plaza near louvre
paris, france
paris is quieter than any u.s. city i've been to. small engines probably. i like to ride subways. a scene made me smile as we rode into france. we slowly pulled away from the station and i noticed a couple sitting on a bench. the girl laid her head on her guy's shoulder, sat up, smiled, said something to him. the guy, plain faced, looked over as she was speaking and gently smiled. we picked up speed and we pulled away. riding backwards, the scene drifted into the distance, into the past, becoming a memory. i miss laura.
i bet if i knew french this place would feel different. what are french people like? are they nice? happier in general? this is a whole new world to me. what is the church like here? i know the american church and its problems - what is the church like here? what is the nominal perception of Christianity? is it right-wing crazies? or something else? what do house churches look like here? i wish i could meet with a committed Christian to find out.
this place is not at war. it does not have a ton of troops in the middle east. in fact, it doesn't win many wars. it has been occupied. that is a humbling thing. i wonder if that history affects how people are educated. they are not taught that they are the best and that no one else is stronger. i wonder if that makes them more gracious?
i would hate being a tourist here but i think i would really enjoy living here. i really want to learn another language and live abroad. just work for ends meat and live in another culture. maybe with an order/community?
Lord, thank you so much for life and this break from school. please watch over laura and i during this time apart. give us wisdom for next year in kansas city. keep us safe so we can spread (or make known) your kingdom in 64130. thank you for providing a place for us to live next year. you knew we needed shelter and we didn't even have to look for it. you simply provided. thank you!
