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This week marks almost 2 months of our time here in France! It seems crazy that we have been gone that long already! We miss you all so much and can’t thank you enough for your partnership through prayer and finances. Originally we had planned to not send out an update until later in July but we have some things coming up in the next few days that we wanted to ask you to pray about with us. This Monday, July 1st, almost 70 YWAMers from Australia, Hawaii and Texas will be arriving here on the Biarritz base for 2 weeks of outreach in the city. This will be an awesome time of urban evangelism in the city as many Europeans will be flooding into Biarritz for their summer holidays. (On July 14th, France will be celebrating Bastille Day and Biarritz will see over 1 million people in an area that typically has a population of just over 110,000.) As staff we will be assisting in their outreach and handling the logistics of adding so many people to this relatively small base. On Monday the 8th we are especially excited to welcome two of these YWAMers into our home, a single momma with her 4 year old son from Benin, Africa. Having recently completed our own DTS we know how difficult the schedule can be and are amazed at this woman’s courage of embarking on this journey as a single parent.  July 1st is also the grand opening of Kennedy Surf and Coffee (a ministry of YWAM Biarritz). We have been helping in the project management side of things and are excited to see this open in time for the arrival of the outreach teams. There have been many delays with the city, zoning etc. and there is still a good bit to go to see the completion of the project, but the cafe side will be open for business and we are thrilled to see what the Lord will do through that ministry.  Since the cafe officially opens next week, Caleb will be transitioning into his role with the YWAM Refugee Circle full time. We are excited to share more of the details of this ministry in the coming months! Over these past 2 months we have experienced a large amount of foreseen and unforeseen financial expenses. As our friends and ministry partners we wanted to ask you to join with us in praying for these expenses. Our aim is to be as transparent as possible with our finances, and if you have been partnering with us through prayer and resources and have any questions for us, please feel free to send us an email. Below are current and upcoming expenses over the next 4-8 weeks. Travels and shipping of household goods/vehicle to France: $11,200 Mandatory Visa Appointment in France: $1,400 Language training: $2000 YWAM France Conference: $700 Furniture and Appliances: $1,900 We really have been blessed with a wonderful space to call home. It was previously the apartment where the staff girls resided. They found a larger space as they were growing out of this one which freed up the apartment for our family. We have always loved to use our home for hospitality and are excited to now have the space to host people, like the mother and son from Benin. Using our family and home for ministry has always proven to be a powerful tool in sharing the love of Jesus and we are so thankful that the Lord has provided an opportunity for us to continue ministering in this way! One thing that we quickly realized here in France is that when you move into a new home, it is stripped bare of the essentials that we are accustomed to in the States; all appliances, light fixtures etc. are the responsibility of the new tenant. Thankfully the girls were able to leave us a partially working oven and a mini fridge. This will get us by until we have the funds for something more appropriate for our family and hosting traveling missionaries, extended family and friends. Here are some of the things needed for our home that you can be praying about: 1 bed frame, 2 convertible sofas, dryer, 4 side tables, larger refrigerator, working stove/oven, small/medium shelving unit for boy’s room organization. In addition to these one time expenses we are continuing to trust the Lord for the remainder of monthly income that would take us to the 100% mark of being funded, that amount is $1,105. (The above amounts have taken into account the current exchange rate loss that we experience from converting donations from USD to EUR.) Although these expenses have been large and numerous… and at times have left us feeling a little overwhelmed, the Lord has never let us down. He has always been there in His time and He has always been a good and loving Father. As scary as it can be at times, it is simultaneously a privilege to only be able to trust in Him and see how He does and will provide! Thank you guys for standing with us in friendship, in prayer, in finances and on mission with the Lord. He is worthy! -The Bell Family (Caleb, Mimi, Banyan, Sebastian & Sailor) Comments are closed.
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