Gifts

First picture- garedens at the Revolution museum... how much more picturesque can you get?
Second- Fantastic mural- this took up a whole wall in the museum
Third- Museum of the Revolution
Fourth- The Chateau the Revolution museum was in
Fifth- chatting it up with Calvin at the Reformation museum

Looking back at this week, it has been one of simple and beautiful gifts. Let me count the ways:

-Last weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Geneva and stay with good friends parents. They provided a wonderful taste of Switzerland (that included a visit to the Reformation Museum!) and made me feel special. It was a gift to have a piece of familiar in the unfamiliar, like a nice shower or praying out loud before meals.

-Also this week, I got to visit the art museum that is across the street from my residence hall. It was simply beautiful, with beautiful time of conversation over ice cream afterward. The director of the program I am in is an artist and has been giving me sketching lessons, so it was great to have him their to give us fantastic tidbits of information.

-Came across a French old bookstore, and came across one of my favorites- The Chronicles of Narnia, in French!

-Had dinner with the church I have been visiting and was able to communicate with them better than usual. After dinner I got to listen to them preach on Mark for two hours.

-Yesterday I got to visit what has been my favorite museum thus far- the museum of the French Revolution. It had the most picturesque and breathtaking gardens I have ever seen.

Listing these things out does not seem to do any of them justice, I think what made them all so special was that each of these things was just what I needed, though I did not know I needed them at the time. Looking back in gratitude also helps me see my ungratefulness for the Lord’s continuous provision. Both now and in the hard times he has continually provided enough for each day, though I often doubt that He will or that He has.

I started reading John in French this week, which has provided both a challenge and a fun adventure. I feel as though every word looks so much different (not just literally) as I read it in French. Next Saturday I leave with the three other girls in my group to have our own “tour de France”. We will start in Paris, then visit the Loire Valley, then Bordeaux, and finish in Nice. This will provide a lot of together time, so please pray for the non believers in our group- that the Lord will draw them to himself, and that light will shine in the shadows and the shadows will not accommodate the light (as translated from French in John). Please pray also that I will not give way to the selfish desires of my flesh, but remember who I am in Christ as I seek to serve the other girls.

love for creaky steps

This week has flown by. I could hardly believe that it has almost been a week since I posted the last blog. Though this week was wonderful, I also encountered my first couple bumps in the road. By Monday, French class transitioned from creating enthusiasm and excitement to creating a strong desire to bang my head against a wall. Walking in these new shoes of life in France for two weeks has made me aware of where blisters can rub in regards to things within the culture, within our group, and within me. Though becoming aware of the soft spots is not pleasant, I am thankful to be aware before a huge blister formed.
These soft spots have allowed Grenoble to feel more like a home than a vacation spot. This week has been one of spotting the creaky steps and the leaky faucets, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! Each home has its quirks that make it unique, and make you love it. I was able to be switched to a French class that is on a more appropriate level, I am becoming more and more in love with the French people and culture, and I find myself thanking the Lord several times a day for placing me with the girls who are in my program.

Random tidbits and some of my new favorite things:
-I love French old people. I went to a church on Sunday and had lunch with people from the church afterward. I talked to two old ladies for about two hours (the standard time for a French lunch or dinner), and it was wonderful hearing their stories. One of them was in Grenoble while occupied by the Germans in WWII, and spoke with joy as she descried the Americans coming to liberate it six days after D-Day. Also, her parents were Jews, so they hid in the woods of a small French village- one of the pastors of that village was the dad of the other old lady sitting next to her!
-The French love to talk politics. The two ladies mentioned above had no problem asking me point blank who I voted for and gave a large and longwinded reprimand for not voting for the French’s new favorite politician.
-I love French little kids. For some reason, I think they are adorable.
-I love Grenoble in the morning. I have afternoon classes a couple times a week, so I have had the opportunity to walk around in the cool, crisp mountain mornings. Initially I would simply walk around discovering all the different shops and markets while watching the city wake up. The favorite mornings though, have been getting to sit in the cafes while I read or try to eavesdrop on conversations to help with my French. All has been marvelous!

Sorry no pictures thus far, I have been having trouble getting them from my camera to my computer. I will try and snag some from other students and put them up next week. Thank you all for your prayers and support!

"...His greatness is unsearchable"

First: Waterfall by the caves
Second: Roman temple
Third: Roman reinacments
Fourth: More Romans
Fifth: Roman ampitheatre


I have been here a few days over a week and the great things I have been able to do and people I have talked to have made me find myself saying a phrase that has been very familiar in my life, "I never would have guessed me here".
Classes started this week- we have it five days a week, four hours a day. We took a placement test Tuesday and we started classes on Wednesday. The first day was a bit intimidating, primarily because as the professor was “reviewing”, she was asking us to do things that I have never learned before. But after getting over the fact that I will simply have to play catch up with the grammar aspect, I am really enjoying class. The cultural dynamic of my class is very interesting. It is made up primarily of Chinese students, a few from Saudi Arabia and Japan, one from Sweden, and another girl in my program and I are the only Americans. Sometimes at the end she will pare us up with people from another culture and we talk in French about things that are different between us. I have loved getting to find out so much more things about the Chinese, as well as the French culture! I often leave class enthusiastic to take what I have learned in the classroom and use it with the new French speaking friends I have made.
Before I left I had looked up churches online and found that was having a get together for international student’s night before last, it entailed all of the churches in Grenoble met for a “Barbeque”. When I say Barbeque, it was nothing like one in the States- but it was lots of fun! It was also very humbling. Usually I am the one ministering to a different people coming in or organizing an event, but it was weird being the guest. Sometimes I felt like a three year old, because I initially had a hard time communicating, but I met a group of really nice people and combined with my broken French and their broken English we laughed a lot and had a good time. At the end, they taught us all four different old French dances- I didn’t catch the name of them, but they were so much fun! I also enjoyed hearing people who love Jesus sing His praises in the tongue that I am trying to learn. I had a very good time and look forward to continuing to get to know and worship with the great people that I met.
Today we went to a city in France called Vienne; it used to be a major Roman city and we got to see LOTS of Roman ruins. Also, once a year the museum there hosts an event where people dress up in authentic Roman garb from different eras as they run different stations about original Roman culture. It was fun to see a lot of what I learned in my history books come to life!
Day before last our group went hiking and got to see some very neat caves. Interesting note- they started giving tours of that cave in 1867! Right next to the cave entrance was a lot of beautiful landscape to hike through with access to a breathtaking waterfall. If you know me well or have been on a tip with me, you know that I am not really one to take pictures. I would rather write down what is going on, or simply experience it and then mooch off of the five other cameras that are taking the same picture. But this day I felt inspired for some reason to try and capture the beauty I saw through taking a picture. Of course, I tried from all different angles and all different settings… and none of them would suffice to do the place an inch of justice. As I continued the walk through the area, frustrated with my camera, I was able to marvel and thank the Lord that both He and His creation seem to be that way… unable to be summed up or done justice. Sure pictures provide opportunity for great comparisons and metaphors, but those always fall short or break down. Praise our Father that we serve a God whose neither depth we can not capture or greatness we can not comprehend. “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, His greatness is unsearchable”. I hope and pray that the life that has been given to be may be one that is filled with searching this unsearchable greatness-for the Lord's glory and fame