Posted in Language Learning

[VIDEO] French Testing Hidden Camera

by Dave and Stacey We wanted to let you all get a glimpse of what exam week looks like here in France so we snuck a hidden camera into the classroom. And when you are done watching pray that God works a miracle and that our whole class passed. We get our most recent exam results tomorrow! This is tongue in cheek. We REALLY love our school and professors. But the tests are REALLY hard. And I am pretty sure they know that they are really hard too.

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Posted in Language Learning Prayer

Pressing Prayer Requests

by Dave In light of recent events and those upcoming we would like to ask for your prayer. Since we have been in France one of our classmates was diagnosed with cancer, three classmates have lost a parent, and just a couple of days ago one classmate fell down the steps and broke her right arm and fractured her left arm. On top of that two of our co-worker families in Cameroon have had to leave due to medical problems. All of this convinces us that we need your prayers. We know that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood”…

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Posted in Encouragements and Exhortations

Is Jesus God? And Does it Matter?

by Dave Unexpectedly we have had 3 house calls by Jehovah’s Witnesses since we arrived in France. We actually were not able to talk to them any of these times (the first two times because we did not speak French well enough and the last time because they came at a bad time). But considering these encounters got me thinking about the deity of Christ. Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus is not God, nor that he claimed to be God. Instead he is the archangel Michael and was God’s first creation. I have found that this is actually a pretty…

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Posted in Encouragements and Exhortations

The Great Cloud of Witnesses and the Lonely Christian

by Stacey After several months of neglecting my morning jog due to cold weather, this past week I decided to put on my running shoes once again. The first morning out, it was cold and the streets were empty except for a few men in berets coming to buy their morning baguettes. I was panting and struggling due to the fact that I have gotten a bit of out of shape during the winter months. I was just trying to put one foot in front of the other. Suddenly I looked up and saw a rather large French woman, still…

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Posted in Encouragements and Exhortations Language Learning Training

God Bless America: A Response to Secularism in France

I expected France to more like America than it is. Both are Western countries, both have democratic governments and both are committed to religious freedom. So, I assumed that the manifestation of my faith here in France would be more-or-less identical to the expression of my faith in America. As it turns out my presuppositions were wrong. Is Religious Expression…Illegal? We have slowly learned that the “separation between Church in State” in France does not mean what I am used to it meaning. In the States the government seeks to remains “neutral” while allowing all adherents to practice their religion…

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Posted in Language Learning Training

7 Tips for Americans Visiting France

by DaveWe have been in France now for 11 months and I feel like that is long enough to begin to dispense some advice for our American friends. We are certainly not French culture experts, but here are 7 things that might be helpful if you decide to visit (or move to) France:— 1. Prepare Yourself to Feel Like a Giant We are pretty used to it by now, but when we first moved to France it was shocking how much smaller everything was. The people are smaller, the cars are smaller, the food portions are smaller, the refrigerators are…

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Posted in Language Learning Training

3 Ways to Pray for your (Usually Discouraged) Missionaries in Language School

By Stacey Do you have any friends that are going through language school for missions? Let me give you some insight into what is going on in their heads. (reading) “How are they to hear without someone preaching?…How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:14-15).(thinking) How in the world am I ever going to preach in this language?! And how beautiful are my feet if my mouth is incapable of communicating the Gospel?! We (missionaries) used to flip to Romans 10 to inspire ourselves during the long season of support-raising. These days we eye…

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Posted in Adoption Encouragements and Exhortations

Adopted by a King

by Dave Have you ever heard of Caesar Augustus? His name might be familiar, as he plays a supporting role in the Divine Drama beginning at Jesus’ birth. You can read of him in the Gospel of Luke: “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all of the world should be registered” (Luke 2:1). It was this decree that led Joseph and Mary back to Bethlehem where Christ was born. Augustus was the Caesar at the time of Christ’s birth and was really the earthly reason that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. But did you know…

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Posted in The Hare Home

Hare Family Update

by Dave Can you believe we have been in France for 10 months!? It is amazing how fast the time has gone, and yet how slow at the same time. For those who have been wondering how things have been going… Kaden Kaden was a big sobbing pile of tears when we put him into school in Chambéry when we first moved to France. However, now that we are in Albertville he really has become excited about school. In fact, when we have vacation time he asks everyday if he can go to school. I asked him why he wanted…

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Posted in Encouragements and Exhortations

The Birds Call for us to Trust the Lord with Tomorrow

by StaceyMatthew 6:26  “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”Last night Makyra and I went to the store and bought a week’s worth of groceries. Being that the shopping carts here are half the size of those in the States, our’s was overflowing. And since we do not have a car we borrowed the overflowing shopping car to get our groceries across the street to our apartment. After that, I would usually haul all the groceries…

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