Today we leave this wonderful place to head to the French Rivera for one week and then home. There may not be any additional posts due to limited internet access.
Thanks for keeping up with our travels.
Bob
posted by Bob and Gayle @ 8:12 AM
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Dave and Steve, will they ever stop?
Today was supposed to be the group’s day off from work with the exception of Kimball and Marilyn. K&M are leaving tomorrow for the town of Colimar which is on the Mediterranean and just inside France near the border of Spain. It will be tough seeing them go. There is a bit of envy at play also as they will end up in Paris soon in our little getaway.
Rhoda left us today. She is one of the helpers from Wales who was absolutely essential on translations of the message, food preparation, and laundry. I will really miss her bubbly and positive manner. Her mother was attacked by a bull on their farm and had every bone and tendon broken and torn in her left shoulder.
To keep the project on schedule, we all decided to work half day and as it turned out, Dave and Steve decided to work the full day. Those poor guys were laying on the toilet floor drilling holes in the cement walls so that they could attach the new baseboards in such a way that they looked perfect. This is definitely not a “Year in Provence” when Peter Mayle got plumbers to drop by and fix their frozen pipes. They simply hooked up the new pipes by laying them on the inside of kitchen walls! None of that for Dave and Steve the “Tool Guys”!
The gals and Bob, the token male, decided to have lunch in the tiny village of Ventabren. We found a cute café with a porch overlooking the stone walls and blue shuttered homes and had a ladies lunch. Lunch consisted of big tasty salads with Roquefort cheese, eggs, tomatoes and crisp greens. Talk centered around family, a middle aged woman in the town square dressed to kill with 6 inch spiked heels, Sebastian a dark, smoldering friend of Ian’s who dropped by last Sunday evening, weight issues, hairdressers and other classic subjects. When anyone asked, I told them I was guarding these ladies for the Lord Davstevkim of Liechtenstein.
Hubert, in another act of kindness, went out and bought two huge, delicious tarts for tonight’s dessert-- an almond pear tart and an apple tart. The pear one was out of this world. Need I say, dinner was wunderbar!
Tomorrow they are going to take us to an ice cream parlor that is a 40-minute drive away. The parlor is famous and has hundreds of homemade specialty ice creams including olive oil, nugget, cookies, and lavender. I was stunned when I realized that they were going to take us 40 minutes each way for ice cream. This place must be heavenly!
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!
posted by Bob and Gayle @ 7:04 AM
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Couldn’t We Just Stay Here!
We worked hard today finishing the walls in preparation for painting, painting the ceiling, removing and installing flooring, and cleaning up a library. There remains so much to do that we’ve decided to only take off part of tomorrow to make sure we get our projects done. Yet after our evening showers, I heard comments like, “This was the best part of our trip! Next year let’s take a whole month to work here. I am going to cry when we leave!”
What causes people to react so deeply in this way? The food is terrific but the work is challenging which sounds like a push to me. The location of the camp is nice but certainly not like St Remy, Paris, gites in the Dordogne overlooking castles, Italy’s northern coast, or a barge trip in England.
It’s all about the people. It’s about the camaraderie of our group doing meaningful work for a meaningful organization. This meaning has transformed us into a group of teen’s laughing outside our dorm rooms about the minor twists and turns of the day. In many ways we’ve gone beyond being friends to being like a family.
I believe the overriding bond that has fused this connection is the warmth, concern, and love the folks at L’Eau Vive have bestowed upon us. Today at lunch they were so concerned that we have a fantastic day off that they offered their only camp vehicle (a mini van) for our use. Then, in a moving ceremony they provided each of us with several wonderful gifts to keep us close to them when we return home.
Perhaps the most touching moment was when Hubert the handyman, who probably earns little to nothing here, provided a top quality bottle of Rhone wine for all of us and some smoked trout. This was especially poignant for Dave, who he has really bonded with. Trust me, this was a very special moment.
Tonight as I sign off, Ian and his brother-in-law are working at getting the “TV” part of station WCTV functional. Dave and Steve will get the “WC” (toilette) part going tomorrow. Think of us as we troop down to our building singing, “Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s Off To Work We Go…”
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posted by Bob and Gayle @ 7:02 AM
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Mission Trip Pt 3 – Sequim Group Starts Local TV Broadcasting Station
After breakfast, we attended a short Bible study and discussion lead by Charles the camp director and noted psychologist. Actually our first activity was to sing Christian songs in French. I ended up “La Laa La Laa Laaaing” my songs to their lively beat.
Charles spent some time talking about relationships not only with God but also with each other, husband and wife, friends, relatives, and casual acquaintances. We need to be more understanding, patient, and empathetic towards others he said. One way to do this is to remember that people see, hear, and feel events differently. Reality is in the eyes, ears and heart of the beholder. Another technique is the old “count to ten” principal, wait before we react which will give us some perspective.
He said French Christians know this, “Mais” (But). This “Mais” is the heart of the problem. They think, I should be more understanding with my neighbor Mais, he is a hard headed xyz… It’s intriguing to know that these interpersonal issues are common to all cultures, all of us, one family!
He also talked about the importance of needing others. It’s hard he told us to ask for help. For example he struggles with his computer. Struggle, struggle, painful struggle, until he is totally at a frustrating loss. Then he goes downstairs and gets Amanda the office specialist and she smoothly helps him through the problem. This act tells Amanda that she is needed, that she has a special gift, that she is unique. Asking for help is a blessing we need to give by receiving.
We have finally decided on our gift for L’eau Vive “Living Waters”. We are going to help them create a TV broadcasting station that the entire staff can participate in. It’s called WCTV “falling water”. Today in our construction work we found out that one of the staff toilets was broken. So our team as representatives to Sequim Community Church is going to pay for the toilet and a TV. They call bathrooms here in Europe WC. Thus… WCTV will be in full operation before we leave. Dave Lyon guarantees it! Go Dave!!!
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posted by Bob and Gayle @ 6:53 AM
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Mission Trip Pt 2 (Monday)
Today our team segregated itself into Men and Women work projects. The men attacked the wallpaper removal using manly tools like sanders, steamers, and large scrapers and “manly pink gloves”. The women polished the windows in the dining room so well that it was hard to see the windows. In addition, the ladies turned over the soil in the planters in preparation for planting.
During lunch we took a lot of time understanding the culture and beliefs of the staff at the retreat center. Charles the Director of the Christian Retreat Center, shared with us the struggles that churches have in France. Apparently, the French feel that religion is a very personal act and that any public display is strongly frowned upon. Because of this belief, church members in France seldom participate in church related functions such as Bible studies, and similar congressional life activities. There are no Christian Universities and very few Christian schools in France. In addition, churches have a very difficult time raising money in France.
Ian a lead helper from Ireland, told us about the Weekend of Emotions [WE] that is held here once a year. Charles apparently is a very well known and influential counselor. During the WE weekend this place is packed with over 70 counselors and people needing counseling who make reservations to participate a year in advance. Ian who had just arrived prior to his first WE weekend and was still learning French, asked a lady how she liked the sessions. The lady happily started sobbing and began telling him her life story. He just kept nodding and saying Oui as she shared her emotions.
Today the TV and a toilet for the center broke. Our church, Sequim Community Church has offered a gift of $500 for the center. The TV, toilet, and our building supplies will definitely fit that bill. Besides recreation, the TV is used for training and education for the counselors and staff. I saw a piece of paper in Charle’s pocket that said Vote. In a few weeks, they all vote for the EU Constitution, so I asked Charles if this was his ballot. He said, “No, this is my receipt for the new TV, my wife Francoise spends the money and I get the receipts!” We laughed and said that is the same for Americans.
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posted by Bob and Gayle @ 9:22 PM
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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.
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posted by Bob and Gayle @ 7:33 AM
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This is our 9 week France journey. It's a mixture of adventure, romance, friendships, and good works!
