Thinkin about heading out

I am lying down on the Gildard's couch in their eleventh floor apartment, listening to David Bowie. Tell me, is there life on Mars?

In a day and a half, I will be returning to Texas after a fantastic six weeks in Marseille. France has treated me well. My accent and vocabulary get better every day, and I will miss speaking in French! I have learned what real bread is, French eating habits, and I have come to understand French culture better than I could have ever imagined. Both of the families with which I have lived have been welcoming, helpful, and hilarious. I couldn't have asked for a better living situation. They introduced me to their families; the explain cultural differences to me; and they appropriately make fun of me for my cultural and language faux-pas.

And now it's time to go home--time to resettle, to figure out my school schedule, hunt for a job-- to sort out my metaphorical spaghetti with my proverbial fork, as a friend so correctly expressed it.

I get home on Friday afternoon, and I will see most of you soon after that. I am looking forward to it in a huge way.

Keep my travels, finances, and mental readjustment in your prayers. God bless each and every one of you, and I will see you soon.

xoxo

First of all, I hope that everything is going well for every one of you, and I trust that God is holding you in his hands whether I'm in Texas or right next to you! And I would, again, like to thank every one of you for making it possible for me to spend this summer in France. This experience has been unforgettable.

I am interning for MTW for a month and a half on the Southern Coast of France. I've had some strange reactions to my being a missionary in France, but what I have come to realize in being here is that France is in desperate need. While financially and physically better off than most of the world, this has also created a strong resistance toward any kind of deity. There are many people who call themselves Catholics, but very few are practicing, and there are even fewer protestants. Growing up in a Muslim culture in west Africa was difficult for me, but I have found it even more difficult to understand and reach a culture who refuses to acknowledge the existence of anything greater than man.

The church with which I work (L'eglise protestante de Roy d'Espagne) is a small church made up mostly of French people. It has been such a joy for me to engage in worship with the people of France. Its wonderful to close my eyes in prayer at church and have it dawn on me that Christ doesn't have to "cross language barriers" because they don't exist to Him! God is doing incredible work throughout this church, and one of the most remarkable things is the youth! I assumed before I arrived that Roy d'Espagne would be a small church made up entirely of families and elderly people, but I was mistaken. The church has somewhere from 5 to 10 university students that attend. RUF (Reformed University Fellowship under the PCA) has actually visited Marseille recently to consider it for an international RUF location. Being part of RUF, I am so excited to see the results of that decision.

Two weeks ago, my fellow intern, Emma, and I put on an English camp for French kids from ages 11 to 14. We had spent the previous week planning the entire event from the top to bottom. Neither of us having ever done something like this, it was trying, and we were determined to keep them happy, and actually teach them some English. There were twenty kids, and God blessed us with an incredible group and an incredible staff. The following link is to a short video of our week: http://www.vimeo.com/13037859

Last week and this week, the intern project has been manual labor. Between three interns, we have successfully stripped, primed, and painted all of the doors and tables in the church. We have cleaned all of the windows on the bottom level of the church, and removed all the cobwebs from the rafters. Next, the deep cleaning starts. Initially I wondered why this was our assignment, but later I realized that it is very important to the church. We actually share the building with a catholic church that is made up of elderly people, and the manual labor is something that they cannot do themselves. What our church is having us do is very important to the relationship between the two churches. Not to mention that you don't know what accomplished feels like until you come home exhausted and covered in paint and cobwebs. We really are loving it.

And our days off are spent getting to know our host families, wandering the city, taking advantage of the summer clothing sales, going to the beach, visiting vinyards and lavender fields, and keeping up with the friends we've already made.

I have a little less than two weeks left in Marseille, and then I'll go back to Texas to start my last year of college. This has been a fantastic way to spend my summer. I love looking at the past month and knowing that I have spent it usefully. I know that I am helping the team here in Marseille, but they've also challenged me to grow.

Thanks again to all of you for your love and prayers. Have a blessed day and a wonderful summer. I cannot express how much of blessing every one of you is to this "mission" and to those of you in Texas, I cannot wait to see you!

Oh, also...short hair starts to look like a mullet when it grows out. Needing haircut.

des adventures de gastronomie

Marseille...ah, Marseille. This week consists of meetings and more meetings, so instead I've decided to write a little blog about food. Its fantabulous!

I wake up every morning and I meet a friend at a local patisserie where we indulge in fresh viennoiserie: pain au chocolat, chaussons de paumes, des pain au raison, and always a cafe au lait. Before we leave, we buy a baget and save it for lunch. Lunch consists of bread and fresh vegetables. Here is where it gets incredible. The vegetables here are so fresh and natural that they taste earthy and sweet. Never a day in my life have I liked tomatoes, and I've been eating them like apples! Dinner is always an adventure here. I eat every evening with my host family, and this family in particular loves to eat fresh and environmental friendly--so today they recieved their food delivery, straight from the country side. This evening we had a free range rabbit roasted with onions, rosemary, garlic, carrots and an assortment of spices that I didn't recognize. This of course was followed by cheese, which was also from the countryside and is illegal because its not pasturized! Oh the glory that is cheese. Fresh chevre--goats cheese--is what I have found to be my favorite. Ratatouille is a local dish, so I have experienced that. But one of my favorite culinary experiences yet was on Fathers Day. I came home to a dinner of French pastry and champagne, and when the French say "pastry" it means little coffe and chocolate mousses topped with whipped cream and dipped in dark chocolate, cream puffs topped with maple cream, rasberry cream layered with some crispy delicious mystery and drizzled in chocolate.

Do I eat well in France? Oh, I eat well in France. While I could go on and on about their lovely culinary traditions and habits, I will refrain because you are hungry.

God bless, everyone, and thank you all so much for your prayers. Every one of you is very close to my heart. xoxo

Cara

this is a post.

So, on Tuesday night, Emma and I taught an English conversation class over an article on living for 800 years. It went so well. Everyone loved the article and the conversation was really excited. I loved explaining all the vocabulary to people.

On Thursday night, the team held an American picnic! The spread of American food was overwhelming and not even half of it got eaten! Afterwards, I taught everyone to line dance. It was a huge hit! I had all of the French women dancing and clapping to Shania Twain "Feel Like a Woman." It was one of the most entertaining things I've ever seen.

On Friday, the interns ate lunch at the university in Marseille. It was interesting to experience a little of what my life would be like if I were a French student. We got to meet some students, and then we had an intern Bible study. The other interns have turned to be a huge blessing. We're all on the same page, and it helps when you're in a foreign country to have people who understand your sentiments about the local culture. You don't feel quite as unusual :)

It's been a long but great week, and now that it's the weekend it's time to spend time with our host families. Tonight, I'm going to eat pizza with a bunch of French people, and after that we're going to our village party! There's going to be live music and dancing. The French really understand how to do charm.

Being in Marseille is eye-opening. God is continually working in my life and in the world, and He is always drawing me near to Him, but it's in experiences like these when we realize how much we actually want to be drawn to Him. I'm so excited to what Jesus is going to do in my life this summer. And so excited to see how he will work in Marseille now and in the future. One of my friends keeps reminding me to take this time to marvel at the fact that Jesus Christ actually died for me. I challenge you guys to see that as a reality too. God bless! And don't forget that tomorrow is Father's Day!

xoxo
Cara

Pictures soon, I swear!

Marseille is an interesting city. It's 1.2 million, but it's sectioned into what feel like small villages all mashed together. It's old and beautiful, with a spattering of new structures throughout, but what stands out the most to a person who's only been to Paris is how casual Marseille is. While it's still an incredibly French city, you also get a sense that people work in order to relax--they don't relax between work. Being next to the ocean gives it a laid-back, vacation-like, 'we don't really care what you do' atmosphere.

Tonight, my friend and co-intern Emma, and I have our first assignment. We will be teaching an English conversation class for adults!....and we're doing this all on our own. On Thursday, we'll be having an American picnic at the church for the English classes. Emma and I are helping to prepare, cook, plan, etc. As many of you know, though I live in Texas, I'm not exactly your cowboy-boot-wearing, horseback riding, tabacco chewing kind of girl. However, my assignment for the picnic (as the only Texan) is to teach all of the French people from ages thirty to seventy to line dance. Yup...

As for my adventures in Marseille, there have already been a number. Between meeting all kinds of new people, getting lost downtown, realizing that the "Casino" was actually a grocery store, and trying to communicate past serious language barriers, Marseille is quickly becoming unforgettable.

Lastly, I'd like to say that I'm living with an incredibly French couple, and if I could ask for you guys to pray for anything, it would be that I would be able to develop significant relationships with them, and that God might draw them into the church here in Marseille.

A la prochaine!
x

j'ai arriver!!

bonjour! This is going to be a short post, but I wanted to let everyone know that after a long and tiresome journey, I've finally made it!!! My host family is fabulous. They are very laid back and some of the funniest people I may have ever met. They (or we) live in a little village thats parts of Marseille. Its called Cabot. Today I'm really just getting to know people and tomorrow I'll be going to the beach for the day before I dive in and start real work on Tuesday.

Thank you all so much for your prayers concerning my travels and just this whole trip! There hasn't been a single problem yet!

Best,
Cara

Ma premiere post

Tomorrow I'm leaving for Marseille, France. At 3AM, I'll be driving to the airport, at 5AM, I'll be boarding a united airlines flight, and at 6AM, I'll be taking off--Chicago, Dusseldorf, Munich, Marseille.

In preparation for this trip I did two things. First, I bought a dress. Second, I cut my hair off. (thus the giant picture of my face) I'm ready to go!

This summer, I intend to inform and entertain you guys. Really, I'll be informing you about my travels, all the crazy-awesome experiences, letting you know how to pray for me... and I'll be entertaining you by making a lot out of the very little things.

x