"For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake." (2 Corinthians 4:5)

Bordeaux-Week One

6 January 2012 | by Michael

Of course, I could have labeled this post: Bordeaux-Weak One. There is nothing like living in a new culture to make me feel very weak, but God has been very kind to us through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bixby and Tim and Ruth Bixby. Each family has opened up their homes to us, lent us their vehicles, fed us, and translated for us. We are indebted to them for their love to us.

 

We’re currently living in Pessac, a city that is part of the Bordeaux metropolis. It is a nice town that is close to any and every type of shopping we’ll need. The Lord’s mercy is manifest in the fact that we can walk to the church building and to the university where we’ll be studying French.

It seems that our bodies are beginning to adjust to the new time zone. The kids are sleeping through the night for the most part. Liz and I are beginning to lose the sluggish feeling we’ve had. Of course, some of that sluggishness is due to the fact that we’re up until midnight or 1 am each night talking or preparing for the next day.

So far the Lord has helped us open a bank account here in France (3 trips), send in paperwork for our resident cards (1 trip to police station/1 trip to post office), apply for social security and insurance here in France, apply for Viviane to begin pre-school, request a rewards card at a local grocery store, and begin looking for a van. We’ve purchased some necessities as well: car seats for the kids, a gps, a high chair, a pack-n-play, and chocolatines (if you want to know what these are, come and we’ll introduce you to them-it’s worth it!).

Although we face times of questioning our sanity for uprooting our family and moving to France, we are beginning to feel somewhat more at ease while out. Usually we can communicate what we mean using our limited French and relying on others’ limited English. We look forward to delving further into the culture so that we have opportunities to tell people about God’s great love for them in Christ.

We want to say a big THANK YOU to all who have written to express to us that you are praying for us. God has used you to build us up in our faith. We’ll keep you posted about how this story unfolds.

In France!

3 January 2012 | by Michael

I’m having a difficult time wrapping my mind around the fact that I’m blogging from France as a resident and not as a visitor. The wait for the day to relocate seemed so long, but the move and all the preparations for that move flew by at light speed. We find ourselves shaking our heads as we try to come to grips with the fact that our long anticipated goal is now at hand.

The following synopsis of last year should reveal how God has worked on our behalf:

1. We arrived back in the States on January 25, 2011 after spending a month in France planning with Tim and Ruth. We were excited about the possibilities, but uncertain about funding for the mission. At that point, God had given us only 60% or so of our needed financial support.

2. We traveled for deputation meetings from January until September (with several weeks off in the summer) when we took two weeks off for the birth of Mathieu.

3. On September 19, we met with Ken and Joan Jensen of EMU to discuss our proposal that we leave for France in December of 2011. We had submitted the proposal to them, our church treasurer, and one of our pastors. This proposal grew out of developments in France that made it possible for us to spend our first three months in France in Tim and Ruth Bixby’s home. Also, our general fund at EMU had grown to an amount that allowed us to cover passage costs and supplement the lack in our monthly financial support. Our church leadership was positive about our proposal, and EMU gave us provisional permission to begin the process of obtaining a visa. EMU expressed a desire that we our support level increase to 90% before we left for France.

4. On September 20, Mathieu was born healthy. I began traveling two weeks later for deputation meetings in SC, MD, PA, and KS.

5. On October 31, we all traveled to Atlanta, GA, to apply for our Visas. God helped us find the appropriate building and protected us during a couple of dangerous situations. We found the consulate workers to be friendly and helpful. After an hour and a half we left the Consulate needing to obtain three documents.

6. On November 12, we received the final piece of information that we needed to send to the Consulate so they could begin processing our visa applications.

7. On December 2, we received our Visas! This was a special blessing because they arrived in time for our family’s commissioning service on December 4.

8. On December 6, we traveled to Atlanta to join Carissa (our nanny) for her visa application appointment. The appointment went well, but she was required to obtain three more documents.

9. On December 17, Carissa received the final document she needed for the Consulate to process her request.

10. On December 19, I dropped Carissa’s final document off at the French Consulate in Atlanta.

11. On December 26 and 27, we packed our checked baggage.

12. On December 27, Carissa called to inform us that she had received her visa (in less than 2 weeks that included the Christmas holiday)!

13. On December 28, we all flew out of Atlanta for Bordeaux. We are praising God that we have over 90% of the financial support we need.

14. On December 29, we arrived safely in Bordeaux.

The rest of the story remains to be seen.

Visas Received!

2 December 2011 | by Michael

We opened our door around noon today and found our approved visas waiting for us! We are so thankful for how God has blessed us with the opportunity to move to France in order to display and to declare his love for the people of France. Thank you for your faithful prayers and for the messages you’ve sent us ensuring us of your support. We feel our need of your partnership as we transition into a new phase of our lives.

Holding the visas in our hands makes our departure for France seem so much more real than it has. We’ve tried to stay busy with pre-packing and packing while we were waiting to receive our visas because we knew we would be pressed for time. But now we feel a whole new level of pressure to pack, clean, and visit family and friends before we leave for France. We know the Lord will help us through this time, and we ask that you would pray that we would be efficient, diligent, and Spirit-filled as we put the final touches on our preparations to leave.

I’ve included a few photos from the past few weeks that encapsulate some of our efforts at preparing to leave for France.

Lanier Theological Library

18 November 2011 | by Michael

Today, I had the joy of visiting the Lanier Theological Library in Houston, TX. This library is a private collection made available to the public free of charge due to the generosity of Mark Lanier. My host, Ricky Altizer, thought I would enjoy it, and he was right. Not only is the library impressive in its size (at least 50,000 volumes with a capacity of over 100,000) and scope (a broad array of theological, biblical, and textual works), it is housed in a beautiful building that models libraries around Oxford University.

A few of the library highlights: (1) a facsimile of the Dead Sea Scrolls [1 of 9 in the world], (2) a facsimile of Codex Vaticanus, (3) a large reference library, (4) study rooms, and (5) coffee.

Lanier has also built a chapel near the library that replicates an ancient church building in Turkey dating from AD 500.

Although this library is not a lending library, it is open for use by the public. I know where I’d spend my study days if I lived in Houston!

Consulate Appointment Update

1 November 2011 | by Michael

Liz and I are so grateful for all of you who prayed about our meeting with the French consulate yesterday. Thank you also to all who wrote us to let us know you were praying. We praise God for how he worked yesterday. First, he protected me as I traveled from Kansas to Atlanta and he also watched over Liz and the kids as they drove from SC to Atlanta. Second, he made sure that we had enough time before the appointment to check our documents one last time to make sure they were all there and that they were in the proper order. Third, God ensured that we arrive safely to the Consulate. Although I had planned diligently in gathering the correct documents, I had failed to make sure I knew exactly where the French Consulate is. I had the address, but I wasn’t sure what building it was in. This lack of foresight caused a bit of stress as we tried to find the right place, but the Lord guided us and made sure we arrived in one piece. Fourth, the workers at the French Consulate were friendlier and more helpful than we expected.

We know that each of these blessings came from God in response to your prayers. So, thank  you. The Lord has also worked in such a way that we will be able to see him work in new ways. The Consulate requires that we gather two documents before they will process our request. The first document concerns our insurance. We use Christian Medishare. The consulate worker expressed doubt that Medishare would be accepted. He also required that we get a signature for the generic letter of coverage that Medishare sent us. Second, The Consulate requires that we receive an invitation from the Protestant Federation in France. Tim and Ruth also faced this obstacle when applying for their visa. The Protestant Federation is a broad group in France. They were not willing to invite Tim because no churches we are involved with are part of the Federation. So, we shall see what God does.

Please continue praying for us concerning the visa process. Ask God to give us wisdom about the insurance question and about an invitation to France. Please also ask God to give us favor with those responsible for granting visas.

Thank you.

Meditations in Mark (2:18-22)

29 October 2011 | by Michael

Mark 2:18-22

Fasting had become an essential mark of external piety in Jesus’ day. That is why the questioners of verse 18 approached Jesus about this “lack” in his disciples. There was an unforgivable breach of religious decorum that needed to be corrected. Jesus’ response to this “correction” consists of 1) the reason his disciples can’t fast and 2) illustrations to back up his point. The marital metaphor Jesus uses has broad implications for who he claimed to be, his knowledge of the coming cross, and the relationship of his followers with Judaism. But the main point of Jesus’ answer lies elsewhere: my disciples don’t fast because it isn’t fitting for them to do so in my presence. Why not? Because Jesus is the object of their delight. Who mourns and abstains from good things when in the presence of one he loves?

Let’s focus on two different applications this passage has for us. First, this passage says that Jesus’ disciples would fast when he had been removed from them (v. 20). Does fasting find any room at all in our thinking about the Christian life? Now it’s obvious that Mark did not include this passage for the purpose of establishing a system of Christian fasts, but that doesn’t mean that Jesus’ answer has no application for his followers today. Chronological distance doesn’t make irrelevant the clear statement that “they will fast in that day” (v. 20). How can fasting play a part in our spiritual walk?

This last question leads us to the second application of this passage. We must understand what underlies fasting if we are to know how fasting can benefit us spiritually. Jesus said his disciples couldn’t fast because he, the bridegroom, was in their presence. Jesus brought joy and delight to his followers, so it would be unfitting for them to fast and act mournfully while they were with him just like it’s unfitting for a group of bridesmaids to mourn on their friend’s wedding day. With that picture in mind, we can now grasp that sadness underlies fasting. Jesus’ disciples would fast, but only because he was no longer with them. Fasting is an expression of longing. Are we longing for Jesus’ presence? What are the things that dampen our longing for him? What are the things that fill our life with surface-level joy and contentment so that we forget that our only real contentment is found in Jesus? Do we see that a lack of fasting reveals much about us? It shows that we are not longing for Jesus’ return. Lack of fasting is a sign that we are content with the now—the food, the drink, the entertainment, the goals, etc. We should ask ourselves, “Are we grieved because we are not in the presence of Jesus?” If we must honestly say no, then we need to ask for forgiveness and for help to see things in a proper perspective. If Jesus really is all that thrills our souls, then we will be grieved until we are in his presence. Fasting is an expression of that grief and longing. When we engage in this type of fasting, the hunger pains remind us that you should be longing for the Lord’s coming. This type of spiritual hunger glorifies the Lord we love and protects us spiritually.

How does fasting lead to spiritual health? Fasting is not a magical tool. We don’t get points or climb the spiritual latter by fasting. But fasting can help us stay focused on the Lord’s return by physically reminding us that food and other good gifts don’t satisfy us completely. We have to return again and again to be satisfied by temporal gifts, but Jesus, God’s eternal gift, satisfies completely. Remembering this fact is the difference between Paul and Demas according to 2 Tim 4. If our longing is for this world, we will abandon Christ when following him is uncomfortable. If we desire Christ’s return more than anything, we will finish our course in faith even when it’s difficult. So what do you love? Let fasting help you remember.

Praises and Prayer

27 October 2011 | by Michael

We are grateful for all of you who have prayed for us concerning a departure at the end of December or the beginning of January. The Lord has been working, so we have several reasons to give praise:

1. God has burdened individuals and churches to give one-time gifts to us. In the past month, we’ve received $6,900.00 to help cover moving costs.

2. We have had encouraging meetings this past month, and God has kept Michael safe during all of the trips.

3. We’ve seen our support increased to 82% due to an individual and a church that increased their monthly support.

4. We’re scheduled to meet with the French Consulate about a visa.

5. We’ve been accepted into language school in Bordeaux for this coming Spring semester.

We still ask you to pray for us about the following:

1. We need God to provide additional monthly support. Currently we have 82%.

2. We need God to give us favor with the French consulate.

3. We need God to give us strength for and wisdom about packing.

4. We need God to provide for our nanny’s support.

Thank you for your ongoing care for us. We praise God for you.

Jet setter

27 October 2011 | by Michael

Thank you all for your prayers for us. We’re doing well as a family. Liz and the kids have done well thanks to the Lord’s kindness to us through Liz’s parents. Mathieu is growing rapidly and changing over night it seems. I’ve been more cognizant of the rapid changes because of my travel schedule. I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to present the mission to several churches this month. The first trip following Mathieu’s birth was to Florence, SC, where I enjoyed encouraging fellowship. The next two weeks found me in Maryland, presenting the mission to two different churches. Both churches encouraged me by their kindness and devotion to serving the Lord. The Lord also gave me the opportunity to meet two pastors over lunch while I was in the area. Between meetings in MD and PA, I attended a convention of the ACCC.

The Lord gave me the opportunity to visit Carlisle, PA, on my way to a missions conference in Chambersburg, PA. Actually, I really didn’t visit Carlisle; I visited two book stores in Carlisle. I stopped first at the Banner of Truth Trust where I purchased Dallimore’s two volume biography of George Whitefield for 50% off. I then visited the Cumberland Valley Bible Book Store where I purchased two children’s books by R.C. Sproul.

I flew back to Atlanta from MD to meet Liz and the kids for a little less than 24 hours before I flew out for Kansas the next day. Currently I’m in Kansas taking part in a missions conference. The Lord has been so gracious to give me these opportunities. He has also show our family a lot of kindness while we are separated during these trips. Please continue to pray for safety as we travel.

Franceward Bound

6 October 2011 | by Michael

Thank you for all of the congratulatory messages about Mathieu’s safe birth. We are so thankful for God’s protection during the labor and delivery. We’ve had two weeks of adjustment, getting used to having more kids than parents and beginning the process of learning how to shepherd each of our children as they need. It seems that we’re getting back into a regular rhythm of life, so it is time for me to catch you up concerning recent developments.

The biggest news we have is that our church and our mission have given us the permission to start the ball rolling for a move to France in late December 2011 or early January 2012! Needless to say, we are very excited about this development. If you are wondering, you have not missed an announcement that we’ve reached 100% of our support. We’re still at the 81% mark, although there are a couple of potential support increases in the works.

So why are we moving ahead? Two strands of reason have brought us to this point. The first concerns timing. We think moving at this time is important because we need a full year of adaptation in France before the Spring of 2013. Why? Tim and Ruth (our coworkers) plan to return to France from their first furlough at that time, and we need to have significant language and culture experience prior to their return so that we can move as a team to our target city. Also, it seems the Lord has providentially arranged for us to use the Bixby’s home for several months while they pursue a ministry opportunity in Paris. Finally, this timetable works best with the schedule of a young lady who is willing to spend a year as a nanny for our kids so that Liz can focus her attention on learning French and adapting to life in France.

The second strand of reasoning that led to this decision has to do with finances. We do not have full support, and we are still seeking and asking God to give us full monthly support. We do, however, have a significant amount of money in our business accounts at EMU. The current plan is that we can draw up to $500 per month from that account to supplement our needs for the first three-year term.

While exciting, this development forces us to rely upon God’s provision. We need God to provide $527 more in monthly support. We also need God to give us wisdom as we pack our belongings, plan our flights, apply for visas, and prepare to live in France. We are easily overwhelmed by the many details and requirements, but we know God is able to supply.

This has been a long update, but I wanted you to know what was going on. I beg your patience as I make one more request of you. You have supported us with prayers, kindness, and gifts, and we are grateful. Please continue. Ask God to give us full monthly support so that we can leave for France. Also, would you consider if God wants you or your church to partner with us on a monthly basis or through a one-time donation to help us with shipping, airline tickets, or settling costs?

Thank you, and God bless you in Christ. God willing we’ll be updating you from France before too long!

Announcing Mathieu Aaron

25 September 2011 | by Michael