Ok, for some of us the idea of kissing seems to be only reserved for two intimate people-- girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, and wives. It is a unique way of showing intimacy and is for only those circumstances. Well, in France, kissing on both cheeks is a sign of friendship and closeness. It is more equivalent to our way of hugging other people. It's done all the time here. People don't normally hug each other; if they do, it's only in the familial situations that we typically view appropriate for kissing. That idea is somewhat disappointing. After attending Covenant College and "hugging it out" on 1st Belz with other guys and with girls at Covenant, I'm missing the hug. Kissing on both cheeks, however, is becoming a little more automatic, although I don't like it that much. Still, going with the flow and integrating into a cultural "truc" is the way to do it. Pretend you're not uncomfortable and act as if it is completely normal. You learn, you grow. It's all good.
Today, I went to the evangelical Protestant church once more. The songs were great. We probably spent a good 30-35 minutes singing and intervening through prayers. Maybe you can call it intercessory prayer. But it's very Pentecostal and yet, somehow, there's something beautiful about it. It seems the way prayer should be, in community. People pray aloud if they feel the Spirit leading them to, and then the pastor or lay leader closes in prayer. All of this is done in French, of course. It seems to go by pretty fast, because (1) it's in French and (2) it employs language that is strictly spiritual. I'm not saying everyone speaks in tongues. Rather, there is something spiritual about the whole experience that I have never encountered before. It's very encouraging. The pastor's message today came from 1 Peter, and he focused on the immutability of our God (inebranable). Very good message. In spite of the language, I felt I followed his message thoroughly. After the service, I met the pastor's son, Philippe, who is 23 years old and went to school for film studies. He is currently doing screen-writing in hopes of getting a screenplay on screen. Philippe is really cool. He is very interested in American cinema and the United States and would love to go someday. I was so happy to meet him-- someone my own age, a Christian man. I'm very much looking forward to talking to him some more when we go to Nantes for the youth gathering in two weeks! What's more, he speaks English and wants to improve his language ability.
Juliette, my sister in Christ and the person who drives me to church, told me that I will probably be able to do music with the band on Sunday morning. I will just have to go on Saturday to the rehearsal, which I will be able to do next month. She also gave me a link to an address with the latest information for Christians in France. www.topchretien.jesus.net. That will be particularly helpful in learning the songs for worship.
Getting ready for lunch. I'm planning a trip around Mayenne, taking images for people to see my town. Afterwards, I will just prepare for tomorrow my lesson and worksheets for the students.
It's a beautiful day. Don't let it get away. It's a beautiful day.
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