Au revoir la France!

All of the team left today, some going to the Marseilles airport at 4 am!! It has been a wonderful 18 days. Thank you for praying for us and following our story here. We all have more photos and more stories to tell in person. If you would like to see some really good photography ( thanks to Elizabeth) , contact me on Facebook and I'll invite you to join the Mission page.

Whew! So we are coming to the end of a very full, very busy week in Marseilles. Some of the highlights for me were the concerts at the retirement homes, and the sweet beautiful faces of the four and five year olds I spent the week with. They were very engaged in the Bible stories, songs, and activities. It was a privilege to meet many of the parents at the final performance. Some were Christians, very encouraged by the whole experience for their children. Some were Muslim, or from Muslim backgrounds, but did come and seemed to appreciate the ""Spectacle" ( ending program). One more church service tonight at ICC Marseilles, then many of us flying home tomorrow.
Love from Janie Reilly

Final weekend

This last weekend has been a flurry of shopping and visiting places in Marseilles. We went to the military beach. Katelyn, Joseph, Elizabeth and Paul swam out into the Mediterranean and climbed on two small islands. In the evening, we had dinner in the square - Amanda,Dayna, Alexi & Kelsey in this photo. Dominique Orsini wants you to see his boats. He plans to paint them.

Bells in final program

Making disciples

Our verse for today is Matt. 28: 19 & 20 which tells us to go and make disciples. I was thrilled to see two local kids become moniteur & monitrice this summer. Antsa & Mary Ellen were in my class 2 summers ago. This year they were helping the younger ones and catching the vision for their own church.

Les feux d'artifices

I am so tired! But it was all worth it. Last night we celebrated the 14th of July (Bastille Day) with the French, well we celebrated like Americans and watched them from afar. We got the best pizza in Marseille and then climbed up to the ramparts at the fort/hotel. It was so windy yesterday that we were afraid the fireworks may not happen, but after many rounds of ninja, pictures of the sunset and rising moon, and swing dance lessons, the fireworks began. I guess nothing stops the French, even when fires started next to the fort and Notre Dame de la Garde the fireworks never ceased. We had the perfect seats for all of it. There were fireworks coming out of boats in the port and fireworks coming from the fort across the street. They were incredible. There was every single color and shape imaginable, every type of sparkle and explosion possible. It was quite a show and everyone loved them, so it was most definitely worth the lack of sleep that we are all feeling today in our last day of VBS, even though the kids seemed to have gotten plenty of sleep.
Now that we're nearing the end of our trip and our time together, it's difficult to know how to feel. Everyone misses our families and friends, but we all know that we will miss each other and the work we've been doing. It's been a truly amazing experience and I have learned so much that I will take with me for the rest of my life. Thank you to everyone who gave us the chance to come. We have all learned so much and gained so many friends. Thank you for your support and we will see you again soon in the States.
-Sheridan Lamb

We're nearing the end of our second week of VBS and our team has proven the old adage that those who work hard play hard! After a fun and sweat-filled day of learning to "Open Up to Jesus" our team headed to the ramparts of the Officer's Club to celebrate Bastille Day with silly photos, games of ninja, freeze tag, and the aforementioned swing dancing. We then enjoyed the fireworks display with the best view of the city, the Notre Dame de la Garde watching along with us as the brilliant moon served as a spotlight (credit to Christine Crowson as the source for the moon/spotlight comparison!)

It's now our last day of VBS and we covet everyone's prayers for a successful final "spectacle" (performance) as the kids show their parents the songs, verses, and dances they've learned at our SonSurf Beach Bash. God has really blessed our team and the kids in the camp as we are both working and playing hard : )

Off to catch this last wave and ride it in! As the surfers say in our daily skit-- woot woot!

-Christine Orsini