Off to Wales

Jumping the gun from Day 14 to Day 23. Lots to tell you about in later posts. Joy left this morning to lead a group of women on a 10-day spiritual trek and retreat along the Wales Coastal Trail. Together with our good friend Andi Schrader, they will be making space for rest, reflection and seeking God as they explore significant places of Celtic Christianity. You can read more about the trip here. This trip is an amazing intersection of some of Joy's passions in life: travel, trip leading, helping others grow through coaching and discipleship. I can't wait to hear the stories and see the photos of their journey to this wild and beautiful place.

In the mean time, the kids and I are staying in La Mazure. The places is very quiet with all the neighbors out on vacation before school begins next week. This makes for long days for the kids without their new friends. Please keep all of us in your prayers.

Dave and Andi Schrader and Joy during the scouting trip to Wales last year.

Day 14 - Checking in

Joy here. I wanted to give an update since we’ve been in France for about 2 weeks now. Last Wednesday we drove to La Mazure to find our new home. Since our arrival, it’s been a mixed bag of excitement and delight, disappointment and a bit of fear. 

First the delight - it is a pearl of a little village with lots of friendly neighbors, generous and willing to help. One family is British, and have 3 pre-teen girls. Another family has an 11 yo boy and a girl the same age as Annelise. They’ve been playing every day for hours, and they’ll be in the same class in school! What an answer to prayer! There is a French couple next door who run a B&B who have been the caretakers of our house in the absence of the landlords. 

The surroundings/hikes/views are spectacular. We’ve enjoyed going out for a discovery tour each day. Here is glimpse from a 2 hr round trip hike into a gorgeous nearby valley where there’s a refuge and cafe. We hope to ski in and stay overnight next spring when we are in better shape.

The disappointment has been in the state of the house. We knew it would be a rustic, very old un-renovated farmhouse, but we didn’t expect it to require so much work for us to make it comfortable and functional. I’ve spent hours cleaning out the kitchen because mice left a lot of mess and previous tenants left a lot of dirty greasy surfaces. The electrical and plumbing are wonky. It was very musty and there's work to be done in the LR from water damage. We are thankful for landlords who have been supportive and responsive from NZ.

A few days ago, I was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (to quote a kids book). We were all feeling the effects of a tiring move. The kids were all out of sorts and missing their friends (read feeling all the big feels and acting accordingly). To add to the stress, Francois’ surgery on his finger to re-attach the tendon failed. (He flew back to PA this week for corrective surgery.) I lost my iPhone at the market in town. I put a little dent/scratch in the door of the rental car. No one in town knew where the car is that we are supposed to use for the year. And, the list went on and on! I was at the end of my reserves, and struggled to make sense of all that was swirling in my head and heart.

In the last few days, I feel back in my skin with a hopeful, positive attitude. I have more patience and grace for the ups and downs of all of us. I think the shock wore off, we all are seeing the house becoming home. We are all trusting that God has us in the palm of his hand. That he brought us here and will take care of us (and he already has). 

Love you all, we appreciate your prayers and positive vibes! 

Please let us know your latest, as we’d love to hear what is happening on your side of the globe - it’ll help us feel more connected :)

Joy and fam

Day 8- Saying good bye to Christophe

Day 8-We left Brussels today after time with my extended family to celebrate the life of my cousin, Christophe Pochic and to grieve his premature departure from us. 

Bea and Karl were able to join us and we shared an Airbnb house. It was good to have them there.

Now the car is loaded (can’t see out back window!) and we head towards the Alps. #guilleuxinthealps

Day 5-6: Bruges

We left Paris on Friday to head towards Belgium for my cousin Christophe's funeral that will take place on Monday. Years ago, I had visited Christophe and we had done a visit to Bruges so it seemed like a good way to remembering him by introducing Joy and the kids to this beautiful city and a few Belgian specialities.

The next day we drove to see the North Sea. After the upper 90's degree weather in Paris, the cool ocean air was refreshing. 

Day 4- Visiting Velizy

Today we picked up the rental car and headed to my childhood home in Velizy. The kids got to see Ecole Ferdinand Buisson where I went to elementary school. Mamiejo knocked on our old house and the current owner gave us a tour. Despite all the changes to the house in the last 38 years, we could still see the house as it used to be. Unfortunately in a technological glitch, we lost the pictures from our visit. Upon our return to Paris, we took Annelise to a free rock climbing exhibit and finished the day with a tour of Paris at dusk and the lighting of the Eiffel Tower.

Day 2- Fighting Jet Lag

We made it with all our luggage to Mamiejo's apartment in Paris. Found our way to the park to get our bodies moving and introduced the kids to Diabolo Menthe (Mint syrup with sparkling lemonade). Seb couldn't handle his drink! The adult had this summer's aperitif, Le Spritz.

Leaving for a year abroad

Day 1. PIT-CDG. 6 luggage each around 49 pounds for a year abroad. Delta treated us well and the less than full flight allowed us to stretch out. We celebrated our arrival with a CDG croissants. #guilleuxsinthealps