This summer as a family we were able to take two brief vacations to "changer d'air" or take a breather for awhile. As a family, this was a really important thing for us to do. For the longer of the two vacations we went to see our friends who live near a large city called Lorient. As a couple it was great to see friends and Ophelia made a new friend with their son. The week was really great. The weather was warm and the beach was only 10 minutes away.
With that comes the change and the transition. Perspectives, the denomination that we work with here in France, had been looking for someone to come to help in Loches. There is a lot of shared responsibility. A lot of people do a lot of things. However, it is still important to have someone who is ultimately in charge. We've had a hard time planting and caring for two churches at the same time.
Michel Pinto will officially start being the local leader of the church in Loches in just a few days. While Michel isn't local, he will oversee day to day aspects of the church which will allow us to focus more on discipleship with some people that are attending the Loches campus and allow us to put more energy into the Descartes campus (which we will continue to lead).
We've seen some growth at the Descartes church the last few weeks. Four new people are attending. One new person started reading the Bible with us. Two other people are interested in coming when they have the chance. We'll have a baby dedication in November.
As with any change. The transition can be very long, hard and involves many moving parts. There are still some details which need worked out but we are happy to have someone take on the vision and day to day responsibilities in Loches. Any growth is ultimately good growth.
Another change is that I also have a new role in our sending organization, Kontaktmission. Several months ago, actually I think it was around a year ago, I started to help with a new team which was put in place called the Organizational Development Team (ODT). This team helps plan new ways for our organization to communicate and grow. This can be a challenge as the 350+ missionaries working with KM have numerous native languages and work all around the world.
This team is also tasked with a transition in Mission wide leadership. This is a great and fascinating opportunity for me and I truly enjoy working with all the people I get to work with. This role seems to be a transitional role, and I have a mandate which, for the moment, ends after two more years. Just to be clear this is a volunteer role and all of our meetings have so far happened via ZOOM. When it is easier to travel, we hope to be able to meet a few times in person (our team is in France, Germany and Romania).
All of that to say that things change. We are very much aware as we enter into what seems like a new phase of missions work (we have now been on the field for 6 and a half years!) that there are many more changes to come.
We appreciate your support and care for us as we partner to bring much needed light and life to the people of France.
On a brief note, our family will be traveling (normally) in the States from mid December to early January. We do hope to get to stop by and see as many of you as possible! Please stay safe and may you see God as the giver of all good things.