Healing 2 The Nations International ~ Dr. Claudia R. Wintoch ~ Blog March 2010

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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Eager Return To Mali

These past few days I've already been ready to return to Mali, and the days have been dragging until today.

These past two days I spent most of my time at home, trying to relax. I also met with precious friends, which was wonderful. And I ran some last errands, and ate some good food one more time. I'm frustrated at the weight I've gained in Austria, and am looking forward to losing it again. I'm also going to miss the gym I was a frequent visitor at.

On Sunday I wrapped up Hamas special bike, and I hope it's acceptable to the airline. My only suitcase is packed, and under the limit, thank God. Please pray for favor at the check-in, and a smooth trip home, without any problems at customs in Bamako.

Please pray for grace for me to settle back in well, deal well with all surprises, and the work waiting for me, and the extreme heat. Besides the regular stuff, our Easter service and Easter party is only a few days away, which is always a very busy time. GRACE, Lord!

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Sunday, March 28, 2010

Sankt Pölten Again

I had gone to bed late, plus it was the night of turning our clocks forward in Austria, therefore losing one hour. That meant having only about 6 hours of sleep. I was pretty tired when my alarm clock went off. I had to leave early to drive an hour to St. Pölten to share in the service there.

The weather was nice, and not too many were on the road, and so it was a smooth and fast trip on the highway. I arrived at my friends' house at 9 am - an hour before the service started. It was pretty cold - colder than expected - and it took a while until the doorbell had gotten my friends out of bed to open the door for me.

We then had breakfast together, and left pretty late to go to church. We got there at 10 pm, and I quickly greeted the pastor, gave my video to the tech guy, and set up my stuff on a table. Then the service started. I had a hard time as I was really tired.

Before the sermon started, it was my turn. I showed the video, and then shared only a few more words. There was no time. To my surprise the pastor and youth leader then prayed for me before I sat down. Then the sermon, and more worship before the end of the service.

After the service I talked to a few people, and then we left to go have lunch. We picked up some food and continued on our way to my friends' friends' house. I knew most of the people there, and enjoyed the fellowship.

I was extremely tired, and had not been feeling well, which actually got worse in the course of the day. Still, as a way to stay awake and because I enjoyed it, I played a game with our hosts' daughters. I liked it so much, they gave it to me to take to Mali with me so I can play it with my kids. Wonderful!

In the middle of the afternoon, Christian (picture) showed up who is coming to Mali for a year a few months from now. It was great getting to spend some time talking and answering his questions about his visit. Time went by very fast.

We finally left to return to my friends' house. I had asked Sepp to help me wrap Hama's new bike that I had on the backseat of my car. It would have been hard to do alone. He did a great job, and I can only pray the airline will accept it the way it is.

It was getting late, and it was time to return to Vienna. I felt pretty miserable by then. Was it just tiredness, or was I getting sick? My contact lenses were also giving me trouble. I was SO GLAD when I arrived back home in Vienna, and was looking forward to a quiet evening, and especially a long, restful night.

The greatest disappointment? Late last night I found out that my former pastors I had not seen in 10 years were passing through Vienna and preaching at the afternoon service. So I decided to make it back in time to get there by the end of the service, so I could see them again. This was my first charismatic church, and I grew so much under their care, and miss them. I was very disappointed to have missed such a great opportunity. They are back in the US, and travel a lot in Eastern Europe and Asia which is now their mission field.

Back home - a picture of Casmir at 13 days old:

I'm very eager to return to Mali, though I'm returning to extreme heat, and lots of work, especially with our Easter service and then party this upcoming weekend. I miss my kids!

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Friday, March 26, 2010

Only Week In Vienna

Where has this week gone? It's been a week of meeting with family, and with friends. A week of working out, and enjoying the luxury of watching television. A week of running errands, and working on the computer. A week of sadness, and of joy. I witnessed shocking conversations, and heard of shocking lifestyles. Today I saw my nephew for the second and last time.

I also talk to Eva nearly every day. Things in Mali are going well. Two more pictures of my kids with our two puppies below.

Today I took possession of the special bike for handicapped children. It's going to be a challenge to wrap it all up and take it with me to Mali. I definitely need prayer for favor when I leave on Wednesday!

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Sunday, March 21, 2010

Preaching In English In Vienna

In the morning it was time to say good-bye to my grandmother. Originally, she had said I could not stay in her house while she's on vacation, but thankfully she changed her mind. We had hardly had any time to talk yet, and so we ended up talking for 40 minutes, standing in the hallway. I discovered some interesting and sad facts about my Dad and his wife that I had not known yet. At 11 pm she left. She had given me all the instructions necessary to take care of her house during her absence.

I spent the day alone at home with God, seeking Him, and getting ready for the service - that's the best preparation! At 4:15 pm I left the house to drive to Four Corners church.

I arrived there half an hour before the beginning of the service. I saw a few familiar and unfamiliar faces. I said hello, and set up, and tried to help to make my video presentation work. The pastor wasn't there unfortunately, but his wife and son were. We all got into a circle and prayed before the service. Then they started worship early, as people slowly started arriving.

I entered into worship which was very much my style. I had a good time. We went on and on. I went on my knees in His presence, and then His presence increased even more. I had to stretch out on the floor, and entered deeply into His presence, stuck to the ground and trembling in His presence. It was amazing! Just like in revival!

Worship ended, and I slowly picked myself up off the floor. Then they prayed for a couple, and then I was introduced. I first showed my video, and then gave a short update. Then it was time to preach!

I asked the worship leader to come back, and started praying while he was playing. I then started sharing my message from that place of worship. Finally the worship leader stopped. I shared my heart message - for the fourth time in one week - but I felt like it was a little hard-going. Someone suggested later that people were tired, as two hours had already passed before I got started. But they were blessed, and that's what counts.

At the end I did an altar call, and many came forward. I prayed for person after person, and God met his children. It was precious!

I then talked with a few people. One of my best friends was there, and we decided to go to a pizza restaurant as we used to do in the past. There were three of us, and I enjoyed the food and fellowship. I was also glad when I got home after a long and tiring day. Monday off, yeah!

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Saturday, March 20, 2010

Preaching In Vienna

This morning I finally got to go to the gym again - it was great. Back home I spent time with God, and had lunch. I felt pretty tired, and the tiredness didn't leave. I tried to focus on the meeting in the evening, but had a hard time much of the time. Still, God gave me some input in terms of stuff to share.

At 4 pm I left home to drive to church. I was pretty tired, and not too excited. I could tell even when I arrived there, and saw some old friends again. I wasn't quite my usual self. I was hoping for the worship time to make the difference.

I set up my stuff, and we prayed together before the meeting. At 5 pm the meeting started with the worship time. I was not disappointed. I enjoyed His presence, and was refreshed by it.

After the announcements and the offering, we showed my video presentation. Unfortunately it was slowed down to .6 times the normal speed. That was pretty frustrating to me, but people didn't seem to care - well, if you don't know the way it should be... the 10 minute video took 15 minutes, though.

Then I came up to give a short update of what's happened since my last time. I sat back down, and they took a special offering for Mali. Then a couple sang a song.

Finally it was my time to come back up to preach. I was ready! Inspired, refreshed, refilled, and ready to go and share His heart! And that's what I did.

First I prayed a prayer to refocus us all, to fix our eyes on HIM. Then I started. People in Austria are pretty quiet, giving little feedback when you preach - at least verbally. But it went really well, as I shared my heart message of intimacy with Him, and not limiting Him, but letting Him out of the box. I brought two different sized boxes with me.

God's presence was pretty tangible throughout the meeting. When you talk about His glory, His glory is actually released! Yeah!

In the end I asked them to stand up if they wanted more of Him, of His glory, drawing closer to Him, and pretty much everyone stood up. Then I prayed. The music was playing again. Then I invited them forward, if they wanted to take steps closer to Him. A lot of people came forward, some kneeling down, some standing. We continued worshiping God and seeking Him individually, until I finally got up and started praying for people one after another.

There were so many. I went from person to person. Most were on their knees. On some you could see the Holy Spirit ministering to them, others had tears falling. It was so beautiful to see His people encounter Him! I love it!

By the time I was done, everyone but the ones putting stuff away were gone. People were downstairs, eating and talking. I enjoyed talking with an 8-year-old for quite some time, telling him about life in Mali. I miss sharing with kids!

I finally got to go downstairs. Many had already left. I was given some food, and sat down with an old friend, and some new people. We talked for quite some time - until they basically kicked us out. I was VERY tired again anyway. I had received wonderful feedback from people, saying how they were touched, and how the message spoke to them. Yeah, God!

I was glad when I got home at 10 pm, and turned on the computer to write this and upload the pictures. It's once again late as I go to bed. One more time of preaching tomorrow, and then I'm off!!!! Haven't looked forward to Monday like this in a while!

A picture from Mali: Joseph (middle), Moussa (street kid), and Eva after the service.

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Friday, March 19, 2010

Back Home In Mali

Wednesday night, after having ministered, I turned on my computer to check my mails, when to my surprise Eva was online at that time of day. She informed me that Amadou had gone to the hospital together with Paul and the driver.

Apparently our driver showed the kids some workout routines, and Amadou fell on his hand and broke his arm. They spent a few hours there, and had to go back in the morning, and next Monday he has to go again. They're making lots of tests, making lots of money from us. Thankfully it's Amadou's left arm, and thankfully the two-week Easter vacation has just started.

We've given away some more bags of rice. This picture shows our kids with the bags of rice to be distributed to widows and needy families.

We've had these paper bricks for a long time, and I made Eva aware of them. Now our little ones want to play with them all the time.

Sarata (4) with lipstick, and in her pyjamas brushing her teeth.

Joseph cutting Bakary's hair; our little ones.

A cute couple - Bakary (6) and Sarata (4). Little Hawa (1 in June) who was named after me.

Detour To Vienna

Thursday morning I woke up tired after a short night, but enjoyed the quietness in the house. I had breakfast with my great host, then continued to take advantage of the internet. At 1 pm we had lunch, and then I had to say good-bye.

But I didn't drive back to Vienna, as originally planned, but returned to my friends' in Traun. They had invited me to hear an Austrian comedian (who's also a Christian) last night. I weighed it for a while, and finally decided to join them. And so I drove the 30 km back to Traun, stopping at a shopping center on the way. Back at their house, I lied down for a short while, and then we had dinner. At 7:15 we left the house to drive to the theater which was only 5 minutes away.

The comedian was great; I enjoyed it (though I was sitting by myself). During the second half I had a harder time staying awake, and I was wondering whether I shouldn't stay at their house for the night instead of driving the 2 hours back to Vienna in the middle of the night. But I stuck with the plan.

At 10:15 it was over, and we returned to their house. I said good-bye, grabbed my stuff, and settled into the car for the ride. I had some chocolate to keep me awake. Thankfully it had been a really nice day - sunshine, no rain - so it was a pleasant drive. The chocolate did its job, and I was glad when I pulled into my grandmother's driveway at half past midnight.

This morning I woke up as early as always. I had wanted to be back to go to the gym, and though I didn't really feel like it, I went. However, when I got there I discovered that I had forgotten my card. So I went to buy groceries and returned home - without going to the gym. And I think it was the right decision. I had a few hours to rest which I desperately needed, and then I drove to my Mom's house where I had dinner, showed pictures, and watched TV with them until 10 pm. Back home, a few more things to do and to bed far too late, after midnight.

I feel like I really need a break. I love preaching and ministering, but at this point I'm not even looking forward to ministering both Saturday and Sunday. It just sounds tiring and like work at this point. I'll need God's grace to give me strength!

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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Ministering In Steyr

The night was short, and a little restless. I got up to have a nice breakfast with my wonderful hosts, and then had a quiet morning of talking and resting and doing emails. At 11:30 am I joined Peter to walk to the kids' kindergarten and pick them up which was nice. The sun had finally come out, and the kids were on their bikes. Back home we had lunch together, which I greatly enjoyed. Every meal at their house was typical Austrian food, which was wonderful!

After lunch I said good-bye, got into the car, and started on my 45 minute drive to Steyr, on little roads from village to village. Unfortunately there was construction and one road was barred. Well, my GPS didn't know that, and so I had to "disobey" and take another road, hoping I was going into the right direction. After I had gone long enough, I chose to follow the GPS again. So all in all it took me longer to get to my destination. One time God protected me from a near-collision. Thank God for the angels that protect us!

I arrived at my friends' house in Steyr at 2 pm. Franz was at work, but his wife was home. I sat down with her for a cup of tea and enjoyed catching up. Then I went to my room where I had a nap to catch up on some sleep; it was a wonderful nap! After I got up, I had another hour to just spend in God's presence. Then it was already time to leave. Franz had come home, and it was good to see him again.

We arrived at the little church facilities at 6 pm. I met the church leader for the first time, since when I was here last year, we only used their facilities but it wasn't their meeting. He was a very kind man, and enjoyed the meeting very much, it seemed.

I set up my stuff, we made sure the projector and video was working, and then we went to a little room to pray. I enjoyed coming before His beautiful throne of grace!

Back outside, people started arriving. A good number had already met me last year. At 7 pm we started with Franz introducing me (picture). Then we watched the video presentation, followed by me giving an update and then a Q & A time. We had scheduled one hour for all that, and it worked out pretty well.

The atmosphere was already saturated with the presence of God. They took an offering, and we sang 4 songs to worship God. His presence increased, and I knelt on the floor enjoying Him. I actually asked the worship leader to add the fourth song, as I felt God speaking. He wanted me to pray for healing, specifically for those who had backpain.

As the notes of the 4th song subsided, I got up and let people know. Three came forward to have me pray for them, for their backs to be healed. Then I prayed, to set the stage for the message. I had about 40 minutes left to pass on the message that was on my heart. I preached my "heart message" on intimacy with God, and Him being able to use anyone to do anything. His presence was so tangible, it was wonderful.

After I was done, I prayed again, and invited people forward if they wanted me to pray for them so they would be drawn closer to His heart, but nobody moved. The worship leader started worshiping, and so I also worshipped, waiting for people to come forward. It took a long time before the first person moved. Like last Sunday, some fell to the ground, overcome by the presence of God, but I'm always ready for that. Others had tears as the Lord met them at the deepest level. It was so precious! Nothing's like it!

As always, most people were gone once I was done praying. I talked to a few more people, and then we returned to the house. We had dinner (I don't like eating before a meeting), and then I went to my nice little room where I took advantage of having a fast and free internet connection, which meant I went to bed far too late (but it was worth it).

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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Off To Upper Austria

Monday came and went very fast - some resting, some catching up on work, enjoying going to the gym, and the day was over.

Tuesday morning I left Vienna at 10 am. My grandmother was so kind to let me use her car so I could drive to Upper Austria, and go easily from town to town which would have been very hard by train. It was a 3-day trip.

When I got into the car, it was actually snowing. As soon as I was on the Autobahn, the snow got more and more intense. I was amazed at this weather in the middle of March! We had to drive 40 kph at times! Unbelievable. As I distanced myself from Vienna, the snow turned into rain. I was glad when I arrived in Traun just after noon.

It was good to see my friends again like every year. I've known Peter since I was saved at the age of 20. Today he has three children, the youngest in his arms in the picture.

I had lunch with them, and enjoyed catching up. In the afternoon I was glad to be able to lie down and get a nap in. Then we had dinner, and it was already time to leave to go to church.

Sharing In Pucking

We were the first ones to get to church, and I set up my stuff in the back. People started arriving, and I was greeting them. Most had met and heard me before. I think it was my third time or so at this church.

This church is more conservative than the other churches I go to, and still they are great supporters every time I come that one time a year. The youth group even sponsors one child, as well as the children's group, and a third sponsor attends this church.

We started with a time of singing a few songs, and people praying in between. Then the church leader spoke a few words. Then it was my turn. First I showed them the video presentation. Then I came up to give an update on the events of this past year.

A time of asking and answering questions followed, which I always enjoy. Time went by very fast, and it was a very laid-back, family-like atmosphere. In the end, a few people prayed for me, and then the meeting was over. The church had been so kind to already take an offering for me and the work last Sunday. And they were very generous. Thank You, Lord!

I talked to a few people after the meeting, and accepted a gift from a sponsor for her child in Mali. Then it was time to go home.

Back home we had some hot chocolate and talked a little more, before it was time to go to bed. I took advantage of having fast and free internet, and so it was pretty late before I hit the pillow.

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Sunday, March 14, 2010

Meeting In Großrust

I had not slept well at all; I couldn't fall asleep for the longest time, and the wind rattled the roof all night. Plus, I set my alarm early to get to spend some time with God before the service. I enjoyed that one hour in His presence. Then I had a quick breakfast with my friends, and off we went to Großrust which is 15 minutes away from Sankt Pölten.

We arrived there early so I could set my stuff up, and make sure they were able to make my video play. It was great to see the pastors of this little church again who have been very supportive. Slowly people started arriving, and greeting me. Many knew me already, though it was my first time to preach there.

The pastor started the service, and his wife and some others led us in a time of worshipful singing. The pastors love the presence of God, and are so hungry for God, that you can tell. The worship time was wonderful, and I greatly enjoyed being in His presence.

Then they had Ellen come up; Ellen sponsors one of my boys (Boubacar), and she gave a testimony about that. I had told her before the service already that Boubacar is making the most progress of all my boys right now, and she told me that they are praying a lot for him. That explains it!

Then they showed my video, and I gave an update about the last year. Then they did the offering; 50% of the offering was given to me, and the rest to other missionaries. That's the first time I've raised money for other missionaries by talking about my work! ;-)

After the offering it was my turn. We did one song, and I prayed right away after the song; a prayer to my beautiful Jesus, to set the stage for the preaching. Since it was my first time preaching there, I gave my classical sermon on intimacy and not limiting God, where I share a lot about my life.

In this picture you see me in a beautiful little box, one we like to put God in, but He wants to explode all our boxes. He's so much bigger!

Though I had to preach in German, the longer I talked the better it went. I saw hearts touched even as I spoke. In the end, everyone responded and stood up. I prayed from the front, and then invited people to come forward to seek God, and receive prayer - whether to have a deeper revelation of their heavenly Father, or to receive physical healing.

The line was long, as if everyone wanted prayer, and praying I did. A few people fell to the ground, others cried, others were healed physically. It was a beautiful time. The tall young man in the picture is Christian who's coming to Mali for a year in July. We can't wait to have him!

By the time I was done praying, everyone was gone. Only the pastors (picture) were still there since they live there, and my friends. They had prepared a wonderful meal for us, and so we sat down to all have lunch together. We had a great time of fellowship and only left at 4 pm to drive back to Sankt Pölten.

The remaining day passed quickly. I took advantage of free internet at my friends' house, and enjoyed the last few hours of fellowship with them. I was very tired, though. Finally I had to say good-bye as I took the 8 pm train to Vienna. I used the time wisely to get a nap in during the 40 minute ride. At 9 pm my grandmother picked me up at the subway station, and we went home. It had been a long and good day!

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Friday, March 12, 2010

New Baby In The Family

Yesterday Elisabeth's next child was born - a new baby boy. It's Elisabeth's fifth living child, and third boy. He doesn't have a name yet. The pictures show Elisabeth, as well as Dad Michel (who is Paul's Dad), and Anatole (6) who used to be the youngest. Congratulations!

Meeting In Sankt Pölten

In the afternoon my grandmother dropped me off at the subway station. I took the subway to the train station, where I took the train to Sankt Pölten, which is about 45 minutes from Vienna by train.

I arrived there at 6:20 pm, and my friends Sepp & Beate picked me up. I was pretty tired, and had napped on the train. We drove straight to their church where I was scheduled to share with the youth - as I do every year.

It was nice seeing everyone again. I changed into my Malian clothes, and gave them the video presentation to get it ready to be shown. At 7 pm we started with the presentation, and then I gave an update about the past year. A time of Q & A followed, and they had great questions. We talked until 9 pm. I could tellt that I was very tired, though I enjoyed our time together very much.

Then Christian (who's coming to Mali for a year) took the guitar, Nikki started playing the piano, and we sang a few worship songs. Then they surrounded me and prayed for me and Mali. It was a precious time.

We talked a little with different people, and then we headed home. I thought I'd fall into bed right away. Instead, I talked with my good friend Beate who I've known since my conversion 17 years ago - until midnight.

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Thursday, March 11, 2010

First Few Days In Vienna

I arrived in my hometown Vienna Monday night - tired and ready for some rest. The cold greeted me, and in the morning I woke up to 16 C (61 F) in my room - even after the heat in Mali, that was too low for me. Thankfully my grandmother has adjusted the heat a little bit so that it's not that bad any more. But the heat in the house is turned off at 11 pm, and turned back on in the morning - well, not the whole house, just bedrooms and living room, and bathrooms.

My grandmother is not a believer which restricts considerably our conversations. I'm glad I can help her out with driving her to the subway station and back, and helping her with computer stuff. In return I'm glad I can use the car any time.

What I was looking forward to most was to go to the gym which is not too far away. In summer I ride a bike there, but not now. This morning when I woke up, there was snow everywhere - to my delight. I had to clean off the car before being able to drive to the gym.

What have I done these past few days? I still had my video presentation to update (no time for a new one), and so that took some time, working on the English and German version. Other than that, I enjoyed watching German television again and relaxing while doing so.

On Wednesday I went to my mother's house and had a nice time there. On Thursday I visited my brother and his family.

My Nephew Maximilian

And that's why there are new pictures of my nephew Maximilian who is turning 2 in April. He loves bubbles, and was able to create his own bubbles even (picture to the very right).

I'm glad we were also able to take a picture of the two of us that turned out well. I left at 8:30 pm when my grandmother called that she needed a ride home from the subway station.

Tomorrow it's time to travel and work again - the first meeting is in the evening!

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Monday, March 8, 2010

Fellowship With Old Friends

I set my alarm for 9 am, having gone to bed late, taking advantage of having internet access, especially as I'd had to pay quite a lot for it. As yesterday I did not go have the expensive breakfast, but used up the bread and stuff I had.

I knew the time the train would leave that I had to catch. But I wanted to leave early just to be sure I'd make it on time. So I left my room at 10:30 am. I checked out at the reception. I was glad when I saw that I did get the deal of paying only 2 nights for 3 nights here. He asked whether everything had been okay, and I told him more or less, not wanting to tell him the things that hadn't. I had a train to catch!

I went outside into the cold - thankfully the sun was shining at least. I had one big bag on one side, the carry-on on the other side, and the handbag over the shoulder, and off I went, walking to the bus stop. It wasn't as bad as I had thought. I was lucky - the bus came just after I had arrived there. I got on - quite an undertaking with all the luggage - and only a few stops later I got off.

Now to getting everything to the train platform - walking, then walking uphill, then through the barrier at the train station, and then the stairs. I carried up one at the time. I was glad when I had made it.

Then the train was delayed by 13 minutes, and I had to wait in the cold for 25 minutes; it was bearable thanks to the sunshine. Ensuite I had 38 minutes in the train before I arrived at St.Ouen l'Aumône. Once I got off the train, I had to master another staircase, this time going down.

And then I saw my friend Pascale; I hadn't seen her in 2 years. In 2006 she was in Mali with another lady. We went to her car, and then went to "our" restaurant where we always go to eat. We had a wonderful time catching up, talking about all kinds of things. Time went by fast.

Since we still had some time and were just around the corner from her church, we went over there. It was great to be back at CLN! The pastors weren't there, but my good friend Corinne was, plus some other people that I know. We stayed for about 40 minutes, and then we left to go to the airport. Pascale was so kind to take me there. I enjoyed the car ride, talking some more. After 3 pm I was at the airport, and had to say good-bye.

Flight To Austria

I checked in, and still I had a good hour in the frequent flyer lounge, taking advantage of free internet for the last time.

Then I went through security, and a few minutes later boarding started. I was the first one on the plane. A few moments later I fell asleep; I was pretty tired. I slept for about an hour, until we were served drinks - no food. The whole flight lasted an hour and a half.

At 7:15 pm my plane landed in Vienna, Austria, my hometown. It was pretty cold - minus 3 C (26.6 F) plus wind. My Mom picked me up and drove me to my grandmother's house. It was good catching up with her.

At my grandmother's house, I got some food and sat down with her in front of the TV for some time, before going upstairs to do some unpacking and going online. I hope I get to go to bed earlier tonight.

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Sunday, March 7, 2010

Belleville Church

Having found out yesterday that breakfast was not included in the price, I decided not to go to breakfast today. I still had some bread and stuff thanks to the fridge in the room, and did the trick.

The first service I was headed to was at 11 am. So I left the hotel at 10 am. The hotel is located in the north of Paris, in Saint Denis, but there was still a subway station right by the hotel, so it was quick and easy to go into town. The cold hit me as I left, especially with the strong wind that was blowing. Brrr!

When I arrived on the platform for my subway, I heard them announce that there were technical problems with the trains. Great. I had to wait nearly 15 minutes - and I was wondering whether I'd make it to church in time.

I had to change trains one time, and finally arrived at Belleville, right in Paris. I still had some walking to do, but I found it alright. Though it was just after 11, the service had not started yet. I found myself a seat. I had been in this church 16.5 years ago; I can't say I really recognized it. It was the very first charismatic church I was ever at, but not knowing anything, I didn't like it and never came back. I was simply ignorant about what was going on.

The service started, and I already recognized Randy who I had been in email contact with. He's an American who's lived in Paris for 10 years, and works with immigrant children. They did communion during the service - in a way I have never seen done before. They had everyone make a circle along the wall of the room. Then the bread was passed around, as was the wine. What was funny was that Randy actually gave me the wine to drink - and he had recognized me.

The senior pastor preached on sanctification, and I struggled with staying awake - but that was not his fault. After the service I talked with him, and told him about my first time at his church. I gave him a brochure, and he was interested, telling me to come back in the future.

Then I actually talked to Randy for the first time. He had invited me in advance to join him and his team for lunch after the service. He introduced me to everyone, and we sat down to eat. I had opportunity to talk with him a little, but time went by too fast. The meal was over, and now it was time for work.

Randy had a meeting with his team to prepare for their program of the month with the children and youth of immigrants and French people in the neighborhood. It sounds like they're doing a great job!

Then the group split into two - one for the kids, the other for the youth. It was already 3:30 pm, and I had to leave by 4 pm at the latest. I went with the youth team anyway, and had a chance to pray for them. Then I needed to go, and Randy and the two other guys prayed for me as well. That was sweet. Then I left.

Saint Michael's Church

I had an hour to get to Saint Michael's Church, a charismatic Anglican church; the "pastor" there had asked me to be there early so he could talk to me before the service. I had to change subway lines once, and arrived in the heart of Paris, by the Louvre and Champs-Elysées. I had a good view of the Eiffel Tower, and the obelisk was right there (picture). A guy was selling roasted chestnuts, having put a self-made oven into a shopping cart. I was heading for the wonderful chestnuts, when he was busted by a policeman. Oh well; hopefully in Vienna.

I started on my walk to the church, and got there earlier than I had thought. Only a few people were there. I had been asked to come to the French-speaking service at 5 pm as well as the English service at 7 pm. I was able to get a hold of the assistant curate who I had been in touch with by email just before the service started. He asked me to give a testimony, and I agreed.

I haven't been in an Anglican service in a very long time. Having grown up catholic, some of the liturgy reminds me of those years and make me uncomfortable, especially the way communion is celebrated. I participated anyway.

At the very end I was called forward to give the testimony. I was amazed at God's timing! The sermon had been about being filled with the Spirit, and just a few days ago I sent them the email sharing how God baptized me in the Spirit in this church 16 years ago, without me knowing what was happening, and I had not been back since. That's why I was asked to testify.

So I shared about my coming to the church, and how God met and changed me, and telling them in one sentence what I'm doing today, and that I have brochures for those who want to know more.

After the service, they had tea and coffee upstairs. That was a great opportunity to talk to some people, and I made some contacts. One lady told me she has a big house, and I could stay with her next time.

Then it was time to go back down for the English service. The sermon was identical - just in English - and there was no communion. Again I testified at the very end. There was no tea or coffee this time, but a few people came up to me again. One young lady told me that she's going to Mali with a group in July; she'll see whether they can come visit our base as well.

I talked to the chaplain and assistant curate for a short moment, who thanked me for coming and testifying, and asked me to stay in touch with them. I'll know I'll be back int he future.

I left the church around 8:30 pm and with the help of my map made my way to another subway station. It took me right by the president's palace. There was a policeman every couple of meters, and one time I wanted to turn right and go over to the sidewalk of the palace, and I was immediately made to turn around with unmistakable words and gestures. Scary.

I was glad when I found my subway station. It was sure cold! I had to wait for 10 minutes before my train arrived. At least it was the line that took me straight to the hotel. When I got off at my stop, it was even colder and I walked to my hotel as quickly as possible. I was so glad when I was in my room at 9:30 pm! I immediately made myself a cup of tea to warm up. Since I'm paying a lot for the internet, I stayed up late taking advantage of it as much as possible. Hopefully I won't pay too much for that tomorrow.

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Saturday, March 6, 2010

Long Walk Outside Paris

Last night I had a very hard time finishing my blog, falling asleep several times. I finally finished and went straight to bed. It was about 10 pm.

Just before 8 am my alarm clock rudely awakened me. I was SO tired, I felt like I could sleep a few more hours. In fact, I hit the snooze button two times, giving myself a little more time to try to wake up. I tell you, I sure wished at that time I didn't have to go anywhere. I finally did get up, and went downstairs for breakfast.

The breakfast buffet looked amazing - lots of choices. The bitter pill came when I found out I had to pay. After the internet, that's the second item that's not included. That's gonna be a much bigger bill than expected! However, the breakfast was awesome, and I knew I needed it for the 12 kilometer hike ahead.

I had brought my fanny pack with me just for this hike since I don't have a backpack, and I had to bring my lunch with me. I bundled up putting on my warmest clothes, got some water, and left the house for this next adventure.

At first I had to take the bus to the train station of Saint Denis (picture). I was shocked to see how shabby the neighborhood was. This house looked pretty bad!

I was also shocked at how cold it was. Even though walking helped, my thighs felt like they were frozen. I was debating whether I was really up for this long walk in this cold weather, or should return to the hotel.

At the train station I met up with the guy who had been so kind to pick me up from the airport yesterday. He was also the one responsible for the hike today, and he came by this way on his way to the meeting point for the hike, so it was perfect. He said he'd help me buy my train ticket for Monday morning. So we did that.

Then we had to walk quite a bit to get to the bus station we needed. Everything was under construction everywhere! We had to wait for the bus for a while, and ended up at the meeting point late.

I was amazed at how many people there were, given the cold weather. They told me usually they're about double this number - 30 rather than 15. It was the hard core today, I guess. It was a mixture of British, French and other nationalities, since the church that puts these on is an Anglican charismatic church. Before we started walking, everyone said his/her name and where (s)he is from. That's all it took for a few people to want to talk to me which was great.

So we started walking, through this park that had a few lakes in there. From the get go I was talking, and I never stopped, it seems. But it was great meeting these people, and getting to share. I gave a few brochures away, and hope to hear from some of them. One lady wanted to come to Mali for a few months to help. Yes, it's the French-speakers we need!

We walked along the Seine for a while, then through a town, ending up in Enghien-les-Bains, where there was another lake. That's where this picture was taken. We then sat down by the lake to have lunch - it was after 12 pm. Imagine, the temperatures just above freezing, and we're sitting on stony steps eating lunch! I had to take my gloves off for that, and actually sat on them because the stones were cold. Thankfully the sun had come out by then.

I enjoyed talking to the people, but had already made up my mind that I had walked enough and would return home at the next opportunity. We started walking again, having great conversations, and suddenly I had arrived at my bus stop, and the bus was already there. So I quickly had to wave good-bye to everyone. It had definitely been worth coming on this hike.

I was in the bus a long time. It took me all the way back to the train station that is close by my hotel and that is in the first picture. However, I think I missed the stop I should have gotten off, and got off at the next one. I asked someone where there was a supermarket, so I could by some groceries. So I kept walking - in the opposite direction of my hotel - and I finally found it. It was small, but I found what I needed. Then it was time to go home.

I had a long walk ahead of me still. I was glad when I arrived at the train station, but quite a bit more walking to do thanks to the construction work. I finally got to my bus that would take me the rest of the way to the hotel. I was glad when I arrived there at 2:30 pm. It didn't take long for me to realize I was pretty tired - but in a good way. I walked around 8 kilometers today. I was also cold, and enjoyed my first cup of tea immensely.

I had no intention of going anywhere else. It would be a restful, relaxing rest of the day. Yeah!

Thankfully, tomorrow I don't have to leave this early, so I'm looking forward to another long refreshing night without being too hot to sleep :-). I have a very long day ahead of me tomorrow.

I talked to Eva and Paul and the kids today (as yesterday). There was an incident with the boys getting into a fight, but other than that things are fine. I'm so glad Eva is there!

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Friday, March 5, 2010

Paris

At 4 am Malian time the flight crew woke us up again. I had barely slept anything. We arrived in Paris an hour later and 20 minutes early. It was 5:50 am in Paris, and 4:50 am in Mali.

I made my way to the exit, which took forever in the maze of the Charles de Gaulle airport. After a while of waiting for my luggage, I was ready to go outside and wait for my ride.

My new acquaintance had told me he'd be there by 7 am. I sent a text message, and tried to call him to let him know the exit number I was at, but his phone was off. He later told me he didn't know how to turn his cellphone on, and so I showed him.

I still had some waiting time ahead of me, while I kept trying to call him to no avail. I was concerned, especially as I could tell no private cars had access to arrivals. Would he be at departures? At 7 am I stood outside the arrival hall. Nothing. No private cars. So I simply decided to go to departures where I knew people could easily load and unload.

The pilot had told us that it was -2 C (28 F) in Paris; definitely no the kind of weather you want to stand around the curb in. I was "lucky". My new friend and Christian brother pulled up just after I had gotten there. He recognized me right away. He put my luggage in his trunk, and off we went. We were on the way to his apartment, since I could not check into my hotel this early, and it was on the way anyway. I was so thankful he was willing to help me out this way!!! Especially without knowing me.

So I had a great time finding out more about him, just talking while in the car. We got to his apartment complex, and he parked the car. It was 8 am. He said that his wife was just getting ready to leave the house, and so we had to go to a coffeshop until the grocery store would open at 8:30 am. It was right there, but he had never been inside. I got some tea, and was shocked to find he had given me green tea with mint instead of just good, regular tea!

We continued our conversation about all kinds of things until the store opened. So we walked back there. It was small for American standards. I got a few groceries for today and tomorrow. Then we went to his apartment to kill another 2+ hours.

First we had breakfast, then we looked at Paris maps, and I learned all I needed to navigate around the next few days. It was very useful. At around 11 am we left to drive to the hotel. It didn't take us long to get there. He was so kind to help me get the luggage all the way to my room. Then I said good-bye, and see you tomorrow.

I was so happy to finally be in my hotel room! Though not everything was as promised online. No bathtub - that was the hardest. And no wireless internet - just with a (short) cable. Reminders that I'm not in the US!

Well, I greatly enjoyed the rest of my day with (German) TV, and decent food and fruits. It was interrupted one time - when I went to the fitness room to hop on the treadmill. It was awesome! What a difference to run in 17 C (62.6 F) instead of the 36 C (97 F) I have in my house in Mali.

Well, this is it for today. I've fallen asleep a few times now writing this blog, having to delete the many letters my fingers would leave behind. I have to have a night of rest, and tomorrow I'm joining a church group on a 12 kilometer hike.

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Thursday, March 4, 2010

Prayers Needed

I have been sick these past few days. I finally thought it might be Malaria and took medication. I'm not feeling any different today.

In an hour I'm leaving home to go to the airport and fly to Paris. It's an overnight flight. Please pray for this trip! When you're sick, it's definitely not fun.

But my heavenly Daddy is so good to me - he sent a Christian brother I haven't even met yet who's picking me up at the airport in the morning and dropping me off at the hotel. That's a huge relief!

The temperature difference will be huge. But I can't wait to get out of this intense heat.

So your prayers are coveted more than ever - for my health, and this trip. On Monday I'm taking a flight from Paris to Vienna.

Two pictures: the kids completed their first 500 piece puzzle. Good job!

Off To Paris

I did the family meeting at 8 pm as usual, and gave my kids their final hugs while saying good-bye. The way I was feeling physically had been going up and down all day - up whenever I'd take some tylenol. As my departure time neared, I had to take some again. During the family meeting I asked my kids to pray for me, and they did. I've been fine since shortly after that!

All throughout the day I had been giving Eva instructions for my absence, feeling more peace than ever leaving knowing she was there. The heat was really hard on me all day (as it has been), but the fever I've had the last few days have definitely made it even harder. I measure 35-37 C (95-99 F) in my house! Unfortunately I haven't been on the treadmill for a week or so... you can imagine why.

I was not stressed but got pretty much everything done in time before my departure. I was sad to leave my kids, but printed out a paper with all their new portrait pictures we've been taking. I invite you to go to the RESIDENT KIDS and NON-RESIDENT KIDS pages to see all those new pictures. Here are a few good ones:

Sarata (4), Bakary (6), Jonathan (1.5), Hawa (<1).

My luggage was placed on the one car that is with us... (as soon as we got the one car back from the mechanic, the other one broke down; this has happened a few times now, and we haven't had both cars for weeks) ...then I said good-bye to the street kids and night-guard and Eva, and we left for the airport. Our driver, Paul and I. It was my last chance to talk to Paul. We don't live that far from the airport.

They dropped me off and left. I was on my own again, leaving for another trip. In the car I told Paul that I was getting someone tired of this traveling (alone).

The policeman checking my passport at the entrance to the airport terminal (the first of about 20 or so checks... well, a few less) asked me whether I was resident, when he saw my many Mali visas. I don't even know if I'm officially resident or not.

There was a long line at the check-in, but thankfully my frequent flyer line was pretty empty. I was checked in in no time at all and continued on to immigration. He asked about my Malian address (it happens occasionally) since there are no street or house numbers for our property yet. Our offical address is simply "behind the market, on the foot of the hill".

My next stop was the frequent flyer lounge. The cool air hit me when I first went in. A few minutes later it didn't feel that cool any more. Later I saw what they had set the airconditioner to in the hall outside - to 31 C (88 F). I had to smile. What Westerner would think 31 C is wonderfully cool! I myself have set my AC to 30 C - which is great when it is 36 C otherwise.

I had nearly an hour in the lounge. It was pretty full. The tiredness hit me. Last night I had a hard time sleeping, and slept very little. So I "napped" until it was time to leave the lounge. I sure needed it.

I went through another passport check, and was shocked to find a long line at security. It took relatively long to get through, and when I got to the gate, boarding had already been in progress for a while. More checks, including carry-on, then onto the bus and to the plane. I was surprised to find most people on board already; that was unusual. It was a full flight.

We left Bamako pretty much on time. I had nothing to read and rested with my eyes shut for a while. I picked out a nice movie, and waited for the food that I always like very much. I finished the movie and decided to try to get some sleep. But I had a hard time, never getting comfortable.