3 new photos

boats you can rent to sail in the large pond at the garden near my apartment

an amazing house I saw outside the city in the fall!

Friends from my language class!

Lauren showing off our new oven! 

In the Loire Valley near our old farmhouse that we rented for a team retreat!

Alright.. so i haven't written since oh.... about the 3rd week i've gotten here to Paris... so instead of trying to catch you all up on everything.. i'm going to blog a picture a day/ sometimes 2 or 3 a day to catch you up on days i've missed... which WILL happen. I'm secure enough with who I am to know and embrace I will miss days. SO... for the first 8 days of the 2011... here you go:

Opera House in Paris

Soularium on Campus

DeHaan, Belgium. I rode this on the beach

Gent, Belgium

Gent, Belgium

Just a few pictures i've taken...

A favorite thing to do on the train at 7 in the morning.

chillin' at the airport making last minute phone calls.

Just an advertisement in Paris. Makes me sad.

The Eiffel Tower all lit up!

this is our friend who set up our internet... yup.. thats a drill that can go into concrete

A typical parisienne breakfast... water, amazing orange juice, hot chocolate croissant and bread and jam! Yummy!

Met up with my friend who lives in Slovakia at the Arc de Triomphe! So fun! We havent seen each other in 6 years! Met her in Ocean City new jersey on summer project!

just some pretty flowers at the Rodin Museum!

Rodin Museum!

Swarovski crystal stair case on the champs elysee! Oooo- LA-LA

Thats just a few smatterings of my time in paris so far... I have yet to really take some good photos with my new camera... more to come!

10 ways you know your on stint in Paris!

10. You need 10 paper copies of every official document you've ever been given.
9. Everything takes 9 times longer than you think it'll take. (case in point... spending too many hours at the bank on the first day we arrive!)
8. 8 crepes a day is never too many!
7. You eat about 7 baguettes a day as well!
6.Your 6 new best friends/teammates have now become your 6 new roommates. Real World Paris!
5. Your body thanks you for the 5 flights of stairs you walk up everyday to get to your apartment. No lift. (work off those crepes and baguettes!)
4. You are thankful that the guys have a place to stay in your apartment as they look for theirs, but you pray and wait for the day that the 4 girls will live by themselves!
3. There are always three jars of nutella in the pantry.
2. There are only 2 burners that are in your apartment that come standard and sometimes they work.
1. There is only 1 thing you need everyday... God!

As you can see it's been a whirlwind romance with paris... hard things and good things... but the one thing we know is that the Lord is working in and through us to give every student an opportunity to hear the gospel!

(Rodin Museum)

Please pray for us as it is the second day on campus! We've had some amazing conversations that have led to more appointments and seeing students come closer to understanding more of the gospel! Please pray for boldness and for students to be open to hearing the gospel!

"Mission exists because worship does not"- John Piper

I first saw this video in January of 2010 at a leadership conference for leaders who were leading teams to go overseas this summer. I was fortunate to be able to go and help the staff out! At the commissioning ceremony of these leaders, they played this video... it broke my heart... and reminds me why I do what I do. I hope your heart will break for the things that break God's heart!

A Heart for the World

I was once playing a game and you had to name one of the best gifts you've ever received. Can you guess what mine was? It was the gift of a travelers spirit! I received this when I went overseas for the first time to Hong Kong with my Dad. That trip has forever changed my life. As a result of that trip ( thanks Dad!) ... it turned into a heart for people all over the world to know our true Father! That was a true gift from God! I am so blessed to have known and experienced places all over this world like south africa, brazil... and china, just to name a few.

This video has a special place in my heart. Last summer when the Lord "released" me to pursue going overseas, this was the catalyst. It was like the Lord had chosen this video strictly for my heart! I hope this video helps your heart grow for the world! ( it's a little silly... but super fun!!)