At the French staff conference a young music teacher named Pascal was asked to come do bible studies with the teenage staff kids. The conference is held beside the medieval village of Vogüé, and the 300 year old stone church gave Pascal an idea. He and Efrem visited the church and tested the acoustics. Several phone calls to key people had to be made. The tourist office helped by printing out and distributing posters for an impromptu concert. Several members of the church and people from our conference attended. Efrem, Silas and Pascal all played. Our boys contributed classical pieces and Pascal offered up songs he had composed based on Psalms as he played guitar. It was such a precious moment seeing these young musicians desire to simply bless with their music, so beautiful and appreciated by everyone! We wish you could have been there.
Please pray
- for protection and health.
- that we would all endure this lockdown in good spirits, and that it will be effective.
- for wisdom in responding to emails, people are scared, frustrated and upset.
Catching sun on the roof outside the boy's bedroom window during lockdown.
Is this your first global pandemic? Us too. Hoping you are healthy and well and being safe. We intended to travel back to Rennes before the French government tightened the screws, but ended up stuck in Paris for the lockdown. So far, everyone in our family has remained healthy in spite of Paris being the hardest hit area with its dense population. To leave our home we need a signed form stating the official, approved reason we're out. Police are on the streets stopping people. Paris is eerily quiet, and you can walk down the middle of streets usually racing with cars. How is our family taking it? Honestly, it hasn't affected our jobs one bit. May can work her technology role easily from home, and internet ministry is fortunately virus proof. An article was added to our website addressing anxiety and fears over Covid 19, and emails continue to flow. Silas and Efrem have been able to continue their studies, communicating with their teachers online. They receive homework assignments, record themselves playing their instruments for their teachers, and Silas has even had some online classes. Concern is palpable here in France, and everyone is taking measures seriously. A few of our colleagues have had the virus; a couple were hit particularly hard, almost going in to the hospital. A French Christian man who has partnered with our ministry on a number of projects died, Stephan was only fifty. Please be safe, for yourself and for others. We care about you and if you need specific prayer, please let us know! Prayer is something we can always do; it is a vital faith-filled endeavor. We are all in God's hands. This situation, however painful or troublesome, is in God's hands. We can trust Him. How can we be praying for you?.
