Today was the first day of school for Aidan and Julia. What a change from last year!

They call it La Rentree here, the day the children return to school from vacation. Last year, though, was the DeMuth family’s ENTREE, our entering into French schools for the first time. So, we experienced our first real rentree.

The good news: Aidan knew kids in his class and his teacher is a Christian! He didn’t cry or carry on. He knew the drill and happily went to class.

Julia cried a little bit until I had her sit next to a little girl who seemed new and a little lost. I told the little girl (in French) that this was Julia and asked her what her name was. “Je m’appelle Julia,” she said. Those of you who read last year’s blog will know that there was ANOTHER Julia who bullied our Julia last year. When I saw another Julia’s name on the class list, my heart sank. Another year of bullying. But, you can imagine my delight to find out the other Julia in this case was a sweet girl.

The other blessing: we knew so many parents. One couple invited us to dinner tomorrow night. We chatted with several other couples. What a great feeling to finally be a part of our community. Another man I met today is a writer.

So this year’s rentree has been much smoother. It’s a terrific thing, really. And it reminds me of a quote I read yesterday, about how God brings us all through trials:

J.R. Macduff

Our children have experienced storms. And they’ve experienced Jesus in the midst. And for me, I can say, Jesus is more precious to me because of the storms.