A COVID-19 Update From Paris

Life has changed for us all and many of us are now living with limited face to face contact with the outside world. President Macron has addressed the nation twice in the past week, each time issuing orders for decreased human contact. So here's a little update on where we stand.

This is a street near our house that is almost always packed with cars and people.
 A very different scene now. 

     1. All public events and schools in France have been cancelled and closed. All activity at The American Church in Paris has been cancelled. The staff are joining together to create connecting activities and online worship experiences for our community. It's quiet. But it's not all bad. We are grateful that we live and work in the building so meeting the other pastors is easy and frankly, a blessing. Our learning curve on being tech saavy is large but we are doing what we can to remain a connected, committed community of God's people. Our mantra is that the building is closed but the church remains alive and well. If you are interested in seeing the videos and resources we are putting out, please visit the ACP website: acparis.org. I am preaching this Sunday.
     2. The government did indeed issue a strict home quarantine directive yesterday. All bars and restaurants are closed. You are asked to work from home if you can. Food shops remain open but they are limiting the number of people who can be inside at any given time. It is unclear if the outdoor markets, which are such a big part of how the French shop, will continue to be open. Boulangeries are open so getting fresh baguettes is not an issue. Parliament actually debated whether or not boulangeries were essential and decided, bien sûr, they must stay open! In order to enforce the quarantine, you must carry a paper with you that states your business.

Our permission letter to be outside.
You must carry this with you every time you leave the house. 

You can shop for and medicine, go to the Dr., get some exercise, and walk your pets. But you must do so alone or perhaps with one other family member. It is not yet clear to us if we can walk Maddie together given that we are already spouses and sharing space. We'll find out I guess if we get stopped on our walk and told that we are breaking the regulations. Either way, we are so grateful for Maddie! She remains a lovable companion. These strict regulations are in place for 2 weeks. But we all expect it to be extended.
     3. There is plenty of food and other products in town. While the shelves are emptying out, mainly from people all shopping at once and doing a bit more stocking up than normal, (The French tend to shop a bit each day), there is not chaos or hoarding going on. I've been able to get everything I've needed/wanted each time I've gone to the store. It's all been very civil and polite. I'm very impressed with how the public is behaving during this time. There is a quiet acceptance that life as we have known it is finished for a bit. I'm grateful for the atmosphere that surrounds me.

What else would you buy on St. Patrick's day during the COVID-19 quarantine?
Guiness and anti-bacterial spray!

     4. All European Union countries have now closed their borders. No one can travel in or out without an extraordinary reason. Flights are being cut back and people are pretty much being ordered to stay put. Many people have had travel plans interrupted. I was supposed to go to Copenhagen for a couple of days, leaving tonight but alas, I will be here in Paris. My ticket was refunded immediately which was very nice.
     5. It is indeed a new normal. It's actually kind of nice that Paris is quiet right now but also a big bummer that you can't enjoy the city. We are thankful that we have a dog that needs to be walked.

She has taken to looking out the window and perching here outside the window. She is such good company.

We are grateful that our colleagues are our neighbors and that we enjoy being together. We will figure out how to Facetime others, keep in touch, gain some level of social contact in the midst of not being able to meet.  I am trying to clear space to make a list of all the things I have always wanted to do if I had time, and then work at doing some of them. I am not in a state of panic but taking it a day at a time. I believe the science and the advice of doctors and the World Health Organization that limiting social contact defeats the spread of the virus and will ultimately save lives, especially to those most vulnerable. My advice is to breath deeply, exhale slowly, be in prayer for yourself and others, and try to lean into this quieter, less social season that all of us are facing.
We do not yet know what this whole season will yield...but what time in history we are living through. It will become an immortal question...Where were you when the coronavirus swept the world?
Since today is St. Patrick's day, I commend to you the prayer of St. Patrick.
Stay safe people and do your part to help others stay safe too. And wash. Often. With soap.

Au Revoir Paris: Until We Meet Again

It's our last full day in Paris after 10 months of living here. We fly out tomorrow morning and will sleep in our own home in Desert Hot Springs tomorrow night. That is such a weird thought. For sure, this has been a year of unexpected pleasure, challenge and meaningful interactions. The American Church in Paris has been a place of growth and joy and even after such a short time, feels very much like a church home, one that we will long to return to in the coming years. There is no doubt that we will miss the worship services and seeing the students who have burrowed deeply into our hearts on a regular basis. We will remain curious about how they will develop and where their lives will take them. We will miss our colleagues who have invited us into this staff in the most affirming and inclusive manner. The church is clearly what has made our time here so special and all of the wonderful people that we've been privileged to know but of course, the backdrop of Paris, added rich dimensions that are worthy of reflection. So here's a bit of a review of the past 10 months.
What I Will Miss The Most:
French Butter. I know, bizarre. But it is better. And the stuff with salt crystals in it is beyond delicious. I am packing a kilo to bring home in my suitcase.
Walking and Wandering. Paris is by far the most fun city to wander around. Lurking around every corner is a beautiful building, an inviting bistro beckoning one to sit and watch the world go by, and beautiful parks and green spaces that urge people to stop and enjoy the surroundings. 
Lifestyle on Foot. While I am excited to drive our car again, I will miss being able to walk to the store, walk to our bakery, walk to go out to lunch, etc.
Public Transportation. Having a car is great for many things but it's also awesome to have the option of avoiding car use when you so desire, like when you go out to dinner and want to have a drink, or don't want to fight traffic or have to find a place to park.
Easy Travel to Beautiful Places. France has dazzled me this year. In short amounts of time from Paris we've been to the mountains and the coast, surrounded by vineyards and taken in amazing views. It's all fantastically lovely and I will miss having it all at fingertips.
Our Local Bakery. They tolerated my inability to speak French, they helped me navigate the choices, they were kind and lovely to me. Buying a freshly baked baguette for about a $1.50, biting off the end as I walked home, slathering it with the above mentioned French butter...the only good thing that could come out of this is that all bread in the US will now taste bad and so I'll be able to cut back on carbs!
Randomly Seeing the Iconic Monuments of Paris. I love that I've seen the Eiffel Tower most days. I will miss spotting the gold dome of Invalides knowing my home and church were just down the street. I will miss seeing Sacre Coeur from random places in the city and the little thrill that came with seeing it each time I did. The bridges that crossed the Seine, Notre Dame, The Louvre and the d'Orsay museums...all spectacular buildings that I never wearied of seeing.
The Food. Restaurant favorites, outdoor markets and the good ol' grocery store will be missed. The food here is just so darn good. It's fresh, it's carefully made and prepared and it's has ruined my palette in a good way.

Cheap, Good Wine. Available in the grocery store. All the time.
Living in A Country with A Sane Leader. No commentary needed. Emmanuel Macron makes me proud. The other one...not so much.

Of course, there is so much more. But these things do stand out. But alas, lest you think living in Paris is perfect there are some things that I won't miss and definitely some things that I am looking forward to in returning to the US.

What I Won't Miss
Not Knowing the Language. I have never lived in a country where I didn't learn the language and this has been tough. I have picked up a fair amount of French vocabulary but having not really studied the language with any degree of seriousness, I don't know how to conjugate verbs or put together a cohesive sentence. Well, that's not entirely true. I did master Je ne parle pas français perfectly. The best I did was learn to read a menu, which proved to be very helpful.
Limited Recreational Options. One of the things I am most looking forward to are the recreational opportunities that CA offers to us. Access to water we can swim in is one of those things. Having tennis and golf in our backyard. And lots and lots of sunshine. Paris is crushingly gray this time of year and I'm ready for a bit more warmth and sunshine.
Living in An Apartment. While I have greatly appreciated the wonderful accommodation that ACP has provided for us, I am excited about living in my house again. Our house is still relatively new to us and we are excited to enjoy the large yard, eating outside, my big beautiful kitchen, gas stove, outdoor grill, king size bed, robotic vacuum, and having all of my favorite things at my finger tips.
We've embraced our life in Paris with vigor and joy. And we've been the grateful recipients of incredible experiences that we will treasure for a life time. But our job here is now finished and it's time for us to return to CA. We will miss many things and welcome other things. We will long for our life in Paris at times even while revelling in the CA lifestyle that we also enjoy. We're thankful for it all and I suppose in our hearts, kind of know that we'll see Paris again one day.
So we join Rick from Casablanca, and thousands who have gone before us, in saying, "We'll always have Paris."

2017 in the Rear View Mirror

One year ago Doug and I had were ringing in the new year in our home in California with friends we had met in London, having absolutely no idea that a few weeks later we’d be moving to Paris. Such is life when God leads the way! As this unlikely year comes to a close, I could not be more delighted with how it unfolded. The opportunity to live in Paris, join a phenomenal staff at the American Church in Paris while shifting ministry gears to focus on youth and young adults have been the gifts of this year. 
 What a great adventure it has been. 

We have loved hanging out with kids again and discovered that we still have quite a bit of kid inside of us! 

Working with young adults has always been a joy of ours and to be able to journey alongside of so many young people, who are interested in living lives of significance and service all the while seeking a deeper faith has been wonderful. We will treasure this year in ministry and miss our colleagues, the kids, and the congregation very much as our interim ministry comes to a close in one week. ACP will welcome a new youth and young adults pastor in the coming weeks and we are excited for what awaits everyone! We will return to the desert on January 13 and begin a brand new adventure...one that we have no idea about right now! 

And as weird as this may sound, we actually got through 2017 without the death of an immediate family member. It’s been too many years in a row where we’ve lost someone near and dear to us so we are thankful for the health and well being of our family at this time.

Of course, having the opportunity to actually live in Paris and not merely visit has been a dream. Paris is the ultimate wander around and discover cool stuff city! I’ve greatly enjoyed stumbling through a new area and discovering yet another thing that stands out in this dreamy city. Indulging in the cuisine scene, drinking so much rosé last summer that my skin turned pink, walks along the Seine, discovering real crêpes Amorino ice cream, café cremes, and of course, the bread and the butter in all its glorious deliciousness...I will miss these things! Got to check going to Roland Garros for tennis off my bucket list. 

And of course, I was able to get two trips to Disneyland Paris in during these months! 

Additionally, the opportunity to take short trips in order to discover more of France has provided us with more beauty than I can adequately express. And the challenge and depth of walking the Chemin de Saint Jacques from Paris to Chartres will continue to linger in my mind’s eye. France is a truly remarkable county and while we’ve seen a lot of it, I still feel like there is so much more to discover! 

We’ve been blessed to have many visitors here in Paris, each person sharing in the joy of our life together. In addition to our travels throughout France, we’ve also visited friends in Belgium, Luxembourg, and returned to Stockholm for a glorious visit last summer. Additionally, the added bonus of attending yet one more International pastors conference in Vienna, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia was icing on an already wonderful cake.

So as we end this year and begin another one, I do so with an open heart and mind to what 2018 has in store for us. It is a real gift to be able to be open to whatever possibility might present itself. We are so thankful for our beautiful home and we look forward to living there again. The promise of deepening relationships with those in our community awaits us and this brings us joy. 

We will miss ACP. It has been a wonderful church to work at but more importantly, a wonderful community to be a part of. It has felt like home in much the same way Stockholm did and we have benefited from being part of a warm, healthy, vibrant, worship filled place. We do not look forward to the challenge of finding a new church but we do feel we have a much clearer sense of where we want to land.

So we wish you a very Happy New Year...and this year we also say bonne année! 

We’ll be drinking the last of the bottles of Champagne from Champagne and savoring every sip. 

Here’s wishing you and yours a wonderful new year and great adventures ahead in 2018.

French Learning Curve

A bit more than a week is under our belts. Overall, it's been a great week but the onslaught of newness does make one feel a bit overwhelmed at times. That coupled with the butt kick of jet lag with gray, rainy skies can lead to a bit of a foggy brain. But today is day 10 here in Paris and the old adage says that for every hour of time zone change, it takes that amount of days to "switch over" so with those 9 days behind us, I am hoping for more regular rhythms of sleeping and awake will continue to kick in.

I wish the title indicated the learning curve we're on with the French language but unfortunately our knowledge of French pretty much remains at Parlez vous francais? At least we can also say thank you, good day, and goodbye, all of which are important niceties in the French culture. Most of the young people we are hanging with in public settings speak wonderful French so we rely on their finely honed skills. We are learning to read a menu so that is perhaps the most important quest of all!
It is good for our hearts and minds to be back in Europe and the International church. Our spiritual heart soars in the midst of the diversity and joy of the International church and we find that while the French story differs in some ways to the Swedish story, there are also many resonant similarities. Here are a few of our initial impressions:
--Everything in France starts late in the day and many things happen at night. The earliest we ever start anything is 7.30pm. Last night we gathered at restaurant with a group of young adults to discuss life and theology. The evening began at 8.00 and we were not home until close to 11.00. We have not been out that late for a very long time! We are having to bring our retired, early to bed selves out of the woodwork and into the light once again. It's amazing to see how Paris bubbles late into the evening with people arriving for dinner well past 9.00 p.m. Fortunately for us, we don't have too many early morning events to attend to at the moment.
--A smaller refrigerator and bread that tastes best the day you buy it contribute to the notion that you stop by the grocery store at least every couple of days to buy fresh food. The stock up mentality does not really exist. Fortunately for us, there are many close options in our wonderful neighborhood.
--Paris is expensive in some ways, and in other ways not. I also know that our neighborhood is quite highly priced. Beer is a lot more expensive than wine in a bar or restaurant. No big surprise there. We haven't fully explored the cheaper eats like crepes and other "fast food" options but there is time! With working and living in the church complex, zipping home for a quick lunch is not hard to do but at times, the luxurious 2 hour Parisien lunch is a treat. The 1 euro baguette remains a mainstay.
--It is still a thrill to see the monuments that are so well known when simply wandering about town getting something done.
--Have yet to have a glass of wine that wasn't great. We were given a box of chocolates by a fellow staff member that has proven to be an endless box of amazingness. I know that's not a word, but it should be. Chocolate covered cherries with the stem and pit in tact were on the top layer. Little did I know what awaited me on the second layer. Discs of chocolate with nuts and candied fruit strewn on top. Then the ultimate surprise of finding yet a third layer with other delights that I can't describe. I have eaten most everything in the box. It is there for Doug to dig into but he isn't lead to the box in quite the same manner that I am. The onion soup that we enjoyed before an evening meeting was every bit as delicious as you might imagine. I wondered if was considered rude to just pick up the bowl and lick the interior.
Here are some things that I want to get a handle on:
--Truly figuring out how to grocery shop and meal plan and eat well while here. I also want to figure out where the local markets are as I've heard shopping at these is delightful. The famous one, Rue Cler, close to our house, is amazing and beautiful but a bit high end at times. Have to admit however, that the produce is delicious and smells great.
--A trip to Ikea today should help us more fully get our house in order. We need some decorations and some 'touches' to make it feel less like a vacation rental and more like our home.
--We have to learn some French and are working on figuring that out.
--Get a good plan together for exploring the city, especially the lesser known spots of Paris that being here for an extended time will allow. It's really such a beautiful city that to not more fully know and experience it while here would be a great shame.
--I am excited for the warmer, sunnier season, when the daylight lengthens and picnic become a way of life. I might even start running again as the paths that are available are stunning and beckon.
--We plan to figure out ways to jump on a bus and just see where it goes in order to more fully understand Paris.
What grounds us is the church and the wonderful people we are meeting. We are enjoying getting to know the stories of how and why people have landed in Paris. The reasons range from Embassy appointments to fashion and of course, falling in love with a French man or woman and it's quite a thrill to see how the American church in Paris brings all of these diverse threads together to shape a tapestry of connection and relationship.