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Just an FYI that the team arrived home safely in Minneapolis tonight. Thanks for your prayers.

Mark

Arrived in Detroit

We ended up leaving Paris at 4:00 PM today and just arrived at Detroit. All of us were able to get boarding passes for the same connecting flight to Minneapolis. Here is our flight info:

NW Flight 767 - Depart Detroit @ 10:27 PM (EST), Arrive Minneapolis @ 11:15 PM (CST)

Flight Delayed

As most of you have already heard, our flight was delayed, and we're stranded in Paris until tomorrow morning.

The airline put us up in a hotel, and gave us vouchers for dinner and breakfast. We are supposed to be back at the airport tomorrow (Monday) morning at 8:00 AM (1:00 AM CST) so that we can attempt to board a flight to Detroit.

While we were waiting at our gate, there was an announcement that said that the airplane engineers were having problems with the hydrolics in the plane and tracked it down to a part that needed to be replaced in the engine. I guess it's good that they're being safe. :)

After we get to Detroit, it's unclear which flight each of us will be on and we will likely not all be together. If I know more and am able to get internet access, I'll post updates as I receive them. Otherwise, we're all going to get some sleep so that we can be ready for a long ride home tomorrow (hopefully).

Mark

Geneva

Today, we went to Geneva to see the Reformation Museum, the Reformation Wall, and Calvin's Church. On the way back to Annecy, we stopped by Chomonix, Mont Blanc for the afternoon.

Because it was snowing in Geneva today, we had a scenic drive through the mountains.



Here's a photo of our team, outside Calvin's Church in Geneva, Switzerland.



Tomorrow, we leave to return home. Thanks for all your prayers and support.

France Team '07

Thanksgiving Dinner

Today is the day our team prepared and served an American Thanksgiving meal for French people at the ABBA church in Annecy. Here is the story of today, in photos.

After arriving at ABBA, we could hardly contain our excitement.



Jim, Sandy, and a few helpers prepared the food.



Meantime, others arranged tables, put together place settings, folded napkins, set out decorations, and put the final touches in place.



There were about 100 people that attended.



Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, the team scrambled between each course.



Before we sign off, here is one last picture that captured Jay's surprise as he was trying to describe the fact that he had just learned that in France, "there is no French Silk Pie."

"Guys, listen to me, this is serious!"



Overally, the meal went extremely well. Thank you to Jim and Sandy for putting in such a long day and for doing such an marvelous job preparing the meal. Also, both Mandy and Jim did a fabulous job sharing their testimony clearly and genuinely in how God has worked wonders in their lives.

Bon Soir (good night),
Mark, for the team

Half Time

Today was a day of transit. Matt C. challenged us to use this day to rejuvenate spiritually and physically. In football terms, he called this our "Half Time".

Before leaving Senlis this morning, one small group went to the Kuehl's house to do some final cleaning. The rest of the group prayer-walked with Dan Kuehl through Senlis and spent some time praying right outside the chapel that we've been talking so much about in previous posts. Dan is a great guide, and his knowledge of Senlis, and it's history informed our prayers.



One of the last things we did before departing Senlis was to stop at a pastry shop to get something sweet. Believe us when we say that these were as good as they looked. Evidently, the French know how to do pastries.



After saying goodbye to the Kuehls and Patrice Nevo (assitant pastor to Dan), we boarded a bus to the train station.



The train station was located on the premises of Charles de Gaulle (CDG) International Airport. After boarding the train, we took a 2 hour ride to Lyon, where we boarded a bus that took us the rest of the way to Annecy (2 more hours), where we are now.





After arriving in Annecy, we met Dale and Sherry Anderson at their church (called ABBA) and had a wonderful meal of cheese and pototoes that we enjoyed while fellowshipping with ABBA church members.



Tonight, at our PM team meeting, we agreed that Nehemiah 8:10, "[...] for the joy of the Lord is your strength." was beginning to become the theme of the week for our trip.

Prayer requests:

• Please pray about tomorrow's meal. There will be many people at the meal (possibly a majority) that are not Christians. Please pray that God's message is communicated clearly and effectively.
  
• Please pray for physical fatigue among our team. There are a considerable number of people on the team that are feeling very physically tired.
• Please pray for the Andersons and their church (ABBA) and the ministry that they have here in Annecy, specifically that they would be encouraged by our visit.
  
• Please pray for the logistics of the event preparation, that the details would come together smoothly.
  
• Please pray for those who received the Bibles in their mailboxes in Senlis yesterday. Pray that their hearts would be softened to hear the gospel message.
  

Last Full Day of Projects with the Kuehl's

Today was a day of finishing projects at the Kuehl's. Since we're leaving for Annecy tomorrow (Thursday), we were focused primarily on (A) finishing projects at the Kuehl's home, and (B) distributing as much literature as we could before the end of the day. Here are some photo highlights from today:

Projects. We continued to paint the interior and exterior of the Kuehl's home. The painting crew did an exceptional job.





Peanut Butter Jelly Time. Throughout the day, Jim Hoar kept us entertained by bursting into song: Peanut Butter Jelly Time! Peanut Butter Jelly Time! Definitely a highlight.



Food. Our meals were wonderful, thanks to the kitchen crew. As you can see, the kitchen was extremely packed, and full of fellowship.



"Mmm... what's this?" "In France, we call that a pen."



Literature Distribution. Since the Gospel's of John arrived yesterday, a team of people spent a good portion of the day preparing 6,000 packets of information, that were then partially distributed during the afternoon. The arrival of these gospels was definitely an answer to prayer.



Team Unity. Thanks for praying about this. Our team feels that people have been working together and have been working to make contributions with joyful spirits.







Prayer with/for Kuehl's. Before leaving for the day, our team spent some quality time praying with/for the the Kuehls as well as the Patrice Nevo family (assistant pastor to Dan Kuehl).



Plan for Tomorrow. Tomorrow, we'll finish up a few last items at the Kuehl's (cleaning). Additionally, we'll do a bit more prayer walking through the city. We leave mid-day on a train to Annecy.

Prayer Requests:

• Safety during our travel tomorrow.
• For individuals to rest up during this middle part of our trip so that they can prepare spiritually and physically for the second portion of our ministry here in France--this time in Annecy.

Prayer Walking and Projects

Another day of progress. Thanks for all the encouraging comments and notes of prayer. We have continued to read your comments and have been praying for the things going on at First Baptist Church in Minneapolis. Thank you Matt O. for keeping us updated so that we know how to pray. Here are some highlights from our day today:

1. Ministry Projects
2. Literature Distribution
3. Barbarian Grille

Ministry Projects

More teams went prayer-walking today through the streets of Senlis. Particularly, groups made their way across town to pray on the steps of the chapel that the Kuehl's are hoping the church can purchase as their new building.



Concurrently, teams worked on house projects at both the Kuehl's home, and the home of another family in the church. Projects included painting (interior and exterior), drywall, sanding, mudding, plaster work, hanging wallpaper, meal preparation, and fixing broken doors and locks.



Finally, we can't forget, the kitchen team that prepared our wonderful lunch!



Literature Distribution

A team of people folded inserts that will be included along with a Gospel of John to be distributed in target areas within the surrounding area. As you might recall from yesterday's prayer requests, we were praying for these gospels to arrive so that our team could distribute them. Well, God answered our prayers! Although we didn't receive the gospels until late this afternoon, we'll be ready to distribute tomorrow. Praise God for this, and thank you for your prayers on this from back home.



Barbarian Grille

This evening, Dan Kuehl recommended that we go out to eat to experience French culture at a resturant in downtown Senlis: le Gril des Barbares (The Grill of the Barbarians), which is located in the "dungeon" of a building that was constructed around 1200 A.D. It was definitely a neat experience as we spent ~3 hours conversing and enjoying a meal with each other and the Kuehls (including their son Paul, who's a Bear's fan).

Hit the Ground Running

This morning, at our AM team meeting, Dan Kuehl addressed the team by introducing us to his church-planting ministry here in Senlis. Additionally, Dan gave us some insight into French culture, his short- and long-term vision for church planting, and how French philosophy brings unique challenges to sharing the gospel.

Before I get on with the rest of today's update, I want to encourage our supporters (i.e. you) to continue adding encouraging comment to the blog. Each morning, I read the most recent comments to our team, and they have been extremely encouraged by the words you have already written. Thank you!

Additionally, here are some prayer requests that our team has:

• Please pray for the transition in leadership that is going on in Dan's church. The church recently took on an assistant pastor (Patrice). It is Dan's hope that Patrice will take over the congregation, and that the church would plant a new daughter church in an unreached area. Pray for Patrice, and the congregation--with a new pastor, possibly a new building, and the prospect of planting a new church, they are going through a lot of changes.
• Unity among our team.
• Literature Distribution. Please pray for a shipment of Gospels of John that were scheduled to be here last week, but have been delayed because of a local holiday. If the gospels arrive before we leave, we can use the many people we have with on our trip to efficiently distribute literature about the church, while prayer walking.
  

After our AM team meeting, we walked about 1 mile to the Kuehl's home and hit the ground running. There were two major ministry activities today:

1. Prayer walking
2. Projects on the Kuehl's home

Prayer Walking

Small groups throughout the day went walking through the streets of Senlis, praying at key locations for God to be working there. Additionally, some of the prayer teams walked a little further to see the chapel that the Kuehl's have been hoping to purchase for their new church home (we've written about this here before).

Projects on the Kuehl's home

Other small groups worked on painting (interior and exterior), replacing drywall, and other general repairs around the house. The saying, "lots of hands make little work" was definitely true today. With 22 team members, we were able to make some considerable progress.

Mark (for France Team '07)

Church in Senlis

This morning, we woke up feeling well-rested. After breakfast, at our AM team meeting, we again gave thanks and praise to God for bringing us to France, and for allowing us to be used in ministry here. Additionally, we prayed specifically against Satan's schemes, and that by our presence in the service with the Kuehls, that we might not be a distraction.

The Kuehl's church meets in a room of the same hotel that we are staying at (Ibis, Senlis). Dan is friends with the owner and has built a friendship with him. Patrice (currently an assistant pastor) delivered the morning message, which had as its theme, the persecuted church. Patrice challenged the congregation to die to the world and live boldly in Christ (although the message was in French, so I don't have much more of a summary than that!).

After the service, many members of our team were able to have meaningful conversations with the church-goers here. Everyone has a story, and we learned of many stories that we can be praying about!

The rest of the day, the team had free time to explore Paris in small groups and learn more about the people and culture of France.

This evening, at our PM team meeting, we prepared for our ministry activities tomorrow, which will include prayer walking, labor projects, and possibly literature distribution.

Thanks for continuing to be in prayer for our team.

Love,
France Team '07

Arrived Safely

Our team arrived safely at Charles de Gaulle (CDG) International Airport early this morning, without much sleep, but nevertheless, excited to be here. The flight went well overall, and no one lost their luggage.

Dan Kuehl met us at the airport with a bus, and some friends from church (Patrice, Patrice, Francoise, and Zubida). The rest of the day was spent with Dan and company touring interesting parts of Paris:

• Sacred Heart Church
• Notre Dame
• Louvre (only the outside)
• Arch de Triumph
  
• Eiffel Tower
• River-Boat Tour
  

Following our excursions, we ended up at our hotel. The team is pretty well exhausted after a day of travel. In fact, there were a number of team members nodding off, even as we were discovering these Parisian landmarks ourselves for the first time--we were really tired! Our goal, however, was to stay awake until at least early evening so that our bodies could get quickly accustomed to the new time zone.

Now, everyone is in their rooms getting a good night of rest so that we can be ready for a big day tomorrow. The main highlight for tomorrow is that we will be attending church with the Kuehl's and meeting their congregation for the first time. Here are some prayer requests from our team for tomorrow:

• Pray that we would be an encouragement to the Kuehls and their congregation.
  
• Pray for each of us and our individual devotional time with God--that God would prepare our hearts for ministry this week.
• Pray for unity as a group throughout the week.
• Pray as our bodies adjust to the new time zone and culture.

I posted a selection of photos from today's journey. The most recent photos should appear at the top of the page, but you can always browse the slideshow here.

Mark (for the team)

Departure

Today is the day we depart. We'll meet at 2:00 PM at church. Then, our plane leaves around 5:00.

Also, it looks as though we'll have some consistent cool, dry weather.