Our first three months (has it really been three months!!??) in France have been a joy. Really; I still can’t believe that we get to live and serve in France as a family, again. Our arrival was eventful but things have settled into a nice rhythm.

We arrived in Toulouse, France mid-August in a heatwave, temps getting to 100 degrees. Our trip from Orlando to Toulouse was supposed to take 16 hours door-to-door but instead, took 46 hours. Air Canada struggled to get us rerouted, after our flight into Montreal was delayed. We were re-booked 4 times and almost denied boarding because two of our kids didn’t have visas (though the French government website said they didn’t need them). Air Canada added a painful 6 hour layover in Frankfort, Germany after our transatlantic flight and managed to loose five of our pieces of luggage and our stroller. Fortunately, we were reunited with our luggage five days later but they never found our stroller and sadly, denied our request to replace it. (I would definitely not recommend flying with Air Canada. Mishaps arrive when traveling but their customer service was non-existent… I had to fill out 28 claims for our family of 7. In the end, they did compensate us for our “flight disruption” but only because Canada has an Air Passenger Protection agency that holds them accountable.) There, now that I have made that PSA, I can move on.

So many people warmly welcomed us… friends lent us their home for three days, complete strangers (to us) stocked the fridge so we had something to eat when we arrived and our dear friend met us at the airport and helped get us (and our many pieces of luggage) to where we needed. The upside to having a long layover in Germany was that by the time we got to where we sleeping, we only had time to eat, shower and go to bed. This helped a lot with jet lag; in fact, it is the least amount of jet lag we’ve every had! We did take some melatonin for a couple nights but really we felt so relieved and thankful that we didn’t have worse jet lag.

The first couple weeks were filled with moving into our furnished home, making a giant trip to Ikea and the grocery store, as well as buying a car. Then, we started the journey of getting the kids settled into school, Dave starting with the campus ministry team and me taking care of things at home and at the kids’ school.

As a family, we had been pushing it hard since June preparing for and arriving in Toulouse. We needed a breather, so a couple days before school started, we headed to Carcassonne. This beautiful mid-evil walled city about an hour from Toulouse. My heart soared as we headed out of town and could see the mountains on the horizon. The kids’ eyes were glued to the scenery that passed us… “I see a church!” “Look, a tractor!” “What do those brown signs mean?” So many things to discover. So many things to share with our kids. Once at Carcassonne we made our way to the only bakery in the old town and ordered a variety of pastries and treats… delighting our kids in (re)discovering French pastries and the pleasure of going slow. We carried our treats across the way and settled into a walled, sun kissed garden. I still smile thinking about that moment as a family.

The memory of our first outing in our car is also a highlight from those first weeks here. A week after arriving in France, Dave took a train to a near by city and purchased our van. The kids and I rushed through dinner and baths so we would be ready to cruise when Dave arrived back home. The kids put on their Canadian jammies (that we bought in the Montreal airport during our 30 hour layover), we loaded 2 carseats and booster and headed for the center of Toulouse. I’m sure we were blasting some family favs like Friday Night by Eric Paslay, as we passed my old apartments and campuses I’d spent so many hours on. But then we hit Place Saint Pierre… full of young people, the bridge transformed into a walking bridge for the summer months and the warm sun still high in the sky at 7pm. We drove along the river and over Pont Neuf… all the while I had tears in my eyes, thanking God for the five years I had spent in Toulouse (2003-2008) and the joy of being back with my family.

September and October really did fly by. All our kids are in our in school in the morning, then I pick Ben and Theo up after lunch. I thought I would have so much time in the mornings to slow down, spend time with the Lord, enjoy being at home by myself (something I have known very little of as a mom who homeschools), workout and invest in the ministry. As it turns out, there’s still a lot to do as the primary household manager, working part time, helping the kids get settled and taking care of sick kiddos. I’m not complaining but rather just surprised.

One of the big ministry events that we were preparing for was the Agapé 50 year anniversary. Five cities in France had celebrations the same day, November 18th. The planning committee for the celebration in Toulouse had been working since the spring to get the event planned and I got to jump in on the preparations in September. The celebration was a beautiful blend of a reunion of staff, students, volunteers and partners in the ministry, as well as a time of praising God for all He has done through Agapé the last 50 years in France and the 22 years in Toulouse. A huge thank you to everyone one who has prayed for Toulouse, served in Toulouse, given toward the ministry here and for those who have been involved as students or volunteers. A huge thank you to the churches that have welcomed us and the other associations that we have partnered with. Merci!

And that brings me to today… Thanksgiving. Dave and the campus team are on campus initiating spiritual conversations with students. I am preparing a meal for our friends from the kids’ school who are coming for dinner. We’ll be 4 adults and 7 kids around a smallish table eating and talking and celebrating what we’re thankful for. Jack and Lexie made the desserts (pumpkin pie with whipped cream and a moeulleux au chocolat with a raspberry coulis), I bought five baguettes and our friends are brings sides and fromage (cheese!). Shortly, I’ll be figuring out how to roast the two small chickens I bought and how to cook the stuffing in the Instantpot (there’s only so much oven space!). I am just so thankful that this is the gift the Lord has given our family this year… to be the fragrance of Christ here in Toulouse.

Happy Thanksgiving!