Two Months Done, One More To Go

Every weekend I look at the week that just passed and I continually think about how blessed I am to be here in France. I also have realized recently that I really love the region that I am in, Savoie. I have this feeling that I will come back here someday and maybe even live here for a longer period of time. The people that are from here remind me so much of the people I grew up with. I walk around the town and I see lots of families enjoying life to its fullest by just being with each other. I am really starting to get used to the everyday life here and I would be very much tempted to stay if I had a bigger apartment here and if I didn’t have so many things going for me back in Montana. I just got back from church for the third time since being here in Chambéry and I feel energized spiritually for the near future. God has been really growing some vision for next semester at my university ministries, Chi Alpha. I feel this urgency for the students that I will be meeting and friends that I already have. This feeling comes from a fact that has recently became true; the fact that I won’t be spending Spring semester 2014 at UM. This means that I only have one more semester at my school and I feel like there is so much more to do than what is possible to do in one semester. This is where I let God do His thing and as long as I am obedient, there will be success.

On Tuesday I went to Lyon after class. Lyon is the biggest city in this area of France so I was super excited to see what everyone was talking about. We got there by taking a bus and man was it hot! I was absolutely miserable for the first hour as we were walking around. We climbed up the hill slowly and came upon some Roman ruins. There was a big huge amphitheater that is still used today for musical and theatrical performances. This park overlooked Lyon and the view was just gorgeous! There were tons of little kids outside playing games and goofing off. I was told that it was like a day camp for them in that area. We then made our way up to the church which had the most amazing paintings inside. It was a bummer though for me because it was full of tourists and I wasn’t able to have a quiet time inside. But luckily this church is on top of the hill so we got to see the BEST view of Lyon. Then we ventured down into the town and went through the smallest “streets” of France. Lyon is very well known for these streets. Thankfully, it started to cool down for the day so we just walked around town discovering the feel and daily life of the Lyonnais people. Then we finished off the day with an amazing Lyonnais (Lyon specialty food) dinner. Here are a few photos from the day.

The next day, Wednesday, I had signed up to go to a wine tasting. So a group of us went to “Cave à Vin” and tasted five different wines. Of course I loved everyone of them but I realized that I prefer red over white and rosé. I felt so French when I realized that I was drinking wine, eating cheese and bread, and talking in French. I had such a great night talking to people about their futures and what they want to do with their lives. Here is a photo of the wines that we tried. Don’t worry there were ALOT of us so each of us didn’t drink that much.

The next few days were relaxing because I had gotten a migraine so I needed to sleep to get rid of it. Friday evening I got with my friends and we celebrated two of my friends birthdays. Chambéry put on a “Feu d’Artifice” (fireworks) show so we ventured up the hill and watched the fantastic show. This evening I was able to bound with a few more girls by telling them about my mistakes and faults in my life. After I did this, the girls have been able to open up to me more and more. It really hit me how much it makes a difference when I am vulnerable to my girl friends that they are able to trust me with their own mistakes and lives. God definitely created this aspect of being a human so He can redeem our lives and create beauty out of what we see is ugly. God is so good!

Yesterday, Saturday, I went to Chamonix which is a town that at the base of Mont Blanc which is the highest mountain in Europe. Mont Blanc is where the three countries of France, Switzerland, and Italy meet (but the tip is in France!). This town was very small but had such an amazing feeling to it. It felt like I was in a small town in Yellowstone but much more richy. We walked around the market for an hour or so and then got some lunch. Then we caught a train to the “Mer de Glace” which is a glacier. The view from the train was just gorgeous because we were climbing up a mountain! When we got to the top and to the glacier, I was amazed of the creation in front of me. Then we walked down ALOT of stairs and got to the glacier and walked in the caves that were made in the glacier. The ice was blue and it was cold. After spending over an hour we headed back to town and got some ice cream and just relaxed on a bridge. Again I was able to just enjoy the company of my friends around me. Here are a few photos from the day.

Well its officially one month from today until I arrive back in Montana with my mom. I cannot believe I have been out of the United States for two months already. This is my last week of classes here in Chambéry and then I must say goodbye to my friends that I had made the last 7 weeks. After that I will be heading to do my missionary work at Le Rucher in Cessy, France. I am so excited to do this work and its making it easier to say goodbye to Chambéry and my friends. I hope you enjoyed the photos and my stories. Until the next time! I love you all, my family and friends.