“France is not that different.” said Josiah. Then he went on to say, “except the tiny cars, the long lunch break, half-day Wednesdays, food, and that everything is in FRENCH!” We have been in France for about one month.  We celebrated the new year with a local traditional meal, tartiflette, brought to welcome us to Albertville, France.

Within a week of our arrival on the other side of the Atlantic, all of us had taken placement exams and started school. (Well, Eila started one week later, which was just fine with her!)  The boys are attending a local elementary school: Val des Roses.  Brian and Shannon are studying French at the Centre d’Enseignement du Français.  Eila is going to the Cité Scolaire Jean Moulin, where she is taking lots of FLE (French as a foreign language) as well as other classes in French.

A typical day so far is full of school for everyone. Eila’s school, which is about a 30-minute walk from our apartment, begins at 7:55am. The boys’ school begins at 8:25am and our classes begin at 8:40am, so we have just enough time to walk to the various schools and make it to class on time. We all have a two-hour break for lunch between 11:30am and 1:30pm, and then we finish our classes at approximately 4:30pm each afternoon. After a small snack, we review the kids’ work from the day and start on homework.  The boys spend time playing in the snow, with legos, or reading while we make dinner.  Luckily, we live right across the street from a grocery store.

We are so grateful for your prayers as we are truly starting to feel like we are settling in to life in France and are able to do more than just survive.  We are eager to make friends and practice the French we are learning.

The kids’ reactions and quick adjustments to life in France has been very encouraging.  We see how God has been preparing the way and getting us ready for our next move to Cameroon this summer.

Thank God with us!

• Saying goodbyes and moving was difficult, but we experienced God’s peace throughout the process.
• We have moved into our apartment with beautiful views of the Alps in France.
• All five of us are attending school in Albertville and learning more French every day.
• We are starting to get involved in extra activities outside of school and are excited to make new friends.

Please Continue to Pray

• for friendships for each of us with our French neighbors and classmates
• for wisdom in managing our time and stress levels
• for studying, and language progress, especially for the kids
• for continued peace in Cameroon