Instead of icicles we now tell B to watch out for the cacti outside!

We write to you for the first time since our return to France on February 1st. We flew into Lyon, near central France, visited with some friends briefly, got our rental car and drove south to the YWAM base in St Paul 3 Chateaux where we stayed for a few days while we visited with friends, the leader of YWAM France, and took care of some business. We then headed further south to our new temporary home in the Var region of France.

We are about an hour's drive west of Nice, in a small (300 sq ft!) garage, belonging to the parents of some friends we met while in St Paul. Our rent is low, and the surroundings are gorgeous. Nevertheless, we are anxious to finally find a place in Nice and be settled after so many months of travel and change.

There is a couple from YWAM Budapest who moved to Nice in September to join us...we officially have a team. There is another couple from Germany planning to move here and join us in late autumn (right after the birth of their first child!).

The couple from Budapest (she is Serbian; he is Ukrainian) has a strong background in worship leading and has served YWAM for several years. The couple from Germany has been training in Pioneer Missions with an emphasis on reaching (a very special people group!).

Our days have been filled with all of the many logistics one faces when moving, especially in another country. We have also had several opportunities to brainstorm and plan with our team.

This spring and summer we will be receiving 5 short-term teams from the US, Budapest, Australia, and S. Africa. News of a team in Nice spread quickly, and different YWAMers around the world are eager to send us teams to help us with the start-up. Most of these teams will be praying and singing in the streets and assisting local churches while they are here; we have heard this a great way to kick-off a new YWAM ministry location.

In May, Mike and I will be teaching in a DTS that is taking place in Lyon; our topic will be on mission. We would appreciate your prayer for inspiration and passion. So, our schedules are quite full, and our proverbial "plates" feel full to overflowing! The main item we are waiting on at this point is the apartment in Nice. Most of the apartments we have been able to look at have been out of our price range. We also need to pay quite a bit of money up-front to keep the owner from giving the apartment to someone else…money we don't have. Of course, with April arriving quickly, the taxman cometh as well. Our financial situation continues to look bleak.

We needed to raise our support level while in the states, the main reason we extended our visit. Although we received some new supporters (thank you! God bless you!), we also received some cut backs due to the current economic situation in the US (and worldwide). In the end, we were only able to raise a small percentage of what we needed to come back, but we had to return to avoid the possible loss of our visas and this inexpensive housing opportunity. The problem we face now is being able to move out and into Nice; we are definitely too far away from Nice and all that will be taking place there to stay here long-term.

We would greatly appreciate your prayers concerning these matters. In many ways the doors are opening here with our team and the reception of teams from around the world, but financially we continue to struggle. God has always provided for our needs, and for that we are thankful. May He provide the several thousands we will need for start up and moving costs even during tax season. Thank you for your prayers.

We miss you and think of you constantly. May you have hope in these times.

Bisous,

Mike and Tara