While many of you will enjoy a “day off” tomorrow (except for the cooks in the family), we will be attending classes as usual. I am surprised each year that a day so important and full of meaning to us in the United States passes unnoticed by the rest of the world. After classes, we will be sharing Thanksgiving dinner with four other missionary families. We are very thankful that God has given us these friends here in Canada. All of them have “gone before us” and are so helpful in making our way easier. Tomorrow, they will help ease the “missing” in a very big way. Our EBM team members have invited all of the single American students in our class to share dinner with them – a very special way of reaching out. I wish I had thought of it first!
As we near the end of this trimester, our coursework has drastically increased. Although this is a little (OK, very) stressful, we are realizing that we have actually learned some things. We’re finding it almost fun to put together the presentations in French; even delivering them before the class is not as stressful as we expected it would be when we read about it on the syllabus 10 weeks ago. We’re still not comfortable with conversing in French, but we’re beginning to understand more and more. Being comfortable just takes time, as “those who’ve gone before us” keep telling us. We continue to have opportunities to witness. We’ve never had so many people want to know what we believe. Antonio has gone to church with us several times. Sarah continues to ask questions. Bob’s language partner has asked him to share the differences between Catholicism and our faith during their next session. He has written up an explanation in French that he has asked another language partner to correct for him – very clever! We didn’t anticipate being missionaries here in Quebec. We thought we came to learn the language, not sew the seed. We’ve always heard in our churches that all of us are always on the mission field – we have really learned that truth here in Canada!
Thank you so much for your prayers and e-mails/snail-mails of encouragement. Please do not hesitate to e-mail us and ask how we’re doing and share your concerns with us. Have a very, very special day together tomorrow as you reflect with us – even though we’re miles apart – about all that God has done, is doing, and wants to do in our lives. Ps. 42:8 says: “the Lord will command his loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me.” That covers us all the time!
Praises:
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friends with whom we can share Thanksgiving
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opportunities to share our reason for Thanksgiving
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progress in learning French
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God’s protection (2 members of our family have had serious car accidents in the past month – God has miraculously protected them both!)
Prayer Concerns:
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those with whom we share the gospel
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continued progress in learning French and the extra ability to finish all these projects well
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financial needs
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peace in Cote d’Ivoire
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wisdom for the ICA school board as they review the situation in Cote d’Ivoire and make decisions about the coming school year.