What I will miss about France

In French you don't say "I miss you", you say "You I miss" (Tu me manque). It seems backwards at first, but it puts the emphasis on "the thing" or "person" that has left a whole in your being. There are so many people and things that have made an everlasting impression on my being and will be missing from me. What a blessing it was to be in Albertville France this past year. It will be a time remembered for the difficulty and struggle, but also the joy and friendship. So, here are the things that will be missing from me when I leave:
1) the people of France- while some say that the French are rude or snooty, I have not found this to be true. Every French person that I have been able to get to know has been kind, warm and has freely given of themselves. The evangelical Christians here are few in number compared to the states, but they have strong convictions and strong faiths!
2) the people at the language school- the professors here care so deeply for their students. At times they seem strict, but underneath is a strong desire for us to learn French well so that we can communicate and minister to those where we are headed. Many of them consider this their ministry. The students here have been such a blessing to me. Each one has such a unique story and are completely sold out for Jesus. It's like being in church every day with constant spiritual support and communion. I have made friends here that I am sure I will keep in contact with. I know I will see them all in heaven some day, but hoping we will have some earthly meetings too!
3) the mountains- What an amazing experience to get up every day, look out your window and see the French alps! My favorite activity here in France has been going for walks or long bike rides and just looking at the amazing scenery. Every season has it's own special beauty. I am sure the jungles of Africa will have their own special beauty, but the mountains are going to be missing from my soul!
4) the food- anyone who know me, knows I love to eat! So what have been some of my favorites here; first- the bread! Boy, do the French know how to do bread! Every day, at many locations in town, you can walk in and get fresh baked, absolutely delicious bread. second- the cheese. I have toured many of the cheese factories while here, and have found my most favorite- Beaufort! third- the fresh fruits and veggies. They are very seasonal and you are buying mostly things grown here. I've never seen heads of lettuce like they have here. They are humongous (is that a word?). Anyway, this is something that will definitely be missing from me in Africa where lettuce is not grown. :(  4th- the pastries- Oh my, words can't describe the yummies here!
5) the country- I have been able to do some traveling while here in France, and it is probably one of the most beautiful countries I have every visited. Pictures, of course, never do justice to the real thing. I have those "real" pictures in my head and will treasure them forever.


Just a quick not of what I will not miss:
1) sitting in French class 6 hours/day, and then studying most of the evening, and most of the weekends.
2) my tiny 300 square foot apartment, with my hot plate and toaster oven to cook in. Can't wait to bake and really cook again.
3) the laundry room here (enough said!)


Well, that's all for now. I get my test results on Thursday, and graduate on Friday, and fly home for a quick vacation on Saturday. Then it's off to Africa on the 31st. Hard to believe it is finally becoming a reality!

Funnies in French

          Part of learning a new language and living in a new culture is making mistakes. Sometimes they are embarrassing, sometimes just plain funny. I recently made a mistake that I am still embarrassed about, but also laughing at myself about! It helps to have a good sense of humor when learning a new language! Our class was divided into two groups. Each one given the task of coming up with a dialogue that fit the situation on our paper. Our group was to debate as a family, which vacation we would prefer to take, the mountains or the beach. I was designated the role of mom, another older male student, the dad, and the other three students were our kids. I voted to go to the mountains, and one of the main reasons was because I didn't want to be seen in public in a bathing suit. Well, here's where it gets funny; the name for bathing suit in French is "maillot de bain", but when my turn came to speak, I said I didn't want to be seen in public in a "salle de bains". My teacher looked at me with a confused look and said, "Je ne comprends pas, Sandie" (I don't understand). Then, the realization came to me that I had just said that I didn't want to wear a bathroom to the beach. Oh my, the whole class had a good laugh about that one! My teacher later assured me that she had made plenty of funny mistakes when she was learning a new language. If nothing else, learning a new language keeps you humble!

Blessed are the Meek

           Hello from France. Hope you are all, right where God wants you to be! I know I am! In my last blog I mentioned that I was beginning to teach a sunday school class at the church here that I attend. I have 10 students, age 6-13. All of them are new to France, as their families just arrived at the language school the end of August. They are all English speakers, so my goal is to feed them spiritually and also to teach them some French along the way. When I leave in December, they will be incorporated into the all French sunday school class. I have really enjoyed getting these kids. They have opened their hearts to me already and I am getting to know each one with their own special personalities. They are going through tremendous changes and stressors. They share weekly that they miss their friends and family back home. They miss their dogs and cats. They are very stressed having to go into new schools, where all the kids speak French. They are the outsiders. Wow, I thought it was hard for me as an adult to adapt to all these changes. But I chose to be here, I know God has called me to this. They are just kids. Kids who need my prayers (and maybe yours' too if you feel lead to do so).
          I have been teaching through the Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 1-14). Each week, we tackle one verse and memorize it and talk about it's meaning. We have had some lively discussions about how you can be happy or blessed to be poor in spirit, to mourn, (and this week), to be meek. As usual, when you teach you get more out of the lesson than your students, because you have to dig in the word, and meditate on the application in your own life. As my pastor always says, he has had to live with the message for months before he delivers it to us, and God always does a work in his heart long before it reaches his congregation. (I count it a great privilege to sit under the teaching of such a good teacher and still listen to his sermons each week by podcasts) Anyway, this week's beatitude was "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth". So what does it mean to be meek? The word can also be translated as gentile. The definition in most bible commentaries is that "gentile" means "power under control". It doesn't mean Christians are wimps or weaklings. On the contrary, they have the power of God on their side. As you look at the "greats" of the bible, each exhibited power under control. Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, and the list goes on. But the most important one was Jesus. Isaiah 53 says that as a sheep that is lead to the slaughter is silent, so was he. He never opened his mouth in his defense even though he was falsely accused and sentenced to death. He was the Son of God and could have called a legion of angels down in His defense, but He didn't. My desire is to be more like Jesus, so meditating on "Meekness" was in my thoughts all week.
          God provided lots of opportunities for me to think about meekness. The week started with me having to deliver the "culte" (devotional) in front of the whole school in French. Needless to say, it was a nerve-racking experience and I am glad it is over. While, I was able to get through it, I made a lot of mistakes with pronunciation. The students were gracious, and told me "Bon travail" (good work) and a few even said they understood what I said and received a blessing (a total miracle, if that's true). My teacher, however, was not afraid to point out all my mistakes during my tutoring session. Granted, she did it in a kind way, but I still felt the same way, like a little child being scolded. An opportunity to be meek! I felt like defending myself, but the Holy Spirit held me back. It's hard to be a child again (especially at my age), but that's where God has me right now. Every day, struggling to get the right words out of my mouth, being corrected every other word, homework returned with more red ink than black. Ah yes, it's a humbling experience! Blessed are the meek! Another opportunity to experience meekness was during my laundry time on Friday. We each have a block of time (1 hour) to use the washers and dryer. For some reason, my hour on Fridays at lunchtime seems to be a popular time. I can't count how many times I have gone to put my clothes in and the washers, and or dryer have just been started. I have complained to the director, left notes on the machines, but it continues still. This particular Friday I met the "guilty" person in the laundry room, and I just unloaded on them. I was mad, my "spot" had been taken again! Didn't they know how disruptive to my schedule this was, and on and on. Wow, that afternoon the Holy Spirit just descended on me and I was under severe conviction. I had been mean, nasty and angry, over laundry! Not too much meekness going on that day! (just so you know, I have apologized). If I can't handle the stressors of the laundry room, how will I be able to handle the stressors in Africa? Yeah, still a work in progress, but oh, how I desire to be like Him. Please keep me in your prayers, as you are in mine. Catch you later, Bye!

Back to Reality!

I've had an amazing summer. After finding out that I passed A2 (another miracle of God!), I flew home to the U.S. for 5 weeks and visited with family, friends, church members and neighbors. It was awesome. I took each of the grandkids somewhere special for their birthdays, and was privileged to attend the 1st birthday of my youngest grandchild. It was a little touch and go with Emma at first, but by the end of the vacation she had gotten to know me and would let me play with her and hold her. Hope she doesn't forget me while I'm gone again. The older grandkids know me so well, that we can Skype and Facetime, and keep the relationship going, but it's hard with the baby. Well, God knows this, and He will handle all those details in His time. I had a wonderful time, but was actually ready to come back to France. The goal of going to Africa is getting close, and I'm getting more excited. At the same time I'm a little nervous because I don't feel like I have enough French under my belt to be able to teach in this language. Again, I am having to trust God to get me to that point. I started B1 this week. So far, just review from A2. We have a new student in the class that is a physician, and served at Bongolo Hospital several years ago, so I'm enjoying talking to him. Tomorrow I start teaching primary school age sunday school at the French church. It's been a while since I taught sunday school, and am looking forward to it. It's a good way to get more involved with people at the church and speak more French, and get to know the kids of the people here. I have decided to spend the fall teaching Matthew 5:3-14 (the beatitudes). Pray for me as I try to impart the truth of this wonderful passage to these young hearts and minds. Well, that's all for now. I so appreciate all your thoughts and prayers, as I come back to reality and continue the journey of language learning.

What language does God speak?

          Learning another language is a unique experience. It's super hard, it can be very frustrating, but at the same time, amazing. To see things through another voice and culture stimulates you to examine your way of thinking, speaking, doing. I have traveled quite a bit to different parts of the world, but as a traveler, you just get a taste of the language and cultural differences. Living in it for an extended period of time gives you a unique perspective. I am really just starting to understand the French, how they speak, how they think, and I've been at this for 6 months. When I meditate on the fact that God knows each of us on this earth, with the immense variety of language and cultures, I'm amazed. He understands each different word, with it's different pronunciation and it's different tones and points of accentuation. How does He do it? Oh, I guess because He is Almighty God and understands everything. Again, I'm amazed. I wonder what language we will speak in heaven? Does God and all the heavenly host speak their own special language? Will we understand it instantly upon arrival, or will we have to go to language school? (just kidding, that would not be heaven!). Will we all speak the same language, or will we just understand what the other is saying in their language? Sorry, I'm rambling! :)
          I have been reading the Bible in French for a while, along with my other devotions. It not only helps me learn French, but it slows me down, so that I really think and meditate on the words. The other day, my French teacher recommended I learn a certain verse, because it had a certain verb, conjugated a certain way (I had missed it several times on our evaluations). I had been feeling rather stressed, because the content this trimester is very hard and there's a lot of it. To be truthful, I am having a hard time keeping up. I thought to myself, great, just what I need, one more thing to have to memorize! But God knew I needed this verse for more reasons than to learn how to conjugate the "vous" form of the verb "Faire". That night I woke up at 1am and couldn't go back to sleep (stressing about French!). I decided to read and try to memorize the verse she recommended. God used it in an amazing way in my heart and mind. I know the verse well in English, but for some reason, the French translation touched me in a way I can't describe. Here it is in French,
"Ne vous inquiétez de rien, mais en toute chose faites connaître vos besoins à Dieu par des prières et des supplications, dans une attitude de reconnaissance. Et la paix de Dieu, qui dépasse tout ce que l’on peut comprendre, gardera votre coeur et vos pensées en Jésus Christ.”  In case you don't recognize some of the words, it's Philippians 4: 6,7  The first 5 words hit me like a ton of bricks- Be anxious for nothing, but in French "de rien" (aka "nothing") is a very strong statement. It means absolutely nothing, zero, nothing, nothing, not even a speck of something!  Through the French language I suddenly had an "aha" moment of what it meant to be anxious for NOTHING! DE RIEN! No excuses, nothing that we can tell ourselves that it is OK to be anxious about. God says DE RIEN! Wow, strong language that cut me to the quick. So, I laid ALL my anxieties at the foot of the cross, in an attitude of thanksgiving, and went back to sleep! Thank you God, that you created such variety in language, so that we can enjoy all the fullness that you have for us! I can't wait to get to Africa and learn some of the tribal languages. I bet they will be Très intéressant!
          Oh, and by the way, my knee is healing and in a couple of weeks I should be able to get off crutches. Praise God and thank you for your prayers, messages and cards! Plus tard, Sandie

Grounded!

If any of you have teenagers, or did at one time, then you know this phrase well... "You're grounded!" One of my sons (won't say which one) spent a lot of his teen years grounded. While, being grounded is a pain, it also gives you time to think, reflect, hopefully figure out why this occurred, and try to prevent it in the future. Well, for some reason, God has grounded me. About 6 weeks ago I hurt my knee, and I just kept walking on it, doing my normal stuff. When my friends were here from the states, I ran all over Paris (and other places) even though it was hurting a lot. I ignored the clues that I needed to slow down and pay attention to something that wasn't right. The result- I have a severe stress fracture of my right tibia, and now per Dr.'s orders I can't put any weight on it for 6 weeks. Wow, talk about getting grounded. I am only allowed to walk up one flight of stairs twice a day for class, and that is with crutches. Otherwise I am to stay seated with my leg up. As you can imagine this is a difficult thing to swallow. I love taking my walks everyday. I like riding my bike on the bike paths here in Albertville. I like being able to walk to the store, bank, etc., to take care of necessities. Suddenly, I can't do any of that, and I am completely dependent on others to shop for me, do my laundry, go to the bank for me, get my mail, etc. etc. etc.!!! A frustrating place to be! So, I've been asking the Lord why He has grounded me for a time. I don't have the whole answer yet, but I have seen some positives come out of this situation. The first positive is seeing the body of Christ here at the Center rise up to meet my needs. They have grocery shopped for me, done my banking, done my laundry, carried things up to our class for me, taken out my trash. You name it, they've done it. What a joy to see how we can be the hands and feet of Jesus. I am usually on the other side of this, so it's humbling to be receiving the help, but also wonderful. Secondly, I have a lot of time for reading my bible, praying and reflecting on what God is teaching me through this trial. Sometimes we just need to "Be still, and know that He is God". If you're like me, it's so easy to get busy and neglect the really important things, like time with the Lord. Lastly, I have beaucoup time for study, which is really needed. We are going through some particularly heavy weeks of course work, and I need to be hitting the books more than normal. I definitely have time now! So, that's what is going on with me. I'm thankful I have a great view from my window so I can look at the beautiful mountains, even if I can't get out and hike up them. Please keep me in your prayers, that I will endure this time of grounding, that my knee would heal quickly, and that I would continue to seek God for the things He wants me to learn through this. Signing off from my little studio apartment with the great view!

Spring Time in France

       I was inspired today as I was eating lunch on our sundeck to write this blog. France is so utterly beautiful in the spring, it's hard to take it all in. Every yard is blooming with flowers (poppies, roses, irises, daffodils, etc.). The French really like their jardins (gardens). The mountains are covered with thick foliage of every kind, with a variety of shades of green. Waterfalls come cascading down the mountains from all the snow starting to melt. The sky is as blue as can be, with little wispy clouds covering the tops of the highest mountains. It truly is a wonderland. There is one particular tree (don't know the name of it) that grows a kind of fuzzy flower. When the wind picks up, the fuzz flies into the air and it almost looks like snow. As I was eating my salad this phenomenon occurred. At first, I thought, how pretty! It's snowing in the spring! Until all the little fuzzy stuff started heading toward my salad, and I had to make a beeline for the interior.
     This got me to thinking about our life with the Father. Things may look on the outside like everything is fine, but He and we know what is really going on. (It might look like snow, but it's not). Sometimes we put people on pedestals and think, what a super Christian, they must pray for 2 hours every morning. Or we observe a couple and think, they have it all together, they must have a wonderful marriage. But these people know the truth. I have had people send me notes saying what a "super" Christian I am to be taking this on. They think I'm some kind of special Christian because I'm going oversees to serve the Lord. Let me just clear that up right now. I am just like every other believer, who sins, struggles, gets sad or depressed at times. We are all on the same journey no matter where God has called us to serve. Just this weekend, I felt so lonely. I was missing my family and friends so much, and felt angry angry with God for calling me to this life. Well, thankfully, those feelings didn't last long, because He dealt with me quickly in His word. I was reading in I Timothy, when chapter 6, verse 6 jumped out at me..." Now godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out." The root of my problem was lack of contentment and thankfulness for the life God has called me to. I was definitely not content, as I was arguing with God that this was too hard, I missed my kids and grandkids too much. So, in repentance, I apologized to Him and started thanking Him for all the blessings in my life. This really is an amazing journey He has me on, and I need to be thankful. Thankfulness is a sure cure for the blues!
     So, I guess the moral of this story is, things aren't always as they appear. There are no "super" Christians. We are all still sinners, who need his grace and mercy. I am thankful that He extends this to me whenever I ask Him. And I think I will go back outside and enjoy some more of this French spring time beauty before class resumes. Signing off, Sandie

Friends and France

       I know it has been a long time since I blogged. My life here in France gets so loaded with studying that I don't have time for everything I want to do. But the last two weeks I have been on a break from school, and God has refreshed my spirit, mind and body with friends. The first week of my break, I did some studying, but was also able to meet my dear friend, Mathilde Mendez, in Chambery for a day. She was here visiting her family, and I took the bus over to meet her. What a fund day of shopping, visiting and catching up, and lots of eating! Her sister makes a mean Tartiflette! (potatoes, onions, ham and tons of Reblechon cheese) Oh my, the pants were tight after that meal. What a blessing Mathilde has been to me! She helped me get started on my French studies before I left in December. But mostly she shared herself with me! I so appreciate her!
      Then on Thursday, I picked up my rental car, and was able to go to Grenoble to visit with my friends that I met last summer at MTI (Missionary training international). They are here learning French also. Their baby was born with Hirshsprung's disease and they have been at the Ronald McDonald house since He was born, waiting for biopsies and surgery. I was also able to take a sweet young couple from my class that have a darling little boy who just celebrated his first birthday. We all had such a nice day together, fellowshipping, walking, and taking the cable cars in Grenoble to the top of the Bastille. By the way, little Samuel had his surgery on Friday, and they were able to remove the diseased part of his bowel. Please continue to pray for Danny and Mandy, and for Samuel's continued healing and health so that his parents can continue on to Africa to serve the Lord.
       Friday night I picked up my two best buddies from Riverside (Bev and Cris) from the Geneva airport. I just dropped this back off this morning at 5am (too early!). We had 8 full days of fun, sightseeing and fellowship. I can't believe how much we packed into those 8 days! We saw several sites close to Albertville (Annecy, Beaufortain, Miolans castle, Fort Tamie, The abbey of Tamie). We also saw Lyon, Paris, and went the last day to Turin, Italy. I have posted some of our pictures on Facebook, so hope you take a look. I really enjoyed sharing France with them. It is an amazing country with such wonders! The region I live in is unbelievably beautiful this time of year. There is still snow on the mountains, the hills are very lush and green, and flowers are blooming everywhere. I think that Bev and Cris fell in love with France as I have. It is definitely leaving a lasting impression on my heart, and I believe it did to theirs' also. Paris was unbelievable! There is so much to see, that we barely scratched the surface in three days, but we tried to see as much as possible; Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle, the Orsay Museum, the Louvre, the Eiffel tower, a river boat cruise on the Seine, and the L'Orangerie Museum. We also ate in a lot of great restaurants, walked through gardens and did a little shopping. Overall, a once in a lifetime experience.
     As I dropped them off this morning, I realized that I am not alone, even though I am far from friends and family. First, and most important, God is my faithful and loving companion. He never leaves me. Being alone here in France has deepened my relationship with Him, and my dependence on Him. As my friends shared their lives, and what is happening with my friends at church in Riverside, I felt so close to everyone. I loved the updates, and now know better how to pray for those people that I love so dearly. And thankful for all their prayers for me! Today is Mother's Day, and even though I am missing my kids and grandkids I will get to Skype with each of them later today. I am their mother and they are my kids, no matter how far apart we are. I am ever thankful for their love, support, and help! And God has blessed me with great friends here. Just this morning, my sweet friend, Christy, left flowers and a Mother's Day card at my door. And now, I am crying, just feeling blessed and loved, rested and refreshed by the Lord and my friends. Thanks, Bev and Cris for traveling a long way to visit me. Love you!
      And so tomorrow, it's back to language learning. I'm thankful that some parts are coming so much better, but the speaking part is still a challenge. Please continue to pray for this to start clicking better. Until next time, Love, Sandie

Examens

This post is all about giving God glory. I just finished a week of examens (the French word for exams). It was a stressful and difficult week. And then we had to wait until Monday to get the news of whether we passed or not. I spent a lot of my week on my knees before the throne of God, asking for aid! Yesterday, I received the news that I passed, and can go on to the next level. You might think I am exaggerating when I say, this was a miracle! But I'm not. God took this old brain, set in the English language, and helped me to understand enough French to pass their difficult examens. Granted, I didn't pass by much. But I think that is God's way of letting me know He was the one who accomplished this, and not to get too full of myself. I need to keep depending on Him everyday through the next 9 weeks to understand the material presented. This morning I was reading in II Corinthians 4 and was reminded again in verse 7 that all of this is for God's glory. If He can help a 59 year old woman retrain her brain to think and speak in French, then it's all His doing. Verse 7 says "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us". Amen! I'm just a baked clay pot, and God has chosen me to serve Him in Africa. I don't know why, but I know it's to bring Him glory! Well, on to my first day of A2 and a new challenge!

Living a life of Faith

    I have been going through a rough patch again (the roller coaster ride of language school), missing my family, feeling a little depressed, fatigued from so much studying. I know we just had a break, but other than visiting a few towns around here, I mostly studied! And now we are back to school, learning more material and studying hard for our exams for this section (A1). If I don't pass, I will have to repeat this all over again, and the prospect of that is definitely discouraging. So, this morning, the Lord woke me up early, and again I found myself prostrate before Him, asking for help. The good news is that He is always there to hear and encourage. I started my devotional time as usual with "My utmost for His highest". In todays reading, he speaks of living a life of faith. He uses Abraham as an example, who is definitely one of my top examples of leading a life of faith! "He went out, not knowing where He was going..." Hebrews 11:8. Here are a couple of quotes from the reading... "Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of faith, not of understanding and reason- a life of knowing Him who calls us to go. Faith is rooted in the knowledge of a Person." This is so hard for me, because I want to understand, and I like reason. But God is calling me to be a person of faith! This is a difficult journey, as any of you know, who are also striving to be people of real faith!
   Later on in the reading, another gem; "A life of faith is not a life of one glorious mountaintop experience after another, like soaring on eagles' wings, but is a life of day-in and day-out consistency; a life of walking without fainting" (Isaiah 40:31). Lord, help me to walk without fainting!
   I am always in a state of reading through the Bible. This mornings' reading just happened to be (you guessed it) Isaiah 40! Isn't it cool how when God is really trying to show us something, He does it in multiple ways. I personally think it's because we are pretty thick-headed and He has to hit us over the head multiple times before we get it!!!  So my prayer this morning is to run and not be weary, and to walk and not faint.
    Thank you for your prayers, and please continue to pray for me during the next 3 weeks as I prepare for and take my exams. Whatever the outcome, I want to become a person of stronger faith, trusting in who God is, and that He is in control.

Le Fromage Usine (the cheese factory)

I've been able to do a little sightseeing while on a break from school. One of the most interesting places I have visited is the small village of Beaufort, high in the Alps. In this town, most of the people are animal farmers, cows (vaches) and goats (chevres). The use the milk to make a variety of products, but mostly cheese. We got to tour the factory where they make the cheese, and watch the men at work, mixing the cheese, pressing the cheese, wrapping the huge wheels of cheese in cheese cloth. Then we watched a video of their way of life. Again, super interesting, and I understood quite a bit of the French spoken in the video. Then the tour ended in the store, where we got to taste and buy cheese. Yummo! They say the 4 food groups in France are; bread, cheese, wine, and chocolate. Oh boy, my waistline is feeling it. I gotta go back to eating salads or I'll be in big trouble. I will try to post some pictures of this little adventure, but for some reason I am having trouble getting them to post. So, check out my pics on facebook.

Gratitude

"Lord, you have given me so much, but I ask for one more thing; a heart of thankfulness".
Things I am thankful for today:
1) Being a child and friend of God
2) His word
3) my wonderful family- and a shout out to my son, Chad, who's birthday is today!
4) wonderful friends, old and new
5) living in France for a year; what a journey to live in a new culture and learn a new language
6) the opportunity to serve God in missions
7) French Bolangeries (the bread here is amazing)
8) the French Alps (every day I get to look out my window at magnificent mountains)
9) Having a rental car for a couple of weeks (YES! Freedom)
10) Skype- so I can keep in contact with those I love (can't imagine how hard it was for missionaries in the past to leave their families, and never see them again!)
11) A break from language school- so great to give my mind and body a rest.
12) the ability to listen to my pastor's sermons (in Riverside) on a podcast. I love going to the French church, but still only understand about 1/4 of the message, so to hear a message in my heart language is super important.
13) Homemade peanut butter (since peanut butter is rare in France, and super expensive, a friend here taught me how to make peanut butter in a food processor with just peanuts, a little oil, and a little honey. Super yummy!)
14) Hopefully, a chance to visit some nearby French towns this week (if only the sun will come out, and it will stop raining and snowing).
15) Cards and packages from friends and family back home- they mean so much!
Well, I think that's about it for now. Love you all, Sandie

Misgivings

     I have had several tough weeks here at language school; I am studying harder and harder, and the scores are getting lower and lower. Last week, I was just above passing, and this week I was below passing. I have been so disturbed by all of this that I am not sleeping well, I am crying more than normal (I have learned from myself and others that crying is normal in language study!), I cry out to God to help; please show me what I am doing wrong. Well, this morning, when I woke up at 4am and couldn't go back to sleep, I cried out again; what is the problem? He graciously and tenderly revealed to me what the problem is. So, in humility, I share my findings with you.  My problem is pride! Hebrews 12: 1 says that we should lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, so that we can run with endurance the race that is set before us. One of the sins that I have wrestled with most of my life is pride. I arrived in Albertville thinking, I know this will be hard, but I can do this, I'm a smart person. After 7 weeks, I have come to the realization; I can't do this, I am not smart! This has been a hard pill to swallow. As I read "My utmost for his highest" this morning, God showed me that my confidence was in myself and my abilities, not in Him. Today's reading is entitled "Our misgivings about Jesus". It laid out my problem before me.  We say we are trusting in the Lord, when really we are trusting in ourselves. We have misgivings about whether or not He can really accomplish what He says he can, and our pride is hurt at the thought that He can do what we can't. The reading for today ends with a prayer, that I confessed before the Lord..."Lord, I have had misgivings about you. I have not believed in Your abilities, but only my own. And I have not believed in Your almighty power apart from my finite understanding of it."
     I'm learning that I have other lessons to learn here in Albertville, besides learning to speak French. He has to get me at the end of myself, so that I can lean on His power, not mine. A missionary who is depending on their own power is not going to get very far. He is teaching me harder lessons that how to speak a new language, He is teaching me to totally rely on Him. Ephesians 1:18-21 is Paul's prayer for the church in Ephesians, but also for us. He prays that "the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened, that you would know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of HIS power toward us who believe, according to the working of HIS mighty power, which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come."
     I will continue to study! I know He expects me to do my part. But I hope that I will recognize more and more that it is HIS power in me, and not my own that is going to get me through this program. Please continue to pray for me in this regard. It's not an easy thing to leave our pride and our will at the foot of the cross.

Adventures in France

     It's been a while since I wrote a post. Mainly because I am trying to keep my head above water in this French learning adventure. It consumes most of my day; I wake up thinking about French verbs and articles, and I go to bed thinking about how to ask questions and form sentences. My teacher and I are meeting once a week for one-on-one tutoring, and that has really helped. I think it's starting to sink into my brain. Praise God!
     But other than just language learning I have had a few opportunities to experience France in other ways. The Saturday before last I went to the city of Grenoble with a friend here who has a car. She was going to IKEA, and also dropping someone off at the train station there. I have been wanting a more comfortable chair, since these hard straight-back chairs have raised havoc with my bad back. So I jumped at the opportunity. It was a beautiful day out and the scenery was amazing on the way there. Albertville is so beautiful, but it is completely surrounded by high mountains. It's a little hard to get a bearing of where you are in France, or even which way is north or south. This was the first time I had left Albertville in over a month of arriving here. Grenoble is about an hour away from Albertville. It is the "capital" of the region/county of Savoi. France is made up of 95 counties, or regions. Each one has it's city where all the administrative activities occur. I will have to go back to Grenoble in about a month to present my long term visitor visa and get it approved. On the trip there, the valley opened up and the mountains got further away. We could see abbeys, and forts, and castles up on the hills. The river that runs through Albertville, followed along side of us most of the way there. We saw a lot of farms and horses, and cattle. It was really beautiful and refreshed my spirit! Well, we got to IKEA, which is exactly the same as in the states, even down to the Swedish meatballs, which we had for lunch. The only difference was that the food line had a whole section of French pastries, of which we had to partake of with our Swedish meatballs! The trip was a success and I found a very comfortable chair for only 49 euros. My back is thanking me!!! After IKEA, we took Marissa to the train station. I loved driving through the city of Grenoble. The architecture is very French, and very old. It's a beautiful city with lots of museums and interesting buildings. There is a cable car that is made up of individual "bubble' looking compartments (called the Teleherique de Grenoble, if you want to look it up) that goes over the Isere river, and up the side of a mountain to the "Bastille". I hear the views from the top are amazing. I hope to go visit there this spring when we have a break.
     My other fun adventure was getting to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics here at the school on the "big screen". Well, compared to my laptop, anything is a big screen. One of the men here set up his computer to view on a projector style screen, and we had a party of food and watching the Olympics. Of course, it was on French TV, so all of the announcing was in French. I think that I might start watching a little French TV on my computer because it's good to hear the language in a natural setting.
     The school is planning a one day outing to ski. I was planning on going, and just sitting in the lodge and sipping hot chocolate all day, but then I found out that they don't have ski lodges here in France. Since I don't ski (and neither do some others here), and I don't feel like just standing out in the cold all day, a small group of us are planning a train ride to a close by city; either Anechy or Chambery. So, I'll have to fill you in on that adventure once it has happened. In the meantime, let me express my thanks for all the cards and letters I have received from you back home. You have no idea how happy I am to look in my mail cubicle and see something there. Your sweet words and bible verses, and thoughts help to lift me up during the trying times! God is so good, and meets my needs at every turn. I am thankful for this opportunity to learn to lean on Him and trust Him more each day. Love you, Sandie

The ups and downs of language study

       Wow, what a roller coaster ride this is! Sometimes I really comprehend things and feel so positive, like I am actually going to learn French. Other times, I feel defeated, exhausted and like I want to give up. This has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. Way harder than my master's program was! It seems like all I do is study. Last weekend was really tough, because I had studied so hard for my evaluation (nice word for test!). Well, I didn't do very well on it! When I got the graded copy back, and I looked at some of the things I wrote I couldn't believe it. And I completely left one part blank. What the heck??? Well, I guess you can blame it on stress, or maybe it's just the 59 year old brain cells! Anyway, I'm going to just keep trying. I'm also meeting with my teacher tomorrow for a one-on-one tutoring session. Hopefully that will help. Anyway, if you're out there reading this please continue to lift me up to our Father. This was His idea, so I'm completely dependent on Him for getting me through!
       On a positive note, I have mastered the French grocery store, bank, bus, and post office. I'm also looking for a language partner, so keep that in your prayers too. I would love to have someone in the medical field so I can learn some of that terminology. I am making friends and have had 3 gatherings in my little apartment for meals and study partners. I have also been invited to some apartments of students for meals, games, etc. My friend Christy and I watch Downton Abbey every week on her computer. I can't seem to get it on mine. That's my one TV show a week. Oh, and I finally got a phone, so now I can talk to some of you back home! Talk again soon!

Going for walks

I like to go for walks after all day in the classroom. It clears my head from all the French grammar and also refreshes my body and spirit. Today I took an especially long walk, clear out of town, and up part of a mountain. It was amazing; cold, crisp, beautiful mountains surrounding me. I saw some really cute little French houses, some chickens, a neat little canal, and my favorite Bolangerie (of course, I had to run in to buy some bread!). I took some pictures, and have been trying to post them without much success. So I will keep trying. Oh, and I took a picture for my friend, Mathilde, whose family lives in Chambery (look for the road sign). Well, Bon weekend!

Study, Study, Study

I haven't written in a while, because I have been so busy studying. I once heard that language school is like a fire hose of information coming at you all the time. This is so true, and I often feel like I'm drowning in all the verb conjugations and articles. Learning French is taking all my waking moments and some of "supposed to be sleeping" moments. But God is meeting me every day. I cry out to Him many times a day and He is there for me. All of sudden some piece of information I was struggling with just "clicks". Other times, a friend will encourage me. The bible encourages me daily. Letters and cards and videos and pictures from home really encourage me. Just yesterday, I came back to my room after class, again feeling overwhelmed. I decided to go for a long walk to clear my head. On the way to walk I stopped by my mailbox and had a card from a bible study friend. It was the cutest card I've ever seen with a sheep on the front that said "I'm thinking of you today in your current surroundings", then you turn the page, and the little sheep is in a big pair of hands and it says "Jesus' Hands! It is a good place to be! Then off to the side she shared a quote she had heard on the radio. It said "The wisdom of the Shepherd is not dependent on the I.Q. of the sheep"! Amen to that! I'm glad He's got me in His hands, and I'm glad that the success of language learning is not on my I.Q. or I'd be in big trouble. John 10:27 says "My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow me... no one can snatch them out of My hand." I am listening Lord! I am overwhelmed with thankfulness and love for You! Please keep praying for my brain to retain, and my physical and emotional strength. Miss and love you all!

Learning Lessons!

       Thought I would take a break from studying and write a post. It's hard to believe how much information they have crammed into our heads in the last 5 days of school. I've learned the alphabet, to count to 100, to say hello and goodbye in about 10 different ways (depending on who you are saying it to, and what time of day it is, and when you might see them again. Yikes!!!). I've also learned all the French vowels, how they are pronounced, and what modifies them, like accent marks or a cedille (that funny squiggly thing on the bottom of a "c"). I've learned that there are three main types of verbs in the French language and about 90% of them end in "er". I've learned about 10 verbs, and how to conjugate them (the verb changes according to who is saying it and to who). I've learned how to say I am not doing whatever the verb is wanting me to do. I've learned the male and female name of about 50 professions (yes, they are different depending on whether they are masculine or feminine). I've learned how to say the countries of the world in French, along with the appropriate adjective (la, le, les, un, une, des, en, au, aux, etc.). The French really like things complicated. Our teacher keeps telling us, don't try to turn these words into English, because a lot of them cannot be translated. We have to put on our "French" heads, and aren't allowed to talk in English unless the teacher talks to us in English, which isn't very often. Anyway, surprising, a lot of this info is sticking, some keeps trying to leak out, and I keep trying to put it back in!
       Beside learning French, I am learning some other important lessons too. After the third class, I came home, laid down on my bed and cried for about 30 minutes. After my little "melt down", I asked the Lord what that was all about. I came to the conclusion that it was a multifactorial meltdown. First; physical fatigue. In the last 7 weeks, I have gone oversees twice on trips, packed up an entire house, moved all the stuff to storage, stopped all my accounts, bills, etc. (lots of hours on the phone!), experienced holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas), flew to France, and dealt with 9 hours of jet lag. Second was the emotional component; I was missing my family, friends, church, house, recliner, and dog! I know I can talk to my family, but I can't hug them or bake cookies with them, or hold them. I miss my comfortable bed and recliner. I miss my dog licking me and wanting to jump in my lap. I miss good friends, who know how you are feeling before you even open your mouth! I do know some people here from my training this summer, and I am meeting new people and starting to establish friendships. I am thankful for that. Third, and probably the most important is the spiritual component. I have not been spending quality time with the Lord. I had been reading my bible and praying, but really not meditating, memorizing, talking to the Lord, like I needed to be. So, needless to say, I had a physical, emotional, mental (just plain tired from all the schooling), and spiritual meltdown. The great thing is that God knew this was coming, and he knew just what I needed. I picked up my bible and started reading, and it seemed like every verse was just for my situation. I put on some Christian music, and a Chris Tomlin song spoke to me so much I started crying again, just praising God for his love and his faithfulness to us. Then a friend knocked on the door and invited me for dinner. She noticed I had been crying, and asked if she could help, so I poured it all out on her. She told me that she had a similar experience about a week after she had gotten here in the fall. (always good to know that what we're experiencing is normal!). That night was the first night I slept all night and didn't wake up at 2 or 3am. In the morning I felt like a new person. God lifts us up with wings like eagles. If we are weary, He gives us strength! I am learning to rely on Him more and more and am so thankful for my God. I am also thankful for those of you at home, that have sent me encouraging words in letters or on Facebook. Love and miss you all, Sandie

Adventures in eating!

      Today marked the 1 week anniversary of my arrival in France, and I thought it would be fun to brave the restaurant scene as a celebration. I invited one of my new friends, Christy, a 30 something single girl who is a teacher, and going to Republic of Central Africa. After strolling the boulevard and looking at menus we decided upon a Creperie. Of course, we couldn't read much on the menu, but we know some basic terms. Anyway, I decided on the American, which I thought was going to be a Cheeseburger (sounded so good!) and a crepe for dessert that has caramel and vanilla ice cream with chopped nuts. My friend ordered the pizza and a nutella crepe for dessert. Well, here is what we actually got; my "cheeseburger was a crepe with a fried egg in the middle, and a hamburger steak off to one side with pizza sauce on it. I ate most of the crepe, none of the egg, and a few bites of the hamburger steak. My friend got a pizza crepe with ham and onions, and leeks, and a few other things on it. They were both pretty weird (especially since we didn't know they would be crepes!). Anyway, the dessert crepes were fantastic and worth all the other weirdness.
      The company was superb. It is so nice to share with like minded people who love the Lord, and just want to serve Him. Christy is much more a novice at French than I am (hard to believe), so she has been very scared in class. She shared that this morning in her devotional time she was reading about Moses and the burning bush. Moses was very scared to do what God had called him to do. God kept reassuring Moses by saying "I am" is sending you. Really, when you think about who it is that has called us to do whatever he has for us, why do we sweat the small stuff, like learning French. He is more than adequate to accomplish that and whatever else it takes if we are just willing. Someone told me once that God doesn't always use the best and brightest, He uses whoever says yes! So I hope that this will also be an encouragement to you who are reading this. We serve the great "I AM"! He is able to equip us for the job at hand. I'm thankful for this. Signing off from France.

French Vowels

Today was our first full day of class. We learned all 15 French vowels, along with the accents that change how they are pronounced! Are you kidding? I can't even pronounce them without the accents! To say the least, French is very different than English. We have what is called a "lazy" mouth; we don't have to use very many mouth or facial muscles to say the words we say. But French uses every mouth and facial muscle known to man. My face is actually tired tonight! With all that aside, this was a great day. I supposedly got in the 'hard' teacher's class. But I think she is amazing. She is such a good teacher. I feel like I am really going to learn from her this year, and am very thankful that God put me in her class. On another high note, I got my foam topper that I ordered from Amazon for my "hard as rock" mattress. So hopefully I will sleep better tonight. I also ordered a rice cooker, and was able to have a delicious dinner of salmon, rice and green beans. Yummo! The bread here is amazing, and if I give in to it, I will come home even fatter than I am. On every corner there is a Boulangier (think that's how it is spelled) with fresh bread, crescents, and other yummy treats. Well, I've got to get my head in the books now and review my vowels. God bless, Sandie

Some of the beauty surrounding me in France (haven't posted these pictures to Facebook, so they are new)

Cultural Adaptation

        As a nurse educator I have taught classes to my students on culture and cultural sensitivity. Last summer when I attended Missionary Training International (MTI) they talked a lot about cultural adaptation. I thought I was prepared for entering a new culture, but today proved me otherwise. The day started with a plan to visit a consignment store nearby before an afternoon of testing for placement at the school. I had noted the store's hours this weekend when out walking and they were supposed to be open Monday from 8:30-4:30. At 9:30 I went there and the door was open, so I went in (there was no open or closed sign anywhere on the building). As I was looking at some items a man came up to me, speaking French, which of course, I couldn't understand. He went and got someone else, and they told me in broken English that the store was closed. I told him the hours posted on the door, to which he replied, "Oh, that's only if we feel like being open then". Okay, I'm definitely not in the U.S. anymore.
      So, I decided to go to the grocery store and get some items. A friend had said it was on this same street, and not down too far. I saw the sign for "Courforre" market with an arrow in the direction that said "3 min". So I started walking, thinking it would be close. Block after block and no market, but I kept seeing signs that said "3 min". I'm not sure what this actually meant because it was really about 30 minutes and about 1- 1 & 1/2 miles. So, eventually I got there, and I knew that you had to have a coin to put in to get the grocery cart disconnected from the others. Their system is that you put a coin in to get in, and when you are done and reconnect the cart, you get your coin back. The problem was that I wasn't sure which coin. A woman came by and I pantomimed my problem, she looked through my coin purse and selected the right one, I said "Merci". She left. The coin would not go in all the way, so I chose a different one, and so this went on for about 5-10 minutes before one actually worked and I got my cart.
      OK, so now I'm in the store with my list and looking up and down the isle and trying to find tomato sauce, not tomatoes, and bread crumbs and other assorted items that do not have the same names as they do back home. I had to pick up numerous boxes and cans and try to decipher what the French ingredients were, and then decide if it was the right thing. Then I made it to the vegetable isle. I noticed people weighing their veggies and fruit and thankfully in Spain I had already been acquainted with this system. You put your item on the scale, then push a button of the picture of the item, and it spits out a price tag that you attach to the bag. The only problem was that there were about 10 people behind me waiting, and I had about 10 bags of veggies/fruits. I took longer than they were expecting, and soon a couple of ladies were at my side trying to help me so I could get out of their way!!! Okay, so I finally got all the items that I needed and headed for the checkout stand. It was then that I remembered my friends telling me that you have to bring your own bags, because they don't supply bags. So, I had to go looking through the store for bags that I could purchase. I tried to pantomime this to a man who was stocking. He finally got it and showed me that they were at each checkout stand. Yikes, I was now very frustrated, and I had to go to the bathroom! Well, come to find out that French grocery stores do not have public bathrooms.
      Anyway, I managed to pay and bag all my stuff and started the long walk home, now carrying 3 bags of heavy groceries, and trying to hold my bladder!!! I have never been so glad to get "home" and I was from that trip. After discussing this with some of the girls here, they told me there is a push basket that you can take with you to the grocery store. They don't bother with trying to get a cart, because it's always difficult. Some said they take the bus to the store, and couldn't believe I had walked all that way carrying bags of groceries.
      Wow, hope my next grocery store experience is easier. I felt that old culture shock hitting me right between the eyes. Tomorrow after class, it will be the post office. This should be fun!! Gotta love it! :)