FRANCE
This weekend, we welcomed teens from the churches in Lyon, Geneva, and Brussels to participate in a jeu de piste around Paris.
A literal translation would be tracking game (like dogs tracking a scent). It’s a little bit like a treasure hunt, except the only treasure at the end is that you get to sit down.
I was home cooking, but they said that the teens had walked around 13 kilometres (8 miles – is that possible?). They met at 11 AM, divided into groups – there were 40 teens – and were armed with phones, plus access to a website that had pictures of various places around Paris, which they needed to find and take a photo in front of. The places were not all that well known. There was a shop front, for instance, that didn’t show the name of the shop, but there was a clue that it was the same name as a racetrack. So they had to figure out that it was the Longchamps boutique in Place Vendôme, then rush there and grab a photo.
My courageous husband was there for it all. My daughter wore black fashion boots and is currently hobbling around on crutches from a sore Achilles heel. That’s a mom fail since I had an idea they would be walking a lot and it didn’t occur to me to tell her to wear sneakers.
I was courageous, too, because I drove our Behemoth into Paris and got a parking spot. I have no problem parallel-parking our small car in tight spots, but the big one does not handle in a way I expect for backing into a spot so it’s intimidating and I was nervous. In the end, with two boys wearing headsets and me driving an automatic car (so smooth), I felt like I floated into Paris on a cloud of grace, and glided into a spot right in front of the building, without needing to parallel park.
After the buffet, sharing, and games, there was a dance competition. Each group had to choose a dance to perform in front of the judges, and the teens who waltzed won the competition. They were ah-mazing. I love watching their relationships. They meet each year for camp, so they’re all very close.
I do have some upcoming tourist posts for you later this month when my Dad and his wife visit. I’m also determined to do a museum visit (planned with other English-speakers each month, but I’ve been unable to go so far due to health issues). So I really hope I can make it to the next one and blog about it.
FOOD
For the teen buffet, I made deviled eggs (see the cute paprika spoon we got from some teens staying with us from Budapest). Of course I forgot them in the refrigerator. I also made fried rice, barbecue chicken, brownies, and chocolate, peanut butter chip cookies. The teens made short work of all that food. Alberte was vigilant about making the boys let the girls go first, which I thought was a great idea if we wanted there to be any food left. And inspire a sense of love manifested through service.
I brought the deviled eggs to my in-laws yesterday for an extended family chocolate egg hunt. I also made oatmeal chocolate chip bars.
We had hosted one teen from Lyon, Anna. We’re friends with her parents from doing the pre-teen camp together a couple years in a row. (They’re doing the teen camp now, while we’re still helping with the pre-teens). Anna’s mother sent me this as a gift for hosting her daughter.
She knows what I like. The very first thing I’d like to try is the chocolate tart. If it’s good, I’ll post the recipe.
FAMILY (and me)
I’ve had another crazy week. I started a job proofreading (freelance on Fiverr), but I got more jobs than I could handle and grossly under-charged, and that without realizing that Fiverr kept 20%. I’m more reasonable now. I paused the Fiverr account and will be taking gigs from people I know. Hopefully that will mean no more 1300-word dry essays on the baggage handling system at airports, written by a non-native-English-speaker for the whopping earnings of 6.50€ for an hour and a half’s work.
Needless to say, I’ve not had time to write. I’ve decided to postpone my Regency sequel to Eleanor Marries for Love (tentative title) and put out a modern romance, based in France. I’m aiming to have the first draft done by June 1, which is a very quick turnaround for me. Last week I couldn’t write at all because of the editing (and other crazy stuff going on). And when I don’t write, I always feel like I’m not capable of writing, which is not a great feeling for a writer to have. Nothing for it but to make time and get back to it.
Yesterday, for Easter, I kept it simple. I had four bunnies because Anna was with us.
Then we went to church. This is our view from where we meet. (That’s the Arc de Triumph in the distance).
I was translating (which I always volunteer for if I’m not teaching the kids because I love it). Except the teens were sharing about their weekend, and one of them talked about being strong in weakness. She shared about how her mom almost died from anorexia when she was 6. The first time, she and her dad came home to find her mom in a coma, and her mom then spent a year in the hospital. A year later, the process repeated itself exactly.
She could only visit her mom once a week and she didn’t do well at school because she was always wondering whether her mom would still be alive for her next visit. Usually, if I feel emotional when translating (which sometimes happens), I dig my fingers into my palms so my voice doesn’t break. But this time it didn’t work. I kept sniffling. “I’m sorry…” “I’m sorry…”
I am happy to report her mom was healed through hypnotherapy, and she became a hypnotist herself to help others struggling with anorexia.
Later that afternoon, we went to my in-laws’ place to have an afternoon tea.
And we had a hunt in the garden.
And today, since it’s a national holiday, we’re going to see friends from church. Emma has organised a big treasure hunt for all the kids, so that should be fun.
FAITH
A few weeks ago, a reader sent me a gift, which I found very useful. It’s Sarah Young’s daily devotional, Jesus Calling. She also sent the smaller version, and two worship CDs – thank you, Cindy.
You can tell Sarah has spent a lot of time meditating on the Word, and in prayer. Her devotionals are deep and inspiring. Usually, my quiet times don’t involve books other than the Bible, and right now, I’m working on going through the Bible again, and highlighting the verses according to color (green for teaching, blue for God’s glory, pink for his love, orange for history, etc.)
And then I spend time praying. I’m working on praising God more. I’m great at asking for things – not so great at praise. Jesus Calling has been helpful because I’ve struggled intensely with anxiety and fear the last few months. I’ve had to rely on the scriptures to overcome this, to a level I’ve not needed in the past. The devotional had lots of passages dealing specifically with fear. I might write a post on that at some point.
Otherwise, although it was Easter, our minister had a message more geared toward teens (it was great) and some advice on standing strong. Leave it to our son, William, to remind us of what was important. He drew this in class, on his own initiative, I think.
And when we were driving for our afternoon get-together, he grabbed the Bible, which had been left in the car, and asked if he could read something. So he read the entire story of the resurrection, which they had learned in class. It was as if God was reminding us of what was amiss this Easter. We think of Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection every Sunday when we take the Lord’s supper, so for us – Easter is more of a family and commercial holiday. Not so much a Sunday of greater significance than other Sundays. That’s not necessarily a bad thing since we think about Jesus regularly. But sometimes it’s good to give significance to an event that changed the divine course of history.
And – through the mouths of babes – God reminded us of what was important.
That was a lovely, heart-warming read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thank you.