her. She takes a few minute nap after she gets sick and just can't seem to understand why we keep that bowl in front of her.  Monday night Micah's turn was next. He doesn't handle that kind of thing well at all.  He said one time, "Dad, I just want to die." We had prepared and so we just had one load of laundry from Micah's bed.  Caleb followed a few hours later.   Thankfully he already had a bowl, so the mess was avoided.  Today everyone seems to be walking around with a bowl. Arianna has not gotten sick since yesterday, but along with everyone else she has no appetite.  Micah just walked in from the bathroom saying, "That was round six."  Angie, Lilia, and I are waiting our turn.  We could avoid it, but as I shared with Angie last night at supper.  I am enjoying every meal like it could be my last for a few days. Hopefully we will not have to cancel Thanksgiving on Saturday, but God is in control.  Blessings, JASON