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Latest Prayer Letter:
Rochester L'Abri,
Minnesota
November 2011
Dear Friends,
Today we start our Fall term and we are expecting seven students who will stay the entire term. It’s unusual for us to have so many stay for the full term rather than for just a few weeks at a time and so we are delighted to be able to look forward to a lovely group spirit developing. It is exciting to look forward to these dear folk that the Lord is sending and to anticipate what their time here may mean. Each undoubtedly comes with a unique story and different set of issues they are grappling with, but what confidence we can have that it is the one true and living God who is calling us all deeper and deeper into the transforming power of his Grace and Truth. Pray that we may be able to reflect that in our lives together this term.
We are also delighted to tell you that the Roland’s have had their little baby girl! On October 18th, Jessica safely delivered little Hero Kathleen Roland (named for the Shakespearean character) after a very short labor. She was in fact born just 20 minutes after arriving at the hospital – which was a great relief to poor BJ. We are also so happy to report that she is responding excellently to the treatment for her club feet. This involves wearing casts that are changed every week - but should last only until she crawls and will leave no lasting difficulties. Please continue to pray for a full recovery for her. Please also pray for the Rolands as they adjust to the larger family - managing Matthew (3) and Henry (1 ½) as well as the new-born. We are all very thankful that Karen Robare from Texas is here as a helper and able to fill in very well while Jessica is on maternity leave.
We are truly thankful to the Lord for sending us the Rolands during this year of transition - as we continue to miss the Snyders, recently retired and relocated near family in St Louis. Throughout the nearly 57 years of L’Abri, God has not only sent thousands of individuals our way seeking light and life in the safety of this small ‘shelter’, but he has also always provided workers willing to live sacrificially and dedicate themselves to the needs of others. The Rolands have deep roots in this part of the world and both fell in love right here at the Rochester L’Abri, so there is a certain ‘coming home’ for them as they start their ministry here. Their gifts of loving hospitality and quiet commitment to the Lord have already been a wonderful blessing to the student life in the main L’Abri house.
The Apostle Paul in the second letter to the Corinthians refers to Christian ministry as being the ‘aroma’ of Christ. It is a beautiful image of the multifaceted way in which we are called to reflect Christ before the watching world. Indeed it is Truth that sets us free, but demonstrating that truth in community is what creates the beautiful ‘fragrance of the knowledge of God’. Paul rightly asks – “Who is sufficient for these things?”. Indeed we often feel that way – but we have also so often seen Him work powerfully, even through this small work. Pray with us that we might see His work continue this term.
Yours in Christ,
Jock McGregor
P.S. Download the brochure for the 2012 Rochester L’Abri Conference (Feb. 10&11) at www.labri.org
Previous Prayer Letters:
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September, 2011
Dear Friends,
Here we are in the Northland! Moving back to Rochester has been a blessing for the Roland family in many ways. First, we love that we get to work with L'Abri Fellowship. Jessica and I met at the English branch and both volunteered at this branch 6 years ago and began dating here. We both appreciate the care we have received from L'Abri in the past and we are deeply pleased to have the chance to join the work here.
Also, it has been wonderful to reconnect with family and friends in the area, as this is Jessica's hometown. The church community has been very kind to us with offers of meals and childcare. And we love getting to spend our days off with family. We are very aware that most L'Abri workers around the world (as well as most traditional missionaries) must endure long periods of separation from their families, so we feel very blessed to live within 5 hours of my family in Iowa as well. Coming to work here really is coming home for us!
In addition to these items of thanksgiving, we also have some practical prayer requests. Jessica is due with our third child (a girl) later in October, and the strain of pregnancy and working and cooking is becoming more of a challenge. Also, the doctors tell us that this baby is going to have club-feet. They say this is a very treatable condition, but we will need to work with special equipment for a couple of years (as well as at least one minor surgery) to get her feet trained correctly. So, please pray for our energy and patience as well as for our little girl's quick healing.
We also have some pressing needs as a branch. Like everyone else, the Rochester L’Abri is having to tighten its belt with the economic downturn. And aside from the normal concerns of paying bills, paychecks, etc. we have some significant upkeep issues - including a dead Elm tree on our property which is hanging over a neighbor's house. Because of how it is situated, removal could be extremely expensive.
Last week we watched Babette's Feast with the students and I noticed a refrain throughout the movie which is taken from Matthew7:9 "Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?" In the story the passage is used as a device of irony as the Puritan characters learn that righteousness and joy may thrive together as they hesitantly enjoy a sumptuous French meal. But it has stuck in my mind this week as a reminder that God still cares for His people and desires to give them good gifts. Most of all, he wants us to seek His Kingdom as the passage also emphasizes, and he also promises to care for daily practical needs. He lifts our eyes to Him in eager expectation that He will delight us with His love and care.
With Love from Rochester,
B.J., Jessica, Matthew, Henry, and Baby Girl Roland for L'Abri
August, 2011
Dear friends,
We do thank you for your faithful support. We are very aware that we are now turning the page on a new chapter in the life of this branch. It is the same story, but also something new as we have said farewell to one family and welcomed another. We enjoyed such a wonderful day to mark this change as we opened our doors to over 80 adults and countless children at the end of June. Friends were able to say farewell to the Snyders and able to get to meet the Rolands. As the house teemed and the lawn was full of playing children, we were so thankful and moved as we embarked on this new beginning.
We are very aware of our dependence on the Lord for all things and in this, nothing has changed. We were so thankful that our last term was mostly full of students with burning questions, eager to study and to talk late into the night. It was one of the best terms that I can remember in recent history and we were glad of it’s encouragement. We are about to embark on our first term without the Snyders and as Jessica is in her third trimester we were a little concerned about how we would manage, but we are thankful that the Lord has provided a helper in the last few days, it is such a relief and it came about in a providential way!
In the break things continued to be busy; Jock left for England the day after the end of term, and taught for a week for Ranald at Christian Heritage in Cambridge. Then on his return we left for MO, where he is busy building a retreat center. We also stopped by to see Larry and Nancy in their lovely new home. Then last night we entertained 11 of our neighbors for National Night Out. We are so thankful for the good relationships we have with them. The retired couple on the west side are Christians and staunchly supportive. We returned from MO to find our lawn mowed, a tree that had fallen in the woods cut up, my wilting tomatoes re-potted, and the garden watered. We also have very friendly contact with the family on the other side, and though they are a bit bemused by what we do, they are very warm. These relationships are so important as we are living in the middle of a suburban neighborhood. At the same time BJ and Jessica have been ‘nesting’, getting the upstairs finished and ready for the arrival of their little girl. It is so good to have a family able to take on the care of the house and grounds and BJ brings 4 years of experience in working on the grounds and maintenance for Covenant Seminary.
So as we embark on this new chapter, not knowing the twists and turns ahead, we know that we move forward in continued dependence and expectation for the future. Please continue with us in prayer for the people of His choice to come and for them to find the help they need. Please also pray for our finances as our expenses have increased with taking on a growing family and we are impacted by this poor economy. Give thanks for the helpers who have offered to come and pray that their time would go well for them. Give thanks that the speakers are all lined up for the Feb. conference and pray that we would be able to get the brochure out soon. It looks like a great lineup. Please also pray for our strength to meet all the demands of the new term and for health for Jessica and the baby.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 2 Cor 4:7. We are always aware of the gap between our limitations and our high calling, but this is for His glory so that people may see the present reality of our living Lord. We depend on your prayers and support and thank God for each one as our lives are woven together into the Great Story.
With thanks in Him,
Alison McGregor
December, 2010
Dear Friends of Rochester L'Abri,
The new brochure for the Rochester L'Abri conference should be in your mailbox soon. The theme for the 2011 conference will be When Things Fall Apart: Living with Hope and Dignity. Ever since L'Abri began in the home of Francis and Edith Schaeffer over 55 years ago, there has been a consistent emphasis on the Lordship of Christ over all of life, a confidence in Biblical truth, a devotion to Christ and the reality of prayer, an appreciation of God's gifts in all of life, and a commitment to encourage Christians to make a contribution to the wider culture. It is our prayer that this conference will foster a renewed commitment to our high calling as Christians to proclaim and exhibit and demonstrate to the world the glories of the Christian faith. I trust that the conference will be an encouragement to all who are planning to attend. Remember that bulk mailing always takes longer to get to your mailbox, so you might want to go online and view the brochure at www.labri.org. As always, it is very helpful to us when folk send in their registrations in good time.
One reason that I am writing this brief update is to ask for your prayers as next year will be a year of transition for this branch. Though I will be 70 next November, all the pieces are seemingly falling together for Nancy and I to retire a bit earlier, probably sometime during the summer months after the student terms. It has been 44 years since Nancy and I took a taxi from the train station in Aigle to L'Abri in the little Swiss village of Huemoz. We lived in Chalet Beau Site that first year with 30 girls, always with a few extra that we would squeeze in somewhere, and made do with two bathrooms, one for the girls and one for us! Three of our four children were born in Switzerland, and those years are full of good memories, some difficult times, but again and again we saw the Lord's faithfulness and goodness to L'Abri and our family.
When we moved to Rochester 22 years ago, Edith was living here and it was a great joy to be able to work with her for many years until she moved back to Switzerland. Shortly after we arrived the Lord provided the wonderful L'Abri property at 1465 12th Ave. I remember vividly the day when I took Betty Phillips to see the house and property. After some hours looking over the property, while we were walking on the front yard and looking out over Rochester, to my great amazement and surprise, she simply said, "This is the property for L'Abri!" Her gift to buy the property has made it possible for Rochester L'Abri to be an oasis for many students and families and friends over the past 20 years.
We will be moving to St Louis to be closer to family, and are in the process now of buying a house with our daughter Katie and her husband Jacob. Nancy and I will be renovating over the next year the large, unfinished basement into a separate apartment. There will be lots of work to do, but I am eager to begin; building walls and partitions, replacing some windows and doors, laying down floor tile, and putting in a kitchenette and proper bathroom.
In the meantime we have accepted BJ and Jessica Roland to become workers in the Rochester branch beginning shortly after he graduates from Covenant Seminary in the Spring. Both BJ and Jessica have had a heart for L'Abri for many years, and I am sure that they will be very hospitable hosts in the big house. They have two small children, Matthew who is two and Henry who is 9 months, so pray for them as they look forward to moving to Rochester after BJ's graduation. Until they arrive, Kara from England who was a helper last year, will be coming back for three months at the beginning of the New Year to help with the L'Abri Retreat at the Kramer farm, the Rochester Conference and our spring student term.
As you know, Jock and Alison joined us in the Rochester branch 10 years ago and have contributed to this branch in so many different ways. When the Snyders leave next year, Jock will become the director of this residential branch and will continue to organize the yearly conference into the future. So, please be in prayer for the McGregors in this new role, and also for the Snyders as we begin this year of transition. We go forward in faith, trusting that the Lord to guide us each step of the way.
Under His Mercy, now and forever,
Larry & Nancy Snyder
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L’Abri Fellowship Rochester
1465 12th Ave. NE
Rochester, MN 55906-4383
(507) 285-5081
rochester@labri.org
