Please Pray For MENA's needs

Things are and continue to be intense as we approach Congress.  My leave date is less than three weeks away, and I'm feeling it!  So much going on as we prep and also as I have been working on an application and preparing for my next (placement) trip this fall.  I also had the opportunity to visit a home fellowship who supports me last week.

That is always so special to have people locally who know who I am and affirm their partnership with me by having me visit.  As I shared hi lights and challenges of this past year as well as the upcoming transition, I was blessed at everyone's questions and insights, especially the children's!  During the prayer time at the end that consisted of everyone's prayer needs, I shared one I'd just learned of the day before: that our 5 delegates from MENA (M. East, N. Africa) still hadn't received their Visas after months of failed attempts and rejections both in-person and online!

How special to pray for this together and start seeing evidence of answered prayer the very next day when we discovered that they needed another letter.  I'm not sure if this has been the hold-up or not, but it certainly seems promising that there was something else we could offer to assist them in this process.  I'd ask you to please join us in praying for this very practical need.  Will keep you posted!

Transition Time

Things have been busy!  To catch you up, when I left France, I had lots of questions whirling around in my mind.  Would I return to France?  Would I continue with the French translation work?  How long would I stay with EE?

To answer the last question first, this is something I have been praying about for a while.  I sensed that this is not what the Lord has for me long-term a year and a half ago.  I believe He started revealing the next steps to me back in February of this year, though I was still unsure of the "when" or the details.  I had purposed to remain with EE until the Congress next month, but was open to staying longer.  

Even when I left, I was thinking I may stay through December, especially if I could get the French translation complete.  My last week in France, I learned two significant pieces of information.  First, I was nearly out of support.  Second, as I mentioned in my last newsletter, 1/2 of the pages were missing from the Canadian materials and had never even been translated!  On top of that, the revised translation needs more revision and just wasn't acceptable to French youth.  It was like going back to Square One.

Being a "glass is half full" kind of a gal with a God who thrives on impossibility, I wasn't too fazed.  These were real issues, but I did not jump to any conclusions based on either.  I was thankful to have a two-week period I was house/dog-sitting early to mid-June to hopefully process and pray through everything.  

As things turned out, these two weeks ended up being incredibly stressful with multiple emergencies within the ministry, the home, and the dog.  Let's just say it was highly unconducive to gathering one's thoughts or decision-making.  At least, I should say, on a natural level, because the Lord managed to bring me to a place of clarity, direction, and complete peace within those two exasperating weeks.  In fact, He spoke to each of my questions in a way that helped me arrive at my answer.  

The house where I stayed has hundreds of books, not to mention I was already in the middle of a novel I was enjoying.  "Something" (the Holy Spirit) guided me to pick up a book by Elisabeth Elliott called These Strange Ashes.  This is not a book I normally would've been drawn to for multiple reasons, but now I know it was the Lord's doing.  Spoiler alert: I even knew about Elisabeth Elliott's experience, but reading the story of her first year as a missionary was a more vivid context to learn that after her arduous work--much more than anything I gave--all of her completed translation work was stolen and to this day has never been recovered!  Not only could I identify with her feelings, but the Lord used it to help me get to a place of acceptance that the time, energy, and work invested in the French translation was lost; and I am free to move on even though it's sad and disappointing.

Going back to the financial situation, I wasn't afraid or nervous; to me, this was confirmation that my time at EE is ending, and sooner than later.  Conversations with SAMS and EE helped bring me to a place of acceptance and realization that now (at the end of Congress) is the time to finish rather than staying longer.  And don't worry, true to His character, the Lord is providing for my needs, even through some of you, without even knowing my situation.

I won't share every little detail, but I'm still amazed and grateful at how the Lord was able to speak and get through to me at such a seemingly inopportune time using a variety of circumstances and testimonies.  I'm impressed how He can take natural circumstances or stories and infuse them with the Holy Spirit's touch to translate into specific, pertinent messages for our individual personal lives.  

I'm only now starting to share with others about the news and will, of course, share in my next newsletter.  It's still too early to give more information about location or assignment,  but I do plan to stay long-term with SAMS who is discerning this with me.  Thank you so much for sticking with me through the thick and the thin.  

Please continue to pray for Congress prep and Congress itself.  Please also pray for the interviews, decisions, and planning about the future.  Finally I give thanks for the Lord's financial provision and encouragement and pray for the finances needed for where He's leading me next.  I'll keep you posted!

Congress is Coming Up!

Ready or not, the long-awaited Congress of Nations 2019 is just around the corner.  At this morning's online Congress Planning meeting, we were reminded of how much there is to still do!  On the other hand, it's amazing at all of the progress the teams have made so far.

If you've ever helped plan a large event, you can probably relate to all the "unexpected" and details that require time and attention.  Thankfully I'm detail-oriented, which has helped at the tasks that require precision.  I usually avoid getting into the nitty-gritty so I don't bore you, but it's a large part of what I'm doing these days.  

To give an example, last week I was re-reading a document with passport information that a hotel had written so that our delegates could get Visas.  I noticed that one of the numbers and a birth date were inaccurate even though I had entered it correctly on the original document I'd sent the hotel.  Not that I don't make mistakes because I'm very capable!  And that's just it: there are so many details that, if missed, could cost a delegate their right to enter the host country!  

We're so blessed that our leader, Tony, who is bearing the bulk of the responsibility leads us in humility and dependence on the Lord as he prays for us all in these meetings.  Would you please join us in prayer?   We'd be so grateful!

From Lux to Charleston

My final days in Lux were filled with fun and of course packing and goodbye's including a Going Away Party.  It was nice to get to visit with friends as well as some local areas I hadn't yet seen.  I left not knowing if I'll return or not.  The invitation is open, but it will depend on several factors and next steps with ministry goals and how to best meet them.

Group went to see La Voix du Pardon (I Can Only Imagine) at the cinema.

Got to try a Burgundy dish (oeufs meurettes) with Sara

Going Away Party Potluck

Pétanque: Based on the pictures I saw, I use improper form,
but I managed to win us some points. 😉

Philippe and Raphaël praying for me

The transition back has been very nice, though I came back to a lot with 4 major events over the weekend alone!  Even though I do miss a lot when I'm away and I admit that the travel can be taxing; I'm amazed how God has graced me with the privilege to be in Charleston for important moments like my nephew's graduation party and niece's birthday.  

Nephew graduated!

I'm also grateful to have used vacation days upon my return.  Wow, this helped so much.  I'm usually a bit stressed when I jump back into work when I'm tired and also trying to see family and friends.  This time, I could relax and give myself permission to do just that.

With family and friends celebrating my niece's birthday

Back to work today (Wednesday).  We continue to prep for the Congress of Nations in August.  That's an ongoing prayer request as it requires a tremendous effort from many especially at EEI, but also the European team and the VP's.  May we not underestimate the power of prayer!  I also need wisdom and guidance regarding the French materials and our goals for France in general.

Will keep you posted!

Last Week in Lux!

Wow, it's hard to believe that 3 days from now I will leave my home for the past 3 months.  The last couple of weeks have been incredibly full with many meetings, projects, and planning, including the  XEE development.

Maryse gave me the materials back at church on Sunday, and we agreed to meet Tuesday afternoon before the meeting I had with EEI.  I used much of Monday evening to skim over her corrections in the 76-page handbook and read through the 29-page DVD script.  I'm so incredibly thankful for Maryse's help who volunteered her time completely to do this time-consuming work.  I thanked her with some European chocolates and a "Thank You" card.  When she followed suit and thanked me, I was wondering why; but I realised that she is truly appreciative to have someone who is working on bringing this evangelistic tool to France and the French people.  Moments that touch like that on a heart level make what I do worth all of the challenges that come along with it.

That afternoon's meeting I was able to ask for the English script as I wanted to compare the two.  As I began comparing the next day, I learned the hard truth: the French translation I received is missing 29 pages (half of its content)! What a setback! 😢  Yet, God is still on the throne and saw this as no surprise.  That said, this poses several dilemmas.  I'll spare you the details, but would you please pray for wisdom and strategy as how to best proceed?  

The more I compared the two translations, the more I realised there is more work to do in the revision process.  What started as me asking a few questions turned into over two hours with French friends Sara and Clara hashing out the nit-picky nuances and cliches to improve some of the translation.  I'm well-acquainted with the tedious, even taxing mental exercises translating requires and am super blessed that these two would give their time at the end of a long day to help the dialogue sound more suitable for French youth who will be using the materials.  

I was tempted to be discouraged that it gives even more work ahead since we only covered a portion of it, but I'm mostly thankful to have had a couple of hours with the closest thing to a team on the XEE project I've had so far.  

Please thank the Lord with me for all of these French women who have helped advance the XEE project.  Please continue to pray for guidance, provision, and protection over the process.  It might be a while before you hear from me again via the blog. :)

Another Step Forward!

printed XEE materials

I've been waiting to get these for a month now.  There were a few reasons for the holdup, including some miscommunication, but today was the day!  

A big thank you to all who have been praying for the French XEE materials.  It is a large project with many decisions and pieces.  It's quite challenging since I've never done this before and don't have a team to work with.  I've learned the value of teamwork through the ELT and am thankful to serve together in that role, but when it comes to the French XEE ministry, I'm a Lone Ranger and not by choice!  I'm encouraged, though, to have possibilities of others to help with the planning and incredibly grateful for the provision of Maryse, who will be revising the materials.  I'll hand them off to her Wednesday evening.  Would you please pray for her?  For protection, wisdom, accuracy and insight?  It would be wonderful to have these completed by the time I depart two weeks from today.

In the meantime, I'm corresponding with the Swiss team as well as EE International about the film portion and printing.  In particular, I have an important meeting next Tuesday with someone at EEI.  These are major decisions, and I ask for your prayers for each one.

I am sincerely thankful for the partnership of those who pray with and for me and the ministry here as well as those who have given financially or encouraging words along the way.  These really do make the difference.   Thank you!  Each step forward is worth celebrating: yay!  Thanks for rejoicing with me.

It's a Small World

We had a full table at the 8:15 prayer meeting this morning.  There are normally 5 of us, but this morning there were 12!  This is a blessing in itself because the additional people are volunteers, which is a huge answer to prayer.  (Thank you for praying and please keep them coming!)

It was on my heart to pray for the couple I've mentioned in previous blogs who run the ministry called Espoir et Vie in Alsace, so I prayed for them by name.  It was my only prayer this morning.  One of the visiting men sitting all the way across the table asked the name of the young woman in the red coat (me).  He asked about the couple I had prayed for and told me he is Jérémie's father!  We were all silent with surprise.  

"How do you know them?"  I explained how I'd met them in November the week after I'd left here.  He was visibly touched and encouraged to hear us praying for them, and I was full of thanks to the Holy Spirit for having prompted me to the same morning that his father was present without me even knowing it.  We all agreed what a small world it is!