"Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ." (Colossians 1:28)

A birthday in Paris

22 February 2012 | by Bixby

Our one and only daughter Miriam turned 7 on Monday. And for this little girl, spending a birthday in Paris helped to make it really special. Once again, it fell just after the start of winter vacation, and so she didn’t have any school. To top it all off, we had a guest from the States with us for the day who hadn’t yet seen any of the famous sights of Paris. Mark Ring, from Comforting Mercies Ministries, was actually here seeking help from missionary friend Kristi Colas with a children’s Bible story CD he wanted to have recorded in French. He had spent the weekend in Rouen working on the project with Kristi  and some others from her church, but joined us on his last day in France so that he could see a little of the Paris before flying out on Tuesday morning. So Tim and the “big kids”,  Micaiah & Miriam, got to spend the day visiting the Eiffel Tower, walking down the Champs Elysées, and taking a boat ride on the Seine. It was a birthday present that fit just right for this little girl!

Mommy and Kristi stayed home to care for the “little ones” and to make the birthday meal and cake. The chicken pot pie was just coming out of the oven as the touring group walked in the door. So we had a great evening fellowshipping together around the birthday meal. A highlight for Miriam was receiving her very own Bible in French (and it’s PINK, to boot!), something for which she’s been asking for several months now. The timing fell just right as she is becoming quite the little reader. She has read the first several verses of Psalm 107 to us several times since. (The verse she is memorizing for Sunday School comes from that chapter, hence the immediate attachment! ) We all adore our sole little princess, and are glad for all the rose-colored pleasures she brings to our mostly blue home.

Announcing the arrival of …

18 February 2012 | by Bixby

Concerning mankind

2 February 2012 | by Bixby

Sunday night, January 23, I hugged the family goodbye and set off toward the east of France. Everyone had tears in his eyes except Zacharie who couldn’t understand that we were facing a first in our family: four long days and nights of being separated.  In more than 11 years of marriage, Ruth and I have never been separated for that long! That may make some smile and others laugh out loud. However, we got married because we wanted to live together, and we have tried to keep it that way ever since. My last two trips to the Bible Institute were arranged to concur with the children’s school vacation. Hence, they were family outings.

This time, however, I was on my own. The Bible Institute is about 3.5 hours east of Stains. Paris traffic, even on a Sunday evening, is impressive. Once out of the city the scene changes drastically. Even the exit leading to Eurodisney looked deserted.

My job was to teach three students a course on anthropology—the doctrine of man. I confess to feeling a good bit overwhelmed. There are so many topics and issues associated with this doctrine that I was afraid of losing my way. Quite frankly, I didn’t really know what I was going to say for 16 hours. Michael Cole gave me my last and most helpful suggestions. First, he suggested we watch movies and discuss the ways in which they reveal human depravity. When that idea was canned (I knew that they didn’t have the equipment for that at the institute), he suggested a basic outline for the story of man: creation, fall, redemption, glorification.

I found that the topics I needed to cover fell nicely into those four categories. I had wanted to have everything all prepared before leaving, but other issues destroyed those fine intentions. I went to bed Sunday night with enough (I hoped) for the first day. Monday through Wednesday I taught in the morning and studied in the afternoon. I left Thursday early afternoon after my final class. While there I enjoyed getting to know the French president of the institute. I was very encouraged by his love for the Lord and his enthusiasm for biblically-grounded instruction in France.

The only salve for my loneliness were the hours spent talking on the phone from my bunk bed. That part reminded me of college days. I was very grateful that my mom trained up to Paris from Bordeaux to help Ruth with the kids during my absence.

Now we are happy to be back together as a family. This morning Ruth had what will most likely be her final visit to the doctor before the birth of our little boy. Anticipation is mounting. We are ready and waiting.

Paris has it all

19 January 2012 | by Bixby

Last Friday night, we made our first foray into downtown Paris. We drove to the metro stop (about 1.5 miles from our place), parked the car and entered the fray. We’ve done it before, but never with three small children and one of us eight months pregnant.

While standing at the Place de la Concorde (where Louis XVI lost his head), we saw these two cars drive up within a matter of minutes of each other. It serves as an illustration that Paris has something of everything. I understand why cities are an attraction to those seeking a better lot in life.

Paris has a lot of people. Duh. However, looking at the sea is different than swimming in it. Living here has made us feel how empty life is apart from Christ. So many live in visible deprivation (like the couple digging through the trash bin just outside our apartment). Everyone is searching. We seem like just a speck (or a drop, to remain with the same analogy).

We praise God that we have something eternal, a treasure that will never fade away. Pray that God will motivate and enable us to shine our light, even if it be comparatively small.

Our new home (for four months)

13 January 2012 | by Bixby

Most of you know that we have moved to Stains for a four month period. We are just a few miles north of the Paris city limits. This is definitely life in the big city. The town itself is smaller than Pessac (population about 37,000 vs. 57,000). But the density is quite different: Pessac has 1,484 inhabitants per square km and Stains has 6,421/km². (Compare that to our home town of Spartanburg, SC, which has 399.9/km² or to Chicago which has 4,447/km².) It’s a town with a small land mass slammed packed with apartment buildings. It has a communist mayor while Pessac has been historically socialist.

Life is more difficult in a city. For example, I have to park the car across the street after I go through an electric gate, then through another automatic garage door that provides entrance into the underground parking. To walk back, I have to go up a flight of stairs, through a locked door, walk through a courtyard, out a locked gate, back across the street, through another locked gate leading into our courtyard, and finally to our door. It’s a lot different than walking out of an unlocked door in Pessac, France, and just hopping in the car that we would leave unlocked half the time.

Right out the office window I can see people passing in all kinds of French and foreign garb, speaking different languages, and from all levels of society.

There are certain advantages. A major Carrefour (our Walmart equivalent) shopping center is less than 500 yards away. Today I walked Ruth to the store than came back and picked her up in the van when she had finished shopping. I’ve also been able to walk to the post office. A great advantage is that the children’s school is also fewer than 500 yards away. It takes less time for me to get from the house to the school gate than for Micaiah to get from his second-story classroom to the gate. We are also less than 2 kilometers from their nearest Metro station which can usher us right into downtown Paris.

Thank you for your prayers for us. I hope to share more soon about the church in Saint-Denis and the kids’ school situation.

    

Skypelizing

6 December 2011 | by Bixby

Last Sunday we had the joy of seeing our coworkers, Michael and Liz Cole and family, be officially commissioned to the work in France by their (and our) sending church. We were able to watch the morning service (in our late afternoon) via Skype. We then ate our supper while they were eating their lunch.

During their afternoon service, I gave the challenge to the church. I don’t think the connection was crystal clear, but I think they could hear and understand me. It is an odd feeling preaching into a computer camera.

We are so excited to think that by the end of the month, the Cole family will be on this side of the ocean! Please keep praying that God will supply the remaining support that they need.

Supporting churches

19 October 2011 | by Bixby

We thank God for the churches that have partnered with us to enable to remain here in France. If they abandoned us, we’d be gone in a hurry. As we are just beginning the early planning stage for next year’s furlough, we made a map a couple of days ago, marking the cities where they are located. Here’s what it looks like:

Ministry workers’ conference in Montauban

19 October 2011 | by Bixby

Last week I had the privileged of preaching twice (once in the morning and again in the afternoon) from the book of Jonah to a gathering of Christian workers that was held in the village of Montauban (just outside Toulouse, France). The gathering was planned and executed by a Christian association that runs a “Bible exposition.” Churches can use their materials as a means of gospel outreach in their communities.

The gathering was small (around 20) but there was a good spirit as someone from each ministry or church gave an update of how God was working in their area, and we then spent time in prayer for one another. It was also good for us to be able to meet people and ministries we had not known previously.

Excursion to Paris

19 October 2011 | by Bixby

Two weeks ago, Ruth and I took the train to Paris for a one-night, two-day trip. Many already know that we have been considering spending four months (January through April, 2012) in the Paris region helping a church there. Our purpose for this trip was to check into the schooling situation for our children and the hospital where our son will probably be born. Thanks to grandparents who were willing to keep our children, it also served as a mini honeymoon. The timing was perfect, coming just a few days after our 11th anniversary. The trip was a success. We feel much better about both the school and the hospital situations. We wrapped up the business part of our trip in the afternoon of our first day. That gave us a good amount of time to visit the city. Living in France does not mean that we know its capital. Ruth had only been in Paris a few times (not counting the drives throughs and airport layovers) for only a few hours each. We enjoyed getting to see a good part of the city on bicycle. Since returning from the trip we have given our consent to go and serve for in the church of Saint-Denis for four months. Please pray for the many details that have yet to follow.

Click on the link below to see a few pictures of our trip.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150874932155122.756673.822180121&type=1&l=f063287570

Distribution time

1 October 2011 | by Bixby

As in 2009 and 2010, it is time once again for our fall distribution. This week we received 5,000 flyers in the mail from the printer. They are brand new. All the content has been reworked and the look has been completely redesigned. The first group of these church invitations will go out tonight. Please pray that God will give our students who will be distributing them the access they will need to all the buildings, and that He will prepare the hearts of the students who will be receiving the invitation underneath their doors.

 While we’re at it, below are a few a pictures of the student night we had yesterday evening. Since my parents were out of town, we went over to help run it. There were 14 students in addition to the special speaker and our family. There seems to be a good spirit among the students. Pray for continued growth in godliness and in numbers.