It's Still Summer...

The week we arrived in Aix-en-Provence it was pretty toasty. Then we had one week of absolutely perfect weather...well Shane & I thought it was perfect--chilly in the morning & evening and warm but not hot during the afternoon. Dana, McKenna, & McGwire all thought it was cold:) This week the heat has returned--we think just in time for our shipment to arrive. Before we left the States we packed up a shipping container with our belongings and sent them to France. The ship was supposed to arrive in the Marseilles port this past Sunday, but it still has not arrived. Please pray that it will arrive soon. I know there are some birthday gifts for McKenna & McGwire in there (their birthdays are in September) and they will not appreciate having to wait a long time for them:)

The Portells have been very graciously putting up with us since we arrived. We have found a house to rent that we love. It is in a great location. It is just the right size, and the neighborhood is close to the immigrant neighborhoods so we will be close enough to work there. Also, there is a grocery store, meat & cheese store, and the French version of Super Wal-Mart within 5 minutes of the house. We have met the owners of the house and they seemed to really like us. This is important because they will look over our paperwork with the realtor before they will agree to rent the house to us. Our realtor left for vacation at the end of last week and will not be back until September 5th so please pray that our paperwork will be accepted and we will be able to rent this house.

Also, we thought you might want to know that we are updating the blog from the Portell's home now. Their internet is up & running! Thank you for praying!!

Please continue to pray for Micah & Becky Derby. Tomorrow (Wednesday August 29th) is her last chemo treatment!!!!! We are all so thankful that the treatment is working. The next step will be her surgery on September 19th. Pray that she will regain strenth & energy so she will recover well from the surgery.

Please continue to pray for us & the Portells as we continue to recall the French language. Some days are better than others...and there have been several times when we know we are butchering the phrases as they come out. We have both been surprised by how much we have understood at church the last two Sundays!

Speaking French, Doing Laundry, and Enjoying the Holiday

Since we've arrived in Southern France, it has felt like being home! We have been jumping back into the French head first and we haven't drowned yet. We have been in France for a week now. Our friends and team mates Darren, Dana, McKenna, & McGwire Portell have been graciously hosting us at their home since we came to Aix. We have enjoyed being able to visit with them and we appreciate McKenna giving up her new room so we would have a place to sleep!

We set out early this week to make contacts about looking at apartments & houses, but today (Wednesday) is the Ascension holiday so everything is closed! So we will try again tomorrow to make some contacts. We know that God is sovereign and He will provide us a place to live where He wants us.

Please continue to pray that we will find the place God has for us to live soon. Please also pray for the Portell's internet to begin working soon so we will be able to keep in contact with the realtors and our families.

We are finally in France!

We have finally arrived in France. We were supposed to leave on Tuesday evening from Chicago, but our flight was delayed until Wednesday afternoon. So they sent us to a hotel for the night, and we returned to the airport on Wednesday ready to go. We went through the security check point again & waited for our flight again & then it was time to board again. But this time we actually took off!

When we arrived in Paris we were greeted by a friendly face--our good friend and fellow missionary Matt Price. We loaded up our bags & made the four hour drive to Nantes to rest and get our car.

Thursday night we enjoyed supper with some more of our fellow missionaries & friends. Then it was time for bed. I think we could have slept all day, but since we're trying to adjust to this time zone decided we should get up before noon:)

Friday was another good day. Shane & Matt had a funny time getting our car fixed (it is now ready for our drive to Aix this weekend), we enjoyed some of Judy's yummy chili for lunch, we visited the beautiful chateau in downtown Nantes, and then had crepes for dinner! Then we stayed up late playing games. And today we get another beautiful day to spend time with our friends Matt & Cristina!

Thank you all for your prayers for our safe arrival! Please continue to pray for our transition back into the language and that God will provide us with appropriate & affordable housing.