tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365177652024-03-07T03:19:59.250-05:00On the sharp endOn the sharp end is a term from the rock climbing world. You are on the sharp end of the rope when you are the "lead", going first up the rockface and placing removable anchors as you go. The lead climber finds the route to follow and then brings the other climbers safely to the next ledge. Life, in leadership and followership, is a lot like rock climbing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger139125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-77854192596203258772019-09-04T04:20:00.001-04:002019-09-04T06:00:15.465-04:00Changes on the horizon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: white;">As some of you might know, in the fall of 2018 after almost 20 years of ministry, I (Francois) took a sabbatical of sorts. My hope was for a time of rest, reading and reflection (a different kind of, yet equally important, 3 R’s). The time away from the familiar rhythms of work with the CCO did not quite go as I had planned. However, managing the changes and unmet expectations as the sabbatical unfolded prepared me for the next season that God seems to be orchestrating in our lives. We would like to share some of these emerging changes with you in this letter.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">A dear friend recently described our (Joy's and my) calling as taking people to places they have never been. This is such a great description of the physical, emotional and spiritual journey we design and lead for people. Over the last few years, our work has shifted more and more from working directly with students to working more with the adults who support ministry or do direct work with college students. During my sabbatical, it became clearer that Joy and I are moving into a new season of pursuing our calling. Joy had already begun this transition during her year at Georgetown University to become a certified leadership coach. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Joy and I are passionate about our work in leadership development and experiential discipleship and we are looking to expand the types of organizations and audience that we serve in this work. Towards that end, I will be leaving the CCO at the end of September. We have launched a new organization called Growing Latitude, a name which reflects the goal of our work of designing literal and figurative journeys towards more spacious ways of being in work and life. Through Growing Latitude, we will continue to work with the CCO on a project basis as well as serve new organizations and ministries. In addition, Joy and I will be working with <a href="http://www.cultivatingleadership.co.nz/" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Cultivating Leadership</a>, a global network of leadership development professionals who help individuals and organizations grow to deal with the increasing complexity so many leaders are faced with today.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Starting next week, Joy and I will lead one more trip for the CCO by taking a group of donors on a pilgrimage. This 10-day trip is one we have led a number of times and we are thrilled to be taking another group to the mountains to explore the themes of pilgrimage and how God speaks to us during travels, especially travels in the wilderness. Please pray with us for the participants to be open to what God has in store for them on this adventure.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">As we look towards closing out our time with the CCO at the end of the month, we have been reminded of all the individuals and churches who have made it possible for us to serve college students over the last 20 years. Your faithful commitment has ministered to us and offered a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness. We are so grateful that you have partnered with us in our ministry with the CCO for so many years. Your gifts, notes, and hospitality during our visits were always a blessing and an encouragement to us. I pray that your faithfulness has also been a blessing to you and your family. Thank you for your love and support.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">I will move to Associate Staff, which is what the CCO calls volunteers connected to the ministry. As Associate Staff, I will no longer be receiving paychecks from the CCO and any financial contribution to our CCO ministry account can only be used to cover our volunteer expenses. <strong>Any donations made by September 15 will be included in our final paycheck</strong>. If you would like to continue supporting the work of the CCO and its staff, we can make suggestions of colleagues doing wonderful work with students.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">This transition feels like a huge leap of faith for us. It is not one we are taking lightly and we deeply seek your continued prayers for Joy and I, our family, and our new partners. You can follow our continued adventures on our various social media feeds (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/francois.guilleux" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/fjg412" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/joyinliving/" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Instagram</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Peace and love,</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Francois and Joy</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-91347573755843772082018-10-26T09:46:00.002-04:002018-10-26T09:46:39.368-04:00It's not all roses (or Genepi)!<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
After our friend Jim Wilson joked about us having too much fun on our #guilleuxsinthalps adventure, I was reminded of the bias of social media to present an illusion of life. So inspired by some colleagues who share their #ifeellikeshit moments to balance their online postings of amazing moments of success, here is a post about when my less than stellar self has shown up in La Mazure.</div>
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<b>La Banque Postale</b></div>
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I got a call from the bank. This call followed two in-person meetings, each which took a week to 10 days to schedule. You may be wondering what are you doing with a French bank that is taking so much work. Indeed, I am wondering as well given that I can’t remember the last time I actually stepped in an American bank. Actually Joy and I have been trying to conduct the financially complex transaction of opening a bank account!</div>
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That’s right. In order to apply to open a bank account, we have had to provide:</div>
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<li>Proof that I am living in France</li>
<li>Proof that Joy is living in France </li>
<li>Those proofs need to be signed by our land lord who lives in New Zealand</li>
<li>Proof that our landlords own the house we are renting</li>
<li>Official government photo identification for our landlords</li>
<li>Official government photo identification for Joy and I</li>
<li>Our American tax returns</li>
<li>Proof of employment translated in French</li>
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At the first meeting, I learned that the documentation I provided was not sufficient because the proof of us living in La Mazure had been signed by our land lady but the electric bill she provided as proof they own the house is in her husband’s name (even though she has a hyphened last name with his last name being one of her two last names)</div>
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The second meeting I learned that Joy needed separate proof of living in the house we are renting (because you know, my wife might not be living with me when my whole family moves to another country and she is sitting next to me in the meeting).</div>
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Finally the phone call yesterday was to let me know that we could not open a bank account because our monthly paychecks are not going to be deposited in the account we want to open. At this point (actually if we are being honest here, I had already passed the frustration threshold at the past two meetings, and may have said something along the lines of “with this kind of bureaucracy, it’s no wonder France is struggling in international business”. I mentioned that both my mother currently and myself, as a kid, have had accounts at this bank and neither my mom currently because she is retired or me as a kid because, well, I was a kid, had monthly pay checks deposited in our accounts.</div>
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Somehow this did not convince her that she should change her decision, because as she told me, “her chief has rejected our application”. And there you have it! 8 weeks into our adventure we still don’t have a bank account, which means we cannot get a phone SIM card contract in our name to have a French phone! (Luckily our landlords have allowed us to join their phone plans).</div>
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FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-80021488697987194462018-09-29T12:17:00.001-04:002018-09-29T12:34:06.577-04:00Doing Church in La Mazure<div style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
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On Sunday we finally made it to church. There is only one protestant church in the valley and the website told us that it was not meeting on last few Sundays of August. We didn’t know quite what to expect when we arrived at the community center of Bourg St Maurice down the valley from Ste Foy.</div>
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But God had a surprise in store for us. </div>
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Turns out, it’s a small church. A very small church. The presence of our family more than doubled the attendance on this particular Sunday. There was Vincent and Elizabeth, a husband and wife pastor team. Caroline was only attending for the second time. She is a British teacher on a sabbatical of sorts and looking to find work in the valley this winter.</div>
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The other two attendees were our neighbor, Viviane, and Agnes, one of the school cafeteria ladies! What a surprise! Of all the people in this valley to attend this church! We felt God's hand and were grateful for how He has orchestrated all the details beyond what we could imagine for us to spent a year in La Mazure. </div>
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We worshiped and celebrated together in French and English and the kids were quiet for 1.5 hours that the service lasted!</div>
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After church we drove up the mountain above Bourg to the ski area of Les Arcs for a picnic. The scenery was beautiful yet the ghost town feel of the resort was a bit unnerving.</div>
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Annelise holding a Cannele, a cinnamon desert the local bakery in Bourg makes which is quickly becoming our favorite reason to drive down the valley to Bourg!</div>
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This week all the regional protestant churches are meeting near Grenoble about 2 hours away. So the church decided to have a potluck on Saturday since few of us will make the long trek tomorrow. Viviane hosted us at her house and we spent a good part of the afternoon under the sun enjoying a great meal and conversation.</div>
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Lunch in Peps and Viviane's yard in La Mazure. </div>
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<span id="goog_322062170"></span><span id="goog_322062171"></span>Steve Montgomery and John Creasy, check out the oven that Peps build for his bread baking!</div>
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FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-37638252919525951112018-09-11T05:01:00.000-04:002018-09-11T05:01:01.651-04:00Back in La Mazure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Joy and I have returned from our respective trips. I will let her write about leading the women's <a href="http://www.herwalesjourney.com/" target="_blank">Wales trip </a> in another post. I got to wrap up the third module of a leadership program with high potential leadership of a tech non-profit. It was held at this wonderful retreat center and we got to make use of their outdoor classroom under the beautiful oak tress. One my way back I stopped by Pittsburgh to kick off the fall course at Pitt.<br />
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This morning we said good bye to Amanda as she takes a few days to travel before returning home. We are so grateful for the ways she cared for our kids during their first week of school in France. You rock, Amanda!</div>
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Then we took the kids to the bus stop in downtown La Mazure (i.e. the village parking lot). The kids have this luxury passenger van to travel the mile down the mountain to school and they look pretty excited for their second week of school. Tonight is the parent teacher meeting so I'll get to hear about Annelise's class.<br />
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<br />FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-32218882615558062632018-09-02T05:58:00.003-04:002018-09-02T05:58:57.959-04:00Last few days of summer vacation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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With Joy gone, we continued our discovery of the Haute Tarentaise Valley. Today we went to visit Villaroger, a small and beautiful village on the other side of the valley. We got a nice perspective on La Masure. Then the kids took me on a hike to the local climbing crag not far from home. Of course we stopped and build karrens in the stream (or used them for target practice in Seb's case!). Friday we headed to Bourg St Maurice for food shopping and discovered the fitness park.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-7454423073047916612018-08-29T01:49:00.000-04:002018-08-29T01:56:48.641-04:00Off to WalesJumping 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 <a href="http://www.herwalesjourney.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Dave and Andi Schrader and Joy during the scouting trip to Wales last year.</div>
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<br />FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-14500939974659869692018-08-24T04:59:00.000-04:002018-08-24T04:59:51.463-04:00Day 14 - Checking in<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Joy here. I wanted to give an update since we’ve been in France for about 2 weeks now. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/2/blogger.g?blogID=36517765&pli=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blogger.g?blogID=36517765" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blogger.g?blogID=36517765" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #1d2129; float: right; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">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). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Love you all, we appreciate your prayers and positive vibes! </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">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 :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Joy and fam</span>FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-57180428405268884152018-08-21T16:30:00.000-04:002018-08-21T16:38:43.077-04:00Day 8- Saying good bye to Christophe<a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blogger.g?blogID=36517765" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #1d2129; float: left; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blogger.g?blogID=36517765" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blogger.g?blogID=36517765" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #1d2129; float: right; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blogger.g?blogID=36517765" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #1d2129; float: right; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blogger.g?blogID=36517765" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #1d2129; float: right; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="background-color: #073763; color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Day 8-We left Brussels today after time with my extended family to celebrate the life of my cousin, <span style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial;">Christophe Pochic</span> and to grieve his premature departure from us. </span><span style="background-color: black; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px;"><span class="_5afx" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #073763; color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bea and Karl were able to join us and we shared an Airbnb house. It was good to have them there.</span><br />
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FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-796230487264073732018-08-21T16:25:00.000-04:002018-08-21T16:39:03.573-04:00Day 5-6: BrugesWe 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.<br />
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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. </div>
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<br />FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-58808481461036534622018-08-21T16:21:00.001-04:002018-08-21T16:26:54.085-04:00Day 4- Visiting Velizy<a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blogger.g?blogID=36517765" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blogger.g?blogID=36517765" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>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.<br />
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FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-16597153322312436532018-08-20T10:00:00.000-04:002018-08-21T16:24:02.631-04:00Day 2- Fighting Jet Lag<a href="about:invalid#zClosurez" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="about:invalid#zClosurez" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blogger.g?blogID=36517765" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blogger.g?blogID=36517765" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blogger.g?blogID=36517765" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/3/blogger.g?blogID=36517765" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>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 <i>Diabolo Menthe </i>(Mint syrup with sparkling lemonade). Seb couldn't handle his drink! The adult had this summer's aperitif, <i>Le Spritz</i>.<br />
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<img height="400" src="https://scontent-cdg2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/38641248_10156503388773563_7438100019061719040_o.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=b76b9c6cebe73e1860d82d7167e01a13&oe=5C03E032" style="-webkit-user-select: none; cursor: zoom-in; display: block; margin: auto;" width="400" />FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-3952778601394745572018-08-19T15:38:00.000-04:002018-08-21T16:24:56.089-04:00Leaving for a year abroad<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">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</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> arrival with a CDG croissants. #guilleuxsinthealps</span><br />
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<br />FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-26634012627773992022018-07-31T16:23:00.000-04:002018-07-31T16:23:21.654-04:00FAQ 1 How did you decide to live in France for a year?The seed of possibility was planted firmly between 2009 and 2012 as Francois and I led CCO donor trips to the Alps. We’ve both had a lifetime love of the mountains. We also carry seed packets of possibility wherever we go. “Wouldn’t it be amazing to live here someday?”<br />
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Then the kids came along and we dreamed of them being bilingual and knowing where their Papa comes from and their Frenchness. Research and experiences of others told us that preschool and elementary age is the best time to go. Part of what we want to give our kids is a big view of the world and the beautiful diversity in it! We wonder how we will be different living outside the city, with mountains as our back yard. This is a clip that was shared by our neighbor in La Masure of visitors in our back yard.<br />
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<span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BkrdQYdH6hv/" data-instgrm-version="9" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BkrdQYdH6hv/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Baa-ram-ewe! To your breed,your fleece, your clan be true. Moving the sheep to pastures new and greener higher up the mountains with the lovely berger Sebastian. #lamazure #mountainlife #frenchmountains #lifeinthemountains #sheep</a></div>
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A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/annamountainmaman/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> Anna Pearce</a> (@annamountainmaman) on <time datetime="2018-07-01T06:38:52+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 30, 2018 at 11:38pm PDT</time></div>
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So, there’s basically two ways to make this type of adventure happen. On one hand, you can save a ton of money, and/or sell everything and take a year off. Or, you can have work that can be done from anywhere - anywhere with WiFi, that is! So, when I transitioned to becoming a leadership development coach last fall, that freed me up from location. Francois will do much of his planning and preparation from home in France, but since he leads trainings, teaches classes, and facilitates groups - all of that will require him to travel.<br />
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Practically speaking, this has been a lot like a wilderness expedition. We entered the planning phase. Is it possible? What route will we take? How will we get there? What will we need to do to prepare? We went round and round, back and forth, over hours and days and months of conversations. We made a estimated budget of living in the Alps vs. Paris. Could we go for 4 months? 6 months? 9 or 12 months? It was an ever-moving target as we learned what it will cost for things like rent (do we prioritize having a 3rd bedroom for guests or save money and live tiny), health insurance (3 out of 4 of us have French citizenship - will we be covered there?), transportation (can we get by with public transport via trains, buses, and Ubers or do we need to lease a car?). It’s been exhausting. I’m eager for this part of the trip preparation to be over and for the adventure to continue in the next phase... actually getting on the plane.<br />
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Alas, the bags are not packed. The house is not ready for others to move in. There are more friends to have time with before we board. Stay tuned. There’s so much to learn!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-84346753559181952962018-06-28T16:48:00.002-04:002018-06-29T09:55:01.009-04:00You're doing WHAT!?Next month, Joy is being honored for 20 years of ministry with the CCO. Francois is close behind with 19. And to prepare ourselves for the next season, we are taking a sabbatical. On August 5, we will take the kids and a few large suitcases and board a plane for France. After a stop in Paris to visit Francois' mom, and a family camp week at the <a href="https://www.taize.fr/en_rubrique9.html">Taize</a> community, we will drive to the hamlet of La Masure near the village of <a href="http://www.saintefoy-tarentaise.com/#">Sainte Foy Tarentaise</a> in the Alps. Follow our adventures during this season of discovery on this blog.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d11166.090969707862!2d6.8787192479142725!3d45.6001381156435!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x47896c5d09edafb9%3A0xa08ab2d832bb110!2sLa+Masure%2C+73640+Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise%2C+France!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1530218505422" style="border: 0;" width="600"></iframe>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-17291284522070099062015-04-02T13:07:00.002-04:002015-04-02T13:14:37.955-04:00Spring 2015- Highlight reel<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Spring breaks came so fast on the heels of Jubilee that we did not have time to report on the amazing conference we had. To catch a glimpse of this year's event, check out the 2 minute highlights reel.</span><br />
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<a class="" href="http://ccojubilee.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8e990d931591b792b5f26c769&id=27fe9dd081&e=a9002e5563" style="color: #8dc63f; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img align="none" class="" height="223" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/8e990d931591b792b5f26c769/images/dfb5e98c-e07b-4030-a6b7-ef30aecfdd10.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: inline; height: 223px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; max-width: 455px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 10px; text-decoration: none; width: 400px;" width="400" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A total of 3,500 people attended Jubilee this year and as the testament of students in the video shows, God moved in the hearts of students through the worship, the speakers and the workshops. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our work during the conference involved spending time with the representatives from CCO partnerships who attended the weekend. In particular we met at length with the folks from Williamson Free School of Trades, Rosedale Technical Institute, and Valley Forge Military Academy. As you can tell by their names, these schools are not your traditional 4-year colleges. They are post-secondary trade schools who equip students to work in traditional trades like masonry, automotive, power plant management or prepare them for service in the military. CCO and XD have been working with The Williamson School for the last six years and the impact of our work with students on the culture of the school has been so noticeable that other technical schools are inquiring. What can CCO do for our school? Such questions make for long and rich discussions about possibilities for the future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That's the whole point of the Jubilee conference. God so loved the world—the cosmos--that he gave his only son! God cares about and is redeeming through Jesus <em class=""><strong class="">all</strong></em> of his creation--not just the ones with two legs! He cares about 2-year technical school students in the same way He cares about 4-year liberal arts students. God cares about the craftsmanship of a piece of software code as much the flowers of the landscape architect. And He cares about how these institutions of learning shape the students during their tenure in those institutions. As Professor Richard Middleton, <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_564316157" tabindex="0">Sunday</span> morning's speaker said: God cares for the natural and the cultural. The heavens declare the glory of God, the rocks will cry out <em class="">and</em> the bell's on the horses and the kitchen pots will be holy! (Psalm 19:1, Luke <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_564316158" tabindex="0">19:40</span>, Zech <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_564316159" tabindex="0">14:20</span>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So join us in praising and thanking God for a great Jubilee conference and for His work among the students and among the schools we are called to serve. This Changes Everything!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">François and Joy</span><br />
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<br class="" />FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-70871015591079141872014-11-10T16:28:00.002-05:002014-11-10T16:28:34.639-05:00Experience Adventure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Last poster from the talented Peter Chace. Applications are due today. What are you waiting for?</div>
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<br />FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-80924631613841412122014-11-07T15:24:00.003-05:002014-11-07T15:24:59.844-05:00Experience Creation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtphyphenhyphenoKdst-2GniTbjVrrgC886k43w4XInXDMmQ4nVWe8VhpL4aoSxprdBbe3_x3SD1YoZ3iwuXG8NQoHrPn5tL3SzyietBKnn4cMFMATARVnYvWYmeiTdxmjvW4VwiBfbTohggQ/s1600/Experience+Creation+promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtphyphenhyphenoKdst-2GniTbjVrrgC886k43w4XInXDMmQ4nVWe8VhpL4aoSxprdBbe3_x3SD1YoZ3iwuXG8NQoHrPn5tL3SzyietBKnn4cMFMATARVnYvWYmeiTdxmjvW4VwiBfbTohggQ/s1600/Experience+Creation+promo.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Applications are due Monday November 10th for <a href="http://www.ccojubilee.org/cco-xd/summer-opportunities/experience-india/apply-now/" target="_blank">Experience India</a>, <a href="http://www.ccojubilee.org/cco-xd/summer-opportunities/experience-india/apply-now/" target="_blank">Experience New Zealand</a> and <a href="http://www.ccojubilee.org/cco-xd/summer-opportunities/crossings/apply-now/" target="_blank">Crossings</a>. What are you waiting for!?<br />
<br />FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-91345323123115820882014-11-07T15:22:00.001-05:002014-11-07T15:22:07.019-05:00Experience Culture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8R0mUEA4U8UwVryeiwZe4NMKHaJEp4AA0FO5HdIigPkLX1TiD8LlpLL0ouaupNaGl7v6e7wleE5xLrKie8pE8u16ACygm50kCwwa6fDCVItKcMNjrUT47yqP9UmEDeDYDdezS7g/s1600/Experience+Culture+promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8R0mUEA4U8UwVryeiwZe4NMKHaJEp4AA0FO5HdIigPkLX1TiD8LlpLL0ouaupNaGl7v6e7wleE5xLrKie8pE8u16ACygm50kCwwa6fDCVItKcMNjrUT47yqP9UmEDeDYDdezS7g/s1600/Experience+Culture+promo.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Applications are due Monday November 10th</div>
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Experience New Zealand: <a href="http://www.ccojubilee.org/cco-xd/summer-opportunities/experience-new-zealand/apply-now/" target="_blank">Application</a></div>
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Experience India: <a href="http://www.ccojubilee.org/cco-xd/summer-opportunities/experience-india/apply-now/" target="_blank">Application</a></div>
<br />FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-86930955852681303092014-11-07T15:17:00.002-05:002014-11-07T15:17:35.432-05:00Experience Community<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6n33Dpi-FhMxT1VG-vqnCeJm6d9WQ7Z5k1m63QcBSInMIfOAx-nII8IQfGscUmS7BLn8sIscz5w2dvwdc0cuCcQ5Z7s2am6KNSbGLLuPz2RCgc-ACMhN9stgmpYnkUxj8ssZvg/s1600/Experience+Community+promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6n33Dpi-FhMxT1VG-vqnCeJm6d9WQ7Z5k1m63QcBSInMIfOAx-nII8IQfGscUmS7BLn8sIscz5w2dvwdc0cuCcQ5Z7s2am6KNSbGLLuPz2RCgc-ACMhN9stgmpYnkUxj8ssZvg/s1600/Experience+Community+promo.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-19782773939829227072014-11-07T15:01:00.000-05:002014-11-07T15:05:57.786-05:00CCO XD Summer Opportunties: Experience Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyqN5Nx_YlNmbnT77KeRcnCYsY-SQPSJQJW1IE6q0JSa7Z36HTlsLqwsFca_PBE8yxqk8vEJEBS68U' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-1708610701080722482014-03-19T13:34:00.000-04:002014-03-19T13:34:57.434-04:00Jubilee 2014What an incredible weekend! 3,000 people came down the convention center to experience this unique conference, to connect with professionals and other students like themselves and to meet Jesus in a deeper way.<br />
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Do you wish you have been there? Here are photos to help you imagine what the weekend was like: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ccopix/" target="_blank">www.flickr.com/photos/ccopix/</a><br />
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Do you simply scratch your head about what Jubilee is and why we get so excited about it?<br />
Check you this short blog post by Deirdra Riggs, managing editor of the <a href="http://www.thehighcalling.org/" target="_blank">High Calling</a>, about her first experience of Jubilee: <a href="http://www.deidrariggs.com/2014/02/17/jubilee-insight-from-the-next-generation/" target="_blank">www.deidrariggs.com/2014/02/17/jubilee-insight-from-the-next-generation/</a><br />
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And here is a quick highlights reel for those of you who couldn't make it:<br />
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And take out your calendar and free the Jubilee weekend for next year!FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-10377591650733664552014-02-27T09:41:00.000-05:002014-02-27T09:42:39.201-05:00Crossings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEino8ueVLNRvVNB-G0OQ738jVQkgoKu0Ru3j2pF83eGNZpLB-FcGkyHnlVfOFeWJZ6wynBcqr5-Y0kOlnANchYSpDAxam01-u3l-dicGaril-BoESp9JidTjAgANtzZlnJMRD_iPg/s1600/IMG_3938b-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEino8ueVLNRvVNB-G0OQ738jVQkgoKu0Ru3j2pF83eGNZpLB-FcGkyHnlVfOFeWJZ6wynBcqr5-Y0kOlnANchYSpDAxam01-u3l-dicGaril-BoESp9JidTjAgANtzZlnJMRD_iPg/s1600/IMG_3938b-2.JPG" height="103" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Between the semesters, Francois had the opportunity to co-lead the Crossings trip for graduating seniors. With a group of 9 students, they paddled the 10,000 islands area of the Everglades. Using coastal kayaking as a metaphor to think of wisdom and navigating the transition out of college into the work world. It was a fantastic trip with fantastic students. In the quiet space and conversations, student had chances to reflect and pray about their callings and how to approach the work world. Allie, a student from Point Park University, had this to say about her experience on the trip:</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4D5rl6B-Ia7_XLzJw7QZq2rjZCYWucp_SfNdHP1NZgt9wpESXLRjzE4HiUYdH8OEMEaxf3MBVlTmGHfKy-Gmk83QKEL3JmGZ0GZfsA-bMJcsIolWr1ruTTsE4l5scTgvno6EbzA/s1600/IMG_3575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4D5rl6B-Ia7_XLzJw7QZq2rjZCYWucp_SfNdHP1NZgt9wpESXLRjzE4HiUYdH8OEMEaxf3MBVlTmGHfKy-Gmk83QKEL3JmGZ0GZfsA-bMJcsIolWr1ruTTsE4l5scTgvno6EbzA/s1600/IMG_3575.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allie on the right</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">"My experience on Crossings has been such a blessing from God! This unique trip has prepared me with confident peace about what is to come next in my life after graduation. Being in such a deserted atmosphere for the week forced me to embrace the love from God and listen to His perfect wisdom. I was fortunate to encounter loving fellowship with the highly trained leaders and students. And of course, the breath-taking journey through the Everglades was a time that I will never forget. I am incredibly grateful for having the opportunity to attend Crossings and feel as though CCO XD has exceeded their goal of transforming college students to transform the world."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1sVgD4nVNxqGbHsMk9LMJIGUBG9e_KLVBn1_ylnGGt9vOQoajm3YX4cWGjOtcrqfSsA3U8NqqKar5gQ5Nz-74QkCeJuD_y-AOXmzYo5TsNw_t-M-MwzDXddSKF2DipthVLgPmA/s1600/IMG_3841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1sVgD4nVNxqGbHsMk9LMJIGUBG9e_KLVBn1_ylnGGt9vOQoajm3YX4cWGjOtcrqfSsA3U8NqqKar5gQ5Nz-74QkCeJuD_y-AOXmzYo5TsNw_t-M-MwzDXddSKF2DipthVLgPmA/s1600/IMG_3841.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teaching kayak navigation to illustrate the transition to work life </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">What a blessing to walk alongside students in this important and formative time of their lives.</span>FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-25514474510794166462014-02-06T09:56:00.000-05:002014-02-28T11:20:33.121-05:00Don't miss out<div>
Jubilee is around the corner. Below is a letter from Vince Burens, CCO's Executive VP with a great resource to connect to the conference whether you can make it or not.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiHfwgvNfO_xQVd_ymDEg-5Zz1uToNskCcehGnL9KOxKgWbeyygztur7xUGqX9iA5Zt002IW8kpguFOOe0wDXqexsCQmv1LZeqFQR-61XHcloBAQ4mt5avNqVntIBzVFYefrOutt0uc4Ju3_N8CuI5PcAVzJ26gHy3T2qzv8eVSoeWOBILsjhugiplRN6X8weQ=" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.ccojubilee.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/special_announcement_header2.jpg" height="92" width="400" /></a><br />
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February 6, 2014 <br />
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Dear fellow leaders,<br />
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I am writing to you today to ask your participation in an amazing opportunity that will lead us together through the Jubilee experience. My hope and prayer is that all of us, as well as our staff, students, Board, and donors could be studying these Scriptures together over the upcoming month. Please join me in this movement.<br />
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In partnership with the American Bible Society, we have developed an excellent 28-day email Bible study/devotional which delves into the Biblical foundations of the Jubilee conference. We are convinced that this study will make Jubilee even more meaningful than it already is.<br />
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Each study will be delivered for 28 consecutive days as an email or text message. You can sign up by clicking <a href="http://www.jubileeconference.com/scripture/" target="_blank">here</a> or by texting "jubilee" to 72717.<br />
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The Scripture Journey will start tomorrow, February 7, so sign up today to make sure that you don't miss out.<br />
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This will be an excellent way to prepare and pray for the conference ahead of time, and to digest what we have learned there during the weeks following. We are convinced of the power of thousands of people coming before God to more fully understand Him and His Word.<br />
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Thanks for partnering with us as we prepare for Jubilee!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEi7jK2acRnlpSDWXFeWculr7G0tk4gS5JaiFGQ7JwYW51o7gKr8NRuTx_FsjcW9E2iPSRvgMPyea65vmV_ZERrKMm_9VErZhdlrSi3xMiricpyDB5QnZlj3tgSL2ymWU6e8Fbl2AiPhGgZ-HKIAtSNwL5p0_BXyNBh2o7YWTaToVamgmYIPFDIZlKyNXvo=" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.ccojubilee.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/Burens-Vince-area-profile.jpg" height="99" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="72" /></a><br />
Thank you,<br />
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Vince Burens<br />
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer<br />
CCO</div>
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<span style="color: green;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><strong><span style="font-family: tahoma, verdana, segoe, sans-serif;">Honored</span></strong></span></span></div>
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Pitons are tools used in rock climbing to anchor the rope as a climber goes higher and higher off the ground. Pitons are placed by pounding the metal into cracks in the rock. At a recent CCO training, Francois and Joy each received a piton from our staff as a thank you for our work of propelling the ministry of XD into higher places.</div>
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These pictures are not mistakes. Nor are they the latest in snail mail openers. They are engraved Charlet Moser pitons made in Chamonix, France in 1970's.</div>
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It was a moving gesture because Chamonix has come to mean a lot to me (Francois) in our work these last few years and because it reminded me of another meaningful piton I have. Soon after I started with the CCO 14 years ago, I went on my first lead climb with some CCO staff. </div>
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<em>(Technical interlude)</em></div>
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Lead climbing is contrasted to top rope climbing by where the anchor is in relationship to the climber. In a top rope climb (below, left) the anchor is above the climber, thus upon falling the climber will only drop the distance that the rope stretches when fully weighted. But in lead climbing (below, right), the anchor (or protection) is below the climber which means when the climber falls, they will travel twice the distance between them and the anchor plus the stretch of the rope! You can imagine the danger and fear factor is much greater in lead climbing.</div>
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<em>(Technical interlude over)</em></div>
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Being the lead climber is sometimes called being on the sharp end of the rope (some of you may recognize this term as the name of our <a href="http://ccojubilee.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8e990d931591b792b5f26c769&id=cf1f953239&e=e0b511f422" style="color: #8dc63f; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">blog</a>). Joy and I really got to know each other by climbing together on our days off away from students. So when we got engaged, I tied the ring to a wire statue of two climbers on lead to signify the trust our continued adventures together would require. </div>
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Last month we learned that our adventures will take on an additional responsibility as we are looking to welcome a new member into our family this spring.</div>
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It is with excitement and a bit of trepidation that we are sharing this news. We are blessed by God's gift of another child and we are pushed to trust in his providence for our family through folks like you. God has provided some amazing gifts this year and we are grateful. If you are the praying type, please keep Joy and the baby, due in late May, in your prayers.</div>
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Francois and Joy</div>
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<br />FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36517765.post-33764632313981976742013-12-26T11:58:00.000-05:002014-02-28T11:20:42.952-05:00Why we do what we do?<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/68634484?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/68634484">Why We Do Campus Ministry</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/ccoministry">CCO Campus Ministry</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.FJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01859824379639523789noreply@blogger.com0