Six Months

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Six months.  That’s how long it’s been since we arrived in France… and if our schedule holds, that’s how long until we depart for Togo.  On days we feel like we’ve mastered the language enough to take on the world and others we struggle to get a simple “Bonjour” out correctly… and some days we want to give up, throw in the towel, and go “home,” beckoned back to the USA by the quiet whisper of comfort, familiarity, friends, and family. 

It is in these moments when we’re irritable, frustrated, discouraged, depressed, and lonely, when we struggle to carry on that we think to ourselves, “if this is what France is like, so similar in culture to our own, then what will Togo have for us? It is at those times we want to listen to the whispers… because it’s easier. Can we say that as missionaries?  Dare we admit our weaknesses? We must! In these low moments the deceiver whispers quietly that we’re not good enough, that we’re not strong enough, that the cause isn’t worthy enough and these are the moments that your prayers are most coveted.  We know that it is not our power with which we stand firm but the power of the Spirit to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (1Cor 1:10-14)

The deceiver tries to dissuade from that goal to share the Good News to those who have never heard. We know that spiritual warfare is real, not only for us, but also for those who are preparing us.  We haven’t contemplated quitting, – please don’t misunderstand – but we must acknowledge that we have felt the wrath of the enemy raging on us and those around us and the battle. Please continue to pray for us as we prepare and for the teachers and staff as they prepare us.  Pray that God would use this time to train us to better serve Him and His Kingdom.

In other news, we are planning to be in Togo by the end of December.  We’ve started making plans accordingly for housing, shipping, and all the finer details.  Our truck is in process of being retitled so that it can pass through customs.  We hope that within the next 4-6 weeks all of the shipping and customs details will be done until we are ready to pick it up in Togo. Please pray that all goes well and there are no major issues.  Retitling a vehicle from across an ocean is not easy and the deceiver will hinder plans wherever he can.

We’ve progressed significantly since our last test in April.  Jonathan was at a mid A1 and Bethany achieved a low A2 level.  Now Jonathan is a high A2 and Bethany is at a low B1! (The scale progresses A0,A1,A2,B1,B2,C1,C2) That puts us ahead of where we expected to be to reach the B2 level. Praise God!  We’ve also started with language partners to help us refine our street French and conversational skills.  It’s always helpful to have someone besides your spouse to be able to correct you.

August is the month that all of Europe goes on vacation. We’re also excited to have family coming to visit, followed by a week in a small town in the French Alps where we can get away from the city to decompress and enjoy God’s creation and time with friends.

Thank you for your continued prayers and partnership.

 

For those interested, one of our hobbies is photography emphasizing (mostly) God’s creation as it is around us wherever we are in the world.  Click here to view the album. (No Facebook account needed to view.)