Back in the USA

Well it's so good to be home! After all the travel, I don't know that I want to leave the country for awhile :). But we had a great time and a few adventures. Aaron is currently in New Orleans with about 30 students doing Hurricane Katrina Relief, and we'll see each other Saturday after 2 weeks apart (I came home on the 19th and Aaron left on Saturday the 17th). We've been calling back and forth, but it will be fun to hear the full story of all that's been happening this week. I've come back home to IL for a couple days until he gets home. And now back to France...

We went to Toulouse for 5 days where our region has a partnership with the campuses there. It is a beautiful city! The architecture is just lovely everywhere you look. We spent Monday trying to stay awake and walking around the city and meeting the team there. On Tuesday we met with the team and went on campus in the afternoon to talk to students. Many are pretty willing to talk and just share ideas. In the evening we went to the home of one of the American staff families there and were able to serve them. On Wednesday we had a Bible study in the morning and prayed around the city in the afternoon. That evening we did a craft night outreach for the French women. We Americans brought materials to make cards and bracelettes, and then one of the women shared her testimony. The French women loved it! They don't do crafts like we do here, and I think they enjoyed the opportunity to socialize in a fun way. On Thursday we met with all the staff in Toulouse and went back to campus in the afternoon. That night, a few of us were able to go back to the family and serve them a little more. The "grand finale" came for me that night. I caught the 24 hour stomach bug from the 2 little girls I babysat on Tuesday night. I was out of commission all day Friday. On Saturday morning we flew to Paris and spent the rest of the day and all day Sunday there. Then we flew home on Monday - a LONG day. Paris was AMAZING. I never had a huge desire to go the France or Paris, but it was just so beautiful. There's art and sculpture and gorgeous architecture everywhere you look. In Paris we took a bus tour around the city to see some of the highlights. We got out to walk around the Eiffel Tower (incidentally, it's brown - I didn't expect it to be a color :). On Sunday we went to the museum with Monet, Manet, VanGogh, Renior... (we didn't go to the Louvre because we didn't have much time and it's huge!) It was great to see such beautiful work up close. We went to Saint Chapel and Notre Dame in the afternoon. There is so much more that I would have loved to see. So that's our trip in a nutshell. I really did love it. I don't have a camera cord with me, and so I'll post pictures very soon.

Oh, I almost forgot in all the excitement, Aaron put an offer on a house while I was in France, and it was accepted last Friday! So now we're in the process of buying the house. So we should be moving in the next month. Anyway, so good to be home and much love to you all!