tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31231859497381635912024-03-13T13:16:32.155+03:00The SojournerRegular updates about the life and ministry of Jill Senechal, missionary in Southern France. Bienvenue! Welcome!Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-12894874738066945362010-12-22T17:06:00.003+03:002010-12-22T17:09:10.798+03:00Carol Services, Coming Soon!Check back soon - I'll be posting photos and maybe some videos from our Christmas Carol Services in Nice and Saint Paul de Vence!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmP6fxmp9In9tYcCLvTUSDk6sJg_ATdmaqGxCPSkTfZdGDczXrPUUqksOlGJrBpz8cDtTHKLx90lq8s96fRilf3Q6k7D7kdljoqJDrvdj2JkDk2xZ4xtAopbv_thSDC4Aoz3SfxA5PLjT/s1600/CarolChoir"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXmP6fxmp9In9tYcCLvTUSDk6sJg_ATdmaqGxCPSkTfZdGDczXrPUUqksOlGJrBpz8cDtTHKLx90lq8s96fRilf3Q6k7D7kdljoqJDrvdj2JkDk2xZ4xtAopbv_thSDC4Aoz3SfxA5PLjT/s320/CarolChoir" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553508365416055826" border="0" /></a>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-38665725760231216122010-11-01T01:19:00.000+03:002010-11-17T01:24:49.520+03:00Jack-o-LanternsAmy and I, along with our house guest Pauline, had lots of fun carving pumpkins for Halloween! We decided to try some new things, and I think they turned out really nicely. Thanks, Karina and Marie, for finding pumpkins for us!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGPJxQazA3FlT144rfNfC9jP9xC85nbtXG3xYQgzD-OoRjQ-qtDl-X1EXmBXEmOrP7mZZZFOYdQq8G_xBZ_XBzRY37nZH0GydJ99XYluPArp8IxKTxDTwvNoO_WdzPh-QBgFgGvGq-80H/s1600/P1190067.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGPJxQazA3FlT144rfNfC9jP9xC85nbtXG3xYQgzD-OoRjQ-qtDl-X1EXmBXEmOrP7mZZZFOYdQq8G_xBZ_XBzRY37nZH0GydJ99XYluPArp8IxKTxDTwvNoO_WdzPh-QBgFgGvGq-80H/s320/P1190067.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540276474289420962" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rAADNZ_RIS6e4uKMTWazUY5AdBkd0rrfgXRzezImxNIXD1CGwtPCBLjzU9PblLfhc56u_HKnVLx7U_oJBmnl_JbGK3mn8GQB_cBfbCqf9zycXulzPuNapJTrHeRSlazpEQnCmuILCSni/s1600/P1190076.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rAADNZ_RIS6e4uKMTWazUY5AdBkd0rrfgXRzezImxNIXD1CGwtPCBLjzU9PblLfhc56u_HKnVLx7U_oJBmnl_JbGK3mn8GQB_cBfbCqf9zycXulzPuNapJTrHeRSlazpEQnCmuILCSni/s320/P1190076.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540276465744114690" border="0" /></a>Amy's Cat<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSj8n29FMxA5WY3N7EIQg9QEfDS0xtxr975fHGpHst9i7WhUtkrTmjrB6NrEb2XZsp9PZciptxA7vck-xugOl8652rwUwX47A768w49JqBdydrzAKq_hurcMUNmCqZGVhtT5p502MeSan/s1600/P1190060.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSj8n29FMxA5WY3N7EIQg9QEfDS0xtxr975fHGpHst9i7WhUtkrTmjrB6NrEb2XZsp9PZciptxA7vck-xugOl8652rwUwX47A768w49JqBdydrzAKq_hurcMUNmCqZGVhtT5p502MeSan/s320/P1190060.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540276455080092786" border="0" /></a>Pauline's Jack-o-lantern<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDO96h04DybS5WgD1OPRi-2KlNP8YaygJq8-oCay5OgbYgCiDpLFDaP1U82jpcocrHGDPeIfMjAM3pQl37zPFkiHyZfOEdFTUEL0LA-GulHgD0Vm0mzePsTnfUcJwcNn2RyKBQWtiAwG5Z/s1600/P1190059.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDO96h04DybS5WgD1OPRi-2KlNP8YaygJq8-oCay5OgbYgCiDpLFDaP1U82jpcocrHGDPeIfMjAM3pQl37zPFkiHyZfOEdFTUEL0LA-GulHgD0Vm0mzePsTnfUcJwcNn2RyKBQWtiAwG5Z/s320/P1190059.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540276448071401090" border="0" /></a>Jill's Haunted House<br /><br /></div>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-2547845294886867042010-10-30T01:13:00.001+03:002010-11-17T01:19:37.845+03:00Car AccidentSo, I had my first foreign car accident this week. The bus driver left the scene without giving me his information, but other than that, everything is fine. Well, except for the car.<br /><br />I'll post photos soon - I especially want everyone to see how well the new bumper I put on held up!Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-13308902306879784192010-10-25T00:52:00.001+03:002010-11-17T01:13:05.647+03:00AvignonHere are some photos from our recent day trip to Avignon. It was a really cold and windy day, but we really enjoyed visiting the old Papal Palace and the Pont du Gard!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLqryLmDiT7-2g_REQh6QSNyJN4q7K1xOy_LycOqU0ICnFAgEX9EN9MNHaetnxRYAo-1kbPggpsAMfgp19g_plvPMEyxqiTU-xaCakkySxxGGyjwUrEAvw3kJxd2NUP5Tas0m1f6OsArZ/s1600/P1190058.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLqryLmDiT7-2g_REQh6QSNyJN4q7K1xOy_LycOqU0ICnFAgEX9EN9MNHaetnxRYAo-1kbPggpsAMfgp19g_plvPMEyxqiTU-xaCakkySxxGGyjwUrEAvw3kJxd2NUP5Tas0m1f6OsArZ/s320/P1190058.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540271987696122274" border="0" /></a>Emilio imitating the elephant statue outside the Palace!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvL-DdxWnlBfjllFHNFejwhpwN13TQm8WISq0skweGAXIlYbTak3ZHmO-9RFlvK12Nwo5wRrkc7LCI4TN0hlq1KpY32EORCAvWmxx_6fNr3sMqkN3tUD7n8J-jK7u2y6F7svXOhZpiSah/s1600/P1190057.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvL-DdxWnlBfjllFHNFejwhpwN13TQm8WISq0skweGAXIlYbTak3ZHmO-9RFlvK12Nwo5wRrkc7LCI4TN0hlq1KpY32EORCAvWmxx_6fNr3sMqkN3tUD7n8J-jK7u2y6F7svXOhZpiSah/s320/P1190057.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540270749965480242" border="0" /></a>Here is the entrance to the palace, where French popes lived and worked for 70 years.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMEtrV5LY3AeFpBWolpaoDecAX2KbAw0jP4iAetziNklAg5k6ScNneY1ZmwQstAGMhSHUz-w4ixYb6be5SOD431d3XHVKC6JyRdqAxKqSIa_oY9331VEHV9pH5Ac8DEcCZG2cQGA8-oew/s1600/P1190045.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtMEtrV5LY3AeFpBWolpaoDecAX2KbAw0jP4iAetziNklAg5k6ScNneY1ZmwQstAGMhSHUz-w4ixYb6be5SOD431d3XHVKC6JyRdqAxKqSIa_oY9331VEHV9pH5Ac8DEcCZG2cQGA8-oew/s320/P1190045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540270742800224082" border="0" /></a>A statue on top of the Palace at sunset.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICvMmxq9KLnaLE-v5D5KuObMr6crq2654FQb_7biYwN5JwfJyv9Xg3fMKCgAX6dPdKgzShSTe77Q096yyR7I33zEhk6IcRMlrVshXWE8GNvAuUr5zYDbsF2kBz5oJRlTlf5ScGeWDfDo1/s1600/P1190044.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICvMmxq9KLnaLE-v5D5KuObMr6crq2654FQb_7biYwN5JwfJyv9Xg3fMKCgAX6dPdKgzShSTe77Q096yyR7I33zEhk6IcRMlrVshXWE8GNvAuUr5zYDbsF2kBz5oJRlTlf5ScGeWDfDo1/s320/P1190044.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540270731377812994" border="0" /></a>The inside of the Palace was incredible!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOTjF9x3jA77e4pjJYBSyXLJh-1JOWrcqBAmlZfUYqYZynyl7s-5vSfOyyIu8_XLbKRjs3GazTqsjn1KGjIEVAImQMNZf9ETawijC06BXCqLgSV4otNMgYVvGUdQ7YFFNKK56dkjZe3OX/s1600/P1190042.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOTjF9x3jA77e4pjJYBSyXLJh-1JOWrcqBAmlZfUYqYZynyl7s-5vSfOyyIu8_XLbKRjs3GazTqsjn1KGjIEVAImQMNZf9ETawijC06BXCqLgSV4otNMgYVvGUdQ7YFFNKK56dkjZe3OX/s320/P1190042.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540270721618051170" border="0" /></a>A shot of Nacho by the window. It was cold!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFq_wnhDnlK-KG83BdgZ_MOlLBaoaYVGinMQjjieNZnO4QOAj5Ro093MwZw4sFAmgA-cwRiYxjjEpgrOrjzho51MB5FfSp8dkfotE6yVyTAiUtAzUrDayGtE0408EfbTLScr_cBeacUyi7/s1600/P1190040.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFq_wnhDnlK-KG83BdgZ_MOlLBaoaYVGinMQjjieNZnO4QOAj5Ro093MwZw4sFAmgA-cwRiYxjjEpgrOrjzho51MB5FfSp8dkfotE6yVyTAiUtAzUrDayGtE0408EfbTLScr_cBeacUyi7/s320/P1190040.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540270715595680738" border="0" /></a>This was the dining room of the Pope. The inside of the fireplace is the size of my bedroom!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zZ_aMcHIz-d-75pGGz7d2Ec3pbVjdyXE6-NhwWsX-gkL9JPZR0sLKAAhpsBBeXllIpe_VVqTAyrXfqcaNfBzVdjM_Id0vQ6QVtchfaFWpRWLOdAaATlOsbhdoe_3FC2TfHm4aRnzIK8R/s1600/P1190037.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zZ_aMcHIz-d-75pGGz7d2Ec3pbVjdyXE6-NhwWsX-gkL9JPZR0sLKAAhpsBBeXllIpe_VVqTAyrXfqcaNfBzVdjM_Id0vQ6QVtchfaFWpRWLOdAaATlOsbhdoe_3FC2TfHm4aRnzIK8R/s320/P1190037.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540269985345509330" border="0" /></a>The courtyard of the Papal Palace.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPlym7ieyhsa84RcoOGX8mNp6pLZScWJvMsJLRdfqqt0QUKoj7drColn-pd1P4TtGaIQxcU8CLdZrkylhmKFpGyW-fX0xYKcIsIZdfHiyKv79UfraU1XcIP6CLkTlOg4cUYbLzn0PBtsM/s1600/P1190028.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPlym7ieyhsa84RcoOGX8mNp6pLZScWJvMsJLRdfqqt0QUKoj7drColn-pd1P4TtGaIQxcU8CLdZrkylhmKFpGyW-fX0xYKcIsIZdfHiyKv79UfraU1XcIP6CLkTlOg4cUYbLzn0PBtsM/s320/P1190028.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540269964638727186" border="0" /></a>I just thought this old door looked cool.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtkR0xBKrTHgQRg2RqmBNoLZmmT4lREkVsYBDrfXixru7lDxCluUJN3EXLJaJt3ns4L6YMT4qJ1jiCGHCzVf-ccj6Xhne6MrCc-qrOCYa2yvypt7z67TCaPCwoZbaIIN7IrEGAqTomU4K/s1600/P1190009.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtkR0xBKrTHgQRg2RqmBNoLZmmT4lREkVsYBDrfXixru7lDxCluUJN3EXLJaJt3ns4L6YMT4qJ1jiCGHCzVf-ccj6Xhne6MrCc-qrOCYa2yvypt7z67TCaPCwoZbaIIN7IrEGAqTomU4K/s320/P1190009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540269952866801186" border="0" /></a>Daniel and Marie celebrated 19 years of marriage. Congratulations!!!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5fr7B-78xbvBZtnW3OL0j_cu_SFpzqj9GTYFKOBpKnIU0wpAuPhEFV2HY_q4XLtZzeXRyWAJ2j6LOJpATguU1Ep5Lf_jjPTSQnxczCpr_j3dkr_wdotXzdklnfDJY8-JLw903McIEueb/s1600/P1190019.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5fr7B-78xbvBZtnW3OL0j_cu_SFpzqj9GTYFKOBpKnIU0wpAuPhEFV2HY_q4XLtZzeXRyWAJ2j6LOJpATguU1Ep5Lf_jjPTSQnxczCpr_j3dkr_wdotXzdklnfDJY8-JLw903McIEueb/s320/P1190019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540269936327894482" border="0" /></a>The Pont du Gard, a 2000-year old aqueduct near Avignon. It was still in use until about 100 years ago.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIr2V_wc9qu30_0Ji67uJ77zno8maYXbqUS7dmK1_YuqG1BLtAkv9tWhKpR_U1C-6vldTTLyC0iUZgcutU6E1R7Zd2OnyOSm4EFMhIGgQUE6yzNhMV7pzwws14ly1gp-0w3dNDqi5tv49/s1600/P1190012.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsIr2V_wc9qu30_0Ji67uJ77zno8maYXbqUS7dmK1_YuqG1BLtAkv9tWhKpR_U1C-6vldTTLyC0iUZgcutU6E1R7Zd2OnyOSm4EFMhIGgQUE6yzNhMV7pzwws14ly1gp-0w3dNDqi5tv49/s320/P1190012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540269917616152738" border="0" /></a>You can still walk across this bridge, and the water still flows smoothly through. Amazing!<br /><br /></div>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-62356134459680746912010-07-21T15:55:00.005+03:002010-07-21T16:14:18.652+03:00Half Day of PrayerEvery three months our church hosts a Half-Day of Prayer, where we get together and pray for one another, for our church, and for the world. This time we all met at James and Jen's house on a sunny Saturday to pray, and then had a barbecue to celebrate Independence Day. The prayer time was great: we modeled our prayer time after the Lord's Prayer. Here are a few photos from our day together:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSSQG5xqQRo46gvgtaUy8lBIVT19IbO-UVbV5b1Tbu9elhKfv5Omh29PzW7ML8pUXSMEr_R4DQmUyyAhvPfTRwOb7UMBSjb1O2M62KVtcinzWhN9TqJQW3Xr_3EV3ONJYgvV26a-zrGFZ/s1600/P1180723.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSSQG5xqQRo46gvgtaUy8lBIVT19IbO-UVbV5b1Tbu9elhKfv5Omh29PzW7ML8pUXSMEr_R4DQmUyyAhvPfTRwOb7UMBSjb1O2M62KVtcinzWhN9TqJQW3Xr_3EV3ONJYgvV26a-zrGFZ/s320/P1180723.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496344775163920562" border="0" /></a>The Arnold's have a great yard for gatherings like this one!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUxqBb92kqo1pvCR9TuOohvZbBJWEAcP0vmSUII7xI_t5DKreJz7a3PYs487OxLQH7h8AhmK06wX0BElS7q1C7FqS6imlCUprYxeFu-Y0Rp0lg_1Sl_EgtNO7dZm_xIypmNz9H2f3bpeq/s1600/P1180728.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUxqBb92kqo1pvCR9TuOohvZbBJWEAcP0vmSUII7xI_t5DKreJz7a3PYs487OxLQH7h8AhmK06wX0BElS7q1C7FqS6imlCUprYxeFu-Y0Rp0lg_1Sl_EgtNO7dZm_xIypmNz9H2f3bpeq/s320/P1180728.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496344764876646882" border="0" /></a>We used every corner of their property to pray and visit.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDVmRhyphenhyphenbD6d146kTPpeT9OIGEhyphenhyphenKGVAZNiS1Xg5J-UrV2jx83zk0FgE5YiTaNJm8uzfpZQd3w0PiWFGSeXWvMvWBr_AtFdRY0RD9p3YcsvsZ1J135YVMyr-7rc1HyE1G5vQwD5HsMV8V0/s1600/P1180725.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDVmRhyphenhyphenbD6d146kTPpeT9OIGEhyphenhyphenKGVAZNiS1Xg5J-UrV2jx83zk0FgE5YiTaNJm8uzfpZQd3w0PiWFGSeXWvMvWBr_AtFdRY0RD9p3YcsvsZ1J135YVMyr-7rc1HyE1G5vQwD5HsMV8V0/s320/P1180725.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496344758950850898" border="0" /></a>The kids had a program too, and Amy and Jen did a great job with them.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSURa7kaUfDovXDEt8tZb1StitneVFnTRuHV4gQd_SzSf6qSc7S17Q_umHsu-MrijXsI50E0UC4J33cTZowZwEKrK5X8Vyl5AhlP0KJ1aPldE1Gv4c-HDfv_4u3P22UoUDfjn2XnDms06u/s1600/P1180727.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSURa7kaUfDovXDEt8tZb1StitneVFnTRuHV4gQd_SzSf6qSc7S17Q_umHsu-MrijXsI50E0UC4J33cTZowZwEKrK5X8Vyl5AhlP0KJ1aPldE1Gv4c-HDfv_4u3P22UoUDfjn2XnDms06u/s320/P1180727.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496344748355382994" border="0" /></a>Can you imagine a better place to pray?<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lMldsDdo1P3nduJEHKaW4XJZoT63IzRErTC-cTXabghcug24V8G8Kz5GIlh7m3GzM4cKP6YxZbK86re2v6sgZYei9WRn7fVpkYqC28_X11DpoMKRvPF7IComiVIEIUN7PxImZOrc7gQw/s1600/P1180719.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lMldsDdo1P3nduJEHKaW4XJZoT63IzRErTC-cTXabghcug24V8G8Kz5GIlh7m3GzM4cKP6YxZbK86re2v6sgZYei9WRn7fVpkYqC28_X11DpoMKRvPF7IComiVIEIUN7PxImZOrc7gQw/s320/P1180719.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496344740865863842" border="0" /></a>Daniel and Francois during small-group prayer.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY39pLj3nwnrWCi9e1Kx5WYPO-bPuFXBTsg_kNB6Ue9Eyo3Kp5TGvi1f2b5LfIvW_8rYKnDFOZKOaHdX4GuTCMYpP1GAc7jPeasJ4WhHzUMYrutIZ9xqv68dhqPiIImWgKohraZLnIjPE2/s1600/P1180722.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY39pLj3nwnrWCi9e1Kx5WYPO-bPuFXBTsg_kNB6Ue9Eyo3Kp5TGvi1f2b5LfIvW_8rYKnDFOZKOaHdX4GuTCMYpP1GAc7jPeasJ4WhHzUMYrutIZ9xqv68dhqPiIImWgKohraZLnIjPE2/s320/P1180722.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496346434220860402" border="0" /></a>Another prayer group...<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCHyG7u5okBr3WpyeTgIAnLH0YND4eLl_syo-xyFRNd336Gu6O7CwyVYFXocFFBznU7BgIhrsrjoEqCjhwgN4Plz3weE_Z_8LPOV1TNvE2mqfyrrJKzNdo-u9s83Eo1Tfsf8lp9XmhdjL/s1600/P1180713.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCHyG7u5okBr3WpyeTgIAnLH0YND4eLl_syo-xyFRNd336Gu6O7CwyVYFXocFFBznU7BgIhrsrjoEqCjhwgN4Plz3weE_Z_8LPOV1TNvE2mqfyrrJKzNdo-u9s83Eo1Tfsf8lp9XmhdjL/s320/P1180713.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496346444123285666" border="0" /></a>What Independence Day celebration is complete without a flag cake?!<br /></div>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-64840210672277805962010-07-21T15:41:00.004+03:002010-07-21T17:30:07.223+03:00Our New HomeAfter 3 months of searching, we finally moved into our new home on June 21st! Here just a few photos of our place:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynJgwB5yfqBPUZc8zXb1fg1SqzpaGuvAkP9UJD1pY2zf34Cvawsa8_WdTrb6fyJ23o-n2GRepvZygJXWO1nrunr_9nW7k0dAUUIByYyBAuvrjx0DB_-5aaj-V03sUAcdAmWg1ehoHDwB5/s1600/P1180770.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynJgwB5yfqBPUZc8zXb1fg1SqzpaGuvAkP9UJD1pY2zf34Cvawsa8_WdTrb6fyJ23o-n2GRepvZygJXWO1nrunr_9nW7k0dAUUIByYyBAuvrjx0DB_-5aaj-V03sUAcdAmWg1ehoHDwB5/s320/P1180770.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496339682800494850" border="0" /></a>We have many fruit trees and flowering plants in the yard, including 2 palm trees!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSipuqgV_eJmBVUoCqp-IZahk7ahD7OfVDVHjLoLOyYZPlHVHEoIB919_CPYtAyhLzTnttZyKWDvuEwrQAt7FEW8MJzqbP_rYCcYdhtn6f2w4vFc5paJ4ZhJmwBQC0PiUUT7a3cr4sEhTS/s1600/P1180771.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSipuqgV_eJmBVUoCqp-IZahk7ahD7OfVDVHjLoLOyYZPlHVHEoIB919_CPYtAyhLzTnttZyKWDvuEwrQAt7FEW8MJzqbP_rYCcYdhtn6f2w4vFc5paJ4ZhJmwBQC0PiUUT7a3cr4sEhTS/s320/P1180771.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496339692404702722" border="0" /></a>Our living room has lots of windows, making it very light and open.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHQcwH9Fgumd9z8ZMVo8X_SkkPtjQhWa98leiGTXjn-Wdad8pJ0XGpx5GV3GQWQ9wqhsljE0Mci8RM0BkS0MeQX5B1Opg9a2psRbz_e-LRavUPEIVphfCZE3AwfjieXvsW3G2Ts47KuZL/s1600/P1180776.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHQcwH9Fgumd9z8ZMVo8X_SkkPtjQhWa98leiGTXjn-Wdad8pJ0XGpx5GV3GQWQ9wqhsljE0Mci8RM0BkS0MeQX5B1Opg9a2psRbz_e-LRavUPEIVphfCZE3AwfjieXvsW3G2Ts47KuZL/s320/P1180776.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496339700287823826" border="0" /></a>Here is a view of the living room. It's been a great gathering place for us. (We're going to re-cover the sofas!)<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIpGojb8xfTntPke3Uyd6J1XhXzw-W_X9NeibsEbFeqyOeT-2Y4OmI-kdNxiNlzvYKi-QzZ5iq5lqXNLouRs8iJInPznYLbC2FclmhMeAR2AkK4fKyO-Wv9TdvoO1QFs2G5OFmK0dBF9h/s1600/P1180778.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIpGojb8xfTntPke3Uyd6J1XhXzw-W_X9NeibsEbFeqyOeT-2Y4OmI-kdNxiNlzvYKi-QzZ5iq5lqXNLouRs8iJInPznYLbC2FclmhMeAR2AkK4fKyO-Wv9TdvoO1QFs2G5OFmK0dBF9h/s320/P1180778.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496339705287853282" border="0" /></a>Our kitchen is very big, especially by European standards.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0QYy1weDLKWQd2mAF6Q85JIoqlBCaWPHAJ2LZVwPgQArlkCWjc-2v4qklFu_i5ytoMZzGo_-JYmyF2Fo-oDpq8oMqq1XNW8lbWxh1b-M9BkcpGT9xjmQ40_BDLIKffHmoxqwHX_44ZSd/s1600/P1180779.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0QYy1weDLKWQd2mAF6Q85JIoqlBCaWPHAJ2LZVwPgQArlkCWjc-2v4qklFu_i5ytoMZzGo_-JYmyF2Fo-oDpq8oMqq1XNW8lbWxh1b-M9BkcpGT9xjmQ40_BDLIKffHmoxqwHX_44ZSd/s320/P1180779.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496339715303173218" border="0" /></a>I found a desk I really love at a secondhand furniture store, and here it is in my bedroom. It's important to have a desk I like, because I'll be spending a lot of time studying there!<br /></div>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-49794035791551835472010-06-25T16:17:00.004+03:002010-07-21T16:31:20.729+03:00Baptism!This Saturday five members of our church family were baptized in the Mediterranean. It was truly an international event, as those baptized come from France, the USA, the Ukraine, and India. Each one gave a short profession of their faith before getting in the water. They were all very moving, though perhaps most moving of all was our own teammate, 9-year old Rebekah, who was baptized by her dad.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBwHDdOawaIAaUAX3kZFEXOS8abvqhT16JhTn_xBxq3nSKbs2Z6f28WiQaQFaoIrwltI7zkWQN8ulr3gN1aKhHYV_y3XJLXUZZB3zZn_s90rmiQwmLBikBHeyqsAyWTQ4udK1ChV84QyX/s1600/P1180676.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBwHDdOawaIAaUAX3kZFEXOS8abvqhT16JhTn_xBxq3nSKbs2Z6f28WiQaQFaoIrwltI7zkWQN8ulr3gN1aKhHYV_y3XJLXUZZB3zZn_s90rmiQwmLBikBHeyqsAyWTQ4udK1ChV84QyX/s320/P1180676.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496350921139456050" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDhKclFDG6Y9VhAvqNcM0f5x5bFWETi9CFKYfVb2zq5LwxJOSuMqsMmw8IL9O1h0C4bAz06Wikz2N_e9Zh3tX_76Dq3PS0tKGSBGaX_vyXVRLk6gRRK2DS4mm1KpHY5XAJPmJNCGM0t82/s1600/P1180684.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkDhKclFDG6Y9VhAvqNcM0f5x5bFWETi9CFKYfVb2zq5LwxJOSuMqsMmw8IL9O1h0C4bAz06Wikz2N_e9Zh3tX_76Dq3PS0tKGSBGaX_vyXVRLk6gRRK2DS4mm1KpHY5XAJPmJNCGM0t82/s320/P1180684.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496350286180992018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzXKn94cC0R_QlbjPFWjUd2MYaWJZIYE9PYJjtpyFqTKLeVzNEEUz2A5voRR0PbQnGVgusXTJYcayZolucdmIjyRT9SDvkMrr5IeDfnEBPjrS5yfV49HEkVtb9XGzSXFPLh7wPIsXZRFd/s1600/P1180688.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzXKn94cC0R_QlbjPFWjUd2MYaWJZIYE9PYJjtpyFqTKLeVzNEEUz2A5voRR0PbQnGVgusXTJYcayZolucdmIjyRT9SDvkMrr5IeDfnEBPjrS5yfV49HEkVtb9XGzSXFPLh7wPIsXZRFd/s320/P1180688.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496350270055012786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujES0Mcqra6a6BC2WwB1f9I1Lm9uHFMX_wggJoTWBFO2DFVmOT6LoIT3sQ_DejJVNL8unR9LNv-FT4YzkldDrsGLGz4BGg5IBRwVIsk1E3L6fgXSnLQdj1QgOfGKSonDtpgy6qNn80L9G/s1600/P1180698.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujES0Mcqra6a6BC2WwB1f9I1Lm9uHFMX_wggJoTWBFO2DFVmOT6LoIT3sQ_DejJVNL8unR9LNv-FT4YzkldDrsGLGz4BGg5IBRwVIsk1E3L6fgXSnLQdj1QgOfGKSonDtpgy6qNn80L9G/s320/P1180698.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496350262276525522" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPT_H52uxy44lcLHzQFBg_7JBYCubjgsBpXd71-sJNCQ-a3G5vdZoIQTq0ITBWURBn7MDY-F0Q0RaI7zkMBtE9tJPNC2cwHxNH22E8h0uwLzgAqSHoTwRtKiLu-kgk3LCFtcwVazfgNbV/s1600/P1180700.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPT_H52uxy44lcLHzQFBg_7JBYCubjgsBpXd71-sJNCQ-a3G5vdZoIQTq0ITBWURBn7MDY-F0Q0RaI7zkMBtE9tJPNC2cwHxNH22E8h0uwLzgAqSHoTwRtKiLu-kgk3LCFtcwVazfgNbV/s320/P1180700.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496350260881007426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSl1Er5xDuBroSXrppiDv-9EsdeYq_hCJ4X3vtz1BMjVpNfQ0G9gumfP0Tue8jtaXEZjRXkv5xTnfguIX7eqXK42eHaY1xphfiqEh89VNbt7Z_vunRCqoBeA5dRAnzLR6XLAsTNVR_gX3x/s1600/P1180696.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSl1Er5xDuBroSXrppiDv-9EsdeYq_hCJ4X3vtz1BMjVpNfQ0G9gumfP0Tue8jtaXEZjRXkv5xTnfguIX7eqXK42eHaY1xphfiqEh89VNbt7Z_vunRCqoBeA5dRAnzLR6XLAsTNVR_gX3x/s320/P1180696.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496350245409341954" border="0" /></a>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-47550221143015360852010-05-17T13:02:00.007+03:002010-05-17T13:28:51.987+03:00Marie Durant<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong></strong></span> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <link style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/jmsenechal/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>71</o:Words> <o:characters>407</o:Characters> <o:company>Denton Bible Church Missions</o:Company> <o:lines>3</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>499</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; 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mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:Cambria;">While we were at the castle last month, we visited a museum dedicated to the Huguenots, the French Protestants of the early 18th century who were persecuted for their beliefs. I was especially touched by the story of a woman named Marie.</span></strong><b style="">
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<br /><strong><span style="font-family:Cambria;">Below is an excerpt from an article called "The Ultimate Meaning of True Womanhood" by John Piper (full article </span></strong></b><a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ConferenceMessages/ByDate/2008/3296_The_Ultimate_Meaning_of_True_Womanhood/"><strong><span style="font-family:Cambria;">here</span></strong></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, who tells her story. </span>
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<br />The opposite of a wimpy woman </strong></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">is a girl named Marie Durant. In the late Seventeenth Century in . . . southern France, she was brought before the authorities, charged with the Huguenot heresy. She was fourteen years old, bright, attractive, marriageable. She was asked to abjure the Huguenot faith. She was not asked to commit an immoral act, to become a criminal, or even change the day-to-day quality of her behavior. She was only asked to say, “J’abjure.” No more, no less. She did not comply. Together with thirty other Huguenot women she was put into a tower by the sea. . . . For thirty-eight years she continued. . . . And instead of the hated word J’abjure she, together with her fellow martyrs, scratched on the wall of the prison tower the single word Resistez, resist! The word is still seen and gaped at by tourists on the stone wall at Aigues-Mortes. . . . We do not understand the terrifying simplicity of a religious commitment which asks nothing of time and gets nothing from time. We can understand a religion that enhances time. . . . But we cannot understand a faith which is not nourished by the temporal hope that tomorrow things will be better. To sit in a prison room with thirty others and to see the day change into night and summer into autumn, to feel the slow systemic changes within one’s flesh; the drying and wrinkling of the skin, the loss of muscle tone, the stiffening of the joints, the slow stupefaction of the senses - to feel all this and still persevere seems almost idiotic to a generation which has no capacity to wait and to endure.</span>
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<br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ67Vyn6LFn3pVcaKEYTVHFi0klwSSaIV0wjQHU3y-773F3ZcK7fhGqpCSADRGLETYOF1DiAOjlvi5f2PZEWFbmm3wcPNUMKdChkB-eyVTUdjVWjloDbCdaPJakZmqBP6m8p6HwE4rh6ZN/s1600/P1180410.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ67Vyn6LFn3pVcaKEYTVHFi0klwSSaIV0wjQHU3y-773F3ZcK7fhGqpCSADRGLETYOF1DiAOjlvi5f2PZEWFbmm3wcPNUMKdChkB-eyVTUdjVWjloDbCdaPJakZmqBP6m8p6HwE4rh6ZN/s320/P1180410.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472181429644623618" border="0" /></a>
<br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A painting of Marie Durant and her fellow inmates at the tower of Aiges-Mortes.
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<br /></div><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRcZU9jbo76teQ3Ktt74td4qxDhy8rr6KtDSipqpffXaLvaiFmGz2zrhRm5zkAUqJtSlfi_c2Rp5miTieszWaLyk4C4pWiIWacqI3rtrmWU2ctqSasAe5dos1PvrxThkpzvpMRDopBhSr/s1600/P1180411.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRcZU9jbo76teQ3Ktt74td4qxDhy8rr6KtDSipqpffXaLvaiFmGz2zrhRm5zkAUqJtSlfi_c2Rp5miTieszWaLyk4C4pWiIWacqI3rtrmWU2ctqSasAe5dos1PvrxThkpzvpMRDopBhSr/s320/P1180411.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472181445703224290" border="0" /></a>
<br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:85%;" ><strong> The </strong></span>stone from the tower wall where the women etched "Resistez".
<br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><strong></strong></span></div><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
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<br /></span></strong></span>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-38549410751736515872010-04-22T18:57:00.004+03:002010-04-22T19:31:44.666+03:00A Week in a Castle!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKN2CWpC28wMlswKXhP85TpmcQ8GWL6lcdwfWx61ljAIXY7M2sUClVPly0QhkA3G7H8EQ_319y89242Vsc_iFAwvegQ_maKiOex5kLPzvw4fpu_btWwvoIVTzwmJ8xkBx2dMf9HRJQmWn/s1600/P1180434.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKN2CWpC28wMlswKXhP85TpmcQ8GWL6lcdwfWx61ljAIXY7M2sUClVPly0QhkA3G7H8EQ_319y89242Vsc_iFAwvegQ_maKiOex5kLPzvw4fpu_btWwvoIVTzwmJ8xkBx2dMf9HRJQmWn/s320/P1180434.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462997665208824850" border="0" /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></span></a><br />Here are a few more pictures of our week in the Cevennes, near La Salle. We stayed in a Chateau on a hill, and the trees and flowers were really getting ready for spring! These are pictures of the grounds of the castle. Later on I'll post some photos of the surrounding area, including a story from the Musee du Desert, a museum we visited which commemorates the Huguenots of the early 1700s. The Huguenots were the French Protestants who were persecuted heavily for their faith and lived mainly in the hills of the Cevennes, where they could hide from the French troops. It was a really moving and inspirational museum - I'll tell you more about it soon!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12We_OrfFCik1kr-7wQz-5ts226u1DtKsDFXLo1gMji1szrQGhz3o-S77zQHQLruFLu_NSknomdVDWv1OTxMgpCwrFkiRSEVtDu12QfhLP5n58DeIiyrU7lhhIwfXloJGeWiYQyEQSMcv/s1600/P1180441.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12We_OrfFCik1kr-7wQz-5ts226u1DtKsDFXLo1gMji1szrQGhz3o-S77zQHQLruFLu_NSknomdVDWv1OTxMgpCwrFkiRSEVtDu12QfhLP5n58DeIiyrU7lhhIwfXloJGeWiYQyEQSMcv/s320/P1180441.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462997650928931090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The chapel on the chateau grounds.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrz0vBN55pFsmAsBciXtPHE_laZ3rNIoaQCtorqJc-iUWSmHrR03luHw4HA3Wje3lJIk7uEvv50Nx06Vdd76S1bK7ek5rYEojtr5i05bO_SAG6TW0xA8Br-SyVyjLurk5U7Op_wLsNiIb/s1600/P1180399.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrz0vBN55pFsmAsBciXtPHE_laZ3rNIoaQCtorqJc-iUWSmHrR03luHw4HA3Wje3lJIk7uEvv50Nx06Vdd76S1bK7ek5rYEojtr5i05bO_SAG6TW0xA8Br-SyVyjLurk5U7Op_wLsNiIb/s320/P1180399.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462997643553797314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">There were many beautiful doors!<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinunsLZJTWV7Bohfnw5T-1PzMvSI2OitIrV-6po75nrapKcCxW-AP2E2zto51BCwwV2RpwvRZj8SZWu8QzDjG0C9eWWstK17DXmhV0CyLDRGft6Zm-yxAfSR9oPGcFrZY5gFgeEBuftVot/s1600/P1180432.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinunsLZJTWV7Bohfnw5T-1PzMvSI2OitIrV-6po75nrapKcCxW-AP2E2zto51BCwwV2RpwvRZj8SZWu8QzDjG0C9eWWstK17DXmhV0CyLDRGft6Zm-yxAfSR9oPGcFrZY5gFgeEBuftVot/s320/P1180432.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462997634154957666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">This was the view from our bedroom! The pot you see in the foreground is from the nearby village of Anduze. These pots are very famous and expensive, and can even be found decorating the palace in Versailles!<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSo2-cBmC5uRLBGFXCa4Oh_51lkYeUS2gqvkOKmhavzHWdnhFJ66vjB5ScnAx-d_9WS3bRJJm7T5F5GI47TJBLmJzPlCA4iYZncj3denkWFaHUU1vCXV-T-6KNUMM38qWfrihNuimQxPD/s1600/P1180419.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSo2-cBmC5uRLBGFXCa4Oh_51lkYeUS2gqvkOKmhavzHWdnhFJ66vjB5ScnAx-d_9WS3bRJJm7T5F5GI47TJBLmJzPlCA4iYZncj3denkWFaHUU1vCXV-T-6KNUMM38qWfrihNuimQxPD/s320/P1180419.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462997631941102402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">There were beautiful flowers everywhere!<br /></span></div>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-72653109621037361142010-04-19T11:11:00.004+03:002010-04-19T11:21:09.837+03:00House Guests<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWEd6S8HAvU1X5cPqqwyl7ympeSDL2Cg2Hhie3-jgH9thxD3FoLhWF-pRjlEvY887YPVqOupBhs7IubT3jkQrbJhoX1kuR32UIv5l7rTlH17RepCPwPdWBsox1zyJg6OTjdwuyqj8M6BxV/s1600/P1180440.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWEd6S8HAvU1X5cPqqwyl7ympeSDL2Cg2Hhie3-jgH9thxD3FoLhWF-pRjlEvY887YPVqOupBhs7IubT3jkQrbJhoX1kuR32UIv5l7rTlH17RepCPwPdWBsox1zyJg6OTjdwuyqj8M6BxV/s320/P1180440.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461759011026416754" border="0" /></a><br />I've been out of touch for about a week as the entire team, along with our visiting guests Dr. and Mrs. Young, traveled to a International Church Conference at a castle in the Cevennes. It was such a beautiful region, the Cote d'Azur almost pales in comparison! (At least, for those like me who prefer mountains and rivers to the blue of the Med.) We had a great week of teaching and meeting together with church leaders from all over Europe, and I realized my childhood dream of sleeping in an actual castle for a week!<br /><br />Now that we are back, we have a couple more house-guests to add to the party, as the volcano in Iceland has prevented Dr. Young and his wife from flying home for a few more days. Never a dull moment here!<br /><br />I will write soon and post more pictures of our lovely week in the Cevennes!Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-11289582277208739412010-04-13T11:02:00.003+03:002010-04-13T11:43:07.630+03:00A Great BirthdayI had a really fun birthday last week! I tried to take a few pictures to remember the day.<br /><br />Donna and Amy woke up early and fixed fresh cinnamon rolls for all of us! Donna assures me that she loves waking up early, though to me it seems like the ultimate sacrifice!<br /><br />After our French lesson, a few ladies from church took me to lunch in a nearby village in the mountains called Tourrette-sur-Loup. The weather was a little overcast, but the village was still very charming.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbYF9_WXccinlVre5-Rnjskgg-GLEbT1Pge_x5fCrDdoQFR6G8zF0KOtKl_xD6vw0lzE__V3lE1icqqPmvLqag0iIC6G8s7F61WCv33kmbcMhs_1BKulHmkSAtGEW-y0uLdSNRhWZngBo/s1600/P1180338.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbYF9_WXccinlVre5-Rnjskgg-GLEbT1Pge_x5fCrDdoQFR6G8zF0KOtKl_xD6vw0lzE__V3lE1icqqPmvLqag0iIC6G8s7F61WCv33kmbcMhs_1BKulHmkSAtGEW-y0uLdSNRhWZngBo/s320/P1180338.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459531545368847394" border="0" /></a><br />We ate at a place called Chez Grand-mere, a favorite of everyone who has been there! It only has about 10 tables in the whole place, but the food is amazing, and I'm sure they could fill a room many times larger!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqiIfkJaOLkTpA1Ca2yY8oqlbkSpjJjY4149LvAC4DuncMrRzhlbLSvJCXQeJ4P87AEcOPyFLq2aYg53IDrNavdOJ8S2VLE80nBTz_-6v9jOFkGfltr2GI-sUKw1hdRK4a3xTOtjWwlUvg/s1600/P1180330.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqiIfkJaOLkTpA1Ca2yY8oqlbkSpjJjY4149LvAC4DuncMrRzhlbLSvJCXQeJ4P87AEcOPyFLq2aYg53IDrNavdOJ8S2VLE80nBTz_-6v9jOFkGfltr2GI-sUKw1hdRK4a3xTOtjWwlUvg/s320/P1180330.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459531529502564162" border="0" /></a><br />The family who owns the restaurant is French, but they spent many years in North Africa, and I enjoyed the best couscous I've ever tasted!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_s2gMWHYaUJ6NIITfmKbiirhgub182SVM5UC1vYdBHAWs9tVMDby7QBEYZyJ_XxMx3GKrJYJJKTyGZ4WoqHZGHjU8USaFuLmn7C2lNHxuzExAv3BC9HylWO0Ex2qerTndVPEC4wYh1jtU/s1600/P1180332.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_s2gMWHYaUJ6NIITfmKbiirhgub182SVM5UC1vYdBHAWs9tVMDby7QBEYZyJ_XxMx3GKrJYJJKTyGZ4WoqHZGHjU8USaFuLmn7C2lNHxuzExAv3BC9HylWO0Ex2qerTndVPEC4wYh1jtU/s320/P1180332.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459531536720406530" border="0" /></a><br />After dinner I had some Moroccan Mint Tea, which may have been the best part of the meal! The owners also came out to sing for me, which I'm told is very rare here. I definitely felt special!<br /><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrpRoA1vMl8qvp0-db3FqjPxMZGX2YQmAUOoDRTc8vdUahzWL0TovcG2wLEtMZbGRd9GLu5WDAyvRZDngWrwYJ9jJvOywqVeQs2dxThVMpbeCttQduxiWFKggWqFyBt1dQxC9AHnX_8nop/s1600/P1180337.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrpRoA1vMl8qvp0-db3FqjPxMZGX2YQmAUOoDRTc8vdUahzWL0TovcG2wLEtMZbGRd9GLu5WDAyvRZDngWrwYJ9jJvOywqVeQs2dxThVMpbeCttQduxiWFKggWqFyBt1dQxC9AHnX_8nop/s320/P1180337.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459531549399799234" border="0" /></a><br />After our big lunch, Amy, Donna, and I took a stroll through the old city of Saint Paul. There is a cemetery in the city where the artist Chagall is buried.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02ewhML0gvVw8gXkEbEGCQpZxuT7jXTq5_G3Ry224JSxmYCaSlm9XKTGvjbYYY8A0It-SqE0W6m41s396jIbqdNuCn_sJMa89FYdbdHcvA-N9nCuCH4vIAlebyvlCi42H-DOKQZJEV9mL/s1600/P1180340.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02ewhML0gvVw8gXkEbEGCQpZxuT7jXTq5_G3Ry224JSxmYCaSlm9XKTGvjbYYY8A0It-SqE0W6m41s396jIbqdNuCn_sJMa89FYdbdHcvA-N9nCuCH4vIAlebyvlCi42H-DOKQZJEV9mL/s320/P1180340.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459531555213644434" border="0" /></a><br />The view of the city and the surrounding countryside from the cemetery is magnificent!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7F7NyOVwH-15UWUJYxlH-m_zHG3Ky_Kp6tB3YjqiLzncQq8BKEV2VfPUbkg8TWE5UJNzs6ANrm8sxSP-hGGNoxxiBUKFSLuNXceyg5b9tXlZMjEiJQRSDiO7AcJG4kv4tyaAzllGQuzb/s1600/P1180345.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7F7NyOVwH-15UWUJYxlH-m_zHG3Ky_Kp6tB3YjqiLzncQq8BKEV2VfPUbkg8TWE5UJNzs6ANrm8sxSP-hGGNoxxiBUKFSLuNXceyg5b9tXlZMjEiJQRSDiO7AcJG4kv4tyaAzllGQuzb/s320/P1180345.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459532860554762450" border="0" /></a><br />Here you can see the Medieval wall that still surrounds the old city of Saint Paul.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauT7wmuVNBDuH5qUmpXkp7dxs0LAqEQw1anxRL-gV-trEw7s_8B0Xq21jJkLty16gKWc7yxMx1efAFaxRzupiUkmgTh3fpMtFf1SkoabXSZFeKf8N8XUB3YMCbmzUmNLms6F6Z2zHQudp/s1600/P1180351.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauT7wmuVNBDuH5qUmpXkp7dxs0LAqEQw1anxRL-gV-trEw7s_8B0Xq21jJkLty16gKWc7yxMx1efAFaxRzupiUkmgTh3fpMtFf1SkoabXSZFeKf8N8XUB3YMCbmzUmNLms6F6Z2zHQudp/s320/P1180351.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459532867083831490" border="0" /></a><br />We decided to try and hike from Saint Paul across the valley to the Arnold's house, where we are staying until we find a place of our own. We had quite an adventure! At different times we were in danger of snakes, large dogs, briers and thorny vines, raging rivers (okay, it was just a small creek we had to cross)... but it felt really good to take a hike in the woods, and when we emerged on the other side of the valley, we were rewarded with this view of Saint Paul:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoXdhf6YakSgxay96TwUMOfVwzoru01ihw1twZ5431N7a6AdVbGV7YM93fyaZ9epL-oTegHXKk8CjkskqU678rT9L4jJFGA0o2S9HLDTPZslg8ZH4ct72JHPrEjb3kuZzPsXq0BWCGf80/s1600/P1180360.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoXdhf6YakSgxay96TwUMOfVwzoru01ihw1twZ5431N7a6AdVbGV7YM93fyaZ9epL-oTegHXKk8CjkskqU678rT9L4jJFGA0o2S9HLDTPZslg8ZH4ct72JHPrEjb3kuZzPsXq0BWCGf80/s320/P1180360.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459532869967581746" border="0" /></a><br />As we walked up to the road, we were thrilled to discover we had come up less than a city block from the Arnold's house! We couldn't believe our good fortune!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2gAi6g4-z8A-UzHDvKkV4RfqUXE8puX1vjk40bcCVHy0C49QVXAPOjUXCN4K7keCdk2lX6I-cG0lD5DQfBiL9NV7mejWzQn41vzQftgTUvoviAUhZWvX0V05HhE8BOKn-n1Kv3hRCKSV/s1600/P1180359.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2gAi6g4-z8A-UzHDvKkV4RfqUXE8puX1vjk40bcCVHy0C49QVXAPOjUXCN4K7keCdk2lX6I-cG0lD5DQfBiL9NV7mejWzQn41vzQftgTUvoviAUhZWvX0V05HhE8BOKn-n1Kv3hRCKSV/s320/P1180359.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459532886283367218" border="0" /></a><br />The girls, the Arnolds, and the church all made my birthday a really special and memorable one. We ended the evening with a rousing game of Phase 10 (which Donna did not let me win). There's always next year.Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-78844713961789823772010-04-01T22:25:00.003+03:002010-04-01T22:48:51.797+03:00Quick Update<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFDiTbkOXD-YUUrwxjHQIuGb25CQ1CBN6fQ-pDf_XWROLucD_bi36b4R8EVQJJS8-j7JV4DFR5V3zBW9xn_WbM0tD2ut_T-mrr_IIB4TMafTD79iwfR4cs6wdAq9dJ9iwbija-CVIrXr2/s1600/P1180299.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFDiTbkOXD-YUUrwxjHQIuGb25CQ1CBN6fQ-pDf_XWROLucD_bi36b4R8EVQJJS8-j7JV4DFR5V3zBW9xn_WbM0tD2ut_T-mrr_IIB4TMafTD79iwfR4cs6wdAq9dJ9iwbija-CVIrXr2/s320/P1180299.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455258210582933890" /></a><br /><br />I have a French bank account! I think we've finally broken through! Now we have what we need to get a cell phone plan. Then we'll get bills with our names on them, and we'll have proof that we reside here. With that, we can do all kinds of things!<br /><br />Looking forward to seeing how God gets it all done...Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-43071651673524338372010-03-30T16:24:00.002+03:002010-03-30T17:02:04.508+03:00The Bermuda Triangle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga09txMeb0tUrB7OoqiMP0tw72F8tCv2WgeCXABeNhC3k0VkE3o458LeUqA87ymsNrTZPOGu1sQ8rrz1TSFKKz36C7H8yv7vW8VQmE0rzaMPXZE_99fpZdh5XVh765ftCAvoe8vpcwILbo/s1600/P1180274.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga09txMeb0tUrB7OoqiMP0tw72F8tCv2WgeCXABeNhC3k0VkE3o458LeUqA87ymsNrTZPOGu1sQ8rrz1TSFKKz36C7H8yv7vW8VQmE0rzaMPXZE_99fpZdh5XVh765ftCAvoe8vpcwILbo/s320/P1180274.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454426791148602514" /></a><br /><br />I've been in France for about two and a half weeks now, and I'm enjoying it here. Southern France is known for its beauty, and the blue Mediterranean, picturesque mountains, and spring flowers do not disappoint. We've experienced cold and warm temps, sun, rain, and fog, and I believe the Cote d'Azur is nice in any weather. <br /><br />If all we needed to do was look at the foliage, we probably wouldn't have a care in the world here. However, we have a lot more to do. We are still living with our team leaders and their five young children. We don't have bank accounts, cell phone contracts, a house or apartment. We have not registered for language school. We are not officially registered with the government yet. 'So,' you might be wondering, 'What have you been doing all this time?' Well... let me explain.<br /><br />France has many rules, laws, forms, procedures, policies, etc. that can make it challenging to get things done, or even to know where to start! When we went to the bank to open an account, they told us we would need proof of our address in France. One form of 'proof' could be a cell phone bill in our name. So, off to the cell phone company to set up an account. And they will be glad to set us up with a plan... they just need to see our bank card.<br /><br />And so the circle goes. To rent a house, you need a bank account. To open a bank account, you need an address. It feels a little like the Bermuda Triangle - lost in an impenetrable fog of regulations. Our lighthouse, however, has been the Church. Members of our two churches, the International Baptist Church in Saint Paul and in Nice, have been helpful and generous beyond imagining. Several members have offered to act as a guarantor when we are ready to sign a lease. One couple offered to put up their house as a guarantee for us. They have donated furnishings for our future home. Although they hardly know us, many church members have advised us, translated for us, made calls for us, and interceded on our behalf in ways that can only point to one thing: We are one body, with one Lord and Father of all. Praise God for his provision.<br /><br />So, although it feels as though my two teammates and I are stuck in a strange holding pattern, we are encouraged by the Body of Christ, and we hope that we'll soon be in our own home, furnished, with bank accounts and cell phones, studying French and getting to know our church family that has already loved us so well. The Church in Cote d'Azur is small, but it is true.Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-13404129891987606392009-12-04T21:30:00.002+03:002009-12-04T21:42:50.600+03:00Everyone wants your $20...What will you purchase with yours?<br /><br />I love humor, so when I was deciding how to appeal to people to give toward the ministry we're doing in France, no matter how much or how little they were able to contribute, I came up with a little ad campaign. Here's the basic idea...<br /><br />It's so easy to blow $20 on an impulse! There are a million products out there that claim to improve the quality of your life... A gun that blows chicken-scented bubbles for your dog to chase around; a baby carrier with hooks so you can hang your baby on a bathroom stall door while you use the facilities; and here are two more examples I found. Enjoy!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sbHU8qOy2c4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sbHU8qOy2c4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ddk6dpOPvEQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ddk6dpOPvEQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />These are just people trying to make a living, and my intention is not to tear them down. But if we're buying stuff like this and NOT investing in the Great Commission, we may need to adjust our priorities, and examine who we're living for.<br /><br />More to come!Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-37678277905670105992009-12-02T21:08:00.002+03:002009-12-02T21:13:22.394+03:00The New PlanI'm on my way to France, sooner or later, though I hope it's sooner! I have about $1500 in monthly support to raise before I am ready to go. I love meeting with people to talk about what I do, but calling them to sacrifice is not easy. I have to constantly ask myself, "Do I believe the work I'm doing is important enough to ask people to invest in it?" Yes. I do.<br /><br />I'll be writing more frequently now. I've been lax while I've been in the US this year, and I apologize for that. I look forward to sharing the new adventures to come!Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-61975105165101452772008-12-09T17:43:00.004+03:002008-12-09T18:43:30.824+03:00Catching Up...I've been a bad blogger! It's been a long while since I sat down to update my page, partly due to computer problems, partly due to busyness, and partly due to a general sense of apathy that I'm going to blame on the climbing temperatures here in Mombasa. In any case, I'm back, and here's a taste of what's been happening lately...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbq7KuHTLR_IQEjX5r-57k-Z7A5Fz1OK-LpyAWxYM99ZVGh2rwBeNGbuKAOxgK6e08sceWO1aJjfB6A_cPu9fqgFvnJ_4lw1aRsmYNg5B2L1kZdrqGMKN3kGQSxJRDFp2vTkL96ym40vtO/s1600-h/SUNSET.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbq7KuHTLR_IQEjX5r-57k-Z7A5Fz1OK-LpyAWxYM99ZVGh2rwBeNGbuKAOxgK6e08sceWO1aJjfB6A_cPu9fqgFvnJ_4lw1aRsmYNg5B2L1kZdrqGMKN3kGQSxJRDFp2vTkL96ym40vtO/s320/SUNSET.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277812556811771058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">The sunsets off my verandah are still the best show in town. I try to take advantage of my front-row seat as often as my schedule allows!<br /><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-2SeVYtc1cNGTzx9FTb3CWExLxJcUWD1noCea8KY6JbXZwI_q86Nyoo-32MdKkEunbzix7yd72iqjDUyBW1FPmaArujMonwYTE3e3v-SPBglWp8ItJd4FkCUoSaVmvWU8mMBhGAWO9ug/s1600-h/ANJELA.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-2SeVYtc1cNGTzx9FTb3CWExLxJcUWD1noCea8KY6JbXZwI_q86Nyoo-32MdKkEunbzix7yd72iqjDUyBW1FPmaArujMonwYTE3e3v-SPBglWp8ItJd4FkCUoSaVmvWU8mMBhGAWO9ug/s320/ANJELA.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277812548057552498" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Anjela is getting bigger all the time! She is walking like a champ now, she has four and a half teeth, and she says a lot of words. She can name all her best friends, though my name comes out sounding a little like "Diyahhhh".</span><br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWN8zi9vcvCcNW_a0HQ2yDELYqVXWvXMWGjhqckA0NJsRjIoNR5Zpu18fmjIEc3ksr9F7gTOl41_ci-Wv68iXn8NUw6UxWui5v-eq2L6d1aXW8GdizGbwMDhbtKLxYCUJZdsR5vHwW-04_/s1600-h/ANJELA2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWN8zi9vcvCcNW_a0HQ2yDELYqVXWvXMWGjhqckA0NJsRjIoNR5Zpu18fmjIEc3ksr9F7gTOl41_ci-Wv68iXn8NUw6UxWui5v-eq2L6d1aXW8GdizGbwMDhbtKLxYCUJZdsR5vHwW-04_/s320/ANJELA2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277812544508507090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">She's also got a great Stevie Wonder impersonation! haha...</span><br /><br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIjIn4yKFZiaFYHlBiE6zAzG23zIUgwH9hLZ6lexK4u3AbtUcxelaV9yfR5o9S919eLGb5UQqgOYv39fXwL2n9wlUKPiWFSuWpmBrrEMkG-aFlCrCz8JRS6NVV7uZYswbweovm_JISr3D/s1600-h/Hair.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIjIn4yKFZiaFYHlBiE6zAzG23zIUgwH9hLZ6lexK4u3AbtUcxelaV9yfR5o9S919eLGb5UQqgOYv39fXwL2n9wlUKPiWFSuWpmBrrEMkG-aFlCrCz8JRS6NVV7uZYswbweovm_JISr3D/s320/Hair.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277812532997514722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Last week I let Jacinta braid my hair. I'll be taking it out soon - it's too hot to carry around so much hair right now - but it's been fun! People say I look African now. I'm not so sure...</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55-o21QbOI2oByoSqH8PwJkxtFEKsATgAnx4D616x2RxgYAQro7eCWQ2LK8-omx3_Ed-yGuSn-rSEpCgM4cFIqO_Gv9Hzg3tPpA_ZhRz1MOOMNJx-PIQabElEg9xApK4CKxqsEboMqylK/s1600-h/SPIDER.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh55-o21QbOI2oByoSqH8PwJkxtFEKsATgAnx4D616x2RxgYAQro7eCWQ2LK8-omx3_Ed-yGuSn-rSEpCgM4cFIqO_Gv9Hzg3tPpA_ZhRz1MOOMNJx-PIQabElEg9xApK4CKxqsEboMqylK/s320/SPIDER.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277814579424029682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">This spider moved in this week. He spun a huge web on my bedroom verandah. I know it's hard to tell in this picture, but he's roughly the size of my hand (open palm). I took my broom to his web today and moved him back out. Sorry, big guy.<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Mostly, I've been spending lots of time with the worship team at church. We're getting ready for Christmas now, and I'll be helping with the Christmas play as well as the music. It's pretty fun. After years of singing in holiday concerts and acting in plays, getting involved in this production makes the Christmas season feel a little more real to me, even despite the heat.</span><br /></div> </div>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-79307213620781232812008-09-12T12:55:00.006+03:002008-09-12T13:22:45.230+03:00Yearbook Yourself!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I was reading the great </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.stillhatepickles.com/">blog </a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">of an old college friend of mine, and she mentioned a website that turned out to be the evening's entertainment last night! It's called </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.yearbookyourself.com/">Yearbook Yourself</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. It will show you what your yearbook photo might have looked like if you graduated in 1958, or 1998, or anywhere in between! All my results were laugh-out-loud funny, but here are just a few of my favorites...<br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">If I graduated in 1968, I would apparently have had the neck of a giraffe!</span><br /></div><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50bdUSMgil1dOJGOWUsSSJXFQxaCM2p94zG2c3tRsrEirgtUtkTRr_QGmAQboA4o6N7LO_ENaBcwbsjVphXMhA22mxee6NrCxdaEUlfSNiCrYSfimD0GWfl7mFSeRWI7THwzHLWVaXmtz/s1600-h/1968.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50bdUSMgil1dOJGOWUsSSJXFQxaCM2p94zG2c3tRsrEirgtUtkTRr_QGmAQboA4o6N7LO_ENaBcwbsjVphXMhA22mxee6NrCxdaEUlfSNiCrYSfimD0GWfl7mFSeRWI7THwzHLWVaXmtz/s320/1968.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245073661648526914" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In 1978, the year I was born, I would have looked like this! It's so humid in Mombasa that my hair really </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >does</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> look like this most of the time these days...</span><br /></div><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5k_X3oiohlbVhwRvaFETboYTsA9OiF40hDre96N890-JXXWbS6nkZpwWMfpwErWfRrIdwq-LRNvfNxTMJy668c3ZzFs_CMHgZgtt_aFRJfYDQKxtmTO-jYIMeWy-BT31uiIBt1mdoko7/s1600-h/1978.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5k_X3oiohlbVhwRvaFETboYTsA9OiF40hDre96N890-JXXWbS6nkZpwWMfpwErWfRrIdwq-LRNvfNxTMJy668c3ZzFs_CMHgZgtt_aFRJfYDQKxtmTO-jYIMeWy-BT31uiIBt1mdoko7/s320/1978.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245074983929754162" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Mm. 1982. A good year for hairspray.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ZquXEsgAQfViU6EgueWaHf7PoRFr3y1ZE-ls4MI9wPWuoByUgMq_v6M191ZpiGpO8YI0UUStz1HDUM1wER7elpRgwjemQr1o4gZqoFTDjWTm4O3cIdWX1uLABRLI-a5l7yyT5Bv2IqhX/s1600-h/1982.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ZquXEsgAQfViU6EgueWaHf7PoRFr3y1ZE-ls4MI9wPWuoByUgMq_v6M191ZpiGpO8YI0UUStz1HDUM1wER7elpRgwjemQr1o4gZqoFTDjWTm4O3cIdWX1uLABRLI-a5l7yyT5Bv2IqhX/s320/1982.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245076016028920306" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And perhaps a personal favorite, 1964! Oh, dear...</span><br /></div><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrj2c_eYUi9PZrFpRoXA4Y1U_D6Omv1HlGRJSH8vt3SlFOupEK8bwmFF3pkTQ8pcNd7A4dAmhffnL6iZF0XbDVtszg5-eryagMcNtc1A4t6IXzEtpoBLoD-LU-v7R0-teYJdlkohFKOq2c/s1600-h/1964.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrj2c_eYUi9PZrFpRoXA4Y1U_D6Omv1HlGRJSH8vt3SlFOupEK8bwmFF3pkTQ8pcNd7A4dAmhffnL6iZF0XbDVtszg5-eryagMcNtc1A4t6IXzEtpoBLoD-LU-v7R0-teYJdlkohFKOq2c/s320/1964.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245073081336922866" border="0" /></a>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-24327204680840546052008-09-01T19:16:00.003+03:002008-09-01T19:22:08.180+03:00The Thought Does Count<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12;">Ramadan began today. All my Muslim friends have started fasting during the daylight hours. One friend explained to me that the fast is meant to help the poor. Instead of using your money to buy food for yourself, you are supposed to give the money (or some food) to the poor. You share in their sufferings for a season by depriving yourself of food. I know Ramadan is significant for many reasons, and the meaning varies from person to person (much like Christmas in the West). This is how my friend explained it to me, however, and I like the idea that there exists in the world a month when the rich become poor that the poor might be rich.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:12;">I met the Omondi’s and their visitor Abby for lunch today at Leonardo’s, a paradise of homemade Italian Gelato and fresh pasta, located within dangerously close walking distance of my home. I ordered a Hawaiian pizza and only finished half, so I carried the rest home with me. I decided to give it to Hassani, the gardener in my apartment complex who is always ready to help me carry things upstairs. I told him to come get it when his work was done. I didn’t want to tempt him to eat in the middle of the day. So, about 20 minutes ago, he knocked on my door, and I opened to find him holding a small bowl with something wrapped in a green leaf and tied with twine. He said with a big smile, “I have come with your food!” So I went and got his package of pizza, and he left me with this… thing. He didn’t tell me what it was called – only that it is somehow related to a banana, and his mother used to make it for breakfast. I wish I could post smells on the internet, because I’ve never smelled anything quite like it. (I smelled it behind closed doors, of course, for smelling food in front of the person offering it is offensive here.) And the taste… well, there is definitely something banana-ish in there, and it’s a little smoky, and mostly it tastes like a dense loaf of nothing much. Even so, that small token brightened my whole day!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0JpEMIPPdXgd_3X7Vi8fmhtutYYAlP3XXiqYMeEcbuifJ374XbDC_heYiKSLldTOfQz16NoeElGRtUK0rhxEXQXX1n2uF9mLrTawWm1EopeCTY5UT7SsfpxP8_u5mnvdYtlx4BjoKAGp/s1600-h/P1140411.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0JpEMIPPdXgd_3X7Vi8fmhtutYYAlP3XXiqYMeEcbuifJ374XbDC_heYiKSLldTOfQz16NoeElGRtUK0rhxEXQXX1n2uF9mLrTawWm1EopeCTY5UT7SsfpxP8_u5mnvdYtlx4BjoKAGp/s320/P1140411.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241087941454090194" border="0" /></a></span>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-76393081270361871642008-08-29T20:53:00.006+03:002008-08-29T21:08:29.900+03:00Say What?<span style="text-decoration: underline; font-family: trebuchet ms;"></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I think Arabic is a pretty language to look at, but it's tough when I need to know what it says! Here in Mombasa where so many of our products are imported from the Middle East, I run into trouble sometimes. It makes me appreciate the marketing geniuses who came up with the logos for some of the world's biggest brands. Do you recognize these?</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHSck0I2fL9Orq3CeOtHr46eVlZ6hWbt82GpIm2Lh1qRjgwozVz6l0M_2dql3PnkFivCRb3d9BaOKemqwCPoXF7xMFLkwyU-t6PQZutTMyZ4M54mikX97FWEJ-TZZhwr21kJOfOYvUxPM/s1600-h/Coke.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHSck0I2fL9Orq3CeOtHr46eVlZ6hWbt82GpIm2Lh1qRjgwozVz6l0M_2dql3PnkFivCRb3d9BaOKemqwCPoXF7xMFLkwyU-t6PQZutTMyZ4M54mikX97FWEJ-TZZhwr21kJOfOYvUxPM/s320/Coke.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240000472498465074" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkG9BeOzFnv18LcR6QgD_dbRk8OegFZf1Aad7aLOLa0Ir9JMWrj-mMdYcrqW8suc5lO9t8vyB9J_gSFhx8pgrtK6JlsAISa4eJF5eNENZAw7pRKVhrcr7E9LlB-DBLTFFGZxSQep9yAGN/s1600-h/Colgate.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkG9BeOzFnv18LcR6QgD_dbRk8OegFZf1Aad7aLOLa0Ir9JMWrj-mMdYcrqW8suc5lO9t8vyB9J_gSFhx8pgrtK6JlsAISa4eJF5eNENZAw7pRKVhrcr7E9LlB-DBLTFFGZxSQep9yAGN/s320/Colgate.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240000927512488210" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8TK1XNE9UGcVdfg2Qd2oTK0dWb2lS_DZybob7fbm6aN6cLk0ElrHckTnUtrucbSNM4BQPynzowAo5nTkeBQj2q6Q2J9kxDH1e2S343-v644UmaJ2HH2F752Rjunz0Q1qzQWv1vK0hUyV/s1600-h/Ritz.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8TK1XNE9UGcVdfg2Qd2oTK0dWb2lS_DZybob7fbm6aN6cLk0ElrHckTnUtrucbSNM4BQPynzowAo5nTkeBQj2q6Q2J9kxDH1e2S343-v644UmaJ2HH2F752Rjunz0Q1qzQWv1vK0hUyV/s320/Ritz.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240001157747645218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I've heard some pretty funny stories from people in countries that use different symbols for their alphabet. One friend of mine in Asia once brushed her teeth with hemorrhoid cream. Someone else I know used powdered sugar instead of flour in a tortilla recipe. It's a dangerous world out there...</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br />(By the way, the answers are Diet Coke, Colgate, and Ritz)</span>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-48872972447419075592008-08-27T20:59:00.003+03:002008-08-27T21:08:37.725+03:00I'm Not a "Lady in Waiting"...<span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >While in <st1:city><st1:place>Nairobi</st1:place></st1:city> last week I stayed in the guest house of the International Bible Society.<span style=""> </span>They have a Christian bookstore on their campus which is awesome for several reasons. One: it has the best price on Bibles in all of <st1:place>East Africa</st1:place>. Two: You can get Bibles in any Kenyan tribal language there is a translation for. Three: They have cool mugs. Four: I really like Judy, the girl who works behind the counter.</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />Sadly, there is one thing I regret about the place. Apart from the great Bibles, there isn’t much in that shop (easily the biggest Christian bookstore in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Kenya</st1:place></st1:country-region>) that isn’t fluff. Now, there may be some diamonds hiding among the… shall we say cubic zirconium?... but I’m always disappointed to find the patently shallow array of Christian self-help books and romance novels (I think we like to call it <i style="">Spiritual Growth</i> and </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><i style="">Christian Fiction</i>).<br /><br />I have little patience for the literary (and musical) mediocrity of the evangelical world, but there is one thing I find particularly intolerable.</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >Have you ever walked down the <i style="">Women’s</i></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" > aisle in a Christian bookstore? Let me share with you most of the titles I found on the shelf at IBS.</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><i style=""><br /><br />Date… or Soul Mate? (How to know if someone is worth p</i></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ursuing in two dates or less)</span><o:p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></o:p><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Becoming the Woman of His Dreams (Seven Qualities Every Man Longs For)</span><o:p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></o:p><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">More than a Match (How to Turn the Dating Game into Lasting Love)</span><o:p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></o:p><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Dating With Passion (More than Rules, More than a Courtship, More than a Formula)</span><o:p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></o:p><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Sassy, Single, and Satisfied (Secrets to Loving the Life you’re Living)</span><o:p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></o:p><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Women Making a Difference in Marriage</span><o:p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></o:p></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><i style=""><br />Preparing for Marriage</i></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></o:p></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><i style=""><br />A Wife After God’s Own Heart</i></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></o:p></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><i style=""><br />A Mom After God’s Own Heart<o:p></o:p></i></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />There were a few other books about motherhood and marriage (including <i style="">His Needs, Her Needs</i>, and a potentially amusing offshoot called <i style="">Mommy’s Needs, Daddy’s Needs</i>, where I can only assume the author tries to convince young children that their parents have needs too, by golly, and you should give them a little more sp</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >ace).<span style=""> </span>Then there is one devotional book for busy moms. Sadly, I’ve just inventoried the entire section f</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >or you.<o:p></o:p></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />Have you ever heard a single woman say, “I don’t feel like my life is worth anything until I get married and have kids.”<span style=""> </span>What did you say to</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" > that woman</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >? What <i style="">would </i>you say?<o:p></o:p></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />What is the Women’s section in the Christian bookstore saying?<o:p></o:p></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />What is the Church saying?<o:p></o:p></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />Let’s pretend for a moment that I’m a new Christian, and I’d like to know what the Church believes about singleness.<span style=""> </span>If the bookstore </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >is anything to go by, the job of a single woman is to make herself as attractive as she can and do whatever necessary to attract a man, then get married and have children as soon as possible.<span style=""> </span>Then sh</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >e will spend the rest of her life trying to make that marriage and those kids “work for her”.<o:p></o:p></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />Please hear me, I’m not trying to say that the Church should stop helping young women prepare for marriage and motherhood. I know many young women whose hearts’ desire is to be a wife and mom, and I believe that is a worthy calling. But I believe the Church has erred by bending to the world in this area, and i</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >t has place</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >d an unhealthy focus on finding “true love”, which isn’t really <i style="">true</i> at all, and has called women away from the truths of the Bible. The Bible says if you can stay single, you should, for as long as you are single, you are able to devote yourself wholly to God and the things that concern Him. (That’s in 1 Corinthians 7.)<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >Well, this is a big topic, and I’m going to write more about it in the coming weeks and months. I hope you’ll feel free to comment on what I write, and even share your experiences if you like.<span style=""> </span>I’m sure it would enrich my own study.<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFne1GJpN3C1yo5tWc87SCIWjDPCZdR7BGTRuxv-atMMks5_tlKKoRDkppEEVziwi_wtaTckaE5ef5HCSDyjH_5epjoHHOSvV-SaFAZ29D2DMAraWmrzxAX2Ssk1OX45octYHQPPyI5jc/s1600-h/book.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFne1GJpN3C1yo5tWc87SCIWjDPCZdR7BGTRuxv-atMMks5_tlKKoRDkppEEVziwi_wtaTckaE5ef5HCSDyjH_5epjoHHOSvV-SaFAZ29D2DMAraWmrzxAX2Ssk1OX45octYHQPPyI5jc/s320/book.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239259351433596850" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYI20ZIwHFauaPVnmxlzWFKUmW1TXQ9HfkzIKlsT6BmCfFhRGso77mSSJYKsicKEjC5GDix2Vgqhe8kaV6-LIVjyPD93F-0dy9RnV6Up-iBnvDOvq1CT77r92gIUFuDSWSRXPBRIPnqz5/s1600-h/book2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYI20ZIwHFauaPVnmxlzWFKUmW1TXQ9HfkzIKlsT6BmCfFhRGso77mSSJYKsicKEjC5GDix2Vgqhe8kaV6-LIVjyPD93F-0dy9RnV6Up-iBnvDOvq1CT77r92gIUFuDSWSRXPBRIPnqz5/s320/book2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239259354612593714" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-50696259893250830392008-08-27T20:50:00.004+03:002008-08-27T21:20:55.927+03:00No Need for Miracle Gro!<span style="font-size:100%;">I always tell people I have a missionary nose.<span style=""> </span>Either I don’</span><span style="font-size:100%;">t smell very well, or I just don’t notice (the latter option is more consistent with my character </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">J</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">). My</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> friend Cristina has a very sensitive nose, which is unfortunate, because she lives in Bolivia, where I’ve experienced some of the worst odors I’ve smelled to date.<span style=""> </span>I’m really glad Cristina wasn’t in my house this week when I got back from Nakuru.<span style=""> </span>There was a little science experiment growing in my kitchen in a pot.<span style=""> </span>Two weeks ago, when I was here last, I made some oatmeal for breakfast, then put the cover on it and promptly forgot all about it (see what I mean about my character?).<span style=""> </span>Now, this isn’t the first time a dirty dish has escaped my notice for a couple weeks.<span style=""> </span>But this is the first time it’s happened in an un-air conditioned apartment</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> on the equator.<span style=""> </span>Whatever grew in that pot p</span><span style="font-size:100%;">roduced an odor even <i style="">I</i> couldn’t miss! I had to wrap a bandana around my face to keep from gagging while I cleaned it out.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">While traveling with our visitors from </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><st1:city><st1:place><span style="">Denton</span></st1:place></st1:city></span><span style="font-size:100%;">, we remarked a lot how small potted plants in the </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="">US</span></st1:place></st1:country-region></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> grow to almost Jurassic proportions here.<span style=""> </span>For instance, Americans have little potted poinsettias on our tables at Christmas time.<span style=""> </span>Here they grow into 20-foot tall trees!<span style=""> </span>Lantana, those sweet little ground covering flowers that sit just a couple inches off the ground in so many </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><st1:state><st1:place><span style="">Texas</span></st1:place></st1:state></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> lawns grow into giant bushes in </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><st1:city><st1:place><span style="">Nairobi</span></st1:place></st1:city></span><span style="font-size:100%;">.<span style=""> </span>Below are a few pict</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ures of the mammoth flora we saw.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Most of the time, it’s a good th</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ing that things grow bigger and faster here.<span style=""> </span>Unless you’re talking about that pot in my kitchen.<span style=""> </span>But I won’t show you a picture of that.<br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOUQZ_kEmXdKOzmQ8rPAACj68uzWBAh3CfKHvqc-ZQ6gQ1kW4uSWgJ-gbeLcGtxK0Qh1CaGae1sv3J8GuH5zyRoX7Gkg2eRJzzqVdilo8YU1mH94hWLbY7fpvHHZ3BX26x0IQk85Bxhfy/s1600-h/plant2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOUQZ_kEmXdKOzmQ8rPAACj68uzWBAh3CfKHvqc-ZQ6gQ1kW4uSWgJ-gbeLcGtxK0Qh1CaGae1sv3J8GuH5zyRoX7Gkg2eRJzzqVdilo8YU1mH94hWLbY7fpvHHZ3BX26x0IQk85Bxhfy/s320/plant2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239257350842509634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">A poinsettia tree!<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhyphenhyphenzUbXeMhqDkVci46-LTFY2-45aADz53YR1lQ3vay6IjeEQ9JdH1I2P5EWiFz5ZR-YEYBC16_NiID84HYOndlbgc5fyYZtH4PBm0y2sllgRaMRqPlzXxLzRlsfBGRVUZqcC9pKuSQ6rD/s1600-h/plant.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhyphenhyphenzUbXeMhqDkVci46-LTFY2-45aADz53YR1lQ3vay6IjeEQ9JdH1I2P5EWiFz5ZR-YEYBC16_NiID84HYOndlbgc5fyYZtH4PBm0y2sllgRaMRqPlzXxLzRlsfBGRVUZqcC9pKuSQ6rD/s320/plant.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239257353076313746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Gayle said she has one of these, but it's tiny!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_C-ZkYIjwW0yfl0rBjpGl3FcQd7bEhMgVuflcOlncygnnjOfp0W2oL9h333x43okFG3T3pDWfMfDp1hJl56i0L6v8eOMKESAiQbUf_VYmsDpbQskG4f4358Ji4P9_3gNK5QGJm5uRlr3/s1600-h/plant.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_C-ZkYIjwW0yfl0rBjpGl3FcQd7bEhMgVuflcOlncygnnjOfp0W2oL9h333x43okFG3T3pDWfMfDp1hJl56i0L6v8eOMKESAiQbUf_VYmsDpbQskG4f4358Ji4P9_3gNK5QGJm5uRlr3/s320/plant.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239263899260485410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Schneicky, that's big!</span><br /><br /></div>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-14111144039399399782008-08-26T22:11:00.002+03:002008-08-26T22:22:27.341+03:00Moved and ConnectedAfter a month of moving, hosting visitors, and traveling, I have signed away the inheritance of any future children I may have in a contract with the most reliable (for that, read <span style="font-style: italic;">least incompetent</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>) internet service provider in Ukunda. I no longer pay more for internet service than I pay to rent my flat. Sadly, that's only true because my rent increased! But, this <span style="font-style: italic;">is </span>Africa, and I'm just happy to be online again!<br /><br />I have so much to share from the last month! In the next few days I hope to post some things I've been saving. Be sure to check back!Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-28574554607655253302008-07-21T11:36:00.004+03:002008-07-21T11:57:30.106+03:00Life in the Waiting Room...<div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Qfv1qWkpuxbt1zAGGyTOMBFJUwcjs81UCHykMBbAqPUgY9estpAji84qrjRDPB_1H0ni-rFjPfunOY8LDacz7SiHsv1VU31ICGYU2HBLzHiMu4gJPGd4Osrv-V6PLXL2I4ShQz_kuE1z/s1600-h/waiting.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Qfv1qWkpuxbt1zAGGyTOMBFJUwcjs81UCHykMBbAqPUgY9estpAji84qrjRDPB_1H0ni-rFjPfunOY8LDacz7SiHsv1VU31ICGYU2HBLzHiMu4gJPGd4Osrv-V6PLXL2I4ShQz_kuE1z/s320/waiting.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225386110261786258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Just hangin' out.</span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I haven't posted anything in a while. That's because life has been pretty plodding lately. It seems that I'm living in a waiting room. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I've packed and moved most of the things that will fit in my car. Now I'm waiting for the end of the month to hire a truck to carry my furniture to my new flat and finish my move.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I'm waiting for the carpenter to finish constructing my new dining room table. Sure, it was supposed to be ready almost two months ago, but that's okay, because everytime I talk to him, he assures me it will be ready </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;">tomorrow</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">. Funny thing about tomorrow (as a wise young redhead once sang) - it's always a day away.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I'm waiting for my best friend to arrive. Rachael is coming to spend three weeks with me. Wednesday night seems so far away!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">All this waiting is a little unsettling. But who likes to be settled, anyway?</span>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-58610816789739033512008-07-11T02:00:00.003+03:002008-07-11T02:22:15.766+03:00You never know where your stuff will end up...<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Did your mom ever tell you that you should clean your plate, "because there are starving kids in Africa"? If you were a sassy kid like me, you might have wondered, to yourself or out loud, how you would ever get your food to Africa, because you'd gladly give it away.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Well, sometimes your stuff might actually make its way to Africa. There is a store in town called </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Soko Ndogo</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">, or "small market". It has the look of a garage sale, and that's basically what it is. Things end up there that don't sell in the Goodwill's and Salvation Army's of the US. It's obvious that it all comes direct from America, because it's stuff you can't find anywhere else here in Mombasa. I've found many useful things there, such as ice cube trays and cast iron skillets. I've also found some pretty random stuff, like the Mickey Mouse Talking Telephone that I had when I was a kid, Bernstein Bear books (I'm saving them to read with kids who come to visit), and a fly swatter in the shape of Indiana. But every once in a while, I find something truly bizarre. Something that hits so close to home that I forget I'm in Africa for a moment. This week, I found a Minnesota State Lottery travel mug! It's got a loon on it and everything! Can you imagine the incredible journey that mug must have taken to get here? How many hands it must have passed through? And now it's back in the hands of a Minnesotan, though half a world away!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">If you ever wondered where your freebie plastic cups go when you donate them to Goodwill... you know, the ones from the Municipal Fire Safety Campain, or the Coffeyville Colts 7th Annual Dance-a-thon, or the Summerpalooza concert you went to back in 1992 - the answer is... they end up here. In Mombasa, Kenya, on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Who would have guessed?</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHhlx2ZiqL151mJQV2LERRDfHzn06GvWq2bpPXiy2HcUayPGMR6yVUzTUBwv3PIPKdhHUnqwS7qOH6yLfKqwUBfxjMC8nCcwhfz-laI4v2miqc6qeY6AKjb3WtdJ65Myn7zZkIA9tMSP-/s1600-h/AJill.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHhlx2ZiqL151mJQV2LERRDfHzn06GvWq2bpPXiy2HcUayPGMR6yVUzTUBwv3PIPKdhHUnqwS7qOH6yLfKqwUBfxjMC8nCcwhfz-laI4v2miqc6qeY6AKjb3WtdJ65Myn7zZkIA9tMSP-/s320/AJill.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221529243695996162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">My new favorite mug!</span><br /></div>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123185949738163591.post-18513523280505801142008-07-11T01:47:00.004+03:002008-07-11T01:59:39.422+03:00The Backwards Bridal Shower!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The people on the Serve:Kenya team have some really wonderful friends! This week Allison received not one, not two, but <span style="font-style: italic;">three</span> large boxes from her friends back home in North Carolina. It was a baby shower in a box! Okay, technically it was a baby shower in three boxes.<br /><br />The men were all away in Nairobi this week, so Allison and I, along with our newest arrival Jessi, decided to have a baby shower! Allison's friends ac</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">tually sent muffin mix and plates so we could do it up right. The theme of our evening was the "backwards baby shower," because</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> everything was backwards. Most showers are thrown <span style="font-style: italic;">before </span>the baby is born; this one happened afterward! Most shower guests bring gifts; we didn't have any! So we wore our clothes backwards and had a fun time laughing and opening up all the boxes. Seeing all the gifts laid out on the floor was truly an amazing sight!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6KBsGztH20SYrOqkSnhFE4BoZQ0ExxDHVYaIuUazFTcVlvnmW2_ucdSevEQcRloaysVau9W9EVLWFDZkNUs8dnqUtVn0Ux9MGJPecksqlAggZdASj9ykk8kLyzibxh2lJaRUyGl0EEDc/s1600-h/Allison.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6KBsGztH20SYrOqkSnhFE4BoZQ0ExxDHVYaIuUazFTcVlvnmW2_ucdSevEQcRloaysVau9W9EVLWFDZkNUs8dnqUtVn0Ux9MGJPecksqlAggZdASj9ykk8kLyzibxh2lJaRUyGl0EEDc/s320/Allison.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221523794420307682" border="0" /></a>Jill Senechalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01358477913878553572noreply@blogger.com2