The Carrolls in France

30 months...

2012-01-06T17:41:00.003-06:00

Remember when you first had a baby and then that baby grew into a toddler? People would ask how old your little one was and you would always respond with an answer in months. No way am I just going to answer, "He's 1." Parenting a baby and a toddler is just so much work and too exhausting to give it a simple answer that he's just 1! "I've been mommy-ing this sweet thing for exactly 19 1/2 months." Then as the child grows older, you start sleeping through the night again and regain consciousness, you start counting his age in years.

I was thinking about how that idea reflects our time here in France. We have been living our lives here counting the months. It's been exhausting and hard. But as we turn the corner towards our 3 year mark, it occurred to me that I have stopped thinking in months and have transitioned into years.

We certainly don't have it all together and we have not totally figured out all that it means to do life here, but we have come a long way baby.

As we start 2012, I've been reflecting a lot on where we've been and where we are now. I hope I can say that I think we're growing, becoming better versions of ourselves each year. I'm incredibly thankful for the journey I've been on so far in this life and I feel incredibly blessed. Thanks God.

Franglish

2011-09-12T10:19:00.000-05:00

I've noticed that the longer I live here, the more I merge the 2 languages I speak. Sometimes without knowing it was coming out of my mouth, I speak in both French and English in the same sentence.
Example?
"Elle va à le school."
And then there are some words that are the same in both French and English. I can't remember how to spell the right way for the language I'm supposed to be writing in at the time.

It's a weird feeling and I think it means good things about my transition.

But it makes me feel like I'm 5 years old, all the time.

Another school year begins!

2011-09-07T07:31:00.000-05:00

This is our 3rd rentrée (just a French name for the start of the school year) in France. Our first year I was so scared for our kids. Rightly so, it was the toughest 6 months of their lives. Our 6 year old sat through 8 hours of French with only knowing numbers, colors and how to say hello/goodbye. It was hard for Will in some ways too but at 3, he was happy to play, glue and color. It was a long, sad 6 months for Natalie. Then around January she turned a corner. She started speaking and understanding French. She started making friends. The rest of the year was so different and by May, we had a party at our house with 13 little French girls!

Last year had it's own challenges. We moved to Paris in June. New school again. We didn't know anyone again. Fortunately, that summer we had become friends with a new neighbor in our building who's son was Natalie's age. She now had a buddy to go with her to the new school. He was new too but they had each other. That boy ended up moving back to London about a month later but I will never forget how God took care of my little girl by providing a much needed friend at just the right time.

In Paris, we ended up with 2 amazing schools for our kids. They are French public schools. We had heard horror stories about life in the public schools here but we were blessed with something that was completely the opposite. Both Natalie and Will love their schools, teachers and friends here.

I don't know what this year will bring. I've learned it's best for me to take each day as it comes. (Lessons on control have been huge for me, living in France, but that will have to be another entry.) Overall, this has been our best rentrée yet- we knew other parents, what supplies we needed, how things were going to go. Living abroad is a funny experience. Humbling and funny. All of us have grown up a little more while living here.

Here's to a great school year!

So I didn't go...

2011-08-30T04:56:00.000-05:00

to the brocante. Don't judge me. I am not feeling up to running around the city just yet. There's something about this lull before school that has me wanting to just stay home. I know, I live in this beautiful city, but I'm not a tourist. I am a resident and sometimes I just want to be home. Sue me.

I did however get a bookcase and some baskets to help organize our house. It makes my house feel a little less cluttered and I love it. It brought me some peace.

We've been filling our time with parcs, reading, movies, hanging out. It's been good.

I'm looking forward to school on Monday. We've been out of a routine for a LONG time. I like routine. It also brings me peace. ha! Now you will all be signing me up for counseling sessions to work on my anxiety issues.

Hope you are all enjoying your last days of summer.

August in Paris

2011-08-21T02:04:00.000-05:00

Whew, it's hot. After spending 5 weeks in the land of air conditioning, I was not ready for life without it. There are worse things but summer is not my favorite season to begin with, much less without a breeze. We might be visiting parc andre citroen soon so we can cool off in the fountains.

My current home project is to work on making our apartment feel less like a dorm room and more like a home. I hope I can find some cheap things at upcoming brocantes that will help add some flavor to this home. I'll keep you posted on what I find.

We're back!

2011-08-07T15:26:00.001-05:00

After our 5 week "American tour" (ha!), we are back home in Paris. We are jet-lagged and cranky but happy. We had a great time in the states and we are so thankful for the many people who provided us with hospitality, meals, etc. We feel really loved.

What's the biggest difference since we arrived this morning?? We're all in pants and long sleeves! Crazy Paris!!

We took our first long walk in 5 weeks tonight, played at a park, got some street food and walked home in the rain. It was perfect.
Je t'aime Paris!

reverse culture shock?

2011-06-27T14:38:00.000-05:00

In just a few days I will be boarding a plane to visit the states. I'm a little nervous for the reverse culture shock I'll feel. I wonder what things I'll notice that will feel strange, sound strange or look strange to me. As I'm packing, I'm thinking about what's to come over the next few weeks. In some ways I'm super excited to be in a land where I can speak clearly and be understood easily. I can't wait to be in a place where I can go into most situations and know what to expect (to a point). But there are things that I will miss about my home here. I've come to love giving bisous to say hello and goodbye. It's such a beautiful expression of fondness for another. I will miss that. I will also miss the simplicity of life here and the time that is spent on relationships.

Two things I will not miss? Men peeing in public and dog stuff on the sidewalks.

Visiting the States!

2011-06-05T04:13:00.005-05:00

This July will mark our 2 year anniversary in France. We'll be going back to the states for the month of July to connect with as many supporters, friends and family as possible. Hopefully we will see you at one of our events or services.

Here's what our schedule looks like so far...

Sunday, July 3- West Side Christian Church, Springfield, IL

Sunday, July 10 - Reunion Christian Church, Boston, MA

Wednesday, July 13 - Cook-Out Gathering - Chatham Christian Church, Chatham, IL

5:30 p.m. Everyone is invited but please r.s.v.p. so we can plan for food.

Saturday & Sunday, July 16 & 17 - Faith Church, Dyer, IN

Saturday, July 23 - Dessert Open House - Community Christian Church, Naperville, IL - yellow box location, after the 5:30 p.m. service

Sunday, July 24 - Crossroads Christian Church, Joliet, IL

Saturday & Sunday, July 30 & 31 - Parkview Christian Church, Orland Park, IL

Hope to see you sometime in July!

The Birthday Party Season

2011-05-16T08:03:00.005-05:00

How do you know if your kid is making friends at school? The birthday party season.

We had quite the social calendar the last few weeks. One weekend we had a birthday party on Saturday and Sunday afternoon and then another one the next Saturday. It's a good problem to have and we are so glad other kids like our daughter.

Dare I say we might be starting to fit in?

Yeah Spring!

2011-04-01T03:26:00.010-05:00

I would never trade the last 2 winters! After living for 33 years in Illinois with terrible cold, snow, ice and wind, winters in France have been a breeze!! Even in Paris, we have yet to experience anything close to the bitter wind chill and depth of snow from Chicago. All that being said, I think I really love spring even more here in Paris. You would think that I would love spring in Chicago because you have just lived through a horrible 4-5 months of cold. BUT, I think Chicago misses spring. It jumps back and forth from cold to warm and then it's summer. Here we are in SPRING! The temperature has been wonderful, the trees are green and budding flowers, the parks are overwhelming with colorful, newly planted flowers- it's amazing. I'm so thankful for the beauty here. Even if April brings rain...

Bonne Année!

2011-01-06T04:09:00.008-06:00

I hope you've had a great New Year's so far! We're excited to be starting another year in France.

After 6 months in Paris, we're glad to say that we have friends here. I don't know why I'm surprised that it takes this long. I guess I think it should all happen faster. We're fun, right?

Granted, these friends are new and still beginning, but friendships take time. Duh! It gets frustrating when you move somewhere new. It feels like you are always on a first date. "When do we ask them out? How soon do we call? How do we seem interested but not too eager or desperate?" The thoughts in my head totally sound like I'm dating these people.

It takes time to get to know people, what their rhythm of life is and how it compliments yours. It finally feels like we are getting to know people here and being known. I love it!

By the way, we never made it to the skating rink at Hotel de Ville. It was closed the day we went. We did however skate at Trocadero, right in front of the Eiffel tower. Amazing memories! Oh... and Pere Noel was there too!

Joyeux Noel!

2010-12-03T05:01:00.007-06:00

What a great place to celebrate Christmas! It's magical!

Christmas markets on the Champs Elysees:

Christmas lights in the shape of Eiffel towers:

Gingerbread:

Mulled wine:

Snow:

Next weekend we are going to attempt to ice skate at Hotel de Ville. The fake ice will be there, the skates will be there, but will I be able to stand up?

Friends...

2010-11-06T05:33:00.007-05:00

So I'm feeling a little blue today. I know, I know...poor you, living in Paris.

Today I'm missing people. I miss being known. I miss having close, intimate friendships- people who you can reveal yourself to and know you are safe and loved unconditionally. Those people are still in my life but they live far away now. I can't call them up and ask them get a babysitter and meet us for dinner. I can't call them up and ask them to meet me for coffee. I can't say come meet me and we'll go window shop and talk all day. I miss them. I miss having them in my daily life.

I've been fortunate to have some really wonderful friends in my life. I still have some good friends from high school and college that I keep in touch with. They are treasures to me. Although I was only there a year, I made some really wonderful, good friends in Aix. I miss them so much.

For 11 years we were in the Chicago area and we were in several small groups in our time there. Some of our groups were really close. We did vacations, weekend get-aways, parties and holidays and also walked through hardships of hospitals, cancer and funerals.

Before we moved to France, my girlfriends threw me the best birthday party ever: a sleep-over at a hotel in Chicago. We had the best time. These women made me feel so loved and special!
I miss these women so much! I miss a lot of the special women in my life.

I live in a tension of loving my life, loving the adventure of it, exploring, loving meeting new people all the time and feeling jealousy for those who live in a place a long time and live among people with whom they have deep, deep friendships. Adventure vs. predictability.

Patience is needed for me. I know deep friendships will come. It takes time.

I'm not very patient.

Today was a good day...

2010-10-06T17:19:00.003-05:00

It's not been the easiest couple of weeks (some stuff's been going on that we've had to trust God to take care of) but today I got to do something I love- Teach!

This afternoon a friend and I began teaching English classes to a group of teenage girls (and their leaders). It was so much fun. I can't wait for the next time I get to teach. I've got all these ideas rolling around in my head and I'm anxious to start putting together lesson plans.

My life cracks me up though. I think it's incredible how things in my life have come together - experiences, learning, relationships all weave together and continue to provide the most amazing journey.

We have been seeking out ways to serve this beautiful city and, in doing so, I actually get to do something that gives me so much joy. So glad I get to be a part of it!

How do you spend your time waiting?

2010-09-11T10:45:00.004-05:00

Today I was thinking about the years we waited for the open door to move to France. I could not wait until the day I was fortunate enough to live here. Twelve years later our dreams came true. What did I do while I waited? I read. I read every French book I could find. I didn't know if this dream would ever actually come true. I hoped and prayed it would but I really never knew.

Here's a list of my French friends who helped me get through my time of waiting...
(i.e. a list of the books I read during that time, in no particular order, plus one that I read after we arrived in France)

"Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris" by Sarah Turnbull
"The Magic of Provence: Pleasures of Southern France" by Yvone Lenard
"My French Kitchen: A Book of 120 Treasured Recipes" by Joanne Harris and Fran Warde
"French or Foe?: Getting the Most Out of Visiting, Living and Working in France" by Polly Platt
"Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong: Why We Love France but Not the French" by Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow
"Paris to the Moon" by Adam Gopnik
"A Year in the Merde" by Stephen Clarke
"A Year in Provence" by Peter Mayle
"Encore Provence: New Adventures in the South of France" by Peter Mayle
"Toujours Provence" by Peter Mayle
"French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew" by Peter Mayle
"Provence A-Z: A Francophile's Essential Handbook" by Peter Mayle
"A Good Year" by Peter Mayle
"French By Heart: An American Family's Adventures in La Belle France" by Rebecca S. Ramsey
"Culture Shock! France" by Sally Adamson Taylor
"The Secret Life of France" by Lucy Wadham
"French Women Don't Get Fat" by Mireille Guiliano
"French Women for All Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes, & Pleasure" by Mireille Guiliano
"The French Way: Aspects of Behavior, Attitudes, and Customs of the French" by Ross Steele
"Paris In Mind" by Jennifer Lee
"Living and Working in France, Seventh Edition: A Survival Handbook" by David Hampshire
"Handbook of French Popular Culture" by Pierre L. Horn

I don't know if all these books prepared me for our move but it kept me connected to my passion while I was waiting for the dream to begin. They gave me a glimpse of what was to come.

Waiting is hard.

A very dear friend always encouraged me not to give up on the dream. She would say to me that the dream may come next year or it may happen when you are 60 but don't close your heart on the dream.

New School Year Started

2010-09-02T03:38:00.009-05:00

I now have a 2nd grader and a preschooler in school in Paris!

I had no idea this is what my life would look like. I LOVED school when I was in elementary school. When my children were born, I would daydream about what it would be like to take them to a cheerful, sweet American elementary school where they would have as much fun as I did when I was little.

When we moved to France I had to grieve the loss of many things. One of them was letting go of all the dreams and expectations I had for what my children's lives would look like. Although what was to come was going to be amazing, there were many wonderful things about growing up in America that my kids were going to miss out on. I was afraid of what their childhood would be like because it wasn't at all going to look like mine.

This past year has been hard. We have had our share of tearful nights. We have cried a lot missing our friends and our life back in the states. I've had sleepless nights worrying about how our choices are molding them, differently than if we had stayed in our comfortable, friendly neighborhood in the suburbs. Life was good there and our kids were happy. I knew what to do, how to do it, where to go for something, who to ask. Life made sense.

We chose to leave our predictable life and follow where God was leading us, into the unknown. I know we haven't made all the right choices in life but I do know that, right now, we are exactly where we are supposed to be. It's a feeling, a peace, a coming together of circumstances. Some people call it good luck or karma but I believe God has orchestrated life for us here in so many ways - our home, our schools, our friends, our kids' friends, chance meetings, timings of things. We know that God wanted us here and He has confirmed us being here in big ways and in the details. Don't get me wrong. Life here has not been sunshine and rainbows. Following J#sus doesn't mean everything is perfect. There is pain in living far away from people you love. There is pain in watching your children grieve and process transition. And life still happens. Mistakes are made. Living in a foreign culture, I don't know what to do most of the time and I learn the art of humility almost every day.

But I wouldn't trade it for anything. Even though my life isn't at all what I expected, it is the adventure of a lifetime. I get the opportunity to live in an amazing city and meet people from all over the world every day. My kids will have friends from many different backgrounds and they will grow up seeing the world as a global community. They won't be like the kids from "home". They will be different but I think their different is going to make them great. Our lives are a daily adventure. It's an incredible ride like nothing else.

Today my kids started their new adventure in Paris -a new school and new friends in our new hometown. These little guys are so strong, courageous and brave. I am so proud of them. I hope someday they are grateful for their childhood abroad.

a new favorite...

2010-07-12T06:07:00.004-05:00

We have a new favorite place in Paris.

A park, about a 10 minute walk from our house, has this square, full of cold water jets. Great for a hot day!

Will makes me laugh!

2010-07-05T14:23:00.003-05:00

We took our kids today to their new schools for the summer programming that the city schools offer. It's for 3-13 year olds and it's all day (8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for Will and 6:00 p.m. for Natalie). We were planning on sending Natalie for a couple of days a week but didn't even know they did it at Will's school until we walked by after dropping Natalie off at her school. We walked in to check it out and they said he could go if he'd like.

Bill asked Will "Are you up for this buddy?" Will responds "Yeah Daddy, I'm totally up for this."

He's such a funny kid. He's been asking to go to school since we moved here.

Mommy wasn't ready but I let him go anyway.
Both kids had a blast today and can't wait to go back. They both made new friends that they will go to school with in the fall.

Today after school Natalie said, "Well, I kind of became famous today. All the teachers and French kids kept asking me to speak to them and sing songs in English for them. They thought it was cool that I knew English."

It was a great day! So, so different from last year's first day!!

Stalling...

2010-07-02T15:49:00.003-05:00

So in perfect PK form, I asked my daughter yesterday if she was finished cleaning up her toys. She responds, "No, I can't right now Mommy. I'm doing something more important. I'm praying." Nobody said she wasn't clever.

Has it really been 3 months!!

2010-06-30T14:03:00.003-05:00

Ugh! I'm such a slacker! I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted something on here.

Wanna know what we've been up to?

April was mostly taken by our trip to the states, which was awesome! We got to see so many friends and family.

May was crazy with packing up and moving up to Paris. Lots of goodbyes and trying to see as many people as we could before we left.

June seems to have flown by. We moved here in Paris at the first of the month. We have been busy getting settled- finding furniture, getting the kids registered for school, unpacking, etc. Whew! I think it's finally feeling like home here.

We are so happy to be here and will be writing more soon!

We're coming for a visit to the states!

2010-03-28T13:46:00.003-05:00

If you haven't marked your calendars yet, please plan to come see us while we are home in the states. We are super excited about seeing you and sharing with your about our time here in France! We hope you can attend one of our events.

Our Schedule:
Sunday, April 4, Easter - Service at 9:15 a.m.
Chatham Christian Church, 9897 South Main St., Chatham, IL
-We will be leading worship and sharing about our ministry in France.

Thursday, April 8 - 6:30-9:30 p.m.- Dessert Open House- Springfield area
*my mom's home
-Stop by, enjoy some yummy French desserts.
We will do two 15-minute presentations, sharing about our life & work in France, at 7:00 & 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 11- Services at 8:00, 9:15 & 10:45 a.m.
Cherry Hills Baptist Church, Springfield, IL
-We will be leading worship and sharing about our ministry in France.

Monday, April 12 - 7:00-9:30 p.m.- Dessert Open House- Naperville area
*Dole's home
-Stop by, enjoy some yummy French desserts.
We will do two 15-minute presentations, sharing about our life & work in France, at 7:30 & 8:30 p.m.

April 18-20 - Orlando Florida
NewThing Gathering
Exponential Conference
Stadia Dinner

*For addresses and/or directions to the open houses, please contact us directly by leaving a comment. Thanks!

The Apartment Story...

2010-03-12T15:08:00.004-06:00

We have felt, for 11 years, that God has called us to do ministry in Paris. We love France. We love the French. We love French culture. We want people all over the world to know the love of Jesus and our heart beats fast for the country of France.

Our plan was to study French in Aix for a year and then move to the big city. Once we got the green light to move forward, we were anxious with the process of finding an apartment and moving. We know from other's that have gone before us, that finding an apartment in Paris is hard. There's your budget, space, bedrooms, location/neighborhood all to consider. On top of that, once you find a place that suits all of those things, you then submit your dossier (a file of all kinds of paperwork- mostly financial). Then a landlord will have anywhere from 2-10 dossiers on his/her desk to consider for the rental of their apartment. They can choose who they think would work best as a tenant for whatever reasons they so choose. Many Parisian landlords prefer not to rent to foreigners because it is harder to go after them in court, should something happen to the apartment or rent is not paid. For most ex-pats we know, it has taken them a month to many months to find an apartment. We had the cards stacked against us.

So, we started with prayer. We emailed all of our prayer & financial supporters and asked them to join us in prayer. We wanted God to lead us in this journey of finding the right place to live. Our Paris teammates sent us some websites to check out and an online journal for English-speakers in Paris. We spent the next week scouring those websites looking for anything in our budget. We were looking for areas that were full of families on the left bank, could be a great home for the 4 of us and most importantly, be a place for ministry- for small groups, large group gatherings, events, etc.

We started making lists of the different apartments we liked, crossing ones off when they were very far from any parks or green space or it was a 5th floor walk up (no elevator). While looking through things, Bill found an ad for an English-speaking realtor in the online journal. We went to their website, put in our budget and 2-3 bedrooms in the search engine and only 1 came up. It was not in an area we were looking at (but right next to it) and it was beautiful. We had never considered this area but for some reason the apartment struck us immediately AND it was listed with an English-speaking realtor! We emailed for more information. The guy called us back the next day. He said this particular apartment was going to be emptied on the following Wednesday so if we were interested, it would be great for us if we could go see it on Thursday. We decided to go for it. We then made appointments to see 5 more apartments, all with different French realtors, over the 2 1/2 days we would be in Paris.

We knew it was a long shot to think we could get an apartment this quickly. The more likely plan was that we would move on June 1st into a temporary furnished apartment for a month or 2 while we looked for the right apartment. Then, hopefully we would have something by the time the kids started school in September (remember, France takes the month of August off, so there's not a lot of business being done that month).

Bill & I also knew that if we didn't at least try for something before June, we'd always wonder what if? Moving 2 more times did not sound fun.

So we booked the train tickets for a trip that would begin in 5 days.

I found out 3 days later, through a conversation with a friend, that you really shouldn't bring children along with you to visit apartments. Uh-oh. What do we do with our kids? "Well", we thought, "I guess we just bring them along and possibly make all the French Realtors mad." We didn't know what else to do.

We didn't share this with anyone yet after our community group on Monday night, one of the girls came to me and said, if we needed her, she has a friend she could stay with and she would be happy to come up to Paris with us and watch the kids while we look at apartments. Are you kidding me God?! You are amazing! Yes, she was an answer to prayer!

Before we left, we sent another email to friends asking them to cover us in prayer over the next 3 days as we looked at potential apartments for our family.

Over the last 2 days, we have felt God leading us and speaking to us. As we looked at different places, there were things that were just not right with the places we were seeing-things that didn't feel like us, were not family areas or something else. I think we could have lived anywhere and been ok but we were looking for the place God specifically wanted us and we could feel an unsettledness at the places we were seeing.

When we arrived at the place we will now call home, it was evident this was the one. We arrived early, in time to grab lunch right down the street and then walk around a little bit before our appointment. We walked down a block from our building and heard children laughing and playing. It was the sweetest sound. We saw the most beautiful building with bright colors and painted windows and a PLAYGROUND! It was a Maternelle (a public preschool). We hadn't seen anything like this yet. Behind it was a beautiful park with a playground. This was just a block from our building!! We both were holding back tears.

We left the kids at that park with our friend and walked back to the apartment for our appointment. Our English-speaking realtor met us there and we went up. The owner greeted us as we got off the elevator onto the 5th floor. She spoke English perfectly. In French, Bill complemented her on her English and asked if she had ever lived in America. She replied "Yes, in Chicago for several years." Really? Of all places!! We then had a lengthy conversation about Chicago, all in French. After showing us the apartment, which we LOVED, we chatted for awhile and went on our way. We had a few other appointments to get to that day.

When leaving, we prayed about what we had just experienced. We felt like God was providing all the things we asked for in this apartment- great neighborhood, lots of families, great schools, playground close by, lots of space for ministry and our family, and in our budget. But it wasn't in the area we were originally considering, which puzzled me. We talked with a friend about it and he just challenged us to spend more time praying with God about it. We both asked God to speak loudly and clearly to us and to close the door to this apartment if it was not the right one for us. This place felt right and we asked to see it again and talk more about a possible contract.

The next day we had one more apartment to see before we were going to meet again with the owners of our new home. This appointment we were seeing in morning was one of my (Rachel) picks because of it's location. It was right in the area we were looking originally. It was at that apartment showing that it became clear to me- the other apartment was the one! God had clearly found a new home for us. We weren't searching for a place in that other area. We never even entered that area into any of the apartment search websites. God laid it on our laps.

We went to see our new home again to discuss a possible contract with the owners. This time, the lady's brother was there, because they own the apartment together. We all could not have gotten along better. We brought the kids up to see the apartment and they loved our kids. They accepted our offer right there and then the lady owner invited us into her apartment across the hall to have coffee. When we left, she walked Bill down to a bus stop that would take him to the Mayor's office and along the way, showed him all kinds of things around the neighborhood.

I'm telling you, this is not normal. None of this is normal. Getting a contract so fast, having such a great, first-time meeting, immediate relationship with your landlord...it's all just not normal. We truly believe it is God. We believe God went before us. We believe God provided for all of our needs and more. We believe God was present in every conversation throughout this process.

All along, Bill has felt this was the right place. He said from the beginning he felt like God had brought us this apartment. Me, the skeptic, had to see all the options first, to be sure. Bill knew.

We feel incredibly blessed. I don't know why we are so fortunate. We didn't do anything special but we do hope to seek His face in all that we do. We give this apartment to Him for His use. We hope that it (and we) are a light in this community, that we can be a blessing to the people around us.

That is the story of how God blessed us an amazing apartment in Paris.

Our First 6 Months in France

2010-02-03T08:14:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-12T01:58:00.010-06:00

This has been a great holiday season for us in France! We are so excited that my mom has been able to come for the month of December! It will be great to have family here for our first Christmas in France!

The season started with our Christmas Carol service in a 500 year old cathedral. [iccp] leads a service every year to ring in the Christmas season with singing 15 different Christmas carols and reading scripture to tell the Christmas story.

The place was packed with 1000 people and it was amazing to end the service by a candlelit "Silent Night".

We've enjoyed the adventure of finding a tree and decorations for our home.

Thank you IKEA!

This week we were able to host some friends from Bill's french class over for dinner. It was a great night, mostly speaking in French, eating a yummy french winter meal- raclette.

We were so glad to be included on the staff party for our church [iccp]. We had a good time eating our favorite food- mexican take out from La Boca Loca and hanging out with our "family" here.
We also were able to have the Christmas party for all the community groups at [iccp] in our home this week. It was so much fun with a white elephant gift exchange, lots of hanging out and what evening isn't complete without line dancing in your living room?!

We're looking forward to Christmas day and opening our home up for all our friends who are far from family during this special time of year. It's a sweet experience to share your holidays with so many wonderful people. We are blessed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-29T03:15:00.005-06:00

Christmas celebrations began in mid-November here in France. They have 20+ chalets lining the major boulevard in town, selling everything from toys and ornaments to vin chaud and cotton candy. There are Christmas light hanging everywhere and there are lots of little carnival rides for the kids.

Without Plymouth Rock and pilgrims to be thankful for, they don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in France but we created our own Thanksgiving celebrations at home.

On Monday night we had our small group over for a big Thanksgiving meal. Everyone brought something to share and it was quite a feast!

Thursday we had a small quiet dinner with a couple new friends.

Today, our church is having a potluck Thanksgiving meal, expecting over 200 people for dinner.

There's lots the Carroll family has to be thankful for this year!

Many, many generous families and churches who are supporting our ministry here in France,

A wonderful family that loves us so much,

Amazing friends who encourage us,

A great apartment that is perfect for having new friends over,

The opportunity of a lifetime to live in France,

A loving God and Savior!

Blessings to you this holiday season!

Weekend Retreat

2009-11-02T13:38:00.006-06:00

A couple of weeks ago our church, [iccp], went on a weekend retreat to a castle about 2 1/2 hours away. We got to spend time getting to know one another and it was a lot of fun. A highlight for me was visiting the Musée du Désert. It is a museum that tells the history of the Huguenots (protestants in France) during a time called the ‘Desert’ period (1685-1789). This was a time of great persecution of the protestants in France: from the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes to the French Revolution. During this time period, protestants in France were not allowed to worship, hold jobs, own Bibles or have a recognized marriage. The King was proud to say that he had killed or jailed all protestants in France. Those who escaped fled to countries like America to find refuge. It was a horrible, horrible time in church history. In this museum, I walked through a home where pastors hid under floorboards. I saw a display of the tinest of Bibles that were sown into the hem of women's dresses, thinking how lucky I am to be alive today with the freedom to worship and to read a Bible in my own home. These same people would hike up mountains and hide in caves so they could have a worship service together. I have it so good!

Another very cool memory from the weekend came during our Sunday morning worship at the castle. After a time of singing, we had an opportunity to share about how the weekend had impacted us in some way. A french guy that was there with us said, to the American pastors, "Thank you for coming here and doing what you do, so that I could feel at home in a church in my own country". It was a powerful moment. There is history in this country that I cannot even fathom. Unfortunately, this history includes a misrepresentation of who God is and who Jesus taught us to be. I hope our family can be a light here and bring hope to this place.

History of Our Faith

2009-10-13T07:53:00.005-05:00

A friend sent this devotional to Bill last week. Let me express to you before you read it that there has been fighting on both sides of the Christian table and neither is without fault. I believe France is a post-Christian, secular country (having nothing to do with God) because their people have watched Christians do horrible, horrible things to other Christians throughout history in the name of religion. I believe France is a mission field today because people of faith throughout history misused their power.

Our church here, ICCP, is going on a retreat this weekend where we will visit a museum dedicated to telling the history of the protestant church in France. I'm sure it will be a sobering experience as I read about the terrible things people endured for their faith. I am grateful for the time and the place to which I was born. May I never forget how lucky I am.

"Friday October 09
This week's promise: God is a refuge for the oppressed

Religious strife
"I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things."
Isaiah 45:7 NLT

Extinguishing Protestantism in France
"The Wars of Religion began in France in 1562 between the Roman Catholics and the French Protestants called Huguenots. Though he had to convert to Catholicism to ascend to the throne, Henry IV did not forget his Huguenot roots, and in 1598 issued the Edict of Nantes, which gave the Huguenots freedom of religion, civil equality, and fair administration of justice—the first time freedom was granted to two religions to coexist in a nation. Louis XIV shared none of his grandfather's empathy for the Huguenots, and on October 18, 1685, he revoked the Edict of Nantes. All Huguenot worship and education were forbidden, and all Huguenot churches were either destroyed or turned into Catholic churches. Mounted soldiers were housed in the homes of Huguenots. The troops were given license to do anything they pleased, short of murder, leading to horrendous acts of torture and humiliation. Of the 1.5 million Huguenots living in France in 1660, over the next decades 400,000 risked their lives by escaping across the guarded borders into countries across Europe. Many also fled to the American colonies. At the height of the Reformation nearly half of the population of France was Huguenot. But as a result of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes and the intense persecution that followed, today less than one percent of the French share the faith of the Huguenots, making France a mission field for the gospel."

adapted from The One Year® Book of Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten (Tyndale) pp 584-5
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

Fall has begun...

2009-10-09T06:32:00.011-05:00

Sorry its been awhile since I've posted. Things haven't been easy and its hard to know what to write in those times. I don't want to seem ungrateful for the opportunity to be here and do all this. Transitioning into a new culture, new language, new way of life comes with some beautiful, wonderful things and some very hard things to walk through. We have learned so much about ourselves - both good and bad. We knew this would be tough but couldn't understand it until we went through it ourselves- and this is in a first world country. I can't imagine the challenges with moving to a third world country. I have friends who must be saints!

We did turn a corner recently. Natalie made friends at school this week! Yep, french friends. I was hoping for something by January so this blew my mind. It changes everything when your kids are happy. She is beginning to understand french too. I can't wait until she can speak in complete sentences. She is so smart, it will happen in no time. There's still hurdles with some things but I feel like this was an answer to prayer.

Will is doing really well. He loves his teachers and his class. He is in the equivalent of preschool in the states so it's lots of playing, coloring, gluing, painting, etc. He loves it!

Bill & I started our official school year this week. This is a picture of us in front of our school. Our french classes with Paul Cezanne University will go from Oct through May. The schedule worked out pretty well with our kids school schedule. We both really like classes and our professors. Its weird being the oldest student in class though.

Bill's parents just left on Wednesday after a 10 day visit with us. We had such a good time with them. They brought suitcases of goodies for us!!

We are very blessed to have such good parents. It was fun showing them around. The visit was too short and it was sad to have them leave. My mom will be coming in December so that gives us something new to look forward to.

We also had a quick visit with some friends from Community's Shorewood Campus- Jed & Lisa K. They were in Europe on vacation and stopped by to have lunch with us. It was great to see friends from home!!

Things I love about France...

2009-09-11T05:30:00.008-05:00

It's been a hard week. School started on Monday and it has not been easy. I hurt for my kids and the road they have to travel. They are much stronger than I ever was. I am so proud of them and how they are adjusting.
With all the pain we are experiencing this week, I thought I would think on the things I love about France. (cause there are moments I question what in the world we are doing here!)

I love...
the fruit and vegetable market in the square every day
-little things about their language that are beautiful. In just one change from vous to tu, you're shown a new level of your relationship with someone, a closeness or fondness that is expressed in just one little word.
-there are hundreds and hundreds of different kinds of cheeses (and wines)
-they make food beautiful and use the best ingrediants
-the french live outside-cafes, bars, restuarants- these are their living rooms.
-the french take time to greet a friend they see on the street- bisous and all. They don't rush past them with a "hey, how are you?" without even waiting for a response.
-they walk everywhere they can and use a lot of public transportation, even in smaller towns.
-they are more focused on experiences, art, travel, relationships than with stuff.
-boutiques
-fountains
-architecture
-history, thousands of years of history
-cafes
-the food- LOVE the food
-we're not far from so many things- roman ruins, beaches, mountains, chateaux, other countries
-the pace of life- they work hard during their workday and then they take time for family & friends and things they enjoy.

Video of our first month in France

2009-09-01T07:11:00.000-05:00

Our First Staff Conference

2009-08-27T02:05:00.008-05:00

We just returned from our first Christian Associates staff conference. This year CA did regional "Connects" instead of one giant one with all of the staff. Ours was the Southern Europe Connect and was held at a camp north of Lisbon, Portugal, but there were others around the globe- Northern Europe Connect, Eastern Europe Connect, North American Connect, South American Connect. We had teams at our conference from Spain, Portugal, France & the Czech Republic.
It was a great week. We got to hear updates on what other teams are doing, we heard talks from CA leadership and spent time getting to know our collegues from all over Europe.

We were very blessed by a group from a church in California who came over to do childcare for the kids all week. They basically put together a kids camp of crafts, games and bible stories for our children to keep busy while we were in sessions. I'm so grateful for these men & women who paid their own way, took time off work and brought a boat load of supplies with them to make a very memorable week for my kids.

We chose to drive to Portugal because we couldn't find any reasonably priced flights. It was 16 hours each way but we made it fun by stopping at cool places along the way. We drove 10 hours the first day and spent the night in Madrid, Spain.

We drove into the city center for dinner and then our GPS stopped working and we got lost on our way back to our hotel. It's always an adventure! Then we finished the last 6 hours of the drive to Portugal the next day.

Portugal was beautiful. Our camp was right next to a gorgeous beach but after a week of public restrooms/showers, bunk beds, ants and sand, I was ready for home.

On our drive home we left very early and drove 12 hours to Barcelona.

We had a great time exploring this city, and we had a little taste of home. Barcelona is home to a Hard Rock Cafe. I know, I know, we're in Spain, we should be trying tapas or something but when my chicken fajitas came out, I almost cried. Literally. Our kids got mac & cheese and COLD milk - at a restaurant!! That never happens here. It was wonderful to have a bit of home for our meal that day.

Now we are back home and getting ready for school. Bill is taking an intensive month-long french course that starts Monday. Our kids start school next Thursday. With the schedule of the intensive course, we both weren't able to take it because of the times being longer than the Will's school time. Both Bill & I will be starting 2 semester-long french classes Oct. 1. These classes are built more like our kids' school schedules so it will work out much better for us to both be involved.

We've had a great month in France - birthday parties with new friends, starting to serve at church with worship and kids, getting to see this new area that we call home. We miss our U.S. home but we are thankful to be here.

More Paperwork...

2009-08-07T00:44:00.008-05:00

Marseille:

Yesterday we went to Marseille to complete the next step to legally living here in France. It is a very humbling process to go through. We have no rights here and we are praying for the grace of the officials to continue to stamp our documents. I realized as an American, I am brought up with so much pride. Sitting in a building with hundreds of people from other countries, mostly North Africian, you realize how small you are, and your American citizenship doesn't save you, doesn't make you special. There is a much bigger world out there. I think I've always know that intellectually but never had to know it in my soul or experience it firsthand.

The process to get to France started with months of work in the states to recieve our visas there, then we registered here in Aix, got paperwork for what to get together to see a regional office in Marseille, now we have to see the people in Aix again. I don't even know all the steps we have left. Our french is very basic and it is hard to ask questions or to even think of how I would plead my case if I had to.

We are fortunate. I believe God has gone before us in so many things and made the process smooth for us. The smoothness doesn't remove how this process continues to mold me and develop me. I have a new respect for immigrants to the U.S. When I return to the states, I will notice their trials more and help however I can- I understand now that even going to the grocery store has to be so hard for them. I don't think I thought that much about them before. Shame on me.

Here are some pictures from our day:

Our number, waiting to be called. We waited for a little over 1 1/2 hours to be called, then we were in the office for about 30 minutes to get all our paperwork entered and stamped.

The kids did ok. They played cars & dinosaurs for awhile while waiting. It was a long time to wait.

a beautiful fountain in Marseille

The harbor area, taken from our car. We were tired and drove around a little bit to see the town before we headed home.

We've been here a week!

2009-08-01T16:09:00.012-05:00

I think we are finally getting past the jet lag and sleeping like normal people again. Yeah!

We've had a crazy week but it's been really good. What are we doing you might ask?

We are walking the city of Aix a lot so we can learn about how to get around, what things are here and what this town is all about.

We are getting to know the Christian Associates team here in Aix and had a visit from some of CA's HR peeps. Lots of meetings with some great people!

We are doing our best to speak french at the market, grocery store, bakery...wherever we go. We make mistakes and sound very American but we're trying.

We are working on getting some detail stuff done just to live here- registering our car (we've heard it is a several hour wait at the super prefecture), getting our 1 year residency card (we registered here in Aix and now we have to go to Marsailles for our medical check and something else with paperwork), etc.

Everything here takes a lot longer to get done. Lots of red tape, lots of misunderstandings, lots of long lines...

We did open a french bank account!! Whoo hoo!

We are in process with opening another American bank account that has a partnership with this French bank- so we can have zero fees when tranferring dollars. Double yeah!

We attended church (ICCP) last Sunday and got to meet lots of new friends.

Bill & I are worship leading this Sunday. Summer attendence is low because the French travel so much in the summer (especially August) and the college students have all gone home. The junior high & high school kids from ICCP are going to a summer camp this week so a lot of the staff will be gone for that.

We've made friends with a couple from church that have 3 kids - two are the same age as ours. We'll be going on our first playdate with them this week. They attend the same school our kids will go to in the fall.

We've said Bonjour! to our french neighbors across the street and the kids both went outside this morning and said Bonjour! to the man who lives upstairs while he was watering the garden. He was very kind, smiled at them and said hello back. Everyone has been very kind and we're hoping for more opportunites to chat with them in the future.

There's no routine yet. We won't start school until September and for now we're just trying to get settled in. We love our house. It is perfect for us!

The transition has been tough but we are having fun and enjoying the adventure of it.

Please pray for:

-our kids. They are adjusting well but Natalie's been struggling going to sleep. She's been having nightmares. Yesterday Will was asking over and over to go home. We spent some time looking at a photo album of friends and family and then he was ready to play again.

-our transition. I know it won't happen over night. It's a hard process and we have to go through it. Please pray for patience with ourselves and our children.

-our safety. We're still learning about this culture so we are cautious. Theft is really high in France but we don't believe violent crime is a problem.

-our marriage & family. It is a different kind of life here. As you can imagine, we are surrounded by a different idea of what's "normal" or "ok". Please pray for protection for us spiritually, mentally, physically & emotionally.

We're Here!

2009-07-25T15:41:00.006-05:00

We made it to France! We are on day 3 in our new home. In our travel here we spent part of a day in Paris. It was actually Natalie's birthday and she got to spend it under the Eiffel tower. It poured shortly after this picture was taken.

After the rain let up, she and Will got to ride the carousal and then they had ice cream while we had a crepe.

Here is our new home. It is a really nice apartment. Ours is the lower level of this building.
It's been a wonderful place for us. It has lots of room (for France standards) and so many amenities that have been really helpful- internet, phone, washer/dryer. It's been great. It is very hot here but tonight there is a nice breeze. I can't tell you the difference it makes when you are not melting! We have a wonderful team here and they have gone above and beyond to take care of us. We are so fortunate! We have tackled the grocery store- twice! - and made some good friends already.

Here's Will at the store. We found Pringles!! Yeah!

Thanks everyone for your prayers and encouragement. We are so thankful for each of you!

Lots of family!

2009-07-08T21:52:00.005-05:00

We have had a busy couple of weeks! We moved out of our basement apartment on Monday, June 29th. Huge thanks to Paul & Katy for their enormous generosity of hosting us in their home for 4 months! We are forever grateful!

Since our move to Chatham we have gotten so see so much family and there is still more to see!

We spent a week at Bill's parents, with his sister & her husband joining us for the 4th of July. Then we went to southern Missouri to see Bill's aunts, uncles, cousins & grandma.

Next we went to the Ozarks to see my aunt, cousin, my mom & friends too.

We have gotten to do so much fun stuff! I've (Rachel) never ridden a 4-wheeler or a wave runner before this week.

Prayer Update:

-Please pray for our health. Will got sick again (ear infection with a high fever) while at my aunt's house. We are traveling so much and meeting seeing so many people, we ask for protection to stay healthy during this time.

-Praise God we sold both of our cars! We are mostly packed for France and living out of suitcases.

-Please pray for our safety as we are doing a LOT of traveling in a car. (Big thanks to Bill's sister & brother-in-law for lending us their car during this time!)

Upcoming Events:

-Naperville: Leadership Community at the Yellow Box- This Saturday, July 11th- LC starts at 9:00 a.m., reception for us closer to 11 a.m.

-Springfield: Cherry Hills Baptist Church-This Sunday, July 12th- 8:00, 9:15 & 10:45 a.m. services- 2125 Woodside Road; Springfield, IL

-Chatham: Chatham Christian Church- Next Sunday, July 19th - 9:15 a.m. worship service-9897 S Main St; Chatham, IL

Opportunities to Say Goodbye

2009-06-24T09:19:00.012-05:00

Last weekend Eric Bramlett hosted a "roast" of Bill as an arts goodbye party. It was super fun and so good to see so many people we love. There were moments of tears and laughter. Thanks to all the guys that shared and big thanks Eric for a great night!

We are down to less than a month before we leave! I can't believe it is coming so soon! We want to be able to say goodbye to all of our friends. If you can, please stop by one of the upcoming events so we can say goodbye to you.

Sunday, June 28th- 10:10 a.m. service and reception following

COMMUNITY's Naperville DownTown Campus- currently meeting at Congregation Beth Shalom on 5th Ave behind NNHS.

Saturday, July 11th- 9:00 a.m. Leadership Community and reception following

COMMUNITY's Naperville Yellow Box

Sunday, July 12th- 10:45 a.m. service

Cherry Hills Baptist Church, Springfield, IL

Sunday, July 19th- 9:15 a.m. service & lunch reception following

Chatham Christian Church, Chatham, IL

We hope to see you sometime in the next month!

Goodbye Parties

2009-06-15T21:52:00.002-05:00

We have been blessed with some amazing friends and family! We want to be able to say goodbye to each of you. If you can, please join us at one of our upcoming receptions.

If you are or were a Community Christian Church artist, please join us on Saturday, June 20th at 7:30 p.m. in the ICON theater at the Yellow Box. Eric is hosting a "Bill Carroll Celebrity Roast". It should be fun!

For all other CCC or Naperville area friends, there will be a reception for us following the 10:10 a.m. service on Sunday, June 28th at CCC's DownTown location. (which is currently meeting at Congregation Beth Shalom, on 5th Ave, behind NNHS.)

There will also be a commissioning of us during Leadership Community and a reception following on Saturday, July 11 at the Yellow Box. LC begins at 9:00 a.m. and the reception should begin around 11:00.

For those of you in the Springfield/Chatham area, we will be at Cherry Hills Baptist Church on Sunday, July 12 and Chatham Christian Church on Sunday, July 19.

We hope to be able to see you at one of these events!

More Lasts

2009-06-05T07:50:00.003-05:00

This past Sunday was Bill's last weekend of worship leading at the DownTown campus. He had the drum ensemble with him leading worship and there were so many musicians on stage! It was a picture of exactly who Bill has been for the last 12 years here at CCC. He loves worship, he loves drums and he loves including as many people as possible in it. It was the perfect last worship leading experience!

We are only in Naperville a few more weeks. This weekend we are at Carillion (CCC's 55 and over community), then we are at Parkview Christian Church (a church in Orland Park that is supporting our ministry in France), then we will go to Waterfront Community Church (a NewThing church plant in Shaumburg). Our last Sunday in the Chicago area will be June 28th. We will be back at CCC's DownTown location for their family service. Monday, June 29th we will be moving down to the Springfield area to spend a few weeks with family before we fly to France. We will be coming up for Community's July Leadership Community on July 11th for a send-off reception. We know that will be a hard day of goodbyes.

Speaking of hard goodbyes, last night we had a goodbye dinner with some dear friends that we've lived life with for 11 years! These couples have played a huge part in our lives. Both friendships started with the guys playing in the weekend bands, they became leaders, then coaches, then staff. Bill worked side-by-side with these guys for years- mission trips to France, creation of Fallapaloozas, Cinco de Mayos, Christmas eves and years of Big Ideas. We've watched their kids grow from little kids to young adults. They've watched us become parents and figure out what that means. We love these people dearly and they hold a special place in our heart!

Time in the states is winding down...

2009-05-29T11:34:00.005-05:00

We are moving into our last month and beginning the list of "last times". It's a bitter sweet time for us. We are very excited about what is to come, this next chapter of our lives. But it is also very sad to say goodbye to our lives here.

We had a great weekend! Our small group both current and old small group friends gave us a "love box" full of note cards that we will cherish forever!

We are getting together with people like crazy for some personal goodbyes.

Natalie has her last dance recital this coming weekend. I'm sure she will take dance in France but I have no idea what that looks like yet. And Natalie's last day of school is next Wednesday. For some reason, this one is especially hard for me. I think it's hard because I LOVED elementary school and I think about how my kids won't experience that American sweet elementary school experience. But I also know they will see and experience things I never did and that will add richness and depth that I never had. It's just different.

We are super excited about our new life that is beginning in 53 days but with it comes the leaving of life here in the states. It's hard letting that go. We love our friends and family here. We've loved our life and ministry here. We have been so touched by every one's love and kindness through all this. We are grateful for our friends and family.

God is in every detail!

2009-05-22T19:47:00.001-05:00

They say to allow 2-3 months to get your visas. We were waiting for Bill's FBI report to come back clear and it had been another 2 1/2 weeks. Time was gettting close so we prayed and felt like we should move forward with submitting our visas with just our local police reports. We knew this was a risk but we also believe that God wants us in France and would make this happen if we were supposed to go.

We called the FBI the day before our visa appointment to see why Bill's report was taking so long this time. (We had them overnighted to the FBI almost 3 weeks prior.) They said they never received his second set of prints.

We decided to trust God and go to our appointment. So we prayed like crazy and submitted our visas on Tuesday.

Guess what came in the mail on Thursday? Bill's clear FBI report. I think God wanted us to walk that line of blind faith, to trust Him with everything, even when we couldn't see the outcome.

And now, 3 days after our appointment, we have visas! Praise be to God! He has shown Himself in so many tangible ways. Some may say we're lucky. We would say it's God's devine and holy ways of providing for His children who follow where He leads. Thank you Jesus!

So much has happened in the last year that makes it SO clear that this is what God wants us to be doing!

Prayer Update!

2009-05-19T21:50:00.003-05:00

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

We had a fantastic day! Our meeting with the French Consulate could not have gone better!

After they went through our 4 packets, we paid our fee and when she handed me the receipt, said she would be mailing our passports back to us in a couple of days. (Bill thinks she might have said weeks but either way is good.)

God completely went before us in every way. We continue to be amazed at God's provision in everything we need. Thank you so much for your prayers.

Much love to all of you!

We have plane tickets and a home in France!

2009-05-14T23:29:00.007-05:00

Today we signed a contract on an apartment and booked our flights to France!!!

We have a cute little apartment in Aix-en-Provence that we will move into in July.

It has 3 bedrooms & 1 bath. It's close to the city center and the kids schools.

This is a picture of the street we'll live on and one of those 2 buildings is ours.

We are super excited!

We also booked our travel to Aix. This is really happening!

We will arrive in Aix after the church there will have just finished their summer camps. We will get ourselves registered for school and we will have a CA staff conference in August where will get to meet staff teams from all over Southern Europe. Then we all (all 4 of us) will start school in September!

Please continue to pray for our visa process. We will be meeting next week with the French powers that be to hand over our paperwork.

Please pray for us as we begin our "goodbyes" with friends and family.

Thanks for all your love and support!

What's New?

2009-05-09T13:01:00.007-05:00

Good question!

(This is our family on a hike near my brother's house.)

We have had a great couple of weeks! We were able to attend the Exponetial conference and connect with lots of our supporting churches and organizations and see lots of good friends! Bill was working the conference but I (Rachel) got to attend and it was awesome! Perfect encouragement and training for what is to come. We were introduced at the Stadia dinner and got to have dinner with the Christian Associates crew.

We also got to go see my brother & his family one last time before we leave (God bless Southwest credit!).

It was hard to drive away towards the airport after our visit, knowing it might be a long time before we see each other again. We had a GREAT time with them. It was such a great week.

Unfortunately we did have a delay on our visas. Apparently you can wear down your fingerprints as a guitarist. Who knew? We are praying that there is a solution for Bill's FBI reports because after 2 more digital and 2 more ink sets of prints with the police officer, they were still not completely clear. It's out of our hands so we are asking God's provision in this.

We know God is bigger than this. God continues to provide for all of our needs. We had 2 situations in the last week where the solutions were completely out of our control. God provided in both situations and took care of the problem. He continues to surprise me. I am amazed at how involved God is in my daily life. He cares so much for me and my family, as He does for each of you. I have to say, I have never been in a position before where I've had to completely rely upon God for all things. Through most of my life, solutions could be found by me. I could fix a problem. I had secure job, home, future, etc. Now we are on the edge and nothing is secure and the problems we face are completely out of our control. Every day we have to seek God for all things like never before. It has been hard but it is absolutely the best place to be because it grows my faith in ways I could not imagine. It challenges me to trust and let go. Easier said than done, I know. It hasn't been easy but I have to remind myself every time the bottom looks to be falling out, that God is in control and He has called us to this. Therefore, all of this will work to His glory and it has! I'm seeing miracles every day. It's amazing.

Please pray for:

-all aspects of the visa process and that the necessary paperwork we are waiting for will come in time.

-housing in Aix. It looks like we may have a lead on a very good housing option for the year.

-our hearts as we begin to say good-byes.

Happy Wednesday!

2009-04-15T09:06:00.007-05:00

We are so excited today!

We just received an email that Natalie & Will will have spots held for them at the school we wanted them to attend this fall in Aix-en-Provence. It's a private, Christian Protestant school that has bilingual French/English education for preschool & elementary school kids. It will be a great transition for our kids! We are so happy!

Since we sent out the prayer request for God to provide for us to move to Aix this summer, He has showed up in ways we never expected! We are not completely there yet but we are getting closer to meeting our financial need for a July move to France. Many thanks go out to individuals, churches and church planting organizations who have given to this ministry. Please continue to pray for our support and the meetings we have coming up with some churches about supporting us.

We have just a few more pieces of paperwork to finish before we go to see the French Consulate for our visas. We are working on getting all the paperwork translated into french. We recently sent our request for our FBI reports. Please pray that this comes back quickly so we can make our appointment for the visas.

We are having a great time in our apartment. God bless the Warners! We are loving getting down to Springfield as often as we can to see family and friends. We have had a great time getting to know some of the team members at the church in Aix -where we will begin this July. They have been so great to us by helping with all of our many little questions on so many things. We have not been able to purchase our tickets yet to France but hopefully that is coming soon. We will keep you posted when that happens.

We have about 2 1/2 months left in Naperville/Plainfield. We hope to spend some time with each of our friends before we move. If you live in our area, lets make plans soon- email us!

Home is Where Your Family Is

2009-04-01T13:15:00.005-05:00

(This is Bill & Will playing baseball in our apartment.)

Last night we handed over the keys to our house to our renter. Although in some ways it was sad, it has brought us to a whole new level in this move to France. We are growing as a family, in our faith, and in our own maturity. As we are moving around, in constant transition, what we've learned is that home is where your family is. We are together and that makes a home. We are so excited about what is to come. It is all so real right now and we can't wait!

Prayer Updates:

We have been so blessed by everyone around us. God has been showering us with blessings! We are so overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends & family! We still can't believe we have been given the opportunity to live in our friends' basement apartment. We also were blessed by friends with great tickets to a Bulls game!

And this week our friends allowed us to play at their house while they are away. (The kids especially love the karaoke stage in the basement! Check out Will doing "The Robot".)

It has been so much fun!!

Big Praise! God has been providing in huge ways financially in the last week. Thanks for praying! We are getting closer to our goal of meeting our upfront expenses. Overall our support raising has been going well but a lot of our monthly commitments will not begin until January. We are praying that God will provide enough to sustain us through the fall. We would like to be able to move to France this summer so the kids can start the school year there.

Please pray for:

-Our time: We have just 3 months left and we want to see everyone we can in the time we have left. We want to be focused to get all our documents finished & where they need to be. We want to be studying our french so we can be as ready as possible. We want to spend as much time as we can with family before we leave. Lots to do!

-Our kids: They feel this transition. A good friend encouraged us to start using the word "adventure". It's been a good way for us to look at things. They are excited for the move and our life is anything but boring right now.

-The visa process: I know it seems like we've been talking about this for weeks but it is overwhelming. The French Consulate can choose to say no and not even tell you why. We want to make sure we have all our ducks in a row.

-Our finances: As mentioned above, we have been blessed by some wonderful financial gifts in the last few weeks! Thank you! Please continue to pray for God to provide additonal gifts that will allow us to be in France this fall.

Thanks for loving and supporting us!!

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