~DAY 26~

I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. ~Habakkuk 3:18; Give thanks to the God of gods. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His steadfast love endures forever. ~Psalm 136:2-3, 26; May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ~Romans 15:13; Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. ~1 Corinthians 15:58; But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. ~2 Corinthians 2:14. 

These are some scriptures I have on index cards that I've been flipping through the last few weeks and they've been encouraging me to keep my focus on the Lord and His work & word. 2 Corinthians 12:9 has jumped out at me even more recently - it says 'But HE said to me, "MY grace is sufficient for you, for MY power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that CHRIST'S power may rest on me.' There are not many things in my life that have made me feel as weak as living in a country that is not my home country and that does not speak the language I've spoken my whole life. But things are going so well here, the Lord has given me so much peace just knowing I'm where He wants me to be and that even though things are challenging and I feel weak and ill-equipped, He is the One seeing me through and guiding me. I'm learning so much and I'm looking forward to all the other things He's going to teach me!

Let me think what has happened since I wrote two and a half weeks ago... 

*I got to see some of downtown Bordeaux! Once at night and once during the day - it's really pretty!! We took the tram which is exciting! 

*I came to France prepared to live alone but the Lord has blessed me with having a roommate & it looks like we already have an apartment! If all goes as planned we'll get the keys on Wednesday and should be able to move in sometime this week or weekend! Mr. Bixby (the pastor of the church here) has been SO kind in helping us with all the details & translating everything for us. My roommate - her name is Anna and she grew up in Australia as a missionary kid and is here for the year to study French. The cost of living here is more expensive then in the States so I'm grateful to have someone willing to split the financial responsibilities. The apartments here come completely empty - one of the bedrooms doesn't have a closet, the kitchen comes with nothing but a sink, etc. So we're praying to find cheap appliances in thrift stores and on the leboncoin (french equivelant of craigslist!).. 

*Praise - the Cole's have been praying/looking for a van and they were able to purchase one this past week! I drove it for the first time today, I took Adeline & Mathieu and we went to pick up Viviane from school! She started preschool a couple weeks ago and she loves it! I told her she was very brave and inspiring the way she looks forward to going to school even though no one speaks English!

*The people of the Church are amazing, they are so kind and loving, and they love Jesus!! :)  I've met some girls from England & Ireland so English is their first language and Abigail has sat next to me in Sunday School to translate the lesson! There are several other people that know some English and everyone is encouraging me to learn and practice French! This coming Sunday there is a baptism service for 2 people who have accepted the Lord!!

*So today was interesting! I knew I wanted to sign up to take a night class this semester to study French. But I found out about 30 minutes before the test started that I needed to take a placement test in order to get into the class! So I went in, sat down, and was given a 3 page paper with questions in French... I knew where to write my NOM: MAUPIN  Prenom:Carissa & Nationalite:American and then I was completely lost! haha I couldn't understand another question, not one.. So it ended up being pretty funny because i thought I was supposed to wait until everyone was finished anyway so I sat for 30 minutes not doing anything but staring at the sea of words... Then I realized you were supposed to bring your paper to the teacher when you were done so after that half hour I brought my paper to her.. not filled out, and she looked at it and smiled and said "beginner?" I smiled and said yes, so she just had me write my name on the second "test" and said "okay you finished" :) 

Well I just got too sleepy to think if there are any other updates at the moment... But I'll write again soon!  : )  à bientôt blog world!

Love~Rissa

*Happy New Year!!*

Wow where to begin?? I'm in France!!! Only by God's grace and provision and His choosing to move mountains - He's just good like that! There's no doubt in my mind that He wants me here right now. I told everyone I met that I was planning to leave December 28th but that the only way it could work is for God to work a miracle because practically speaking I shouldn't have gotten my visa so quickly. I was hoping I would get my visa before Christmas so that I'd be packed and relaxed knowing what day I was leaving... But the days came and went with nothing in the mail for me. Christmas was a nice time with family, and church family. I continued saying goodbyes and on Tuesday (27th) I finished putting everything back in my suitcases still not knowing for sure if I'd leave the next day... This was the last day I'd be able to receive my visa in the mail and still be able to fly out with the Cole family. That morning I went to Nashville to spend time with my sisters and when we got back I checked the mail, holding my breath!... But the box was empty.... I thought well maybe it just hasn't come yet today... So I went to the house and waited... it was probably 3 in the afternoon and I was making a phone call upstairs when the mail lady drove up to the house. When I got off the phone, before I walked downstairs I prayed God give me the strength to handle the news, whether my visa came or didn't come. I ran down and my sister handed me the envelope and I started jumping around the house laughing, practically crying while singing - "i'm going to France, i'm going to France, thank you Lord, oh my goodness!" :)  I called my Dad to tell him then I called the Cole's; and the craziness continued! It was a long night of putting the last minute touches on everything, trying to make sure I was ready to be gone for a year. Wednesday morning my Mom and sisters - Meridith & Rachel and I got in the car to drive to Atlanta Georgia where I would meet up with the Cole's. I had a big suitcase, a small suitcase, and my guitar & backpack! It was a fun road trip spent singing in the car and having quality time together. Saying goodbye at the airport is never fun... it's just kind of heartbreaking. Our flight was supposed to leave at 830pm but we probably didn't fly out 'til 930. We flew to Heathrow airport in London than had to get all our bags and take a bus to Gatwick  airport in London to catch our flight to Bordeaux France. It was a grand adventure, but very tiring! I was so thankful the whole trip though that I was with Michael & Liz and not having to do it all alone; and glad that I could be of some help with the kids - they did great! We arrived at our final destination Thursday evening. (we're 7 hours ahead of the time in Nashville). Mr. & Mrs. Robert Bixby, and Mr. & Mrs. Tim Bixby welcomed us into their homes with open arms, during dinner I could hardly keep my eyes open and was very thankful when I finally crawled into bed! Friday & Saturday I was able to rest and relax. Saturday evening we brought in the new year by eating, playing a game, and then counting our blessings from 2011! This was a great reminder of all God does to take care of me. Sunday I was warmly welcomed into the Church. The Service is entirely in French so I need to start learning rather quickly :)  It looks like I will have the opportunity to take night classes a couple times a week at the university to begin  studying the language! Monday I got to see the French "wal-mart" so to speak. Then we went to police station to see what paperwork still needed to be turned in to receive our resident card which allows us to stay in France. Tuesday we went to the bank and I was able to have an account set up for my year here. Tuesday evening is the time the church meets for their mid-week service, I gave a short testimony on how I came to know the Lord and how thankful I am to be in France. Wednesday was spent shopping with the Cole's and spending time with Tim & Ruth and their children before they left for Paris. Thursday I had my first driving in Europe experience! It went well, I prayed the whole time! It's not terribly different than driving in Nashville, thankfully they still drive on the right side of the road and the steering wheel is right where I'm used to it being :)   As of today (Friday) I haven't seen much outside the neighborhood of Pessac where we live, but this evening we're planning to go downtown Bordeaux so I can see more than just the airport! Everything has gone so well so far. As for the questions I said I'd answer 1.What am I enjoying? I'm enjoying the adventure of starting over somewhere new, I'm enjoying meeting new people that don't share my language but share my faith; spending time with Michael & Liz, being inspired by their courage, patience, and trust in God; Helping care for Viviane, Adeline, & Mathieu; the technology that allows me to still communicate with the ones I love back home; Time to read & spend with the Lord. 2.What am I missing? I'm missing my family & friends; the comfort of being able to go out and do what I need to do in English; my dog Carly :)  3.How are things different? When you meet someone whether it's for the 1st time or the 100th you don't shake their hand or give them a hug -they give a cheek to cheek "kiss" on both sides - takes a little getting used to.... They use Euros here instead of dollars, that will also take some getting used to; Everything seems smaller; some bathrooms are different, they'll have a bathroom with the sink and shower, and then a separate bathroom with the toilet - and there's usually a button or something to push to flush the toilet instead of a handle. I'm sure there are many many more things that are different, as time goes on I will see much more of the French culture! I will keep this blog updated often for those of you who would like to hear about the adventuress things God is doing! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you the happiest of New Years - 2012!! I encourage you to spend time daily with the Lord and in His word this year - so much truth to learn & cherish. Also if you're looking for a good book to read I recommend "Kisses from Katie" I'm not done yet but so far it's a wonderful true story and very inspirational! Thank you for your prayers!! Love to all <3


In His Hands,
Carissa