Our Michigan group has their tickets, their orange tags for the luggage and we're ready to leave.
Dr. Fred Lathrop , Kyle Reilly, Barb Starosciak, Claire Beer, Katie Beer, Brian Beer, Stephen Taylor, Daniel Stephens and Kaleb Reilly. ( Opey thinks he's going, too)

Last evening at home

Moodle has prepared her Bible lessons in French and is ready to teach VBS.

10 moire days to go!

We met at the Beers for prayer and to go over final details. The Stephens family finished the Safari backdrop for the VBS and it looks fabulous. They painted the scene on two king sized sheets and we will hang it at the church. I will send a picture then.

Here we have Kaleb Reilly, Claire Beer, Brian Beer, Katie Beer, Daniel Stephens ( with Moodle, our mascot), Barb Starosciak and Stephen Taylor.

The map shows Marseille in southern France. We will do one VBS there July 6-10 and then the second one in St. Paul de Vence during July 13-17.

Pray for a safe trip and organization of all the last details!

More on Marseille

Marseille is the second largest city in France and its largest commercial port. The main street is a wide boulevard called the Canebi`ere and it runs from the Old Port to the Reformes quarter. There are two large forts at the entrance of the Old Port - Fort St. Nicolas and Fort St. Jean. We will be staying in Fort St. Jean. Further out in the bay is Chateau d' If, made famous in The Count of Monte Cristo.

Although Wikipedia says humans have inhabited Marseille for almost 30,000 years, we can assume it has been a long time. The city was founded by the Greeks in 600BC and was one of the first Greek ports of Western Europe.

It was during the Roman rule that Christianity first appeared. There are catacombs above the harbor and records of Roman martyrs. According to tradition, Mary Magdalen and Lazarus came to Marseille to evangelize. We will see Lazarus' second tomb ( since Jesus raised him from the dead from the first one).

Here is some interesting food that we might find. Be sure to try some if you have the chance!

• Pastis, an alcoholic beverage made with aniseed and spice, the "Guinness of Southern France", it is an institution seen on every table
• Fougasse, typical Provençal bread
• Aïoli, a sauce made from raw garlic, lemon juice, eggs and olive oil, served with boiled fish, hard boiled eggs and cooked vegetables^[41]
• Tapenade, a paste made from capers, chopped olives and olive oil (sometimes anchovies may be added)
• Bouillabaisse, a fish soup containing assorted shellfish, fish and vegetables, served with rouille, toasted bread (croûtes) and often grated cheese ^[42][43]
• Anchoïade, a paste made from anchovies, garlic, black olives and olive oil, served with raw vegetables
• Panisse, a pastry made from chickpea flour
• Navette, a small hard biscuit in the shape of a boat, flavoured with orange blossom^[44]
• Bourride, a fish dish made with monkfish, mayonnaise and a vegetable brunoise ^[45]
• Pieds-paquets, a dish prepared from pig's trotters, sheep or pork tripe and lard

Pray for the ending program ( la fête) when parents hear what their children have learned.

Games in the park in Marseille

This is how we will walk the kids to the park for sports time.

VBS classroom

Shopping in a Pâtisserie last year

Preparing VBS snacks last year

This is a picture from last year - children singing in VBS in the sanctuary.

More preparations

This is my dad, a retired pediatrician. He has taken a mission trip to Africa and now joins us in France. He will teach Science the second week. Pray for him as he studies French and gets ready for the trip.