The Provis Family
Ruth and Mark Provis are our fearless base leaders here at JEM St. Paul. They each teach a full week of DTS, oversee and plan everything we do, and work closely with Anna and Tabea (the staff members who live on the base).
Ruth and Mark are British, and all of us American students are fascinated with their accents and sayings. We love it when they say "Rubbish!" or "That was brilliant!" or "Blimey!". Ruth and Mark have two boys, Eli and Noah, whose accents are equally as fascinating and who are both fluent in French. The Provis family lives in an apartment in St. Paul, which is a 2 minute drive from the base. We are very blessed to have such wonderfully fun people leading our team.
Lectures
I must say that I have found some of the lectures quite difficult to sit through. I've been learning a lot of things that are new to me and/or different from what I've been taught at home or in church. In addition this is one of the first times in my life that I don't have my pastors and parents around to help me process this information. I'm asking God to help me be discerning but not overly critical as I take everything in.
Over the past two weeks God has been showing me that I've been believing things about him that aren't true, things that are based more on my own opinions than on what the Bible says, and it's a hard realization to come to! But I set out on this journey wanting to know God better, and if that requires some humbling along the way, it's worth it!
Ardèche
Okay, it's time for some pictures folks. Today I have some gooders to share with you from our excursion to Ardèche. Ardèche is basically the Grand Canyon of France with a gorge running through it. This morning, we packed a picnic lunch, stuffed ourselves into two little cars, and headed down the winding roads leading to Ardèche. We stopped frequently to take pictures along the way.
Oh man was it immense! Views like the one above were plenty and kept getting better and better with each overlook site we passed.
We also had the opportunity to make some new friends...
The highlight of today's excursion was Vallon Pont d'Arc, where we stopped to eat a picnic lunch and go swimming.
Pretty amazing, huh? We braved the frigid water to swim underneath the arc to the other side of the gorge. One member of our party started feeling ill, so we bummed a ride back from some super nice French guys who were kayaking near us. Unfortunately, they were a little too young for me.
Our last stop before returning to the base was a Roman wash house in Bourg-Saint-Andéol.
And with that, I will conclude my three-in-one post.
Oh Lena. Thanks for the update again. Praying for you as you are being stretched. I've had the 'privilege' in my life of being part of a wild variety of churches/mission teams/groups with a wide range of theologies and beliefs. Jesus' death and resurrection being the one constant. My pot has been stirred numerous times over the last 50 years. After much pondering and praying and soul searching and after the wise words of one of my professors at seminary - I have come to enjoy the fine art of fence-sitting. Seeing the beauty of both sides and just being content to sit here on my happy little fence taking it all in. For Rob and I - being theology correct is not as important as what you do with it. Having a secure understanding of who Jesus is and what He did ... and Living our lives in humble service before the King. Micah 6:8.
ReplyDeleteFence sitting has its advantages.... even if for just a season in your life.
Julia
Hi Aunt Julia!!! Thank you for praying and for reminding me to focus on understanding who Jesus is and what he has done. It's easy for me to lose sight of that which is of first importance!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I saw your comment on facebook about Ben being home for fall break. I hope you all had/are having a sweet, sweet time together.