My Mission Trip to France=$3800

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Friday, June 18, 2010

Life in Biarritz. And I may never leave...

*Note: I was recently told by staff here that we had no security issues. So, I am happy to share that I am in BIARRITZ, a surf city on the southwestern coast of France. This is a unique location infused with southern French and Basque culture.

This city is even more beautiful than the pictures I looked up before I arrived; winding streets littered with old white houses with either green, red, or blue painted shutters. Flowers are frivolously everywhere, on overpasses, street corners, and many house windows. They litter city corners like city streets are littered with boulangeries (yumm).

My heart is happy.

I feel like I'm home.

Being in Biarritz has been amazing.
The opportunities I've had to minister and grow in the Lord thus far have been overwhelming. For the first time in my life I really feel like God has enabled me to have something to offer to His church and His body.

Just to recap, my team and I are here to help out with two church plants and help run a surf hostel and it's surf minstry.

Since we've been here, we've gone to the two church plants. One is actually held at the hostel's all purpose downstairs room, which used to serve as a ballet studio. This church is about 30 big, and completely French and family oriented. After every Sunday service the church eats lunch together; this past Sunday being no different. We went to the service, then ate lunch after, where I met some French girls my age and instantly connected. We've stayed in contact via Facebook since, and I'm so excited for this friendship this summer.

That same Sunday night we experienced our team leader's church plant, which is in a nearby town called Hossegor. Hossegor is known for it's beautiful wave break and is the center of many surfing companies in Europe. This church plant consists of mostly young surfers, and I was able to connect with many of the teenagers there. Because this is such a new church, there are SO MANY needs and opportunities that our team will be able to jump in this summer. I'm even singing worship THIS SUNDAY, in English AND French, which though unnerving, absolutely excites my heart. In addition, each member on our team will have to preach a message and share their testimony.
We have connected well with the teenagers, many who come from a Catholic background, and have made plans to hang out and surf and fellowship with them this summer.

In addition, this week one of my teammates and I lived and worked at the Surf Hostel Biarritz. We will rotate two team members to do this every week!
Every morning we make a homemade breakfast for our guests and we offer good table service. People are always so surprised, and I love it and I love getting to love them in this way. I truly think I am coming to love hosting and the opportunity to refine the gift of hospitality. Getting to hang out with the guests during the morning and night has been so cool - I've met people from Ireland, Sweden, Britain, Canada, Poland, and Australia. I've loved each and every relationship.
Serving at this hostel is such a great opportunity for us, and we even had a guest come up to us while we were cleaning the kitchen and start a conversation on spiritual things. In the end he asked us to share with him what we believed about God! It was a great discussion.

































A highschooler from the church at Biarritz has also worked alongside us this week as we have served in the hostel and provided childcare and help for the staff family here. It has been a great opportunity for her to learn English and a great opportunity for us to love her in Christian fellowship, which is something she craves and doesn't have here. Her birthday was on Wednesday, and we made a cake for her in our apartment and then took her out to a great restaurant in Bidart, a nearby town, for dinner.
I ate the most amazing marinated mussels for an appetizer, the most amazing tuna with basquaise sauce as an main dish, and the most amazing strawberry tarte for dessert. The following pictures are of her birthday with us.

Blessings upon blessings have been poured upon us from the moment we got here. A couple from the Biarritz church is gone for the summer and have graciously offered their HUGE and BEAUTIFUL apartment to our team. We can see the beach and the Pyrenees from it, and I've had some amazing quiet times with this back drop.

In addition, I have been blessed by the amazing ministry opportunities here.

Tonight, I was able to host and organize a social for our hostel. We had a crepe bar (we made crepes and had ALL the toppings laid out) and then watched the football game. So many great conversations were had with our hostel guests. One guest even asked my teammate to share his testimony with her!
In addition, this Wednesday my teammate and I will get to sub-in/sit-in to English lessons held at the hostel/church's multipurpose room. This is such a great opportunity.
Additionally, one of the church members has invited me to her hiphop class (hello!) which she has enjoyed as a fun ministry with people.
And on top of that, our staff family has communicated to us the need for voice and dance teachers in Biarritz, and how that is something French families really love to put their kids in. The church's allpurpose room being an old ballet dance studio, they would love to have someone from the church use this space to teach lessons as a way to be more a part of the community.

Friends, I can not tell you how afraid I am to even dream...
(For those who don't know, I danced classical ballet for just over ten years and used to be a children's voice teacher in college.)
I'm not sure what to do about this and about my future, but all I can do right now is pray.

There has been no collision in culture and life here, for me. I feel as though I have just slipped in, my rhythm of life has aligned as if maybe I was always here.
It's truly beautiful and life-giving to my soul.

We are becoming friends with our boulanger, Philipe, and making friends in town and talking to people, though sometimes difficult with the language barrier, has come fairly easily. I speak French with people everyday, and I love it.

I am just ENJOYING life here and ministry just feels like such a natural outpouring. I desire God and I desire to share my life with others and be a part of their lives and their loves. It feels real and it feels good and it feels TRUE. Like THIS is how life is supposed to be lived.

Beautifully and wonderfully and free.

That being said, I have MANY prayer requesta, and if you've made it this far, I'd love for you to pray over them with me:

Please pray for:
- the Biarritz and Hossegor church plants
- christian friends for our new French friends in their lycees (high school)
- me, singing worship on Sunday at Hossegor, and our team's involvement with that church
- our hostel guests
- our long term team members

Thank you so much for being a part of my journey so far. I can't wait to share more of it with you.

Humbled by your love,
*Sheena

1 comment:

  1. This is amazing & Encouraging!!! I LOVE all of the photos. Esp the one of the small streets. That might be my favorite thing to do. Wander small streets. It's so lovely to hear of all the things that God is doing in and through you.

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