A’Tipik October 5-6, 2024 Special Needs Family Retreat at St. Lunaire, France in Bretagne

Our connection with France first began in 1988 when I arrived in Albertville in the French Alps for French language school.

Our connection with France began in 1988.

I arrived in Albertville, France in the French Alpis to learn French in 1988 at age 26.



This led into a 26 year chapter of life & ministry in France & the Francophone world, including
2 years in
Abidjan,
Cote d’Ivoire
in West Africa.

J.P., our youngest child, was born in Paris, France in 2011.

JP’s diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder & long-term need for Special Education led our family to leave France & move back to the U.S. in 2014.

This move from France was unexpected & hard.

In 2023, God unexpectedly gave JP’s Ability Hope the green light to pursue returning to France to help develop Disability Ministry in France.

Helping support initiatives happening within France

We have done 4 trips to France since that vision of helping in France in early 2023.

These trips were in May/June & October of 2023, October of 2024, & January of 2025.

Each trip has helped build connections.

For nearly 3 weeks in May/June 2023, we participated in the annual autism family weekend of Famille, Je T’Aime, met with people involved in current or potential disability camps, & visited a number of different churches in the Paris & Laval regions. It was wonderful to be back after 8 years away from France.

In October 2023 & 2024, we helped at the overnight weekend A’Tipik retreat at Centre des Jeunes in Saint-Malo in the northern Bretagne coast near Saint-Malo.

The third annual A’Tipik at the CDJ is October 4-5, 2025. That potentially will be our fifth trip to France.

In January 2025, we visited the Chemin Nouveau Baptist Church (FEEB) in Saint-Lo in Normandy (50). They are interested in developing disability ministry in their church.

We then traveled to Bordeaux on southwestern France to help with the initial opening of a sensory gym. It was hosted in Eglise Protestante Evangelique de Merignac.

We also have connected with others in different parts of France whom we haven’t yet seen face to face.