Baxters First Thanksgiving

Claire-Lise, Me and Baxter, Hailey

Eva and Emmanuelle after an INCREDIBLE Thanksgiving meal at the Zumacks. We found all the traditional food that makes thanksgiving so great...the only thing that was missing was American football and the parade but you can't have it all ;o)

Fire Hazard!!!

This restaurant was SO excited that it was Debbies birthday they butsted out a pretty serious sparkler in a tube thing to put in her complimentay gourmet dessert...it scared us all at first and then shock set in and we laughed like crazy until it went out...then there was an awkward silence...then we started laughing again at the strange burnt cardboard tube sticking out of the crazy marzipan brownie assorted goodies thing...never a dull moment!

Winter Smurf

Winter this year has definately been MUCH more mild compared to last year...well, so far :o/ This is still however, how you will find me inside our great..but chilly appartment. :o)

Eva and Emmanuelle

This is Emmanuelle and Eva...They're not twins but they are sisters that moved here from The Reunion Islands, near Madigascar. We all started going to Eau Vive about the same time but it took us quite a few months to get around to meeting each other...but once we did we became pretty good friends. They've encouraged me a lot and I'm really glad to know them!

This is us the day of the India themed parade...it was out of control! Like Fiesta x10!

I Had Visitors

Jennifer and Steve Lefever were in England and came over to see me for the day...It was really great to show them around and be the one in the group who knows what's going on for a change ;o) It was good to have a little part of home here in France. Thanks guys!!!

Me and Steve (a.k.a Gigantor) at the Eiffel Tower.

Hey Steve! I have a question for you..."How did the parapelegic (no idea how to spell that) cross the road?" :O)

Apparently tthey're called 'Smooties' in Belgium...

It was funny to me that the sign was in English to begin with...then it stepped up a level when I realize they forgot the 'h'!

Good Times!

Eva, Me, Hailey, and Emmanuell. I love these girls! We took a trip to Bruxelles to celebrate Eva's birthday.

Trucker Hats Taking Over The World

Me and Hailey being cheesy in Bruxelles...seriously, who's buying blue trucker hats in Belgium?!?!

Peeing Statue

Me being cheesy....all by myself ;o)

That little tiny statue is a HUGE deal in Bruxelles...there are replicas of him all over the place with different constumes...'cowboy peeing statue' 'sailor peeing statue' I guess every city has there thing...I love them now but I was kind of weirded out at first when we (in San Antonio) put decorated fiber glass cows all over the city.

Me and the Frere family...David, Evelyne, Jean-Pierre. They live in Tournai, Belgium, Davids a good buddy and I have the privilege of working with Evelyne at Eau Vive (our French church). I can't imagine my time here without them in it!

Just another fun filled evening with the greatest youth in France.

left to right: Priss and Aurelien

Aloice, Naomi, Rebecca, Rachel (priss/aureliens daughter)

This is the last team of Americans that came...the guy in front is the fire chief who climbed onto my roof!

Baxter goes to Paris

This is my friend Eugenia with Baxter. I went with the last team that came to do construction on the church and decided to take him along...BAD IDEA! He got sick in the van all 9 of us were crammed into and threw up...he was also severely in need of a haircut. Ahh, crazy people and their crazy dogs.

Every other year the city I live in (Lille) comes up with some great theme and decorates like you wouldn't believe. Two years ago it was an enormous upside down forest. This year the theme was India. There was a GIGANTIC parade/festival thing that kicked it off a couple months ago. These lifesize elephant statues were put along the road between my house and the train station. 14 total I think. With that and the Christmas ferris wheel and decorations...my goodness it's been festive.

P.S. It all came down yesterday and I thought it would be a little sad but there's a lot more space on the streets and it's good to have the real Lille back ;o)

"Happy Lights"

The display all over the city was pretty impressive...this building as well as the entire front of the train station were covered with these gorgeous lights.

'Key' DNA Research

A recent statistical survey shows that in the year 2005 locksmiths in America made an average of $57 gazillion dollars each by opening the doors to cars, houses, and apartments. Scientists have recently discovered there is a biological reason for these happenings and that 85% of the calls came from women. Apparently only found in the female DNA, there is a genophenetahogotype that often blocks the transmission from the female mind that has blocked the message to pickup the keys from getting to her perfectly manicured hands where the picking up actually needs to occur.

The same research has shown that this chink in the DNA chain is also responsible for the female driving etiquette. This phenomenon, however, is most often referred to when men are driving near women while breaking speed limit laws, being impatient, or with females who do not yet have the necessary examples of his "How I almost killed the people in my car by my need to drive faster, turn sharper, and know where I'm going even when I clearly don't"...stories.

If you've known me for more then a month you've probably heard me say that I have locked my keys in something. Yesterday because of this genetic reality I locked my keys in my apartment. My immediate response of course was to cry, have a cup of coffee and then rob a bank so I could fund the opening of my door, which is roughly $89 dollars given the current currency exchange. It is my great pleasure to say this story ended with a 62 year old retired fire chief from California using his hero DNA to devise a plan to climb onto the roof of my five story apartment building and into my apartment to save the day. What a brilliant and humorous God we have that our DNA’s can so annoy and so compliment each other at the same time.

Men, before you get to excited about being the smaller percentage of locksmith calls you should know a further study showed that out of the 15% of calls that came from men 75% of those men who, by the way, also said it was their wives who left the keys in the car and she’s just in using the bathroom, had to call and make an appointment with their car repair center for the next morning because their valiant efforts to beat the locksmith to it have left the driver and passenger windows inoperable.

I love you Mel!

This is my friend Mel who came to see me for two weeks this summer. We went to college together and are both now living in new cultures. That did not however, in any way stop us from being our same old crazy selves. It was so great to have her here!

That cup of hot chocolate is only that exciting because we were in Chantilly. That is the city where whip cream was invented.

This is us on a boat tour in Belgium...it's not Riverwalk but it was good. ;o)

Short Bus

There is nothing this funny about being on a train but it seemed like everytime we went anywhere we ended up like this...laughing so hard we couldn't breathe. One of our rides ended with us laughing so hard we were seriously crying while a trainful of people crowded by our seats watiting to get off the train despirately wanted to know either:
1. What in the world could have happened that was so stinkin' funny or...
2. Why they let two kids from the short bus take the train by themselves.

Amiens, France...I think :o/




:O)

me and mel in Belgium

Always the Jokers!

I go to church with these crazy guys...The guy on the left is Aurelien (him and his wife Pris and I will be working together with the youth this year) they have a band called 'For the Day of Redemption" This was just before one of their concerts...they play hard and love Jesus and it's great to see that here in Europe!

Texas!

David represented Jesus and Texas that night! 10 points for David!

Yes, that's me, Mel, and Martha Zumack playing in rows of corn...but not just any rows of corn...this is an actual, intentional, corn maze! No we did not get lost, because no I was not in charge of the map :O)

"Killer Peacock Breaks!"

Translation errors on signs ar the best...and just so you know the peacocks were kinda scary!

"The Weeping Angel"

I didn't know it but this little guy is actually kind of famous. This sculpture is really called the weeping angel and I'm sure there's a really great story behind why that is but I don't know it ;o) Hope you enjoy the picture anyway!

One of the many amazing pieces of art France has to offer.

I love the fishes 'cause their so delicious...

Pray for Action!

With everything I am I would like to ask you all to pray diligently for my support situation! I'm excited to see how He will provide and I'm excited that you are a part of that through prayer or support!

Culture Shock *wink*

Never a dull moment here in Lille! In the square in front of my appartment there is a very large fountain. Last Sunday I was waiting for a couple of friends and a group of guys came a long and decided to take a picture with the fountain sprays. You should never take life too seriously anyway. The catch is that only in France would the grown man on the right decide not to risk getting his pantlegs wet by completely taking them off! Next time you think your dad or husband or grandfather is strange, just remember that could have been him in this fountain in France and be very grateful!

Thank you Canada!

We had a team of 17 (mostly from Canada) who came to do construction on our church a couple weeks ago. There were here for two weeks and I was able to host these two girls (Larissa from canada on the left and Joan from Jamaica on the right) for a week. Because of the fundraising adn the two weeks of work this team put in we now have two extra rooms in our church which will be used for the children and the youth. I'm in the process of decorating the youth room *huge smile* I'll post before and after pictures when we're finished. This team with their willing hearts and hands has made it a lot more possible for us to accomidate the slow and steady growth we are seeing. IT'S INCREDIBLE!

English 101

I went to dinner with my Tuesday night English class to celebrate a wonderful school year together. It was incredible! They are so generous and each came with a gift card I can use in four different local stores here...such a financial blessing to me right now! In this dinner that went from 7:30 - 11:30 I was asked if I ever got homesick. I was able to talk with three women about how God has and will continue to met my every need here in such a sweet and devine way. Gernerosity and Gratitude! Great French food! Great company! Great opportunity to share my faith! Does it get better then that?

The water was VERY cold!

The first baptism I've seen in France. For us at Eau Vive it was the baptism of these two believers (the men in white shirts standing to the right of my pastor) as well as a symbolic baptism of our new room. Praise the Lord for both! Yes those are electric wires hanging down from the ceiling but they really are much higher then they look in the picture ;o)

Mon petit chien qui s'appelle Baxter!!!

I would like you to meet Baxter! I have been wanting a dog for a while now but could not afford it because of addoption costs and vaccinations and stuff. A friend of mine found this sweet dog for me and I am so very excited. He is a purebread Yorkshire Terrier, three and a half months old. My friend used a great connection of his to get him for me for free with his vaccinations and everything! (I don't know if it's the same in america actually but purebread dogs are incredibly expensive here) Isn't he cute?!?!?!

New Address!!!

Heather Shealy

c/o Claire-lise Meyer
11 rue des 3 Couronnes
59000 Lille
France

Feel free write!!!

"Skype"

Did you know you can call me for less then once cent a minute!!!!
www.skype.com Free to download, user friendly! Computer to computer we can talk free!
You can put minutes on your account ($10 gets me 7 hours of talk time to America), and buy a headset from Best Buy or somewhere like that...mine was $12 I think. If you get a skype name or have questions about it, e-mail me and I'll put you on my list or help you out. My skype name is Jounrey967 Of course I didn't realize I spelled journey wrong until after it was saved and operating :O/
Type in the number just like this +33320314884...my country code is 33 so calling me from a regular phone should just be pressing 00 before the threes instead of the plus sign. If it doesn't work, let me know :O) DON'T FORGET: the time difference...my roomates thank you in advance. I'm seven hours ahead of Texas time.