Home at last !!

Last weekend we moved house ! Hallelujah !

1 ave Victor Descours

Helped by a number of friends from the church, we were able to transfer and install most things in one day. They worked so hard. The Reformed Church pastoral couple organised for us all to eat together at lunch time - a lovely example of Christian fellowship. We are so grateful for this new home and I am particularly enjoying setting it up. 

Our first meal in our new home

We have ordered a whole new integrated kitchen which arrives 8th Feb. Probably take another month of Saturdays to install.

Claire in our temporary kitchen

View from our lounge and kitchen

The Town Council is building a hangar for the steam trains which are going to come back in 2013.

We still have the top floor to build up - there are 2 bedrooms and 1 small bathroom, but we are planning to use the space for several rooms in order to have visitors and to hold youth group meetings. We need an attic to store things for us and the church, so more planning and building anticipated.

We are really thankful for this lovely house and looking forward to having many visitors.

Happy New Year for 2012

May 2012 be a positive year for you all with joy to share with all around you, peace to calm stormy waters, love which deepens and matures, strength to get through the inevitable hard days, and the right friends at the right time to support you. God bless each and every one of you.

The Girard Family missed out on the 'Good Health' side of the New Year, with all of us ill - some respiratory infection. 

 We are still in the world record breaking longest house move of all time!! Here is a photo of the consultation regarding the future wallpaper of the dining/living room. We had ripped off the former paper which was rose and grey - very bourgeois, but not in keeping with the very strong floor colour, and a little used up by the previous occupants. So I was feeling the pressure to find something elegant, of good quality, easy to put on the walls (time is passing and it's a huge room with 3m high ceilings!!), and reasonably neutral so any pastoral family could fit their furniture in! There is a lovely rose around the hanging light and elegant cornices to match.

From L-R: Nathalie, Evelyne, Sil Ruddle who spent Christmas with us, me

We are very grateful to some members of our church who have spent hours helping us. And Sil, SIM missionary studying French before going out to serve in Benin, spent a number of days helping us as well. Hopefully, it was a welcome change for her being physical more than intellectual work! 

I cancelled most of December's rendez-vous to be available to help, and Pascal juggled work, visits and renovating until he became ill a few days ago. January is the same - no RDVs, just getting our stuff over to the new house as we finish the rooms. No kitchen until probably the end of February - it's ordered and delivered 8th Feb. We are installing it ourselves. It will be like a giant jigsaw puzzle!

Moving house

For a month now we have been working on the new manse :

* wall-papering

* painting

* setting new floors

* cleaning

* planning (where will we put this or that ? what colours should we use - given what we already have ? How can we modernize 2 bathrooms using the existing tiles, floor tiles (yukky!) and on a budget ?

* moving our stuff over from our flat to the house little by little, box by box (but not too much since if we haven't finished a room, we can't occupy it.

We've run out of heating fuel, the floor boards we had are broken so we had to purchase a whole new batch, one lot of wall-paper was awful to remove and took many people and hours to clean. The carpet we wanted for Claire's bedroom was not available in 2 shops .....

All of you who have launched into the housing adventure (and this isn't even our own house!!) will sympathise with the joys and woes we are experiencing. But one day, we will be settled in and this house is dedicated to the Lord's work, so it is worth it. We are very thankful to some of our church members for their valuable help and impressed by their tenacity and endurance. On the other hand, we are rather ashamed of our own lack of physical condition. We've been living with muscle stiffness for the last month!! Always look on the bright side of life .... we are losing weight !

Pascal still has major pain in his shoulders so each night we put heated cabbage leaves on and keep them there with bandages. It works really well helping to reduce pain and improve mobility. We used to recommend that for breast-feeding mums suffering from mastitis ! So keep using the old-fashioned methods. And it really doesn't smell bad - only at the cooking stage.

The Russian Club

Have you ever looked at the map to see where Lamastre really is? Honestly, it could be in the middle of nowhere! But would you believe that we have a Russian club here??

From L to R: Ljuba (Russian), Tetyana (Ukrainian), Jennie (Australian), Alina (Polish)

There are also 2 other ladies in the area who are Russian, but not attached to our club .... yet! What brings us together ? Write to me with your suggestions!!

Two of these women came to France to marry a French man and found themselves stranded. One is a widow, 2 are divorced. Of the 2 others, one is divorced and the other newly married to an older man. Can you guess the stories behind these situations ?

Christmas Countdown

4 of our teenage girls choreographing one of 2 dances for our Christmas Celebration

Sunday 11th December is our big day. 3 o'clock in the afternoon our church opens its doors to a hopefully big crowd prepared to laugh at the 1/2 hour play our teens are putting on about "who has the central role in the nativity play???", enjoy the 2 dances to Christian music, find the Primary-age kids really cute in their song and dance, and forgive any false notes in our adult choir (singing one modern French praise song, and one traditional Christmas Carol - translated from English to French last century - "Good Christian Men Rejoice" - you know it, right!)

There is a book stand, a gift package of afternoon tea, good atmosphere. We hope it will lead people to put Christ back into Christmas.

The invitation we are giving out to as many people as possible

The Kitchen

This is the kitchen emptied of its fittings, but showing what I hope to be able to have installed. It won't be big enough to eat in, except for counter drinks and breakfast in shifts, but I hope and pray it will be a meeting point for many women and me and the Lord.

Please pray with me for that to happen.

All those horrible mustard tiles have disappeared thanks to today's final effort by one of the ladies of our church.

Our new house

In the midst of the end of year Christmas preparations, we are renovating and moving house! The papers are not yet officially signed, but we have taken the risk of tearing off old wallpaper and preparing new walls ready to accommodate the tastes of 2 teenage boys and one teenage girl. To be honest, the other rooms are to accommodate the tastes (and current furniture) of a 50 year old missionary pastor's wife who's a bit tired of putting up with other people's tastes and economic management of her living space.

This is a beautiful and solid house with it's own closed in garden. Centrally located and with extra space on the second floor and a potential attic floor to be exploited, the Lord willing. It has the potential to be a major asset in ministry as well as being a lovely home to a pastoral family.

Please pray for a creative spirit in preparing a welcoming home with the material we have. Pray for the physical energy we need to get this done. We are such desk-bound workers we are finding it hard on our bodies! We thank the Lord so much for willing helpers in our church who have already done a great amount.

Pray the church's property in a nearby village will be sold so the purchase of this house will be neatly sown up.

We are right next to a bank! Where will we place our security???

What does it mean to be French???

Last year the French Government tried to start up a debate on what it means to be French. In the end the media got hold of the issue and turned it into a superficial discussion and some mud-slinging accusing different people of racism. It's a shame, because this country needs an honest look at the subject with a wide range of opinions and experts to help us move toward a reasonable point of view! Christians, Muslims and atheists should all be involved in the debate. The Bible talks about belonging, identity, foreigners, allegiance. We Christians would have a lot to add to this subject.

In a weekly Catholic magazine that we used to receive, there were a series of articles by well-known intellectuals discussing this very topic. What does it mean to be French ?

Alain Finkielkraut (where does that name come from ???) is the son of Polish immigrants, a writer and philosopher .(Get a look at the bookcase behind him - in the photo he had a whole wall of books. I consider that to be Paradise!! I want a wall of books in our new house!)

Anyway, in this article (La Vie 21st January 2010), he states that to be French is first of all to accept an inheritance and to agree to transmit it with the freedom to add to it or to make it evolve or to leave it exactly as is. He regrets that the all-powerful television now dictates general culture and ascertains that the rich heritage of the French culture lies in its literature. He quotes a German specialist in the study of language through literature, Ernst Curtius (first half of 20th Century): "Literature plays a capital role in the way France perceives herself and her civilization. No other nation gives literature such an important place. It's only in France that the entire nation considers literature as the means of expressing her destiny."

And that's my experience as well. Many sections of French society define themselves through their literary heritage. One of Claire's former Primary School teachers gave me a book that recounts the existence of a book club in the middle of nowhere in Ardèche. It's hard to tell if it's autobiographical or simply a story. It's chock-a-block full of literary references as if the reader has read them all and knows exactly what the group is talking about! The book was a thank you gift for me because I accompanied the class to Lyon last school year (see blog article The School Trip 30th May).

What about us Christians then? We are supposedly defined by our love of THE BOOK. The Holy Bible, living word of God. Does this collection of 66 different literary works define our identity as the people of God?? Yes and no, because a Christian is not defined by a cultural allegiance, but by his or her relationship to the living God, revealed in the person of Jesus Christ, alive through the action of the Holy Spirit.

The challenge for us is to be authentically disciples of Christ. Knowing and understanding the culture we live in is vital in order to construct our Christian identity and to be able to 'translate' the Good News for those around us.

Susan Boyle again!

What about this song?? I think I'll have it played at my funeral !! more as a triumphant entry into Heaven, because God is really there and Jesus will welcome me into the Kingdom.

You have to be there - Susan Boyle

There are times in life, of course, when you do doubt, and when things are more difficult to cope with and when you need reassurance. But you can't get around the fact that the answer is 'to reach for Your Hand'.

A beautiful melancholy Autumn day

The colours on my blog background are being reproduced 'live' in front of me as I look out the window of our dining room. It's a grey, misty Autumn day and after the strong winds of the last 24 hours, many leaves have fallen. A panache of yellows, browns and greens still give the patchwork effect and the church and Town Hall bells ring out 9 am. It's a beautiful, melancholy Autumn day and I love it!

Someone sent a link to Youtube and, as usual, my attention was drawn to the side band of clips available. Ah! Susan Boyle - so what's she up to ? Love her story, love her voice! And I found this gem which fits in so well with today's mood.

Susan Boyle : Autumn Leaves

Sharing good things on All Saints Day

I'm indebted to Suzie for the lovely presentation of this recipe - a long time favorite with me. She attributes it to Nigella, but I received it from an American missionary friend working here in France! So our women's networking capacity is in full swing as we share the good things we find or discover! I've used this so many times for our Ladies' Meetings, as thank you offerings to people who have given me a bed when I've had to stay over for my Christian Counselling course or the Femme 2000 (Christian Women in Leadership) meetings, and of course for my own family. They don't always appreciate it when there's no chocolate (this is truly the Nutella generation!!) or when they are in full dental braces treatment!

Thought for the day

Today is a public holiday in France where people clean and decorate with chrysanthamems the tombstones of their departed relatives and have big family get togethers. It's widely practised in this Catholic culture, even if there are not that many practising Catholics. There are masses being said everywhere and prayers in favour of the dead. We Evangelicals have a big problem with that. Our decision to follow the Christ has to be made in the here and now.

So here's my thought :

For those of us who are convinced that the Gospel is really truly the Good News of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, do we share this information as readily as this lovely recipe ?? Why don't we take the opportunity to share our convictions over a good coffee and a piece of healthy breakfast bar - including a minute of sharing with our own kids.

For those who are more adventurous and literary, we could even make the breakfast bar into a symbol of the Body of Christ - made up of many ingredients, forming a harmonious and healthy whole !!!!!!! The Condensed milk (I should add that I always used the sweetened form in deference to our Nutella generation!) could represent the Holy Spirit who binds us together!!! :)

INGREDIENTS

• 
• 

• 1 x 397g can condensed milk
• 250g rolled oats (not instant)
• 75g shredded coconut
• 100g dried cranberries
• 125g mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame)
• 125g natural unsalted peanuts

METHOD

Serves: Makes 16

1. Preheat the oven to 130°C/gas mark 1/2, and oil a 23 x 33 x 4cm baking tin, or use a throwaway foil one.
2. Warm the condensed milk in a large pan.
3. Meanwhile, mix together all the other ingredients and then add the warmed condensed milk, using a rubber or wooden spatula to fold and distribute.
4. Spread the mixture into the tin and press down with the spatula or, better still, your hands (wearing disposable vinyl gloves to stop you sticking), to even the surface.
5. Bake for 1 hour, then remove from the oven and, after about 15 minutes, cut into four across, and four down to make 16 chunky bars. Let cool completely.

Here comes another weekend ...

Here comes another weekend. We are gearing up for the taxi-ing, organisation, motivational roles my husband and I play - not only to our churches, but also for our kids!!!

Number 1 son had to find a work experience employer in car mechanics for a 4-week stint in November - hadn't done much, so we got onto it! In France, parents do a lot for their kids ; more than in Australia in terms of actually organizing things for them and paying for them until they get a full-time paid job, which could be at age 25 or over! He has rugby training Friday night and maybe he'll be selected for a game on Saturday. Then he has church and rehearsals on Sunday.

Number 2 son needs to find a work-experience place for 3 days, but has absolutely no idea of what he wants to do (apart from the Army! Is that a Christian thing to do ?????) So we are being motivational to try and get him organized! He has music then sport on Friday night. Church and rehearsals on Sunday.

Number 3 daughter has 2 lots of music commitments and a birthday party sleepover on Saturday, then rehearsals for the dance and the play for our Christmas presentation on Sunday.

I head for Lyon for my Christian Counselling course. This month the subject is 'Sexual Abuse' which promises to be a bit heavy and sad. However, we have been confronted by this drama in several different contexts, and 2 of those situations quite recently. I'm passing on my notes to Pascal because we need to be able to recognize these things and know to whom we should refer cases we become aware of.

Pascal will manage house and children until my return Saturday evening. Then he has to go all out to finish his preparations for Sunday!

             Oh, and there is the World Cup rugby semi-final this weekend!!

AUSSIE! AUSSIE! AUSSIE! GO! GO! GO!

RAS-LE-BOL !!!

The school year is well under way so now we enter the season of strikes. No school Tuesday last week; no school next Tuesday - the teachers in all the school systems (public and private) are united in expressing their ras-le-bol (being absolutely fed up!) Budgets have to be rationalised. People have to accept more responsibility and pressure to be up to scratch. Jobs are harder to get, salaries don't seem sufficient any more, political scandals keep appearing in the news and several high profile politicians are in courts, even the No.2 policeman from Lyon, known and admired for his efficacity in fighting organised crime, has been arrested for colluding with the enemy!