Germany...

Bonjour Tout le monde!

Hope all is well, and you have had an excellent beginning to spring! Things are warming up here in Marseille, that's for sure! We finished language school earlier this month, so now we are heading into our time of full time ministry here. As this is a new site, we are still figuring out exactly what that looks like for us, but I am excited to be able to devote more of my time spiritually investing in the lives of my friends, as well as helping the ministry of Evolution 13 grow and expand here in this area! I can't wait to see what else the Lord has in store for our ministry opportunities here in Marseille!

As many of you know I had the privilege to go to Nuremberg, Germany this past weekend with my friend Thea. Thea is working with Evolution 13, which was how I met her. She is originally from Nuremberg, and asked if I would like to come home with her for a visit, so of course I said yes! It was a lovely time, meeting her friends and family, who all warmly welcomed this girl from America. I enjoyed being able to relax, and just hang out and be a tourist! After having a rough few weeks of homesickness, stress, and just general struggle, my time in Germany helped me to really refocus and rest in the Lord.

The past month was a difficult time for me, as I had stated in my last blog. I was beginning to question what I was doing here, what my purpose was here. I was having a hard time with the language, and feeling inadequate. I needed a time for refreshing, reminder, and reflection. A time away where I could just let the Lord speak, and be alone to listen. Going to Germany gave me all this and more! On Friday, when Thea and I arrived, we spent some time with her family and boyfriend. I can't lie, it was nice to not be expected to know the language. I was able to just relax, and not frantically try to follow along. That night, I stayed with Thea's friend, Karin, who was at work until late, so I was able to have some time alone to myself. It was a wonderful time spent alone with the Lord. I was able to let everything out, and just be completely alone with Him. I loved it! He refreshed me, reminded me that He has a purpose for my time here, and I need to trust Him in that. I felt such peace wash over me, it was exactly what the Lord knew I needed.

Saturday I spent sightseeing with Thea, exploring a bit of the city, then headed to her parents' for dinner. It was a fun time, hanging out and laughing around the table, even if I couldn't understand half the conversation. I enjoyed just being there, with such warm and lovely people. After dinner Thea shared a video about Marseille with her family. As we watched familiar scenes of Marseille caused a pang in my heart. I missed home. Home? Yes, Marseille is my home now. It was so strange to think that way, but my heart has been lost to this city. I began to miss French too. Hearing the familiar sounds, understanding (somewhat) what was being said... In that moment I realized, I love this city, God loves this city, and that's why He's brought me here. He knew I would fall in love with this place. Yes, it's hard, yes sometimes I just want to hide and cry after a long day, but at the end of it all, I love the people here, and so does He. I don't know exactly how everything will play out, or what exactly it will all look like, but for right now I know this: I need to reach all the people that I can in the ways He provides, because this city is my home, and these people are my family. For much of the rest of that night I tried to speak to Thea in French, my determination to master the language had been rekindled.

Sunday morning I went to church. Worship was incredible, the Lord moved in amazing and powerful ways. He spoke to me about many things, and my heart was open to receive. The message on the Father's heart (which was translated for me from German to English) resonated with my own heart. After church we spent the entire day at the church cafe for coffee, lunch, birthday cake (it was the birthday of a few church members), and dinner. While I was there, I was able to meet some pretty amazing people that Thea very much wanted to introduce me to. But before I tell you about them, I need to tell you a quick story first. See, about a year after I started following the Lord, He told me, very specifically about where my life was headed. He wanted me to open and orphanage. In the Middle East. Now He did not say when, but I knew this was the calling He had on my life. So since then, I've been quite open about it with friends, family, and supporters. That being said, when I told Thea a few months ago, she told me of these friends of hers, who came from the Middle East, to Germany. So we arranged that I would meet them at church, and I ended up spending the whole day with them. They told me their amazing story of escape from a very strict Islamic nation to Germany. Their story inspired me, but also sobered me. I knew the calling I had was a dangerous one, but hearing it from the mouths of people who had lived under such regimes made it very real to me. But their stories of God's faithfulness, as well as the miracles that God had performed in order to bring them to where they are now were truly inspirational. I felt so blessed to meet, and know these people.

Monday I ran errands with Thea, and went to Nuremberg castle. It was just a fun, calm day before leaving on Tuesday. Overall my time in Germany was refreshing, rejuvenating, and something I had really needed, even if I hadn't realized it before. God really used this time to help me rest in Him, as well as reflect on my purpose in Marseille. My fervor renewed I was very happy to return home, to my city.

So, thank you. Thank you for praying for me through this difficult time, thank you for your continued support and encouragement, thank you for believing, and trusting the Lord with me. My heart has been lifted, and I feel truly blessed to have all of you out there taking this journey with me. Please continue to pray for my team and I, this is not an easy journey, but it isn't one I would trade for the world. I know God is working and moving here in this city, and so of course there is spiritual opposition to that. Please continue to join us in praying against these powers of darkness, and pray for the love of God to explode and ignite a fire in this truly amazing, beautiful, wonderful country.

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

The Trials and Triumphs...

Hello all! Well, February is drawing to a close, and the four month anniversary of arriving in Marseille is coming up. Wow! Four months! It has not been an easy four months, that's for sure! While God is good, and has been with me through all of this, it has not been an easy road to travel.

Over the past few months I have seen myself growing in many ways. But all this growth has not come without growing pains. Many days I have struggle with culture shock, homesickness, or just plain sadness. But man has God been SO faithful! God has given us so many promises, but one of the promises that I keep remembering is the one in Joshua 1:5 "Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you." This is the promise I remember when everything seems too overwhelming. Sometimes life can just be too much, there's too much going on, or you can't speak French the way you want to no matter how hard you try, or you miss people. But God is enough, more than enough, to help you through that. He knows we need time to experience these emotions, but not wallow in them, not dwell on them. He brings peace and comfort when we need it, all we need to do is ask. God is always with us, and always ready to help us when we ask Him to.

There have also been moments of doubt, when I wonder why I am even here, but God always reminds me that He has me here for a reason. He did not make a way for me to come here for no reason, He has a plan and a purpose for my time here. It's during these times that He reminds me of that oh so famous Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Sometimes I need a reminder of this, that God has plans in store for my time here, and while I might not be seeing them right now, He will reveal them to me in HIS timing, not mine. God has brought me here, for such a time as this, and I need to cling to that promise.

The reason I am sharing these things is because I want you to know, that while I have seen much growth, and shared some of the lighter aspects of being here, not everything is perfect! And I most definitely am not perfect! I have my moments where I question God, when I get frustrated and fed up with how I'm acting, or not being able to see what's going on, or not being able to understand the language. God is so gracious, and forgiving though! Even in all of this, He uses me in ways that I can't even see. I want you to know that you don't have to be perfect. Yes, we should strive to be holy, and live a life pleasing to God, but we should not berate ourselves when we mess up. We're human, and God knows that, but guess what? He loves us anyway! I know when I mess up I have to repent before Him, I have to admit that I messed up, but it's a chance to learn, to grow, to not make the same exact mistakes time and time again. I encourage you to not let your own mess ups, or frustrations get in the way of your relationship with God. Go to Him, repent, or ask for peace, take the situation and grow from it instead of wallowing in it. Trust me, as I'm writing this I'm talking to myself too, sometimes we just need to be reminded of how we should react in these situations. Love you all!

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

Growing Pains...

Group Photo at the retreat!

Hello all! I hope you have all been blessed in this first month of the new year! Just an update on how January has been for me, and What things are going to look like as I head into a bit of a transitional phase.

The beginning of this month was spent on a retreat in a small town a bit north of Marseille with Evolution 13 staff and ministry workers. It was a wonderful time of direction and planning for all of us, and to just do life together. I really enjoyed the time of prayer, worship, and encouragement that we had with each other. It has definitely made me excited about starting ministry!

Poker night on the retreat (just chips, no money of course!)
Ladies against Gents. Notice, the Ladies won. ;)

Which brings me to the title of this week's blog. It's hard just waiting to start ministry. Of course waiting is necessary as I am still learning and trying to grasp the language. It's funny because before I left, waiting and patience was what the Lord was teaching me, and of course I'm not through learning that lesson yet (not that I ever will be necessarily!)! Now I am learning to wait in jumping into ministry. There's so much I want to do, so many I want to encourage, but I can't.... because my language skills just aren't there yet. And for those of you who haven't tried learning a language in another culture let me paint you a little picture: You are an intelligent adult, who is fully capable of forming sentences, thoughts, and having conversations. Now, you are treated like a child, who can't speak, who can't communicate, and have to ask everyone to slow down when they talk to you because you just can't keep up. It's very frustrating. But in that frustration, there is so much learning! It's amazing to me how much God is teaching me through all of this! In my time here I can feel as I continue learning the language, I am also growing closer to Him. This is probably because I am continuously running to Him through my frustrations and difficulties here. But don't get me wrong! I have my moments where I choose to just let frustration turn to anger, throw up my hands, and desperately want to scream. I'm human after all, I'm not perfect! But I know that God has had so much grace for me in this time. I see it when I can understand so much more in French than I could when I got here, or when I actually try to speak in French, and I can do it! It's all a matter of pushing past the barriers, praying for peace (cause it is NERVE WRACKING to try to talk to people in their native language when it isn't your native language!) and grace, and just DOING it! It is a challenge, it isn't like poof! now you speak another language. It's work, and it's hard, but it is incredibly rewarding, especially when in the end, it brings glory to God!

So here is my challenge to you: how is God asking you to step out of your comfort zone? What has He asked you to do that seems completely terrifying to you, so much so that it's crippling? I challenge you to ask Him for peace, for grace, and then DO IT! I know it's hard, and it's scary, and sometimes it's very painful, but guess what? You will grow so much! In the Lord, no matter what age we are, we are always growing in Him. Our walk with Him is not promised to be easy, but count it all joy, because your faith in Him will grow exponentially! Remember in the end it's all about love. Love Him, and through that you will be able to love others, which includes doing the hard stuff! There's a reason they're called growing pains, but oh man, the end result is something so beautiful!

So in conclusion: Take a leap of faith! It might be tough, painful even, but in the end, the reward far outweighs any temporary discomfort. Please continue keeping our team in prayer, and remember that you are loved! God has a lot in store, for me, and for you. Always remember that.

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

2014....

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! I apologize for not having written in a while... Things have been pretty crazy around here! Language school is going pretty well, I definitely have a higher comprehension of the language than before. We have been on break during the holidays and will be resuming classes on the 6th.

This past month has been a lot of work followed by a lot of rest and celebration. We've been working hard on language study as well as our other classes, studying the culture and the Bible. We've also been attending Evolution 13 on Wednesday nights, and connecting with the students as well. It's been fun being able to hang out with our new friends, and get to know more about the culture and the city we live in.

Our Christmas celebration began on the 23rd when we went to Matt and Christy's to eat lunch with them, their parents, the kids, CC, and Ania. It was a fun filled time with good food, and talent show, and Just Dance! Christmas Eve CC came over to spend the next few days with us. We ate a delicious dinner cooked by Ania and Linda, spent time talking, laughing, and enjoying each other's company. Christmas day we ate lunch at the home of a Dutch couple that had invited us over. It was a lot of fun! Then we came home, relaxed and had a movie marathon. It was truly a lovely, simple, comfortable holiday.

For New Years Christine and I went with CC to the Vieux-Port to watch an amazing firework show! It was truly an amazing sight to see! Afterwards we went to visit with some of CC's friends, where we ate, laughed and had excellent conversation. I really enjoyed getting to speak with them, and getting to know them a little bit. Their apartment has a lovely view of the harbor, and we celebrated at midnight with a toast and well wishes.

I am excited at all of the prospects this new year will bring. The rest of this week we will be going on a small planning retreat. There we will better figure out what role we will have within Evolution 13 and the ministries that we will have open to us. I am excited for what God has for us, and my heart is full with his promises. I cannot wait to share where this journey will be taking me this year with you all!

Bonne Année!

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy

New Year's at the Vieux-Port!

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