update!
Bonjour from sunny Aix en Provence! The past few weeks have been full of activity, change, emotions, challenge, and steps of faith into the unknown. Here are highlights and areas for prayer:
→ Teal and I officially began leadership of ICCP on June 1. We are both excited and value your prayers as we give leadership to the staff team and the church body.
→Hilary and I celebrated our one-year anniversary on May 3! For a wedding present, some of our friends had pitched in to send us on a weekend away to a B&B. We had a fun and restful time together exploring the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region of France (near Avignon…it’s about 45 minutes from Aix).
→In May, our little dog Talli had several seizures and was in a coma for three days. The vet said that she almost died, but she survived and is back to her normal state again – which is a blessing!
→ We have taken several training seminars on becoming a life coach. A friend in Aix has a professional coaching business, and she offered to give some training to our staff team and close friends! Hilary followed this up by going to a week-long training in Burgundy with Creative Results Management. She is close to receiving her certification!
→ I continue as the main teacher at our Sunday evening gatherings. We are currently doing a large group study and discussion on the book of Philippians. You can click here to listen.
→ Our church has recently been involved in several service projects in the city. We helped clean and organize a local school, and joined with the Catholic church in hosting a Christian music festival at a local park. Our desire is to be involved in serving the community on a regular basis, with major projects occurring each month.
→ We have three interns currently helping us during this time of transition and getting ready for our annual children’s camp!
→ Speaking of camp…our 4th annual kid’s camp will be July 7-11. This is a highlight of each year, as we are able to bless and share the message of Jesus with over 50 international (including French) kids from the community. This year’s theme is…. AIXPLORERS: Digging for the Truth. (Think: Indiana Jones set in Egypt). I’ll have pictures soon of the amazing airplane, jeep, and camel that a member of church built! Here is the flier that I made for the summer camp.
→ I recently finished my second semester of seminary! I have been working hard and received all A’s in my classes thus far (with Hilary’s help in editing my 25 page papers – she told me to write that, but it’s true!) I am taking one class this summer (The Gospels), and plan to take the first of two Greek classes in the fall.
→ I performed my first wedding at the beginning of June! Prior to that weekend, I gave a blessing at a renewal of vows ceremony for some of our dear friends. Both were great experiences and a lot of fun!
→ I am meeting each Tuesday with two French guys, Tom and Vincent, to study the Bible together. Tom has been digging into the Bible with Darrin for the past three years, and Vincent is a friend of Tom’s who has recently begun reading the Bible. We each read the portion of Scripture (right now, it’s the book of Mark), and they come with their questions. It’s a wonderfully challenging and exciting time to journey with these guys!
→ This current season of ministry has been filled with goodbyes. It has been a sad time, but sweet to look back on the times shared together.
→ We are currently putting plans in place for a trip to the states in October! We would love to see as many of you as possible, sharing stories of life and ministry in Aix! I’ll send out more info via email and Facebook as the time approaches.
→ Please pray for our current financial situation as we’ve been hit with several unexpected bills totaling close to $2,000. At the same time, our support level is low and I have received smaller than normal paychecks the last two months.
Please be in prayer with us in each of these situations. We continually know the need for prayer. Thank you for praying, supporting, and encouraging us as we serve in ministry in Aix!












