JULY NEWSLETTER: FREEDOM...I'm FINALLY HERE!

Jesus is the true source of FREEDOM...

He loved us by writing love on our hearts, written in His blood, with His very own nail-pierced hands and Body broken with love for us...

This photo of a moving monument to a time before we were ALL free reminds me why I am so grateful today for all the people, soldiers, pilgrims, abolitionists, civil rights activists, soldiers, brothers and sisters who had a hand in fighting for and insisting on that freedom.

But most of all I am grateful that no matter my physical state...I, WE, can always be FREE in Christ!

I'm just southeast of Paris. In the suburbs but an easy 30-45 minute drive to downtown.

French Flag

I have arrived, attended my first staff meeting, attended the official purchase of our new church home, bonded with my new Brie Church family, helped begin the massive face-lift the building will receive, driven in France for the first time and maybe found an apartment!!!
This last is the biggest prayer request: France is a little different...it takes a lot of guarantees and documentation to rent if your salary if received from a foreign country (mine is).
The owner of the rental property and the agent have to both be very confident in the guarantees and documentation of salary and employment provided by me and by UWM and thru France Mission, the sending agency for Lorenzo and Marie-Alice. Pray for favor, peace, confidence and trust on the part of the owner and all other business parties linked to this rental.
I LOVED the apartment and it would be perfectly placed for me to inaugurate Brie-Comte-Robert as the next town occupied by a member of Brie Church! Our strategy is to sow a church member in each town, develop a small group by loving your neighbors and loving God, and Him drawing them to Himself.

France is a quick drive to almost every other country in Europe!

BRIE CHURCH

Drumroll please...

Lorenzo, Eric Furter future elder, and I right after it became official...

NEW BUILDING!!!

I got to watch Lorenzo sign the papers 2 days after I arrived!!!

The Building is long with a beautiful piece of land behind!

Entering the front doors.

 

The main hallway has restrooms and a kitchen on the left.

Stairs on the left lead to a private apartment the church rents to a family.

Same hallway but on the right will be 4 environments for kids and youth.
Christ United folks think Backyard!

 At the end of that same hallway is the Office.

Here are staff and volunteers planning for the arrival of a team from Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta, GA.

A young church volunteer trying to look busy : )

The church's REAL "backyard"

The next few pics are the area that connects the back of the building to the huge backyard.

Pastor's bro and nephews playing with Pastor's daughter

Davide and his daughter.

Pastor Lorenzo standing, and his bro and niece seated.

They still "can't jump"...

The next few are what the country side looks like in between where we all live in separate towns. Several church members in each town but I will be the first in Brie-Comte-Robert 77170..Google map it!

Photos from my last night in Texas before I had a week or so left in Myrtle beach.

PHOTOS FROM MY SEVERAL GOING AWAY GATHERINGS

It was hard to say Au-Revoir-4-Now

Me and most of my Babies...

They will miss their Bluncle.

He will miss them more.

They may not see this so it is safe to Thank Ray and Rebecca Antonino for prolly the biggest support over the last 3 years. Cheap cheap rent and abundant friendship for this certain single guy while he pushed thru support-raising and waited on God to provide in His timing!

I love love love them and words can never sound the depths of my gratitude.

 Ray being himself above, then the real photo below.

I've been in a men's group that met weekly for most of the last 6 or 7 years. We also volunteered every month at Conway manor, which we chose because residents there have the greatest need to be loved and un-forgotten. Men and their spouses all had dinner to send me off. My little Kate even came...she's in the videos calling numbers and playing piano with me at Conway Manor.

My next to last day in the States was spent packing and loading a container.

I didn't get a group pic but thank you to 

My Pastor,Jeff Dunn (1st to sign-up to help)

David Spires, Director of Outreach (2nd to sign-up to help)

Rob Edwards

Karen Parker

Cullen and Angus,her sons

Todd Doane

Maverick, his son

AC Muller (for the loan of his truck)

Amos Lee (who provided storage, for free, until it was time to ship)

Final minutes before going thru the checkpoint to leave Charlotte, Myrtle Beach and the US behind...

Wayne and I met at Christ United when I volunteered to mentor the leader of a group for young men. He came to hang with me until it was time to go thru security and helped me check in 2 extra bags plus my keyboard! Thanx Wayne.

A Big Thank you to all my supporters but a special Merci to my several men's groups...almost every man and his family has partnered with prayer and monthly support! What an honor and a blessing.

First few hours in France. Lunch and then a team meeting with Lorenzo and Marie-Alice, staff and volunteers of Brie Church. I was awake 35 hours or so. I didn't sleep on the plane. So the next day, unbeknownst to me, they let me sleep uninterrupted 15 or so hours!

The next day Lorenzo, Marie-Alice and their 2 boys and 2.5 girls (one due in August) showed me around a nearby town and castle.

Robin and Xabi posing in the archer area

By Saturday I had seen so much already and then I got to meet a large chunk of the church family at a special Fete/party Saturday night. 

VIDEO: Pendaison Cremaillere
Housewarming or Beloved Brie Church Team-mates
David et Sophie KLEIN
When he speaks, Dadou (David) blatantly thanks God for the miraculous gift this house is to their family.
In front of his friends, many from the church, but more who would have nothing to do with the Church

SUNSET AT THE KLEIN HOUSEWARMING

DEPARTURE UPDATE

France "BRIE"fly an e-Newsletter  update subscription preferences  view email in browser MY Kinder-garten (garden of children) at my SEND-OFF Psalm 84:5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. http://bible.us/Ps84.5.NIV84

The photo above is from my last Send-Off from Myrtle Beach. I left the next day for Texas. Initially Texas was a trip to raise support but reaching 100% made it a family reunion also! Thanx David Sorrells, my friend and brother, for an amazing relaxing time in Austin where I had the best Brisket on the planet (Rudy's) even at the Airport (Salt Lick)!!! And thank you Gateway Church in Austin for having your Missions Department and Prayer Teams pray for this ministry! And Congratulations Ruth Judd on your new job there! David Sorrells, ME, Ruth Judd, Eric Fuentes... Eternal Friends in Texas, Sunday after Gateway Church CALENDAR:DEPARTURE ???  I LEAVE NOW AS SOON AS MY VISA ARRIVES. The visa application required a departure date and a flight reservation which we expected to use. BUT we were warned not to pay until the visa arrives so this does not take us by surprise. It is disappointing that it hasn't arrived yet but not a sign of bad news. All we can do now is wait for word any day now. I expect to still leave in June, as early as the end of this week maybe? OR as late as the end of June. But exactly when God has ALREADY planned it! IN THE MEANTIME.. 1-I tie up loose ends like: -Close old bank account -Store what I won't ship to France -Gift my car to a Nigerian brother at Christ United, who moved to Myrtle Beach to pursue his dreams and support his family back in Nigeria. Please pray for R.        (He was discouraged and now rejoices that God has spoken to Him thru our friendship...reminding him that God has seen his struggle and has NOT forgotten him! R. has really encouraged me to be as generous to others as God is being to me!) 2-NO I'm not having another Send-Off. I literally maybe JUST recovered physically from crying for 3 or 4 weeks as I got that last hug from so very many loved ones. I CANNOT DO THAT AGAIN. I WON'T.  3-SO I'm NOT staying in Myrtle Beach. I'll take the extra time to say more meaningful goodbyes with all my relatives and classmates back in Lancaster, SC and church family in Pageland South Carolina. I will DEPART FROM CHARLOTTE AIRPORT because it's closest to my where my parents live , where I'll be staying. I PROMISE TO GIVE THE ITINERARY DETAILS ASAP FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DRIVE THERE TO SEE ME OFF. PRAYER Requests: 1-My intended departure date, June 11th, has come and gone. I returned from Texas empty-handed... No Visa. No FedEx envelope. SO no departure, YET. In fact I am not even allowed to pay for my ticket until the visa, which includes my passport, arrives. AND I can't leave and have it shipped to me either (but I like your thinking : )) 2-Commitment to Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Fitness. I'm tired...in all 3 of those ways. 3-VISA: Here's the complete version. The Embassy says 2-3 weeks is normal but that 4 weeks is not abnormal. Today is day 28:that ends 4 weeks. France has had a holiday/day off every week in May, plus the Embassy took our American Memorial Day 4-or-5-day weekend. Several advisors in this process note that that really gives this process another week, or 2 before it has accrued the normal number of worked business days initially predicted ( most notably Chris Furr, American Teammate in Brie Church) (more on him next edition...great news!). A French Church organization helping us from inside France says even the END of June is not abnormal! Forfend! Now we wait some more for my visa and passport to be mailed back to me in that FedEx envelope. I will actually be alerted by email as soon as the package is picked up and scanned into the system. FINANCIAL UPDATE:100%!!! I am dancing around about this as you read it!!! BUT that includes some pledges for only 1 year. I return home, mainly to raise support if needed, in 3 years for just a brief time and then I RETURN TO FRANCE. MY commitment to this Church plant in BRIE and in all of FRANCE does NOT have an end or expiration date. So partners will ALWAYS be needed until Jesus comes back. A combination of new pledges from all the traveling in May and June AND many increases from already-supporters put US at 100%!!! I still cry when I see those numbers in that box of my excel spreadsheet! Thank God for you! You can't know until heaven just how much this blesses me, Brie Church and the people of France! I would just ask anyone who hasn't set up their increase to do so asap. Call UWM, Rilla Springstead at 704 357 3355 ext 104 or Toll free @1-800-825-5896 at ext. 104.Want to get on board? To donate to this ministry online click HERE. Click GIVE, Create an account, and look for Walker, Ricardo Acct# 31348 in the drop-down menu of Missionaries. Make your FIRST  gift AND set it as recurring. Thank you for the faithful time you took to read and pray!

Our mailing address is: Ricardo L. Walker 189 Fulbourn Place Myrtle Beach SC, 29579-3336  unsubscribe from this list  update subscription preferences  view email in browser