Parlant and Other Difficult Things....

Well, it's been about two weeks that we've been here! I'm beginning to get out of my "mission trip" haze and realize that, I'm not going home for a while.... It's a strange feeling, especially when I've been going on mission trips for the past three years, most of which last two weeks. It's about now we'd be heading home, but obviously, that isn't happening. So I'm working on settling in, getting used to life here, and understanding my surroundings. Needless to say it's not always easy.

We started language classes last week! It's been a fun and challenging experience so far... The word parler (to speak) being one of those challenges as well. It's a difficult word to say, and in many ways my frustration with trying to say it (properly in French, where pronunciation is key!) is embodied by the word itself: to speak. I cannot speak here! Not French anyway. And for those of you who have not been in this sort of situation, trying to learn a foreign language whilst in said foreign country, let me tell you, it is INCREDIBLY frustrating! Simple things become nearly impossible because, well, you can't say what you want to say, and you can't understand the other person when they are trying to talk to you.... You feel like a child again, constantly looking around for help (even when everyone you're with is in the same boat...), and feel quite helpless at times because help cannot be found. But in all of this I am also realizing how reliant I need to be on the Lord. Sure, I can learn a language, but if I am trusting the Lord to help me do it, I will be that much more proficient at it.

The longer we are here, the more I can see my own struggles. It's a daily battle not to take things personally, or start picking at myself for offhanded comments others make. It's interesting how when we are put in situations such as this, and things we barely struggled with before become magnified. I know the Lord is bringing these things into the light so that they can be worked through, with Him. I'm a sensitive person, but man has it been amplified this past week! The Lord is definitely working on this area of my life with me. It's not easy, these things never are, but it's so worth it!

We are continuing in ministry here with Matt and Christy, working with them at Evolution 13, a meeting held every Wednesday night for college age adults. It's been great being able to spend time with local Christians our age, worship with them, and see where their hearts are. I am excited to continue working with Matt and Christy as we continue doing outreaches, and have more ministry opportunities with them! Seeing how things are growing and changing here in Marseille is making me really excited for what the Lord has in store!

Thank you for all your prayers and support! The Lord is doing amazing things here, and I am excited to continue sharing them with you!!

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

It's Time to Begin....

Our little team: Me, Claire, Linda, and Christine

Well, after all that we've been through, it pleases me to say: I made it! I'm here in Marseille! PRAISE JESUS!!!!!! I have been here a week now, and what a week! Where do I even start? I suppose the beginning would be a good place....

At Notre Dame de la Garde: Linda, Me, Christine, Claire, Elodie, and Ania

Well, this time last week, maybe a bit earlier than this, I boarded a plane with Claire and Linda to fly from Minneapolis to D.C. where we would meet Christine. It was one of the scariest, and most wonderful moments of my life. I knew that stepping onto that plane there would be no going back. I knew that once I got in the air I was saying good-bye to the familiar, to the comfortable, to my old self, and saying hello to uncomfortable, confused, and a brand new person. So I took a deep breath, prayed a quick prayer, and took that step.

Our little group touring the city!

And as the plane was landing in Marseille tears filled my eyes. Because as we flew low over the beautiful landscape, I remembered a promise whispered many months ago, a promise made by a God who never fails to keep the promises He makes: "You will return, this place will one day be your home." and now this promise, that seemed almost impossible when it had been spoken, was being fulfilled. And so, I stepped off the plane, and entered the city that would be my home.

It's been a wonderful week since then. I've done things like learning more about the public transportation system here, get a metro pass, done a bit of sightseeing, met new friends from all over the world, gone out exploring with just my teammates, bought bread (in French! Which indeed felt like an accomplishment since I have not started language learning classes yet!), gone grocery shopping, and many, many other exciting experiences! I have enjoyed my time here thus far, and I have definitely seen evidence of the Lord moving here in this place. Last night we were able to go out and do ministry with Matt, our missionary contact here who we will be doing much of our ministry with. We went to a high traffic area and did worship, prayer, free hugs, and just had conversations with passersby. I watched in utter joy as our French contacts went out and fearlessly spoke with people who stopped to see who we were. They asked questions, listened, and shared their testimonies with people who were interested to hear. I felt so much joy singing at the top of my lungs in the street about the goodness of my God, knowing that even though people may not understand me, I was able to worship and intercede for those that were having wonderful, meaningful conversations with others. It was a beautiful experience for me, and a great way to kick off my ministry experience here in Marseille. 

Christine and I at Palais de Longchamp!

So, to all of you at home, THANK YOU! Your prayers and continued support have been a blessing to me, and gotten me here! God is moving here, and I am excited to keep you all updated on what goes on. My heart is full of new promises from the Lord, which makes me even more excited about what is happening in Marseille! Please continue to keep my team and me in your prayers, as I'm sure that if God is moving, satan will be doing all he can to block what the Lord is doing, but as we know, our God is GREATER than any obstacle the enemy can use. So stay tuned for upcoming news about my adventures here, I'm looking forward to having you along for this adventure!

                                                     Blessings and Love,

The lovely Palais de Longchamp

Chrissy

                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                       Claire and I on the very windy day we toured the city!

On the escalator down to the Metro! 

It's Time to Begin...

Hello all! So this is going to be a mostly informative blog. Things have been pretty crazy around here because we're getting ready to leave! I've been trying to spend time with friends before I go which has been fun, yet sad. So here is all the information! I am at 100% for my funding! Praise God! My plane ticket was bought, and I leave on November 8th at 12:30 PM for Marseille. Claire, Christine and I are the three young ladies that will be going, which we are all excited about! We have started our Bible study class, studying the book of Philippians, which has been SO great! The Lord has definitely been using what we're learning in class to teach me lessons that are applicable outside of class.

Please continue to pray for us in these last few days in the states. We are all going to have a hard time with good-byes, packing, and getting last minute things together. I am excited to share with all of you about Marseille, and what life is looking like when we get there! It still doesn't quite seem real yet, but in some ways it does feel very real.

Thank you all for all of your support in getting me here! I could not have gotten this far without your prayers and financial support! I thank God for all of you, and please remember that I would always love to hear from you, and pray for you all specifically if you wanted to share prayer requests with me, please feel free! I love you all very dearly, and once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all of your support! Stay tuned, because my next post will be written from France!

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

Amazing Love....

Hello everyone! So to get you all up to date, here's what's happened this past week: I jumped from 78% to 96% (Whoa! Thank you Jesus!), and our plane tickets were bought! We will be leaving on Friday November 8th. God is SO good! I still have a little ways to go, I need $150 on my monthly, but once that's in, I'll be fully funded! So please continue praying about supporting me!

So here we are. At the precipice. The Lord has done so much in me during my time here at Bethany. I am amazed at how much I have learned, and grown in the past month and a half that I've been here. I have been learning so much about patience, love, and joy. One thing the Lord has really been teaching me this week though is that I am not who I used to be. As I have grown in Him, the old me has fallen away. It's like Paul said: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17). I am seeing that be so evident in my life as of late. I've even had people mention to me that they had seen change. It is so beautiful, especially when satan tempts us with the things that we used to love, things we would do, think, or say without giving it a second thought. Suddenly God has brought us to such a beautiful place of healing, and wholeness, a place only He can bring us, and shows us that He has truly changed us. Now what we used to want, we no longer desire to want it. We fight the urge to be the way we were, and we run to the Lord, instead of away from Him. We know that He understands our struggle, and He wants to help us, we just have to be willing to let go of our problems, to stop trying to solve them for ourselves, and instead seek Him, and ask Him to work in the situation, and He always will.

So this is my encouragement to you. Time and again the devil will try to tell you that you haven't changed. He will even use people close to you, people you love and trust, to convince you that you are still the same person, stuck in the same rut of sin, and that you will never change; things will never get better. THAT IS A LIE! You have victory in Christ Jesus, walk it out! Trust the change that you've seen in yourself, the change that the Lord has done in your life! It's real, and you do not have to live in sin anymore! You do not have to be miserable in your thought life, or do things you know are not pleasing to the Lord (and will ultimately hurt you), you do not have to say things you know that you shouldn't just because "that's who you are, and you'll never change." these are all lies that satan will tell you, they are things he's been trying to convince me of in my own life. But satan is a liar, a deceiver who will try to convince you that you do not belong to the Lord. Listen to the Holy Spirit in your life, he will speak to you, He will show you how proud He is of how far you've come. He will continue to work in your heart, and grow you in unimaginable ways. The thing we tend to miss the most about God is that He isn't focusing on our faults, our slip ups, our failures, but in fact He is cheering us on in the ways that we please Him, He is wanting to help us go further in our walk with Him, He is so incredibly proud of you. So never ever forget, the Lord is working in your life, and He is so pleased that you are willing to fight so that you can grow, and learn more about Him, and the amazing love that He has for you.

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

Waiting Patiently....

Hello everyone! My sincerest apologies for not writing sooner! It's been a hectic month, and things have been pretty crazy! I'll start with news: 1. I got my visa! Which was super exciting! Claire also received her visa later that week, after a very interesting trip to Chicago (which included some delicious deep dish pizza!). 2. I am about 76% funded! Yay! I still need about $900 for set up, and $600 in monthly pledges. 3. I was approached by a new friend, Candy, who is helping me do a candle fundraiser to raise the rest of the money I need! It's such a great and exciting opportunity! If you're interested in helping me financially (and getting a little something extra in return!) Please check out the link at the bottom of this page! 4. My team has shrunk DRASTICALLY! We are now down to three team members: Christine, Claire, and me! I am excited to share this experience with these two wonderful women! 5. My classmates that were headed to Kenya had a huge change in plans, and will now be joining with out Thailand team! That was a big, but exciting change for many friends of mine! Please keep them all in prayer as well! That is all for the news updates!

So, what is God teaching me in this season? PATIENCE! It is definitely a lesson the Lord is constantly teaching me! It is an area in my life that I have had to grow in quite a bit, so I am continuing to grow in this area now, through this process. The Thailand team has their plane tickets bought, and will be leaving in about two weeks. I am SO excited for them! Our France team is still waiting to buy plane tickets. There are a few logistical things being worked out still, as well as Christine and I needing to fundriase a bit more. It's hard. Hard when you want to leave, you want to go out, and share the gospel, learn a new language, and start ministering overseas. But we're having to wait. And pray. And wait. While it feels like there are constant obstacles in our way, and we are barely inching forward, I am having to be content, and stay joyful. It's hard! But the Lord is always speaking to my heart, reminding me that while it feels like I'm not in the right place, I am right where He wants me to be. That while I feel like I'm stuck in limbo, I'm not. I'm right where I should be. And when I stop trying to see far beyond my sight, take a second, and look around, I realize all that I have right here in front of me. I have been so blessed by my friends that surround me here in Minnesota, people I thought I wouldn't see again until after I got back from internship are able to hang out with me a few times a week. I am able to share in the celebrations, the trials, the joy, and the sadness that they are experiencing. Able to be there for them, and with them. And more importantly, the Lord is teaching me to learn from them, to glean wisdom from them, and love on them while I can. I am blessed to be in a place where I am able to spend time with Jesus. To slow down, and take time to let Him speak to me. To read His word when everything isn't making sense, or I am frustrated beyond belief. And most importantly, He is teaching me all about patience in the times when we're ready to jump out of the gate, but the gate just isn't opening yet. I am also learning to be patient with the people around me, to learn that not everyone thinks the same way that I do. It's a hard lesson to learn.

So be encouraged! If God has you in a place that feels like a waiting room, you aren't the only one! Trust that He has a plan for the time He has you there. Learn from the people He has around you, and never write anyone off as someone you can't learn from, they might be teaching you the biggest lesson of all!

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy


P.S. Here is the link for my fundraiser (mentioned at the beginning of the post!): https://www.facebook.com/events/554631631276534/