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Silence
We have never been this late with a newsletter, it has been a year since the previous one! We tried to send some updates on Facebook or through emails but now is the time for a proper newsletter. We believe you will understand our delay when reading our news.
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Our move
✴ StressfullAnyone who has moved knows how stressful it can be. Packing all the belongings, clearing out stuff (not easy to move from a 80m2 to a 60m2!), cleaning the entire flat, and all
that with a young toddler too. I thank my parents for helping us out with Gabriel! We had to be out by the 1st of February 2020, and we just about managed. We were thankful to move just a few blocks away.
✴ The impact on our new landlords
We had been wondering why we had to move but accepted God's strange plans. I can truly say that God used this move to touch our new landlords. I mentioned them in our last newsletter but as a reminder, this couple (Mr G. and Mrs M.) have known me since I was a little girl and when they heard we needed a place to live, they offered to rent out a small flat in my childhood neighbourhood, 5 minutes away from my parents'. Mr G.’s dad was old and needed to move into a care-home, therefore the flat suddenly became available. A real miracle for us. While being in the process of moving in, Mr G.’s dad died!! I have never seen him emotional, he's a very hard-working, stoic man. When I heard the news, I took him in my arms and gave him a massive hug. He teared up and so did I. He then shared many stories of his childhood with us. At the same time, Mrs M. retired which was quite upsetting for her. One job all her life, nice colleagues, and now it was over. Their oldest son had also just told them he was leaving his long-term girlfriend and daughter, whom they loved. Again I have never seen her get emotional but as I asked her questions, tears just starting rolling down her cheeks. God often uses pain and tragedy to pierce through people's hearts. It's one thing to be wealthy, but emotions are a different matter. Gold and security can't replace the loss of a loved one or buy love.
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Covid 19 & lockdown
✴ National turmoilA few weeks after our move, Covid-19 hit France badly. Before we knew it we were on full lockdown. We thank Jesus that we were able to move just before the lockdown! We were only allowed to go out one hour per day (with a certificate), and I was constantly stopped by police when shopping food for us or my parents. Masks and gloves became part of our daily routine. With Peter we decided we needed to make a difference during this difficult time.
✴ Balcony concerts
So we started playing guitar and singing some songs on our balcony. We chatted a lot with our new neighbours below us, a lovely family with a sweet 8 year old girl. Mum and
A Wint
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daughter would join in when we sang. It was much harder for Gabriel who couldn't understand why he suddenly wasn't allowed to go out anymore. Not seeing his grandparents for two months also broke his little heart...It was really tough.
✴ Financial strain
As soon as lockdown started Peter had to stop working. Two months off work with very little income was challenging. We prayed that God would help out and He did. Two great friends sent us a financial gift to help us through, and even some chocolate. You know who you are. We want to thank you with all our heart. God bless your generosity.
✴ Getting to know new neighbours
Since nobody went out anymore, the parking place in the centre of the 5 buildings became the main walking area. Many neighbours would just go out to walk or let the kids play for a bit. Most wouldn’t venture outside the residence by fear of getting stopped by police. This meant that within a month or two, we had already been talking to about 25 neighbours (keeping distance of course). Some days, I would go on the parking, blow soap bubbles or do silly dances to distract kids on their balconies. It was precious to see them smile.
We became particularly close to 3 families and although we had to move again (explained later), we have remained in contact with them.
✴ Skype meals
The lockdown lasted two solid months. We could no longer invite people over so we decided to organise meals on skype. It sounds strange but it really worked. We would call friends we are ministering to and eat on skype together. The whole corona situation opened up a lot of interesting conversations. We also made sure to call friends who were single and feeling depressed and lonely.
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Noise & turmoil
✴ Terrible neighbours
Now something happened that we could not have predicted. When we first moved in, we quickly realised that the two young boys living above us started their day at midnight, and would only go to bed at 6am to sleep during the day. We asked them lovingly several times to stop making so much noise during nightime. Nothing changed. Then lockdown made it worse. A louder cousin moved in with them, and they would wake us up 3 to 5 times a night! I can't say how many times we were crying out of exhaustion and frustration. They slowly drove us mad, and we did not know what to do. To top that up, the family in front of us had two teenagers that would yell and scream their lungs off from 11 p.m. onwards. We respectfully asked them to keep it down for our baby, but they slammed the door in our face saying that they needed to entertain their teenagers during lockdown. And finally, our next-door neighbour was, in fact an airbnb! Mostly rented out to crazy youngsters wanting to come to Montpellier to party hard. Even if I managed to contact the actual owner, we never knew from a week to another what type of guests would be there. At least lockdown put a hold on that.
After a few months of sleep deprivation, Peter and I were really worried about Gabriel's physical and mental health. It also had a massive toll on my physical health. We simply could no longer live there. But as you know, it was impossible to find a place to live so asking for another miracle was bold. I was so desperate to get out that I started looking for caravans, but who knew how expensive they were!!!
✴ An answer to prayer from Peter’s colleagues
In May we suddenly got a text from Peter's manager. Her and her boyfriend (both Peter's colleagues), had heard that a family was moving out from their street. They knew we were struggling in our new flat and were wondering if we were interested? Moving AGAIN after just 4 months seemed crazy, and had we not been that desperate we would never have dared…When lockdown was lifted a week later, we went straight to meet the landlord.
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A second unexpected move
✴ Our move to MauguioGod does really work in mysterious ways. During the whole of 2019 we desperately tried to find a place to live but nothing happened. We went to most villages around Montpellier. One in particular captured our heart: Mauguio. We prayed eagerly about it, and literally went to all the estate agencies of the town. We got rejected by all of them. The last agent we saw felt really sorry for us. When she gave up, we did too. And so we waited and accepted that maybe the Lord wanted us to stay in Montpellier after all.
✴ Why now?
Why go through so much hardship? Why go through so much uncertainty for almost a year, not knowing if we could even remain in France as missionaries? We then go through a big move to end up not sleeping in our new place. Did God want us to move to that village all along but the timing was not right? Maybe God simply wanted us to carry His presence in that new neighborhood during lockdown? Through that first move, not only did we befriend several families, but we were also able to witness to Mr G. and Mrs M. Even the young guys who drove us mad, witnessed our love when we could have called the police on them every night but instead offered to shop food for them! Sometimes when we are willing, God drives us in his crazy plans. We might get bruised during the race but what an adventure. It's good to get out of the car still alive right?
The most beautiful thing we experienced was the help we received for the second move. Our neighbours from our first flat, our current neighbours and even our future neighbours ALL came with cars and arms to lift us up. Even my sister and her family showed up from Switzerland to support us! Most people knew I was not doing well physically, and couldn’t go through another move like this. Their help was a miracle, we felt so loved. There are blessings in suffering.
✴ Two weeks of battle
As if things couldn't just for once run smoothly, this new landlord was not a nice guy. I will call him the king of the village because that's pretty much what he is. He owns a lot of houses right in the middle of town and is from one of the old families of Mauguio. For two weeks the king kept playing with us, promising to sign the contract, then changing his mind again and again. It was such a strong spiritual battle. What amazed us the most was that even the neighbours in the street started to take our side, telling him that he wasn't treating us right. That made him even angrier. Sometimes the devil just doesn't want to give up. He clearly didn't want us to move to Mauguio! Our families and some friends prayed constantly so we wouldn't give up. After 3 weeks, we could't take it anymore. I told the king to give us a definite answer or we were off. He was very rude to me but I remained silent and respectful. The next day we signed the contract. God gave us victory, at last.
✴ Our new town, Mauguio
We will share more about our new village in the next newsletter. For now, we would like you to pray that we meet the right people. Mauguio has over 17 200 inhabitants but no evangelical church! What is great about this town is that it is only 20 minutes drive away from Montpellier, which means we can stay in touch with everyone we've befriended and ministered to for years. It is just a little tricky for Pete to get to work so he really needs to get his driving licence. Please pray that God makes it possible in 2021.
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Little Isaac
This summer I met with little Isaac and his mum again. It is a miracle he is alive and it was so good to see him smiling and running around. Thank you again for all of you who prayed for this little boy. His parents are learning to live with the fear of a possible relapse, but for now, Isaac has gone through surgeries and treatments successfully.
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Jesus versus Santa
Santa Clause is really a religious belief in France. You are not allowed to say that he does not exist. I remember when we were in nursery & primary school, my parents were summoned by the director because we were telling the kids that our Christmas gifts came from them, and that we did not believe in Father Christmas. Believe it or not, I even got told of by some Christians!
Now that we have a son, we are facing the same problem with our friends who have young children. We do not seek to upset them but we do equally share our belief: that a baby was born to save the world and His name is Jesus Christ. He is our most precious gift.
