TV interview

The ministry of this church is quite varied. Since yesterday the church has been transformed into a television studio. Over the weekend, 7 half-hour interviews are being taped. These are for a program called “Rencontre” (meeting someone) in which Christians are interviewed about their life and service. I was interviewed by the pastor this morning for the first taping of the day. The program is then diffused by satellite throughout the whole French-speaking world. Taping these testimonies is the personal ministry of a couple located in Nantes, in the western part of France. But, they regularly use the church building here to tape the interviews done in the Paris area. This program is presented in the USA on TBN Europe, which has one hour of programming in French, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., every day from Monday to Friday. I’ll include a picture of the set-up here in the church and of the pastor as he is preparing to interview the lady whose testimony was taped after mine. Let me know if you happen to see my interview some time!

SNOW!!

What a surprise to open the window this morning and discover that it had snowed ovenight! The sun has come out but it is cold, so there is still a dusting of about 1/2 inch on the sidewalks.

Paris in the winter

“I love Paris in the winter, when it drizzles …” I've often wondered whether the person who wrote the words of that song had ever really lived through a winter in Paris! That damp, misty weather where a light rain can start at any time, accompanied by a nasty little cold wind, can be really uncomfortable. The temperatures stay in the 30’s, so there is no snow or ice, but the dampness can really penetrate, especially at night when waiting for a bus or coming in from a meeting. Brrrr…

Life of a French church

I jumped back immediately into the whirlwind of life in a French church. There is no staff so it is the pastor and his wife who handle everything with the help of available volunteers. I am staying in a “guest room” located in the back of the church but take my noon and evening meals with the pastor’s family (4 little boys 10, 8, 6 and 14 months), so I’m following their daily routine closely.

This church is located in a building that was a former grocery store, so it is on the same village square as the elementary school, pharmacy, bread store, hairdresser, bank …. This has permitted the church to have a recognized place in the life of the surrounding community. On Tuesday after school a “help with homework” group meets in the church. At lunchtime an immigrant mother and her children bring their picnic lunch and eat it in the church. On Thursday a volunteer came in to type up the church newsletter. For two days someone has been here setting up for filming testimonies on Friday and Saturday. People are in and out frequently.

Working around my adjustment to the time change, the pastor and I worked 5 or 6 hours a day on the catechism material. We progressed well! The first-year material is completed except for the last 3 lessons and finalizing the supplementary reference materials for each lesson. There are 24 lessons in all. After leaving here, I will also go over what has been done already on the second year course. I helped the pastor install Skype yesterday, so we will be able to consult face-to-face now on, from wherever I am!

Slight change in plans: Instead of leaving for Zambia Sunday evening from CDG airport in Paris, I will be taking the high-speed train to Montpellier on Saturday and leave from there with the rest of the group.

PS --

Zambia lost to Nigeria in the soccer game yesterday. 0 - 0 in regulation time and Nigeria won 5 - 4 in goal shots.

In France!

I love to fly! It was dark when my plane lifted off from Newark airport and, after a day of rain, the air was crystal clear and the lights of the huge city below sparkled gold and silver, laid out in varying patterns. It was fascinating to watch them slide underneath the moving airplane until we started over the deep black of the Atlantic Ocean. The next 3 hours put my love of flying to the test! Portugal, where I changed planes, is straight east of New York, and we must have flown straight into the storm that had drenched the New York area with heavy rain and high winds during the day. I’ve never before been in a plane that was buffeted so violently for so long. It almost made me dizzy. The “fasten seat belt” sign didn’t go off for 3 hours, but the cabin crew valiantly served dinner, stopping to hang onto the overhead bins when the jerking got too strong. But then, six hours later, as the first hints of dawn brushed the eastern sky, we descended over the black ocean toward the coast of Portugal. This time, on the east side of the dark water, the jewels of gold and silver lights again came into view, making interesting patterns where hills and inlets design the coastline. At six hours’ interval, similar patterns of light marked the beginning and end of the flight as we landed in Porto, Portugal, at 7:30 a.m. (2:30 a.m. in New York).

The flight to Paris took 2 hours. I stayed awake until we flew over the snow-capped Pyrenee mountains, then slept the rest of the way. After surviving the confusion of Charles de Gaulle airport and recuperating my luggage (having your bag show up on the carousel always means the trip has been successful), our pastor friend picked me up and we drove around to the opposite side of Paris where the church is located. It is fun to be back to what is familiar: the little cars, the neighborhoods where everything is within walking distance (a pharmacy and bread store are about 20 steps from the church), and the simple but lovely “family French” meal last night. In spite of going on less than 3 hours of sleep, I was able to hold a decent conversation in French last evening. That is reassuring!

Last night the pastor and I went over the plan of what we need to work on this week. So, time to get to work!

Off I go!

The bags are all packed, just have to fold up the computer and put it in. We’ll be leaving for the airport right after lunch. My flight isn’t until this evening, but the check-in time limit is quite early. In addition we are having heavy rain and strong winds here today, so it might be messy getting over to Newark airport. I guess this weather prepares me for arriving in Paris where the temperatures are in the 30’s, with occasional rain (damp and cold, brrr!).

Here is a link that gives some more interesting information on Zambia, if you are interested.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Zambia . You could also follow results of the Africa Nations Cup soccer tournament that is being played right now in Angola. Tomorrow Zambia plays Nigeria for a spot in the semifinals.

I’ll do my best to get my computer hooked up and keep you updated on my trip.

French mission organization - Cevaa

The Cevaa – “Community of Churches in Missions” -- was started in Paris in 1971, as a post-colonial successor to the Mission de Paris. It brings together 36 Protestant Churches which are implanted in Africa, Latin America, Europe (France, Italy, and Switzerland), the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific.

The Cevaa’s diverse activities are centered mainly on the exchange of persons, as well as projects of theological reflection and development initiated by the member Churches.

At its most recent General Assembly, the organization redefined the two aspects of ministry that are at the heart of its community-wide cooperation and outreach:

“First of all, the heart is the community in missions and all that gives life to a community in missions: sharing, exchanges, visits, prayer. The General Assembly delegates defined the Cevaa as a community, a community that is alive, that moves, that exchanges, that takes part in the movement of God’s mission.

Secondly, the Word of God is the basis of all that makes us a community. Thus, it is theological empowerment of the people in our Churches that is the essence of the community. Theological empowerment is what animates us; it is what gives meaning to our community-wide action.”

Getting acquainted with Zambia

Here is information about Zambia which is available on various Internet sites.

The Republic of Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighboring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west. The capital city is Lusaka, located in the southeast of the country. The population is concentrated mainly around the capital Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt to the northwest.

Zambia is sparsely populated by more than 70 ethnic groups, many of them Bantu-speaking. It has some spectacular scenery, including the Victoria Falls along the Zambezi River, the Bangweulu Swamps and the Luangwa river valley.

Zambia is one of the most highly urbanized countries in sub-Saharan Africa with 44% of the population concentrated in a few urban areas along the major transport corridors, while rural areas are sparsely populated. Unemployment and underemployment in urban areas are serious problems, while most rural Zambians are subsistence farmers.

In the late 1960s it was the third largest copper miner, after the US and the Soviet Union. World copper prices collapsed in 1975 with devastating effects on the economy.
The World Bank has urged Zambia to develop other sources of revenue - including tourism and agriculture. Even so, copper accounts for most of Zambia's foreign earnings and there is optimism about the future of the industry, which was privatized in the 1990s.

The official language of Zambia is English, which is used to conduct official business and is the medium of instruction in schools.

Zambia is officially a Christian nation, but a wide variety of religious traditions exist. Approximately 5% of the population is Muslim, with most living in urban areas. There is also a small Jewish community.

· Full name: Republic of Zambia
· Population: 12.9 million (UN, 2009)
· Capital: Lusaka
· Area: 752,614 sq km (290,586 sq miles – slightly larger than Texas)
· Major language: English (official), Bemba, Lozi, Nyanja, Tonga
· Major religions: Christianity, indigenous beliefs, Islam
· Life expectancy: 45 years (men), 46 years (women) (UN)
· Main exports: Copper, minerals, tobacco
· GNI per capita: US $950 (World Bank, 2008)

City of Kabwe:
The conference I am attending will be held in the city of Kabwe (population 200,000) located about 140 km (85 miles) northeast of the capital. When rich deposits of lead were discovered near Kabwe in 1902, Zambia was a British colony called Northern Rhodesia, and little concern was given for the impact that the toxic metal might have on native Zambians. Sadly, there's been almost no improvement in the decades since, and though the mines and smelter are no longer operating, lead levels in Kabwe are astronomical. It rates as number 10 on the list of “World’s most polluted places.” Because of the mines, the first rail line in the country was built to Kabwe and the country’s first hydroelectric plant was built nearby in 1924.

Climate:
Since I will be crossing the equator, I will be arriving during the Zambian summer. This is also the rainy season. So, before you become too envious consider this: “In this area rainfall is largely confined to the period October to March, with a maximum in the months December to February, when the intertropical belt of cloud and rain is farthest south. It then lies across southern Zambia and Malawi. Much of the rain is heavy and showery and accompanied by thunder, but periods of almost continuous rain lasting two or three days are by no means unusual.”

Temperatures and humidity ratings for the capital, Lusaka, which is at about the same altitude (3,000 feet, so not exactly “tropical”) as Kabwe, are as follows:
Lusaka, Zambia
Average temperatures for January and February: high of 79 and low of 63

Relative humity for January and February: 85 in the morning and 70 in the afternoon

Average precipitation for January: 231 mm; for February: 191 mm

Number of wet days (+0.25 mm): January - 21; February - 17

Pleasant, but wet!

Overview of the project

The project:
I am making a 3-week mission trip to France and Zambia in January – February 2010. I leave Newark Airport on Monday, January 25, arriving in Paris Charles de Gaulle airport the next day.

Catechism materials –
I will spend the last full week of January at the Protestant Reformed Evangelical Church in St Quentin en Yvelines, in the northwest suburbs of Paris. There I will be working with a French pastor who has been the head of a team revising and rewriting the denomination’s catechism material for junior high-age young people. The goal is to move the first-year material nearer to completion. Most of the work has already been done, but there are still a lot of details to complete.

Team trip to Zambia –
The evening of Sunday, January 31, I will join a multinational team of mission leaders (from Benin, Tahiti, and France) at Charles de Gaulle airport for the flight to Zambia where we will take part in a conference of church leaders from 7 countries in southern Africa and the Indian Ocean. We will have a 10 ½ hour overnight flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, before flying on to Lusaka, Zambia. From there we take ground transportation the 85 miles to Kabwe, where the conference will be held.

The people participating in the conference will be coming from Zambia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Madagascar, and the islands of Mauritius, Reunion, and Mayotte. They are all leaders of churches that are members of the CEVAA, an international mission organization that grew out of the former Mission de Paris. Within the larger region, their churches all face similar conditions and challenges. The purpose of this meeting is to see how they can strengthen their ties to better share resources and improve communication, helping each other in carrying out their mission.

Even though these churches were all started by French mission workers, they now function in different languages. Zambia and Lesotho use English, Mozambique’s main language is Portuguese, and Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion and Mayotte speak French. My role will mainly be that of round-the-clock translator between French and English. This will include simultaneous translation during meetings as well as helping during meals, visits to local parishes, etc. Since I have translated previously for Cevaa meetings, I already know nearly all of the participants.

The conference lasts from February 1 to 8, with meetings during the week and visits to Zambian churches over the weekend. We will leave Zambia on Feb. 8, arriving back in France the next morning.

Final days in France –
I will be in southern France from February 9 until my departure on Monday, February 15. These six days will be split between Montpellier, where the Cevaa headquarters is located, and Aix en Provence, the site of the Reformed Seminary of which I was a board member for many years. This time will be used to see friends and tie up administrative questions in relation to our move – as well as stock up on French chocolate!

My return flight leaves from Marseille on February 15, via Lisbon Portugal where I will spend the night with long-time missionary friends, arriving back at Newark airport the afternoon of February 16.

Prayer requests:
- For health as I travel through various time zones and climates (a sick translator who can’t talk isn’t much help to anyone!)
- For good teamwork in advancing the catechism project
- For alertness during the long days of translation, moving back and forth between two languages
- For a strong dynamic to be built among the African church leaders so they can be mutually strengthened to meet the important challenges facing their churches and societies
- For overall safety in travel

Introduction to Jan.-Feb. 2010 trip

From January 25 to February 16 I will be traveling to France and Zambia on a mission project. As I travel, I am hoping to keep you updated on this mission by posts to this blog. Of course, the frequency of posts will also depend on the type of Internet availability at the conference center in Zambia.

The first week of the trip will be for advancing a catechism project along with a French pastor near Paris.

For the second 10-day period I will accompany the leaders of an international mission organization based in France to a church leaders’ conference being held in Zambia, in southern Africa. I will mainly be helping as an English-French interpretor/translator.

These two very different projects will be followed by 6 days in southern France to tie up some administrative loose ends following our move.

To prepare for this, my first trip to sub-Saharan Africa, I had to get a variety of vaccinations. I think there were a total of 6. No, they weren’t really bad at all – no reactions and only one of them left my arm slightly sore. These were all completed early in January.

The next challenge is to figure out how to pack lightly but still be ready for several days in both the dead of winter in Paris (i.e. cold and damp) and the middle of summer and the middle of the rainy season in Zambia which is in the southern hemisphere (i.e. hot and humid)! The only common denominator seems to be humidity.

I am rather excited about being able to cross the equator and visit the Southern Hemisphere! I guess I can let you know what it feels like to be walking upside down (well, maybe not quite like trying to dig through to China like we all did as a kid!!).

The following posts give more information about what I will be doing, where I will be going, and how you can be praying for me and others both before and during this trip.