Le Papillon

"Whoever wants to come after me (Jesus) must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me" Luke 9:23.

Hello. First of all please let me apologize for the extremely late update letter some of you may have received. My brother-in-law and sister have kindly taken over the printing, sending etc. of my mailing and have been very busy the last several months. The next one should arrive in a more timely manner.

What have I been up to since my break? Well thanks to God's grace, all of your prayers and some studying I passed my final exam for last semester!!! THANK YOU EVERYONE!!! My note was a 14.5/20 which in the French system is a great grade. Getting a 16 or over is very, very good and there is no such thing as a straight 20 student.
So I have now been in Advanced Intensive since the beginning of February and it is going well. Thus far it has been review which has been good so that those foundations are reinforced before moving on. It's always fun getting a new class dynamic and this semester is no exception. I have one friend from last semester and the other classmates are great!

As for the language itself it is coming along. I can communicate halfway clearly and thanks to a French friend I am getting help once a week with questions and problem areas. In fact two weeks ago I lead (or more precisely stumbled through) a college Bible study I have been attending in Paris since the end of my break. While it was incredibly intimidating God used this less than common clay pot to get His point across. Praise God! There's still a long way to good but progress is being made.

Ministry wise I still am not regularly leading anything but I have had several opportunities to share the gospel, during Easter Break I am helping with a children's program and am now on security detail for the church. One sad piece of news is that due to the date of my final exam this semester I will not be able to go on a missions trip to Senegal with Jonathan Finley (the missionary under whom I work). Perhaps next summer God will open this door.

Spiritually things have been going much better. I feel halfway comfortable and settled into a routine. The underlying stress still exists but now it's not so intense and therefore more bearable. Furthermore being in a routine has been great for my relationship with Christ and that is the main reason things have been on the up and up.

Praises: 1. I PASSED MY FINAL EXAM!!! 2. Groupe Biblique Univarsitaire and the friends I have made there 3. My French tutor 4. Full support (at a time when many missionaries are very much under supported) 5. Those who pray for me 6. The new class 7. Opportunity to visit my family in June for a couple weeks
Prayer Requests: 1. Luke 9:23 2. Diligence in my studies (especially watching more tv for hearing comprehension) 3. Open eyes and heart as to how God wants to use me 4. Not to become dull to living and working for God in France 5. Preparation for my visit home