We have fun on STINT!

Learning the change

This week alone has been nuts! I can't believe once month ago I left my family, my friends, my culture, my LIFE for Operations STINT in France... well, ultimately Jesus.

In the last 4 weeks, I have learned a lot about myself - both strengths and weaknesses. God is continuing to teach and refine me through many things - big and little.

...Starting language school, loosing my passport, adjusting to my position in the office, daily accepting the fact that "I am not a tourist, I LIVE IN FRANCE" [it can be hard to do because it almost seems surreal], squaring away finances for start-up costs, personality tests [which are actually fun and help our team get to know each other] meetings, making friends with the local business people, seeing weird looking cars...

So many new things all at once definitely brings, if not forces, growth.

My roommate, Beth, just made a comment while Skyping with her friend, "I do not know what I will look like at the end of this year."

How true is that? Not that I am expecting, at the end of this STINT year, that each of us to be total opposites of who we are today or even when we started a month ago. But there are plenty of scenarios, situations and experiences which cause room for growth - mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I expect and hope for a change; a change for the good. I have already learned a lot - I just need to remember to take time to sort through it all.

I can't eat french fries with my left hand...

Oh France. Everything here is just... different. One thing I can't wait for is internet at our own apartment. I am currently eating and using the free Wifi at the one and the only McDonalds.

Last weekend, we were doing some Craigslisting and we found a stove top and a washing machine. [You see, in Europe, most houses and apartments come with bare bones. No lights, no oven, stove, washing machine, sink, counter, fridge, etc.]. First, we bought our stove top - I bartered the price thanks to my Negotiation class at Grand Valley. When we left the first stop, I took this picture of my roommate Beth:

The second stop to buy the washing machine was met with a crazy Californian lady who lives in France. Seriously, she was crazy! She wanted us to come pick her up because she didn't live where the washing machine? We couldn't because our car was full. Anyways, she ended up making us wait 1.5 hours to meet us, then decided, before we even went inside to actually see the machine, that she did not want to sell it to us. Waste of time! So, if you think about it, please pray that we find a washing machine, oven and freezer.

During the week, it was our first week at the office doing our own thing. I was helping out in the communication center. It is so crazy all they do there! We were responding to emails from people who have questions about faith, editing reports and addressing envelopes for a mailing to some North African countries. It was really cool to be on this side of the communication - office verse field work.

Later this week, we had doctor appointments so we can be cleared to live in France. Only as simple as that sounds, it was more difficult than it had to be. For this specific type of appointment, we had to buy 340 Euros worth of STAMPS. Stamps. Why would they need stamps? And these stamps you can't just buy anywhere...

... you would think that you could buy them at the post office, the grocery store or even a convent store? The latter is true, but everything in France closes from 12-2 for lunch, which made it impossible to find and buy them. Fortunately God is bigger than all of that and we made it to our appointment on time, all got cleared by the doctors, and got our French licenses -- we even got to keep our x-rays!

I do look forward to this coming week. I will be starting more into my role in the office and start projects of my own to help the staff on the field. One thing I have already done is designing a logo for the National Directors conference in November. Here is the final product:

I took the original picture on Spring Break 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida [shout out to Kaitlyn Farley, Drew Schafer, Ryan King and Brian Early!] The theme of this year comes from Psalm 66:5 which says "Come and see what God has done, how awesome His works in man's behalf!"

More to come very soon!

Let it shine...