Dont forget to up date you links and bookmarks to our new blog.

http://www.mattandkellysummers.blogspot.com/

Head over there for some exciting news! And prayer requests!

We have a new old blog. After sorting through finances and trying to figure out how to cut back and save {for a very special reason I will let you in on soon}, getting rid of the cool domain was one way. I got it before we moved overseas, in hopes that family and friends would be able to remember it easily and it was only 2.99 per monthly or something like that…but it has since gone up and I am sure it will again.

So please update you blog feeds with, www.mattandkellysummers.blogspot.com and head over there for a cool post! {make sure to check out Sadie’s birthday video in the previous post first!}

{if you are new to our blog, please check out our About Us Page at the top, to get updated!}

We used Sadie’s Birthday in January as a good excuse to have some people over! We had some friends over from Bastia (about 1 hr north of Corte), who we met at the New Years Eve party I posted about a few weeks ago. As well as our new Egyptian Friends that are here attending the university for a few months. After Sadie had her fun and was down for bed we got to play cards. We still do not speak much French and our Friends from Bastia do not speak much English, so the Egyptians, who speak English, Arabic and French…translated for us…..The joys of learning a new language! One of the games we played constituted of a Queen who got to tell the loser what to do…well Matt and Mina “loss together” and so they had to sing and dance. Mina sang a song in Arabic while Matt “Danced like an Egyptian”. It was hilarious!

Sadie better not say her parents never did anything cool for her because she was sang Happy Birthday to in French and Arabic….all for her 2nd birthday.

that thought should scare me more then it does…
While I as sitting behind them at the desk studding French, I looked up and saw this. I had to steal a quick picture with the camera phone.
Caption Please…

Also I read a really cool blog posts that my friend shared, Its called: I dont want my Children to be Happy.

Through our Friend Annette, I met a university student, Lucie and we have become really good friends. She is commuter student and stays at Annette’s B&B a few days during the week. She is also my language helper…thankfully she has a lot of patiences! Her grandparents are Corsican but moved to mainland France for work when they first started their family. After their kids (Lucie’s mom) were grown they moved but to Corsica and then Lucie eventually followed. She says that she loves it here and wants to raise her family here, one day. Over the holidays we went to visit her and her grandmother in Linguizetta, an amazing village on the coast and up in the mountains! (about an hour east of Corte). Her mom, dad and sister where also in town visiting. I am glad that we got to meet them as well, despite the language barrier! Lucie and her mom gave us a tour of the village which is quite small. They said that during the winter only about 30 people stay there, the rest go to the bigger towns for work.

We Wish You a Welcome…

Lucie and Her Mom by the water fountain that used to be the only way they would get clean water.

This is the view from down the road, this is basically all the village… (you can see their amazing view to the left, which includes ocean as far as you can see!)

They have a monument up for all the men that died, just from this small village during WWI & II. Several villages were completely wapped out after the French military drafted ALL the men and they did not return.

Showing us the old bell tower.

Inside the Village Church, it was very old but very pretty.

Lucie’s grandmother gave us some oranges and pumpkin from their family garden…so cool!

Happy Valentines Day!

Lets, Let this day be about praying for those hurting around you, far and near. Physically, emotionally or spiritually. Ask God to borrow his eyes for today.

President Preval of Haiti declared this weekend National Prayer and Fasting for Haiti, the Kanival (Mardi Gras), will not take place, fasting and prayer will….amazing.

I am also asking Him for wisdom and discernment on who I could reach out to. I often go from one place to another with out even looking up, and often go through the whole day focused just on me and my time. But not today.

It could be a neighbor we haven’t met that could use some love, or even a close friend that is struggling alone. Or attend the library’s childrens Reading Time and get to know the other moms. Or perhaps its a trip to serve in an orphanage, having a field day with the kids…or Opening your house or fridge to someone in need. or cheering some people up with cookies at the local hosiptal…or serving at a rescue center in Haiti…..What are you ideas?

We can all Start in our town, neighborhood, apartment complex, let God lead us to someone. You may be the only person that can help them, the only Person that God wants to use to be his hands and feet for that particular person…dont miss the opportunity!

John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

or ValenTIME’S day as I called it growing up, okay and even in High school….
A lot of people claim to Not like valentines day because its so cliche, girly or fake…blah blah blah. And I am not talking about the over-commercialized, if you do not get that perfect gift you fail day..blah blah. It is what you make it, and what you want it to be. Any excuse to eat a lot of chocolate (when it goes on Sale the next day!), hangout with friends or your lovey dovey, and have a day dedicated to expressing your love (that we often forget to do)…how could it be bad? Dont have someone to love? Then make it a day dedicated to meet someone new to love, like the single mom next door or the old man at the nursing home, the cashier at the 7/11 or the hard working Mail Man! Go out of your way to tell them Hi, bake them cookies or… invite them to dinner! How fun! Be missional and get to know someone new, in their environment. Let me know how its goes, too! I love hearing stories! As for me, I am taking the Challenge, we are celebrating with some friends of ours here…hopefully some new ones, too! Any excuse to have a party!

I also know that have been loved by Christ beyond what I will ever deserve, all I had to do was believe. And in return I cant help but be giddy with sharing it….okay not all the time but thankfully God has a lot of Grace for me.

What do you think about Valentines Day??

Here is a Good Idea for a V-day gift, for your hubby, sister…or your Mail Man, whoever! Help Rebuild and give Haiti clean water by buying one of these cool Espere Shirts. Espere is Hope in Creole. Or Sponsor a Kid in Honor of them through Compassion.com or Danita’schildren.org.
I have researched both of them and they are very legate and genuine for those of you that are weary. Did you have a good gift idea? What are you giving/getting…please share! What was the best gift you received or gave…I want to know!

Happy Valentine’s Day, Dad. I drew you a picture….and I realllly love you But dont think I am sharing my cookies!

this is what a came around the corner to…

Caption Please…

Here on some of my favorite photos from our visit to Paris! I used by canon rebel with my 50 1.8 lens because thats the only equipment I have! I edited most of the photos with a vintage feel, I guess because when I would picture Paris, that is what I imagined! What about you? As you can see below it was very gloomy and cold but the buildings along the water were so beautiful, there were 1000’s of cafes and cool bridges. You can see more about our Trip on the previous post.

Last week we traveled up to Paris for for some language learning training. Due to our situation we are not getting traditional schooling to learn French but we were blessed to get some training on how to Use the BareFoot Method and learn a language on your own. We stayed with another family in our company, who lives south of Paris. Sara is a expert in this Method so she had a lot of knowledge to give! Some friends of ours, Jake & Suzanne got to join us as well, it was good to catch up with them and share in our language struggles. I know most of my blogs make it seem as we get to chase animals and explore villages and soak up this beautiful Island, but the bulk of our day and time is tedious language studding. After the few days of learning the new method, we were able to explore Paris because the Perkins let us stay in their home for the weekend. Paris. What? Living overseas, away from family and learning a new language can have its perks! We did all the main sites, The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre Museum, inside the Louvre, Arce de Triomphe and Notre Dame. (you can click on the names for short, boring video clips that we took) The Louvre was huge and beautiful, how did they build castles like this so long ago? And we visited Notre Dame, again a huge church with so many details and carvings. I wish I could have seen the sculptures at work. Then we walked down the ‘most famous street in the world’ The Champs-Elysées which has The Arc de Triomphe at the end of it. I think this was my favorite part, we got to go the top and see a panoramic view of the City at night. Now I know why they call it the “City of Lights”. Gorgeous! Sidenote – the man working the elevator had lived in Longview, Texas, of all places.
Here is everyone working away on Language.

And we celebrated Three Kings Day, or Epiphany. And you eat a delicious Kings Cake with a small toy hidden in side. The tradition is the youngest kids hides under the table and calls out who get what piece, the person who has the toy is King for the day and has to bring the cake to the next meal. (it is celebrated all January)

On the bus….sadie got to ride an airplane, train and bus. Paris has Great public transportation….if you speak French.

Jake & Suzanne

Sadie, did pretty well with all the layers of cloths to block out the chilly winds but she would not keep her gloves on. And after 5 minutes she would be crying because her hands hurt from the cold. So we put Matt’s pull over on her where she could keep her hands inside of it. I need to do a post on how picky Sadie can be when it comes to cloths. She has to pick out what she wears now and has a few favorite items that she wears all the time. (She is 2!?!)

We flew on one of the cheap European airlines so luggage was pretty limited. We rigged Matt’s Army bag (thanks Leif, Brad & Tera) to double as a backpack for Sadie.

The Arc De Triomphe, my favorite part. I didn’t know too much about Paris nor the History be-hide the sites, so it was fun to read about them and learn when they built and why. I didnt realize how big the Arc is….Can you see all the people at the top?

And of course, the cliche picture with Mona Lisa…please excuse the hat hair.

The Champs-Elysées with all the Christmas Lights still up.

Exploring the outside of The Louvre.

Sadie was a bit of a wimp, like her mom when it came to the cold snow!

despite the gloomy weather I was able to enjoy some photography (I was in Paris…) I will try ad post those soon.

Sadie’s First Snow!