Networking and hiking in the forest

Yesterday we drove north of Paris to the l'Oise department to visit Dave and Virginia, ministry colleagues with another organization. It was nice to escape Paris for a day and soak up some nature. My wife is from the Black Hills of South Dakota and is energized by nature. She and the kids enjoyed picking daffodils during our hike near our friends' house. Our son enjoyed climbing up a high stack of large logs, as well as getting his hands and feet in real mud puddles. He's all boy. Our younger daughter enjoyed walking on grass, an experience she doesn't have often in Paris.

Our friends are planning on moving into Paris in early 2009 for ministry. This may be a challenge after living in a quiet home in a calm village. For nearly 10 years of married life, we have always lived in apartments, so that's all that we have known. But if one is used to calm and quiet, then moving into a megacity where everyone lives in an apartment is quite a shift. It's not a sacrifice at all to me, but is one that my wife has made.

It was fun to hang with our friends and their 3 kids, as well as talk "shop" with Dave. It will be fun to link up with him on future projects in Paris. One observation I've made after lots of years of ministry in Paris is that sharing ministry and common vision draws a team (whomever it might be composed of) closer than just being with the same organization.

Our friends Steve and Sarah, whom we met at Wheaton Grad School 1998-99, arrived in southwestern France a week ago. I found where they are currently staying and enjoyed chatting with Steve on the phone last night. It will be fun to do some projects together and further develop our friendship. This networking is hard to put into a job description, but is definitely a big part of what I do more and more of.