Laugh Lines
- What do you get when you put 5 adults and 6 kids in a studio apartment on the 5th floor with a balcony? A gouter (French snack time) hosted for the Hemmerles and McAuleys in my apartment. We had a blast chomping down on snacks, checking out the balcony, keeping the kids from throwing each other over, and romping in the apartment yard which I decided is the perfect playground for kids.
- So I'm holding open a door at L'Arche and Bernard, one of the daily participants, approaches me and moves way too close to my face, lips puckered for a cheek smack. Now in France, they "faire le bise" (cheek kiss as greeting and goodbye) routinely, but this was not hello or au revoir. I leaned away as far as I could then with no other option left, awkwardly turned my cheek to him. I didn't want to be rude and didn't know if this was just what people do there. He planted one on me. I am SO NOT a touch person and explained this to Martine, one of the staff members. Oh, she said, Bernard likes the ladies. You have the complete right to say "only the hand." No problem. Whew, thank God. Next time, hand shake please.
- After a pleasant church visit and lunch with a couple in Compiegne who affiliate with GBU, Heather and I found ourselves on a drive to nearby Pierrefonds to visit a chateau that is oft-toured by Parisians and French but not so many others. Here's the funny part--we had NO idea this was part of the day! We thought we were being driven home but as the road ran on, Heather looked at me and said, are we going to Pierrefonds? Um, yeah, I think we are. This has happened to me a couple other times before in France, maybe because I've missed a detail or because France is a "high context culture." The information age has missed them completely. Needless to say, my heels and hose fared decently on the cobblestone trek and gravel byways. Must admit, I felt a bit of French triumph leisurely strolling as so many French women do. However, I don't recommend it.
- The News--Reported earlier, GBU-Compiegne departed for St. Genevieve de Bois for "le week-end de responsable," organized for Northern France and Parisian GBU's to encourage and facilitate vision-casting and planning for the year ahead. In attendance were Nari, Irenee, Heather, Clemente, and myself. Behind the News--This weekend was fantastic, and Dave Hemmerle and I were excited to take silent roles Tuesday night as students stepped up to the responsibility plate, announcing upcoming GBU gatherings, leading the Bible study, and encouraging others to plug in to GBU locally and nationally.
- The News--I was the first to present orally in my French course, and many thanks to those who were praying. After a Type A/perfectionist preparation, I decided to stop and hand it over to God, as I knew no amount of preparation would loosen my tongue unless he was at work. Behind the News--The presentation went well and God granted me the ability to present as well as engage students in discussing and thinking about "conviviality au travail," basically how to cultivate amicable relations with co-workers. A great surprise to me, I forgot that I've been making presentations for a while now, and even in French, it's no skin off my back to talk in front of people (if you know me, you know...). That ability coupled with prayers and grace to speak in French enabled the presentation to go well.
- The News--Greater Europe Mission France gathered for a Day of Prayer and administrative business on Wednesday in Ecouen, France, just south of Compiegne. Virginia Hemmerle spent the evening picking up the last added touches for my apartment, which came furnished and as well houses two chairs donated by the Hemmerles. Behind the News--I always find it most encouraging and challenging to be reminded we are a part of something larger than ourselves. This should always be the Church, but for missionaries, it also needs to be one's mission or supporting agency. Wednesday was a wonderful time to hear of how God is working and what needs are arising among ministry partners here France...and to pray together for them. In the evening, Virginia and I took about a 1/2 hour to circle Ikea before entering. Why is it that Ikea's are always located in some hard to get to from the road location? It was wonderful to share the experience together and I am so grateful for the friendship and wisdom of Virginia. I'm also grateful that she took me to Ikea--not a small trek but we made a memory. You can see the homey affects of the shopping in the photo.
The Nation
Ministry life and busyness has definitely picked up, and two thoughts keep running through my head. This is SUCH a privilege. I'm in France. Working at L'Arche keeps me immersed in French everyday and it also provides a growing edge, as working with mentally handicapped adults is not in my repertoire of experiences. Other staff there are kind to teach me how to "be there" well and I find I just enjoy sitting down at a table and asking someone, so how was your weekend, or, what did you do last night? I'm learning more about simplicity as I read Foster's words, serve at L'Arche, and live in Compiegne.
As I've mentioned, working the GBU is my favorite aspect of ministry. This week I met with three women and will be getting together with a couple this week. For the most part, we are meeting one-on-one bi-weekly for encouragement and conversation. One gal in particular asks all sorts of wonderful questions about Jesus and Christianity and I am privileged to get to answer them, as best I can. She keeps me on my toes and for that I am grateful. In general, there have not been women disciple-makers in these women's lives, and as I've talked with them about meeting, they eagerly agree and see the need to be encouraged. This past Friday I hosted our first "Femmes de GBU" evening, beginning with soup and sandwiches for the early birds and ending with yummy dessert made by one of our own, Heather, and divine French ice cream. We had no agenda other than just being women together, and the time was wonderful, never lacking of conversation, laughter, and energy. We all look forward to the next gathering. Nari asked as we parted ways if we could pray together, and I am blessed by the spiritual sensitivity cultivated by being sisters together. Our next gathering will be opened up for friends and other young women we know, specifically those not a part of GBU or the Church. It will be a "Fete de Femmes" and you can begin praying that the time spent piques others' curiosity at the joy and love in our midst.As for JAO, Les Jeunes Adultes D'Oise, sadly I missed the first Bible study and meal at the Hemmerles because of the GBU retreat. I will however be present at the next, and I'm seeing this as a blessing, so that folks do not associate me with leadership but rather with being a member in their midst--which is what I am. The Hemmerles are praying for French transitional leadership and you as well can join the prayer team for this. I was excited though that this morning I visited a church in a neighboring town and did get to speak with a couple of the gals in JAO. They are kind young women and I'm praying to get to connect with them more in the coming months.
The World
Often you have to step back and assess in ministry--assess a context, a conversation, what one is doing, etc. This week I have been assessing, and grieving, the lack of spiritual models and disciple-makers in the French church. Granted, I'm new here and my experience is limited to a particular slice of French religious life, but none of the women of GBU have been mentored, there are no discipleship programs of which I am aware, and when I shared my grief over the lack of Paul/Timothy relationships at the GEM Day of Prayer, everyone knowingly nodded that this is the case where they serve.
I've been reading I and II Timothy along with keeping up with sermons from back home and I've decided this. The Church in America and in Europe will completely die if discipleship is not made priority. I cannot speak to other parts of the globe, because I have not been to them (a point I hope to change within my lifetime); but one cannot have a Church if one is not invested in raising up disciples and spiritual leaders. Now, as long as God sits on the throne above, there will be a Church, but if it is to thrive, if it is to be filled with people who long for Jesus, who seek to establish holiness and righteousness in their ways and in their cultures, there must be disciple-makers. I also see that while every person who follows Jesus is called into a lifetime of discipleship, I am also coming to see that God raises up teachers specifically to encourage the next generation of spiritual leaders. I see two levels of discipleship existing--for the lay Christian and for Church leaders, both equally necessary and important to the life and existence of the Church. The Church without discipleship resembles placing students in a classroom without a teacher. Formulas are written on the board. Books are handed out. But without a teacher to explain what the formulas mean and accomplish, without a teacher who understands metaphors, historical references, and cultural contexts to explain a book, they are meaningless. Thus, so is the life of the Church without discipleship. With the Bible, theology and doctrine, spiritual disciplines, and mission, you can have a people gathered, but there must be those who teach what do with what the Church is given. I am NOT trying to limit what God can do alone, but since Moses and Joshua, at the heart of God's story has been the existence of discipleship. It just gets more amplified after Jesus!
I've wondered, how did it get this way? How have we gotten so far away from the discipleship heart of Jesus? There is hope, there has to be. Against odds, I believe this. But we must be fervent in our efforts to continue that work which was started in us. It is not to stay only in us and for us--what is Gospel for if it remains only personal and private? Nothing about how Jesus made disciples was private--it was about inviting others into his ministry and teaching them how to continue it after his ascension. May we hear the call and live faithful, making disciples of all nations, even the one's in our homeland.
And it's a Wrap (Jennifer's addition)
Stay tuned for an op-ed coming soon along with what is L'Arche. But let me end on this note--I can't get over being here and being used. As a friend reminded me, you're doing what you love. Which is so true! There are trying moments, but the joys of seeing God real and working, well, they are boundless. This weekend, I sought Sabbath, leaving my little to do lists in a shuffled pile (still trying to operate off of them) and took care of daily life--laundry, bill-paying, grocery shopping, journal writing, breathing. And in the simplicity of those moments, God revealed to me a huge truth of himself and myself, that he is at work in the small moments, in the daily, in our simply living for him as we are equipped. I think I go looking for the grand moments of life, trying to escape the daily chores and get through them as fast as possible so the "real" stuff can get done. But you know what, laundry is as real as sharing Jesus with a student at UTC. Paying bills is as real as helping someone at L'Arche into and out of the swimming pool. I struggle seeing my life as "missionary Jennifer" and "personal Jennifer"...and maybe this is too much information. But, we all live in the small and grand and we can't escape either. By living only for the grand, I rob the small of its importance. Wendell Berry, Henri Nouwen, and Richard Foster all write in various ways about simplicity. And here in Compiegne, I'm learning the key to ministry is to embrace not the complexities but the simplicities. I thrive in chaos and the complex, but God challenges me daily to step into the simple goodness of being faithful. Being faithful with a moment, with a breath I breathe in, that no minute is less valuable than another because they are each his gifts. How dare I try to escape what is given. In Chicago I met someone at a party who said, "Oh, I know who you are, so-and-so's friend, you live large." Yeah, it's true. I was raised to do so, to see possibilities, to see God's Kingdom, to go for it. But, I'm also trying to live small, to take captive today, to minister and live well with this moment. Jesus prayed, "Give us this day our daily bread..." Daily, that's what we are told to pray for. So whether it's bread or French words for lunch with a student or refreshment after a long week or wisdom in being a spiritual encourager or simply patience to wait for a laundry load, daily. That is the prayer.
