June Prayer Letter
Dear Prayer Partners,
Summer in France has meant a refreshing change of pace, time to read and study and travel. Thankfully though, the Lord is continuing to work in my life without ceasing and to answer our prayers, so I have plenty of news to share with you!
Language Study Update
The first few weeks of May were hectic as I completed my first semester of language study and took all my final exams. At the end of May, I enjoyed a very restful vacation, which included a three-day trip to Paris with two short-term missionary ladies. We had a tremendous time seeing the sights of the famous city, and were very sorry to part ways at the end of our time together.
This month (June), I've been studying French on my own so that I do not lose any ground, and also setting aside some time to maintain my studies in the biblical languages. It's been nice to study at my own pace, but I'm looking forward to getting back into the university classes so that I can continue to make good progress in the language. I'll be taking French summer school in the month of July, starting on July 2 and continuing through July 27. This will be more intensive than the regular semester courses - about 20 hours a week - but should be very profitable. Thank you for continuing to pray for me as I study.
I do plan to continue my languages studies through next semester (September to December); however, my student visa expires in August. I have turned in the paperwork for a "carte de sejour" - a type of visa which will allow me to stay in France through the end of the year - and am now waiting to receive the documentation. Please pray that there will be no difficulties in receiving this.
"N" Update
In my last letter, I mentioned "N", a university student from east Africa who has visited my church here in Bordeaux to research for a class project. Soon after the university classes ended, "N" visited the church one last time to say goodbye, since her class project was finished and she said she "no longer had a reason to come to the church". Sadly, she continues to reject the gospel of Christ, but we continue to pray for her. It is no accident that the Lord brought her to this place where she has heard the gospel so many times, even though she is from a country with almost no gospel witness, and has come to a part of Europe that also has very little true gospel witness. Please pray that God will not allow her to forget all that she has heard in her times with us.
Outfit and Passage Update
Thank you for continuing to pray for the funds needed to purchase a vehicle in Chad. Thanks to some very generous gifts over the past couple months, I am now down to about $7,000 still remaining to cover this cost. Only two months ago, that amount was at about $10,000! Praise the Lord for how He is already providing for this need. Thank you for your generosity, your love and encouragement, and for your prayers!
In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell
Waiting
One of my tasks for this past week has been to get my student visa extended to the end of the year (it expires in August). So far the process has gone pretty well, but as with most official business matters, it has involved a bit of waiting time.
Last Tuesday, I boarded the tram and made my way downtown - a 45 minute trip. By the time I finally found the place where I needed to be (called the Préfecture), it was late morning. When I arrived, I learned that they only let people into the line in the first few hours of the working day. I also learned later from other people that it is a good idea to come before the 8:30 opening time.
I returned to the Préfecture on Thursday morning, arriving at about 7:50 - 40 minutes before opening time. My hopes of getting near the front of the line quickly vanished: there were already about 100 people waiting in line! I guess everyone else had also heard how long the lines are! When the door finally opened at 8:30, it was a 2 hour wait before I finally made it to the window and received ... a ticket to sit in the waiting room! At least the waiting room had chairs, bathrooms, and vending machines. About 45 minutes after I got to the waiting room, my number was finally called. And the result? I will eventually receive a "carte de sejour" which will allow me to continue studying in France until the end of the year ... but first, a little more waiting is necessary. There were a few required documents that I didn't know I needed to have with me on Thursday morning, so this morning I made a third trip to the Préfecture to drop off that last bit of paperwork. Thankfully, I didn't need to wait in any long lines this time; in fact, I probably spent less than a minute inside the Préfecture today. Now all the paperwork should be done, and I just need to wait to receive the carte de sejour. Please pray with me that there will be no further problems with this.
Quite frankly, visas are something that I've always found rather stressful, and usually a real headache too. Even though I grew up on the mission field, I never needed a visa when I was growing up because I have always been a dual citizen and could therefore travel freely between the two countries. Since joining BI, however, I've needed visas on multiple occasions for trips to Africa, Asia, and now Europe. The paperwork and red tape is always a nuisance of course, but besides that, a visa (or rather, the lack of a visa) has the potential of overturning the best of carefully-laid plans for an important missions trip. Little by little though, I am learning that my plans are in the hands of the Almighty God, not in the hands of those who approve visas, and it is just one more thing that the Lord uses to teach me to be patient and to trust in Him.
Last Tuesday, I boarded the tram and made my way downtown - a 45 minute trip. By the time I finally found the place where I needed to be (called the Préfecture), it was late morning. When I arrived, I learned that they only let people into the line in the first few hours of the working day. I also learned later from other people that it is a good idea to come before the 8:30 opening time.
I returned to the Préfecture on Thursday morning, arriving at about 7:50 - 40 minutes before opening time. My hopes of getting near the front of the line quickly vanished: there were already about 100 people waiting in line! I guess everyone else had also heard how long the lines are! When the door finally opened at 8:30, it was a 2 hour wait before I finally made it to the window and received ... a ticket to sit in the waiting room! At least the waiting room had chairs, bathrooms, and vending machines. About 45 minutes after I got to the waiting room, my number was finally called. And the result? I will eventually receive a "carte de sejour" which will allow me to continue studying in France until the end of the year ... but first, a little more waiting is necessary. There were a few required documents that I didn't know I needed to have with me on Thursday morning, so this morning I made a third trip to the Préfecture to drop off that last bit of paperwork. Thankfully, I didn't need to wait in any long lines this time; in fact, I probably spent less than a minute inside the Préfecture today. Now all the paperwork should be done, and I just need to wait to receive the carte de sejour. Please pray with me that there will be no further problems with this.
Quite frankly, visas are something that I've always found rather stressful, and usually a real headache too. Even though I grew up on the mission field, I never needed a visa when I was growing up because I have always been a dual citizen and could therefore travel freely between the two countries. Since joining BI, however, I've needed visas on multiple occasions for trips to Africa, Asia, and now Europe. The paperwork and red tape is always a nuisance of course, but besides that, a visa (or rather, the lack of a visa) has the potential of overturning the best of carefully-laid plans for an important missions trip. Little by little though, I am learning that my plans are in the hands of the Almighty God, not in the hands of those who approve visas, and it is just one more thing that the Lord uses to teach me to be patient and to trust in Him.
Vacation in Paris and Bordeaux
For the past two weeks, I've enjoyed a wonderfully restful vacation. I saw a little more of Bordeaux, the city that I live in, though not quite as much as I'd planned to see (due to catching a cold in the middle of the vacation and staying home for a few days). We've had lots of visitors from the US during this time: On May 25, a musical missions team from Bob Jones University came out to minister to us - we got to be their very first place to minister in! They were such a blessing to us, not only in their music, but also in their eagerness to serve and willingness to try to communicate around the language barrier.
We've also had two other young ladies come out for short-term missions trip: Esther, a senior at BJU, is here for over a month with BMM's Focus on France program; and Alli, a high school student from Ohio, spent three weeks with the missionaries here in Pessac (the suburb of Bordeaux where I live). The Lord worked out the timing of our various travels and activities just perfectly so that the three of us were able to spend three days in Paris. We had an incredibly fun time (see my photos of the trip here)! We saw many of the famous sites in Paris, including the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg Garden, the Pantheon, and many more. We also climbed tons of stairs (over 1,400 on Friday alone!) but it was worth it to have some tired muscles for the amazing views we saw of the beautiful city of Paris.
Which brings me to an experience I had which reminded me of a spiritual truth. As we started up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower, I was as excited as my companions to be climbing up this famous monument - and also very glad that we had just cut a three-hour wait in line down to half an hour by taking the long way up - when I suddenly remembered something that I'd been conveniently trying to forget: I'm scared of heights! It's a fear that has come along with adulthood as I've gotten more aware of "what-ifs"; but at any rate, the Eiffel Tower is high enough to make anyone dizzy. However, I didn't want to miss out on any of the fun :-), so I kept climbing. We went all the way to the very top of the tower, and I honestly enjoyed myself immensely. Finally we descended and moved on to climb up Notre Dame Cathedral, and later at sunset, the Arc de Triomphe. Those sites were not nearly so high as the Eiffel Tower, but still high enough to get a great view of the city. As I walked around them, I realized that after the top of the Eiffel Tower, these other heights didn't seem nearly as scary as they normally would have been!
So it is with our spiritual battles over temptation and discouragement: victory in one battle makes the next one a little easier; while spiritual failure makes it more difficult to resist the next temptation. So, as we say in French, "Bon courage!" (="good courage") - let's have courage to resist temptation, knowing that each victory makes us stronger soldiers for the Lord.
We've also had two other young ladies come out for short-term missions trip: Esther, a senior at BJU, is here for over a month with BMM's Focus on France program; and Alli, a high school student from Ohio, spent three weeks with the missionaries here in Pessac (the suburb of Bordeaux where I live). The Lord worked out the timing of our various travels and activities just perfectly so that the three of us were able to spend three days in Paris. We had an incredibly fun time (see my photos of the trip here)! We saw many of the famous sites in Paris, including the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg Garden, the Pantheon, and many more. We also climbed tons of stairs (over 1,400 on Friday alone!) but it was worth it to have some tired muscles for the amazing views we saw of the beautiful city of Paris.
Which brings me to an experience I had which reminded me of a spiritual truth. As we started up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower, I was as excited as my companions to be climbing up this famous monument - and also very glad that we had just cut a three-hour wait in line down to half an hour by taking the long way up - when I suddenly remembered something that I'd been conveniently trying to forget: I'm scared of heights! It's a fear that has come along with adulthood as I've gotten more aware of "what-ifs"; but at any rate, the Eiffel Tower is high enough to make anyone dizzy. However, I didn't want to miss out on any of the fun :-), so I kept climbing. We went all the way to the very top of the tower, and I honestly enjoyed myself immensely. Finally we descended and moved on to climb up Notre Dame Cathedral, and later at sunset, the Arc de Triomphe. Those sites were not nearly so high as the Eiffel Tower, but still high enough to get a great view of the city. As I walked around them, I realized that after the top of the Eiffel Tower, these other heights didn't seem nearly as scary as they normally would have been!
 |
| Standing at the top of the Eiffel Tower |
Looking back on my first semester of language school
My first semester of language school is complete! The last few weeks of the semester were busy ones, finally concluding with a very busy week of final exams. Now that these first months of study are finished, I can look back on it and be reminded of where the Lord has brought me since my classes began at the end of January.
As I entered my first French class at the university, I wondered what to expect. Would I be able to understand what my professors were saying as I sat in class for more than fifteen hours a week? I had been studying French on my own for several years, but as I hadn't often been able to use it, I knew my comprehension and conversational skills were weak. What would the French teachers be like? What would my fellow students be like? ... and so the questions went on. New experiences can be both exciting and scary at the same time!
Many people had encouraged me before I came that my comprehension and conversational skills would improve with more regular exposure to the language, and I was thankful to find that they were right. While the first few weeks of classes were a struggle, I found pretty soon that I was able to understand my teachers enough to follow most of what was going on and to do the work that was required. And conversation? Well, mistakes and misunderstandings are still around every corner, but little by little, conversations are getting longer and more in-depth. I guess you could say that I can now make mistakes in French in many more topics than before!
But in all seriousness, I am thankful for the additional opportunities that the Lord has provided as my French has progressed: witnessing opportunities as well as richer fellowship with my fellow believers. At the beginning of the semester, my attempt to share the gospel with some fellow students consisted of several stumbling, awkward sentences ... I pray the Lord used it anyway!
Near the end of the semester, a conversation about the gospel with another classmate was much longer and more detailed. However, I quickly found myself wishing I could show the classmate what God's Word said in his own language (Spanish) so he could understand it better ... and then I realized I could! I had brought my computer that day, and one of my Bible software program includes some Spanish translations. Quickly I pulled up the program and navigated to several key verses that related to our discussion and let him read them for himself in Spanish, right off the screen. It was fascinating to see how much better he seemed to grasp what I was telling him, as soon as he read the verses for himself in his own language! Praise the Lord that he speaks a language that does have the Bible available! However, it is clear he doesn't entirely understand or accept the gospel as yet. He said that he has a Bible in Spanish and plans to read it and consider these matters over the summer. Please pray for Walter, that he will indeed read his Spanish Bible this summer and that the Lord will use His Word to bring him to salvation.
Coming back to my French studies, I now have about six weeks before my summer class begins. In June I'll do some studying on my own while waiting for the summer class to start, but for the rest of this month of May I'm officially on vacation. I plan to see more of the sights around Bordeaux, and also take a short trip to Paris along with two short-term missionaries who will be here in France for a few weeks. Unfortunately, Murphy's Law has kicked in again, and the weather has suddenly turned cool and rainy again just as classes are done. But I'll do my best to enjoy my vacation anyway, and hopefully the sun will peek out at least a few times over the next week or two!
As I entered my first French class at the university, I wondered what to expect. Would I be able to understand what my professors were saying as I sat in class for more than fifteen hours a week? I had been studying French on my own for several years, but as I hadn't often been able to use it, I knew my comprehension and conversational skills were weak. What would the French teachers be like? What would my fellow students be like? ... and so the questions went on. New experiences can be both exciting and scary at the same time!
Many people had encouraged me before I came that my comprehension and conversational skills would improve with more regular exposure to the language, and I was thankful to find that they were right. While the first few weeks of classes were a struggle, I found pretty soon that I was able to understand my teachers enough to follow most of what was going on and to do the work that was required. And conversation? Well, mistakes and misunderstandings are still around every corner, but little by little, conversations are getting longer and more in-depth. I guess you could say that I can now make mistakes in French in many more topics than before!
But in all seriousness, I am thankful for the additional opportunities that the Lord has provided as my French has progressed: witnessing opportunities as well as richer fellowship with my fellow believers. At the beginning of the semester, my attempt to share the gospel with some fellow students consisted of several stumbling, awkward sentences ... I pray the Lord used it anyway!
Near the end of the semester, a conversation about the gospel with another classmate was much longer and more detailed. However, I quickly found myself wishing I could show the classmate what God's Word said in his own language (Spanish) so he could understand it better ... and then I realized I could! I had brought my computer that day, and one of my Bible software program includes some Spanish translations. Quickly I pulled up the program and navigated to several key verses that related to our discussion and let him read them for himself in Spanish, right off the screen. It was fascinating to see how much better he seemed to grasp what I was telling him, as soon as he read the verses for himself in his own language! Praise the Lord that he speaks a language that does have the Bible available! However, it is clear he doesn't entirely understand or accept the gospel as yet. He said that he has a Bible in Spanish and plans to read it and consider these matters over the summer. Please pray for Walter, that he will indeed read his Spanish Bible this summer and that the Lord will use His Word to bring him to salvation.
Coming back to my French studies, I now have about six weeks before my summer class begins. In June I'll do some studying on my own while waiting for the summer class to start, but for the rest of this month of May I'm officially on vacation. I plan to see more of the sights around Bordeaux, and also take a short trip to Paris along with two short-term missionaries who will be here in France for a few weeks. Unfortunately, Murphy's Law has kicked in again, and the weather has suddenly turned cool and rainy again just as classes are done. But I'll do my best to enjoy my vacation anyway, and hopefully the sun will peek out at least a few times over the next week or two!
Back to School
In fact, the only drawback of the whole break was that it rained nearly every day. I had planned to do some walking around the city, especially the public gardens downtown, but the miserable weather kept me inside most of the time. Of course - Murphy's Law - now that school is going again, the weather is gorgeous. Oh well, maybe this nice weather will hold out for a few more weeks until final exams are over - which is really just around the corner. Final exam week will be a busy one - 6 exams between May 14 and 18. Please pray that these last days of the semester will be profitable.
McDonald's, French style
One of the interesting aspects of moving to another country, especially a highly developed Western country, is how things that you expect to be familiar can turn out to be quite different from the country which you left.
Today I needed to do some shopping, but as I needed clothes as well as groceries, I went to Carrefour (big European chain of stores much like Walmart in the States) instead of the small grocery store I usually use. It's a huge store and I don't really know my way around it yet, so by the time I was finished, it was already past my usual lunchtime. As it is a longish trip home by tram, I crossed the street to get something from McDonald's. Strangely, it was my first time entering a McDonald's here in France. After all the traveling and eating out I did on deputation, it was hard to get excited about a McDonald's burger, especially with tasty French baguettes and sandwiches available from the bakery next door, and potluck dinners at church every Sunday. But I'd heard a bit about how different McDonald's is in France, enough to make me curious ... and my rumbling stomach seemed like a good enough excuse to see it for myself.
Anyway, certainly some things were familiar - the yellow arches, the "Big Mac" on the menu, the long line of people waiting to put in their order. My meal included fries and a coke along with my sandwich. But I ordered my meal from a touch-screen computer instead of at the cash register. Actually there was the option of a cash register with a real person to take your order, but one look at the long line in front of the registers and short lines by the computers made my choice for me - less personal to be sure, but quicker and more convenient. And my sandwich? A McBaguette: hamburger, cheese, and lettuce, but on a small French baguette. Interesting combination, but in my opinion, it was much better than a flat hamburger bun. :-)
Well, this little incident might never be listed as one of the most significant differences between France and the USA or Australia, but it does illustrate a point about learning to live in another culture. While in many ways we may be similar (after all we are all human beings), cultures can be very different - sometimes in ways you didn't expect. Thanks for praying for me as I continue to learn not only a different language, but also a very different culture.
Today I needed to do some shopping, but as I needed clothes as well as groceries, I went to Carrefour (big European chain of stores much like Walmart in the States) instead of the small grocery store I usually use. It's a huge store and I don't really know my way around it yet, so by the time I was finished, it was already past my usual lunchtime. As it is a longish trip home by tram, I crossed the street to get something from McDonald's. Strangely, it was my first time entering a McDonald's here in France. After all the traveling and eating out I did on deputation, it was hard to get excited about a McDonald's burger, especially with tasty French baguettes and sandwiches available from the bakery next door, and potluck dinners at church every Sunday. But I'd heard a bit about how different McDonald's is in France, enough to make me curious ... and my rumbling stomach seemed like a good enough excuse to see it for myself.
Anyway, certainly some things were familiar - the yellow arches, the "Big Mac" on the menu, the long line of people waiting to put in their order. My meal included fries and a coke along with my sandwich. But I ordered my meal from a touch-screen computer instead of at the cash register. Actually there was the option of a cash register with a real person to take your order, but one look at the long line in front of the registers and short lines by the computers made my choice for me - less personal to be sure, but quicker and more convenient. And my sandwich? A McBaguette: hamburger, cheese, and lettuce, but on a small French baguette. Interesting combination, but in my opinion, it was much better than a flat hamburger bun. :-)
Well, this little incident might never be listed as one of the most significant differences between France and the USA or Australia, but it does illustrate a point about learning to live in another culture. While in many ways we may be similar (after all we are all human beings), cultures can be very different - sometimes in ways you didn't expect. Thanks for praying for me as I continue to learn not only a different language, but also a very different culture.
April Prayer Letter
The months of French language study are moving by very quickly, in fact the
first semester is already nearly over! I am writing now at the
beginning of a two-week break from classes, but final exams will take
place in mid-May, so there are really only a few weeks of classes left.
I still have 8 more months of study here, and I pray that the Lord will
make these short months profitable and glorifying to Him.
Outfit and Passage
Several of you have inquired about my outfit and passage fund. Praise the Lord that
He has provided nearly all the funds needed for moving and getting
settled into Africa. The only item that is not yet fully covered is a
vehicle. Once I am fully settled into life in Africa, I will need to
have my own means of transportation, and due to the rough nature of the
roads in Chad, it will need to be a sturdy and reliable vehicle. I am
now down to approximately $10,000 still needed to cover the purchase of a
vehicle for Africa. Thank you for continuing to pray for this need.
Thank you for continuing to partner with me through your prayers!
In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell
Language School
I praise the Lord for how much I have learned in the two months since classes began. I remember my first week of formal study, when I struggled so much to understand what the teachers were saying. I now can follow along much better, however communication is still a challenge, and there are still many occasions where I get stumped on a word and can't say what I would like to say, or miss what someone is saying when they speak quickly. Please keep praying that I will learn to communicate well in this language.Opportunities
Praise the Lord for providing opportunities over the past few months to share about Christ with several of my classmates. Some of my classmates are from countries where the gospel is not openly or commonly proclaimed. In one of my classes, the word "Bible" came up as we were practicing our conversational skills in French. The teacher asked if the students knew what the word meant, and a good number of them looked puzzled - they had never heard the word before. Others of my classmates have been exposed either to the gospel or to some form of "Christianity". Please pray that I will be a good testimony to those around me. Pray for more opportunities to share Christ with others, and that the Lord will give me wisdom in the words that I speak. Pray also for those who attend the church here in Bordeaux but do not yet have a personal relationship with the Lord. Pray especially for "N", a university student from east Africa who has been investigating the church's teachings as part of a class project. "N" has attended the church services and activities on many occasions, and has heard the gospel many times. Pray that the Lord will open up her eyes to the truth.
Outfit and Passage
Several of you have inquired about my outfit and passage fund. Praise the Lord that
He has provided nearly all the funds needed for moving and getting
settled into Africa. The only item that is not yet fully covered is a
vehicle. Once I am fully settled into life in Africa, I will need to
have my own means of transportation, and due to the rough nature of the
roads in Chad, it will need to be a sturdy and reliable vehicle. I am
now down to approximately $10,000 still needed to cover the purchase of a
vehicle for Africa. Thank you for continuing to pray for this need.Thank you for continuing to partner with me through your prayers!
In Christ's Service,
Anna Beth Wivell
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