Au Revoir Alps!

I have safely left France and made it to Portugal! Apparently I flew out of Lyon the same day as a terrorist attack took place, but I didn't know anything about it until I got picked up at the airport in Porto...  so yeah. I think everyone at home knew about my surroundings better than I did... and I'm kinda thankful for that! 

My last week of France was spent helping with the kids program during a missionary retreat. We had three families bring nine kids- 7 between ages 2-10 and then 2 teenage girls. The family with the teenagers "adopted" me as their oldest daughter for the time of the camp. I sat with them for the meals and even slept outside with the girls one night! (I went up to my bed at around 5:30 am when I realized I still had 2 hours to get some resemblance of sleep if I snuck away)

I hiked up a mountain. A very tall mountain. The view was great. My lungs were hurting.

We are halfway up the mountain on our hike looking across the valley to the camp. Those little buildings towards the bottom are the camp.

Each day started with breakfast at 7:30, cleaning the dining hall, and then a time of singing worship with the whole group at 9. I left with the kids after that, along with 2 other leaders (both grandmas now) to go upstairs for our own VBS. We talked about going "Off the Map" and bringing the good news of Jesus to people all over the world! (highly effective when the kids are all missionary kids living in different countries)

I got to talk to a lot of missionaries about the state of the churches in Europe. I talked to one missionary about the Czech Republic, another about Germany, and still others about France. 

All in all, France was a time of rest and learning. I didn't get to know the French people, but I got a taste of the realities of mission work. I spent a lot of time working behind the scenes and talked to established missionaries about the highs and lows of moving countries to share the gospel. A major theme of my conversations is that missionaries are normal people with the same frustrations and struggles as anybody else, but they experience it all in a different culture away from their support system of family and friends. 

I can see how God is preparing me to move overseas. He is preparing me mentally and emotionally to move away from the known and comfortable to move into the unknown and uncomfortable for His glory. I am starting to see more and more how God has been using every event in my life to shape me into the type of person who can handle the stress and joys of this lifestyle. 

Now to figure out where in the world He wants me to start digging roots...