And then we had the opportunity to experience France–which was followed by a chaotic community Christmas, hence the long pause between posts! But France was incredible. Surreal, but incredibly, amazingly nice.
I mentioned briefly before, but will say again: Restored & Renewed Ministry, Sherry, Graham & Heather, their kids–the whole crew welcomed us in with such kindness. Warmth, grace, love. All the good things in the world: they filled their little French countryside home with them and then welcomed us and others to come on in.
I doubt I’ll ever have the words to thank them or describe it to you, but I can show you the surreal photos. It was just as surreal as it seems.
Here we are in front of the lovely chateau.
In this lovely little village.
This is where we went for walks and runs, sometimes freezing and shivering, surrounded by beautiful countryside.
This is where we sat by the fire, read books, did puzzles, and played games.
This is where we celebrated a beautiful Thanksgiving.
It’s funny the things that can make anywhere feel like home. For me, party mix. (And Jif peanut butter is probably on that list, too.)
They also took us on adventures, to beautiful cities like Troyes. And to have delicious, liquified Lindt hot chocolate. (Best ever.)
And to Doremy, Joan of Arc’s hometown! And her cathedral. So many beautiful cathedrals.
And to Strasbourg, in the loveliest day! My family is from the Alsace-Lorraine region, and of my immediate family, I was the first to go visit! It was so fun to see the culture and history, and to feel a connection to it.
We were also there for the first weekend of Christmas markets, and got to visit the traditional Strasbourg Christmas Market! All the heart eyes. 😍
