Last month...

August...what a month! What an end to a summer! From the outside, perhaps not too exciting, but from my perspective, plenty of intensity! ;-)

• We led worship three Sundays in a row (unusual) as we were the only team left, and even then we had to cobble together the team a bit as every week someone different could not be there.
• We finished our summer mid-week worship sessions with the attendance of some of the youth worship team members who had recently been to IHOP in Kansas City and had a new appreciation for "prayer room worship style." Fun!
• I needed to get the computer work on the recently donated computers "finished" for the beginning of school on the 29th. I didn't succeed in fully accomplishing my goals but did get our computer lab up with half the machines on Dutch-translated-to-French versions of Windows (THAT was a trick!) and half on Linux.
  
  This was a big deal for me as I had to work through the frustration and fatigue of not accomplishing exactly what I had hoped to do. Thank God for a wonderful couple in our church who spent some time refreshing me and praying for me one afternoon. It helped me make it to the end when the pressure seemed the heaviest.
• We launched Noah into his senior year at BFA on the 22nd. This year, he got to (had to?) carry the French flag in the opening ceremonies. He's on left. (click for a large version)
• We sent Olivia to stay with a classmate as we left on the day of my 50th birthday to attend the annual YWAM France staff conference near Paris. Angela had not yet been to one of these but with my birthday falling on the beginning of the conference and our 25th anniversary at the end, we didn't want to be apart during this time. We were both pleased that she could attend and we were able to both connect well with other YWAM France staff during our time there. On the way home we stayed at a very nice Bed and Breakfast in a secluded forest area near Verdun to celebrate our anniversary. The next day we did a small amount of World War I historical touring near the battlefields of Verdun. Really incredible though we only had time to see a small amount.

This month...

• Renovation - Essentially, nothing happened with the church building renovation in August. France is a bit like that. Life can slow to a crawl in July an August due to vacation...that the whole country takes at the same time! This presents a challenge though. We will be hosting a Christian Education conference in February in our building and certain things must be finished by then, notably the installation of an elevator...which has a 12-week order-to-installation lead-time. So even in August, deadlines are feeling tight for February. Please pray for the people coordinating the renovation projects and the companies doing the work that God's perfect timing would be honored. Call for the Kairos timing of God!
• School Trip - We just found out that Olivia's 10th grade class (all 5 of them!) are going to Budapest September 21st-24th for the ACSI's annual Student Leadership Conference. This is an exciting opportunity for all the students but also a challenge. In the information we've read, command of the English language will be pretty key. This is not a strong point with the French in general nor with these students in particular, with the exception of Olivia. Please pray for Olivia's class on this trip that they would see God's faithfulness throughout and especially in language comprehension.
• IT work and help - As mentioned, I didn't get as far as I needed to this summer with the computers at school. Some significant work remains to be done. Additionally, I see this entire year as a year to really expand and move the IT infrastructure at school forward significantly. This is interesting work, but can be frustrating at times and there is a ton to do. For this reason I'm also actively seeking the Lord to send helpers. Ideally, I'd like to see one or two other people join long-term in the IT work at school and that it become a team effort instead of an individual effort. This could be a time where more YWAM staff come to this area and begin working with the school. Who knows!? Please pray for God's direction with respect to expanding the IT team at school and wisdom for the remaining work to be done.
• Surgery - Next Tuesday, September 6th, I go to the hospital to have my gall bladder removed due to gall stones that have been giving me problems. If all goes well, I'll be out the next day and have a two week recuperation. We're hoping that a successful operation will really enhance my day-to-day quality of life which has been really hampered as of late with the pain and discomfort. Please pray for safety of the operation, no complications, and full and speedy recovery.
• Angela's "school year" - Each year, Angela seems to respond to a different challenge at school and fill a different role. This is great for her desire for variety, but it does present a situation where she needs extra discernment for knowing where to invest and how. Please pray for wisdom so that she slots in exactly where God wants her this year.