Hi Everyone! Yesterday we hosted a special "Ladies Lunch and Discussion Group", featuring "image consultant" Beryl Pleasants! Here is the scoop:

Thank you so much for praying! We had a marvelous day and we want to thank you for praying!!!

For those of you with limited time to read, go to www.Flickr.com; Search word: cytodd; click on Set: Tuesday Ladies Luncheon at Sara’s – to see the photos!

Important thoughts from the ladies:
Olga from Holland: “I missed joining this group last year and I really want to catch up!” (Susan will meet with Olga and a few others on Thursday’s, to study the Word in depth!)
Raisa from Finland: “I brought my Finnish Bible today! I want to understand the Bible better. It’s easier in my own language.”
Betty from Holland: “My husband and I drove 12 hours, through the night, from our home in Holland so that I could be here today!”
Ashley from Texas: “I’m applying for a job, but would consider NOT taking the job if it means that I can’t attend this study on Tuesdays!”
Katherine from Ireland: “I’m so glad to be here today! Just imagine missing this wonderful event because I’d double-booked a grumpy old client needing his air-conditioning fixed!”

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Now, if you have time to read:

Tuesday actually started on Monday for me! I volunteered to prepare the “Entrée” for Tuesday – which here in France is the “Appetizer”! Go figure!?

So, I’m at the grocery store, in the veggie aisle, calling Ashley every five minutes, saying: “Hello Ashley, it’s your cooking challenged girlfriend calling to ask: What in the heck is Toasted Sesame Oil? Where can I find it? What’s the French word for Cilantro?” Ashley got a kick out of my calls! What did we do in the days before cell phones?? And, while there, I found the most interesting Romanian cauliflower (see pictures!) for the centerpiece! I rarely set foot in the vegetable aisle, so this was a new adventure for me!! At least I wasn’t tempted to nibble while preparing the veggie trays! J

Then yesterday evening I drove to Monaco for my Scottish Country Dancing class and on the way there my radiator temperature light came on in the car. Groan!!

You might be wondering what does this have to do with Tuesday? Well, I think we had some spiritual battle going on: my car trouble; Sara awoke with a terrible sinus infection which causes her to throw up and feel horrible; Susan invited two young women who were due in from London in the morning, but they didn’t make it; and the weather report was for rain, on and off, all day! So as you can see, each of us had our “moments” to trust God with. Thanks to your prayers, the day went really well, despite all these obstacles.

So, back to the story: I did make it home on Monday night, radiator water replenished, and arrived at Sara’s house around 11am on Tuesday morning, to discover her feeling horrible and needing lots of help on the final touches around the house! Based on the weather report, we decided to serve the food outside, under the awning and eat inside. We were expecting about 20 women. 16 actually came – the perfect number, just enough comfortable room for everyone to eat and socialize! We had women from: Holland, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Finland, France, the UK and New York, Texas, Arkansas, Georgia and Michigan (me!).

The amazing thing about the day was the way everyone seemed to connect so easily and naturally! As the women started to arrive, the conversation volume kept getting louder and louder, with women greeting each other and some even recognizing each other from other parts of their lives! It was really fun to watch the connections. The food was delicious and everyone was having so much fun connecting, that we delayed the start of the talk by Beryl, to encourage the relationships forming.

Beryl did a great job of relating color to God's creativity and our individuality. She made it easy for Sara to transition into how to connect with this amazing God of ours! Sara read Psalm 139 about how God created us uniquely, loves us personally and wants a friendship with us. Everyone really listened. You could have heard a pin drop as she explained who Jesus was and how to accept the gift He provided in his death and resurrection. She shared a prayer so they could open the door of their hearts and begin a personal friendship with Him, if they wanted to. And, of course, she invited them to join us in our continuing lunches to discuss the God of the Scriptures.

All in all, it was a wonderful day! The comments above say it all! Don’t miss the photos!

Thanks again for partnering with us in this ministry to women who need to know the Lord! It’s a privilege to represent you and our Lord here in the south of France!

With much love,

“your missionary” and friend,

Cindy “Cy” Todd

Blogs: http://tarzanfrench.blogspot.com
Blogs: http://yourmissionary.blogspot.com


Cy Todd
Executive Assistant to Roger Randall
The Riviera Project
Leadership Development Consulting...
...from a Biblical Perspective