Entering their world....through the TARDIS

My husband and kids freely admit that they are sci-fi nerds. They enjoy watching movies based on superhero comic books, and one of Lindsey's dreams is to attend Comic Con. I'm a nerd in other ways (I enjoy logic puzzles, for example) but I don't get into sci-fi or fantasy fiction. However, to build communication with my teens, I try to "enter their world" from time to time and at least feign interest in the things that they are passionate about. So when they choose a superhero movie for our weekly "pizza/movie" night, I try to stay awake and not roll my eyes too much. Greg shares the nerd gene (I'm sure he's the one that passed it on to the girls), therefore he happily joins them on the couch to watch re-runs of Doctor Who. I admit, I had felt a little left out during conversations centered around Daleks and Regenerations, so I decided to check out this classic TV show for myself.

Before watching my first episode, I got a primer from the girls. In a nutshell, the show is about a "Time Lord" known only as The Doctor, who is able to travel through space and time in a machine called the "TARDIS" (which stands for something, but I can't remember what). The TARDIS looks like a blue police call-box on the outside, but is much bigger once you're inside. Doctor Who has been around on an on-again-off-again schedule since the 1960s, and over time there have been 12 actors who have played The Doctor. Every time a new actor takes over, the Doctor "regenerates" into his new form. He takes human companions (usually beautiful girls) with him on his time-and-space journeys, and together they fight battles against space monsters, solve intergalactic crimes, right injustices, and have fun traveling all over the universe. For those of you who are "non-nerds" like me, sitting through one of these shows probably sounds like hell. Admittedly, some of the episodes are pretty bad. The villains known as Daleks look like they were made with someone's spare kitchen utensils, and they probably were, because I'll bet that the original series had a tiny special-effects budget.

However (this is so hard to admit), I've come to really enjoy many of the modern-era Doctor Who stories. The writing is often brilliant, the actors are witty and likable, and the emotional tugging-at-heartstrings factor is high. If you want to give Doctor Who a try, here are three episodes I recommend:

• Midnight - Doctor #10 (played by David Tennant) gets trapped with strangers in an enclosed vehicle during a sightseeing excursion in this stand-alone episode. The script is tense and tight, and it plays on the universal fear of being stranded. It's a great commentary on interpersonal dynamics during a stressful situation. Fans of Twilight Zone will like this one. 

• Blink - Another David Tennant episode, this is also one that works well as a stand-alone show. Your head will spin trying to figure out the overlapping "timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly" time streams, but it's a lot of fun when the Doctor speaks to complete strangers through a video, reading from a script the listeners created in the future....nevermind. You just have to see it. This episode easily deserves the 9.8 earned on IMDB's viewer ratings due to the way it builds up tension and fear. You'll never look at an angel statue the same way again.

• Vincent and the Doctor - Matt Smith plays the 11th Doctor, and his quirky sense of humor and tender heart makes him my favorite. In this show, the Doctor and his companion, Amy, travel to Arles, France to meet Vincent Van Gogh. This episode is mixed for me. The plot involves a silly monster that is supposed to be scary but looks like a giant chicken. But the sweetness of the friendship formed between Amy, the Doctor, and Vincent is more than enough to make up for it. At one point they're laying in the grass looking at the stars, and you enter into Vincent's imaginative inspiration for Starry Starry Night. At the end, Vincent gets a glimpse of the legacy  he's left behind. Just try to keep a dry eye.

So there you have it, my journey into my kids' world through the TARDIS. I guess I'll have to join the nerd club after all. Comic con, anyone?

Images shamefully ripped from the web. 

Notre petite église

After a month long break, our little church resumed services on August 31. Being an international congregation, we experience a lot of comings and goings as people from different countries move into and out of Lyon. In May, June, and July we shed many tears as we had to say farewell to lots of folks from our church. Thankfully, now it's the season of "hellos" as the beginning of a new school year brings a whole new batch of people.

We didn't know quite what to expect as we reopened the church doors this Sunday. Would everyone still be on vacation? Or too tired from back-to-school shopping to come to church? After we swept away many cobwebs (and the spiders which accompanied them), we waited to see who would show up to worship with us. Our waiting was rewarded. Besides the many familiar smiling faces of the seasoned "regulars," we welcomed:

• A family of 5 from the UK who just moved to Lyon for a short-term job opportunity. Their lovely children included a sweet-natured preschooler with Down's Syndrome, and two shy elementary school aged kids. A game of "Simon Says" in Sunday school broke the ice, helping them to get to know some of the other kids.
• A sharp-dressed university student from Holland who is eager to meet other international students in our "Refuge" university ministry.
• An older lady from Ireland who wanted to go to church while on vacation in Lyon and found our website. After the service she said that Greg's sermon on "working for the Lord" spoke right to her heart, as she's currently dealing with a difficult work situation. 
• A refugee from Sierra Leone whose strong faith is sustaining her while she tries to get assistance and housing from the French social services. Fortunately, we were able to get her connected with two other people from our congregation who have a lot of knowledge in this area.

Sometimes we wonder if our little church is making a difference in Lyon. We long to serve the community, and we see so many needs. The lyrics of a contemporary worship song echo the desires of our hearts: "Greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city." But we could tell from the smiling faces on the newcomers as they left our humble building that they were encouraged, refreshed, and renewed. Not because of me, not because of Greg's sermon, not because of the worship music, but simply due to the sweet fellowship of believers gathered together to glorify the name of Jesus Christ. 

Summer breeze

I'm back! Summer is fading fast, and a new season of busy-busy-busy is on the horizon. I'm sad to say goodbye to August -- it was an amazing month of blissful inactivity. For three weeks, we house-sat for friends while they traveled to the U.S. We were less than 30K outside of Lyon but it felt as if we were a million miles away.  The house is nestled in a charming, quiet country village, surrounded by farmland and cornfields. It was so, so quiet.

So what did we do? Not much. We read books by the pool. Lori and I put together a 1000 piece puzzle of the Titanic (actually 992 pieces -- some were missing). We played Rummikub and Catch Phrase. We bundled up in blankets on clear nights and stargazed. Greg and I drank our morning coffee together on the patio each morning. We grilled burgers and eggplant and roasted marshmallows for S'mores. We exercised (Sean Vigue pilates & yoga for me, hard core P90X for Greg). We prayed together. We snuggled on the couch and watched movies. We laughed -- a lot. It was a glorious "reset."

Now we're back in our city apartment, and instead of waking to the soft sounds of birds, we awake to honking horns and sirens. I like and appreciate both lifestyles. I love the energy and "buzz" of a city, the easy access to shopping and amenities, but it's so necessary to escape at times to the peace and tranquility of the countryside. It gives the mind room to think and the soul room to breathe.

I'm refreshed, and ready to tackle "la rentrée" once again.

Too chilly to actually swim very much, but so nice to relax by the pool.

The perfect patio for outdoor living

Our "neighbors," the cornstalks

More neighbors (actual human beings lived here in addition to veggie gardens)

Summer Rhythms

It's summertime in France: the season when the pace of life slows to a crawl. Last year at this time we were in process of moving into our apartment, and all the busy tasks that go with moving prevented me from experiencing the summer down-time. But this summer, I'm getting the chance to fully appreciate the change of rhythm from frenzied to carefree.

Each morning, I wake whenever the sun beckons me to get up. No alarm clock necessary. I open all the windows wide to catch the pleasant cross-breeze, and sit out on our tiny balcony with a steaming oversized mug of coffee. From there, I watch the street below slowly come to life. Ladies unhurriedly walk their dogs. Children happily roll down the sidewalk on their scooters and bikes. The cafe manager across the street opens his shutters and puts out a few tables and chairs. Now that it's summertime, just a few cars trickle down the usually busy boulevard.

August -- vacation month -- is just around the corner, and I noticed today that several stores had already put up their "fermeture annuelle" notices. Soon, most of the shops that line our street will roll down their metal exterior shutters and roll up their awnings. The A7 to southern France will become a virtual parking lot as vacationers flee the city for the sunny shores of the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, here in Lyon we'll have an abundance of parking spaces to choose from.

Whether you are stay-cationing (like us) or going away this year, bonnes vacances à tout le monde!

Travel Post #5: Tuscany (Guest post from Lori)

"The world is a book and those who do not travel only read one page."
-St. Augustine

A few weeks ago, I was granted with the incredible opportunity to be able to travel to Italy with my friend, Victoria and her mother. They have a beautiful house that used to be a monastery in a tiny village 20 minutes outside of the town of Villa Franca, in the district of Tuscany. It was completely secluded, on top of a mountain, overlooking a valley and other numerous mountains surrounding it.

We took advantage of having a car and a GPS and made several day trips. The first was to Pisa to see the famous leaning tower. It was very amazing to see in person and really does mess with your head a bit, because it is something that should be straight, but isn't.

Just a couple of days after Pisa, we went to one of the Cinque Terre. It was absolutely beautiful and looked like a painting. There were sandy beaches, cliffs, sailboats, and some of the bluest water I've ever seen.

The last place we visited, the day before he headed back home, was another tiny town named Bagnone that was absolutely charming. It looked like it was right out of a fairytale. They also made the best cappuccino I have ever had in my life. And again, some of the bluest, clearest water I've ever seen.

Even heading home was an incredible site. We drove through the Alps and one of the longest tunnels in the alps (16 Kilometers) We got incredible views. It was cloudy and rainy and seeing the fog obscure the mountains is magical. One of the most incredible sights was when we went around a corner and there was a massive mountain that seemed to be directly in front of us. It almost looked like the sky and because of the fog, it was impossible to see where it ended. It was breathtaking.

However, one thing I cannot recommend is driving almost non stop for 9 hours with 4 people, 2 dogs (a boxer and chihuahua, both puppies but the boxer being very big) and numerous suitcases in an average sized European car.

One Year

"Today it's been exactly one year of living in Lyon!" Oh, I desperately wish I could write those words. But I can't -- it's not true.

That day was yesterday.

And yesterday, I was completely unmotivated to write. It's not that I didn't remember and reflect upon the year, it's just that I didn't want to write about it. I still don't, honestly. Because this year has been a mixed bag.

Isn't life?

But this year, these 365-plus-one-days of life abroad, has contained the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

Extremes.

This year has sucker-punched us with painful goodbyes, especially the earthly loss of Greg's mom. Many tears have been shed this year, by all four of us. For the girls, the adjustment to public school in France was brutal. In the early days, just summoning up the courage to venture out in public was a challenge. Trying to navigate a new culture and language often targeted us for ridicule. The weird sensation of feeling totally alone in a crowd exposed deeply ingrained insecurity issues. We had fights, Greg and I, some of the worst in our entire 21-year marriage. Trying to encourage our pre-teen to see the bright side of things left us exhausted. Missing our family and friends ached physically.

But there's another side to the coin.

There have been glorious days, days filled to overflowing with beauty and friendships and laughter. We've walked through some of the most beautiful countryside I've ever seen. Because at first all we had was each other, we've bonded more closely as a family than ever before. We've celebrated silly successes with our language victories, and we've even learned to laugh at our mistakes and not take ourselves so seriously. Ministry and church life have flourished. We've met incredible people and formed instant bonds with many of them. We've loved deeply.

The earth has completed another slow journey around the sun, and in that time I've certainly changed. I'm stronger now due to some of the challenges I've faced. I've realized that my worth doesn't come from my performance or my appearance, but because I am a precious child of God. I've learned (am learning) to count it all as blessing; to give thanks for both the good and the bad. I can cross each swift river of the unknown by faith because the bridge is Christ.

From one year to the next, that bridge will always hold.

Travel post #4: Biarritz (Guest post from Lindsey)

Hello everybody! This is Lindsey, I'm the daughter of Wende and I'm guest blogging today.

Now recently I went on a trip to Biarritz France, and I thought it would be fun to tell all of you about my trip.

    So this is the first view I got of the beautiful beach! 

  The beach was nice because it was both 

rocky, and sandy. I had a wonderful time here

with my friend who I went with drinking smoothies, and eating ice-cream.

The next thing I did was go to the Biarritz aquarium,

where I saw some great animals!

I really hope you enjoyed my blog!

If you want to you can check out my youtube channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf8OMUV3Nv3rBLwwzJv5DUQ