This morning, a group of parents interrupted the lessons in our children’s school. Esther was one of them. There are 5 classes and 7 teachers in our school. A group of parents wanted to thank them for the work they’ve done this year. instead of leaving it to each person, they collected money and bought a present for each teacher. This morning, some of them went to the school and interrupted the classes to give the presents to the teachers. The parents read a poem in each class and gave the presents to the teachers who were available. Esther was one of them. I heard they had fun, and it was quite emotional. They are going back on Thursday morning to thank the two teachers who weren’t present this morning.
Month: June 2015
The longest weekend of the year
The past weekend was for us the longest weekend of the year. The previous one had been busy with Benjamin’s school fair most of the day, Tennis Club end of year party in the afternoon and Fête de la musique on Sunday afternoon in Cognin. But this weekend beats them all.
We warmed up on Friday evening with a tale evening in the square behind of building. It was organized by the local library, and was great fun. On Saturday, we were in the primary school from about 9am to 5:30pm. I helped setting up for the show prepared by the children. The show was at 11, followed by a shared lunch. In the afternoon, there was the school fair. I was on duty at the bar but was able to walk around. We had some brilliant chats with people wanting to know more about what we believe. After clearing up, we went back home and relaxed until I went out again with 2 of the boys.
The village I come from organises a festival of St John each year to celebrate the summer. I had never been but wanted to go and see if I could meet some people I used to know in the past. I saw my mum’s neighbour and spent time with the lady who used to be our nanny and her family. Two of her daughters were there. They are older than me so I can’t say I really know them. But it was good to catch up. They gave chips to the boys and we had a drink. At the end, two of them said they’d like to hear me preach one day. I gave them the date of the next time I preach in Cognin.
On Sunday, three people were baptised in the lake. It was a good time but a nightmare to get to the lakeside. There were dozens cars queueing to drop their boats in the lake. In the end, I parked the French way and we walked to the sit. This was followed by lunch at church. We had many visitors for the occasions, most of them unbelievers. One of them was a young woman who had done a work placement in Jean-Baptiste’s classroom.
In the afternoon, we went to my mum’s. She had visitors we wanted to see and we spent the afternoon chatting in the shade.
Today should be quiet. I wanted to go hiking but couldn’t get up. It will be very hot, and the temperatures should go up as the week goes on.
A week in the life
Last week I spent 5 days in the family chalet in the beautiful mountains of the “massif des écrins”. The idea was for me to have  few days of uninterrupted reading, in order to prepare for the church history lectures I will teach from September in Brussels Bible Institute. There is running water, but no electricity. The view is amazing.
It was good. I managed to do a lot of reading and I have a better idea of what are the key points I want to teach, and how I am going to do it. I can now start going into the details of the individual lectures and outlines.
I walked a bit. On a grey afternoon, I walked to the next village, about 3,5 km up the valley. One sunny morning I went up another valley that you can see from the chalet. I left early (6 am) and thought I would be on my own with the chamois. But I could see some fresh steps and came across a guard from the national park. He was counting the chamois. He looked annoyed that I was there but couldn’t say much so I walked on, trying not to be too noisy.
In the meantime, Esther was with the boys at home, and it went well, as far as I can tell. Maxime had a tooth removed because of an abscess but there weren’t any emergencies.
I drove back under the rain on Friday, just in time for “La fête des voisins”.
Le plan d’eau
Le plan d’eau is an open air pool in Cognin. It has been there for a very long time. I remember going there as a child. It is on the outskirt of the town, surrounded by a big park. In the summer, it is packed with people. We spent yesterday afternoon there. The children were in the water for over 2 hours. It is our closest ‘beach’. We could go to the lake also, but we’d need the car.
Le grand Manti
On Monday, I climbed “Le Grand Manti”, a fairly easy walk in the Chartreuse. I was early at the top and avoided the heat and other hikers. Continue reading “Le grand Manti”
Bourgneuf
Bourgneuf is a small village of around 700 people. It is half way between Chambéry and Albertvillle and at the door of the Maurienne Valley, in the heart of the Alps. It is quite rural, and most people commute to Chambéry, Albertville, or even Grenoble for work.
The small evangelical church in Bourgneuf serves a wide area. It is the only one between Chambéry and Albertville. It meets in a small Temple, well located on the road side. But it is struggling. Rural communities in France are very hard to reach. One of the challenges is that although people live there, they work away all day and don’t spend that much time around. Christians also gather from a wide area. They often work late and it is difficult to find time outside Sunday meetings. Our friends and colleagues Richard and Terece help there alongside the pastor and his wife.
I first preached there in December. I was invited again last Sunday. It was good to be there, meet new folks and catch up with the people. After the service, the church had invited the neighbours for an ‘apéritif’. Five came along and chatted happily with the members. After this, we stayed for a fellowship lunch with the church members before heading home later in the afternoon.
Remember Bourgneuf in your prayers. They face a challenging situation. The feel discouraged also. They’ve worked hard at evangelizing, but seem to have had little impact.