How Journaling Helps Me Jump-Start My Imagination

By Elizabeth Musser @EMusserAuthor 

 

 

A few years ago, I was asked by my Dutch publisher to write a novella for the Dutch ‘Week of the Christian Book’. (I wrote it in English—someone else translated it=). Christian bookstores throughout Holland put on this annual event where, for a week, any customer who purchases over 10 euros of merchandise in the store receives a free novella. The theme of animals was chosen for the year I was asked to write the novella.

I had never written a novella before and, being a rather long-winded novelist, felt the task a little daunting.

But as soon as I learned of the theme, I knew my story. It had been hidden in my journals for years, just waiting to find the light. 

I would write about our wonderful, neurotic mutt, Beau.

And so I did.

I told the story of an emotionally and physically scarred teen, Peter, who finds healing through his relationship with a rescue dog. Although the story was about Peter, I decided to tell it from both the mother’s and dog’s points of view.

In many ways, that story, Waiting for Peter, ‘wrote itself’ as I simply turned to the many journal entries I had penned throughout the years about our lovable mutt 

and all the lessons I had learned from life with Beau, especially lessons about how I should view my Master with the same love and devotion as Beau viewed me.

Keeping a journal is a great way to find inspiration for future stories. 

With Waiting for Peter, some of my journal entries found their way almost verbatim into the novella. Beau helped me through many hard times, and especially empty-nesting. So of course, the mother in Waiting for Peter finds solace during that season of her life too.

When writing The Dwelling Place, part of which takes place in Scotland, I reread all that I had written in my journal years earlier about the bustling, energetic city of Edinburgh and the rolling hills around Sir Walter Scott’s birthplace. As I reread my words, the emotions I felt while traveling through “the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Loman” came back in all their beauty.

Most recently, I returned from walking the first few legs of The Way, what’s known in French as Le Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle. It’s a centuries-old pilgrimage that runs through France and Spain, ending in the city of Santiago in northwest Spain.

I hiked about thirty kilometers of hills and valleys all alone, partly as a spiritual journey, and partly as research for a new novel. Even though I was bone-tired after each day's hike, I faithfully recorded my experiences in the evenings. Now I am going back to those journal entries daily as I create scenes in the novel. You can be sure that some will reflect what I actually encountered along The Way.

On days like today, my journal helps me jump-start my imagination. 

It is also the place where my soul spills out, a recording of my personal psalms to the Lord with my joys and fears, my frustrations, and the excitement of something in Scripture jumping off the page and into my heart. I journal about life. Events, circumstances, soul talk. It’s all there.

So the next time you need a little nudge of inspiration, turn to your trusty journal. You do keep one, don’t you? 

PS As a bonus to the joys of writing Waiting for Peter, Beau’s photo appeared on the front cover (yep, that’s him above). And when I went to Holland for book signings, we took a hundred of Beau’s paw prints, stamped by Beau (with much difficulty) onto little stickers. Beau 'signed' his story which, by the way, is now available in English, too. I can almost hear his ‘woof’ of approval from where he is frolicking in doggie heaven.

About Elizabeth: 

ELIZABETH MUSSER writes ‘entertainment with a soul’ from her writing chalet—tool shed—outside Lyon, France. For over twenty-five years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in missions work with One Collective, formerly International Teams. The Mussers have two sons, a daughter-in-law and three grandchildren.

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Doing Research Right

By Elizabeth Musser @EMusserAuthor 

My inspirational fiction is historical. 

I write what I like to read. With a novel, I want the author to have done her homework and present me with a well-crafted story that fits believably within whatever time-period she has chosen. I will very rarely pick up a history book and read it (I was not very good at reading my history books even in college), but I’ll gladly learn from a novel.

So, I do lots of research. 

Sometimes as a writer, it’s a bit maddening to realize that I’ve spent days and maybe weeks understanding a particular part of history that may in fact only be mentioned in a couple of paragraphs in my book. But the research must be done well to lend credibility to the story, and, in the end, I am richer for it.

A few months ago, I was blithely reading a historical fiction novel, one that had made it on many bestseller lists and came highly recommended. I was enjoying it immensely, especially because this engaging and harrowing story was recounting an unknown-to-me part of history in America. I turned the pages quickly…

Until… 

…the author did something that made me mad. She used a caricature for a character, grossly exaggerating something supposedly historical to the point that I just didn’t buy it.

And I felt deflated. 

Suddenly all of her exquisite prose and careful research unraveled for me. I finished the otherwise fine novel, but that one little slip by the author had tainted the story for me. It also served as a fresh reminder to do my research ‘right’.

I remembered all too well my first historical hiccup… 

In my debut novel, Two Crosses, I included an Author’s Note at the end, explaining the details of the Huguenot cross as it fit into French history. Somewhere between my writing the note and the publishing of the novel, the course of history got changed! I was mortified to discover that I had inadvertently destroyed the meaning of The Edict of Nantes*. (I actually think my editor changed it, and I never got to proof that part.)

Boy, was I embarrassed.

Fortunately for me, Two Crosses was reprinted (and re-edited!!!) a few years ago. My dear editor friend and I giggled at the mistakes we had made way back when.

How do we do research ‘right’? 

I’m obviously no expert, but here are three things that have helped me:

1) Whenever possible, get a first-hand account. 

 

This could come through an interview, research in a reputed history book or magazine, visiting a museum that has documented the history—something a little more trustworthy that Wikipedia (although I sometimes start there, just to get an idea.)

2) Visit the area.

As often as possible, I travel to the place I’m writing about to see it ‘up close and personal’. I need a visual to inspire my writing, so that my descriptions are accurate. If I can’t visit, I watch documentaries or find photos online of the actual place.

I visited the town of Aigues-Mortes in France while doing research for Two Crosses. The Tower of Constance, where Huguenot women were imprisoned in the 17th century, is seen in the distance.

3) Have smart and informed historians read your work.

(ie family, friends, professors, teachers, experts in the field). I’ve often been saved embarrassment by having someone wiser than I correct me.

My latest inspiration comes from a recent trip to Florida to visit Fort Caroline, the very first place that French Huguenots landed in what is now the United States. Or is it? A Huguenot descendant just told me last weekend that a reputable source is claiming that Fort Caroline was actually in Georgia.

At Fort Caroline

And so I go back to the drawing board…for a little more research…and trust that it will be worth it. 

*In 1598 The Edict of Nantes granted religious freedom to the first French Protestants (called Huguenots) until it was revoked by King Louis IV in 1685.

About Elizabeth Musser

ELIZABETH MUSSER usually writes ‘entertainment with a soul’ from her writing chalet—tool shed—outside Lyon, France. For over twenty-five years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in missions’ work in Europe. To be closer to family, the Mussers have moved back to the Southeast for 2017-2018 school year and are living in the Chattanooga area near their son, daughter-in-law and three grandkids. But you can read about her humorous Thanksgiving experiences in France here. Find more about Elizabeth’s novels at www.elizabethmusser.com and on Facebook, Twitter, and her blog.


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A Change in Ministry

by Elizabeth Musser

On a brisk spring evening in 2010, sitting around the dinner table in our home outside of Lyon, France, my husband and I listened as Scott Olson pronounced words to change our lives.

As the new president of our mission, International Teams, Scott and his wife, Jill, were traveling around Europe to meet with Iteams missionaries. Paul and I were thrilled to have them as our guests for dinner and the night. As is typical in France, I’d prepared several courses. The meal progressed slowly, with plenty of animated conversation about what God was doing in France.

Somewhere in the midst of the meal, the phone rang.

I excused myself for a few minutes to talk with my mother who was calling from the States. By the time I got back to the table, Scott was proposing a new job for Paul and me. The more he talked about this job of ‘Pastors to Missionaries’, the more excited he got. And I had a pinching in my heart. The Spirit was speaking, and I knew the Lord had put us at the right place at the right time.

Years earlier, Paul had been offered a similar job of pastoring missionaries. At the time, our two sons were young teens. We sought counsel, prayed, looked to the Word and concluded that this job, although an ideal fit for Paul, came at the wrong season in our lives. In our hearts, we thought, “Come back in five or six years and ask us again.”

Now a new president who had no idea of that previous offer was indeed asking. Paul and I did what we’ve done every time the Spirit has surprised us with a twist in our ministry and life: after the initial knee-jerk reaction of ‘No! Too hard!’, we took time to pray, speak with wise counselors, and seek guidance in the Word. And this time, we said ‘yes’ to Scott’s offer. As empty nesters, I’d be able to travel with Paul in this pastoral role.

So a few months later, we embarked on the new job. Our home base remained in Lyon, but our ‘territory’ included from Ireland to Ukraine. We traveled to 13 different countries, interacting with workers on 25 different teams.

Suddenly, I was seeing ‘up close and personal’ ministries I had been hearing about at missions conferences for so many years. Our job was to listen, counsel, laugh and cry, pray and listen some more to these dear workers who were indeed pouring out their lives for the physically and spiritually oppressed: refugees, students, gypsies, trafficked woman, secular humanists, pilgrims, artists.

One ministry to refugees birthed outside of Vienna in the 80s had particularly stirred my heart. Now, in our pastoral role, we had the privilege of interacting with not only the International Teams workers but also the refugees. We heard stories of refugees fleeing persecution along what is called ‘The Refugee Highway’ and finding hope at a little ministry center called ‘The Oasis’ where believers served up coffee and Christ.

These displaced people, mostly young Muslim men, played chess and Uno with the missionaries and volunteers. Some watched the Jesus film in their own language. Others attended clandestine Bible studies. And a few left with Jesus in their hearts.

I’d been writing ‘recent historical inspirational fiction’ ever since I attended my first writers’ conference in 1994. Often my inspiration came from little known events in history that I’d learned about while living in France or from recent history in my beloved hometown of Atlanta.

But now, hearing these current stories of refugees, learning of changed lives, and meeting some of these precious people, I felt a new inspiration. And so I began to pen a story that flowed out of the change in ministry the Spirit had nudged us into, a story called The Long Highway Home, fiction that is nevertheless based on so many true stories of refugees and missionaries and the Spirit of God at work.

I’m so thankful for the way the Lord nudges us into new challenges. How do you respond to His nudges?

About Elizabeth Musser

ELIZABETH MUSSER writes ‘entertainment with a soul’ from her writing chalet—tool shed outside Lyon, France. Elizabeth’s highly acclaimed, best-selling novel, The Swan House, was named one of Amazon’s Top Christian Books of the Year and one of Georgia’s Top Ten Novels of the Past 100 Years (Georgia Backroads, 2009). All of Elizabeth’s novels have been translated into multiple languages. Two Destinies, the final novel in The Secrets of the Cross trilogy, was a finalist for the 2013 Christy Award. The Long Highway Home is already a best-seller in Europe and will be available in English in early March, 2017.

For over twenty-five years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in missions’ work in Europe with International Teams. The Mussers have two sons, a daughter-in-law and three grandchildren who all live way too far away in America. Find more about Elizabeth’s novels at www.elizabethmusser.com and on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Book Recommendation: Taken by Lisa Harris

Book Description:

MISSING CHILD

Kate Elliot's suburban life turns upside down when her sister is shot and her niece kidnapped. Unsure of whom to trust, she turns to FBI agent Marcus O'Brian. But Kate doesn't want to leave the case to the authorities. Against the handsome agent's orders, she tracks her niece to Paris, and the City of Light quickly becomes a city of danger. Marcus can't explain why he feels such a strong connection with the headstrong woman, but soon he's taking on the role of Kate's protector. Yet when the kidnappers demand a ransom Kate can't deliver, he's not sure how much longer he can keep her alive. Now Marcus has the next twenty-four hours to save a stolen child and the woman he's grown to love.

Narelle's thoughts:

I’m a fan of Lisa’s books and I loved reading Taken. I read it quickly, within twenty four hours, because I couldn’t put it down. The story starts in the middle of the action, when Kate’s niece is kidnapped from her mother’s home. Distraught and desperate to rescue her niece, Kate travels from Texas to Paris and soon realizes her own life is at stake. Forced to rely on Marcus, she sees a different side of the handsome FBI agent who is protecting her.

I really enjoyed the French story setting in Paris and the inclusion of many historic and famous landmarks. The characterisation was excellent and I loved the way the romance developed between Marcus and Kate. I wanted to see Marcus and Kate stay alive to achieve their own happily-ever-after ending. The suspense plot kept me guessing until the end, with exciting twists and turns along the way.

I highly recommend Taken to readers who are looking for a high octane and fast paced romantic suspense story set in beautiful Paris.

Learn more about Lisa and her books at her website.

Breeding Ground: Sally Wright's Newest Release

On New year's Eve I posted a conversation with one of my favorite mystery writers— Sally Wright— talking about her love of Scotland and how using international settings enhances her Ben Reese series.
(In case you were doing something more exciting on New Year's Eve than reading blogs you can catch up with the earlier post here http://j.mp/Nun5Js )

Today Sally is back, talking about Breeding Ground, the first book in her all new Jo Grant Mystery series.
So, Sally, after all those wonderful books following Ben Reese through Europe and various places in the States, you've begun a whole new series with your architect heroine, Jo Grant. How did Jo take root in your mind?

Sally: It was Thoroughbred country around Lexington, Kentucky that took root in my mind first and led me to Jo. I stayed in wonderful old farmhouse B&Bs when doing a book tour, and grilled the owners about the history of the houses, and local characters in the horse business too – and that got me started.


Jo came to me, in many ways, through parts of my own experience. I would’ve been an architect, like Jo, if I hadn’t been a writer. Architecture speaks to me wherever I go, sometimes with pleasure and awe (most times here in the States with horror and disgust). I took care of my mother, who lived next door to me, a little like Jo did hers, through ten years of dementia – not daily with my own hands, but working with the humblingly kind caregivers who did the day-to-day. She’d been my best friend (except for Joe), and I watched her fade away with a deep sense of sadness and loss, without really knowing how to communicate and make her feel loved. There’ve been other losses and stresses in my life (my own pancreatic cancer among them) that made me want to examine the emotional strains of caregiving and suffering on someone somewhat like me – conscientious, but selfish and impatient. Jo grew out of all that, and then became herself.


Like Jo too, I had horses for years (one who was a rescue, like Journey in the early Ben Reese books; the best one was Max, the one eyed horse in Watches Of The Night) and I still dream about them. I was thrown badly five years ago (by another horse, after Max died) and I can’t ride anymore, so giving Jo Sam helped me relive my years learning and working and having fun with Max.

Neighbors of ours too, in Ohio, had a broodmare business next to us just like Jo’s and moved it to Versailles, Kentucky, twenty years ago, and they took me around to famous farms there during our various visits and explained the business to me as I wrote Breeding Ground.


That broodmare business part of Jo’s life, and the other businesses in the book, allowed me to write about something that’s an important part of my world. My father was an orphan, raised in an orphanage, who got to college (in 1929) because a teacher helped him, then became a chemist who invented a product and started his own business with my Mother. It’s been a pivotal part of my life. And the conflicts that arise when choices have to be made between making good business decisions and catering to family feelings drives a lot of what happens in eighty percent of the businesses in the US. And I thought the time had come for me to analyze and explore that. Although BREEDING GROUND is set primarily in Lexington, Kentucky, in current times, events in wartime France play an important role. Were you able to visit those scenes for background research?

Sally: The WWII backstory in Breeding Ground takes place in the Loire Valley, where we saw gorgeous chateaux (Chenonceaux in particular, where Resistants were hidden and passed to safety), as well as the house where Leonardo Da Vinci died (which came as a surprise to me). We drove down through Burgundy – stopping in vineyards and enjoying the landscape – making our way south to Lyons simply so I could do research in the Resistance Museum.

It never occurred to me that it would be closed on a Tuesday. But it was – and we had to fly home the next day - illustrating only too clearly that I had committed one of the most avoidable mistakes made by rooky researchers. I took my revenge by using the "staff only" bathroom in the office wing next door.What's next for Jo? In BREEDING GROUND she had to put aside her dream of studying architecture in Europe to deal with more pressing matters (like murder). I'm hoping she might get across the pond soon.

Sally: My hope is that the next book will take place three years later in 1965. Jo will have traveled to see great architecture in Europe, married the obvious candidate from Breeding Ground, and had their first child.


The plot will have to do with the most terrifying experience Jo and her husband ever faced, which resulted from conflicts within the equine pharmaceutical company where her husband worked as a chemical engineer, stirring the pot (pardon the pun) and forcing change that threatened more than one.


Also in the second novel, another character from Breeding Ground (who’d been an OSS agent working with the underground in France during WWII) will go back to Tours to try to discover who’d set him up as a Nazi collaborator in 1944.


Still, it’s the choices the characters make - the way they harm, and heal, and take revenge, or find a way to forgive - that interests me most. Character can alter a whole community, even a culture that’s dependent on fragile, four-footed, athletes. And in Jo’s community – grooms and jockeys to aristocratic breeders – human nature, fallen and redeemed, has given me much to think about.　
That’s wonderful, Sally. And there’s no question but that Breeding Ground delivers on all your goals. Here’s my review:
Sally Wright’s many fans know they can open one of her books assured of excellent writing, living, breathing characters, a fully developed background and an intricate plot. Breeding Ground never disappoints in any area.
Joe Grant is sure to become as popular with Wright’s readers as her perennial favorite Ben Reese. Jo is an architect who dreams of going to Europe to study historic buildings and give scope to her love of restoring heritage homes. The need to nurse her dying mother and then the untimely death of Jo’s beloved brother, however, have forced her to put her life on hold. And just when things are looking up for Jo her uncle suffers an accident with an obstreperous horse and Jo’s desires are once more forced aside as she must rescue the family business. And then a dear friend dies in suspicious circumstances.
Like the Ben Reese mysteries, Breeding Ground is set in the 1960’s and acts of valor and treachery in World War II still cast their long shadow over lives. Although firmly grounded in the rolling green horse pastures around Lexington, Kentucky, the reader also gets glimpses of wartime France.
This is a complex novel about horses and about family business but most importantly, it is about the choices people make. Every character, like every human being, is faced with choices in his or her life. Some choose healing and some don’t. That choice makes all the difference.

You can see more about Breeding Ground here: http://j.mp/1i2E81m
Visit Sally’s website here: http://www.sallywright.net/

Posted by Donna Fletcher Crow the author of The Monastery Murders: A Very Private Grave, A Darkly Hidden Truth and An Unholy Communion as well as the Lord Danvers series of Victorian true-crime novels and the literary suspense series The Elizabeth & Richard Mysteries.To read more about all of Donna’s books and see pictures from her garden and research trips go to: http://www.donnafletchercrow.com/ You can follow her on Facebook at:
http://ning.it/OHi0MY

LOVE, an acronym: Leave Overwhelming Vindicating Evidence! The Re-birth Story (Part 3)

  

When I last posted on the Re-birth Story in November, we had left the team of five worshipping at a concert in Keuruu, Finnish style.

It’s now the twenty-first day of their month­-long journey and they have already covered 8665km through eleven different countries across Europe. In this last third of their outreach, they will nearly double this amount of land traversed.

Two-thirds of their faith journey are already complete. But on this day they are really down. Not only are the team weary, they are heartsore. Today they left Samuel behind. His journey through Europe with Re-birth has come to an end as he joins his family for a short holiday in Finland before heading back home to Sweden to prepare for university. The bus journey is silent. Nobody is smiling much today ... their hearts are too heavy.

Soon they are on a train heading north to Oulu. Their friend, Tiia, having driven back to Oulu that morning where she attends university, meets them at the station to bid them a last goodbye. Within two and a half hours they arrive in Haparanda, just ovr the Swedish border. It’s dinner time, and they are hungry.

Seated on a hard concrete pavement opposite the bus stop, they discover a polystyrene container with fish, potatoes and carrots. The meal has hardly been touched. They’re uncertain if they should eat it. Could this be provision from God? It doesn’t take long for Davide and Christo to lead the way in devouring what they conclude is a heaven-sent meal. It’s tasty, although Christo thinks it could do with a little more salt. But, one box meal between four growing young men, doesn’t fill too many gaps, and so their appetizer is followed by tinned ravioli spread onto dry white bread. While they eat, they sing in true African harmony (with a touch of Italian) – “I will follow, I will follow Jesus ...” Truly Re-birth are following everywhere He leads, even though at times it has not been easy.

Later, tucked inside their sleeping bags on the quiet pavement, they spend time playing the guitar and singing, making up their own crazy tunes for amusement. A starless midnight blue sky is their only audience in the vacant bus stop. Their silly songs are a balm to their souls and their spirits are lifted. It’s only 7 a.m. when they reach Lulea after a 4.30 a.m. rising. It’s going to be a long day with nine and a half hours standing between them and their train to Stockholm.

They spend their time trying to book tickets online for this train but to no avail. When they finally get on the train that afternoon, they do so hoping they won’t get kicked off because they haven’t booked. It’s an overnight train – reservations only. Would the conductor believe them when they explain that the internet wasn’t working so they couldn’t reserve online? And they were unable to make their bookings at the ticket machine as that method did not allow them the benefit of their EuRail passes – they would have had to pay full price for tickets which on their limited reserves, was not an option. Having previously experienced not being allowed on a night train without reservations, or having to pay a fine due to non-reservation, they just had to trust they would be okay; they had to get on this train. Despite their dilemma, the team remains confident they will be exactly where God needs them to be. Either they would not be allowed on the train ... or they would be kicked off ... or they would have to pay reservation costs, still not have seats and still have to pay a fine ... or they would be made to just pay reservation costs. The penalties were limitless.

Shortly after the four got on the train, the conductor came past. When they explained their booking dilemma, she just replied, “Okay, it’s fine; you can stay on.” 

Now usually what would happen is that the fine would be waivered but they would have to pay a reservation cost, but she merely cautioned that they would have to move if someone came to a reserved seat. While the team were worrying about money, God provided them a night train for free. And because the train was fairly empty, they didn’t have to move from their seats. They all got a much needed night’s sleep ... nine hours of it. 

How great is God, working all things for good! 

The following morning they change trains and head south-west for Copenhagen via Goteborg. From Copenhagen the train island-hops the Danish land masses, crossing the Baltic Sea with the help of sturdy steel bridges. Finally, it’s swallowed inside the belly of a ferry to be carried, like Jonah, over the largest stretch of water before finally being spewed out onto German soil at Puttgarden. 

Whilst on the ferry, the smell of coffee permeating the lounge area was not good for the guys. They are all dying for a caffeine fix, but at around two euro a cup, all they can do is to savour the delicious aroma. This is a luxury they cannot afford. 

They head for the deck where fresh air is sure to drive away this dark, discouraging temptation. 

Far out at sea, arching over a farm of white rotating wind turbines, a rainbow dips into the ocean ... an iridescent reminder of the depths of God’s love to a world spinning out of control.

After Puttgarden they catch yet another train to Hamburg. They’re still dying for a cup of coffee. 

“The Lord can spoil us sometimes,” Kyle tells his friends and so they decide to pray for coffee. Christo is even bold enough to stipulate a price. 

“Fifty cents ... we can afford to pay fifty cents, nothing more.” But nowhere in Europe will you find coffee for less than one euro fifty, and even that is cheap – it usually costs two euro or more. Christo also tells his parents over Skype to pray for coffee that’s cheap and offers up his own personal prayer. “Lord, I would really love some coffee. If you could just give me coffee for fifty cents ...”

Inside Hamburg station they find a vending machine selling Jacobs coffee, Christo’s favourite, for ... you guessed it ... fifty cents! God is amazing. He is awesome. And on this night he decided to just spoil four of his children with cheap coffee of the best brand.

And He blesses them with another spoiling ... they can sleep on the train tonight as it is travelling directly to Frankfurt. Almost seven hours just waiting to be filled with sleep. 

By 8.30 a.m they reach Saarbrücken, a stone’s throw from France. Within 800 kilometres they will be across France and at Mimi’s house in Nantes. Tonight they will sleep in soft warm beds, have hot showers and a good home cooked meal.

But things don’t always work out according to plan. They are kicked off the train they were taking to Paris. Then they miss the train they were meant to take as it left early. The team have no idea how they are going to get out of Saarbrücken.

Just after ten they are on another train only to be stranded again in Metz forty minutes later. There are no EuRail seats available, no trains today or tomorrow, and the cheapest ticket will cost them 18 euro each.  They contemplate hitchhiking, but they have to cross from one side of France to the other – an impossible feat in a day. Davide wonders if they could even do it in two days. And so, once again, they are stuck. But they have to be in Nantes by tomorrow night, Friday, for ministry. They trust that if God needs them to be there, they will get there in time.

The architecture of the surrounding French buildings conjures up a myriad of descriptions ... intricate, quaint, alluring, neat. But the guys don’t seem to notice. They’re preoccupied with finding a way across France.  And unless you’ve actually travelled across France, you don’t realise just how big it is. I’ve been there, done that, and contrary to what the eye sees on a map, the country seems to stretch on for ever. And the team hardly have 40 euro left in their pockets.

Anxious for her friends to arrive, Mimi contacts Davide on his cell. She immediately sets about searching the internet and soon calls back with options to get to Nantes, almost for free even though they had been told they had to take the TGV which would cost them dearly. They may just have to spend a euro each on the metro in Paris. Hopefully they will get to Nantes by midday the following day.

Whilst waiting for their 6.50 p.m. train to Reims, they each take some time alone with God. 

Davide and Kyle walk up and down the platforms of Reims station, trying to find the best place to sleep where they stand the least chance of getting chased away. Around 10 p.m. they settle on a glass cubicle on the platform. 

Kyle slides into his sleeping bag underneath the wooden slatted bench while the other guys start unrolling their sleeping bags. But ten minutes later they are chased away and station security escorts them right out of the building. They find space in a dark alleyway close to the station and settle down for the night; they have to be up early to catch the 5 a.m. train.

It’s September, a new month. By 7 a.m they have made it to Paris where they change trains. Twenty-five minutes later they’re on a different train but that trip only lasts two minutes.  After thirty minutes, they’re on the next train. 

By 10.40 a.m. they’re alighting in Le Mans. They move through the underpass to catch the next train to the following town ... Nantes. Nearly two hours later the train pulls into Nantes station. After 17 trains during 98 hours of travel, they have finally made it, albeit one day late, and soon they are reunited with their beautiful French friend, Mimi.

I remember with fondness the day I met Mimi with her alluring accent and bubbly personality. We had met Kyle at OM for dinner on their first night at base as parents were invited to join the trainees for this meal. This would be their home for the next six months. Standing in line for our meal, we found ourselves beside a lovely teenage girl with long dark hair. She immediately introduced herself. “I’m Myriam, but you can just call me Mimi.” 

When we heard a few days later that Mimi was ill in hospital, desperately missing her family and thinking of going back home, we rushed to her side with a bottle of Lucozade energy drink, a box of Merci chocolates, some love and a prayer. I like to think that little bit of parental love swayed Mimi to continue with her MDT training. I know she’s glad she did because she made a family of lifetime friends, closer than sisters and brothers, during her time in South Africa. 

Mimi’s sister is with her and in true female style the first order of the day is to take the guys sightseeing and window shopping. Nantes is a beautiful place; postcard buildings surround the paved square that’s buzzing with people enjoying the overfilled street cafes.

After the sights, Mimi treats the Re-birth guys to lunch at a nearby Creperie. It’s so good for the boys to taste proper food again ... and cappuccino. Christo is in heaven.

Back home at Mimi’s house, the team relive their MDT days as they spend time in praise and worship. With Kyle on a child’s guitar, Mimi using two plastic toy rings as drums, Davide squeezing a toy cow that makes more of an oink than a moo, and Christo whistling along, they make a joyful noise to the Lord. “Blessed be the name of the Lord ...”

The following afternoon, Mimi drives the Re-birth guys to her church. They are sharing with Mimi’s youth group and then doing outreach after the service.

No one speaks in English – this is going to be fun! 

Mimi acts as translator between the group of about ten young adults and the team. Kyle is the first to talk about Re-birth. They all have a good giggle when Mimi starts to translate Kyle ... in English! 

Mimi’s older sister is married to an American named Joel. They are the youth leaders for this little group. For the benefit of the Re-birth team, Joel is sharing in English as he explains about the evangelism packs and questionnaires they have for the outreach. One of the youth translates his words for the benefit of the French.

It is just starting to get dark as they head out of the suburbs toward the city. It’s 9 p.m. 

Standing on a pavement in the dark, illuminated only by nearby street and shop lights, Joel’s translator encourages the group before they head out, first in French and then in English, not to be discouraged by people’s refusal but to remain persistent to spread the Gospel.

So many senses are stirred inside me as I watch the videos that document the Re-birth journey. There is so much I would love to share with you. And so, whilst Mimi’s youth group and the Re-birth team set about to do street evangelism, using the tools provided earlier by Joel, the writer in me cannot help but take some time out to describe their mission field. 

An incredible fountain sits proudly in the middle of the square, illuminated by purple lights. Eight robed women, seated at different heights on concrete taborets, line the inner edge of the round concrete pond. Water sprays out of their hands and falls into the pool below. Behind them stands a higher concrete fountain with water cascading endlessly from its edges. Rising from the middle of that fountain, another robed woman stands elevated on a pedestal, right hand raised to heaven. She bears a similarity to another famous stone lady who stands for justice and liberty for all. From the pedestal beneath her feet, water spouts out of carved mouths in four opposing directions – north, east, south and west. The purple water feature, backdropped by lemon colour illuminated buildings, is an amazing sight to see. 

People mill about ... some on foot, some riding bicycles, and others, seated beneath canvas umbrellas or on the edge of the fountain, chat endlessly. The air hums with the language of love as families and friends enjoy the start of the weekend. 

Nearby, grey concrete pavements come to life with paintings done by street artists. Hanging baskets, overflowing with vibrant blooms, decorate the walls of adjoining streets where no vehicles are permitted to go. 

Could you see it all? Did it look anything like this?

Despite the beauty and buzz of their surrounds, with the language barrier the night of street evangelism is difficult and quite frustrating for Re-birth. Nobody, except Mimi and her family, seem to speak any English. The team wonder why they are here.

Saturday afternoon is spent with some of the youth again, playing sports in a verdant park. Amongst other things, carted along to the field are a plastic rugby ball; baseball bat and ball; rackets; coloured skittles; and a volleyball and net. They certainly have something for everyone to do for the afternoon.

Worship that evening is interesting ... the words on the screen are French, the singing from the congregation is French, yet the tunes are universally familiar and so the Re-birth team sing along in the language nobody seems to speak ... English. “Tu es saint, Tu es saint, Tu es saint, Je desire te voir ... As we sing Holy, Holy, Holy ...”

Later in the service, Davide introduces the team and they share with their brothers and sisters in Christ about the Re-birth movement. They have gotten used to working with a translator and they speak in short sentences broken with pauses for the translator to do her thing.

Kyle tells the youth that Re-birth live for three core things... Faith, Hope and Love. He starts by posing the question, “Faith ... what is faith?” After a moment’s silence he explains. “An undying trust in something.” Kyle speaks briefly about faith and how having faith in the wrong things leaves us feeling discouraged or empty.

Christo is next to talk about Hope. He shares that the story of Jesus is what gives us hope, and this is the hope that we should take outside to the world. But the world is broken, and it seems hopeless at times ...

They show some of the video footage and pictures they’ve taken along the way ... playing with the gypsy children in Romania who live near the dumps ... and how just spending time having fun with the children brought them some moments of hope.

“But,” Christo says, “it’s not always in rural areas like this where you find hopelessness.” He tells of the man he met in the city – good job, nice suit, money – but a few months earlier his wife and child had left him. He felt hopeless, and Christo was able to share with this man how the Good News had given him hope too. It was amazing how what Christo shared with this man gave him hope ... he wanted to hear more and gave Christo his email address.

Finally, Nathanial shares about Love. “The main thing missing for people today is someone to love and someone to love them.” He shares a personal testimony where he realised that nobody can give you a greater love than God can give you. And as Christians, if we want to be known as God’s disciples and followers, we need to show this love to one another ... that is how people will recognise us, by the love we have for God and the people around us.

Davide takes to the stage to wrap up. He challenges the youth that we need to get back to the roots of the early Christians – those that were together with Jesus. We have to start to be a community of people that live by faith in Jesus, that give hope to the people around us as Jesus brought hope to us, that are able to show unconditional love just as Jesus gave unconditional love to us.  The central concept of God is love; what He gave to our lives is hope.

The youth group is so moved by the words of the team and their vision, that they take a collection for them. Down to their last ten euro, God has once again supplied ...   over a hundred euro. And this at a time when the team were worrying how Davide would get back home to Modena once they returned to Italy as his Inter Rail pass was  not valid in his home country.

It’s nearly midnight as the team and Mimi sit in the car outside church reflecting on the evening. Mimi shares how her best friend, Leo, who comes from a Christian family although he himself is not a Christian, told her how glad he was that the Re-birth team had come and how he is interested in finding out more about Christianity. She also shared that many of the youth, Christian and non-Christian, had been deeply touched by Re-birth. Today had been all about showing love to people.

All too soon their time to leave France has come, and as her father drives the team to the train station on Sunday afternoon, Mimi cries all the way. She’s not prepared to say goodbye to her best friends in the world whom she has come to love so much. Her mascara is smudged and her tissue soaked. Still, amidst the tears, she manages to bear a smile and a laugh.

Back in a train station ... back to a normal day for the Re-birth team. 

Dad and daughter escort the team all the way to their platform, making the most of the remaining time together.

Finally, separated by glass as the guys are seated on their train bound for Le Mans then Paris, Mimi stands forlorn beside her father – inconsolable.

Back in Paris, people crawl like ants through this busy station. They are everywhere ... thousands of them. How the team managed not to lose each other is yet another of God’s miracles along this journey. Before heading to their next train an hour later, they step outside to catch a breath of fresh air where they manage to spot about two inches of the Eiffel Tower in the far distance.

The end of the line comes at ten-thirty that night in Amiens. They are headed for Belgium where they feel God wants them. Once again, they have no place to sleep. They rest for an hour on the cold metal chairs in the main station, but soon have to leave and brave the darkness of yet another unknown, foreign city.

Just beneath the station they find an open, illuminated area, almost like an underground parking, where they are able to sleep. The smell of urine emanating from one side tells them that many homeless before them have also discovered this haven. The further down the area they move, the worse the trapped smell becomes. They move back toward the wide open entrance they had entered where the reek is a little less potent. They are more on the eye here, but at least they have a little more fresh air to blow away the stench. Kyle encourages the guys to pray, that they’ve been fine all along and they’ll be fine now too.

Soon their brightly coloured sleeping bags – lime green, fluorescent orange, red and black – are stretched out on the cold concrete floor beside a corrugated iron wall.

By 5.45 the next morning, they are packed up and ready to get back upstairs to the station. They have made it through the night. Tonight they’ll sleep in beds again in neighbouring Belgium thanks to their newfound South African OM friends, Johann and Winnie Jordaan, whom they had met at the Go Conference near Amsterdam. 

But they’re only on the move again two and a half hours later. The train is full and they have to stand, however it’s a mere two minute ride before they have to get off again.

When they get to Brussels later that morning, they are astounded by the amount of homeless people of all nations in this city – a problem caused by strange governmental laws. 

After contacting Johan, the guys take a train to Zaventen and walk from the station to the OM offices where they will spend the night. The building, which used to be an old paper factory, is beautiful ... crazy cool as Kyle says. 

Later that afternoon they spend time sharing testimonies at Govert’s house with fellow missionaries – musicians who play the blues and do prison ministry. Their jamming session takes place on hand drums, guitars, banjos, harmonicas and accompanied by singing. Govert, a former drug addict, shares his testimony of how God changed his life.

Their second last day of Re-birth Europe is spent offering practical help at the OM base in Zaventen and that afternoon, before leaving for Switzerland heading back to Italy, Johan, Winnie and their young daughter, share communion with Re-birth. What a fitting end to their journey – remembering the one that this trip was all about. Johan and Winnie spend time counselling the team about their futures and also praying for their future wives. They give them some money for their journey.

This all resulted in Re-birth narrowly missing their train, but God had a purpose for that too. Davide got to share with group of girls on a train in Italy, a train they would not have been on had they not missed their train from Brussels. And, they got to Modena at 8 p.m. on the last day of their journey (refer to my first blog on Faith, for the significance of that time).

Over 15,000 km through 14 different countries, this has been an amazing journey for the team ... one where their faith has been so stretched, but where they have  personally experienced God’s faithfulness and guidance over and over. This was a journey that would set the foundation for their futures in missions. They have learnt to forsake all and trust in Him (Faith); to hold on prayerfully expectant (Hope) and to leave behind overwhelming vindicating evidence (Love).

And, once back in Italy they find they still have over a hundred euro left. They donate this money to some of the missionaries they met along their journey.

Thank you for taking this journey with me. I know the blogs have been far longer than the acceptable norm, but I do trust that the time you’ve invested in this armchair travel has been worth your while. Perhaps you’ve even discovered an exciting new setting for your next book?

Is it all over now? No ... for Re-birth the journey has only just begun. Plans are currently underway for an April outreach through India, and a team being taken to Romania to help build houses for the gypsies in July.

Part 1 of the documentary DVD is freely available for viewing on YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM0Iescrs3U  It’s extremely inspiring and well worth the watch. From this link you’ll see more of Re-birth’s videos as well as an animation video explaining what Re-birth is all about.

MARION UECKERMANN’s writing passion was sparked in 2001 when she moved to Ireland with her husband and two sons. Since then Marion has been honing her skills and has published some devotional articles in Winners at Work and The One Year Book of Joy and Laughter (published August 2011), as well as inspirational poetry online and in a poetry journal. She has written her first Christian Women’s novel (unpublished) and is currently working on the sequel as well as a Historical Romance novel. Marion now lives in Pretoria East, South Africa in an empty nest with her husband and a crazy black ‘Scottie’. Marion is a member of the Christian Writers of South Africa and can be contacted via email on marionu(at)telkomsa(dot)net.