Help Me Get To France

God's called me to France. You see, that country doesn't really know about Him, and they need to. Here's how you can help me in this ministry:

Pray. 

• For hearts in France to be changed
• For me to learn and retain the French language
• For Christians to be moved to support me financially

Give.

• Financially. The most helpful option to support is to pledge to give a certain monthly amount. You can do so online through GEM's website, but it charges me 3% if you use a credit card. The best way to pledge is to snail mail in a pledge card, which I'd love to get to you if you ask me! One time gifts are also always appreciated! I need to have 90% of my trip pledged or given before I can buy my plane tickets to France. That means I need $10,000 more by August 15th!
• Garage Sale. My family and I are having a garage sale on August 13th. If you have anything you would like to donate, let me know!
• Buy a flower. I still have flowers I'm selling. Those can be purchased and all proceeds go to France. :-)

Oh, and the picture above is one I took in Paris, though I'm sure I didn't need to tell you that. I mean, really, where else could I have gotten that? I'm hoping to get much  more pictures like that in the near future!

Five of My Favorites Friday

1. Sunsets in New Mexico

Last night I looked out my window and saw this. Except it was even more pink than in the picture, and prettier too. Why hello, Watermelon Mountain.  And when the mountain looks this good, you know it'll look good on the other side of the house too. 

I was definitely not disappointed. These pics aren't edited. 

I love that about New Mexico. It's like 2 for 1.  Not only do you get the beyond extraordinary sunsets, but the mountains light up on the east too. It sure does keep a girl happy.

2. Office supplies. It's all I can do to hold in that girlish squeal when I walk into that blessed aisle in Target. And I must say, there are some very strict rules about what I can and cannot (usually it's this one) buy. 

3. Working at my table with the window open while I take in the fresh morning air and listen to the chirping birds. Dad put a bird feeder right outside my window, so now I have all sorts of new friends, squirrels included.

4. New Mexico after the rain. There's not a better smell out there, I mean it. And we've had a bit of rain the last couple of evenings. I've made sure to sit in my favorite spot in the house (see above), open my window, inhale deeply, and type away pretty words just because I can. 

5. To-do lists. Lists of all kinds really. But today it's to-do lists. 

What's even better than To-Do lists? Lists written on cute Office Supply notepads (See Number 2) that seem to last foooorever. Seriously. I use this all. the. time. Thank you, sister-in-law, for the best Christmas present, ever. 

For Sale!

I have a few exceptionally lovely items that I'm selling to get some more funds for zee Mission's Trip to  Paris.

We made them. That's right, made them. I made something. And you can wear them in your hair, or you can put them on a ribbon and put them in your hair, or you can put them on a bag, or.... the possibilities are endless!

It was my sister Tracy's idea. I would never have thought of... making something. 

But I like them a lot. There's 5 different colors. And three different sizes (Small, Medium, and Large. Or shall I say Tall, Grande, and Venti?)

And they're $3, $5, and $8 each accordingly. Or whatever donation you choose. 

I like them a lot, and if no one buys them then I'm okay with keeping them all.

Sort of. I'd rather you buy them.

So contact me if you're interested, and I'll find a way to get them to you. (They might not all be hand delivered.... just sayin')

P.S. I'm at 45% now! And I need 90% by August 15th. 

Lovin' Europe

God first began to give me a passion for Europe when I lived in England. I was at Bible School for 6 months, you see. One time three of my classmates and I had an opportunity to share about Christianity in a Religious Education class for kids around 13-14 years old. I remember one of the questions they asked us was why we came to England just to learn more about God. The idea boggled them, and it was a loaded question. We all could tell what questions they were really asking.

"Did your parents make you come?"

"What could possibly be so important about God that you travelled all this way to learn more about Him?"

"Only old people care about religion, what's wrong with you?"


"Who is this Jesus guy anyways?" 

I looked into their eyes and saw that their hearts were so open. I knew that they had no clue who my Jesus really is, but it was evident that they were at least a little bit curious about Him.

We spent about an hour in that classroom, answering random questions about where we came from and why we became Christians. I fell in love with them, just seeing the honest curiosity and desire to hear more. I wanted to sit down with every single one of them and hear their stories and learn their passions and share their struggles and give them the Hope that got me through it all.

We left that classroom that day and I never saw a single one of them again. I still think about it, and it still kind of haunts me.

But God reached my heart for Europe through those students in a way I never thought possible. It was because of them I realized that almost everyone in Europe thinks church is only for old and foolish people. Thanks to them, I have a better idea of how very few actually hear about the only Way for true life in Europe. Because of them, God was able to tug at my heart and commission me for France. For that I'll forever be grateful.

I hope I can meet some of them again someday. I don't know any of their names, and I definitely wouldn't be able to recognize them. But they made a lasting impression.

France is in a very similar religious state as England. Very few actually hear the gospel. That's why I'm going. If I can pour my heart out to just one young woman in France and she comes to know Jesus as a result, it would be so worth it. I want to cry just thinking about it.

Don't judge our coolness. I know it might be too much for you. 

Fitting In

Today I was reading up on French culture when I stumbled upon the following the statement.

"French people are in general very courteous and they are direct too. They are accustomed to speaking their minds and being direct and to the point. If you sometime get annoyed by this, you will later realize that French people are friendly and polite if you get to know them a little better." (You can find the website here)

Truth be told, I think I might just fit in there. :-)

In other news, New Mexico is finally getting the teensiest bit of moisture in our icky drought. I left the house for my daily (ha!) run this evening, and it actually felt humid. Sort of. It was glorious. I like humidity. Probably because I rarely encounter it.

And also, in case you haven't noticed, I am now 39% of the way there in my fundraising! Which is a blessing, because I'm getting really close to my deadline. I have to be at 90% by August 15th. Of this year. Yikes!

But God is faithful, and so are His servants, so together we'll get there.

Have a lovely evening my friends.

France Facts... Sort Of

Today I was (once again) researching religion in France. It's pretty fascinating, if you ask me, yet terribly frustrating to study. It's so difficult to tell through the internet where people's hearts really are, and how they actually view protestant Christianity, Islam, Roman Catholicism, etc.

Apparently they really hate scientology though. "In this trial, which is expected to last until mid-June, prosecutors are likewise trying to portray Scientology as merely a large-scale scam while ignoring the organization's religious conceits" (Read more here). 


According to Christianity Today, there is a growing acceptance of Christianity in France, something unheard of and unexpected. Yet 6 years after that article was published, the spiritual climate seems to be hardly different at all. 


Things still don't look great. It's difficult to find current statistical information, but this is what I've seen the most:


Somewhere between 50-80% of the country is Catholic, though less than 5% actually go to church on a weekly basis


5% of the country is Muslim.


2% of the country is Protestant Christian


1% of the country is Jewish


And there's also random statistics about agnosticism and atheism. 


Bottom line, France needs Jesus. We don't really need statistics to tell us that. The Bible's already made it clear. And I'm getting more and more anxious to get there myself and see how open people are to the best news they'll ever hear. It hurts me to know that so many French live and die without ever knowing that they could have had a Savior. 

Five of My Favorites Friday

1. Curry--- We've been spending a lot more time together lately, and I'm thinking this'll turn out being a long relationship. Very long.

2. Meeting Missionaries--- I always want to sit them down and question them about their countries of choice and listen to all of their stories. It's pure bliss. Does anyone else feel this way?

3. Chocolate--- My intake has been a little out of control lately. It's starting to be a problem.... HA! I'm just kidding. Chocolate's no problem.

4. Walks in the Park with old friends.

5. Rearranging furniture. I think I'm addicted to change.


Speaking of change.... I really want to change my blog name and url. Preferably to something that people will be able to remember. But I'm really terrible with coming up with titles. Suggestions anyone?

Intentions

I've been fundraising.... And the more I fundraise, the more I begin to dislike that word. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because that word always has some type of connotation with it in people's minds, whether it's positive or negative. (Though I suspect it's generally negative). What comes to your mind when you hear that word?

I've had a lot of people tell me that they plan on giving me money. And it's such a blessing. And every time I hear it, I can't help but think about who the money is really coming from, and who it's really going to. Because in the end it's not about you and me. It's about Him. So I smile when I receive the blessings, because it's just another way He shows He loves me.

But now.... three months after I've heard all these promises of monthly pledges, the only ones who have given me money are the ones that never told me that they were going to. I have no doubt that those people had every single intention to give, and perhaps they still will. But that is where I get to the point of this particular blog post.

Rather than getting frustrated and impatient about these unfulfilled promises, my Jesus has instead convicted my own heart.

Intentions.

How many times have I intended to set down the book and get up and do the dishes? How many times when I was thinking of someone did I intend to send them a note of encouragement? How many times did I intend on praying for a specific person or group of people? How many times have I intended something and never followed through?

How many times did I fail in my intentions, and others didn't receive a blessing from the Lord because of it?

Let's just say it's happened a lot. And I trust that by God's grace, it'll stop happening as near as often. I'm sorry if you've missed out on a blessing from the Lord because I never followed through on what I intended to do.