Life

Nantes (The Recharge)

ianapple — Wed, 14 May 2008 05:33:00 GMT

I love my friends. I love my family. I love every single way God has blessed me in the wonderful home I have back in the states. Therefore, over the course of my time in France, I have had moments when I could not wait to get back to it all. After the break, I got back to Pau and all of the sudden, the end was in sight. Coming home was a reality instead of a dream, and I began thinking only of how hard I would hold my parents and friends in hello hugs, and whether or not I would be able to remain standing when I first saw Kelly. Soon enough, God's plans for growing me and stretching me lost their importance, and the days began pass slower and slower.

Now don't get me wrong, the people God has blessed me with in this hotel are beyond comparison. I consider it an honor to be in such close quarters with the wonderful people I have been living with for the past 6 weeks, but fellowship is fellowship, and it is hard to come by when you leave the nice little Christian bubble that so many of us depend upon. So because of that, I was pushing God farther and farther from me, and my daily activities began resulting in basically nothing.

But, apparently, that's not what God had in mind for this trip to France. Apparently, I was supposed to strive for a life resembling that of Christ's the WHOLE time I'm here. Who would have thunk it? So, God delivered to me, a sanctuary. He gave me Nantes France. A friend of mine, who has now become a good friend of mine, named Leah allowed me to come visit her for the weekend. I emphasize allow, because I sort of invited myself to go. So my Pau friend, Mike, and I ventured out to Nantes early Friday morning, and after a 7 hour train/bus ride, we made it to the wonderful city of Nantes.

We were greeted with open arms by Leah, and immediately began enjoying the city around us. As soon as we began to walk, I began to feel the Spirit flowing through me and bringing me back to life. As we walked to get lunch, I passed the area where a few friends of mine from Campus Crusade for Christ had performed a dramatic interpretation of Jesus' love for His children just under a year ago, and I began to picture in my mind what it must have been like to have such wonderful people there working for the glory of God. I could not help but imagine what Mr. Dave Lyell felt like taking the tram to get there with his face completely covered in black paint. After all the castles I've walked through, and all the historical cathedrals I've seen, I knew that I had finally found Holy Ground. And from that moment on, the weekend just got better and better.

The next day, Leah, Mike and I all met some of Leah's friends, from the campus ministry Agape, for a basketball game. I hate basketball. I'm bad at watching the sport, let alone playing it. But what I failed to remember was that, regardless of my skill level, these people would welcome me with open arms and zero judgment. Finally...I had fellowship. After a time span of about 1 hour, Christ had already given me a handful of good friends. The conversation was enlightening and filled with laughter. I was home in a foreign country. A little later that day, Mike left to go back to Pau, and Leah and I ventured out to a church sponsored football tournament. Though I, again, met some really cool people, I'm pretty sure Smiles beat me in the amount of friends made. The entire time we were there consisted of sitting in the grass and playing like little kids, as if no one were watching. Finally...fellowship. That night, a group of us had dinner back at Leah's, and spent the entire night being ridiculously childish and not caring for a single moment.

Sunday morning rolled around faster than I had realized that I was actually in Nantes, and after a wonderful French sermon, patiently translated to me in English by Leah, I was heading back to Pau. It was over as fast as it had started, and I barely had time to register what God had done for me. After a few attempts to get me to stay longer, and hugs all around, I was on the train back to Pau. Luckily, I had 9 hours to think about what I had just been given.

Since my trip to Nantes, I have found myself slipping into the comforts that God had provided me in my weekend visit. I close my eyes and I picture the faces of Rudy, David, Lisa, Viaud, and Leah, and I remember what it's like to see Christ in a pair of eyes staring straight back into mine. I had forgotten what it was like to praise God through prayer with other people, or how much fun it was to hang out with people that would walk up to strangers and introduce them to a stuffed smiley face. I've said it before, but it has never been so relevant. God shows me beauty everywhere I go. No matter the country, the planet, the galaxy, He is beautiful where ever we go. Since I have been here, I have had the blessing to see Him in nature, history, and love; but now I have seen Him directly. This weekend, He was in every action, every breath, every hug, every word, every thing about those around me. I praise God for this.

Thank you to all of those who, so openly, accepted me into their lives this past weekend. Thank you for reminding me what it is to work for the Glory of God no matter where we are or how we must do it. I am forever in your debt, and will always be willing to help any of you in any way possible...as long as you read this.

Big Break Part III (Paris)

ianapple — Sun, 4 May 2008 01:33:00 GMT

First of all, I would like to take this time to say that I should have pictures up in a few days. I'm just waiting on a way to transfer them to my computer.

Also, I would like to let everyone know that on this big break of mine, I have now consumed duck liver, live oysters, escargot, and...Boar's head. Yeah that last one's a doosie. Feel free to ask me about it. Okay, moving on.

This is part three of my three part Big Break blog series. That sounded really cool. So, my last stop on my journey was Paris France. The city of love and romance...and Kelly Chippindale was in Athens Ohio. Luckily, I had my good friend Smiles with me, so I was completely devastated.

Speaking of Smiles, I have not mentioned him once in any of these posts. Smiles is my trusty side-kick that accompanies me on all of my adventures in Europe. He is the little stuffed smiley face that has been appearing in my pictures. I did take him to the Pyrenees, but I only had pictures of him on my camera, so unfortunately, they were lost...but he had a lot of fun. He was given to me by my good friend Katie Pagenstecher who wants Smiles to see the world, which is why he is with me. And that's the story of smiles.

Now back to the actual story. So far, we have been to Bordeaux and Stirling, and I have been shown the beautiful never-changing love of God, and the beauty that is revealed to us when we put our trust in Him. In Paris, I experienced something a bit different. In the city of love, God showed me a beautiful challenge that will remain with me for the rest of my time on this earth.

Upon arrival to the airport, my dear friend Pierre-Antoine (or PA for short) was supposed to meet me at the gate. When I got off the plane; however, he was no where to be seen. Immediately, my trust in the Lord was gone. "The trip is ruined." "Nothing has worked out this whole time!" About five minutes later, PA was leading me to the train that would take us to his brother's apartment...I'm an idiot.

Now before I go any further, I would like to say that if anyone is ever planning on going to Paris for vacation or whatever reason, I will give you PA's number because he is the best Paris tour guide in all of France. In the course of about 1 1/2 days, I saw the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Invalide, Arc de Triumphe, Concorde, Town Hall, Church Magdeline, Champs Elysee (a really big shopping street), and the Louvre where I saw, among many other beautiful things, the Mona Lisa, Venice de Milo, and an actual mummy. It was incredible. Everything was worth stopping for. I had to take a picture just about every 5 minutes. Even the streets were lined with perfectly planted green trees. I cannot fathom what it must have taken to build the cathedrals I saw there, and I finally get to say that I have seen the Eiffel Tower. That's just so cool to me.

But where there was beauty, pain was close by. Homeless lined the streets just as the trees did. And inside these magnificently huge cathedrals, I found machines where I could turn my two euro coin into a Holy two euro coin with just another two euros and the crank of a handle, candles I could light for prayer (2 euros for a small one, 10 for a big one). At the front door, there was a big scary man sternly telling people to be quite, for it was a Holy place, and we all know that God cannot work in noisy environments. I felt like running around with a whip and turning over the machines and tables...WWJD right?

And thus, the challenge was presented to me. Where there is beauty, there will be disgust; where there is joy, there will be despair; where there is good, there will be evil. And for the rest of my life, I must dedicate my entire self to spreading the former of the two. So there it is. The challenge for, not only me, but for anyone else willing to accept it.

It may be hard for me to believe right now, buy my life will not always consist of spending countless hours with good friends in Athens Ohio. I will have some serious challenges in my life, and I am convinced that being here in Europe has been a little taste of what that will be like.

Three times, in three very different ways, God showed me something beautiful. The love of Bordeaux, the trust of Stirling, and the challenge of Paris are all experiences that I will thank God for, for the every day of the rest of my life. I pray that my message has been clear to all of those reading, and that God has spoken through me.

And that was my Big Break.

Big Break Part II (Stirling Scotland)

ianapple — Sun, 4 May 2008 00:27:00 GMT

So for those of you who do not know this, I am a bit of a momma's boy, and have never traveled by myself, so Scotland was a bit of a learning experience. I left Bordeaux early on Monday morning to catch my train to the Paris airport. Now in case you don't this about me either, I don't know French, so every time there was an announcement over the loud speaker, I was convinced that they were saying something along the lines of, "We've decided to skip Ian Strickland's stop in Paris to make better time." But I did end up making it to Paris.

The flight to Edinburgh was pretty easy; however, getting from the airport to Stirling was a bit different. After a series of different bad directions of getting to Stirling, I finally found my way to the local police station, where I was told I had to walk about a mile to a bus stop that would take me to the train station. Again, I found myself convinced that nothing would work out and that I would end up having to sleep under a bridge, but believe it or not, I got to the train station, and then to Stirling shortly after.

When I was safely in my hostel room, I looked back on my little adventure to Stirling, and I was amazed at how easily I doubted that the Lord would provide for me, and how hard it was to trust Him, which brings me to my second unique and beautiful gift, trust in the Lord.

To be quite honest, getting to Stirling Scotland from Bordeaux France was physically easy, and it would have been one of the easiest things I have ever done, if I had only not convinced myself over and over again that I was alone. That the all powerful and all knowing God that has been with my every step of my life had chosen to abandon me when I was most dependent on Him. HOW STUPID OF ME!!!! Have I learned nothing in my walk with the Lord? It is so easy to praise God and trust in Him when all is going according to plan, but as soon as there is the slightest hiccup in the plan, we are immediately alone, and the earth comes crashing down on our shoulders. How easy it is to listen to this lie. But it is even easier to discard it for what it truly is, if only our eyes remain open to the truth.

The next day, I got up, and walked out of the hostel knowing only that I wanted to visit Stirling Castle. I knew it was relatively close, and that it opened in maybe an hour or so, so I just began to walk. I trusted in the Lord and found my way to a small playground, where I spent some time in quiet solitude and the word of God, and then eventually to Stirling Castle. As soon as I walked through the main gate and into the center, I immediately knew I was supposed to be there. I was surrounded with history dating back to the time of William Wallace and the Scottish revolution. It was awesome! I went on a tour around the castle with probably the coolest tour guide ever born. The entire time I was being told stories of violent battles and heroic victories, while gazing around at the huge rolling green hills of Scotland, I could not help but think of Sir David Bradford Signet III and Sir Joshua Potter, and how they would have been running around the grounds of the castle with toy swords and yelling in really bad Scottish accents. I'm smiling while writing this right now by the way.

After the tour, I had all the time in the world to venture around by myself. I found an area in the back of the castle that overlooked the every green field and hill within the area. And way off in the distance, I could even see the William Wallace monument. Seriously, if you have any picture in your head when you hear "Scotland" this was it. It was breathtaking. I don't even know how long I stood there staring across the horizon at God's majesty, and wondering if God can display such beauty in a temporary and broken world, how much sweeter will it be when we reach the Kingdom.

I stepped back from the wall, and found a nice patch of grass to lye down on for a little while. As I lay there, I reflected on the complete peace of mind God had given me just for trusting in Him. Staring up into the sky, watching the clouds pass me by, and the sun finding its way the gaps, I had not a single care in the world.

I could have spent the rest of my break in Stirling, but alas, God had one more thing to show me. So on Wednesday morning, it was on to Paris.

Big Break Part I (Bordeaux)

ianapple — Sat, 3 May 2008 23:35:00 GMT

Hello everyone. So I went on a little excursion this past week. I started on Friday April 25th in Bordeaux France. I stayed until Monday, and then headed to Stirling Scotland. Then on Wednesday, I made my last visit to Paris and stayed until Friday, when I came back here to good ol' Pau France on May 2nd. In each visit, I was given an equally unique and beautiful gift from God. The first gift was family.

So as I said, I started my trip on Friday. My good friend Thibault and I headed out right after class to his home in Bordeaux. Now I don't know if you all are aware, but driving around in South France is amazing. As we made our way there, we passed wide open grass fields, and endless forest. While taking in the natural beauty surrounding me, I could not help but feel I was on my way down to Athens Ohio from my home in Mentor. So I let myself slip into a quick daydream about what it will be like to see, in person, all the faces that have been looking back at me in pictures for these past five weeks. But before long, we had arrived.

Now I had never seen a vineyard, so this was incredible. If you do not know, Bordeaux is known as the city of wine...at least by those who live there, so the vineyards were amazing. They surrounded us everywhere we looked. Endless rows of grape vines stretching on farther than the eye could see. It was awesome. So awesome, in fact, that the second day we were there, Thibault and I went for a run in them. Now I don't know how I was conned into doing this, but I thank God for the memory I now have from it. We started off going down a small windy road, but it didn't take long until it opened up into a HUGE vineyard. We turned in, and just kept running. The sun was hot, and the ground was dry, but it was one of the most peaceful things I have experienced since I've been here. The only thing I could focus on was the fact that I had nothing to focus on. Before we knew it, we were lost in the woods behind the vineyard, but neither one of us cared. We were just two little kids running around playing in the woods. The trees were thick enough to keep us cool, but thin enough to allow the sun to peak through making it seem like God had created all the earth around us just for that moment. Everything around us was simply good. And that's not even the main part of Bordeaux.

Now the run was wonderful, and the city was really nice. I got to see so much beautiful history in cathedrals from the inner part of the city, and castles around the outskirts, but the true beauty was in Thibault's home. In crossing these boarders over here in Europe; the languages, culture, food, rules; they all change. There are always so many things that I have to adjust to. But in my limited traveling experience, I have discovered one thing that remains the same. Love. Thibault's family loves each other. I felt like I was home. The laughter around the dinner table, the open arms, the smiles. It was amazing. They love each other just as much as I love all of you taking the time to read this. If God shows Himself all across the world in one consistent way, it is through love. I could travel all countries of this earth, hike every mountain, swim every ocean, but I would never find God the way I do in the humble beauty of love between people.

So as soon as you finish reading this, before you do anything else, tell someone you love them. I'm serious. Stand up, or pick up the phone, or however you want to do it, but go and tell someone you love them. I promise you, you will see God. Love is, after all, the best way we can spread His kingdom.

Needless to say, it was hard to venture on to my next destination, but God was calling, so I had to go. Stirling Scotland was on the horizon.

Gallery: San Sebastian

ianapple — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:51:00 GMT

Spain is amazing

San Sebastian Spain

ianapple — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:02:00 GMT

I have constantly been reminded that the beauty of God's creation can be seen wherever you go, and San Sebastian Spain was yet another example of just that. Unfortunately, the words I will write here, and the pictures that I promise will be up soon, will never be able to fully describe what I experienced on this trip. Nevertheless, I will try.

This past weekend, I drove down to Spain with a group of three other American students, and four French students. We made our way down to a town called San Sebastian, just past the border of France, and right off the west coast. The town is built around one of the most beautiful bays I have ever had the privilege to experience. I use the word experience, simply because using one sense, such as sight, to describe this place would never do it justice. In this bay, I could see a single island perfectly placed directly in the middle, a breathtaking statue of Jesus Christ erected at the top of the mountain closing up the right side, and young soccer players finishing up a game before the tide came in. I could hear the rhythm of the waves as they came rolling in, and the bird calls of pigeon and seagull living peacefully together in such a wondrous place. I could smell the salt as it was splashed up into the air during high tide. I could feel the odd combination of a cold breeze and warm sun making the hairs on my arms question whether or not they should stand up or stay down. And I could taste the body and blood of Christ place on my tongue as I took in everything He had given me through such a wonderful sacrifice.

It took a little while making it to our hostel. Believe it or not, two different ethnic groups both traveling together in a foreign country makes for an interesting experience. But with the combination of very friendly...elderly citizens? and the Spanish speaking skills of our good friend Ashton, we managed to navigate our way through the old allies of the town, by foot, to a huge center square filled with people and bars lining the edges. We didn't stay long until we had to park the cars on the other side of the bay...and then walk back, but it turned out great. We had packed our lunches earlier that day and ate them on the beach. Then proceeded to act like little kids and play in the water. A storm began to roll in shortly after, so we ended up taking shelter under a playground that we had been playing on...again that whole little kid thing. Luckily it didn't last long, and we emerged from our hiding place and went back to the hostel.

For dinner, I was able to experience tapas for dinner. I didn't know this, but tapas are just a bunch of appetizers that you pick from and then pay when you've finished. It kind of just runs on the honors system. Though it wasn't exactly the most filling dinner I have ever had, it was definitely one of the best.

The next day was filled mostly with shopping and what not, but in the middle of the day, I had the chance to go with my fellow French students on a little mini hike to the top of this small mountain that had the awesome sculpture of Christ at the top. It took about half an hour of climbing up a path, and through very small stairwells from an old fortress, to get to the top. Again, my words will fail to describe what I saw, but wow. At the top of this mountain, there sat an old fortress with cannons still standing, and after walking through it, we got to the foot of this statue. Looking outward, we could see the entire city of San Sebastian, and then every rolling hill and mountain surrounding the area. It was incredible. Some hilltops reached as far as 30km. Yes I am using km, I am soooooo Euro. But honestly, I could barely comprehend the fact that what I was looking at was not some painting or picture that had been created by a fellow human. This was truly the piece of art that this almighty and beautiful God created to demonstrate His own glory. Can you imagine what I saw? Then turning around and looking up, I could see the creator standing tall and looking over what He had done. And yet, in the midst of it all, humility remains in His heart. Absolutely incredible.

Later in the day, when the rest of the group was shopping/napping, I got a little restless and made my way back to the hostel. Half way back, however, I realized that I had forgotten my keys. Now I could have buzzed the bell and attempted to explain my situation in either English, or really really bad Spanish, but I decided against it. You see, it had started to rain, so everyone in the square had made their way under the shelter of the overhang along the edges, so I propped myself against a pillar, and watched. I couldn't believe the timing I had. Shortly after, a Spanish band began to play across the square, and countless little children, with their young moms and dads, began dancing and singing all around me. Over and over, a little kid would run out into the rain to splash in a puddle, and over and over again, the parent would have to run out after them (mom when you read this, I know you'll be thinking of me). But the most amazing part of this was that the parents never got frustrated, and the kids never cried. They all just smiled, laughed, sang and danced. It was incredible. Then the rain let up, and everyone, holding hands, made a dance line and wormed their way into the center of the square where there was more dancing and singing. For about 1 1/2 hours, I just stood there. I watched, laughed, and loved absolutely everything about my life. Their joy was the most contagious thing I have ever experienced.

The next day, I ventured back out to the bay by myself to say goodbye to a place that had filled me so abundantly with the Spirit. I brought my bible and my prayers, and stood at the gate looking over the beach and the bay. The soccer games hadn't started yet, and the little children hadn't begun to line the sidewalks, filling the air with innocence and laughter, but I knew it would happen, and so did this bay. Ever weekend, I'm sure, early in the morning, the shores of the bay in San Sebastian quietly waits to be filled with life and love from those living within it. Everywhere I go, I can feel God's presence, but I'm pretty sure what God gave me in Spain will last forever.

If there is ever a time, my friends and family, that you get a chance to visit Europe, I recommend you make your way to the bay of San Sebastian.

The Pyrenees!!!

ianapple — Mon, 7 Apr 2008 23:40:00 GMT

One of the most exciting parts of coming to France, for me, was hiking the Pyrenees Mountains, and this past Saturday I actually got to do it! I went with four other people from the group, and we had the time of our lives. It started off a bit sketchy when we waited at the train station for a bus for about an hour, and ended up having to take a taxi, but we managed to find our way.

We got dropped off in the middle of the town square in Laruns France, and were immediately on our own. Luckily, the tourist building was directly behind us, so it wasn't too bad. We were able to get directions, through a very heavy French accent from the lady working, to a mountain called Pic de Listo. So...we started walking. Turned left at the end of the street, a quick stop at the supermarket for some food for the hike, then on to the town at the bottom of the mountain.

It was here where we picked up our friend "Sherpa". Apparently if you are friendly to a sheep herding dog, they will guide you the entire way up the mountain. It took us about half an hour to get off the road and on the trail, but it was uphill the entire way. The landscape became more and more beautiful the higher we went. I felt like I was hiking inside a painting that was just too good to be real.

It was incredible how the climate changed at the top. Before we knew it, we were surrounded in snow, and lost sight of the trail. Luckily there was a group of two old couples just ahead of us. I really hope that hiking the Pyrenees is my idea of a double date when I'm in my sixties. Patrice, was the name of one of them, and he pointed us in the right direction as we went on ahead. After a long trek through snow reaching up to our knees at some points, and a very steep final stretch, we made it to the top.

It was amazing. I can only think of one thing on this earth more beautiful than what I saw up there. I was surrounded by mountains strectching out as far as the eye could see. And way way down was the town of Laruns, where we began. I could not believe we had come so far in three hours. As I looked around, I took on a new appreciation for God's glory and power. A being able to create what I was surround by up there is worth so much more than anything I could ever give.

On the way back down, I fell behind the group and knelt down on the edge of the trail over looking a ground far below, and huge snowy mountains in front of me, and I prayed. I thanked God for what He had created and for allowing me to see it with my own eyes. When I opened them back up, I found our other guide dog for the day, White Fang, waiting patiently for me to finish. I lifted my hands and followed the outlines of the mountains as if I were sculpting them the way our Father did so long ago to try to imagine the way it felt to creating something so beautiful. Then, I turned to my new friend, and we both agreed that it was time to continue our descent back down the Laruns.

The moments I will be able to witness what I witnessed on that day are few, but I thank God that I am able to see similar beauty every day in the eyes of all those around me. All I have to do is know how to look. Wow, what a trip.

Gallery: The Pyrenees!!!!

ianapple — Mon, 7 Apr 2008 23:16:00 GMT

Fricken Sweet Hike

Gallery: Pau Adventure

ianapple — Thu, 3 Apr 2008 04:59:00 GMT

Being a tourist in Pau

First Day In Pau

ianapple — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 02:33:00 GMT

Hello Everyone!!!

I arrived in Pau last night at around 8:30pm, or 3:30pm Eastern time. The traveling aspect was pretty tiring, what with the 8 hour layover in Paris and my fear of flying, but we made it. When we arrived, I was short one bag, which just happened to have my clothes in it. I got to the hotel a little later than everyone after letting the airline know about my luggage.

When I got in, I found that for the first night I would have to be separated from everyone else and sleep on the 3rd floor (everyone else was on the 2nd) but my roommate, Jerome, showed up and I was happy to not have to spend the first night completely alone.

Today, was amazing. My baggage came, and we were moved down the one of the biggest rooms in the hotel. I even have my own bedroom and bathroom! We took a mini tour around Pau and I managed a sad attempt on the French language while trying to order lunch.

Everyone is getting along very well on our floor, and it looks like this trip is going to be a good one. Our classes start tomorrow, and we will also be meeting our French classmates. I will hav pictures soon I promise. Until next time, au revoir.