So I wrote this blog post while in Paris and wasn't able to post it. I'm going to take a couple of days to post old post I wrote and never posted and then I'll update you all on the end of the trip and life now =)
France is a place that continues on the cycle of “move 2 steps forward 1 step back.” They are a country with so much history that it is hard for them to move into the present and think about the future. Lives are centered around the France of the past. People are either moving away from the church or are deeply consumed by the Catholic Church.
The past week has been a huge learning experience for me. I have loved the city of Paris and its people. The buildings are incredible and tell such amazing stories of what life in France use to be and what the values were. Kings had HUGE chateaus; bigger than anything we see in the U.S. Churches were architectural masterpieces. The streets are cobblestone; the parks are outrageous and filled with water fountains and stunning flowers. There are cafes and pubs lining the streets and always filled with people. Life here is very different and yet very similar to life in California. People are busy, and driven by money. One of my favorite things here happens around 5 o’clock. As everyone is getting off work the café’s and pubs begin to fill. People take a break from the chaos of life and grab a cup of coffee or a beer with coworkers before heading home for dinner and family time. I love that Parisians know how to take a break to build relationships. The people here are way friendlier than I expected and actually want to help you. The other night we were at a restaurant that was run by an older women and her husband (a ma and pa kind of joint), and they were helping us learn French by showing us how to write different words and say them. It was really neat that they cared to take some time with us so we could go other places and order food =)
Okay so on to what we have done so far. Ours days are long and busy. Monday-Friday we have French class from 9-12 at the church we are connected with. Then 12:30 everyday is lunchtime, which is the biggest meal of the day here. They normally eat for lunch what we would eat for dinner. MarieFrance is our cook and we LOVE her!! She is full of energy and a wonderful lady (she is about 32). MarieFrance is an excellent cook and has been making us meals from different parts of France. We’ve had a lot of chicken, a fish dish, ratatouille and some other wonderful dishes. The afternoons have been different each day. We have visited the Louve, Notre Dame, Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, and Monet’s garden in Giverney, a Lebanese church, Marie Antoinette’s village and the Arc de Triumph. My favorite place so far would have to be the gardens at Versailles. They stretch over at least 100 or so acres and are absolutely beautiful. There are tons of different water fountains; flowers and even a little lake that you can rent paddle boats on. It was breathe taking how vast it was and to think that King Louis lived there was even more incredible.
Aside from tourist things we have learned a lot about the religious population and culture here in France. The majority of the people are catholic or nothing. There is a large group of witch craft happening. The evangelical church, which is what denomination the program we have connected with is, is considered American and not realistic. Parisians are open to Christianity but not to the church. Church history runs deep here in Paris, so the thought of attending church is often tied to the rituals and history of Catholicism. The fantastic thing though is that the Evangelic pastors in Paris and the surrounding suburbs are now joining together because of Pastor Michele to spread the “modern” Christian church. Side note, Pastor Michele is the pastor that spear heads a church in the city of Clamart, which is where we are staying. He is also the pastor for the 9 month program called Cijeim Force, which I will explain later. Michelle is an amazing man with a heart to change to the people of Paris. He is also working on connecting with churches in the United States so that we (the church in the U.S.) can partner in prayer and missionaries for the communities of France. It is really empowering and motivating to hear him speak and tell of his dreams for this country.
That’s it for tonight….there is a lot more to tell but it is super later here so its bedtime =)
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