Unsurprisingly, February had us completely consumed with learning French, but the journey continues to be very encouraging. Two months ago, we went from being able to easily converse with friends, neighbors, our girls’ teachers, store clerks, etc. in the States to not being able to utter much beyond ‘Bonjour’ here in France. Admittedly, it is a bit difficult when you feel as if your voice has been taken away. As such, the growth we have made in our ability to communicate with those around us, especially in the past couple of weeks, has been very encouraging.

For our sanity and continued drive, we take careful notice of any interactions where we feel we have made a breakthrough. A couple of weeks ago at church we held a conversation with another family for a solid 10 minutes before the service started. They may have cringed at a couple of our grammatical errors, but it was still a special moment. You see, it is more than just saying hello and learning about their kids. We did more than just converse with them; we connected a little bit. It felt great!

This past week Jessica had the opportunity to volunteer at Hannah’s school. This time included playing board games with a group of kids. The time was full of laughter and fun, and Jessica even learned some words from the kids. While there was not complete comprehension for either the kids or Jessica, there was enough to play the game and, again, connect.

As a final example, we are so glad that our language studies include a Bible/church-focused time on Monday afternoons. This time has included anything from memorizing the names of the twelve disciples in French, to reciting the names of the books of the Bible, to presenting to the class chronologies of different people from the Bible. Additionally, every Monday three different class members are scheduled to give prayer, read a scripture, and offer a Bible meditation. Both of us gave our meditations this past month. Glen’s focused on the story of David and Bathsheba and being a person after the heart of God even, and after, we fall into sin. Jessica presented the days of creation with a focus on God’s control and power as the true creator of this world.

We are sure you have heard of “runner’s high,” but these instances give us a language learning high! The excitement and hope that we cling to is about so much more than just notching a learned language onto a skill sets. Learning French is our gateway to sharing the Gospel and working with churches and helping to win back France for Jesus. We are falling in love with France and the people here more and more every week, but this only causes our hearts to yearn for them even more. One conversation, board game, and connection at a time, we know we are heading in a very important direction.
 
Blessings to you,

Glen and Jessica Shady

Praise & Prayer

We have struggled with being sick a lot, and it’s been exhausting mentally and physically. Pray for strengthened immune systems.

Pray for continued language and culture learning

Pray for wisdom and confirmation on where to serve after language school; God has provided many opportunities and we want to go where we can best serve Him and the people

Praise for our card shower from the Western Hills Church of Christ in Cincinnati. So much encouragement and love! 

Les commandements que je te donne aujourd’hui seront dans ton cœur. Tu les répéteras à tes enfants; tu en parleras quand tu seras chez toi, quand tu seras en voyage, quand tu te coucheras et quand tu te lèveras. ~ Deut. 6:6-7

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ~ Deut. 6:6-7

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