back in Hillsboro, ND, USA

Hello all!! I am writing to you as an American (not that I ever wasn't one)...but I am once again living the life of an American, so I will attempt to write as one!

I have been safely back in the states for 4 days, in Hillsboro for 2. I will tell you a little bit about Paris at the end...but What is even more exciting is our last few days in Montpellier. We were able to spend lots of time with Sophia. It amazing every time I'm with her how much I see the Holy Spirit moving and working right before my eyes.

Sophia shared SO much with me about her life and her past, things she feels bad about and is searching to find ways to forgive herself. I continued to tell her about God's love and gift of forgiveness in Jesus. She so longs for this, and said that she hopes someday she will be able to experience this. She said it will be very hard to ever "concecrate her life to God", she said, "If I do this, I will totally trust God with all of my life, not just some, and that is a big thing." I am just so thankful and blessed that I got to meet her and be her friend and love her. She is so loving, and is already writing emails to keep in touch! She also met our friends who will be there next year for an entire year, and she is excited to continue to hang out with them! God is working! Please continue to pray!

God has also been teaching me so much! I am learning more and more that God doesn't want us to trust him with our lives so that we have to live a certain way or follow rules or not have fun....he does it because giving him our lives is where we will find JOY and FULLNESS OF LIFE! Jesus died to save us from our sins, but he also ROSE AGAIN...so that we can RISE with Him and live a new life. Not one where we are coninually having to seek joy...not a life where joy is something that I experience every once in a while, where its something rare. God wants us to find JOY IN THE LORD, everlasting JOY! I'm still learning how to experience this, but it is freeing just to know that THIS IS WHAT GOD WANTS FOR US!

peace friends...and chow! :)

p.s. Paris was wonderful, although it was a strange transition, project was basically over, but we weren't quite home. It was still PARIS, though, so how can one complain? I didn't go crazy trying to see everything, but the first evening we took a nice boat ride, which was beautiful, and the next day I walked around a lot looking at different things. The most exciting was the Opera House, which is the same one where Phantom of the Opera comes from. I actually was able to get rush tickets and saw my first opera! This was wonderful. The next day I tourned the Orangerie, which has Monet's 360 degree paintings, Renvior's paintings, and many others. This is right by the Louvre, which I didn't have time to see. I saw the Luxembourg Gardens, which are beautiful, and of course the Eiffel Tower, great times!