Something I’m extremely grateful for is the chance to study French with a real expert! It’s no secret that Paris is my absolute favorite city, and I would move there in a heartbeat. We’ve been blessed to visit twice in the last three years, first in June 2023 on a school trip and then on our own last Christmas for our ninth anniversary. I started learning French in preparation for our 2023 trip using the Pimsleur language program as well as YouTube and movies, and loved the trip and the language so much that I’ve tried to keep up with it ever since. For the short amounts of time we were in Paris, I was grateful to be able to generally understand what was said, as well as shop/order food/navigate. However, as any of us who love a language and long to spend an extended amount of time in a foreign country are aware, being tolerated by a certain breed of polite native speaker does NOT equal being competent in your desired language.

When the opportunity arose a few months ago to actually practice French in person, I couldn’t have been more blessed. Judy taught French at Ivan’s school, Valley Christian, for three decades and is legendary for her skill with the language, her enormous heart for students, and her love for the Lord. It’s been such a privilege to spend time with her on Wednesday mornings talking about life and counseling (another shared passion) building my French vocabulary and grammar, reading the delightful book Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and memorizing Scripture.

See you tomorrow!