I arrived at the Phoenix airport on Wednesday, Dec. 5 greeted by my sister-in-law Ann. We found my brother Mark waiting to chauffeur us to their home in Cave Creek. I had such a delightful time visiting with them, playing golf, shopping and doing water aerobics  with Ann, meeting their friends from church and exchanging Christmas gifts with one another. I changed my permanent address to theirs and was able to get my new Arizona driver's license. The time flew by as we enjoyed being together. I headed to Savannah, GA on Friday, Dec. 14 to visit with more family members.

 

Kathy and Marty (inner) Matt, Rebekah (outer) Hudson, Ethan in Georgia

2012 is now behind us and January 2013 is quickly coming to an end!

December was fully scheduled with travel to conferences at the beginning and end of the month and family visits in between. The journey started in Paris, France to Asheville, North Carolina for the Jesus.net Conference. Then, it continued with family visits to Phoenix, Arizona and back to Savannah, Georgia followed by a drive to Emerald Isle, North Carolina. After that, another plane trip from Raleigh, North Carolina to Baltimore, Maryland with an eventual flight to Fort Worth, Texas for the World Missions Summit3. I flew back to Paris, France from Fort Worth via Washington, D.C. on January 1st.

January at the Bridge International Church was dedicated to fasting and praying for Paris. I returned to Top Chretien and continued serving on the team. My next trip was to Graz, Austria for the SfC (Students for Christ) Prayer Weekend. It was quite eventful. As January comes to a close, the direction has been set for continued service to see the Kingdom of God expand in every ministry where I have the privilege to serve.

The 2012 Jesus.Net Conference with the theme, Together, Reaching the Next Level (Dec. 1-5) was hosted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, a Jesus.net partner, and held at the Cove near Asheville, North Carolina.
I arrived in Charlotte, NC on Friday evening Nov. 30 at our hotel for the night greeted by Eric and Muriel Célérier and the Top Chretien Team. The next day we were shuttled to the Billy Graham Library for a tour and a meal before we boarded our buses for the Cove. After we settled into our cozy rooms, we enjoyed walking about the peaceful grounds nestled in the mountains, before a delicious and copious meal and an inspiring opening message from Eric Célérier.
The next three and half days were filled with worship, devotions from Will Graham, Billy Graham's grandson, reports from partners, workshops, challenging messages, scrumptious meals and warm fellowship. Jesus.net is continuously growing in partnerships and innovations. Visit the updated website Jesus.Net
The afternoon of Dec. 5th I departed for Phoenix, Arizona to visit my brother Mark and his wife, Ann.

I had one extra day in Fort Worth on New Year's Eve. Shannon Buckner, AGWM missionary serving at Mattersey Hall College and Graduate School in Mattersey, England, and I celebrated with a delicious meal at P.F. Chang's and a spontaneous "A Night in Vienna" concert at the Bass Performance Hall.
I took an early morning flight on New Year's Day for Paris, France via Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C.

Beginning at the top right and then clockwise back to the top: The Texas Star filled in with cowboy hats at the Forth Worth Convention Center; The Lego Eiffel Tower at the Europe Booth; A view of some of the 4,500 participants during an evening gathering; The playbill of New Year's Eve: "A Night in Vienna"; The auditorium platform at the World Missions Summit; Sunset in Fort Worth on December 31, 2012.

 

The 2013 SfC Students for Christ Prayer Weekend (Jan. 17-20) was hosted by Alan and Michelle Ambrose, colleagues in Graz, Austria. What an eventful weekend it was! I left Paris on Thursday, Jan. 17 to land in Vienna, Austria during a blizzard! Needless to say, the Vienna Airport closed, so my colleague Blair Bonin and I were stranded in Vienna. Fortunately, for us and hundreds of other travellers, Austrian Airlines provided a night's stay in a Vienna hotel with dinner and breakfast and transportation to and from the hotel to the airport. Many other colleagues were impeded by the snow as well. Hats off to Alan as he greeted us at the airport and shuttled us to our hotel! What a warm welcome and meal we had together on the first evening all prepared by Michelle!
The prayer weekend went very smoothly as on Saturday, Jan. 18 we met in the local church facilities. We had reports from each colleague and prayed with knowledge for each ministry. We had a delicious meal and fun fellowship at the reputed Wirtshaus Restaurant.
We had our annual official Europe SfC assembly on Sunday, Jan 19 after breakfast. We were able to accomplish all that we had to do. It was so great to be with colleagues that often times we only see once a year.
As we prepared to departure, we heard that the snow was at it again. I made it to Dusseldorf, Germany but again my flight to Paris was cancelled due to snow in France. Lufthansa provided a night's stay in a hotel near the airport with dinner and breakfast and taxi vouchers to and from the hotel to the airport. I made it back to Paris on Monday, Jan. 21. my birthday!

 

Students for Christ Leadership Team.

Thank you so much for all of your birthday greetings via cards in the mail, emails, and Facebook messages. What a joy it is celebrate another year of life and to continue to serve the Lord with gusto!
What an honor it is to have your prayers and financial support to labor in the harvest field of France where the Lord has called me to reap the harvest!