What have we been up to?

I've been missing from the blog world for a while.  Honestly, I've been a bit uninspired.  And when I have been inspired, it's by stories that really shouldn't be shared in a public space such as this blog.

So what's been going on in the last 6 weeks?  Well, in addition to the usual church services, English Conversation Group, small groups, budgeting, and one-on-one meetings...

...we hosted some friends for a few days.  Casey and I went to pre-school together, and we both met our husbands through our church at Penn State.  It was fun to have Casey and Kyle visit and to share a bit of our lives with them!  We appreciate that they are foodies, too, as it gave us an excuse to eat good French food. :)

...we took a quick trip to Paris.  We spent one night visiting Jean-Baptiste and his mom, Elisabeth.  JB stayed with the Kissling family 2 summers ago, and they've often invited us to stay with them near the Chateau de Versailles; finally we accepted their kind offer.  It was great to spend time with them and see various parts of their lives in Versailles.

We left their house, took a few obligatory maternity photos in front of the Eiffel Tower, then met up with the rest of our team north of the City of Lights for a conference with France-Mission (the organization with which we are planting our church).  The conference speaker shared his experience in Frankfurt with a mono-multi-culture church plant; it was interesting!  We also had a number of encouraging conversations with other missionaries and pastors from across France.

...we went to Lille.  We left the France-Mission conference and headed north for the rest of the weekend to visit some GEM friends.  The last time we visited them we went door to door in search of People of Peace and offering prayer for people.  When our friends invited us to visit this time, they assured us that there would be no knocking on doors, and they were true to their word.  They welcomed us to their home, provided delicious food and rich conversation.  We enjoyed their 2 boys, played games, and talked a ton about church planting and parenting.   I also got to see another GEM friend that I've been doing a Spiritual Friendship Group with for the last 18 months or so.  It was great to see her face to face and not just via Skype!  

Jordan and I felt so refreshed after our time with these friends, which I think is apparent by the fact that the only photo I took the entire weekend was of this Cat Café.  It gives me shivers just thinking about it; a café with cats running around!  

...we welcomed a new niece, Mae Isabelle Egli!

...we prepared (or rather started preparing) Baby Boy Egli's room.

...we began prenatal classes with a local midwife.  It seems like we've got an appointment every other day!  Fortunately, all seems to be well and this has been an easy pregnancy over all.  Baby will be here before we know it!

...we took maternity pictures. (Thanks, Andrea!)

...we took one last vacation as a family of 2.  We completely unplugged and disconnected for an entire week, and it was wonderful!  We are thankful that Europe allows us easy access at an affordable price for some great vacation destinations.

...we celebrated Bébé.  Baby showers aren't really a thing in France, but my dear friend, Andrea, along with the other "local" GEM ladies, blessed me with a baby shower last weekend.  It was intimate and oh so special.  They prayed over our little man and me and showered us with gifts and words of encouragement.  What a blessing!

Some of the men rode bikes while
we ladies partied.

...we celebrated Jordan's 29th birthday.

Whew!  No wonder I've been MIA from the blog world. ;)  But no, really, if you have ideas of things you'd like to hear about, I'm always looking for more inspiration!

Looking ahead to the next 4-5 (?!!) weeks before Baby Boy Egli arrives, we are trying to use our time well.  We are preparing our home for his arrival and doing our best to invest in the people God's placed before us. We have several meals with people planned in the coming few days; we are tutoring a handful of high school students in English; we will host the last English Conversation Group (until September) on May 21; Jordan will be preaching on May 22; we plan to host another Fête des Voisins on May 27.  Thanks for joining us in praying for these things - we're in this together!