Anniversary, America, and Alpha

Hi Friends, 

7 years ago, we packed up 18 bags and made our big move from the USA to France with our four small children. It is amazing to see all that God has done with our little family over this season. We are so grateful for all of you who have been with us throughout the journey, for your prayers and support. We feel incredibly blessed and honored to be partnered with you in ministry here.

We’ve recently sent out an email update – if you missed it you can catch up on our news here: Blog-Great is Thy Faithfulness

Even in the few weeks since we sent this out, we’ve had some amazing moments to celebrate. Read to the end of this email for a couple of stories of how God has been working – answers to prayer!   

But first… 

Event in Franklin, TN

Here are some details about our upcoming visit to Tennessee this month! We’ll be spending most of time on this trip visiting family, but we would love to see as many of you as we can!

To do this we’re going to have a lunch/reception at our sending church, the Gate on Sunday the 21st of April following the second service at 12:30 pm. We’ll have some pictures and stories to share about how God is at work here in Normandie.

 We’ll also have time to catch up and pray together. As the Gate will be providing food for this event, it will help us if you can let us know you are coming. Please RSVP by simply responding to this email. We hope you can make it!

 We’ll also be at the Gate on May 5th and we will have space to catch up between and after services.

Music Project in Nashville

As part of our trip to the USA, we are going to be recording a few songs with the help of Jenny and Tyler, Tom’s sister and brother-in-law. Please pray with us about this. It’s been exciting to have more and more opportunity to play and sing in our city and we hope the recording will be useful in helping our French friends and neighbors to encounter Jesus and turn to Him.

Please pray with us as well for safe and smooth travel.

 Now back to how God’s been working…

Alpha Update

Thank you for praying about the Alpha weekend away. It was so, so good! Tom brought his guitar, and this turned out to be a hit with the group. On Saturday night he was invited to lead a time of fun and convivialité. Someone set up a projector to display words for well-known songs and it turned into an amazing sing-along time that really brought the group together. There was a funny moment when I lead a group of 20 or so French people in a boisterous rendition of “O Happy Day” while nuns worked in the kitchen next door. There were also more poignant moments with songs that opened onto true and beautiful things. It reminded me again of how helpful music can be in bringing people together and in moving thinking/conversation from the head to the heart. Père François, the priest who oversees the Alpha Course, was an enthusiastic participant in our time of singing and the next day he invited me to lead music for the group as a time of sung worship during the Mass. This time of prayer and music was a breakthrough moment for many on the weekend. At the end of the weekend, we were all asked to share something we were taking away from the time. I was touched by how many of the group shared that they had experienced the Holy Spirit in the times of singing (for Père François it was during the late-night sing-along time!).  

 The following week for our regular Alpha evening, another leader invited me to share a song of worship before the teaching time. It’s been fun to see the enthusiasm in our local catholic community for music and sung worship and I’m so grateful to be able to help meet this need. Even more exciting than the meaningful work with music, God is drawing some of the people in Alpha closer to Him! It was a privilege to witness in my discussion group a couple moving from describing themselves as atheists to agnostics, and now speaking about experiencing something of the Holy Spirit! I’m continuing to pray for salvation, but I’m grateful for this significant movement in thinking.

Easter Sunday

Another exciting moment for us was leading worship for the first time at Bon Berger on Easter Sunday. Reuben played piano and sang, Silas was rock solid on the djembe, and Eli and Elodie were worshiping with us on the front row. Many of the congregation were not-yet believers who had been invited for the Easter service. This felt like a significant moment of being family on mission.

Thanks for reading to the end! As always, we are grateful for you and we hope to see many of you very soon!

Every Blessing,

The Appels

Great is thy Faithfulness

Dear Friends,

We hope you are well and enjoying the early Spring. We have blossoms on the apple trees here in Normandie to brighten up the frequent rainy days. It’s been an exciting and full month or so; here’s what’s been going on.

Onelife Young Leaders Conference

In February, Tom took our twins to a Christian youth conference in London. It was an amazing experience. Reuben and Eli both took big steps forward in their faith and confidence both as followers of Jesus and as young leaders. As we had prayed, it was a significant moment for them. It was also a huge encouragement to be taking our oldest sons to a youth conference that we helped to launch nearly two decades ago. What was at that time a way to encourage and build up young leaders at an annual conference has grown into a fully-fledged charity, Onelife, with year-round resourcing and resounding impact in the lives of young people. It was amazing to see the way God has been at work over the years and deeply meaningful to have the privilege of seeing the fruit He has brought from those early seeds. At the conference, Tom connected with old friends and had the sweet experience of catching up with someone who had been in our youth group in 2006 and who was now, as an adult, bringing other youth to the conference from their own youth group. The theme of the conference was God’s faithfulness – how very appropriate.

Joanna’s Atelier

The Lord continues to grow Joanna as a painter and visual artist. There have been several exciting opportunities for her to create artwork which proclaims the good news of Christ’s kingdom. She has just competed a commissioned work for our mission’s agency called “Awaken / Reveillé”. This painting is going to be part of an event called, “New Life for the Old World”, which communicates the opportunity and need for the gospel in Europe.

She has also submitted some art work for an exhibition in Paris which will take place during the Summer Olympics. This is in partnership with a Christian run gallery, Agapé Hub, in the heart of the city. This exhibition has the potential to connect with substantial numbers of people. As part of this outreach, Joanna would travel to Paris to be at the exhibition for a few days during the Olympic Games to speak about the artwork with people who visit the gallery.

It is encouraging to see the path God is making for Joanna to develop more and more artistically especially as this medium is a perfect fit for connecting in French culture. She has just put up a portfolio on our website. Check it out here: appelstofrance.com/art

Hosting, Art and Music

It has been an especially full season of hosting and visiting ministry. We mentioned in our emails about Thanksgiving that we are praying to see increase in this aspect of our ministry – and this is happening! It’s exciting to have times of prayer and deep connection with friends and neighbors. Often this is happening around or after an excellent meal at our table. We’re noticing more and more the importance of art and music in our hospitality ministry. It is often a moment with some of Joanna’s paintings that seem to change the timbre of the conversation, drawing us towards deeper things. Similarly, when we get out some instruments and share a song or sing something all together, it feels like there is a change in the atmosphere and we easily move into different level conversations. Thanks for praying with us in this. Though we are feeling a bit tired, we are thankful for answers to prayer and hopeful about seeing some of our amazing neighbours and friends draw nearer to God.

Deepening French Connections

Another clear answer to prayer for us has been in the increase we’ve seen in these first few months of 2024 in our opportunities for ministry with French partners. Tom has been loving the Alpha course which he is doing in partnership with the local Catholic church. These weekly gatherings for people wanting to know more about God from a Christian perspective have been so exciting. Most of the time, disciple making in France moves at a slow pace (and that’s ok!). In this Alpha course, I’m so thankful to be seeing moments of transformation nearly every week! This weekend I’ll be going away for a couple of days for the Alpha Weekend away. This is usually a significant time and I’m praying that there will be some in the group who make a decision to follow Jesus and receive His gift of salvation.

We’re also thankful for the growing relationships we have with Bon Berger, the French church plant where we are worshiping on Sundays. We are missing our friends at Bless church, but still confident that the move to a French led and entirely French language church is the right one. Please pray with us as we discern how involved to be in ministry with Bon Berger. I believe there will soon be opportunity for us to step into some leadership roles, but we want to move slowly and make sure we’re hearing the Lord clearly about what is ours to do.

We are thankful for your on going prayer and financial support. We pray that you would know the love and peace of Jesus each day. Sending love,

The Appels

Beautiful Transitions and Regular Rhythms

Hello Dear Friends,

We hope you are well and that 2024 is off to a good start wherever you might be reading this. As we have begun this new year, we have enjoyed the winter sunrises and sunsets. The dismal grey of the skies are lit up with hot pinks and purples, oranges and reds, just for a fleeting moment to show us a new day has dawned or is drawing to a close. It is a moment of beautiful transition in the midst of the regular and unchanged rhythms. With this, I am reminded of God’s steadiness and faithfulness, even in times where we can’t see what He is doing and all seems grey. And I am so grateful for the glimpses of hope, beauty and goodness that we get to see, especially during intense times of change.

New Season in France

After several months of discernment with our mission's agency and other partners, we've moved from working with Bless church Caen in order to be part of a French-led and French language church. The Bless Network has been an important part of our story here in Normandie and we are continuing in relationship. As we've become more and more connected in our local community here in France, we've felt a pull to be involved in a French church rather than our bilingual international church. A big part of this decision-making process was when we realized that for some of our French friends who are interested in God, the cultural jump of going to an international church is a barrier to them coming to church. For the past few weeks our family has been worshipping at a small French church plant in Caen called Bon Berger. So far, it seems like a really good fit and the kids are enjoying Sundays there as well. Please pray with us as we tend relationships with our friends at Bless and as we seek to follow God's leading into new ministry partnership and local church family. 

Growing in Relationships

Since our big Thanksgiving feasts, our calendar has been full of times connecting with neighbors and friends. It feels as though there has been an acceleration in our outreach. This has looked like lots of wonderful moments in our home hosting dinners or goûté (afternoon snack), opportunities to play music, and new places of connection. One of the shows we played this Christmas was at the Marché de Noël at Silas and Elodie’s school. We had a great time singing Christmas songs and it was very well received. This chance to share our musical selves with the community around the school felt like breakthrough. It takes a long time to feel like anything other than « that strange American family ». Since the show, we have been able to talk more with other parents about music and faith. Please pray for continued opportunities to share God’s love and grow in relationships.

The Alpha Course 

I (Tom) have been praying for more opportunities to connect in French with the local community and the Lord is answering that prayer! One way this is happening is at an Alpha couse with the local Catholic church. I reached out to our local priest and asked if he would mind having a Protestant missionary join in – and I’ve been welcomed!

 Alpha is series of evenings designed for people who don’t yet know God to engage with big questions about the nature of life and God. It involves a meal, a short presentation on a big question like “who is Jesus” and lots of time for discussion. God is at work in these discussions. There have been times where the Holy Spirit is evidently moving in moments of transformation and changed thinking. One woman who had expressed doubts about the divinity of Christ was moved in her thinking not by convincing arguments, but by the testimony of those of us who have relationship with God. For me, (Tom) this setting feels like a perfect fit – like one of those good works that God has prepared in advance for me to walk in. It feels like when I speak it helps to shift the atmosphere of the discussion group and I sense God drawing people to Himself.

This is a place where God is moving significantly, please continue to pray for this Alpha Course. As another part of this growing connection with the Catholic church, Tom has also been able to connect with a weekly prayer gathering in Caen associated with the ecumenical movement, Chemin Neuf. This looks like 50 or so passionate believers praying with an incredible humility and hunger for more of God. It is inspiring to see God working in our city in such powerful ways.

USA on the Horizon

We have plane tickets! We’re booked for a short trip back to the States during the French school Spring break. We’re planning to be at the Gate Community Church in Franklin, TN the Sundays of April 21st and May 5th. We’ll likely also have an evening or afternoon at the Gate, where we’ll share stories and updates from France – more information to come. Hope to see many of you this Spring!

Additional Prayer Points:

Discernment for Church Involvement - we are eager to follow the Lord’s leading to a new church community and involvement. We need wisdom and discernment as to where that is and how much we do with the church so as not to take away from our community connections.

Kids’ education - we have ongoing ups and downs with each of our kids in school here. Please pray for Reuben, Eli, Silas and Elodie as they work through the struggles of attending French schools.

Praise for Health - Amazingly, aside from Tom’s sprained ankle the week of Thanksgiving, we have been relatively healthy this season, PRAISE GOD!

Praise for doors opening in our French Communities - Praise God that we are starting to see a deepening of relationships, even just as we have set out to spend more of our working hours in French language. We are so grateful that God has us here to join in his work!

Thank you!

We are grateful for each of you for your prayer and support as we continue to minister God’s love here in Normandie. Thank you so much for the gifts we have received as a response to our invitation in November to help us « Set the Table ». We pray that the God of Hope would fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.

Sending our Love,

The Appels

La Mariée - The Bride

Hello dear Friends and Family,

We hope you are doing well and that you know the peace and love of our generous Father this September. This is going to be a different sort of newsletter. Instead of sharing the events and prayer points of our work here, I am going to present one of my paintings (I’m a little nervous). You all have been with me on this journey into painting since our move to France. I am so grateful for your support as I start to share more of my art publicly. In a smaller world, I would have an exposition and invite you all to come, but since we are widespread and we have modern tools at our finger tips, please allow me to share with you in this space.

Early last year, The Gate Church, our partner church in Franklin, Tennessee, commissioned me to paint something that represents the state of Christianity in France and the work we do here. Inspired by a photograph by Francis Meslet of an abandoned church in France, I chose to paint this image. I call it, “La Mariée” (the Bride). Click on the image to see it in full.

La Mariée

Acrylic on canvas

In My Contemplation:

Though the roof has fallen and the ground is covered in debris, it is a beautiful depiction of God working in new ways in France. The French have a rich heritage of faith; a saint for every day, a church for every village. We honor this heritage, but, for many in France, the church represents condemnation, judgement, and rigid religious practices, and as an institution, it has been largely abandoned by recent generations. 

Only with the slow destruction of what was, can God’s light and life shine through. Behold! He is doing a new thing in our midst. New life is pushing forth and a different looking church is taking root amongst the ruins.

This bride is bruised and full of holes, she stands as a remnant and a new offering. Veiled in the lace of his light, she waits for her bridegroom.

In the Composition:

God spoke to me throughout the process of this painting. To begin, I used a thick gesso to give texture to the building. I etched in some words, like carvings on the walls. Under the fallen debris, I painted words in French that the institution of the Catholic Church has come to represent to many people in France (condemnation, judgment, death). Under the plants and shrubs are words that carry the essence of the new expression of church that is seeing growth (joy, life, hospitality, etc.) Some of these words remain visible, but most are covered. 

I painted using a black and white reference so that I could chose my own color palette. I like to use bold colors to bring a certain feeling to the image. I wanted the church building to have a representation of different skin tones, to show the bride is a living body.

In the Community:

I had the privilege of showing this painting, while it was still in process, at an exposition in June with my art association, a group of around 20 French artists that meet weekly to work on projects together. I was able to share the deep meaning of the painting for me, as well as speak about my faith in Jesus, with the other artists. They, in turn, shared about my painting with their friends who visited the exposition. 

I also brought the painting to the group for critique which gave way to many one on one conversations with some women in my group. One lady spoke with me in depth about faith in France and how it is a very private thing. She thought it was wonderful to think about people praying for France from other parts of the world. 

Another woman asked me, “Don’t you think that people will think the church is dead in France if they see this painting?” I asked, “What do you think about the church in France?” She then shared with me some of her story, her parents had been very religious and she left the Catholic Church in her teens because she found it to be too rigid and condemning. She never looked back. I spoke to her of the grace and love of Jesus and that is the true message of the Christian faith. We had some really great conversations.

When I had completed the painting, I shared it with our Bless Church community. I think it is amazing how God connects us from one corner of the world to another. The painting is going to hang on the wall at the Gate Church, pointing to France, to the church and the work He is doing. I wanted them all to know that they are a part of that work!

Thank you for letting me share with you. If you are interested in seeing the painting, it will be hung in the Gate Church in their missions gallery. If you are interested in a print or getting a copy of it, please let me know by responding to this email or contacting me directly.

Peace friends,

Joanna

Mission, Art and Music - Summer 2023

Dear Family and Friends, 

Wherever you are, we are thankful for you and hoping you’ve had a fun and restful summer! Our family is just wrapping up a month of visits and visiting that took us to the UK, Germany, and the Loire valley in France and included hosting some dear friends here in Normandie. All told, we’ve had two days of being home with just our family in the past month – whew! Some of this time was vacation and some was work, but the sweetest part of it all was the encouragement that comes from being with people like you.   

Our Bible verse for this summer as a family was from 2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” We had post-its for each of us to note times where God has been with us throughout our busy summer season and we posted them on our “God with Us” wall to remind each of us of His faithfulness.

God is faithful and it is amazing to join in the Kingdom work He is doing here in France. We want to share some specific points of praise/brief stories with you (as a list) in a moment. At the same time to answer the questions: how we are doing? how we are feeling? The next couple of verses in 2 Corinthians are pretty accurate: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” It feels tough on many fronts right now, so we’ll include a list for prayer as well.  

Praises:  

Praise the Lord for new partnership with Grace Church in Dover, DE. This formal mission’s partnership is a huge encouragement and answer to prayer. It means increased prayer and financial support as well as potential for mission’s teams. Personally, for me (Tom), it is humbling to be counted a mission’s partner at a church that so deeply formed me.  

Praise the Lord for opportunities to minister through music both inside and outside church walls. We led worship at Blesstival this year, The Bless Network’s annual gathering and we played a collaborative show for the Fête de la Musique in Caen at Keys Coffee House, with Silas playing for the first time in public. Tom was asked to play guitar in the worship band at GEM’s Annual Conference in Germany and we were invited to lead worship in a French church in Ambroise this August.

This summer we’ve played four shows as a duo, at which we’ve been able to speak and sing about Jesus. There have been good conversations afterwards, opportunities for ongoing relationship and evidence of people moving nearer to Jesus. We tend to close our shows with ‘Amazing Grace’. At our 4th of July show, as soon as we started playing this song a frenchman’s head popped up in the crowd and he started moving towards the front as if drawn by a magnet. Soon he was standing next to Joanna and looking at the words on her music stand as if to verify that he was really hearing ‘Amazing Grace’. It clearly meant a lot to him. Joanna invited him to sing with us and he hopped on a mic for the final refrain. We don’t know exactly how God is moving in moments like these, but it reflects a truth that we’ve seen again and again in France: God seems to work through music and art to change atmospheres and shift conversations from the head to the heart.  

Praise the Lord for opportunities for Joanna to minister through painting. At an art show at the beginning of this summer Joanna displayed several works. One piece of an abandoned church, opened up many conversations about faith in France. We will share more about this painting in our next email. Joanna also showed two paintings at GEM’s Annual conference art exhibit. One of the Parting of the Red Sea and one of Jesus Calming the Storm to speak to the theme of « Together », which was the theme for the conference.

Prayer Requests: 

Family health – Elodie has been struggling with enduring stomach pain for the past 6 months or so. This is becoming worse over the summer. Please pray for her healing and for wisdom in navigating the medical system here.  

School re-entry – Reuben and Eli start at “college” which is what they call middle school here in France. This spring brought some significant difficulties at school, especially for Eli. Please pray for friends for all of the kids, for peace and help as they navigate school in a very different culture, and for wisdom for Joanna and I as we communicate with school leaders and teachers and seek the best educational options for our kids.  

Friends - Please pray for several good friends Tom has made in his badminton club. Tom has had deep gospel centered conversations with four guys this past year. Each friendship feels like it is deepening and we have a strong sense to pray for salvation this year. 

Leading Worship - Joanna and Tom are leading worship at a regional training for “Maisons Locale de Prière” (Local Houses of Prayer). This is on September 23rd.

Ministry Opportunities - We are entering into a new season where we have a lot of opportunities to run after vision that God has given. Please pray for wisdom for us as we choose when to say « yes » and « no ».

We want to hear from you!

Even as I write this, I wonder how you are doing. I’m certain we aren’t alone in facing challenges as we seek to walk in obedience to God’s purposes and plans. Please do feel welcome to write back and let us know how we can be praying with you too!  

We pray God’s peace and blessing on each one of you.

Love,

The Appels

News from Normandie

Dear Friends, 

This week, we celebrated our twin sons’ 11th birthday. It has been so amazing to see how they and all of us have grown over our past six years in France. Here in Normandie, We are finding the spring slow in coming, but the blossoms have pressed through, giving us hope for the fruit to come in the next season. In this newsletter, we would like to share with you some of our process this year, what we have been doing, and what we are dreaming about for the future.

I (Tom) recently traveled to the States and had the privilege of meeting in-person with many of you. I started my trip in Dover, DE. It was a joy to see close friends for the first time in 7 years! Afterwards, I visited Nashville, TN. I attended the Messenger Fellowship annual gathering and had the pleasure of seeing good friends and family in the area. In both places, I was able to share some of how God has been working in France with our prayer and financial partners. I received such a warm welcome at the Gate Church in Nashville, at Grace Church in Dover and at so many homes along the way. One of the greatest privileges of being a cross cultural missionary is that God does not call us to go alone, but to be sent – not just at the beginning of a work, but all along the way. We just put together a video update for the Gate church and it seeks to express the profound gratitude we feel for you. Click here to view the video on our website.

 Returning to Foundations

This year, we’ve been praying and thinking about returning to foundations. It feels like the Lord has established us well in France. In fact, a huge answer to prayer is that we have recently been granted our 10-year residence cards. This came at the end of a 15-month process that involved a mountain of paperwork (‘dossier’ is a French word), French language tests, and even the written approval of our local mayor. The point of that card is that it allows us to live and serve here, to follow the call of God to join in the work He is doing in France. Last autumn, we took a sabbatical and since our return into ministry work in January, we’ve been seeking a new balance but on familiar foundations. Coming back to and seeking to focus in on the heart of what the Lord has given us in France. One important element of this for us is a greater sense of clarity on ‘who’ the Lord has given us to serve. Of course, it is French people and people in our city, but even more specifically we are passionate about coming alongside people on the edge of faith, folks who have some level of spiritual interest or are moving towards Jesus but are perhaps not yet His followers or very new in their faith. We feel alive when we get to speak about Jesus with those who are on the edge or simply show His love to them. Thankfully, it seems like the Lord has given us so much opportunity to be with people like this here in Normandie. We are seeking to be intentional about giving time and energy to these relationships.  

Here's some of what this has looked like this year:  

Joanna has been leading a young women’s Bible study with a group of girls from our church plant. Nearly all of these young women are very new followers of Jesus and Joanna comes back each week overjoyed at the power there is in simply reading the word of God together and seeking to do what it says. 

Through hosting and visiting we’ve been growing deeper in relationship with several families who have interest in faith. It’s been a huge encouragement to hear people express interest in God because they like the faith they see in our kids. We’ve also noticed that music seems to move the conversations we have about God from the head to the heart, so we’ve been sharing songs when our friends come over – it really shifts things.  

Joanna and I are helping to lead the sung worship team – we’re so thankful that God has brought some new musicians to the church. We get to mentor and help raise up and equip these young worship leaders, this is something we have loved doing for a long time and it is a huge blessing to be serving in this way in France.  

 

Here’s some of what we’re dreaming about: 

 Joanna has an incredible gifting and passion for painting. She’s using this gift to bless neighbors and friends and to create works of art that can serve to spark deeper reflection and conversation about Jesus. She would love to go deeper in this work in the future.  

We would like to give more energy to the opportunities we have to sing songs about God and about His kingdom values in our city. We have some shows developing for this summer but would love to press in more on this creative outlet particularly as a way to connect with people and proclaim the gospel.  

Family Update / For Prayer  

 We’re grateful for your prayers for our family. Each of our children have ups and downs in the French school system, but it’s been especially challenging for Eli this year. We are working to find the help and support the he needs and the we need as a family to need to improve his life experience. Please pray for wisdom for us as we navigate the French system and take the needed steps.

Joanna and I are involved in caring for people who are walking through particularly challenging situations. We value your prayers for our friends in France who are struggling and for wisdom for us as we seek to help.  

Blesstival is coming up again in two weeks! This will be our big Bless Network gathering down at the campsite in Villedômer. We are responsible for leading the worship for the weekend and we will be camping! Please pray for God’s spirit to move, set people free and for us to have endurance for the weekend.

  

Thank you again so much for your partnership in this work.  

With Love,

The Appels

2022 Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Joyeux Noël! We hope you all are well during this Advent season and looking forward to warm Christmas gatherings with friends and family. We know it has been a while since our last newsletter so we are looking forward to bringing you up-to-date on the happenings with our family here in France.

Travels

2022 (like for many people in this post-pandemic time) has been a year has been full of travel and connection with our friends and family abroad. We were thrilled to get to the UK in the spring after a two year postponement, where we connected with friends, partners and Christ Church Chorleywood, our UK sending church. We then spent two months this summer traveling all over the USA, putting over 3,500 miles on our 2006 Toyota Sienna. We spent time Chicago, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee. We attended two big family reunions, spent a week at GEM headquarters for a time of debriefing in Colorado and we shared at our US sending church, the Gate in Tennessee and Joanna’s parent’s church, Pee Dee Baptist in Arkansas. It was a lot of movement for us a family, but so good to spend time in person with people that we love. It was a privilege to see so many of you face to face and share about what God is doing in France. 

Grateful for You

Our biggest reflection from this past summer is how grateful we are for all of you. The time that we were able to spend with some of you was sweet and far too short, but even so, we felt deeply impacted by the people God has put on our team to support us in prayer, friendship, and partnership. You all are world class and so important to the work God is doing here with our family and in our community. Thank you for being for us, we could not do this without you.

Sabbatical

Another key reflection from this last year has been that we were in desperate need of a rest and that we have been doing too much. As a result of this, and in following the good counsel and encouragement of our GEM leaders, Tom has stepped back from his leadership positions and we have taken a sabbatical this autumn. During this time we have had three goals in mind: heal, rest, and retune.

Heal

We have had lots of help from GEM’s member care department and others to lead us through a process of recovery from the past five years of chaos, health issues and trauma. We also have been reading through a book that our dear friends, Jenny and Evan Owens, wrote called “Healing What’s Hidden”, that helps you process with the Lord the impact of past trauma. We have done a great deal of inward work on our hearts and in our family. 

Rest

In the name of rest, we have taken a break from our regular involvement in ministry, hosting and communication. We also took a family vacation in October to Italy. We realized that most of our family vacations were usually centered around a ministry event and we felt that taking a true break for us as a family would provide some needed rest and recovery. Plus, it was Eli’s long time dream to go to Italy and we were able to make that a reality! We ate lots of pizza, pasta and gelato and walked through vineyards and old villages. We brought our sketchbooks everywhere and saw some amazing art and architecture. It was a sweet time.

Retune

Also during this sabbatical we have been seeking realignment with what God has called us to do in France. As we’ve looked back with gratitude on all God has worked in and around us these past 5+ years, we’ve felt a strong confirmation of our call to continue joining in His work here in France. There is such opportunity for us here and as we come out of our sabbatical in January we’ll be seeking to focus in on the particular work that God has prepared for us. We have our ten year visa approved but we are still waiting to get it in hand - please pray! 


Advent

So that brings us up to date! We are still in the process of discerning exactly what January will look like once we have completed our sabbatical. We are not traveling for Christmas and are looking forward to spending time with our family and friends here. We have been going through the She Reads Truth advent study as a family this year and we are getting to explore deeper themes in the Christmas story with the kids as they get older. Plus we are rewatching the Chosen, which is a series that brings life to the journey the disciples went on with Jesus. It is a joy to see the gospel coming alive to our kids in a new way.

In taking the time to look back and give glory to God for His work in and around us, and His presence with us, even in the toughest times, we’ve been struck by His care for us through you. You have been comfort to us and provision for us to take the time and seek the care we need. You’ve held us up in your prayers when we would not have been able to stand on our own. We are so grateful for you, and we pray that you would know the peace, joy and love of Jesus Christ incarnate this season. 

Gros Bisous,

The Appels

PS - We will be sending our Christmas cards virtually this year so watch your inboxes for a fun family-focused Christmas letter next week.😊

Bells, Baptisms and the Blessing of Rest

Dear Friends and Family,

From our home in Benouville, we have a view of the beautiful village church, whose doors are always closed and locked except for once every six weeks when the travelling mass comes to visit, and this church’s bells have been silent. Broken since before we moved here four years ago. Each day, I look out the window and see this forgotten building that represents the gathering place for the faithful who have come before and I pray for France, for the Church to be revitalized, for God to break into the darkness and shine His light, for His voice to be heard and His joy to fill each heart.

A few weeks ago, an amazing thing happened. The bells started to ring! To many, this is a small thing, maybe even a nuisance, but now each time I hear them ring the hour, my heart is filled with hope. Hope that our prayers for France do reach God’s ears and match God’s heart. Hope that change will happen if we remain faithful to what he has called us to. And Hope in the life and light of Christ reaching the many people around us living in darkness. Every village in France has a church like this one. Every village is full of people who don’t yet know God’s deep and abiding love for them. Please continue to pray for France and for us as we choose to remain faithful to His calling for us in this country.

Blesstival and Baptisms

At the end of May, we went down to the campsite at L’Orangerie de Beauregard and held our annual gathering of the Bless Network, lovingly named Blesstival. It was a lovely time to see friends from France, England and the Netherlands and to be together for Worship, teaching, prayer and fun! We helped plan and lead the weekend, and led the worship in all the sessions. Plus, Tom led a worship music seminar which was tremendous fun and we played (and won) the annual boules tournament!

The highlight of the weekend for us as a family was the baptism of our three sons! Reuben, Eli and Silas, on a chilly but sunny Sunday morning, were baptized by Tom and I in the pool in front of friends and family (Tom’s mom was there!). Elodie wanted to participate, so she found some sticks in the woods and fashioned them into a cross and led our family in a procession, holding the cross above us all! It was a special and significant moment for our family.

10:2 GEM Interns

Over the past few years, GEM has developed a summer short-term missions program for university students to come to Europe and serve in different ministry locations for two months over the summer. We had planned to have a group come to be with us in the summer of 2020, but, you guessed it, COVID prevented this from happening. But not this year! We are very blessed to have five amazing young women here with us in Caen, working alongside Bless with SOS Chai and church this summer. They are living at Bethanie right now, and will move into our house and use our car when we are away this summer. Please pray for Abby, Kensie, Eliza, Juliette, and Made, as they serve, learn and grow in the Lord.

Trip to USA and Sabbatical

Our kids (led by Eli) have started a “countdown to the US” on our whiteboard in the kitchen which serves as a constant reminder to Joanna and I about how much we have to do in the next 7 days to get ready to jump on a plane. That’s right, after more than five years in France we are heading to the States for the whole French summer, July and August. We are thrilled to be preparing to see many of you and intrigued to see what reverse culture shock feels like. Will we be awed by the size of a “small” coffee? Will we be overwhelmed at the friendly welcome from servers and retail staff? The kids are excited about everything and planning to use French to communicate clandestinely. Please pray for us as we prepare and travel.

This trip to the states marks the beginning of a sabbatical time for us. With the help of GEM counselors and conversations with trusted advisors, we feel called into a season of rest and healing. A sabbatical is standard practice for people reaching the five-year mark in serving in missions abroad. In our particular situation, with all that has happened in the past five years with illness and injury, we feel it is significant for us to take the time to properly heal and move back towards life and ministry on the mission field from a place of wholeness.

To make the time to take the space we need, we’ve made a couple of big changes. Firstly, I (Tom) have decided to step down from my leadership role with the GEM France team. This is a significant change as I have been frequently giving 20 hours a week or more of time towards this work. It has been a privilege to serve the GEM France team in this role for a year and a half and I’m grateful for the understanding and care I’ve received from my teammates. We are continuing as missionaries with Greater Europe Mission and grateful to be on the team.

Secondly, on the advice of our wonderful GEM member care team (counselors who work with missionaries), we are taking a longer time away from active ministry this autumn. This time will be like a sabbatical, in that we are focused on healing, processing all that the Lord has worked in our first five years and seeking His wisdom about our next steps in France. We are so thankful for the support we are receiving from GEM counselors and leaders. We also appreciate the understanding of our local partners with the Bless network about our need for a time away.

This time away from active ministry for us will still be life in France. We will return to our home in Benouville from the USA at the end of August. Our kids will continue at school here, and we will continue in relationships with French friends. We’re thankful that both Joanna and I feel a continued sense of call to France and love for French people. We’re excited about the opportunities we can see in our city and with our neighbors. Please pray with us for emotional healing and for wisdom as we make decisions about what care we need (retreats, counseling, prayer ministry, etc.) Please pray for clear discernment of God’s voice.

Please do be in touch if you would like to connect with us to pray or if you have any questions or want to know more about what’s going on with us.

We are so thankful to have such a supportive and caring community of partners.

Every Blessing,

The Appels

Trains, Planes, Boats and Automobiles - Appels are on the move again!

Our Dear Friends,

We sincerely hope that wherever you are, you are well and feel the love and light of the presence of Jesus. Here the sun has been shining, flowers blooming, and there is a whisper of hope in the air that spring is upon us. We have been moving about quite a bit since you last heard from us and that will continue as we head into the summer and our big trip to the USA. In this newsletter, we would like to share a recap of what has been going on but also look ahead to where God is moving us in the next season, and ask humbly for your prayers.

RECAP

Ministry in Caen

We are feeling a lot of excitement about what God is doing here in Caen! In February, we launched a Sunday morning family service for Bless Church that runs once a month. Each gathering we have had a great turn out and have had a lot of fun worshipping the Lord together. We always start with something tasty and do something silly, and then we have a short time of bilingual worship and teaching. It is a joy to be in the church service together with the children participating.

Joanna is continuing to lead the young women’s bible study every other week, going through a She Reads Truth overview of the New Testament. Our times together are always fruitful and a refreshment for the women who come.

Tom continues to help with the refugee language learning courses with SOS Chai and really enjoys his connection with the lads. We had a visitor from Greater Europe Mission’s storytelling team to do a profile on SOS Chai and the work that Bless does with the refugee population here in Caen. Click here to read the story.

French Language and Visa

We have studied for, taken and passed, (with flying colors, I might add) a government required French Language test called the TCF in order to apply for a TEN year residency card so that we can stay, work and live in France. Our current visa needs to be renewed every year. This ten year card would be a blessing in many ways for us as we look to our future here in France. We are currently in the process of waiting for our application to go through and be approved. Please pray that this can happen soon before we begin our summer travels.

From Barcelona to London to Athens…

April was a month of travel, especially for Tom. At the beginning of the month, Tom took planes and trains to get to Genova in the pyrenees in Spain. There, he attended a week long leadership training with a cohort of other GEM-ers. He was really encouraged by this time.

As many of you know, we were in our old home town of Chorleywood in the UK for Holy Week. We had an absolute blast being with old friends at Christ Church in Chorleywood. We were able to participate in all the services on Palm Sunday and in several events throughout the week. One of which was the “Walk of Witness” where all the churches in the village walk from their church building to the crossroads in town and celebrate a Good Friday service together and afterwards, share fellowship with a hot cross bun and a cuppa. Elodie managed to get a ride across the common carried by some enthusiastic youth workers.

This trip was originally scheduled for April 2020 but unfortunately was derailed by the pandemic. After being away for four years, we were very happy to hop on the ferry, cross the channel and reintroduce our children to our special community in Chorleywood and to spend time with treasured friends. We also made it into London to visit some fellow GEM missionaries, see some museums and experience the musical ‘Hamilton’ on the stage! For Easter, we traveled to Canterbury and stayed with some friends and spent time as a family. Thank you to all who met with us, hosted us and lavished your generosity on us. We are so grateful for you!

After we returned from the UK, we had three days at home before Tom took off for Athens for GEM Leadership Meetings as part of his role as Frace Field Leader. It was the first time an in-person gathering like this has been able to happen since Covid hit. It was refreshing to be in the room face-to-face with other missionary leaders for connection and establishing vision together. Plus, Tom got to take a run around the Acropolis and stand in the place that Paul preached his sermon about the unknown God. Amazing!

LOOKING AHEAD

Blesstival 2022

We are so excited to be helping to lead another Blesstival this year at the end of May down at the campsite, L’Orangerie de Beauregard near Tours in the Loire Valley. Blesstival is a multilingual gathering of people associated with the Bless Network from the UK, the Netherlands and France where we worship, receive teaching and prayer, and fellowship together in one. beautiful. spot. Tom and I will help to run the event, lead the worship times and participate in prayer and ministry throughout the 5 day weekend. Please pray for God to move powerfully in the lives of all who attend!

Trip To USA

It’s coming! July 2, we fly to the USA to visit for almost two months! This will be our longest visit since we left for France in 2017. We are so looking forward to seeing family and friends all over the USA! We will be spending significant time in the Denver area in Colorado and the Nashville area in Tennessee.

We have been making strides to plan our trip and we have ascertained that purchasing a vehicle is less expensive than the cost of airfare and renting a car for our sized family in the different cities we will be visiting. So we have enlisted the help of our talented nephew to find and fix up a van for us that can drive across the USA, and he has done it!(see the pretty photo of the van below) We hope to sell this van at the end of August when we return to France.

TEN2

This summer, even in our absence, there is a special group of 5 students from the USA coming to live and work in Caen with the Bless Network from Greater Europe Mission’s TEN2 program that sends university students from the US on summer-long missions assignments in Europe. They will arrive in early June and stay until the end of July to help with our ongoing ministries like SOS Chai, church planting and bible studies. They will be living out at Bethanie for one month and at our house for one month while we are away. They will be well looked after by members of our church but especially one young woman who will be house sitting for us all summer. Please pray for them and us as they prepare to come and that God would do a great work in their hearts during their time here.

A Time of Debrief

It is standard that after about 5 years living on the field as a modern missionary for one to go through a time of reflection, realignment, and repose. We are in the process of planning several ways in which we will do this over the coming months. We confess to you that we are tired. Ministry life for us these past five years has been amazing, fruitful and exciting, as well as rigorous, exhausting and, at times, traumatic. We are eager for a rest and for space to hear the Lord speak. We sense that God is bringing us back to formative and foundational places from our past to establish our path for the future. Would you pray for us and with us in this important time.

We thank you, our partners, for being on our team these last five years and we praise God for his goodness and faithfulness to us while we have served here in France. We look forward to all that God will do in this next season. Please continue to join with us in praying for France, that God’s Kingdom would come and people would know his love, peace and healing.

We send each of you our love,

The Appels


Prayer, Pandemic, and Hopeful Plans

Hello Friends and Family,

We are thinking of you and praying for you as we write this. The progressing war in the Ukraine has cast a shadow over Europe. Memories of the second world war returning fresh to hearts and minds. Especially here in Normandy, a region that has lived under enemy occupation and whose landscape was decimated by the war. Many are shocked that the peace in Europe has been disturbed after almost 80 years when so many measures have been taken to maintain it. Our hearts are heavy as we watch the events unfolding. We gathered as a church this past Sunday and stretched out our hands towards the Ukraine and prayed for peace, for God to do miracles and for His name to be glorified in the midst of such chaos and crisis. Please continue to pray and intercede for Ukraine, for Russia and for Europe.

Appel Update

We had a nice Christmas at home, baking and staying in our pyjamas all day. We had two Americans over for our Christmas dinner and spent time the week following with various friends and neighbors. After school began, we all became quite ill with a bad case of the flu. The kids had a rigorous covid testing procedure to maintain school attendance so we were testing at home regularly, and each time we were negative. It took us all a few weeks to recover fully from that sickness. At the end of January, we were able to engage the Seven Stories School with the Bless Network, Tom led worship and did some teaching for a group of about 15 staying out at Bethanie for a week.

We also managed to go on a family vacation for a week at the beginning of February. We went to a Center Parcs Resort in the Loire Valley. It is a residential forest where there are some restaurants, activities for kids and families and a ginormous indoor water park. We really enjoyed the time away. One highlight for us was that we were just a half an hour away from the 1000 year old church Tom and I visited 15 years ago, the church that we point to in our story that was the beginning of our call to France. It was so powerful to be back there, 15 years later with our four children and worship together as a family. It is confirmation again that God is good, faithful and has plans for each of us.

The last day of our vacation was a bit different as I (Joanna) took a home test for Covid and it was positive! I had felt cold-y, but realized I was unable to smell things for a few days so I thought I would test. We left our vacation and all took PCR tests to figure out how we were supposed to manage the next week of work and having the kids home from school in the house with us. Everyone but me had negative results, but Tom tested positive two days later. We tried to isolate at home, wore masks, and didn’t touch or eat with the kids for a few days. It was bizarre, but none of them caught it! Thankfully, it was fairly mild for both Tom and me.

We have returned to school, to work, and to life again after this strange period of sickness and the pandemic. Things are starting to open up again as the covid numbers are falling and restrictions are being lifted. This past Sunday, we had a family service at our building in Caen for the first time in two years! We had american pancakes and bacon, Eli and Tom created and led a quiz, Reuben and Silas were in the worship band and I gave a talk about Genesis 14, when God delivered the Israelites from Pharaoh taking them through the sea. It was a really nice time to be together across the generations and have fellowship. We had around 35 people there and it was quite tight! We are still praying and searching for a location to rent so that we can continue to have family gatherings like this one.

Appels on the Move

So it seems that with the pandemic winding down, travel is opening up for us over the next 6 months. We are planning two big trips to our former home cities and we would love to connect with as many of you lovely people as possible!

England, April 9-16:

After two years of waiting, we will be visiting Chorleywood from April 9-16! We will be at Christ Church Chorleywood at each service on Palm Sunday, and we are available for the rest of Holy Week to connect with you if you are in the area. We would love to see you and we are so excited to return to a place that means so much to us. Please email me to let us know if you would like to get together!

USA, July 6-August 26

We will be doing a grand tour of the US this coming summer! We will be seeing family and friends in Denver and Nashville and we would love to see you!

We will be in the Denver area from July 9-16

We will be in the Nashville area from August 6-20

Again, email me if you would like to get together in the USA!

Thanks and a Video

We hold these plans lightly, and up to the Lord in hopes that they can happen after the delays of a few years. We thank you for your continued support of us in our ministry here in France. We feel privileged to be a part of what God is doing in our community. We made a five minute video that gives a summary of what we do and where we see God moving at the moment: https://youtu.be/qC_bWxkVB6Q


Thank you for your prayers and support. Sending our love,

The Appels