France 2008: Day Three
Hi Everyone.
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:15
Another very busy day in and around Paris.
Triumph. After breakfast this morning we headed once again to the Versailles train station for a ride into Paris. Our first stop once in town was the Arch de Triumph. What an amazing sight! The detail of the artwork, although a clear deification of Napoleon, was nothing less than spectacular. Standing under the Arch, you could almost see the German Nazi army marching into Paris almost 70 years ago. That was then, and this is definitely now.
Leaders. From there we were off to a lunch meeting with Al and Carol Clason. The Claysons are involved in lay leadership training for basically all of the Alliance ministries in France. Their work has produced much fruit, as no ministry can last without building into future leaders. They developed a four year program that would rival many Bible schools back in the States.
Posh. We nest found ourselves on the Champ de Elysee, Paris’ equivalent of Fifth Avenue. Honestly, I felt like I was back in New York walking down this street. Very cool…very expensive.
Tower. Back to sightseeing. Our next stop, the Eiffel Tower. To get there we took the famous Metro, which dropped us off on a hill looking down on the magnificent tower. Without a doubt, this is one of the most breathtaking views in all of Paris.
Sail. We then walked down the hill past the Tower and boarded something like our Circle Line in New York. We slowly cruised the Seine River, reviewing sights we had seen earlier in our trip. We cruised past Notre Dame, the Louvre, and so many others.
Quintessential. We exited the boat in one of my very favorite places in Paris: The Latin Quarter. It was dusk, and the city was just starting to come alive. The Latin Quarter is quintessential Paris (i.e. narrow streets, cobble stones, very quaint restaurants, etc). Let’s put it this way…I would have much rather been there with my wife than with two pastors and a missionary, no matter how much I enjoy hanging out with these guys!
Finally, a train ride back to Versailles for a dinner meeting with local missionaries Tom and Bev Hawkins. The Hawkins are involved in grassroots evangelism in and around Paris. They run programs like Alpha and the Marriage course for Parisians far away from God. Bev cooked us a traditional French dinner, complete with duck salad, a beautiful stew, and of course dessert.
We ended the day, as always, with a debrief among the pastors in our hotel cafe. We are learning so much from our hosts and from the local culture. We are humbled at what the Holy Spirit is accomplishing here among a people that gives God very little thought.
More to come.
Blessings and much peace,
Pastor Tom
November 7th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Praying for you!!!! We miss you but we are so pleased that the Lord has given you this wonderful opportunity!!!
We know that you will be a blessing to the other Pastors in Paris.
Enjoy the Crepes!!!
Looking forward to hearing all about your trip!
Bless you,
Scott and Shirleen