The last evening we had a wonderful dinner together.  We are so glad to partner with ICCM to work in the churches in France. Dan Painter is retiring from VBS but will continue to be involved with the pastors in the churches.

After dinner in Cassis, some of the students jumped in the Med with their clothes on. Sunday they return home. What a trip! Thanks be to God and Au revoir!

Crazy end to the week!

Friday morning we arrived at the church and began our activities. There were 3 toilets in this old building for 80 of us. One blocked up and there  was a leak. We called a plumber who began ripping up tiles. Soon the building smelled like a sewer and it became a health hazard. We evacuated the children to l 'Ecole Radio Biblique where we continued activities in the courtyard. It was a 10 minute walk and I am so proud of my students for how they kept the kids safe and then continued the program to the end. We texted the parents to meet us there for the final spectacle. The children  sang the songs they learned and recited their verses.We served American Brownies and celebrated the end!

Notre Dame de la Garde - Wednesday

   After VBS today we took an excursion to the huge church on the hill overlooking the city of Marseilles. Our Lady of the Guard watches over the sailors and fishermen since the 1800s. There are many plaques of thanksgiving in the church as prayers for safety and rescue were answered.

FOOD!!

  Speaking of French food, we are eating well! Cyril, one of the dads, is preparing all our meals. He is taking some of the teens with him to the market each day and then teaches them how to cook in the afternoon.He provides breakfast, lunch and supper for us. However, we are not gaining weight because the meals are so spread out with no snacking in between. Breakfast is at 8 am, lunch is at 1:30 and dinner is at 8 pm.  ( I just about die waiting for dinner). Plus we are running around after kids all day!

Today's lunch was hamburgers with eggplant.

Peach melba!

His son Marc( age 9) works with him in the kitchen and made a dessert cake for us.

Some familiar faces

Ruthie joined us for a day to  translate and hang out. She is headed to England for Bible school and ministry.

Julia was a senior in French this past year and has been here in France as an intern. She prepared a lot for us in advance, printing bulletin and advertising at the schools. During the program, she is my assistant to run & fetch  what I need.

Richard and Carol Chenette are here with the church  St.Just. They have an apartment at l' Ecole Radio Biblique and that's where we eat each night.

VBS at Marseilles with Eglise Evangélique de St. Just

This is more of an inner city ministry. We are on the outskirts of Marseilles and safety is a concern.

This is a game like Duck, Duck,  Goose.  It goes Tomate, Tomate, Ketchup! If you are caught, you have to go à la soupe  ( in the middle).

Eli is saying his Bible verse. We spend a lot of time on Bible memory activities.

The kids love decorating bags for their first day of Arts & Crafts.

New week in Marseilles

As we drove to Marseilles, we stopped at a Macdo. Some students went inside for a taste of home.Most of us had our French picnic in the parking lot.

Liz is a driver and in charge of food, snacks and keeping the gang fed. Albert is one of our drivers and translators. He also has amazing penmanship to make the name tags for the kids. 

We stopped by Aix en Provence to tour the town. This protestant church received commendation during times of persecution from Jean Calvin. Dan & Nancy Painter planted a church in the building and worship goes on today. Aix is a university town so there is an outreach to college students.

We are staying at Ft. St. Nicolas in Marseilles. Diana is our science teacher and Melissa does crafts. We could not do this bilingual club without the moms!

Keegan and Kelly Reilly join us for this week. Here is Nancy Painter with Raphael Reilly.

End of the week in Montauban

     It has been a wonderful week. On Thursday we shared the Gospel and talked about the crucifixion. We even acted it out a little. We also showed the Jesus film.  The French kid loved the crafts and the music. We explain everything in French but they love the American music with gestures and dance moves. Today, Friday, was the final program where the parents could see what their children had learned. The kids sang and played the bells. We gave each child a Bible for their own.

Lydia and Laura enjoyed the games.

Elise and Ozanne were campers last time we came. This time they were our assistants.

Rebecca and Will came all the way from Nicaragua to help us.

These kids were in the oldest group.

We are passing out a Bible in comic strip form ( which is considered an art form here) plus other Christian books on the kids'  reading level.

The week in Montauban continues

We wear team t- shirts that say on the front: His Grace is sufficient.

On the back it says," We carry this treasure in earthen vessels so that this extraordinary power may be attributed to God and not to us."II Corinthians 4:7

Follow Him!!

The kids loved the science experiments which we held in the courtyard outside.

Here I am teaching a Bible lesson about being the salt of the earth. First I handed out tasteless crackers and then salty ones for the kids to see how salt gives flavor.

The first week of VBS

The kids love singing the songs in English.

Here the children are learning about rocks in Science.

A Montauban

Saturday we drove from the Cévennes mountains to Montauban.  There was heavy traffic as people left on vacation. We stopped at Carcassonne for lunch. This is a well preserved medieval walled city. The weather was hot and sunny. The students enjoyed exploring on their own: Lowri, Sabine and Katja Emily. Liz Szews is one of our drivers and she is amazing as she drives a stick shift van on the roads of France!

Vendredi

Friday morning the team hiked to the top of another mountain to see another protestant temple.
 ( Reformed Protestant churches are called temples). We had devotions there and sang together.
After looking at the Roman ruins (under the church), we visited the town of Anduze for lunch.
Then we spent the afternoon planning VBS. Friday evening we had a final picnic with M. de Casenove ( age 95) and his sister Hélène ( age 93).  Both are fit and in good form.

Aigues Mortes

The name of this city means "Dead Waters"and King Louis built it in the middle ages. Some of the crusades left from here. One tower is named La Tour de Constance,  after his daughter. It was used as a prison for the protestant women. One girl, Marie Durand, was arrested on her wedding day and spent 40 years there. We took a tour of the tower and the students thought about what they were willing to suffer for their faith.

Protestant History

We visited Le Musée du Désert and learned about the "desert period" when the Protestants wanted religious liberty and it was denied them. We saw the Bibles that families kept in secret- even tiny ones that women would hide in their hair. The museum is in the house of one of the Protestants from the 1600s. We toured it and saw where the pastors hid from the king's soldiers.

Afterwards, we climbed to the cave where the Protestants worshipped. It was a strenous hike - really more like rock climbing. How did they do it in their wooden clogs and carrying their children?? Once at the cave,  we sang and worshipped together.  The accoustics underground were great!

Hurray for Internet!

Bonjour!  Hurray for internet! We have been without cell or internet service for 5  days.  That felt like a real hardship for us Americans. As soon as we arrived in Marseilles, we rented vans and headed 3 hours into the Cévennes mountains. M. de Casenove welcomed us and the students explored his castle. Our missionary, Nancy Painter, had a July 4th picnic ready for us. Liz Szews, Lowri Gowing and Aimee D'Amico to the left. Madison Phillips and Katie Deck to the right.

Pre 4th Picnic

The Rooneys kindly opened their home in Annandale, VA for a team picnic.  We met a lot of the students going with us. It was great to meet the parents as well. Here is Maureen Orsini, Thomas and moi.

Our pre-4th of July picnic with Grace D, Thomas, Taylor & Lowri.

More students: Jenna, Lowry, Grace, Taylor, Thomas,Emma, Josh and Josh. Can you find our mascot? LeCoq is the symbol of France and when the French score during a sports match, the crowd yells,

 " Cocorico!" ( Cock-a-doodle-doo!}