Being helped

The dark rainy view from my apartment in Maubeuge,(mow boojz) France.

As most anyone who knows me knows that I am someone who likes to help others. I often lend a hand of service to others and find it hard to say "no" (or "non" when I am in France). What you might not know is that I received a "Most Helpful" award in high school. At the print shop I get to help my coworkers often.

Something I've noticed that it is, for me anyway, harder when I need to be helped for two reasons. One needing to be helped means that I have a problem that needs fixing. Its easier to deal with something that you aren't in the middle of. The other reason is that it is humbling to ask for help. Oooo ouch.

I needed help and got it twice today. I have great friends. This is my first mac computer and its been going great until last evening when my lovely laptop didn't want to connect to the internet and wouldn't shut down right. Not knowing macs I called Daniel K. and this morning he helped me repair the problem with advice for the future. Thank you, Daniel!

Another first, my first car in France, and this evening I saw steam from the hood. It looks like the water hose has a hole. I am not the most gifted with cars so I called Roger S who came by to look at it, and make sure things were good until I get to work tomorrow. Thank you Roger!

And thank you everyone else who has helped me.

Anyone who needs a hand here is a photo of mine.

My French Adventure, Germany, the Czech Republic… and some USA

Hello Friends,
Click here for the PDF file MFAAugust08.pdf

I want to thank you for your prayer and financial support. Sometimes our plans, no matter how difficult they seem to be, just tend to work out and we praise God for those times. Then there are other times when we are stuck in a situation and we don't have any control over. In those times, like when I missed the train in Germany or I got on the wrong train, we pray to God just to get us through it.

In August most of France shuts down for vacation. Offices and even some stores are closed for some important time off. Here at BLF Europe we only take three of the four weeks off. During these three weeks we have the opportunity to relax and explore Europe.
For ten days of my vacation I decided to visit my sister Colleen. Her husband, Jacob is now stationed in Germany with the Army. I took the train from Mons, Belgium to her town in Germany with stops to change trains in Brussels, Belgium, Koln, Germany and Nuremberg, Germany.
It all seemed straightforward, at the stops where I was to change trains I would get off and see where I would catch my next train. That worked great in Brussels and the most beautiful part of the ride was between Liege, Belgium and Aachen, Germany. It was in Koln where it got confusing. All the announcements on the train were in German, French and English. I think their English wasn't great because I remember hearing an announcement about the next stop but I didn't understand it. I looked for the right platform, I found out it was the one across from the train I came from. By the time I got there the doors were closed and the next train didn't come until another hour at a different station.

I took the next train and was ok until the next change in Nuremberg where I had to buy a ticket for the last train. I lost some time looking for the place to buy my ticket so I ran to the train and sat down. I used the important traveling phrase "do you speak English?" to borrow someone's cell phone and I called Colleen to tell him I would be late. The person next to me was the one to discover that in the hurry to get to my train I had got on the wrong one. I got off at the next stop and called my sister to tell her the name of the small German town where I was.

I was learning the train system in Europe, Colleen and Jacob were learning their GPS. They entered in slightly the wrong town name and were coming from the north and they ended up one hour south of where I was. I got home to their place late but it wasn't bad, I finished the book I was reading. I had a great time in Germany. One day when Jacob, my brother-in-law, was left for field traing, Colleen and I took a day trip to Prague for lunch. The American Military base was very "American". From fast food restaurants, large cars (compared to European cars) and everyone spoke English. That is normal for some, but I was used to being in France and Europe. It was as Bases generally are, 'little piece of America'.

As great as it was I am glad to be home where I can struggle with my French around Maubeuge. We started working back at the print shop the 25th of August.

Three new books at BLF Europe!
Before going on vacation BLF Europe finished three new titles. They are on shelves as we speak. I was a part of all of these from making the plates to gluing and cutting. Many thanks to all the others there that put their time and energy into these books. Please pray for these books and those that will read them.
"Moi aussi je voudrais croire ! Mais..." (Me too I would like to believe, but...) Is a book written by Raphaël Anzenberger to specific questions that French people have about Christian faith. Soyez dynamiques (Be Dynamic) by Warren W. Wiersbe is a commentary on the book of Acts Chapters 1 to 12. Soyez vigilants (Be Alert) by Warren W. Wiersbe is a commentary on 2 Peter, 2 & 3 John and Jude.

Blogging
I have been blogging at http://nathansfrenchadventure.blogspot.com. A blog is an online journal with my photos. The name comes from the shortening of the word weblog. I try to keep it updated a few times a week if not daily. You can subscribe to my blog so you will receive emails as soon as I update.

Did you know?
Depending on who you ask french fries either come from the South of Belgium or the North of France. In the North of France (where I live) there are friteries (translates to "fry shops") where one of the popular things to order is what is called an "American" which is a piece of baguette with some meat inside like a sandwich then they cover it full of fries and then sauce.

Nathan Phillips
Residence Touraine N 32
2 Rue De Normandie
Les Provinces Françaises
59600 Maubeuge
France

nathan@blfintl.org

To call from the US
011 33 3 61 21 10 92

Distributing tracts

In America it is illegal to put anything in any mail box. In France it is perfectly legal. The Christians here say "Ah ha, we can distribute tracts in mailboxes".

Today Stephane, Jeremie (my director's sons), Rachel (their cousin), and I distributed in Recquignies, the town where Stephan and Jeremie live. We did the whole town and distributed around 941 tracts in mailboxes. We were on bike and on foot to give out this tract here, "Le message essentiel" (which easily translates to "The Essential Message").

We now pray for responses that the people who receive the tract that they would come to know the Living God. Sometimes when there were people already outside and we handed the tract to them. From those people I noticed a positive response to at least receiving the tract.

Apartment photos (bienvenue)

The Kitchen

Living room

3 new books

Before going on vacation BLF Europe finished three new titles. They are on shelves as we speak. I was a part of all of these from making the plates, folding, sewing, collating, gluing and cutting. Many thanks to all the others there that put their time and energy into these books. They are available for purchase at BLF Europe's site.

Moi aussi je voudrais croire ! Mais... (Me too I would like to believe, but...) Is a book written to French people who have questions about the Christian faith.

Soyez vigilants (Be Alert) by Warren W. Wiersbe is a commentary on 2 Peter, 2 & 3 John and Jude.

Soyez dynamiques (Be Dynamic) by Warren W. Wiersbe is a commentary on the book of Acts Chapters 1 to 12.

Torndado in my area

I left to visit my sister in Germany. The night be fore I left there was a huge wind and strong rain. Later that night my power in my apartment went out for about 30 minutes. When I got up and left for the train station the next day I saw some of the destruction caused by what I found out was a tornado. The worst of it hit Haumont a town near Maubueuge (where I live) where several houses were destroyed many damaged. Three people died and around ten were injured.

This has changed the shape of the town. things are totally different.





click here for more photos others took

Sore Hip

For those of you who know what time it is here you would know that it is too late to be up. It is 12:10 am, but I am awake normally at this hour. I am watching soccer (Liverpool against Standard, English teams) and eating compté, my favorite cheese.

I got back yesterday from visiting my sister Colleen in Germany. Today I had free so I did some dishes and some laundry. This afternoon I watched the World Champion Parachuting competition. It just happen to be this week in the same town where I live, Maubeuge, France. There were teams from around 30 countries around the world. Today they gave out the medals for the winners. The teams were scored on the stunts and acrobatics that they did in the sky before opening their chutes. Team USA won 1 bronze 2 silvers and 1 gold. I lost track of how many medals France won. They have a great team. I bet you the only medals given out today were in China. They also had an air show with biplanes and jets.

After all that happened in the sky and after dinner I wanted to get out. I went for a jog along the same path that I jog on every Saturday, but this time I jogged to the same bridge from my place which is the opposite direction. I ended up running at 9pm around 5miles (8k) one way and I walked back. I would have ran more but my hip was killing me with an acute pain and my knee was giving me pain too. I'd like to do this run often but without the pain part. hopefully when I am in more shape it won't be as bad. We will see.

ok time for bed

Uprooted

Saturday after jogging Nicolas and I started some work in the yard. He wants to put in a fence in the backyard on the side facing a path. To do this we needed to move a stump that was in the way.

Dieu est fidèle

I want to say greetings from France and thank you for your prayers and financial support. I have been back in France for two weeks now, and things are going well. Until I find an apartment, I am living with Nicolas, the press operator, and his family. Nicolas' wife is Sabrina, and they have two kids: Noah (20 months) and Bérénice (2½ months). They are French, so speaking with them has helped my French language come back quickly.

I am finding my place back at the print shop. In my first two days at work, I made 14 plates for the inside pages of a book; and since then, I have made 18 more for tracts and book covers. When I make plates, it frees up Daniel to do other things. I have also helped collate approximately 6000 New Testaments.

God has blessed me with a car! Nicolas had a car that he wasn't driving, and he gave it to me. When it changes ownership, it needs to pass a thorough test for safety and emissions. Right now, it is in the service center to get work done so it will pass the tests. This could cost some or a lot of money.

I have 90% of my support. I am ok now; but to continue here for the full four years of my term, I will need to be at 100%. That means, I need another $240 a month to fill the gap.

Praise God:
- For the car Nicolas gave me.
- That my French has come back rather well.
- For all the literature that we have been able to produce.

Please pray:
- For the team here at BLF Europe—especially Françoise, our editor-in-chief, who is having trouble working.
- That my car would pass all the tests just fine and that it won't be difficult to get insurance.
- That all the machines and the press would work smoothly. When the machines don't work as they should, it really throws things off.
- For all of those on the receiving end of all of our tracks and books.

Nathan Phillips
nathan@blfintl.org
Rue de Maubeuge 59164 Marpent, France

Je suis là (I am here)

I waited as everyone boarded the plain to Brussels. I watched as the gate seating area emptied the monitor informed me that business class was filled and probably coach as well and even if there were room in first class I couldn't sit there as standy. When It looked like everyone was on I went again to talk to the man at the counter (in my head I was preparing myself to accept that I would need to make arrangements to stay the night in DC until the next days flight. He said he would see what he could do and we just needed some luck, to me that meant prayer. In a minute he called me up asking me to follow his instructions carefully. That I am to take my ticket but there is someone there and this person in business class is to change seats to first class.

God is good. He is faithful. He worked things out. On my way down I read Psalms starting at ch 1 and I continued to Brussels. I read up to Ch 42.