Good Gifts

Paris is so amazing! Our time and work here looks much different than in Amsterdam, but I am loving it! I get to help teach an English class three days a week. We have a lot of North Africans that come to the class that already know French and/or Arabic, and are now trying to learn English. It is so much fun! We are taking the reigns from a group of students from Auburn. They were able to make some great relationships with their students and be very intentional. They did a really great job of preparing us for our teaching roles and passing off their relationships to us so that we could continue to love on the people they had meet. It was such a blessing meet them and get to know them. ESL (English as a second language) has been such a great experience. The first goal of the class is to share the gospel, and the second goal is to teach them English. We teach them English by presenting different Bible stories to them and asking them questions about the story. We also cover vocab words and different rules of English. My first day to teach class, I had to explain 'had slept with a man' and 'God's spirit,' which both presented completely different challenges. I did it though! Kinda, I needed a substantial amount of help to get both concepts across.

We have also been able to attend a ZUMBA class that a fellow American lady put on for a week. It was such a great time. We got see a group of Muslim ladies just completely let go and just have fun. They were tearing off their head-scarves and tossing their hair all around, which is a really big deal in their culture. It was really amazing and such a blast. We also got to hear a lady that was previously a Muslim share her testimony on how she came to know Christ. He spoke to her through a series of dreams and through healing a stomach problem she had been battling. It was so encouraging to hear. We won't be able to go back to the ZUMBA class, but it was a great thing to be apart of, if even for just a short time.

Our one-week students get here tomorrow! I'm so excited! I'm especially excited to see the three students from Weatherford. It is going to be such a great taste of home. It's going to be a hard week with little sleep, but I am so beyond pumped. I'm excited to see Father move in hearts and change lives, not only in the people of Paris, but also in the students and adults. Father is going to do such amazing things! This week is going to be so great. Also, our team has been getting along so well since the arrival of the new JSI's! Which is an answered prayer! Father is so good to answer our prayer and faithful to provide even our most petty needs. He is so so good.

I will give you a great example of this. As you may or may not know, I have a giant addiction to Dr. Pepper. And the Dr. Pepper in Europe is not the same or as good as Dr. Pepper in the States, which is a very tragic occurrence. So, I've been filling my Dr. Pepper void with Coke, which cannot satisfy like Dr. Pepper can. So, yesterday I went into an American inspired bagel shop. I ordered my bagel and was going to order an A&W Rootbeer. However, when he opened his cooler, I noticed there was an American Dr. Pepper- cause the cans are different in Europe- and lost all sense of control. I freaked out, waving my arms like an idiot, and demanded the Dr. Pepper instead of the Rootbeer. He was scared to say the least. I think I had a very crazy look in my eye, like when a tiger locks on a gazelle. This may seem sappy and over dramatic, but I don't care. I think I acted so wildly because of the ties that Dr. Pepper holds for me back home. So many of the closest people in my life are helpless Dr. Pepper addicts like me, and it was almost like that can of Dr. Pepper was a big hug from home. I felt connected with home and comforted. Like I said, it sounds uber sappy and over dramatic, but I don't care. That Dr. Pepper was a blessing from Father. It filled my desire for Dr. Pepper and calmed my homesickness. Dr. Pepper is something that I associate with home and so many dear people in my life, and finding a good, American Dr. Pepper was an experience that was so weird but so great. If you take anything from that story, remember that Father fills even our pettiest of needs and He can completely shock us with how great His gifts are.

Also, yesterday I got to eat at Pizza Hut! It's odd that this didn't hold more significance, but it wasn't quite as good as the ole' Bob and Terry shop. I miss it lots. But it was still good. I enjoyed it a lot. I also got to watch Man of Steel. So, it's been a pretty great week in the life of Sarah.