Family Rhythms

At the end of 2024, we knew 2025 would be a year of anything but rhythm. Expansion, new relationships, rest, growth, new partnerships, pioneering, risk-taking, etc. These were the words we knew would define this year. From Nov ‘24 to August ‘25 we gave God a blank canvas to guide us into new places and partnerships. It has been extremely challenging, as well as absolutely wonderful, and our lives most certainly will never quite be the same.

By the end of August this year, we knew that it was time to re-establish a sense of rhythm and order in our lives, and we’ve been working hard to do that here in France.

Setting up Home

When we arrived here in April, the ministry-hub building project here was complete enough for the lights to be on and water to be running, but we had no furniture, no kitchenware, no linen, and only the clothes that we brought with us in our carry-on suitcases. We were anticipating a significant donation in April towards furnishing the house, but when that fell through, we needed to make due with what we had. If you know Cora, you know she is an absolute rockstar when it comes to making things work with what we’ve got.

Somehow, with no additional funds beyond our normal monthly income, and with lots of help from our community here, we’ve managed to set up a home and a small office for ourselves here. It’s far from fancy, but we all have the basics of what we need, and we are incredibly grateful to God. Each member of the family has needed to be willing to lean in and do what it takes to dwell here and fight for our family’s connection to our French roots. If an inheritance gained quickly is soon despised, we won’t be despising this particular inheritance anytime soon. It’s been tough, wonderfully tough, and incredibly precious.

Levi & Shiloh - Going to School

After exploring all the options, we agreed together that it was best for the kids to go to a local school and experience full immersion French. I just about had a nervous breakdown on their first day, but was blown away by the courage and resilience that both Levi and Shiloh showed. Both of them have made lots of new friends and are growing rapidly in their ability to speak and understand French. I’m so proud of them both I could explode.

Keana & Eva - Blasting into Adulthood

Eva is now just a few weeks away from graduating high school via correspondence. She has been accepted into the January DTS in Montana, USA, and has been working hard at the local Mcdonalds here to save money for her DTS fees. We are incredibly proud of her as she has made some very tough choices lately. It’s been a short-term pain, long-term gain kind of season for her, and we know that she will experience the kindness and faithfulness of God as she makes her way into adulthood. She turns 18 in a couple of months.

Keana just completed her Foundations in Counselling Ministry course at YWAM Lausanne, Switzerland. She had a fantastic experience, learned a huge amount, and is now clearer than ever about what God is calling her to do. She is taking time with us here in France to research options and pray about her next steps. It’s incredibly wonderful to have her home with us and we count every day with her here as a gift from God.

Financial Sustainability

As you can imagine, our financial situation has shifted quite dramatically. Our USA ministry income has typically almost doubled on its way into NZ, due to the currency exchange, but now it shrinks on its way into Europe. Ouch! We’ve also lost the various tax-cut related benefits that we were entitled to as resident citizens back in NZ. We will eventually be entitled to similar benefits here as residents of France, but that’s not likely to kick in until we’ve been here for a year. So in the meantime, we’re dangling in the middle and trusting God one week at a time for the basics. We need to see a fairly significant increase in our monthly missions support as we engage in ministry here in France.

These times are always challenging, but they always ultimately lead to the formation of new connections and new partnerships. We trust that God knows exactly what He’s doing :)

On the train home in NYC after a very long day

Shiloh helping me with a furniture project at home

Family photo’s with Nanou [grandma]

Shiloh’s math homework [which she’s learning in French]