Welcome to the Violleau's

Here are some photos of what has been happening for us these last 3 months. Let's start with a photo, which is not very artistic, but which represents the many times we had to wring mops to limit the damage from a water leak that lasted several weeks in February. Mid-February, we (Carolyn and David) were in the Ardèche for the annual National Staff Conference with our colleagues from Agapé France. Each of us was able to contribute with our gifts ... Shortly before lockdown, we were able to spend a weekend with Mamie and Papy, with the pleasant surprise of a ride in the forest on the back of Nora the mare. March 15th: first online gathering of our church. Then homeschooling started. And homesporting! In the garden... (proud of our great obstacle course!) ... or in the living room. A week of confined holidays gave us time to do some big spring pruning, recycling the branches into a hut! Then Easter at home started with a Good Friday gathering on Zoom. Locked down but creative Easter!

Here are some photos to illustrate the highlights of our passage from 2019 to 2020. Mid-November, Carolyn took part in a gathering organized by Agape Europe for Mums in ministry. It was a time to be refreshed and inspired, and to see good friends again. Just after Carolyn came back, David left for Rotterdam (Netherlands) where he organized the Agape Europe Digital Summit. Meanwhile, Claire taught herself how to use digital tools... on paper! 😀 On November 30th, Carolyn celebrated the start of a new decade, showered with hugs. Mid-December, Anna successfully passed a gymnastics exam. Look how supple she is! All through December, we enjoyed revisiting the Christmas story and decorating a giant Christmas poster. We spent New Year's Eve just the 5 of us, reviewing the past year, dreaming of the coming one and enjoying petit fours and multicoloured cocktails. 2020 got off to a great start, with celebrating Anna's 10th birthday and then Claire's 6th birthday. End of January, Dav

Here are some highlights of the last two months. Julie turned 12 in September! Julie received a big new bike as a birthday present. She is using it daily to go to school. Anna inherited Julie's previous bike and Claire inherited Anna's one. They are all very happy! :-) Mid-October, Agapé France team leaders gathered near Paris for a spiritual retreat and some time to share information. On a Friday morning, Agapé Rennes staff went together to Rennes city center to start spiritual conversations with the people walking by. Here we are around the Roolax, a wheel with different themes to talk about faith in connection with life topics . More information (in French) about the Roolax here. . Every Wednesday at 8am, David and a few colleagues read the Bible and pray together. It is a highlight of their week. So when Dan (who moved to Paris) was back for a visit, for sure everyone decided to bring croissants :-) . During the school holidays, the whole family went to the CADA (Asylum See

So many adventures since April! Here are some pictures to give you a quick summary. Just before our sabbatical leave, David went to Spain for a gathering of Agape Europe leaders. Here are the Agapé France representatives. Beginning of April, we started our sabbatical with a week of holidays in Brittany with most of Carolyn's family. To the delight of the children, this house in the middle of the countryside had an indoor swimming pool! In April as well, we were able to enjoy the Spring sun and flowers in Rennes. Beginning of May, David spent 10 days in an abbey for a spiritual retreat in silence and solitude. This included a quiet little corner to read and meditate... ... and also beautiful surroundings to admire God's creation and be revitalised in the open air. End of May, it was Carolyn's turn to leave with a big smile for a week of spiritual retreat. Mid-June, we were delighted to attend the beautiful performance of a musical, for which Julie had practised all year with