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
Monday, May 19, 2014
Sunday, May 11, 2014
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)