L`Eau Vive Provence
L`Eau Vive Provence
Tearful goodbyes in St Remy has reduced the group to 8, Marilyn and Kimbal, Connie and Steve, Linda and Dave, Gayle and Bob. It was especially difficult losing our car mates Pat and Marty for perfectly selfish reasons. We didn’t have our “Martahn” (French pronunciation) to drive on Provence’s high speed, 1-1/2 lane, shoulderless highways and our cheerful “Patsy” keeping us all entertained and positive when we noticed that after ½ hour we’ve only gotten about 10 miles. “Easy Peasy” as Pat would say!
What a welcoming sight L’Eau Vive has been. The staff, mostly volunteers are enthusiastic, animated, and beam with God’s love. Amanda has been our guardian angel and contact with the retreat center. You could feel the love and thankfulness from the moment we arrived. Our picnic dinner called for everyone to pull out what ever food and wine they had to share with each other and the staff. The stores had long ago closed. Naturally, nestled within the wine trees, the refreshments flowed, the conversation sizzled as our many cultures and experience combined into one.
The staff here comes from all over the world. We have French, of course, but also Australians, New Zealanders, Germans, English, Welsh and Swiss to name a few.
Yesterday was our first partial work day. It was decided that we would remove the wallpaper and carpet from a room of one of the long-term volunteers who is off on vacation at her home in Australia. In perfect American fashion, there was an explosion of effort. Eight motivated workers in a 10’ by 12’ room, ripping, tearing, steaming, scraping. At one point, Linda was buried in wallpaper while Steve was removing nails with an instrument that looked like a combination hammer and pike. Later that day, Linda and Connie, took to the gardens to add color to our new home.
Later that afternoon, we went to church in Aix en Provence. The preacher was from southern California, spoke English, and conducted an inspiring sermon. He talked about an incident in Haiti where his Christian organization had organized a food relief program for starving children. The Canadian government told them that if they could give these children one nutritious meal per day they would give an endless supply of food.
His group was behind a cyclone fence in a compound that housed two storage units with 100’s of tons of food awaiting distribution. Somehow the Haitians found out about the food and were storming the gate. The preacher was told to secure the main gate. When he got there, he found a 2’ gap in the entrance gate with people scrambling through. Everyone entering had a machete and because they were starving would kill a person to save themselves and their families if you got between the them and the food. As he grabbed the gate, he heard a swoosh of a machete. He pulled his hand back just in time to save his fingers.
Extraordinary times calls for extraordinary measures, an elderly lady was scrambling through the gate, bag in one had, machete in the other. He took one hand and covered her face and said “God Bless You” as he pushed her back into the crowd and locked the gate. The preacher was talking about all the riches God offers us if we accept Jesus. Thankfully, God has a much more effective distribution system in his endless storage of blessings.
Breakfast starts in a few minutes and the workday begins. Happiness is doing good work with loving friends, and the laughter of new experiences.
Picture Set 1
Picture Set 2
posted by Bob and Gayle @ 7:33 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home