Safely in... France???

We have safely arrived in… Paris. Yes, you did not read a mistake, we are currently in Paris. Our flight from Brussels to Nairobi was canceled because of a bird strike, and since we would have been stuck in Brussels until late tomorrow afternoon, the airport, possibly motivated by Dr. Popwell, ;) chose to send us to see Robert in France rather than pay for us to stay in a hotel.

We spent the afternoon trying to adjust from jet lag- touring downtown Paris! We saw Notre Dame, the Eiffel tower (from a distance), the Louvre (also from a distance), and the Paris subway system (up close and personal). Robert, Curt's brother who lives in Vernon, met us at the airport, guided us to each sight and then led us back to the Institute where he works.

We stopped at the French Bakery just around the corner from the institute and picked up some baguettes, and pastries. Since I'm not eating wheat I found a meringue which I am fairly sure doesn't have gluten in it. As I speak, Dr. Popwell is enjoying a "thousand leaves" or thousand layers pastry- kind of like baklava. 

So far, witnessing has been difficult. On the flight over from Washinton to Brussels I don't think the woman I sat next to knew much English. She was originally from Somalia, but had immigrated to Kenya, and then to the United States. She was Muslim, and very busy taking care of the six kids that had come with her and her sister.

Curt shared the gospel briefly with the young man from Angola that sat beside us on the flight from Brussels to Paris. We gave him one of the gospel bracelets Dr. Popwell brought, and Curt explained what the different symbols meant.

Please pray for an open door of witness. We may try our very hardest, but God is the one who provides opportunities and tender hearts. Please pray that we would recognize the opportunities, and see God work.

One sad bit of news. We have lost our digital camera. We were using it on the subway, set it down to get a backpack, and never picked it back up. We realized it just minutes after exiting the subway, but the subway car had already left.

Rob plans to lend us his camera, which he seldom uses, and we'll return it to him when he comes for Curt and Nate's graduation next spring.

How can I describe Paris? Having seen mostly downtown and Notre Dame the city seems alive with a million different colors and shades. We saw everything from diminutive stooped french ladies dressed all in black, to vibrant turquoise saris, to what must be the latest in fashion (I sure haven't seen it before!) We saw gawkers at the famous landmarks, and those who clearly were so used to the sights that they didn't even glance toward the magnificent structures. We spoke to friendly US citizens who had lived in Europe for the past 10 years, and several rather pushy homeless people.

On top of the artist palette of people, mix in the sights and smells of a European country; Smells like aroma of the Bakery around the corner, the pungent odor of unwashed sweaty people crowded into the subway, the fragrance of the abundant blooming flowers that spill from flower boxes around the city, and even the smell of the French cheese we had with dinner, and you might begin to imagine the diversity.

Finally, add that surrounding and framing everything is the ornate and intricate French architecture. You just need to see a picture of Notre Dame, or the Eiffel tower to get the picture.

What a neat experience! Despite the delay in arriving, we are so thankful for how God worked. What other flight cancellation would have placed us close enough to Curt’s brother that we could see him? It seems that over and over we are recognizing God’s sovereignty demonstrated by his timing. Now, if only we can hold onto that lesson for the future, when things don’t go quite like we want!

Tomorrow we will fly out around 3:45pm, make a brief stop in Cairo Egypt to switch flights, and finish, Lord willing, in Nairobi!