God's provision

BONJOUR TOUT LE MONDE!!!!

I AM HERE. and it feels WEIRD, like I'm on vacation and I'll be gone in a week. It's great to be back, but there's this thing about France that I call getting your "legs back". City legs, or proverbial legs to just help you "stand up" in the culture and not be crushed by the overwhelming speed at which they talk...in french...at you...while you're jet lagged. YUP. Just gotta laugh it off.

So, being "here" is quite a feat. Because "here" means sitting in my apartment with my teammates and all of our stuff around us.  Our beautiful, quirky, quaint apartment is on the 5th floor...in one of the oldest sections of Paris, and the stairwell has maybe been re-done once in, oh I don't know, the last century sometime. It's small, twisty, slightly slippery (worn down wood), slopping, steep, and again I repeat- 5 flights/6 (to our toilet inside our apartment).  So, eith probably 90 lbs per girl, I was fairly sure the stairs were going to collapse under the weight.  But, God's provision, Vivek, one of the team, came over and with his help and Karen, an ICSer (International Campus Staffer), plus the three zombies (us), were able to get the luggage up in about 4 trips. Let's just say, I woke up this morning and was tempted to pop down to the bakery that's around the corner, but the idea of going down then back up the steps was a huge deterrent, not sure if my thighs could take it. :)

So, God's provision already is appearing and just showing how evident each one of us has been called here!! And it's in the small things, which is just fun.  So, we took off Tuesday without Brooke and Lance- their plane out of ATL to Dulles was cancelled due to a low tire. Now, Brooke and Lance were grouped with "the girls" as we're fondly referred too. So, we were all supposed to grab the shuttle arranged for us and navigate us to the apt- yada yada yada- we were slightly worried on the plane because we didn't know any details and were obviously unreachable the whole time. But, when we arrived, Karen had taken over and we all managed to get to our apartment- and Vivek showed up- which again God sent. Praises. She kept us awake for half the day, taking us to lunch, and on a walk around to gather our bearings a bit- then let us shower off the plane and wander around some more before meeting up with the team for a good ol' street crepe by the Eiffel Tower. Also, Provision in the the girls, that we gave each other so much grace because each one of us was exhausted beyond means but yet we managed to laugh and joke about it all, and managed to stay up till 9 pm, which is the best way to fight jet lag, don't sleep, stay up and force a normal schedule.  
Also, just a funny story- we were sitting with Karen on our shuttle from the airport.  Becky and I were facing backwards.  As we were getting closer to our street and I could tell we were by the Pompidou, she told us to turn around and look at something.  Literately for a good 45 seconds, jet lagged Becky and Heather just stared out going....what? there's nothing... Then it registered. Notre Dame is literately smack dab at the end of the street over from us- and by smack dab I mean over a the Seine- but still- it was so large and looming it that it was near impossible to miss...unless you're jet lagged.. 
So that was yesterday.

Today- the team had our first official picnic- God's provision for me for the year.  The french ICS staff and two nationals are so precious and gracious. I can't wait to actually learn the language so that the ICSer's don't have to totally translate everything, and I can chat with the two nationals with ease...
But, I guess the biggest thing so far today- not that we've done a lot besides wake up and head to lunch with the team- but, we just ventured out to go grocery shopping.  I had been researching a lot before I left about where I could find food "sans gluten". Because while this week I may splurge a little, I know for the whole year, I can't eat like a normal french person with massive amounts of bread...I need to watch my gluten, and for that matter, I still want to try and eat paleo.  Well, I knew there was a "bio" (organic) market on the street behind our apartment, but I didn't know how far it was away- it looked a couple blocks up on the map, and it wasn't gaurenteed to have sans gluten food... Welp. The girls and I were on the hunt for food, so we went down the side street to the left of our door and we were coming up to the street behind our apartment and I look. and there on the corner is my Bio market...I freaked- they looked at my weird (they're don't understand it all yet haha)- and so I went exploring and found the most beautiful "sans gluten" section. Praises. I mean of all the places in the city that DON'T have one- I have one about 200 yards down the way. What. Thank you Jesus!!! especially since we have to go shopping like...every other day because nothing keeps..So for those of you who were like- "gluten free in Paris??? You're crazy!!" I would like you to know I just bought corn cereal stuffed with Nutella..life here is turning out well so far :) 

It's the small things.. It's the small things. A beautiful precious cafe that's super hipster is just a street or two over, an organic market with Nutella stuffed gf cereal, wonderful teammates, a precious landlady who imported an AWESOME shower head from England, a equally gorgeous updated apartment, a toilet room at the end of the buildings staircase with views of cute parisian rooftops...I could go on...It's like He knew I was coming..haha

Tomorrow, we're going out onto the campus' to pray over them.  The girls are still praying for one decision for Christ- THIS WEEK- tomorrow might hold an opportunity.  Pray if it arises we take it-boldly :)
Until later!!

Bonjourne mes amis!