Family in France, finale in Paris

My parents graciously watched Sam and Emma in Albertville and sent the rest of us off to Paris for New Year's. This was my first visit to Paris, and it did not disappoint! I especially enjoyed exploring with my sisters and brothers-in-law.

Arrival in Paris on the TGV

 First view of the Eiffel Tower 

 Juxtaposition of worlds :)

 The Louvre

 The Arc de Triomphe 

 Delicious "réveillon!" - traditional French New Year's Eve dinner 

Midnight at the Eiffel Tower - Bienvenue 2013!

 Sacré-Cœur 

 On New Year's Day, Lauren and Wei Chi departed :( and Mom and Dad brought Sam and Emma to Paris :) They loved the high speed train! 

 Sunset on the Seine River 

 Fun adventures with my parents after the others departed 

  Including more juxtapositions of worlds - rhino at the Musée d'Orsay - Africa and France! 

And this picture I found inside the museum - peaceful memories of another adventure 

I enjoyed a few extra days of sharing life together with my mom. She even attended French class with me! I don't think we'd been in a classroom together since she taught me in 10th grade. I appreciated getting her expert perspective on my learning style and how to best maximize this experience. The above picture was from one last adventure before her trip back home - a day in Geneva. Neither of us were sure we would actually arrive there as we got on the wrong train (good French practice to get us back on track), but we ended up enjoying a fun day exploring the city. The above picture is from the Reformation Wall. 

Thanks, family, for making the journey. Next Pfister family international adventure: Burundi! 

Family in France, part deux

After Christmas in Meribel, I welcomed my family to my new home in Albertville for a couple days (with an overnight in nearby Annecy). For months I had been looking forward to showing them the sights and sounds of my new life here. I love that my family makes such an effort to experience and understand my life - unusual as it may be. Even Sam began learning some of the French words for things while they were here. The days here passed quickly but we still squeezed in lots of fun and sightseeing, French cheese and pastries, and even games with some of my teammates. The juxtaposition of worlds is important to me as I sometimes feel like I live a fragmented life - here and there. Bringing my family into this world makes some of the paradoxes of missionary life more understandable to both them and me - as well as deepening our relationships despite the distance.

Train station in Albertville 

Sisters and Emma overlooking Albertville from Conflans (medieval village)  

Lauren, Leslie and I 

 Castle in Annecy

The original Pfisters! :)

Sunset in Albertville 

Family in France finale in Paris, coming soon....

Family in France, part 1

It was indeed a Joyeux Noël here as I was privileged to celebrate the holidays with my family. That is no small feat as there are now 9 of us in my "immediate" family. And four of them didn't previously own passports. And two of them are toddlers who weren't quite sure whether they were going to France or Africa or Arkansas - or why they needed to sit still on multiple flights for many hours. But they made it! It was a joyful reunion in the Lyon airport after phase one of the planes, trains, and automobiles commenced.

Next stop on the agenda of fun was Meribel, France pour faire du ski! This included Christmas in the mountains - one last white Christmas for me for a while.

 Our family loves Christmas traditions - Christmas Eve pajamas, ornaments, and It's a Wonderful Life; Christmas morning running down the stairs in our pjs and sausage & egg soufflé, playing games, etc. We added a Bûche de Noël this year (on the table above) and some other fun French treats and meals. I loved the opportunity to re-live old memories and traditions and make new ones with my amazing family - like Sam and Emma performing hand motions to "Away in a Manger" for us on Christmas morning.

 Even four year old Sam tried skiing for the first time this year. In his words, he skied "faster than a trash truck drives on the highway"!

 Sam and Emma are so much fun! I loved reconnecting with them and experiencing their "joie de vivre" while they were here with me in France.

Au revoir, Méribel! C'était merveilleux!

Family in France, part 2 coming soon: Albertville and Annecy...

French devotional

As this school emphasizes French language learning for missionaries, we learn Bible vocabulary in addition to the usual coursework. We also get practical experience utilizing that vocabulary. Two mornings per week, a student shares a devotional or a testimony with the school. At the beginning of the year, the professors shared, then the upper level students, and now we're beginning with my class. I was the first to share from my level on Monday and I wasn't sure I was ready to talk for 15 minutes in French! But God gives His grace for the moment and He truly did strengthen me for this task - on Monday morning, but also throughout the last few months as He's walked with me through this language learning process. It's pretty incredible to realize I couldn't even introduce myself in French 4 months ago. And of course there's still a very long ways to go, but writing, correcting, practicing, and then actually giving the devotion on Monday was an encouraging language experience and another step forward.

 I shared on the theme of (God's) strength in (our) weakness with the verses from Isaiah 40:28-31 tying in the story of my paralysis with transverse myelitis at age 10 and the story of Faith, the girl pictured below who also had transverse myelitis.

As I was paralyzed, as I sought to care for critically ill patients like Faith when there was no treatment available, and as I learn the difficult French language, I do sometimes feel like the caricature above (click on the picture to make it bigger) representing the word "s'épuiser" - to become exhausted. And many of us here in Albertville feel like that now as illnesses of various sorts have been running rampant through our community. (Community is great for lots of things, and I certainly wouldn't want to live without it, but sharing germs is not one of them! But I guess it's good that I'm still getting some pediatrician practice in here these days!) But God does renew our strength. I appreciate your prayers for all of us that the Christmas break will be a time of renewal and healing for all of us. I'm especially excited to welcome my family here for Christmas! What a joy it will be to be all together! Joyeux Noël!

Let It SNOW!!!!

Although I was born in Michigan, we moved away when I was 6 and thus I don't really remember seeing snow like we've had here the last week. It certainly doesn't snow like this in Tennessee! We've had so much fun already enjoying winter activities that will likely :) not be possible in Burundi. I learned a very important phrase in class on Friday: Ça glisse! (That's icy/slippery - relevant as I walk everywhere here - and the sidewalks and roads are definitely "glissant!") 

 We took some of the girls to an International Curling tournament. Interesting, but of course the kids were most excited about our snowy walk there and back. 

 Sarah and I with the girls at the Olympic Center (Winter Olympics in Albertville - 1992)

 On Friday more than a foot of snow fell - and it fell fast and silently quickly blanketing the world in white. I was thankful one of my classmates with a car let me ride with her to the store at lunchtime to stock up on groceries - and to buy snow boots! Now I'm ready to walk to the grocery next time. :) 

 Everyone enjoyed a snowball fight after school - the adults maybe more than the kids! 

 The sun came out today - this was the view that greeted me this morning

 View of Albertville (and castle on right) from Conflans (medieval village above Albertville)

I climbed a bit to enjoy the sunset tonight - with each step sinking almost to my knees! Good exercise! 

And I'll close with a plug for 2 beautiful, less well known, snow songs with great gospel lyrics:

"Whiter Snow" by my teammate Eric McLaughlin - click here for music and lyrics 

And "Winter Snow" by Chris Tomlin - click here