We're Home!

Hello all! We made it home safely and since I'm posting this at 5:45am even thought I don't have to go to work today, you can see that we are very jet lagged:) We flew from Marseille to Gatwick at 6:45am yesterday morning. We had a four hour layover where we had to take a connecting bus to Heathrow airport. Everything went smoothly! John had to leave us there as he is heading off to Montreal to film an episode of The Dead Zone. Then we arrived at LAX at 3:00pm yesterday afternoon. But with having to taxi for a while, waiting for bags, going through customs, waiting for the fly away bus, and sitting in traffic, we didn't make it home till about 7:30pm.

Thank you so much for you prayers! We are so grateful for your ministry to su!!

Day Thirteen - Our Last Day in Marseille

Today was our final non-travel day here in Marseille. Appropriately, we were able spend the majority of our time with the folks from Point Bible. This Sunday the church met at Rob and Vicki’s so we took some time in the morning to sweep up, rearrange patio furniture, and set up for the potluck lunch that characterizes their summer fellowship. It was another beautiful, temperate, sunny day…God has given us absolutely perfect weather the entire two weeks for which we are extremely thankful. It’s much cooler than LA this time of year.

Everyone arrived about 12:30 p.m. and the spread of food would make even the pickiest eater think twice about grumbling. There was quiche, curry chicken, several kinds of rice, bread, salads, green-bean casserole, cheeses, apple pastries, cookies, etc…needless to say I was impressed :) But more important than the food, was the time that each team member took to share some of things they had learned as well as encourage the church with how they had seen God work over the course of the trip. It was extremely helpful for each of us because it began the process of reflection that will inevitably continue over the coming weeks as we think and pray through our time in France.

Kyle spoke about the increased warmth and openness of the children and families toward the team as compared to the previous year. Stephanie was encouraged by watching how Rob and Vicki maximize every interaction they have with others to be an influence for Christ, whether it be with the Turkish man who recently purchased a sandwich shop across from their home, or the coordinator of the Social Center that operates in the housing project where we held the camps. Jeff shared that he had been challenged to give more consideration to how unbelievers perceive the gospel based upon their cultural, religious, and linguistic differences. Kevin was blessed by being able to spend time with the Anthony’s and John said that the time he spent in France showed him that his view of God had been quite small; however seeing the unity of believers on the other side of the globe and the common work of God in their lives really enlarged his perception of God’s sovereignty and omnipresence.

We closed out our time singing; we sang Amazing Grace, How Deep the Father’s Love for Us, and a beautiful song in French that none of us really understood. It was a great way to conclude our time together and Simon sent us off with some kind words of encouragement and a benediction.

After everyone went home, we went and grabbed sandwiches for dinner and just sort of hung out for the rest of the evening. Stephanie dug up an old interview of John on You-Tube from when he directed an episode of “The Dead-Zone” about three years ago…it was fun and interesting to see John in his work environment, in his pre-conversion days…God has done a great work in his life.

We wrapped up the night reminiscing a bit on the past two weeks and how God had worked and built new friendships that, Lord-willing, will continue for many years to come…we’re going to miss Kyle’s horrible British/Jamaican accent and his unbelievably awkward attempts to dance while reminiscing about his college “clubbing” days. We’re also going miss Kevin’s lame jokes…(emphasis on lame). But in all seriousness, our team dynamic was really great. Everyone got along with one another and really put others before themselves, which made for a wonderful ministry and living environment.
For everyone who has been praying for us and for those who supported us financially, know that God has used your prayers and your generous gifts to expand his kingdom and encourage the saints here in Marseille in a great way. We’ve learned so much and been blessed beyond measure. Monday we board a plane early for nearly 24 hours of travel back to Los Angeles. We’ll have one more post in the next day or two to let you know how the trip finished off. Please continue to pray for John as he’s traveling to Montreal for work over the next couple of weeks.

Grace and Peace!

Day Twelve - Chateau D'If

Well camp ended yesterday. :( Last night we stayed up and watched the Count of Monte Cristo in preparation for the Chateau D'If. We took a bus and the subway twice to get down to the port today only to find out that the boat to Chateau D'If was not going there today. This was a blessing as we ended up going to Ils Frioul (Island off the coast of Marseille). This was a BEAUTIFUL DAY of sightseeing and snorkeling. The Mediterranean water is as clear as bath water (before the bath). Kyle and Stephanie are thinking of planting a church on the island! : )

We ate Merguez (something like Chorizo) sandwiches and ate some worthy ice cream. The highlight of our time on the Island was when Rob and Kyle were the only ones left in the water and Rob yelled "Kevin! Come check out the octopus!". Needless to say, I hobbled over the little sharp rocks (no sand) and went over only to witness Rob abuse an octopus. He prodded it and grabbed at it trying to get it out of it's little cave. Keep in mind the octopus' arms are about 18-inches long. Well it decided to fight back and grabbed his arm. Rob was relentless in his attack though. He was determined to get this thing to come out, even to the point of weighing himself down with rocks to enable himself to stay down there long enough to wrestle. Yeah, this is who we have out in the field! : )

It was a great time of fellowship and just getting to know eachother better. We got a chance to talk about the camp and how it went and what went well or could have gone better and so on. We also had some time to talk to and get to know Simon (the other pastor at Point Bible) better. He is a very nice guy and very encouraging. It was fun to talk to him about the difference between Europeans and Americans. He told us a story about visiting a family in America and how crazy he thought it was that after washing his clothes in washing machine they asked him to put it in the dryer. How crazy is that when it is a nice sunny day outside and the sun that the Lord had provided was perfectly capable drying the clothes on a line. We then went onto energy conservation and how Americans shower too way too often. Interesting stuff... Kyle took his Bus/Subway pass for a swim in the Mediterranean and it no longer worked. Lord took care of that though as Kyle was at the machine to buy another all-day pass and some guy just walked up and gave him one. Vicki had to leave us early to go home and start preparing for church tomorrow as it is going to be held at the Anthony's. We left a little later and went into town and did some more shopping before going home. Kevin bought some sunglasses from a street vendor only to realize that they were ruined. Tried to get his money back from the Senegalese sp? vendor to no avail. So he ended up with a very feminine pair that he could probably never wear. Any takers??

Jeff and Steph had the best Frappucino I had ever tasted! This thing was SOOOOO good. Jeff was later commenting how he wanted another one. John was able to find some nice things to take back to his family. There were some cruise ships that had docked so there were many Americans around.

Well we spent the rest of the evening preparing eating dinner, showering, and thinking about what we will say tomorrow at church. Each one of us is to go up and tell the church how this trip has affected us. Looking forward to it. It will be a long day of church, cleaning and packing tomorrow as we fly out on a 6:45am flight on Monday morning.

Please pray that we can have an impact on and be an encouragement to Point Bible Church one last time before we leave. Also, that we would faithfully pray for them even after returning to the states.

We thank God for all of your prayers.

Grace and Peace to you....

Day Eleven--The Final Day of Camp

Friday was probably our best day yet. It began with another wonderful French breakfast featuring scrumptious baguettes and Nutella, followed by us getting a few odds and ends done at the house which included K-Rum faithfully scrubbing out the chimney.

When we arrived at the court, it seemed like there were fewer kids there than there had been the past few days. But our concern that we would have a small turnout that day was relieved when we counted a total of 37 kids at the awards gathering at the end of the day--our best turn out yet! The older kids seemed to have really improved since the beginning of the week. They were implementing a lot of the techniques that we taught them and were catching on to the new drills much more quickly.



It was a good day for the younger kids as well. They were much more well-behaved and respectful. I guess they must have been motivated by Jeff's award the day before given to the youngster who had the best attitude and wasn't pushing or hurting anyone else! Even though they still didn't quite get the concept of most of the drills, they seemed to enjoy themselves at least. Jeff was able to give his testimony for our final day. He talked about how as a kid, he had a strong desire to be well-liked and accepted by his peers--a struggle that many of them likely have. We pray that the kids were impacted by his love for the Lord and desire to be pleasing in His sight alone.

We were able to present the most awards for the final day including two brand new basketballs--one given to the best kid overall in the younger group and one from the older group. We found out later that the two boys who won the basketballs were actually brothers! The best part for the winners was that they got to play an all-star game with us! Kevin, John, Aliyou, Romain, and Nasradine triumphed over Jeff, Joel, Jahid, Ludovic, and Nadir with a final score of 7 to 4. The best part was that all six of the kids played even better in the game than they had during the drills and every kid had a chance to score!

Thank you for your prayers! The camp went better than we could have hoped and we continue to pray that the Anthonys will be used in the lives of these kids and their families.

Day Ten - Ministry Fruit

Thursday provided an encourage- ment for the team as we were able to experience some fruit from our ministry efforts. God is working through us! At lunch Vicki explained to us a couple of conversations that she has had with adults because of the camp. A couple of days back we went to a community center adjacent to the courts in order to refill our water jug that had been depleted. They were gracious to us by providing water and so Vicki came up with the idea to buy pastries for the staff there. When Vicki delivered the pastries the people there were shocked and the director of the center offered to allow the Anthony's to use their facility in the future! This could allow for the Anthony's to provide language and computer outreaches in their efforts for the community to know Christ. In addition to this a couple of moms and a sister of the children have come to the camp to watch and Vicki has been able to befriend them. If you recall, one of our goals for the trip was for the Anthony's to establish contacts within the community, and God has been faithful to your prayers in this regard!

Today's basketball camp was eventful. Thanks to John, Kevin, and Joel, the older kids are really starting to grasp basketball concepts quickly and bring a competitive spirit. The younger boys, well, pray for Rob, Kyle and Jeff as they seek to exercise patience. They are rowdy! We see God at work within the hearts of the children. Moussa went from yesterday being indifferent and ill tempered to today being eager to learn and joyful (and earned a prize). By God's grace the children are listening to our testimonies. How do we know this? One kid asked Kevin, "if today was the day he would be telling his story." The most interesting aspect of the day involved Yaya's (child) psychiatrist paying a visit to us! Vicki approached her to see why she was walking to the courts. The psychiatrist went on to explain how Yaya had told her that John, an American actor, had explained to him about God and the Bible! Praise God for the children taking notice of Him!

Kevin went on to do a great job telling the kids about how God has changed his life. As an unbeliever, Kevin was a "self-made man," overcoming a bad family situation to become comfortable in life. He took great pride in this but started to realize that he wasn't satisfied. Soon after he started attending Grace Community Church through a friend (now fiance). Kevin would soon come to saving faith in Christ. The kids were drawn to Kevin's story especially when he took off his shirt, revealing a tatoo that stated, "Soli Deo Gloria," meaning "all glory to God."

At nighttime the Anthony's were gracious enough to drive us to a gymnasium for some basketball against some French adults. The games were fast paced, after each game is played within 30 seconds the next team is out there and you are playing again! Not to brag or anything, but we were able to rule the court for 3 straight game before succumbing to a dark gym and fatigue. We enjoyed our interaction with the guys, who were predominantly from the Muslim based projects. There is a possibility that we might be able to play with them tomorrow, so pray that we might be able to minister to them in some way.


Thank you to those who are keeping up with us and praying. Please pray that we might be "always abounding in the work of the Lord." 3 more days to do so in France!

Day Nine - O yes sir. The camp goes on!

So often we in the body of Christ refer to the goodness or sovereignty of God with little introspection as to what that means. I know I speak for the entire T.F.M.07 when I say that the Father has continued to reveal His goodness to us, from allowing the weather to remain wonderful despite reports of storms coming, to giving us a faithful group of kids who come to the camp for seeds of the gospel to be planted in their little hearts. We truly serve an Almighty God!

Day 9. Hmmm. Well we had another boringly delicious french breakfast (I think everyone has gained at least 5- 37 lbs, except Jeff. The guy's got a gnat's metabolism. Oh yeah and Stephanie...still svelt!) After breakfast the guys gladly lent their backs and arms to Pastor Anthony and helped him pull a coupla dozen Redwood tree stumps out of his front yard. Ok , it was four, and they were baby trees. BUT they had really strong root systems! Once done we (the guys) met to discuss the camp and how to glorify God by making it run more smoothly. Meeting adjourned. Lunch. Then time to pack for the camp.

So we get to the courts...there's already 12-15 kids there willing, and ready to go. But even more encouraging and reflective of God's afore mentioned goodness is the passion these kids have to HELP. Yeah I know, right! Kids wanting to help do work??? Well that's these little ones standing in line to grab something, anything to be of service.

After the set up. We lay a few ground rules, sign up the new kids that have come, and get to work. One of the harder things to deal with was trying to teach a sport to a culture of kids who play ball with their feet. They were a little rough around the edges at first. But their eagerness and attentiveness has shown results. Everyday they get better and better. We had a water break then John Adams gave his testimony.They were really interested and paid attention. Today was also the first day that we gave prizes at the end for performance and attitude. I think we enjoyed giving the prizes out more than they enjoyed receiving them, and they loved getting them. Quick story.

One of the better kids named Jahid won a prize the first day of camp, then won a similar prize today. Rather than keep his prize Jahid gave it to one of the smaller kids who didn't have anything. Hmmm, God's goodness again.

So we gave out the prizes cleaned up, and went to the beach to watch the sun set over the Mediterranean and eat to some sandwiches. The guys all went swimming, except J. Adams who took pix (excuse I know). Adams then threw down the gauntlet and challenged Stephanie to catch a little crab that he would eat on a dare if she would get it herself. Alas no catch. No eat.

Well that's pretty much it for the day. We packed up drove home, and hit the sack to get it all started for day 10. Pray for us that God will help us to finish strong.

Grace and Peace!

Day Eight - Camp Continues

Today started off with breakfast on the patio; the weather has been beautiful. The sun's been out early and the temperature has been pretty moderate until about mid-afternoon. We're so thankful for the way that the weather has cooperated over the past week and a half. Each of us spent some time this morning reading, prepping for camp, and talking with one another. Rob is finishing up putting in a bathroom on the second floor, and so we gave him a hand hanging some sheet-rock and cleaning up a bit.

We decided to start camp around 4:00 p.m. today because most of the kids don't finish school until later in the afternoon. When we arrived there were already quite a few kids waiting for us and they quickly ran over to the car to help unload our supplies. The kids have been so eager; it's a tremendous encouragement to each of us.

The actual camp time was similar to Monday, except we had about 10-12 more kids. We had to scrap some of the running drills and replace them with less physically demanding ones in lieu of the heat. But despite the temp, the kids participated and had a great time. They drink A LOT of water.

During the break time, Rob gave another short talk on sportsmanship and Kyle took some time to share his testimony. He shared with the kids about how sports was the most important thing in his life when he was their age. Sports and winning were the primary things that ruled his life; his competitive spirit dictated his attitude and defined who he was. However, one day someone shared with him about Christ and opened up the Word to him; one verse that gripped his heart was Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Through the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit, Kyle turned away from himself to follow Christ and now God is the most important thing in his life. Because God has transformed his heart, he's no longer content to let anger and sports rule over him; he now desires to let Christ rule in his rightful place. Kyle's testimony was straightfoward and very relational for the kids to understand. Throughout the rest of the week each team member will be sharing their testimonies with the kids in hopes of communicating that God is not distant and cold as Islam would lead them to believe, but God is near, loving, and gracious. Please pray that our testimonies have an impact.

After we finished camp, we had dinner with Simon and Radia, fellow missionaries who are a vital part of Point Bible. Radia put together a tasty meal of chicken fajitas that Kevin said reminded him of his mom's cooking. We had a relaxing evening talking with Simon and Radia and playing with their two adorable children Sara and Yannis. Five year-old Sara enjoyed chasing after John and even took some time to teach Stephanie some French vocabulary. The evening was capped off with Radia sharing her testimony with all of us. It was amazing to hear how God saved her out of a strict Islamic family when she was in her early 20's. Listening to her talk about the persecution that her family inflicted upon her and the reconciliation that has since followed was a powerful testimony to God's saving and sustaining grace.

God continues to bless us, please pray for effectiveness in our last three days of camp. We sincerely appreciate your prayers thus far.

Grace and Peace!