Hello Friends and Family,
It is getting into a lovely wet, cold, wintery season here in Normandy, but we are building fires, baking, and trying to recover from the illnesses that have been with us for a couple months now (see prayer points…;)). We have so much to tell you about what has been happening and what is coming up for us this next season.
Praise and Thanks!
Tomorrow is the anniversary of the day Eli broke his leg. He still has a special gait, injures himself more easily (and uses his crutches as in the photo), and he gets tired walking long distances. But Eli is a champion and IS recovering well. He sees a physical therapist once a week still. We know that the healing process will take more time.
We have been feeling very aware of God’s goodness and how much he has brought Eli and our family through in this last year. We want to start off by saying how very grateful we are for your prayer and support. We know this for certain: without you, we would not be here. We would not be able to be a part of what God is doing here in France and that would be heartbreaking. We simply can’t express just how much it means to us when you pray for us, when you give your hard-earned money to support us, when you send an encouraging word or card. We know we team together with you and that you are a part of our great big family. We love you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being with us and we praise our amazing God for his sustaining love and peace and his power, protection and goodness, AMEN!
Thanksgiving
The turkeys are ordered, the invites are out - we are ready to have an amazing thanksgiving celebration with our church and our neighbors! We are expecting upwards of 50 people for thanksgiving this year and we are so excited to be opening our home for this special community event. Despite Eli breaking his leg just days before our celebration last year, the thanksgiving meal was one of my annual highlights because it was an amazing opportunity to invite not yet believers into the loving family of God in a tangible way, and to be able to openly thank Jesus for his goodness. It had a lasting impact on so many who came and especially on me!
Prayer Point:
We are having the meal this coming Sunday, November 24th. Please pray for God to be moving in our community and for us as we prepare to host!
Music in the City
A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to headline a local concert series called “Les Racines et Les Vagues” (The Roots and the Waves), which highlights folk, country, and blues music. We played about ten songs, of which my favorites were Amazing Grace and Pieces ( a worship song based on 1 Corinthians 13). There was a crowd of about 50 local french people and we even had our picture in the paper! We were able to invite some of our new friends to the concert too. The vice mayor was there and he is interested in having us play at some special events in the village, especially for some D-Day Celebrations. Our friend, J, who heads the association, has started coming along to church! We are also going to be supporting J in upcoming concerts over the next few months. Such an open door!
This Friday we will be playing some “American music” for an event in our city called “American Croq” which is a sort of food festival. We have been asked to “animate” (a fun French verb) the day with a bit of music. This is an official government festival asking us to play American gospel music! This does not happen in France! We are very excited about this opportunity!
Prayer Point:
Please pray that hearts would be open and stirred by the music that we play and that we have more opportunities in the city to share the love of Jesus through music.
Bless Church IN CAEN!
After months of searching and waiting and praying, God has opened up an opportunity for Bless Church to have a place to meet for prayer and worship IN CAEN! We got the keys in early October and we have been working out what it looks like to actually have a place to gather. The space has already been so useful as we have had church gatherings, prayer nights, weekly cooking for the refugees and a fundraising event for SOS Chai. Praise Jesus for getting us a place IN THE CITY!
Additional Prayer Points:
Health
We have been battling with different illnesses for a couple months now. Elodie had a febrile seizure when she had a virus in September, and then hand, foot, and mouth disease a few weeks later. Tom and Eli have had bad throat infections (including a swollen gland the size of a golf ball!), and Reuben has had a throat infection so bad and so long we had to go see a specialist. We are hoping he does not need to have surgery, but we are still waiting for medicine to improve his breathing and take down the swelling! We will be seeing the specialist again today o see what the next steps are. SO, we need your prayers for health and healing for our little family.
Refugees in Caen
Please pray for the refugees facing a the long, cold nights this winter. Pray for the SOS Chai team to know the best ways to help and support these lads as they find new life in a foreign place.
Lauren H
Lauren, whom we connected with through Missionnannys.org, is planning on coming to help us in 2020 as our nanny from February to June! Please pray as she applies for a visa and prepares to join our family on mission in France.
Addresses Needed!
As we mentioned in our last letter, we are working on sending out a card, in the actual mail this year!! Please let us know your address if you are interested in receiving a card and you think we may not have your most up-to-date information. ;)
We love you!
Love, The Appels
