October 22, 2008 - Posted by Amanda- 0 Comments
Thanks to all who’ve asked this question… God is still providing for me needs, one day at a time. I need to raise my own support for my job, giving me the unique opportunity to invite others to invest in A Rocha’s ministry! Thus far, God has provided over $7,000 through churches and individuals. This will cover my expenses until December, when I’ll return home to visit family and supporters. To fulfill my year-long contract, I need $2500 a month.
Please prayerfully consider partnering with me!
Tax-deductible donations to support me can be made to A Rocha USA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Please make checks payable to A Rocha USA; on a note accompanying the check, ask that it go towards “Amanda’s work in France.”
Mail donations to:
A Rocha USA
PO Box 1338
Fredericksburg, TX 78624 USA
You can also donate online via Network for Good. Go to www.arocha.org and click on USA, then ‘Give to A Rocha’.
October 22, 2008 - Posted by Amanda- 0 Comments
On the airplane journey across the Atlantic in early September, my most ardent prayer was for friendships… the growth of relationships with my “family” of close friends, kindred spirits, and support network in the US, and the providence of friendships and “family” in France.
God has doubly blessed me! Since arriving, I’ve received a flood of encouraging emails and letters from my dear friends and family in the USA – so many, in fact, that I have quite a debt of communication to fulfill! I have also been encouraged by new friends in France and within the A Rocha International team. From Martine and Jean-Pierre, delightful and patient house “parents” for the A Rocha France community house and scientific base, to Martin, a gifted Zambian scientist who recently joined the A Rocha International team, to Mel Ong and Dan Tay, who hope to start an A Rocha community group in Singapore…these new friends have taught me so much about A Rocha, solid science, and hoping in a good God. Isn’t it true that God provides all we need?
October 22, 2008 - Posted by Amanda- 2 Comments
Here are some excerpts of my latest newsletter update.
A sampler of adventures…
The past six weeks have been a whirlwind of learning and growth, frustrations and laughter, new experiences and familiar whiffs from home. Here’s just a sampler of the past month’s experiences with A Rocha.
My primary role is assisting Peter Harris, the founder and president of A Rocha, with logistical tasks and planning. Peter and I are learning well how best to work together. I have joined him and his wife Miranda in hosting potential donors at A Rocha France’s scientific site, talked American politics with a slew of opinionated Europeans, journeyed to southern England for strategic planning at the A Rocha International Team Meeting, and joined the A Rocha team at The World Conservation Congress in Barcelona Spain.
As the only faith-based organization at the 8,000-delegate World Conservation Congress, A Rocha engaged in fascinating conversations with the conservation community and proved itself well-grounded in Christ as well as creation care! Bravo, A Rocha!
Back at A Rocha France, I’ll be joining a new and ambitious scientific project, gaining experience in agricultural economics – specifically, measuring how much money farmers lose or gain by taking productive land out of agricultural use and converting it to wild marshland, once again. A Rocha France is quite respected in this local community, and I’m honored to join their community development and conservation projects!
Home, sweet home
I’ve discovered the magic of travel… how leaving a place makes it feel more like home. Returned from my A Rocha travels in Europe, I find myself feeling more at home in Arles, France.
I live in the A Rocha France community house – the home base for the A Rocha France scientific and environmental education projects, and my home for the next months! I enjoyed settling in a little upstairs room in this, ironically, Louisiana-styled farm house. The A Rocha France team takes turns cooking lunch and dinner for all. I share this house with John, a Welsh scientific assistant, Sarah, an administrative assistant, Chantal, a Canadian gap-year art student, and any visitors and volunteers who pass through. Quite the community experience, but so rewarding!
To aid the France experience, I’ve started taking French lessons from a local tutor. My confidence is building, however slowly, and my mental English-to-French translations have given way to more direct conversation. Small steps!
October 21, 2008 - Posted by Amanda- 2 Comments
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. - Revelation 3:20
Food is a celebration in France. The freshest of ingredients prepared with care, served in multiple courses (salad after main course), with strong coffee, a touch of wine, or cheese and fruit to finish a meal. Conversations during meals are as rich as the chocolate tart served for dessert. Lunch and dinner are marathons of conversation, lasting nearly 2 hours each. While the comfort of fine food is delightful, good fellowship is the highlight of every meal.
As an efficient North American, 2-hour meals induces mild anxiety for me. Pondering my fidgety nature after one long meal, I realized how, in most cultures, a meal is a precious welcome into intimacy and trust with other people. An invitation to a meal in France says, “I trust you and wish to honor you by investing two hours and four courses in you.” Even Jesus found meals a welcome place for meaningful fellowship…from feeding the 5000 to the Last Supper. Jesus invites us to seek, knock, and eat with him in Revelation 3:20.
While my palate is still adjusting to wine, strong coffee, and cheese that makes my hair stand on end, my inner clock is starting to slow down. Savoring the personalities around the table is becoming as important as savoring what is on the table. Meal time is a respite from the rest of the day…a sacred time of laughter, funny French vocabulary words, stories, and reclining back in each others’ presence in enjoyment.
It was when Jesus was reclining at the table, savoring a meal, that particularly special events occurred…
Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
Luke 7:36 – 38
Or remember Luke 22:14-15
When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”
Or, now that I’m on a roll, consider when Jesus “took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.””
Luke 22:19-20
How do we celebrate in mealtime? So we savor each other? Do we spread out a little feast and remember our Savior, who makes rich and meaningful fellowship possible? Do we see food as a path to celebration?
