Es-tu bien installé? – “Are you all settled in?”
The Lord has wonderfully answered your prayers for me during this time of adjustment to French culture. He has shown Himself once again to be the God Who goes before me, seeing to it that all my needs are provided for. I have discovered that the Paris public transportation system actually does make sense after all! As I have begun to make the transition from my English Bible to my French Bible and English hymns to French hymns, my soul has been greatly refreshed. I feel sorry for those of you who have not had the opportunity to worship God in more than one language! How glorious it will be in Heaven to worship Him with people of all tongues and nations.

Comment tu t’appelles? – “What is your name?”
Many have written to ask me how my new alias, Jeanne, is pronounced in French. It sounds much like the English “John” but with a soft j – “zhohn.”(By the way, please do not feel like you need to call me Jeanne unless you are speaking French!) When I introduce myself to French people, they often comment on how easy my name will be to remember. To my great amusement, they also have been very puzzled about my accent. I have been asked if I am from Italy, Germany, Ireland, or Russia. I probably have my Quebecois friends to thank for my unusual twang.

Je fais des bêtises… – I have gotten into mischief…
The Barnes have been teaching me everything from how to make my own vinaigrette to how to deal with cultural differences when leading French choirs. I will be very sad to see them leave for furlough later this month. They probably have had second thoughts about allowing me to stay here this summer, however, after I managed to break both their salad bowl and their dryer in one day. My inquisitiveness has also gotten me into mischief. On the way to a meeting at church, I asked Pastor Barnes, “How will I be able to tell the difference between Albert and Rajee?” thinking he would give me tips on which of the two Indian believers were taller or older. Putting faces with names has been a challenge. He chuckled and replied, “If you can tell the difference between a man and a woman you should be OK!”

Last weekend I overheard Clemente’s conversation with her daughter on her cell phone. She said, “I gave Carole her antibiotics this morning, but I need you to give her eye drops at noon and at suppertime. Be sure you don’t forget.” Later I remembered the conversation and asked Clemente, “Is there something wrong with your daughter’s eyes?” She gave me a very puzzled look, and then burst into laughter. “Oh, you mean our rabbit, Carotte! She’s been sick and the vet gave us eye drops for her.” I had a good laugh at myself!

Vous avez gagné la droite d’étudier votre livre de conjugaison. – “You have earned the right to study your verb conjugations.”
My French teacher made that comment multiple times in my first week of French class at the Sorbonne. I am very pleased with the course thus far, and have enjoyed making friends from countries like Iran, Vietnam, and Albania. In my first writing assignment, I mentioned that when I teach piano to Christians, I enjoy teaching them how to accompany hymns for the congregation. My teacher crossed out the word “congregation” and wrote “mass.” What a vivid reminder of the grip that Catholicism has had on this country for centuries.

Je ne suis pas croyante. – “I don’t believe in God.”
Marilyn, a young French woman, told me this after I gave her a tract. She went on to say, “When my mom was really sick, I did pray for God to heal her if He does exist.” Marilyn had stopped me on the sidewalk to ask me where I had bought my shoes. We ended up having a long talk about the Lord. At one point, she said, “I have huge problems right now. There’s something missing in my life, but I don’t want to turn to alcohol like so many people do. Can you help me?” I offered to do a Bible study with her, and she was very interested. Please pray that the Lord will show her the solution to her biggest problem of all: her sin problem. He gave me other unusual opportunities this month, including a talk on a train with a girl from Mexico who raved about the “exorcist mass” she had experienced. In downtown Paris, an elderly Frenchman told me, “Jesus was a complete failure. The world is worse off now than it was when He came.” I even had the opportunity to share the Gospel at length with an American man while we were standing in line for train tickets. It was a luxury to be able to tell him about Christ in English!

Prayer requests for June:
That I would apply myself to learn how to share the Gospel clearly in French.
That God would give me a heart of compassion for hurting people.
That He would use me as an encouragement and challenge to the many young women He has brought into my life; some are believers and some are not.
That I would learn patience as I make progress in French – one verb at a time.

Since some of you were curious about the things that are different here, I snapped a few photos:

not in Kansas anymore

Pictures from my commissioning service can be seen here:

commissioning service

. It is such an honor to serve the Lord here in France; thank you for making it possible through your prayers and financial support!

For His glory,
Kristi Colas