Bonjour! We just finished eating breakfast and are getting ready to debrief and say our goodbyes to Paris/Europe. I still can't believe it's already time to leave......we just got here! After many encounters with God, new friendships being made, and memories that will last forever, REACH 2012 is ending. See everyone later tonight!
Au revoir!

Au Revoir

Saying goodbye to Europe and Paris today as we'll be heading home soon! USA! see ya in the evening! WOOHOO!

Bonjour! We just arrived in Paris! The weather is beautiful here and we're waiting on the other teams to arrive! Can't wait to see everyone again and hear their amazing stories from their trips!
Au revoir, until next time!

Au Revoir to LLN and Friends

Bonjour! Today is our last day in Louvain-la-Neuve, and I am pretty bummed about leaving. We are going back to CTS tonight. We have had an awesome time while we were here in LLN. We didn't get much sleep, because we would hang out with our new friends every night after we had all eaten dinner until around two in the morning. We have made lifelong friends while we have been here, and some of them have already said they are going to come visit us in Alabama! Tonight we are going to go to the Maze which is the magic show with the Christian illusionist that shares his testimony with the show. I think the show is going to be awesome. We have been hyping it pretty hard while we were here. Yesterday we went around Brussels and to a university in Brussels and passed out tickets while the illusionist walked around and did card tricks and other small illusions. The reaction on the people's faces were priceless. I don't know much French, but I could tell they were amazed and had just had their mind blown. Some of them would say they had blocus (it is like dead day where we study except it lasts two weeks here) when we asked if they wanted to go, but when they would see one of the tricks they were hooked and said they would be there. I am really excited about tonight, but at the same time I am said that we have to leave LLN. God is doing some awesome things here in Belgium. I have never really had the desire to travel, but after this trip to Europe I have decided that my new hiking backpack is going to get a lot of miles on it in the coming years. Au revoir!

Bonjour! These past 4 days here at Louvain-la-Neuve have flown by. Last night was our last supper together, and we cooked them breakfast, including grits and biscuits! For our last night here, they surprised us with a scavenger hunt around campus, which was so much fun! I cannot believe that we have to leave this afternoon..... We have met so many amazing people and created so many lifelong friendships. It makes me so sad to think that I will not be able to see these people every single day like I have this past week.  God is doing some amazing things here through the Students for Christ group, and I cannot wait to here about how He uses them in the future.

Tonight, we will be in Brussels setting up for the Maze! Yesterday we were able to visit several schools in Brussels with some of the illusionists, handing out free tickets to students while the magicians performed some of their tricks. I am so excited to see how God is going to use these people and this event to reach out to the city. Later tonight, we are going back to CTS, so our blogging should be more consistent for the next few days.
Au revoir, until next time!

LLN, au revoir!

Hello today is our last day around LLN so everyone is saying their goodbyes! We've made some lifelong friends here and watched just how great Students For Christ on this campus is doing. There is great moral fiber running through this group and we'll miss them tremendously!

Wednesday was our Tex-Mex night and everyone loved it! I got a little homesick because my family eats this meal once a week it seems! But that didn't last too long!

Thursday we cooked up some mean bbq chicken and had some amazing potato salad and homemade chocolate chip cookies featured by the lovely Lauren Howell!

Last night was our last culture night and we cooked up a great southern tradition of breakfast for dinner! Scrambled eggs, biscuits, BACON, oranges, with jams and juices! Everyone was thrilled for the new experience.

The best part of these nights were of course the community- we had around 24 people on Wednesday that increased to over 40 on Friday! God was and always is awesome. I'm glad to see that many of the students here made deeper connections with other students, God, and . . . WITH US!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Bonjour! We have been really busy over the past few days, so I haven't gotten the chance to blog. We worked at CTS on Monday and half of the day on Tuesday. Their lawnmower has been broken since February, so the grass looked like a jungle in some places. We cleaned out all the flowerbeds, mowed a lot of the grass, and powerwashed a lot of the patios and concrete. We will finish all of that when we go back there for two days after we leave Louvain-la-Neuve. We arrived in Louvain-la-Neuve on Tuesday afternoon. (I'm going to refer to Louvain-la-Neuve as LLN for the rest of the blog, because it is a lot to type). LLN is a city that is built around a university, and it is a pedestrian city with most of the traffic and parking lots being underground. We walk everywhere here. I feel like we walk 100 miles a day (slightly over-exaggerated). While we are here we are staying with different students in the SFC (which is Students for Christ which is the European version of our Chi Alpha campus ministry) in their kots (that is what dorms are called here), and every night we are cooking for the students. We are cooking American food every night and the SFC students invite their friends and cokottas (which are the other students in their kots), and this helps them gain new members and spread the gospel by forming relationships with new people. Afterwards, we hang out with the students on campus until it is time to go to bed. Tuesday night we met at the Bonin household where they fed all the students and us. Last night we cooked tacos, tonight we are making bbq chicken, and tomorrow night we are making breakfast for them. During the day, we are promoting the Maze which is an American illusionist that shares his testimony while he does magic. The show is on Saturday night and we promoted it on campus today, and the next two days we will be in Brussels promoting it. Everyone is starting to arrive for dinner, so au revoir until next time!

Update From Louvain la Neuve!

Lauren says it best but we've had a great couple of days since our last update! We've thoroughly enjoyed the culture here and we've met some amazing people.  Our days include prayer walks around the town, grocery runs, and meeting with some really great Belgians. This city is great in the fact that I've met more people from other countries in the last 3 days than I have in a year in my hometown. I love seeing people interested, loving, and in a strong daily relationship with God from so many cultures- Belgium, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, the Congo, Kenya just to name a few.

Bonjour! It has been quite a while since the last time I was able to blog. There have been so many wonderful things that have happened over the past few days, that I don't even know where to begin! On Monday and Tuesday, while we were still at CTS, we were able to get so much work done. We had two very long days, doing a lot of landscaping and cleaning around the campus. I cannot even tell you how many people came up thanking us over and over again for what we were doing. Everyone was so appreciative and thankful, and amazed that we would work so hard for them and their school. So even though I didn't feel as though we were doing very much for them, they made it seem as if we had provided them with something that far exceeded anything they had expected.

Tuesday night, we arrived here in Louvain-la-Neuve at the Bonin home, and met a lot of the students involved in Students for Christ. Let me start by just saying, these people have truly changed my life. I have made so many new friends, and I cannot imagine leaving them in a couple of days. The SFC group here has such a heart for God, and it is so encouraging to listen to their stories and see how the Holy Spirit is working through them on this campus. We have the privilege of cooking for the students every night while we're here, and it has been so fun to see their reactions to the new foods that we are introducing. Last night, we served them TexMex, which included tacos, chips/salsa, and rice. Tonight, we are cooking BBQ chicken, potato salad, baked beans, and chocolate chip cookies....yum! We have had a very good turn out each night, and the number of students increases with each meal. I'm so excited for the next few days here, to see what else God is going to do through us and these wonderful students.

On a lighter note, our team has perfected the bisous greeting. We all plan on continuing it once we get back to the states! :)
Au revoir, until next time!

Hello! We've had a great time in Brussels and Sint Pieters Leeuw! Many a beautiful sight and wonderful architecture. Also. . . AMAZING food. I can tell you that a Belgian knows how to make a waffle. There is no comparison. Heres a couple pics to keep your attention!  

Bonjour! Let's just say that today we saw some of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in the world. We were able to tour all of Brussels, learning how to use the metro and walking through the city, stopping at all of the attractions. We were blessed with another beautiful day, all the way up until dinner. I would have to say though that my favorite part was bonding as a team and being able to share the experience together. I couldn't imagine wanting to be anywhere else. Tomorrow, our groups will split up, and the Berlin and Romania teams will be going their separate ways. I'm sad to see us all break apart, but I'm so excited to see what God has in store for each and every one of us. We have an exciting week to look forward to!
Au revoir, until next time!

Bonjour! I didn't get a chance to blog about yesterday. We went to the Neuhaus Chocolate Factory and stocked up on Belgian chocolate. After that, we went to Gasbeek and toured the castle and the grounds around it. Then we went to Waterloo and saw where Napoleon was defeated. Today we toured Brussels. This morning we took the metro (which is the train here) downtown, and then we got off and walked around the city. We saw all sorts of old buildings, and we stopped a few times to eat a delectable Belgian waffle. We got to go inside of a cathedral, and we took the metro to go see the Atonium which is a massive metal atom looking thing. My favorite part of the day was when we go to walk around a park. It was easily the coolest park I have ever seen. Au Revior until tomorrow!

Bonjour! We had such a beautiful day here yesterday in Brussels! We had a "tourist" day and were able to visit many exciting places here in Belgium. First, we were able to go to the chocolate factory nearby and sample or purchase any of the chocolates sold at the store. Then, after we had all stocked up on candy, we ventured to the Kasteel van Gaasbeek for a tour of the grounds and rooms.....and wow was it beautiful! Afterwards, we traveled to the site of the Battle of Waterloo, and then swung by IKEA to eat supper. It was quite an eventful day, and we are all whooped! At the moment we are all sitting around playing games with some of the students here at CTS........so on that note, I'm going to go and join them! Au revoir, until next time!

Salut

Our second day of training has ended and the team is wired for Europe! We practiced sharing our testimonies as to feel more comfortable with what our stories can relate to the people on this continent. We had a great history lesson this morning from Ralph the Academic Dean of CTS and he encouraged us and challenged us with how much power our stories will have when coupled to the power of God and to the guide of the Holy Spirit. I'm sure most of us are ready to take our respective coutries to task! But first!

Its time to see Brussels! To TourISE as a TOURist! I'll tell you how the waffles and fries are as soon as soon can be.

Adieu!

Bonjour! It is our second day here at CTS. After chapel last night we had crepes which the CTS students made for us. After that we talked with them and played ping pong for a while. Then the rest of the night we sat around with the French students while they sang and one of them played guitar. They would sing a verse in French and then in English, and it was an incredible experience. Tomorrow is going to be a tourist day for us. Au Revoir!

Bonjour! Where to begin?? It's only been 2 days here, and we have already learned so incredibly much! It's amazing here, and the culture is fascinating. The students here at CTS are so welcoming, and very hospitable to us. Last night, some of the French students surprised us by making crepe for a late night snack. Just so you know.....it's amazing! Also, the students taught us how to play "around the world" ping pong last night, so about 10-12 us, combined with CTS students, played for quite some time. Afterwards, everyone was able to sit around, as one of the CTS students played his guitar and we all sang, swapping from English to French, which was beautiful. Anyways, we have some very exciting days ahead of us! So....Au revoir, until next time!

Day ONE . Its on like Donkey Kong

Day one of Training is underway and students are learning. There's also the chowing down of fine Belgian chocolate! Today's training has covered the best techniques on how to not offend any of our European counterparts we are trying to work with as well as covering the second most important story that can be told. . .That being our testimony. The team is taking the time to write it down so that each of us will have our best game face on when it comes time for our story to be told.

Tonight's service will start soon so it is time to log off. Please keep us in prayer that God will set up devine appointments in the next two weeks specifically for those who don't yet know him, but will grasp on to our experience with familiarity. So that they may also want to experience Him and His awesomeness. To have the relationship with Him that most don't realize is available.

Phrase for the Day:

"Your frog has eaten my lunch"

"Votre grenouille a mangé mon dejeuner"
(Votr gre - noo - ee a man - zhay mon de - zheu - ner)

We're here! It hasn't even been a full day here in Brussels, and there are already so many stories to be told! I will say, that my appreciation has grown tremendously for international students and travelers that come to the United States with little to no English. When boarding the train yesterday from Paris to Belgium, we had quite an adventure, dealing with the locals, our lack of knowledge concerning their transit system, and the language barrier. I can never again see myself getting frustrated with foreigners back in Alabama, seeing as how completely helpless I felt yesterday when communication was so limited. 
Au Revoir, until next time!

It is our first morning in Brussels, and I slept like a baby last night. I was pretty tired from all the traveling. The geese outside got a little rowdy this morning around six and woke some of us up. I'm ready to get the day started, and it's time to eat so I got to go! Aurevoir!

Welcome to Brussels! Our teams have arrived and are settling into jet lag removal process! We are ready for REACH!