Our journey from Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Biloxi, Mississippi, USA to Massy, France on January 1st went smoothly and we arrived at Charles De Gaulle Airport on January 2nd at 9:00 AM Paris time. We were able to start our day right away, which helped with any jet lag we may have experienced. Our ride was waiting for us at the airport and took us to Les Cedres in Massy to pick up the keys to our apartment.

We were pleasantly surprised to find out that our apartment had been upgraded to one with four bedrooms, giving each of our girls their own room. They were quick to pick out which room they wanted. While the apartment was a bit worn and in need of some repairs, we were grateful for the extra space.

As we were settling in, we were startled by a loud alarm. Initially, we didn't know where it was coming from. We tried to respond but only made it louder. Thankfully, some neighbors came to our rescue, although they only spoke French and we struggled to understand each other. One neighbor went through our apartment, trying to shut off the power to stop the noise, but another neighbor, Rosemary, came to our aid. Though puzzled like the rest of us, she recognized the sound and quickly inputted the code to turn it off. We were relieved and grateful for her help. It turns out that Rosemary and her husband are chaplains at our school, making our chance encounter even more special.

We were also pleased to find a FranPrix convenience store across the street from our apartment building, where I was able to quickly grab some essential groceries to get us started.

We have wonderful friends who have stepped in to help with watching our kids so we can go to the city and get cellphones and wifi setup, and have taken us shopping in their car for things too big to walk with. Other friends have taken us to the city and helped us with the cellphone/wifi process.

We even had the opportunity to bless another family at our school by babysitting their kids. We can relate to the struggle of needing babysitters and wanted to be that for another family.

Overall, our journey to Massy was eventful, but we were grateful for the warm welcome and helpful neighbors that we encountered along the way. We are looking forward to settling into our new home and beginning this exciting chapter in our lives.