Paul Prins

The center of the city, and a beautiful building. Less than a 10 minute walk.

<img src="http://static.flickr.com/28/57221280_939555be88.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Flowers at the Grand Rond" /
I went on a photo adventure today around Toulouse. There will be more photos coming from various parts of the city.

Before I left for my year abroad in France I was doing the college church fair circuit at Bethel and Northwestern College in Minneapolis and I met this great guy named Tom from Navigators at the U of M. Don’t remember what church he was with but we were able to talk about the church and scripture at length when we were at Northwestern. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation and felt like it helped me understand what I believed better but I left that day troubled with something. Why did I feel better when I fasted each week. It’s a question that really has plagued me. I didn’t have an answer, aside to say I felt off when I didn’t. Well several weeks late I was reflecting upon it and this is what the Lord revealed to me about it. Yes it may appear as a discipline and we Christians are scared of ‘legalism’ but that is a heart issue. Fasting is a lost blessing for your faith we all could desperately use. Here it goes:

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“Those who sow in tears shall
reap with joyful shouting.
He who goes to and fro weeping,
carrying his bag of seed,
Shall indeed come again with a
shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”
Psalms 126:5-6

“Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted”
Matthew 5:5
“Blessed are those who weep now,
for you will laugh”
Luke 6:21

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up… Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears let him hear.”
Matthew 13:3-9

Considering that it has been over two weeks since arriving in country I was over due for my first truly challenging day. It wasn’t in a way I had been anticipating (though it almost never is). My skill with the language has proved more than adequate for the basics, I haven’t gotten lost, haven’t felt overly homesick, haven’t forgotten anything too important, and my body has been functioning normal with all systems go!

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It started sometime in the night and was still going when I awoke. Through-out the whole day it seems to rain and pour upon us. As I ran to make copies, went to get our long stay visa’s, and then left with more paperwork, walked to campus, walked to the bank, I cleaned the apartment, and through the party at our place. It kept raining, despite it’s apparent ringing of its self into nothing, there was always more to come. The day was draw out just as the rain. Once night had captivated the cityscape was the rain exhausted. The soirée was underway and much food was had.

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It’s so unreal being here in France, to really be here. To wake up and breath French air and to talk to people in French and have them understand. For my mispronunciations to be caught be someone else. Finally realizing that I will be here through July, it’s so weird. That is so long, yet at the same time so awesome. To be able to have committed so much of my life (at the end of this year, nearly a quarter of my Christian life) so strongly for Christ without regard for myself. Now to be witness to the Lord provision for all my needs in such an obvious way. I am speaking French better and more frequently than I ever have, learning new words and putting together new sentences, and more excited about what the Lord has in store than I can ever remember.

Being away will be weird. I’ve had quite a few talks about relationships, being so far apart and how that will work. It has been very affirming for my relationship with Jordan. Just the Lords promise of honoring those who honor/follow His will (1 Samuel 2:30) and we are doing that. He spoke to me and burdened my heart, I followed and left her behind to study. Even if we will not end up together, the Lord will honor us both for not only putting him first, but acting upon faith. The nature of your heart spews forth in our actions. That is something I am so very excited about. Also that my prayer is even stronger for have taken such a step, and followed so closely after the Lord in this calling upon my life. Something I feel too few people have ever experienced and I never want to leave.

Tomorrow it’s off to St. Sernien for the ‘flee’ market to see what we can get to finish furnishing out our apartments. There are only a couple things I can think of needing and hopefully we can find some good stuff. Also having a little contest against the ladies to see what group can get the best thing for under 30 euros. We’ll see what we come up with. Hopefully we’ll have internet in our apartment soon and I’ll be able to make more consistent updates and actually keep up with email. Until next time…

Continue to seek nothingness before Christ,
~paul

So earlier I was driving back from dropping some pictures off to get printed at target and picking up some books I didn’t realize I needed for my STINT. Eh, whats a couple more books anyway. Afterall they could prove interesting and insightful. For the last couple days, however, I haven’t really been feeling all that intimate with the Lord. Now there was Wednesday night (which was awesome, I’ll write about it below), but otherwise just feel kind of meh. It’s the anticipation of embarking on something as awesome as a year overseas with Christ. I’m not one to normally get overwhelmed by, or even get, stress but it hit me: Stress is my trigger.

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