Just Two Days Left...

Time has literally flown by. Although certainly some days in the kitchen or cleaning bathrooms seem to drag as we are in them, every night it seems like we are blown away by the fact that we have two days left… This is probably because we are working from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep.

Yesterday was July 14th, as in Bastille Day, the day the French celebrate their independence. Naturally, the day was filled with festivities – from the relentless singing of the national anthem over and over to a mock beheading of Marie Antoinette (played by a lovely American counselor named Katy). It was fun, and the campers certainly enjoyed the day, but it was a ton of work to put together and do.

Missions in France are so difficult, like in the States. We often cannot see the fruits of our labor until many years down the road. Students aren’t necessarily receptive, although I know that God is sovereign. Additionally, we can definitely see that the students are really encouraging one another and just being accepting of one another, which is so opposite of the critical culture they live in.

As far as what we are doing specifically… David is still working on the video workshop, and is a little bit stressed out about it as the software is something neither him or Chance have ever used and many students do not come as prepared as they would like. Service team is always a ton of work, although we have been blessed with much encouragement from many of the service team members and it isn’t nearly as emotionally trying or frustrating as we perceived last year.

The kitchen is crazy as always, although leading isn’t as stressful as I anticipated – lots of work, but the control is good, and I continue to feel very good about the products I am putting out (with the help of my lovely ladies with me). Yesterday, I even got a standing ovation at lunch! It was a little embarrassing and I blushed. It’s crazy to think I only have four meals and some odds and ends of snacks/treats left to cook…

We continue to fall in love with this place and the people who work and live here. Please pray for us as we prepare to return home. May we trust in God for the fruits of this labor and may He be glorified through our work here.

We love you all!

A Break

Hello all, I (Chelsea) am currently sitting in the “BAFA” room – the meeting room for all the French camp counselors. It is about 10:45 AM here and I’m not cooking, which is a first so far.

From yesterday afternoon to tomorrow early morning we will have a break from the campers as they are on a hike. It is much needed, as we have been incredibly busy and without any time to rest since the very first day. And while it is nice because we have gotten the chance to go to a ski resort town and a historic fort, we have been still busy preparing for the return – taking in food orders and cooking for the service team here for Chelsea, and David will be working on getting things together for the video he and Chance are making as well as doing laundry and cleaning up a little.

David’s message on Thursday went really well – thank you for the prayers! It was a tough topic, but he was honest and presented a lot of Scripture. It obviously may have gone over the heads of some of the campers, but he presented three main points that were easy enough to understand. I was so blessed because that morning meal was easy so I gave it so my fantastic kitchen helpers and was able to watch the message and be there for David. It is so important to me (and him!) that I support him in these endeavors, and I know he feels respected and supported as a result.

Additionally, I made Thanksgiving dinner for 100 on Thursday night – salad, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, turkey, gravy, and apple crisp for everyone. They loved it. I knew it would be a hit when I told some of the BAFA, and one said it was his first and he’d always wanted to have a Thanksgiving dinner! Anyways, I have been getting compliments all around for all the meals and it has been a joy and a blessing to cook.

As the campers come back tomorrow, please continue to pray for opportunities to build relationships with campers and for open hearts for Christ in everyone.

We love you!

The First Few Days...

Because David is spending so much time doing so many different things, you will now get to hear from me, Chelsea about what is going on here in France.

David is serving on service team – doing the dishes, cleaning bathrooms, cleaning floors, etc. He is co-leading a video workshop, which is fun, but a lot of work and takes up over half of what would be considered his “break.” Also, he has been asked to do a few things with the program – he will be at one of four stations this morning answering one of the questions that has been asked by the campers in a question box; the question is “Why did God require a perfect sacrifice?” Finally, he was asked yesterday to speak on Thursday for the morning service, so he had two days to prepare about a twenty minute sermon on the problem of evil. He has spent much time studying this issue, so he is well-equipped, but it is still tough and a lot of work for such short notice. Please pray for him as he prepares this talk for Thursday morning. It will be between 10 and 11:30 AM Thursday, so 3-4:30 AM Wednesday night/Thursday morning in the Midwest. So, if you are up and think of him, please pray for God’s Wisdom, His Words, and His Spirit.

Now, I am cooking, as you know, and I feel like it is going super well. I am exhausted, and I am exhausting my ladies in the kitchen, but I can stick my feet in the fountain with cold water and heal them up. We all feel really good about the food and the environment and the service, and I know that the staff is feeling the same way. We got our final order in today, so that was awesome, and such a load off Rose’s and my shoulders. (Rose is camp staff here and the woman I have been working on the menu and order with – she is awesome and encouraging and helpful.) Our first night, I served boeuf bourguinon, and it was a hit, and still my favorite thusfar, but everything else is going over really well too. I am just so incredibly happy that there is a place where God can use my passion for cooking and hospitality for His glory.

Anyways, once again, please pray for us. Once tomorrow is over, we will have a day off, so that will be much needed after everything that has happened.

We love you all!

The Calm Before the Storm

For a day of preparation awaiting the arrival of the campers, we surprisingly accomplished a lot today. Chelsea is in the kitchen already cooking meals for the staff and volunteers, and she is already sore from standing on the concrete kitchen floor for twelve hours or so. Both meals she prepared today were hits – lots of compliments for her cooking all around.

David not only served by cleaning dishes, the kitchen floors, and setting/clearing tables, but he also took part in orientation, developed an idea for the video workshop (praise God!), and even had enough time to finish preparing a lecture he had been working on. Also, David was presented with the possibility of giving a message one morning to the campers. Pray for God’s leading in all aspects of this endeavor.

We have been consistently encouraged by the people here running and serving the camp. Chance, the other leader of the video workshop, has been a truly calming force – I don’t think anything can phase this guy. The service team has also been an encouragement, as all members seem to be excited to give all they have to make this camp run smoothly and have fun at the same time. It also seems that the women Chelsea is going to work with in the kitchen for the camp are full of energy and willingness to jump in to work. There are many volunteers returning to this camp for the second, third, or more times, and reuniting with these people has been a great reminder of how wonderful this camp is, and how amazing Christ’s church can be.

The staff is a true blessing and example of Christ to both volunteers and campers. We were reminded of this today as Tom Guffey, the director of the camp, and Marc Neddo, this year’s camp leader, led us in orientation. They spoke frankly about where this camp’s heart lies – in the saving grace of Christ. Tom reminded us all that the two weeks of this camp may be the only opportunity many of these campers will ever have to experience Christ personally. The French culture is very secular and reserved – it takes a long time to get to know someone well enough to share the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection. This is truly humbling, as it pushes us to trust in God’s work at the camp instead of attempting to achieve anything on our own. If it is the only opportunity to share truth with these campers, we must pray continually for their hearts, for nothing we do alone can open their hearts.

Marc ended today’s orientation by reading comment cards from previous campers responding to the question of what they learned at camp. Among comments that reflected that this camp was the first opportunity many campers ever had to know Christ, truth, or grow in fellowship and humility, Marc also read a comment from a camper who come to the camp two years ago. This camper wrote that despite the positive influences of the camp, as a Muslim, he knew there was only one true God, and his name is Allah. Over the past two years, the camp had been praying for God to open the heart of this student to see and seek truth. This camper is returning this year.

Please pray for this camper and all the other campers, as we know that our work here is not simply to provide a good time for these young men and women, but to work for an eternal purpose – the salvation of their souls in the saving love of Christ.

God bless.

We made it!

Just a quick update to let everyone know that we made it to camp safely! Our travels went surprisingly well – no hiccups in three flights and a long bus ride. Also, unlike last year, in which cans of chipotle peppers exploded and sunscreen leaked in our suitcase (mixing to create an unbelievable stench), all the food we packed for Chelsea’s cooking made it unscathed this year. To be honest, the whole trip seems like a blur and it hasn’t quite set in that we are halfway across the world yet.

One thing is certain – we are ready to get to work. Tomorrow is going to be an anxious day as we wait for the other volunteers to arrive. Pray that our hearts would be fully devoted to bringing God glory in all things, and that God would bless the kitchen team, service team, counselors, full-time staff, and everyone else involved with loving fellowship and encouragement.

God bless.

Our Own Backyard

Two of the most common questions we got last year about our mission to France were the following:

- Why should I pay for you to go on vacation?!
- Why don’t you stay here and do a mission in your own backyard instead of going to France?

We would like to take a few minutes to address these questions. Simply put, we are not going on vacation. We are taking time off from work, yes. We are getting on a plane, true. We will be in France, of course. However, we will not be paid for our time off and are contributing personally to the trip from our own bank accounts. Furthermore, we will not be sightseeing, eating in fine dining establishments, or sitting outside sidewalk cafes. Truth be told, will probably not even spend much time together during those two weeks! Within our time off from our daily work, we will have very limited opportunites to go hiking and recuperate, and for a day (in which the campers will be away on an overnight hike) we may have time to go into town, but even though Chelsea has been to this camp twice already and spent six weeks in France, she has yet to see Paris or spend any time in any large city. While the surroundings are indeed beautiful, and we will certainly enjoy our time serving at Camp des Cimes, this does not discredit the work we will be doing, as we believe it to be vital to what God is doing in France. It is a truly misguided concept that serving God must be a tedious chore, as we have all been blessed with gifts so that our service to the Lord can be a blessing not only to those we serve, but a blessing for us as well. Scripture makes clear that serving God is not a burden, but a joy. (Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 12:6-8, 2 Corinthians 9:7-8)

Throughout our two weeks in France, David will be hiking up the mountain to scrub down the boy’s bathrooms daily as well as spending hours getting covered with dried crusty food while washing hundreds of dishes. Chelsea will be spending twelve hours (at least) everyday in the kitchen. She will be heading the kitchen team and will likely be on her feet all day everyday, working very hard to keep all the campers’ stomachs full and happy. She will be making three course meals for every single meal, never repeating an item during the entire two weeks as well as coordinating food orders and keeping the pantry in order. David will also be helping with a video workshop – working with the kids to teach them about the art of video and helping them create a story while worshipping God. While God is utilizing the gifts he has given us, and we enjoy serving in this capacity, these two and a half weeks are not easy on either of us mentally, physically, or emotionally.

There is, perhaps, a larger context to this question as well. Sadly, because France is not a third world nation, many see such a trip as needless and misguided. Why not help those who really need the help? Such a question reveals a lack of proper priorities, as we were not called simply to provide material aid to the physically sick and hungry, but primarily called to reach out to the spiritually impoverished. Not only does Christ commission us to go to all nations (Matthew 28:18-20), not simply poverty stricken nations, but as Paul states in Romans 15, “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.” Thus, the central goal of missions from the beginning has not been to meet physical needs, but to share the gospel with those who have not heard it. Yes, meeting physical needs is a command of God, and this is a means of grace by which we live out our faith and show others a tangible example of Christ’s love in action, but the gospel is “of first importance” (1 Corinthians 15:3) and all other action is in support of this goal. It would be silly to restrict our missions to areas that have great physical needs while neglecting the developed world. God desires all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), not simply those who have immediate physical needs. So, though it is not in vogue, we have answered God’s call to go support and aid the preaching of this gospel among French youth.

The second question is surely a valid one. Why would we leave here when there is so much to be done stateside, especially in a city like Milwaukee, were highly impoverished areas seem to take up nearly half the area and the population is considered one of the most segregated in the U.S.? We wish to assure you that we aren’t going to France in lieu of bringing God’s light to Milwaukee, instead we are going to France in addition to bringing God’s light to Milwaukee.

So, we thought we would give you a little taste of our mission field here and what God is doing through us in this city. First of all, Milwaukee. Milwaukee Public Schools has a high school graduation rate of 47%. Forty-seven percent! That is incredibly low, especially considering that Milwaukee tends to count the outskirts of its town as part of the actual city, unlike a city like Minneapolis, which restricts its population lines to the actual city and still has a graduation rate of about 80%. According to the city’s newspaper, in 2007, Milwaukee had the eighth highest poverty rate in the country – nearly 26% live below the poverty line. Sadly, it’s not news to us. It is impossible to avoid the fact that there are many highly impoverished areas of Milwaukee that need help both materially and spiritually.

Okay, so that’s pretty grim. So why aren’t we trying to bring Jesus to this city? Simply: we are. Some examples, you ask? First of all, we are very involved in our church, leading a small group and attempting to encourage discipleship and a growth of good doctrine within the church body. Secondly, we are involved in several ministries outside of the church and have a couple of opportunities for more. David has led a Bible study and done spiritual counseling at the Salvation Army Emergency Lodge for about a year and a half, reaching out to the homeless with compassion, respect, and the gospel. Chelsea has begun to join him every week and hopes to soon begin counseling the women in the Lodge as well. Additionally, the two of us worked with Lutheran Social Services last year to resettle a Burmese refugee family in Milwaukee – a ministry that continues today in the form of calls to help take a child to the hospital or resolve confusion over legal and insurance documents. We also have a new opportunity for Chelsea to begin volunteering at a Christian pregnancy center in town, peer counseling pregnant women or women who have recently had abortions (although the center never recommends abortions and does NOT administer them). She is excited for the opportunity and is prayerfully considering it. Finally, we both attempt to administer God’s grace around our workplaces and schools by living out Colossians 3:23-24 (“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”). Chelsea is also currently looking into social work jobs that have assist in foster care and adoption, and she’s very excited about this possibility!

As you can tell, we are passionate about bringing God’s love to every corner of the world – not just France and not just Milwaukee. We try to heed His call always. For the month of July, He is calling us to France, and every other day, He calls us to serve Him in our own backyard. Hopefully, this answers your questions. If you have any others, shoot us an email: or leave us a comment – we’d love the opportunity to clear up confusion and tell you more about France or Milwaukee and what we do there and here.

We are doing our best to faithfully serve Him in every capacity we can, although we usually fail miserably. Only by His Grace can we even approach Him and only through His Spirit can we do His work.

In Christ,
David and Chelsea