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L’ABRI FELLOWSHIP
Chalet Bellevue , 1884 Huemoz , Switzerland
TEL: 41-24-495-2139
Fax: 41-24-495-7647

www.labri.org/swiss
swiss@labri.org



December 2011 Newsletter (posted online January 2012)

Dear Friends,

After a wonderfully warm and dry autumn the snow has finally arrived. While we only had a few days of rain during the entire fall term, it has virtually been raining and snowing since the students left over two weeks ago. The coming of the snow has brought peace of mind to all of those whose livelihood depends on it in the nearby resort. I also believe that the mountains look much more spectacular when they are blanketed in white.

We had a very good autumn term, even though Greg and Lisby were on sabbatical and George and Eileen went back to the USA part way through October. This left us a bit short-handed but, as when this has been the case in the past, I feel that God blessed us with a wonderful group of people who were a genuine pleasure to work with. For the first half of the term, we were full to capacity. This hasn't been the case since the recession hit three years ago. Whether or not this is an indication that things are changing financially in the world, it was great to have Bellevue full and buzzing again. As usual, we had students from at least a dozen different countries. I find that this always brings a special dynamic in that people are forced to step out of their comfort zones when living with people from very different backgrounds. The community grew to be very close. We were particularly sad to see a number of long-term students leave us.

Those who come to Swiss L'Abri continue to wrestle with important and difficult questions. I'll share what some of the students I tutored this past term worked through: what is the role of the church? the theology of hell and how it developed throughout history, identity issues, ethics and epistemology, science and theology, salvation, and what does it mean to love God? This last question is one that many struggle with. There are all sorts of wild and false expectations that we come to God with that often aren't met, leaving us feeling disappointed, empty, angry and, sometimes, apathetic. Examining these expectations can lead to change and growth. Thankfully, several students came to a better understanding and a more realistic view of God, which had a deep and hopefully lasting impact on their lives.

As Karryn mentioned in our last newsletter, due to the sale of Chalet les Sapins at the beginning of the year, we were able to replace all of the doors and windows in our chalets. With the cost of heating going up and the insulating ability of our windows and doors going down, this was a project that was long over-due. Since the writing of the last letter, this job has been completed. It wasn't without complications though, as the container coming from Canada was late and intially the work team was left without much to do. When it finally arrived they had to work extremely hard to get them in before it was time to leave. Now that winter has set in, we are experiencing the benefit of all their efforts. No more drafts and lower heating bills!

We had a number of guest lecturers spend some time with us these past months. Wesley Vander Lugt, a PhD student from St. Andrews University in Scotland, gave two very interesting lectures entitled, "Faithful Improvisation: Christian Wisdom in the Theatre of Everyday Life." Dick Goodwin, someone who has been here many times, gave two good lectures. Edith Reitsema, a worker from English L¹Abri, and former workers, Ellis Potter and Mike Sugimoto also made fine contributions. It was great to have contact with a worker from another branch, as well as with Ellis and Mike, who spent a lot of time at Swiss L'Abri in the past. This always reminds us of our connection to the wider work of L'Abri, as well as our tradition.

Chalet Bellevue keeps on running smoothly thanks to all the hard work by Kay and Simone. For those of you who have been here, you know how much is involved in this. Kay is currently in America spending Christmas with her family. As many of you may know, her sister Pat has been fighting cancer for some time now. We pray that this time in America will be very special for her.

Greg and Lisby will be coming off their sabbatical in January. They had a wonderful break, which included traveling in Switzerland, France, and Spain. Visiting museums, taking in the architecture, and walking around ancient churches and medieval villages, was interesting and thought provoking. Art and history are filled with riches that speak in a diversity of ways, so this was a memorable learning experience. They also met up with some ex-L'Abri students from Barcelona in one of their homes. Some of them came to Christ and others grew in their faith, being deeply influenced at L'Abri. It was a real encouragement for Greg and Lisby to be able to share a meal with these Spanish friends, and to see that they're going on so strongly as Christians. Other sabbatical projects received attention including: Lisby took some time to catch up on reading novels and personal study, and Greg got some writing and research done for his new book on Imagination and read more on theories of justice, the subject of a popular lecture series that he gave in the 2011 Summer term. They're looking forward to rejoining the team and the work in the New Year.

Karryn and her dog Jemma continue to do well in Chalet Chesalet. Karryn has done a new lecture series recently on the art styles and symbolism used by the early Christians up until the time of Constantine. Her work on the arts is always appreciated by the students, some of whom have never thought very deeply in this area.

The Bradford family has also had an enjoyable past 6 months or so. We traveled to Croatia during the summer break and then on to Spain in October. Both were wonderful. We never fail to appreciate the incredible diversity of places and cultures that we live in the midst of in Europe. Our kids, Alexis and Simon, are now 14 (almost 15) and 12 respectively. Both are in important years in the Swiss school system and they are working very hard and doing well. They are also very involved in the youth group at our church in Vevey. Karen too is very involved at the church, helping with the youth group and teaching Sunday school. She continues to enjoy her work here and spending time with students in our home. I am doing well in spite of the fact that I'm nursing a broken rib, the result of having joined a men's hockey team in Villars. I have been lecturing on a wide range of topics and continue to find the work with students stimulating and a real blessing to my own life.

Tomorrow, December 22, our part of the planet will start to tilt back towards the sun bringing longer days and shorter nights. As our pastor pointed out to us the other day, the promise of light and warmth appealed to the Church Fathers who placed the celebration of the birth of Jesus at the same point as the Winter Solstice. He went on to say that perhaps the words of Zechariah were prominent in their minds at that time. He spoke of ³the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.² What a tremendous picture of Jesus as ³the rising sun come to us from heaven² to bring us light and life. I pray that this Christmas season will be happy and meaningful for each one of you.

In Christ,

Richard

*All address changes and requests for the Swiss Newsletter and Prayer letter should be sent to our Swiss address or to by email to swissmailings@labri.org .

**Tax-free receipts for gifts meant specifically for the work of the Swiss branch are available from Switzerland when the gifts are sent either to Huémoz or to the Rochester address with a note specifying its designation for Swiss L’Abri.

*** Swiss Address: L'Abri Fellowship, Chalet Bellevue, 1884 Huémoz, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland.

Our U.S. Address: L'Abri Fellowship, 1465 12th Avenue N.E. Rochester, MN. 55906, USA.