You don't really realize how much you take your language for granted until you're not able to hear it or speak it everyday.
We went to church this morning. It's a Baptist church. It was alright. Nothing like what I'm used to at COTR (or FWC for that matter) and I almost cried because I missed it back home so much. But "You are who You are, no matter where I am" and I know that He is honoured no matter which language we speak to Him in. There were a few songs this morning that were the same as English worship songs (Great is Thy Faithfulness, Were You There When They Crucified My Lord) so I would start singing them in French (we were given the words) and then switch to English halfway through. It's difficult to abandon yourself in worship when you're not familiar with the words and you have to read them off the screen.
Rachel and I returned there this evening. There were more songs that we knew from the English versions (Refiner's Fire, Come Now is the time to worship, Once Again, and a few others that will come to me after I post this).
The best part of tonight was when we got there.
We sat down on the hard, wooden pew. The band stopped practicing. Other music came over the sound system as people filed in. I recognized it. They played English music!! Praise You in this Storm, Hosanna, .. it was beautiful to hear. We just sat there and sang and had our own little worship session. I was reminded of the cross and its power and how we are the ones who put the nails in His hands. I was reminded of how we were the ones who wanted to build up our name so much that we reached God and God had to put different languages in our mouths in order to fulfill His commands. I was reminded of how God has called us His children and His disciplines those He loves. He treats us as a true Father.
I just want to feel closer to God. It's actually been amazing how He's continuously given me strength this week. I want to thank you for all your prayers. He's the King, no matter where I am in the world. It's His universe, His Earth, His France, His Canada. I'm just His servant that He's promoted to daughter. His love is grand, bigger than we can understand. How wide, how long, how high and how deep it runs. Wider than the span of the Earth's sphere, longer than the expanse of the universe with all its stars and galaxies, higher than we can see into the sky and deeper than we could ever descend into the sea, even with the most advanced technology. That's the God that's watching over you and I, never sleeping.
Turn on a worship song right now - whichever one is your favourite - and spend some time worshiping our God in your own language.
Sunday, 27 January 2013
Friday, 25 January 2013
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
These past couple days have been filled with lots of walking, wearing my scarf up to my nose and touring Paris. Paris is crazy busy! We live in a pretty well-to-do area, from what Rusthoven (my prof) says, but it's crazy busy everywhere! All the tiny streets and metro hallways are filled with people and I typically walk faster so as to blend in. I don't know why. I should be standing out, wearing a big red and white sweater with a cross on it or something to show I'm not from here. Besides, heaven's my true home.
Yesterday we took the funiculaire up Montmartre to Sacré-Coeur - a big cathedral. The outside looked really cool (I've tried putting up photos but the internet is slow most of the time so I can't quite do that yet and I'm sorry...they're on their way). We walked around the streets on Montmartre and there'll all really small and quaint and cobblestony and whatnot. I love it! We found a really old cemetary and went in and looked around. All the tombstones were huge and there were monuments everywhere! Emile Zola used to be buried there (and his tombstone is still there) but his body was moved a couple years back for a reason that I can't remember right now. But basically, it was really interesting to see how people honoured the dead with such humungous stones and little chapel-looking things and all that.
It was freezing (though not in comparison to Canada) so we went in search of food and warmth. We found a creperie and ate butter/sugar crepes. Soooo good!! Much better than the ones we had made ourselves that morning - though those weren't half bad. Nothing like my dad's though..
Last night Sara, Rachel and I braved the cold again and took the metro down to the Eiffel Tower. Oh. my. goodness. As we stood at the base of it I was suddenly hit with the fact that I am truly in Paris. All the lights on the tower and how a bunch more make it sparkle once every hour was just breath-taking. We walked right underneath it and to the other side, taking pictures all the way. Beautiful. I can't wait to go up it! We're waiting for a clear day to do that.
Today we enrolled at the Sorbonne, even though classes don't start for another couple weeks. Our placement test is on Tuesday. After all that was done, we went to an old Roman arena, stood in the middle of it and sang. We sang Amazing Grace and three or so songs in French. It was beautiful. Reminded me that God's right in the middle of everything that we're doing. And as one of the french songs says, "Shout, shout for joy! For the Lord is near!" He was (and is) VERY near...even inside.
Next we went to Notre Dame!!! We watched the Disney version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (en français) with everyone tonight and it was pretty awesome to see in the movie a representation of what we had seen in person earlier today. Notre Dame was as amazing as it sounds. The outside of the building, as you can see in any picture of it, is an absolutely incredible work of art and we all took pictures with it. We were actually allowed to take pictures inside of it so I took some of the stained-glass windows and the statues and chandeliers and all the many candles that people had lit. There are organ recitals every Saturday there so we might go to one tomorrow night.
All in all, life is good, the French is getting a little easier (though not nearly what I'd like it to be at yet) and I know your prayers are holding me together....okay, so God's holding me together, but if I know anything it's that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective, so thank you for yours towards me. If you'd let me I ask that they continue. Each day has it's ups and downs and I know Sunday will for sure make me wish that I was home.
Love you all! God bless
Yesterday we took the funiculaire up Montmartre to Sacré-Coeur - a big cathedral. The outside looked really cool (I've tried putting up photos but the internet is slow most of the time so I can't quite do that yet and I'm sorry...they're on their way). We walked around the streets on Montmartre and there'll all really small and quaint and cobblestony and whatnot. I love it! We found a really old cemetary and went in and looked around. All the tombstones were huge and there were monuments everywhere! Emile Zola used to be buried there (and his tombstone is still there) but his body was moved a couple years back for a reason that I can't remember right now. But basically, it was really interesting to see how people honoured the dead with such humungous stones and little chapel-looking things and all that.
It was freezing (though not in comparison to Canada) so we went in search of food and warmth. We found a creperie and ate butter/sugar crepes. Soooo good!! Much better than the ones we had made ourselves that morning - though those weren't half bad. Nothing like my dad's though..
Last night Sara, Rachel and I braved the cold again and took the metro down to the Eiffel Tower. Oh. my. goodness. As we stood at the base of it I was suddenly hit with the fact that I am truly in Paris. All the lights on the tower and how a bunch more make it sparkle once every hour was just breath-taking. We walked right underneath it and to the other side, taking pictures all the way. Beautiful. I can't wait to go up it! We're waiting for a clear day to do that.
Today we enrolled at the Sorbonne, even though classes don't start for another couple weeks. Our placement test is on Tuesday. After all that was done, we went to an old Roman arena, stood in the middle of it and sang. We sang Amazing Grace and three or so songs in French. It was beautiful. Reminded me that God's right in the middle of everything that we're doing. And as one of the french songs says, "Shout, shout for joy! For the Lord is near!" He was (and is) VERY near...even inside.
Next we went to Notre Dame!!! We watched the Disney version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (en français) with everyone tonight and it was pretty awesome to see in the movie a representation of what we had seen in person earlier today. Notre Dame was as amazing as it sounds. The outside of the building, as you can see in any picture of it, is an absolutely incredible work of art and we all took pictures with it. We were actually allowed to take pictures inside of it so I took some of the stained-glass windows and the statues and chandeliers and all the many candles that people had lit. There are organ recitals every Saturday there so we might go to one tomorrow night.
All in all, life is good, the French is getting a little easier (though not nearly what I'd like it to be at yet) and I know your prayers are holding me together....okay, so God's holding me together, but if I know anything it's that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective, so thank you for yours towards me. If you'd let me I ask that they continue. Each day has it's ups and downs and I know Sunday will for sure make me wish that I was home.
Love you all! God bless
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Flights and fatigue
Here I am! I write this to you all the way from Paris, France where their keyboards have the letters in all the wrong places and I'm forced to type slowly as a result of not yet having an adapter for my laptop. I am running low on energy. Haven't slept in over 30 hours and with the excitement and stresses of travelling and whatnot, it's definitely catching up to me. I hit waves of energy and then sink lower into being tired. But overall it hasn't been terrible.
The flight from Toronto to London went really well. No problems and we could watch our progress of where we were in our flight on the screen in front of us. And I may or may not have watched Madagascar 3 as well. We made it to Heathrow on time. We went through security with no problems and sat down to wait for our flight. It was cancelled. We got tickets for another flight leaving at 11:40. It was delayed. We finally pulled up out of there after 12:30, after 6 hours of sitting in the airport. The flight from London to Paris took like no time at all. I barely had enough time to swallow the trail mix and apple juice they gave me before they were telling us to put on our seatbelts for landing.
Sara, Rachel and I took a taxi to our residence (l'Union Chrétienne de Jeunes Filles at 22 rue de Naples, 75008, Paris, France if anyone cares to know and/or send mail). Save for the signs being in French, the highways looked like Toronto, covered in some snow and everything. However, the downtown streets are insane!!! Cars pull out anywhere and pedestrians almost get hit and everything is super fast paced and you basically think you're going to die the whole time. Half of the driving they do would not pass with the cops in Ontario. But we finally made it to the residence safely.
Mlle Perols, the lady who basically runs the show here at l'UCJF, met us when we got there and we checked in and everything (my VISA taking two smaller transactions over one big one...prayer for that would be great). The building is old and looks really cool. The fluent speaking French people however cause me to feel like I have no place and no right to be here. It could be because I'm tired and can't really focus on anything, but comprehending what all the fluent people are saying is difficult and I can't last long speaking in French. I guess I have to be somewhat lenient with myself - I've only been here for a few hours. We still even get lost in the building (problems with having two sets of stairs).
So basically, I'm about to crash. Lots to do tomorrow (getting a phone and a metro pass and an adapter for my laptop so I don't have to use this messed up one anymore). Thank you for your prayers!! They mean so much to me and I've felt them helping me today. Please pray for my mind to grasp the French auickly and that I wouldn't be afraid to make mistakes. No one's perfect all the time.
The flight from Toronto to London went really well. No problems and we could watch our progress of where we were in our flight on the screen in front of us. And I may or may not have watched Madagascar 3 as well. We made it to Heathrow on time. We went through security with no problems and sat down to wait for our flight. It was cancelled. We got tickets for another flight leaving at 11:40. It was delayed. We finally pulled up out of there after 12:30, after 6 hours of sitting in the airport. The flight from London to Paris took like no time at all. I barely had enough time to swallow the trail mix and apple juice they gave me before they were telling us to put on our seatbelts for landing.
Sara, Rachel and I took a taxi to our residence (l'Union Chrétienne de Jeunes Filles at 22 rue de Naples, 75008, Paris, France if anyone cares to know and/or send mail). Save for the signs being in French, the highways looked like Toronto, covered in some snow and everything. However, the downtown streets are insane!!! Cars pull out anywhere and pedestrians almost get hit and everything is super fast paced and you basically think you're going to die the whole time. Half of the driving they do would not pass with the cops in Ontario. But we finally made it to the residence safely.
Mlle Perols, the lady who basically runs the show here at l'UCJF, met us when we got there and we checked in and everything (my VISA taking two smaller transactions over one big one...prayer for that would be great). The building is old and looks really cool. The fluent speaking French people however cause me to feel like I have no place and no right to be here. It could be because I'm tired and can't really focus on anything, but comprehending what all the fluent people are saying is difficult and I can't last long speaking in French. I guess I have to be somewhat lenient with myself - I've only been here for a few hours. We still even get lost in the building (problems with having two sets of stairs).
So basically, I'm about to crash. Lots to do tomorrow (getting a phone and a metro pass and an adapter for my laptop so I don't have to use this messed up one anymore). Thank you for your prayers!! They mean so much to me and I've felt them helping me today. Please pray for my mind to grasp the French auickly and that I wouldn't be afraid to make mistakes. No one's perfect all the time.
Thursday, 17 January 2013
Home
I have the greatest friends!
I walked down the familiar trail of sidewalks and streets and through the park with a dear friend last night to and from Meadowlands. We were running late getting back to our dorm for devos at 9pm. I don't have keys to the dorm anymore so we knocked. There were streamers hanging in the window of the door. My roommate opens the door and I see people who are not part of my dorm. I see a cake with my name on it. I see "Bon voyage Cheryl!" written on the whiteboard. I see streamers and balloons hanging from the ceiling. I hear so many of my friends exclaiming as I walk in.
I've never had a surprise party before. It was fantastic! There were hugs and conversation with so many amazing people and both chocolate and confetti cake and tea and laughter and, most importantly, an amazing sense of being at home.
I love Redeemer. I've learned that the old saying is true: Home is where the heart is. Home is when I'm with those people who truly care about me. Those ones who I can sit down with and talk to and listen to and the time passes quickly. It's those people I can laugh with and remember adventures with. It's those people I'm going to miss the most while I'm away.
I walked down the familiar trail of sidewalks and streets and through the park with a dear friend last night to and from Meadowlands. We were running late getting back to our dorm for devos at 9pm. I don't have keys to the dorm anymore so we knocked. There were streamers hanging in the window of the door. My roommate opens the door and I see people who are not part of my dorm. I see a cake with my name on it. I see "Bon voyage Cheryl!" written on the whiteboard. I see streamers and balloons hanging from the ceiling. I hear so many of my friends exclaiming as I walk in.
I've never had a surprise party before. It was fantastic! There were hugs and conversation with so many amazing people and both chocolate and confetti cake and tea and laughter and, most importantly, an amazing sense of being at home.
I love Redeemer. I've learned that the old saying is true: Home is where the heart is. Home is when I'm with those people who truly care about me. Those ones who I can sit down with and talk to and listen to and the time passes quickly. It's those people I can laugh with and remember adventures with. It's those people I'm going to miss the most while I'm away.
Monday, 14 January 2013
Countdown
Well here we are, one week until my flight leaves for Paris, France and I spend 5 months on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. It's still super unreal. Living in the heart of Paris, studying in one of the oldest universities in the world, traveling to as many different European countries as possible, speaking another language...it seems like another world; it's the other side of the vast ocean!
To be honest, I'm a mix of my stomach erupting in excited butterflies and on the brink of a nervous breakdown. The 6 other girls from Redeemer who I'm going with and I booked flights for a trip to Barcelona and Nice before school starts and as excited as I was as I clicked the "Confirmation" button on the airline websites, I had a stress headache for 3 days. What if I can't actually do this? I spent 5 weeks in Quebec two summers ago in a petite town that spoke zero English. By the end of my stay there I could understand completely what people told me, but I had spent so many evenings with my mind in the English mode that my oral skills in French left something to be desired. It's my goal while in France to keep my mind in French as much as possible. That scares me to death. I have to reach the Advanced or Superior level while writing my entrance exam (which has an oral component to it) or else my credits there don't transfer to Redeemer at the level they need to be at. So much pressure. I just have to spend a lot of time studying and brushing up on my French in the next week before we fly out.
But let's be real - I shouldn't be freaking out about that yet. This is the adventure of a life-time! (Or the adventure for this semester at least.) I know that God goes before me and walks beside me. He invented the French language so no worries that He can't help me with that one. I'm excited to travel and see all the richness of culture and landscape and architecture and eat real, French croissants and EVERYTHING! I'm excited to get involved and live in a room with two other international students from who knows where. I'm excited to get plugged into the church there and to walk the streets of Paris and experience as much as I can. I might as well make the most of it while I'm there.
So here's the countdown - 7 days! I just got back to Redeemer today to spend the week here and it's nice to be back and seeing everyone again. Gives me a bit of normalcy before I head out to the other side of the ocean.
To be honest, I'm a mix of my stomach erupting in excited butterflies and on the brink of a nervous breakdown. The 6 other girls from Redeemer who I'm going with and I booked flights for a trip to Barcelona and Nice before school starts and as excited as I was as I clicked the "Confirmation" button on the airline websites, I had a stress headache for 3 days. What if I can't actually do this? I spent 5 weeks in Quebec two summers ago in a petite town that spoke zero English. By the end of my stay there I could understand completely what people told me, but I had spent so many evenings with my mind in the English mode that my oral skills in French left something to be desired. It's my goal while in France to keep my mind in French as much as possible. That scares me to death. I have to reach the Advanced or Superior level while writing my entrance exam (which has an oral component to it) or else my credits there don't transfer to Redeemer at the level they need to be at. So much pressure. I just have to spend a lot of time studying and brushing up on my French in the next week before we fly out.
But let's be real - I shouldn't be freaking out about that yet. This is the adventure of a life-time! (Or the adventure for this semester at least.) I know that God goes before me and walks beside me. He invented the French language so no worries that He can't help me with that one. I'm excited to travel and see all the richness of culture and landscape and architecture and eat real, French croissants and EVERYTHING! I'm excited to get involved and live in a room with two other international students from who knows where. I'm excited to get plugged into the church there and to walk the streets of Paris and experience as much as I can. I might as well make the most of it while I'm there.
So here's the countdown - 7 days! I just got back to Redeemer today to spend the week here and it's nice to be back and seeing everyone again. Gives me a bit of normalcy before I head out to the other side of the ocean.
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