5 things you could do in France that you could never get away with in the States:

1. Sitting at a restaurant with a dog in your lap, head on the table and all.
2. Waiters giving you food left over from another table (we asked for croissants, there were some on the table next to us from the last guy, so he just grabbed them and put them on our table)
3. having the kids share water bottles at camp (perhaps unintentionally)
4. not checking id’s of parents/people picking kids up from camp
5. Having a Doberman walking around with you on the street with no leash or collar

Any others, feel free to post.

The Way Home...

Well, certainly an adventure, to be sure. Adam and Tasha graciously took us to the airport that morning. Our plane was delayed into Frankfurt, so we landed just about as our connecting flight was supposed to take off. Geniuses decided that everyone should go through security again when you change planes, so we booked it across two entire sections of the airport, and even took a train as part of it (note to self: try to never fly through Frankfurt again, nothing good ever happens there). We booked it until we got to the security line....HUGE! and there were not very many security guards/passport checkers. So, one of the men we were connecting with asked someone to butt in line due to our boarding time (the whole time the airport listed the same take off time). We were refused. Then, some other people started cutting in line, so our friend tried again. Victory!

Well, one gentleman in line did not like this. He started raising a rukus (sp?) and came over ranting and raving about cutting (meanwhile he had over an hour before his plane even started boarding). He even got in our friend's face and started shoving his suitcases into him. Security came over, told him he was drunk, and escorted him off to the front of the line. We told security we were given permission by someone in line and allowed to go through.

Booked it again. Man, could Frankfurt airport be any bigger?

We made it just in time, they had delayed the flight because many planes had been delayed due to weather. Skot had trouble going through security again, but we got through rather quickly and the plane ride went well. Home safely.

Relaxing Sunday

Sunday was great. A wonderful way to end the week of craziness. We slept in, lovely. We needed it, for sure. We walked to the market and bought a few things, including incredibly amazing lavendar honey. It is so sweet, it is awesome.

Lunch was amazing. We went to the restaurant in front of the Anderson's house for a three course traditional French meal. Appetizers were loevly, and mostly all veg. And the olive oil was to die for. For main course we had ratatouille and roasted veggies, sooo good. Skot even ate the tomato- he is not fond of them. For dessert we had a half of a chocolate cupcake and a half of a creamy-fruity dessert. It was amazing. Then, all of us learned how to play boules...I won one round which was fun. Then we took some lovely photos and had a lot of fun, great relaxing last day and a chance to ask some questions we never had time to ask before. (I found a lot of kindred spirit social work types...)

Church was awesome, and it was great to be back at ICCP. It is wonderful that 4 years later and with an almost completely different staff, ICCP still has the same sense of community and love. The church they meet in is an Evangelical Reformed Church that has been around long enough to have had Calvin write them a letter. A portion of it is engraved on a marble plaque on the wall, there is a photo in there of it. The church even has a real pipe organ. We sang some of the songs from camp for the families who may not have went. Skot and I were ushers. It was great, we sat in the back just in case anyone came in. They keep the doors open so that passer-by-ers can look in, and boy do they! It was amazing the amount of curios people that popped their heads in, some even grabbed a seat or stood in the doorway the entire time.

After church we went for one final ice cream. We went with two of the missionaries, Adam and Tasha, and two of the interns, Erik and Danni. It was a lot of fun, and waaaay too much rich ice cream. Don't worry, we finished it. We had some great talks about what church should look like, our aspirations and goals for the church, reformed theology, and many other topics not generally discussed over ice cream. One of our main goals in the trip was to glean information from the church about their community and how they shape it. We had some great talks with a few of the missionaries to help broaden our perspective in some areas, and confirm our hearts in others. It was great to be in a community with such fluid boundaries (in a good way fluid) and such broad concepts of church. They are intentional with every person they meet, not in directly verbatim telling them the gospel, but in living it out in their interactions with them. Their circle is so large it is intimidating, but all they do is draw everyone they come into contact in with their love and respect: insurance agents, landlords, restaurant owners, students, etc. Any more on that, just come talk to Skot or I, we would be happy to share. But our hearts were opened, and I pray that the attitude that Christ has given us through this trip will not wear away or fade.

p.s.- sorry for the pics up front from previous days, i was too lazy to figure out how to take them off, but if you get like 10 in they are from this day.



france 2009

Day 5.....2 weeks later

So the final day of camp was perhaps the most rewarding in some ways. The parents came with their kids and spent the day going through an abbreviated schedule of what their kids had done all week. We played games with the parents, made crafts, watched skits, and most fun of all, sang songs. By the last day, all of my kids were doing the motions and singing! Even the ones who didn't know english!

After the games and such we had a large bbq with the parents (despite the burining ban- but we never got caught!) The food situation was funny, not everyone brought enough food to share (we provided the meat and potatoes) and with over 200 people it became quite the mad house! But it was enjoyable overall and Skot was the man of the hour. Skot had so many parents speak to him, kiss him, and give him hugs. The best part for me was when one of the mothers looked at me and said, "You are Skot's wife?" and when I said yes she kissed me and gave me the warmest hug. She thanked us for all of our work with her children and for taking the time off to serve her family. Her little boys were riots to say the least. ICCP staff spent a lot of the afternoon talking with parents and really loving on the parents, forging lasting relationships. Many of the parents would never step foot in a church, but allow their children to come to this camp because of the willingness and quality of the ICCP staff to engage them in friendship.

One story in particular that comes to mind if of a Christian mother and an unbelieving father. Her friend have tried for years to convert him, but once they give it a shot and he turns them down, they no longer try to be friends with him. Then ICCP staff comes along and he was blunt with them, "If you are trying to convert me it won't work, and I don't want to be your friend if you will stop being my friend once you find that out." They let him know that that was not their purpose in their relationship with him and continued to hang out with him, even spending a great deal of time with him.

Clean up took a bit, but not as long as previous years. It was sad to see all of our hard work for 5 days come down in less than 5 hours. We took down the pyramids as the parents were leaving and ICCP staff said their goodbyes. We put away the plane, the jeep, the camel. We tore down the curtains and put away all of the toys (imagine slow, sad music playing behind). That evening I think we just crashed. Perhaps we had dinner, I don't even remember. I am sure we went out as we tended to get back after most of the grocery stores were closed and were often too tired to spend any time preparing.

Day 5

coming this weekend...

Day 4

Today was AMAZING! IT was water day, la journee de l'eau. The kids came prepared for water. The morning was cold so it was a bit hampering for some activities, but it helped us in our sneak plan. Every year there is a big water fight and the adults ambush the kids. Well, some of the kids have been there for a few years and know it is coming. So, the cold weather helped us to convince the kids that the water fight was cancelled.

Before the day started, we had a plan of attack. This year, it was going to come from all sides. 1000 water balloons, and yes, that was the right amount of zero's. We had a traditional morning, sorry for the lack of photos, I had a fever and was out of commission for the morning. But, a good nap helped and though I think I still have it, it is much better.

The photos are taking longer than I thought to upload, so perhaps I will link them tomorrow. I got a lovely chocolate eclair for my birthday from the translator, Marie, it was amazing!

And oh, totally forgot for day 3- counselor games. Each afternoon we have counselor games. That day, we had an improv-off. Skot got picked to join, I wonder why? But he lost, Yukong was an excellent rapper, and Skot got "rock" but they took about 5 minutes to find him a song. Meanwhile, he freestyled and had some awesome crowd involvement. Awesome photos in the slide show. And afterwards, we had another game. I got volunteered for that one. We had shaving cream on our face (ouch) and our team mate had to throw cereal at our face. The person with the most cereal on their face won, and I won. It was fun, messy, and a bit sting-y.

Tomorrow is family day. Parents come out and do briefly the schedule the kids do to see what camp was like. Then we have a big bbq. We are expecting around 200-250 people total. Please keep this activity in prayer as this is a huge part of the camp outreach and family is very important to the french. ICCP staff use this day as a great way to forge relationships with the parents. They may never step into a church, but they can feel Christ's love through the relationship.

Anyways, photos to follow. Bon nuit.



day 4

Day 3

Yesterday was a blast, Costume Day! The kids were told to dress up like Indiana Jones or Cyndianna Jonas (the play character). Some kids went all out, it was great. We start off our mornings with singing, lesson, and a skit. In the skits, Cyndianna Jonas is looking for the "truth" about the pyramids in Egypt, with some people tailing her who do not want the truth to get out and would rather have things stay as they are.

After the morning session, we break out into either crafts or games. Skot and I have been doing that part together all week as our teams yelled the loudest the first day to get to go first. The kids have made photo frames for the camp photo, candle holders, and treasure boxes. We did the inside of the treasure boxes yesterday and played a few games. After lunch, we have free time, then rotate between the pool and free time games. It has been great getting to know the kids better, working on my French with them, and hearing some of them speak more English.

Yesterday, one of my kids was sitting by himself and when I asked him what he was doing, he replied, "I am thinking about some very deep things," (and say that with a british accent). He had spoken with another counselor earlier in the day asking if the camp was meant to teach us about God. The counselor replied that it was, and he asked about God being in everything that we do (the message this week has been about Moses, and we have four themes for days: God loves you, God is with you, God has a plan for you, and God will send you). He sat for a bit contemplating that concept. This is also a kid who for the past two years has hated camp, and has been enthralled all week. He is super into Dr. Cyndianna Jonas, talking to her during lunch and everything, trying to help her solve the clues. It is great to see a turn around in him, he is about 11 or so.

After camp was over, we have a debriefing. It was a good time to sit around and complement each other on jobs well done. We take time each day to recognize the campers during camp who have done a "Random Act of Kindness" and they get a medallion and special duties. So after camp yesterday we did the same with counselors. We have become really close with a lot of the other counselors, and we also have some junior counselors from the youth group who have been helping out. The JC's are vital mostly in that they are all bilingual.

Day three was good but a bit rough for all of us. Our energy levels are running low, but they were still higher than the kids. The parents are telling us that the kids are exhausted but having a wonderful time. Great to hear!



camp day 3

Camp Day 3

So... camp day was tiring. Energy is on fumes and we didn't get much sleep last night.

We'll give some more details on the next post of why we didn't get much sleep, how today was awesome (but exhausting), and details regarding Skot's sing-off and Becca's shaving cream battle.

We need some sleep!

Here is today's youtube video to give you some glimpses of the day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iagum5A7Glo

Day 2 in France-briefly

Day Two was great, we are now a day behind.....Becca and I are group counselors and thus are involved in every activity. Here are some photos....



camp day 2

and here is the youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB883mj_xXw&feature=related

Trying to Update

Sorry, we are out much later these past few days and pretty pooped. I am going to shower and go to bed, and it is only 8:30. But camp is awesome! Pictures are loaded to the computer from 2-3, and working on slide shows. Promise something tomorrow, unless Skot decides to do some before he goes to bed...

more pics

here is the link for a slideshow of more pics if you are interested, someone else was the designated photographer...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO4COmTMIQA

First Day of Camp!!!

Today commenced what this whole week of prep was really for: Aixplorers Summer Camp 2009! So, as we are pooped, a summary, in pictures (except for the second half of the day, carrying my camera around got dangerous at pool time, perhaps tid bits tomorrow!)

In summary: Skot and I were team leaders to about 12 kids or so, most of them spoke french, but a few spoke fluent English and helped to translate. Luckily, a lot of french came back to me when i needed to use it. We had 65 kids overall, a big jump from last year. We spent the morning in song and had a lesson, games, craft, snack, lunch, bigger games (including a zip line), swimming, another snack, and some more singing along with a dance contest. Sorry so short, we are beat and are going to bed after devouring an entire mushroom pizza.



france 2009

Day of Rest before the Madness

Monday was also a day of rest. As it should be as well (who likes mondays?) We contemplated going to Marseille, Avignon, or Cassis to spend the day but ended up deciding a tour around Aix was less demanding and a good way to rest before the madness of camp. We slept in again and then went downstairs to the market to get breakfast and lunch nourriture. After breakfast we headed out to tour the town.

We went to Musee Granet to see the Picasso and Cezanne exhibit. It was amazing. My favorite part was the portion with photographs of Picasso in his chateau beneath Mt. St. Victoire which is right outside of town, near camp. Skot was enthralled with a few pieces of art, and we spent the better part of the day there. Afterwards, we found an organic cafe and had a wonderful salad of green beans, lentils, cheese, egg, and other veggies. After wandering around town a bit more, we went home. Skot read while I prepared our lunches for the week and then played guitar. We just relaxed and talked, something we decided we need to do more of when we get home. We are so busy, always having something to do or the television on. It has been great not having a television for a week and spending relaxing evenings.

Sunday Rest

Sunday was a day of rest, as it should be. We slept in, got pastries for breakfast (the stores and the market were out of eggs), and made some coffee. Skot walked to a store he wanted to go to, but alas, many stores are closed on Sundays. I worked on my first grad school paper, pretty much finishing it, thank goodness ;) We read a lot and spent some time relaxing in our apartment with the crew from Valley View in Trooper, PA and two of the missionaries.

That evening was church, though an unconventional one. The sound equipment is all at the campsite so we had church in Parc Jourdan. It was beautiful singing in the parc, and a thunderstorm wonderfully passed over us without even one raindrop. We had a lot of onlookers and passer-byers lingering just a bit longer to hear us.

After church we went out to eat with the ICCP interns, the crew from Valley View, and Katherine, an au pair from Texas who is living here with a family and we split a pizza. Afterwards, we got crepes. Skot got his first taste of a nutella and banana crepe. {Sound effects insterted} (if you can imagine them). It was amazing.

Work Day Four

So, we worked yesterday and then had a little 4th of July BBQ. As from the previous post, we got to sleep in and spend the morning at Saturday market. We started working around 2pm, and it was mostly some finishing touches like posting signs, clean up, and finishing the large pyramid at the entrance. I stayed with the pyramid crew most of the day, pretty much holding tarp so that the men could screw, staple, or tie to make it look more pyramid-like. We organized paint for the 5th time, put away power tools (away from little kids reach), swept, etc. Overall we got a lot done with our exhausted bodies and Skot's master skills made the pyramid (which cars need to drive through) a spectacular attraction.

Sorry, no pics from the BBQ- it was dark a lot of the time, and I was too tired to do anything else. We had some grilled veggies and 30 of us sang the Star Spangled Banner at the top of our lungs around midnight. I am sure the echo's were strange to the neighbors.

Check out a video of the past week:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TC6gaM-6jE

Saturday Market

We used our possible 4th day of work yesterday as we still had a lot to finish. Boy, was day 4 the hardest in some ways, but the easiest in others. We got to sleep in, no more 5am wake up's, and spent the morning at Saturday market. We didn't get anything, but amazing pastries for breakfast and Crepes-a-Go-Go (a wonderful and cheap crepe stand that is hidden underground in a walkway). Skot had his first taste of authentic french crepe, and loved it. We got epinards et fromage (spinach and cheese) and I could barely finish mine it was so large. Mmmmm, we will have to go again, they have over 80 kinds of crepes. We need some crepe stands in the states, there is no need for those $13 crepe restaurants! Crepes cost like $2 to make. Anyways, here are some pics from the market and our breakfast:

Today was another hard day of work, picking up where we left off yesterday.

Here are some progress pics:

Becca made a pretty sweet projector box as well as some sweet detail additions to the stage area...

My "stage" pyramid had its other side added, along with paint, props, and a pathway from the help of everybody....

I ended up spending the majority of my day working on the main entrance pyramid, which still has a bit of work to go. The frame is created and the tarps are hung, but the wooden entrance/exit still needs to be created which will allow everything to line up properly as well as be shaped and ready for its "brickwork".

Along with the work needed on the pyramid, there are still a handful of smaller projects as well as clean-up that need complete, so tomorrow will be another work day.

We will have the morning free tomorrow to spend in the Saturday markets in Aix, then we will return in the afternoon for completing our tasks. After everything is done, we're going to spend some time relaxing, barbequeing, and having a mini fourth-of-july celebration.

Camp Prep - Day 2

Today was day number two of prepping camp. We started off the day meditating on what will be the theme verse for next week:

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing." -Zephaniah 3:17

This verse is beautiful. To know the Creator of all things personally takes delight in each and every one of us truly is an amazing thing.

Then off to work...

Becca worked on painting the stage all day, which will be used daily for morning/end of the day meetings, skits, music, etc.. Her hard work turned definitely payed off, as it turned out amazing!

I have been taked designing and constructing a 4-sided pyramid which will be the entrance to the camp, as well as gtwo-sided one that will be an entrance to the stage. The basic frames were created yesterday, so the morning was spent painting tarps that are to be used as the exterior material of both pyramids. The afternoon was then spent creating an entrance into the stage area, as well as hanging the first tarp.

Stuff is starting to come together, and everyone is getting very excited for next week. Becca and I have really enjoyed getting to know the missionaries as well as the volunteers that are here to help with the camp. Its such a unique opportunity to get to know each other through such a common purpose.

Tomorrow will be spent in attempting completion of camp setup, although it is very possible we will be doing it on Saturday as well. Becca will be spending her morning in completing the stage area, and will join in some other projects and tasks when it is complete. I need to finish the exterior of the entrance and one side of the "stage" pyramid, and then have to create the "camp entrance" pyramid and find some way to fit a delivery truck through it... should be fun!

Prayers for the Kids

So for the past two days the staff has been introducing us to kids that have attended the camps in the past by telling us a little bit about them. I thought that it might be good to share, especially for those of you who may be struggling, I am sure, with a mission trip to a non-third-world country.



The school system here is highly disciplinarian in mode, it is a harsh environment where everyone is tore down. The atmosphere in the States is often one of encouragement (compared to here), telling kids to aim high, and not wanting to crush anyone's spirits. Well, in France, it is common for teachers to call children up to the front of the class and berate them for a poor paper, ripping it up in front of everyone. One of the missionary's kindergartener has gone through this twice this past year.



Many of the kids who come to the camp come from broken families, or families where perhaps only one or even none of their parents are Christian. The pervasive ideaology here is often athiesm, deism, or agnosticism. Many children approach God similarly to their parents, but are taken aback by the love and genuine encouragement from camp staff. The goal of the camp is to be unlike anything the child has ever experienced. And they are.



Some kids have come back from the states just for this camp after moving. Everything is loud, encouraging, and different. In the States, there are about 50 summer camps within a 10 mile radius of your home, that is not the case here. So this is truly a memorable experience, allowing the parents to also form relationships with staff members.



So, please be praying for the hearts of the children signed up to come to the camp. And for the staff, to be encouraged themselves and to have the attitude of Christ when interacting with these kids. Please pray that we will be able to show Christ's love to these kids unlike they have ever experienced. Thanks guys!

Work Day One

Exhausted. It is the only word to describe how we feel. Today was the first work day and boy was it a long day. But we got a ton done and got to know the rest of the team much better, including names. There is a team of 10 girls here from Vanguard in CA, three from Valley View Church in Trooper, PA, and the minstry team from here at ICCP.

Our morning began with a malfunctioning alarm clock that we brought from home. We awoke to the sound of the alarm, making both of us jump. It was set for 5:03. We proceeded to get ready, I made breakfast, and we ran out the door when our clock said 5:55, thinking we were late meeting people at 5:45 outside of our apartment. No one was there except for the cafe workers cleaning up their tables and umbrellas in preparation for the market in the morning. Odd, we thought. And no Dom, who was supposed to pick us up to bring us to the van. So, we went back upstairs, waiting for a phone call. No call, so I checked the computer for the time. 2:45. 2:45!! Skot, being the math genius that he is, figured out that our alarm clock actually has about 30 second or so minutes. Wonderful. So, we went back to bed, clothes and all, awaiting Dom's call to head us out the door. Not a good wake up call to be sure, he called- thinking we were asleep with no lights on and all, and we rushed down the stairs.

We arrived at the Anderson's (camp ground) for coffee around 6:15 am. The sun was rising behind the mountain, it was beautiful, and pleasantly chilly.

Then, we proceeded to work. Until about 4:45 or so. We weed whacked, set up tarps, tore apart old props, painted, tared the roof of the garage, made pyramids, etc. I personally cleaned out the garage with some people, and forgot to take a before shot, but, we basically emptied the sucker out and cleaned. We vacuumed, mopped, rearranged, trashed, bleached mold, hung curtains, spilled paint, etc. Skot built I believe two pyramids and spend some time on the black roof of the garage. It was probably the hardest day of work I have spent in a long time, but I can say the most pleasant day of work as well. First thing this morning I prayed for God to give me a good attitude today and He certainly did deliver! So this shot is mid-way through the cleaning process. I will try to take more photos tomorrow, it is just a bit busy and dirty to bring my camera out often. But, imagine curtains behind the stage (on the left of the frame-covered with painted ivy), and a while floor, and curtains covering all of the storage areas. It is beautiful, and all of us worked together, encouraging one another, helping everyone out. I heard so very little complaints and nothing but awesome team work all day, it was such a blessing. And somewhat looking forward to another day of it as Skot sits sleeping on the couch with the guitar in his hands ;) We are about to head out for Mexican- the only place in town that offers it. Skot is dreaming of it right now, I am sure.

Preparation

Today was our first full day in Aix, and after 14 hours of sleep, we were ready! We had an orientation of sorts, going out to the "camp" ground, meeting the other groups, and getting some basic itinerary down for the next few days. Then we realxed in the pool. The camp is a church family's home.

We are staying at the office of the church, complete with a kitchenette and bathroom with shower. It is right in Centre Ville, near the main post office and Hotel de Ville (government building). Right outside is a market every morning until 12pm with every fruit and vegetable and cheese in season.

Now before you think we might just be on vacation, tomorrow we start work at 6am and it has been about 90. We have to weed whack(sp?) the area, build sets, etc. Hopefuly the work will be done by Saturday as far as prep goes. Then the kids come on Tuesday until next Saturday. So today was a relaxing day, helping all of us to recover from the loong plane rides. We orientated, swam in the pool, and then had schwarma at a local restaurant. Skot and I just had falafel's though, the veg option, but it was oh so yummy. We have had a ton of cheese and fresh bread already, and are looking forward to more.

Well, off to bed for the long day of work tomorrow.

Eventual Arrival

After a long, long day, we have arrived in Aix!

We left out puppy in the hands of our wonderful friend Rachel around 1:00 yesterday, and arrived in Frankfurt, Germany at about 6:30am. After Scott had to empty his illegal liquids (nalgene full of water) we were able to board our flight to Marsaille and arrived around 9:30am. Then we got to sit in the plane for a half hour as the bomb squad cleared the terminal due to a suspicious bag... sweet. Then we waited... a lot. After about two hours of waiting, we called Becca's mom, who in turn emailed everyone at the church we are working with... turns out there was a little confusion in dates as to when we were arriving. So... by about 3/3:30 we were finally picked up... and here we are.

Tonight should be pretty much just hangin out and catching up on sleep. Training and preparations for camp start tomorrow.

We have the best of intentions to update this daily once we arrive... best of intentions. After some last minute donations, we have achieved our goal for fundraising! Thank you for all your prayer and support!

We have to be at the airport at 1:00 tomorrow, and will arrive in Marseille 9:30am (their time). Please pray for safe and smooth travels.