We are in Atlanta after a month of traveling and visiting family. We finally have a contract on our house in France after a disappointing withdrawal on the first contract in June. We've heard nothing from the realtor in the past two and a half weeks so that's good news. We'll call next week to see if the buyers have submitted their application for the loan. They have three weeks to do that. We should close sometime during the first two weeks of October. We'll go back to France mid-Sept. and finish packing our household stuff to put in storage before coming back to the US.
Then, we'll move to Atlanta to begin our year of home assignment. Pray with us for our schedule this coming year starting in November. We're unsure of the next step after our home assignment, though we have the year to seek the Lord and explore our options. Pray with us that when the time comes we'll know where He wants. We're so grateful for the peace we have, as well as the confidence the Lord has given us right now that He is faithful and will lead us in His timing.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Response to prayers!!!!!
Praise the Lord; we believe we have a buyer for our house! A family visited today and made us an offer tonight. They are the first ones to visit with their kids. The wife loves our house and the husband actually called me back a second time after he made the offer to assure me they were serious. He had stepped out of the house to reassure me they were very serious and that they really want the house and want to discuss the price. He’s close to where we need to be so I told him I was sure we would be able to reach an agreeable compromise.
I’m reminded in this whole situation about the Lord’s timing in our lives. We cannot begin to know or understand His ways, yet we benefit from them in so many different manners. For us it was a real step of faith to place our house on the market when real estate has declined 20% in the past 16 months. Several agents told us that houses that are selling right now are mostly two and three bedroom. Buyers looking for a four bedroom home are maybe one or two a month. We posted ours on the internet last week and signed with several agencies this week. The buyers are from the internet ad so they already gain by having no realtor fees. All this to say we didn’t know if we’d sell in one week, one month or one year! We certainly don’t deserve the Lord’s gracious timing in finding a buyer before we head to the US for the summer, but we rejoice and receive it with gratitude. His ways are indeed high above our own and his thoughts not even close to ours. Yet he sees fit to continually allow us to participate with Him in his plan to reach the world.
I’m reminded in this whole situation about the Lord’s timing in our lives. We cannot begin to know or understand His ways, yet we benefit from them in so many different manners. For us it was a real step of faith to place our house on the market when real estate has declined 20% in the past 16 months. Several agents told us that houses that are selling right now are mostly two and three bedroom. Buyers looking for a four bedroom home are maybe one or two a month. We posted ours on the internet last week and signed with several agencies this week. The buyers are from the internet ad so they already gain by having no realtor fees. All this to say we didn’t know if we’d sell in one week, one month or one year! We certainly don’t deserve the Lord’s gracious timing in finding a buyer before we head to the US for the summer, but we rejoice and receive it with gratitude. His ways are indeed high above our own and his thoughts not even close to ours. Yet he sees fit to continually allow us to participate with Him in his plan to reach the world.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Constant Change!!
That’s not really an oxymoron! The only thing constant and sure in life (besides Jesus!!) is change! We are certainly in the midst of that right now.
A couple of weeks ago we received our April financial report from the mission and the news was on the sobering side. Our support for the month was almost half what we need for our budget. We’ve seen a real drop in giving since last September, yet this past month puts us in a crisis. What to do?
After much prayer and discussion, Margaret and I have decided that the best thing for us at this point is to sell our home here in France and help alleviate some of the financial responsibilities we have here. Housing costs are a big chunk of our budget. That will also free us up to move to the next phase of ministry, wherever that happens to be in the future. We’ve had a sense for several weeks now that we are in transition. We believe that will be for some other location in France. We are open and seeking the Lord about what to do after this year in the US.
So… pray with us for a quick sale of the house (Standard time for a house sale here is 3-4 months, once you have a buyer!), for the move that will follow (We’ve already found a great place to store our things while in the US.), and for a hundred small details that need to fall into place in these coming months. Continue to pray also for housing in the Atlanta area starting this fall.
We have our last family conference on Saturday at a church in Paris. Pray for the couples who will attend this conference on Communicating Better in Marriage. After that only three weeks until we go stateside! Lots to do before leaving.
A couple of weeks ago we received our April financial report from the mission and the news was on the sobering side. Our support for the month was almost half what we need for our budget. We’ve seen a real drop in giving since last September, yet this past month puts us in a crisis. What to do?
After much prayer and discussion, Margaret and I have decided that the best thing for us at this point is to sell our home here in France and help alleviate some of the financial responsibilities we have here. Housing costs are a big chunk of our budget. That will also free us up to move to the next phase of ministry, wherever that happens to be in the future. We’ve had a sense for several weeks now that we are in transition. We believe that will be for some other location in France. We are open and seeking the Lord about what to do after this year in the US.
So… pray with us for a quick sale of the house (Standard time for a house sale here is 3-4 months, once you have a buyer!), for the move that will follow (We’ve already found a great place to store our things while in the US.), and for a hundred small details that need to fall into place in these coming months. Continue to pray also for housing in the Atlanta area starting this fall.
We have our last family conference on Saturday at a church in Paris. Pray for the couples who will attend this conference on Communicating Better in Marriage. After that only three weeks until we go stateside! Lots to do before leaving.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Coffee at the Hardware Store, part 2
I just finished another “project” with my friend, Bruno. The project was to help him finish redoing their kitchen by tiling the walls. They had already redone the counters and cabinets. I was working on tiling the backsplash area. Since it wasn’t a real large kitchen I could put on the tiles the first day and do the joints and trim the second day. We chose a holiday weekend so he was free to help Friday and Saturday.
Same routine as before: going out the door of the hardware store he asked me if I wanted a coffee. I politely declined this time since I just arrived from home and finishing breakfast, saying I preferred getting started and then taking a break in an hour. Sure enough, when the hour finished he was starting up the coffee maker! Gotta love working without pressure! We visited and talked over coffee, then continued while working. Covered the usual guy stuff- cars, family, children, wives, then moved on the church while meandering around rock and roll and music before ending up discussing politics. Actually, quite a bit of talk for guys! Our days included an hour lunch break (which we managed to stretch into an hour and a half!) and, of course, an afternoon coffee break.
We have a friend who used to say, “Life is too short to eat burnt English muffins!” That is one way of looking at life the way the French do. Painting and tiling are not more important than coffee and sharing friendship. It’s not either-or, it’s both-and. I realize these past few weeks I have missed the usual comings and goings of folks around our home. Since the church stopped meeting last month, we don’t have the regular times of meeting people that were a normal part of our schedule. I find I miss that. I’m more aware than ever that we are here just for those encounters, those moments of touching another life, of listening to a sad heart or offering an encouraging word. We are, after all, relational creatures, created in the image of Him who is relationship.
Glad I love good coffee!
Same routine as before: going out the door of the hardware store he asked me if I wanted a coffee. I politely declined this time since I just arrived from home and finishing breakfast, saying I preferred getting started and then taking a break in an hour. Sure enough, when the hour finished he was starting up the coffee maker! Gotta love working without pressure! We visited and talked over coffee, then continued while working. Covered the usual guy stuff- cars, family, children, wives, then moved on the church while meandering around rock and roll and music before ending up discussing politics. Actually, quite a bit of talk for guys! Our days included an hour lunch break (which we managed to stretch into an hour and a half!) and, of course, an afternoon coffee break.
We have a friend who used to say, “Life is too short to eat burnt English muffins!” That is one way of looking at life the way the French do. Painting and tiling are not more important than coffee and sharing friendship. It’s not either-or, it’s both-and. I realize these past few weeks I have missed the usual comings and goings of folks around our home. Since the church stopped meeting last month, we don’t have the regular times of meeting people that were a normal part of our schedule. I find I miss that. I’m more aware than ever that we are here just for those encounters, those moments of touching another life, of listening to a sad heart or offering an encouraging word. We are, after all, relational creatures, created in the image of Him who is relationship.
Glad I love good coffee!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Changes in the wind
Sunday, April 19
Well, much has happened in the past few weeks. We know for sure you are praying when we are at peace when making decisions in a limited time frame. I’ll explain. (Thus, the longer than usual update!)
Last month when I attended a conference with 50 other missionaries I discovered that I am not entirely in line with all the regulations concerning Social Security and the agreements between the US and France. I’ve tried several times over the past six years to get into the system here (which I’m required to do if I’m here longer than 5 years, and that certainly is the case.) yet haven’t found a way through all the complexities of the system. I learned last month that in order to do things correctly I need to return to the US for a year and a day so basically start anew and be able to do all the necessary paperwork correctly.
That being the case the obvious question is when? In discussing with our director at The Mission Society and prayerfully discussing it here we decided that the sooner, the better. Since we were planning a trip for a month this coming July to visit a few churches and family, we’ve decided to let that be the beginning of a year of home assignment. We haven’t done that long of a stay in the US since our return to France in 1998. We are beginning now to plan our itineration schedule to see as many of you as we possibly can from August ’09 through June 2010. I’ll send some rough ideas of the time frame for various areas of the country in the next update.
Our next biggest question was, of course, what about the house church? We only had one man in place to help lead and he isn’t ready to go solo, so what do we do? Interesting how the Lord goes before us in all things. Starting with the departure of our friends (the couple who left over an unresolved conflict in Feb.) and another lady who moved last year, our newer convert from the first year shared with us in Feb. as well, her desire to experience a larger church setting. We’ve been still meeting with a core group of seven the past two months. Two weeks ago two of the single folks told me that would like to return to the church we were all a part of before starting the house church. That only left three other single men. Last week after our Easter sunrise meeting we were ending with breakfast together. Margaret and I had decided we didn’t want to wait about sharing our plans so at the close of the meal we shared with the group. They were incredibly understanding. One of the single men even shared that the Lord had impressed upon him that we would be going to the states for a period of time soon!
So… after praying and sharing together last week, we jointly decided that we would stop the church meeting until we return. We looked at everyone’s calendars and decided that today would be the last meeting officially at our house on Sunday mornings. ( work, vacations, trips, etc. determined the date) We called those who had attended or visited over the past year and shared our plans, as well as the desire to celebrate all the Lord has done for us together these past two and a half years. Sixteen of us gathered for worship this morning and fourteen were able to stay for the meal we shared afterwards.
We shared a wonderful time in the Lord’s presence and with each other. I closed with a short message from the Psalms about remembering and our need to encourage and fortify each other with regular testimonies of God’s faithfulness. Then, I opened it up for sharing their encouraging memories from these months together. When everyone finally left at 5:30 this afternoon, Margaret and I were overwhelmed with gratitude and peace at how good the Lord is… all the time. Even when our plans change in a way we haven’t thought they would, he is still faithful. One of our friends this morning had an image as we were in worship. He saw a large room with many doors. Through each door was a hallway leading to another room. We were all looking at these doors and needing to choose the right one, which would be different for each of us. The Lord seemed to be saying to have no fear because he was still leading, even if the appearance was in different directions.
Prayer needs at this time:
- Renters for our house this next year
- A place for ourselves in the Atlanta area
- Wrapping up things here these next two months
- At the same time starting the planning process for the year ahead: scheduling, etc.
Thanks so very much for your faithfulness before the throne of grace.
Andrew
Well, much has happened in the past few weeks. We know for sure you are praying when we are at peace when making decisions in a limited time frame. I’ll explain. (Thus, the longer than usual update!)
Last month when I attended a conference with 50 other missionaries I discovered that I am not entirely in line with all the regulations concerning Social Security and the agreements between the US and France. I’ve tried several times over the past six years to get into the system here (which I’m required to do if I’m here longer than 5 years, and that certainly is the case.) yet haven’t found a way through all the complexities of the system. I learned last month that in order to do things correctly I need to return to the US for a year and a day so basically start anew and be able to do all the necessary paperwork correctly.
That being the case the obvious question is when? In discussing with our director at The Mission Society and prayerfully discussing it here we decided that the sooner, the better. Since we were planning a trip for a month this coming July to visit a few churches and family, we’ve decided to let that be the beginning of a year of home assignment. We haven’t done that long of a stay in the US since our return to France in 1998. We are beginning now to plan our itineration schedule to see as many of you as we possibly can from August ’09 through June 2010. I’ll send some rough ideas of the time frame for various areas of the country in the next update.
Our next biggest question was, of course, what about the house church? We only had one man in place to help lead and he isn’t ready to go solo, so what do we do? Interesting how the Lord goes before us in all things. Starting with the departure of our friends (the couple who left over an unresolved conflict in Feb.) and another lady who moved last year, our newer convert from the first year shared with us in Feb. as well, her desire to experience a larger church setting. We’ve been still meeting with a core group of seven the past two months. Two weeks ago two of the single folks told me that would like to return to the church we were all a part of before starting the house church. That only left three other single men. Last week after our Easter sunrise meeting we were ending with breakfast together. Margaret and I had decided we didn’t want to wait about sharing our plans so at the close of the meal we shared with the group. They were incredibly understanding. One of the single men even shared that the Lord had impressed upon him that we would be going to the states for a period of time soon!
So… after praying and sharing together last week, we jointly decided that we would stop the church meeting until we return. We looked at everyone’s calendars and decided that today would be the last meeting officially at our house on Sunday mornings. ( work, vacations, trips, etc. determined the date) We called those who had attended or visited over the past year and shared our plans, as well as the desire to celebrate all the Lord has done for us together these past two and a half years. Sixteen of us gathered for worship this morning and fourteen were able to stay for the meal we shared afterwards.
We shared a wonderful time in the Lord’s presence and with each other. I closed with a short message from the Psalms about remembering and our need to encourage and fortify each other with regular testimonies of God’s faithfulness. Then, I opened it up for sharing their encouraging memories from these months together. When everyone finally left at 5:30 this afternoon, Margaret and I were overwhelmed with gratitude and peace at how good the Lord is… all the time. Even when our plans change in a way we haven’t thought they would, he is still faithful. One of our friends this morning had an image as we were in worship. He saw a large room with many doors. Through each door was a hallway leading to another room. We were all looking at these doors and needing to choose the right one, which would be different for each of us. The Lord seemed to be saying to have no fear because he was still leading, even if the appearance was in different directions.
Prayer needs at this time:
- Renters for our house this next year
- A place for ourselves in the Atlanta area
- Wrapping up things here these next two months
- At the same time starting the planning process for the year ahead: scheduling, etc.
Thanks so very much for your faithfulness before the throne of grace.
Andrew
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Families and travels
Today I finished the second day of a conference with our family ministry, Famille Je t’Aime, for a church in Brittany on the theme Raising Children. We had two sessions yesterday and then I preached this morning on the importance of blessing our children. The response was very encouraging. One man commented that he thought all parents should be required to attend a conference like this where they are asked to work on some practical ways of developing their relationship with their children. Pray that the Lord would indeed help these parents to implement their plan they developed during the weekend.
Margaret left on Thursday for three weeks in the US. She will be sharing in a couple of churches and also meeting our grandson, Collin Alexander Howell, for the first time! Pray for her as she travels from Atlanta to Orlando, then up to Nashville to visit Nathan, Collin and Amanda, before heading back to Atlanta to return home April 7.
Next weekend I travel to eastern France to Lautenbach where the main office is for Famille Je t’Aime. I will be attending our board meeting and the General Assembly, which is the annual meeting of those who support and share in the ministry. We’ll be celebrating on Saturday evening the 20th anniversary of the ministry! Thanks for your prayers as we will also be making decisions about some future plans for ministry among families in France, as well as expanding into the larger French-speaking world, especially opportunities which are opening in Africa.
Margaret left on Thursday for three weeks in the US. She will be sharing in a couple of churches and also meeting our grandson, Collin Alexander Howell, for the first time! Pray for her as she travels from Atlanta to Orlando, then up to Nashville to visit Nathan, Collin and Amanda, before heading back to Atlanta to return home April 7.
Next weekend I travel to eastern France to Lautenbach where the main office is for Famille Je t’Aime. I will be attending our board meeting and the General Assembly, which is the annual meeting of those who support and share in the ministry. We’ll be celebrating on Saturday evening the 20th anniversary of the ministry! Thanks for your prayers as we will also be making decisions about some future plans for ministry among families in France, as well as expanding into the larger French-speaking world, especially opportunities which are opening in Africa.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Thanks, Lord, I needed that!
Last Sunday during our house church meeting one of the men in the group had a word for us and wanted to pray for us. It was very timely- all the more so as he began to pray over us. He basically said that the Lord knew our hearts were broken and He was shedding tears, too, over broken relationships. He then went on to pray for us to not be discouraged, that the Lord would help us be faithful and that He had a design in all things- including pain, disappointments, and tears. This was such an encouragement since this man is related to the couple that just left over unresolved conflict!
I spent an encouraging week attending two conferences. The first is a yearly meeting of missionaries and field leaders. This year we were 48 from about 20+ different missions. It’s a one day retreat where we share what we’re doing, resources that might be helpful, and events others could benefit from knowing about. The other conference was for church planters in France. This was a group of about 60 missionaries and French pastors who met for training and encouragement. The speaker was a Belgian pastor who has started an emerging church. He was challenging us on our concepts of church (are they manmade or Biblical?) and our ability to adapt and adjust to meet folks in a rapidly changing culture while maintaining Biblical principles. Encouraged to see that we are doing some of the things he shared, and challenged to incorporate other ideas. (i.e. using all 5 senses in our worship meetings)
I spent an encouraging week attending two conferences. The first is a yearly meeting of missionaries and field leaders. This year we were 48 from about 20+ different missions. It’s a one day retreat where we share what we’re doing, resources that might be helpful, and events others could benefit from knowing about. The other conference was for church planters in France. This was a group of about 60 missionaries and French pastors who met for training and encouragement. The speaker was a Belgian pastor who has started an emerging church. He was challenging us on our concepts of church (are they manmade or Biblical?) and our ability to adapt and adjust to meet folks in a rapidly changing culture while maintaining Biblical principles. Encouraged to see that we are doing some of the things he shared, and challenged to incorporate other ideas. (i.e. using all 5 senses in our worship meetings)
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Relationships are real life
These past couple of weeks has been interesting contrasts in relationships for us. We just said good-bye on Thursday to some new friends, Chris and Scarlet, from Tallahassee, FL. They were here from one of our team churches to see what we are doing and explore the possibility of sending a couple of short term mission teams. Their week included working alongside us in our weekly routines, visiting our house church last Sunday, and, of course, a day in Paris to see some of the sights, but mostly to experience some of the culture and learn a bit of the spiritual landscape. (How can we do that without also experiencing another part of the culture: crepes and croissants and coffee?!)
We had a delightful visit and were helped and encouraged by their presence for a week. On the other hand, we’re going through a painful potential loss of relationship with someone in our church fellowship. We discovered recently (again!) that communication in any language is a real challenge. We’re walking through a conflictual situation that appears to be heading towards someone leaving our fellowship over unresolved issues. We’re sad, though peaceful, since we’ve tried to follow through with reconciliation even though it hasn’t come to fruition.
So, you can see that living in another culture doesn’t change the dynamics of relationships.
As we discussed in our Bible study this morning in church, relationships are the true test of our faith, allowing us to put into practice what we believe. Pray for us that the Lord Jesus would continue to transform us more and more so that we reflect his image.
Be blessed, Andrew
We had a delightful visit and were helped and encouraged by their presence for a week. On the other hand, we’re going through a painful potential loss of relationship with someone in our church fellowship. We discovered recently (again!) that communication in any language is a real challenge. We’re walking through a conflictual situation that appears to be heading towards someone leaving our fellowship over unresolved issues. We’re sad, though peaceful, since we’ve tried to follow through with reconciliation even though it hasn’t come to fruition.
So, you can see that living in another culture doesn’t change the dynamics of relationships.
As we discussed in our Bible study this morning in church, relationships are the true test of our faith, allowing us to put into practice what we believe. Pray for us that the Lord Jesus would continue to transform us more and more so that we reflect his image.
Be blessed, Andrew
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Coffee at the hardware store
When was the last time you had a coffee at Home Depot? Yeah, I know there are coffee shops in the grocery stores and elsewhere in the US. But a hardware store? Last week I went to help a friend, Bruno, with a small job in his kitchen. He wanted to change the gas hose on their stove- a pretty simple task, right? The whole thing took maybe 30 minutes. Yet I spent a couple of hours with him on Sat. because of friendship and the French culture. I arrived at his apartment, we got the hose and went to the hardware store to buy the replacement. That took all of 20 minutes. We weren't finished yet. Since there happened to be a coffee shop in the hardware store, and since we were there, and since it is France, well ... pour quoi pas - why not? as the French say! So, half an hour later we're on our way back to his apartment to do our 30 min. job. We installed the gas hose- easy enough with a quick check of the spray tester to verify no leaks. (Come to find out, that was his main concern and the reason he wanted me there- to be sure it was done correctly! When did I become the expert?) Of course, with conversation and sharing we've spent more than an hour on our small task. But, in reality I didn't go there to change a gas hose, I went to find out how he was doing in his journey of grief since his 18 year old son was killed in an accident just over a year ago. That ultimately brings us to late morning, and, well,… why not finish the morning with a cup of coffee! He'll put on the pot and it won't take but a minute. Oh, if you insist! I do! OK!
So... two cups and two and a half hours later I'm on my way home. I thought about all the times we share around a cup of coffee, or whatever your favorite beverage happens to be. At Christmas when we took goodies around to the neighbors, we managed to do it in about three hours because in delivering 8 plates of cookies, two folks invited us in for un petit café, a small cup of coffee. It took only a few minutes to walk the neighborhood, but quite a bit more time to visit with a warm cup of java. And of course, there is more connection with those neighbors than the ones with whom we visit over the fence.
Next time you drink a cup, pray for all the folks with whom we have a chance to share or encourage or just listen!
So... two cups and two and a half hours later I'm on my way home. I thought about all the times we share around a cup of coffee, or whatever your favorite beverage happens to be. At Christmas when we took goodies around to the neighbors, we managed to do it in about three hours because in delivering 8 plates of cookies, two folks invited us in for un petit café, a small cup of coffee. It took only a few minutes to walk the neighborhood, but quite a bit more time to visit with a warm cup of java. And of course, there is more connection with those neighbors than the ones with whom we visit over the fence.
Next time you drink a cup, pray for all the folks with whom we have a chance to share or encourage or just listen!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
God of surprises!!!
Our atheist friend attended church in our home yesterday! She was warm and friendly, even participating in the lively discussion on leadership. One of the youngest members of the group gave his testimony- powerful declaration of his search and finding God, first as an adolescent, distancing himself in university, then returning to the Lord a little over two years ago. He was very clear about his need for the relationships in the church. Our friend told her companion (member of our church) later during the day that she was surprised in her visit because we were not at all what she expected. (Read here: cult!) Praise God! She was warmly welcomed and greeted by everyone and we were open with her. As I talked with her afterwards, I told her if she had the slightest questions about her experience or our beliefs she could feel free to ask them. She thanked me and left around 1:00pm. ( Yes, sometimes our discussions go a little longer than normal church. Also, folks stay around and visit and some Sundays do not seem to be in a hurry to leave!)
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Time flys!!!
I don't know if I'll be able to keep this up very well since I blink twice and the week is over! We're continuing to meet with our discipleship groups in the house church. Right now we have two men's groups and two women's groups. This gives us a 99% participation in small groups, not bad for a French group. Pray for tomorrow's meeting when we have an atheist friend visiting. She is very skeptical, yet is in a relationship with a guy in our church so she's also curious and intrigued with the whole Christianity thing. She doesn't know what it really is so we're praying we can just love her into the kingdom.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
New Adventure!!!
I decided that old dogs can learn new tricks! Hence, I'm trying my hand at blogging. We plan to use this more to communicate with supporters and friends. This is a trial and I make no promises about frequency, etc. Mostly just want to let folks know what is happening in the suburbs of Paris and how you can pray for us.
Be blessed, Andrew
Be blessed, Andrew
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