Adventures Abroad: A Year of Living in Lithuania: Paris!

Some of our friends at LCC compare our family to the study abroad students--we, like those students, have done a considerable amount of travel throughout our time here! It really is quite remarkable to be able to experience so many places with our kids. Our latest trip brought us to Paris. This was Annie's request before we left, to see the Eiffel Tower, and we were able to go because it was also the location of the Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM, we are missionary partners during our time here) Spiritual Retreat. So, off we went on another adventure!

Our time touring Paris was wonderful. The weather was simply amazing. 70s and sunny every day we were there, and we all had a bit of a sunburn to prove it! As a bonus, we were able to share most of our time touring with friends living in Vienna, Austria, the Schras. It's amazing how God brings people into our lives in such a timely and relevant way. We were able to the Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumph and walk down the Champs Elysee. But based on the sheer joy on their faces, I think Jackson and Nala would say our day at the Luxembourg Gardens was their favorite! The park was wonderful, they literally played there for 6 hours. And Quincy, Annie and Aaron were able to watch a EuroLeague game with the Schras (Paris St. Germaine vs. Barcelona), which was happening live not far from the crepe shop where they watched it. When the game was done, they went to see the Eiffel Tower all lit up at night. It was an eventful trip, both to see the lights and because Quincy's sensitive stomach had an untimely release on a crowded bus...whoops! The next morning, we had pastries at the Jacques Park, we felt so Parisian;).

We landed in Beauvais (north of Paris), and visited the cathedral.

The first of many baguettes!

On our way to the Notre Dame.

Dinner outside at a cafe.

The Eiffel Tower!!!

With the Schras.

We took the elevator to the top, but some of them walked back down.

And then we had a picnic in the park (with baguettes).

Taking a break from walking...

...outside the Arc de Triomphe.

And walking through the park past the Champs Elysees.

The playground at the Luxembourg Gardens.

The rest of the Gardens.

Ice Cream!

When we lived briefly in France when we were first married, Aaron and I loved to watch the French people play Bocce ball. Such a serious game, with coat racks on the side of the court;)

The Eiffel Tower at night!

Pasteries at Saint-Jaques Park;)

We were in the Paris city center from Monday until Thursday morning, then we took a train to the southern edge of the city to a retreat center with other CRWM missionaries from Europe, Asia, and Africa. To say the trip was restorative, humbling, and started some conversations would be putting it mildly. And (most of) our kids loved it! We only saw Quincy and Annie at meals and for bed, there were approximately 15 kids, a foosball table, a pool table, a soccer field, and a forest. It was a magical wonderland of new friends, activity, and laughter for them! Quincy and Annie were sad to leave and asked if we could go back next year;) Jackson and Nala had a good time, but it was hard to not have the attention of their big siblings, and the lack of sleep caught up with them:(.

For Aaron and I, it was the first time we were able to worship together in close to 9 months, what a treat! (We do have a church we attend and enjoy here, but it has no child care, so we alternate weeks;). We were able to hear the work God is doing in different parts of EurAsia and Egypt, and to hear the stories of the folks that God is using to do that work. We felt like newbies to this world of calling, risk, comittment, and determination, where families have been ministering for 3-5 years and up to 20-30 years! We were able to listen to Pastor Roeda (from Church of the Servant in GR) talk to us about being in true covenant relationship with God and His people. And we were able to talk about what God is doing in Klaipeda, and at LCC, and in us.

We left feeling restored, with a few tools to help us re-enter our lives in Grand Rapids in a couple months, and with a great sense of wonder. And we returned to LCC from this trip to a week packed with end-of-the-year events, then finals and graduation. So our hearts and are minds are ripe with questions and the beginnings of how to process this year in Lithuania, this year of God showing us so much about His world, brokenness, new passions, and ourselves. How do we integrate who we are becoming into our familiar circumstances back in Grand Rapids? How do we transition all 6 of us from this year? How do we honor our time here well? How do we continue to love on those God has brought into our lives that will stay here or move on as well? And at the core of it all, what does this year mean in the greater context of our lives and where we go from here? One thing is clear, we are blessed beyond measure...