After a few days with Marc's parents we Eurostarred over to the UK for a couple of days at my parents' before our last ministry trip of the year. We visited churches in Hatfield, Bedford and Yeovil, and as usual it was a great time of sharing, catching up with people and being prayed for. We are always thankful for people's prayers, and it's even better when we're there to hear them.
We had asked for prayer for safety on our travels, and that was well and truly answered when my dad's car started making a strange noise. Five minutes later we met my sister's mechanic who "just happened" to be at her house servicing her car. He agreed to take a look at the car, and ended up changing the brake pads, one of which had actually split down the middle. I always feel humbled when God allows us to discover a problem and find His solution almost simultaneously!
In amongst the visits we also had the treat of a day at Stourhead, a place very close to my heart ever since I went on a school trip there at the age of 15. It was great to see the kids running around the beautiful gardens.
We are now in Derbyshire at my parents' until we return to Benin late next Saturday (6th August).
We made it. All our family members and possessions were out of the flat, and it had been well cleaned, by 3pm on Friday when we had to hand it over. It was hard work, but we were well-supported by friends and family, both through practical help and prayers.
A fridge and bed frame on top of a car which is already pulling a full trailer:
The day before we left:
We were happy to hear the lady from the agency say that she wished all flats were handed back to her in such good condition, and happy too to hear her offer to help us find a flat when we (probably) settle in Nancy again in 2020.
We are now at Marc's parents, and found someone (family of a friend) to buy our car at the very last minute!
Tomorrow we continue our journey on to the UK by train ... hoping we manage to carry all our luggage!!
This has been such a full and fun year. We have been really blessed and are very thankful to God for everything.
I'm back to lists, and have a new game. I can play it in any room of my flat, and it's called "Where are you going?" I just look round and ask every object that question ... of course they leave it up to me to answer!
I'm going to be very sad to leave, but I'm surrounding that with thankfulness. You're only sad about losing things and people when they've been a wonderful gift in the first place.
The park near our flat. (I do miss parks when we're in Benin!)
We can tell it's the end of the school year. Concerts, sports day and school summer fairs ... the first two are past, and we have two summer fairs to go.
Simon's half of the school and Benjy's half of the school had their concerts on Monday and Tuesday evenings last week. I was quite moved to see our boys up on stage with their friends, because this is exactly the kind of experience we hoped they would get this year. Homeschooling has some advantages, but being able to put on a concert with so many other children, classmates who they know so well, isn't something they will be doing in Benin. And I don't think it is something they would have chosen to do - another advantage of mainstream schooling!
Simon even said a line into the microphone to introduce one of the songs in his concert. It's probably a good thing Benjy didn't have to, as he looked quite stagestruck when the curtains first opened, and didn't really looked relaxed until the last line of the last song!
Here is a photo - I have blurred it since you shouldn't put recognisable photos of other people's kids up on the internet, but you get the idea! Benjy is the one in the middle at the front with a yellow T-shirt and beige trousers.
Marc and I were asked to lead a Family Service in our church at the end of May. Not long after we were asked to do this, one of our supporting churches in England (Christ Church Bedford) said that they would like to send a small team of people to visit us. They would be able to spend time with us to encourage us, and to find out more about our ministry in Benin and our current life in France. We said we'd love to have them, and asked whether they'd be prepared to help lead the Family Service, which they said they would.
We chose the theme of "teamwork", and Marc prepared a short talk around the idea of the bench that footballers sit on when not out on the field playing. He pointed out that in our Christian life we sometimes find ourselves not out in the centre of the action but "on the bench" ... where we still have our part to play, encouraging our teammates and celebrating or commiserating with them.
He gave the example of missionaries, saying that when we are out in Benin it is really important for us to have people "on our bench" - meaning the churches who support us financially, in prayer and with messages of encouragement. But we also play that role to other people who are "on the field" in other activities, encouraging them from Benin as we rejoice in their service for God wherever they are.
Our friends prepared a game, a story, a testimony and a song on the same theme of teamwork, and despite them only arriving on the Saturday evening, our service held together very well. We then had a lovely afternoon and evening with them. It's great to have them on our team!
At the Botanical Gardens:
In Jeremiah 51:46, speaking of rumours in troubled times, there are three words in Hebrew translated in the ESV by "ruler against ruler".
One French version translates it with three similar words, but another has something like "the coup d'état of one dictator who replaces another". So in Monkolé it has been translated as:
"Ilu gbugbã gɔ á na ku dedei nɔ ku lele ilaalu iyi í wa si bomma ku gba agbɛɛ,
nɔ inɛ mmu gɔ mɔ ku na ku dede ku gba agbɛi nŋu mɔ" which means something like "One strong man comes forward and pushes out the king who was on the throne to take his place, and someone else again comes forward to take his place".
Is it necessary to go into this much detail? Does it matter if we do? Does it matter if we don't? Does this really sound like a rumour? Just one of the discussions the team will need to have when I get back to Benin!
Our church, the Eglise Evangélique de Villers-lès-Nancy, celebrated thirty years of existence this last weekend. There were various events to mark the occasion.
On Saturday afternoon we had a meeting to thank God for His faithfulness and to look forward to the future, with a sermon by the founder of the church, David Brown. This was followed by a sort of summer fayre not only for the church children, but for local children. We had well over a hundred children attend, which was brilliant. There were various games, allowing them to "earn" stickers, and these stickers bought them either candyfloss, goes on the bouncy castle, face painting or prizes (they could choose, but each prize was worth a certain number of points).
Later there was a apératif with two local mayors, with short speeches. And then we ended the evening eating Alsatian "flammenkueche" and a huge birthday cake made by one of the members of our church.
On Sunday we had a service with the president of France Mission preaching, followed by a bring-and-share lunch.
Having been here for the 20th anniversary of the church, Marc and I were really happy to be here to celebrate the 30th! This church has been family to us for many years, and it still feels like family despite all the people who have left and new people who have arrived. And it is lovely to see our sons and daughter have found their place here too.
