A New Beginning

I know many of you have been waiting patiently for an update about how things are going so far in the few short weeks we've been in France. Maybe some of you may not even know that we moved to France. So yes, we are here in Sorgues, France about ten minutes outside Avignon in the South of France. 

The transition has been coming along. I'd be lying if I said it was super easy. But I very much knew it was going to be hard the moment Ryan signed a contract to play for Sorgues Basket Club back in June. I had a feeling this year was going to be hard. Harder than any other season overseas. It was going to be a year that Ryan and I would be stretched more than we thought we could be. Stretched emotionally, spiritually and physically. It scared me to death, but strangely I felt at peace. I knew that what God was putting ahead of us was for our good. I know this challenge will draw us closer to Him because we can look back and see how faithful He has been in our lives through similar and previous situations. And from His faithfulness I see that for HIS GLORY ALONE He will lead us and guide us (Psalm 31:3).

Ultimately, I am at peace with where we are. I am at peace with what lies ahead and I am at peace only because I know my Saviour is with me. 

For that I shall praise Him (Psalm 42:5).

So where do I start....

Let's begin with the language barrier. Oh yes, the romantic language: FRENCH. So far it hasn't seemed quite as romantic as I thought. In fact, it's quite the opposite at the moment; intimidating and frustrating. Every outing that Ryan and I have gone on is very nerve-racking to say the least. We don't know a lick of French and before we arrived we had heard rumors that the French hate speaking English and they could be quite rude if you ask them to. Well, so far God has been EXTREMELY gracious to us when it comes to this area. Nearly everyone we come in contact with have been nothing but kind and helpful to us.

We've been practicing the little French we actually know as much as possible. So far it seems to be working and they seem to be understanding :)

As far as basketball goes Ryan seems to be enjoying it. His team typically practices twice a day; morning and evening. Right now he is the only American on his team and the practice is done in French. His teammates and coaches both are capable of speaking English, but Ryan is learning to be as perceptive as possible. On Tuesday, the team had a preseason game against a team in Monaco. It is a small country along the coast of the Mediterranean about 3 hours from Sorgues. The game was played in the same gym that the Dream Team practiced in before the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.  He thought that was pretty cool. 

He said the drive down there was "nothing like I've ever seen before!" Meaning, incredibly beautiful!!

Since arriving, Ryan and I have had a chance to drive around and sight-see a few places. One of the first places was Avignon. Here are a few photos....

This is the old Papacy

Some French Architecture

The fortress surrounding Avignon

The famous broken bridge: Pont d'Avignon

Enjoying some crepes and some shade on a hot day:)

On another day, Ryan and I decided to take a drive around to see what we could find. Well, we found some wineries and the Chateauneuf de Papes.....

Enjoying some of the local wines

Both of these cities are within 10 minutes drive of Sorgues, which is awesome! Hope you enjoyed the quick little update. We thank you again for all your prayers and support as we have started a new beginning in France. It means so much to us! Also, I hope you enjoy our new blog site. It should be a bit easier to find and feel free to leave some comments below! A new feature our old blog didn't have!  If you want to read up on our seasons in the previous countries just click on the tabs above and they will direct you to our old blog. 

Thanks again! 

Au Revoir!