Church

Today is Sunday and I went to church with friends from the office. They picked me up and we drove 25 mins to the church. The service started at 10am and ended after 12. There were a lot of "foreigners", some from Canada, US, UK, Indonesia, Korea, North Africa, etc. We sang one song in 6 different languages! It was a great reminder that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, that we are all united by our love for God. It also reminded me of some passages from the Bible that talk about what it will be like in heaven...all tribes, nations, languages worshipping the Lord together.
I was also encouraged to keep learning French. I had some good conversations (with some very patient French people!). And I also chatted with a couple guys from Indonensia. They were both sharing with me their difficulties learning French and fitting into the culture here. One of them has a wife and children back in Indonesia (he's here in university). At least I'm not learning a whole new alphabet along with learning a new language! We were able to encourage each other to continue our studies and we also laughed a bit at ourselves. Always good to keep yourself humble!
We had a potluck after church and wow, did I eat well! (J'ai bien mangé!) There were chips and dips before lunch, salads and hot dishes plus cheese platters for the main meal. Then dessert and coffee. The main dishes were everything from pasta, chicken stews, pototoe cheese casserole, rice casserole and so much more! Yes, they did serve wine, along with Coke, juice, and water.
I've noticed that we take more time to enjoy our meals here, also to spend time with each other in fellowship and getting to know one another. For instance, I left the house at 9:30am and just got back at 3pm. Life is just as busy here as it was in Canada but somehow we seem to make more time for relationships, friends and family. That's one thing I definetly enjoy about France! OH, and their love of cuisine, of course!