Newsletter, December 2004

Recently the Swiss revamped all the schedules of transportation throughout the country. Even our little town of Huemoz could not avoid being affected. The local bus that goes up and down the mountain has its times coordinated to allow passengers to arrive at the station just in time to catch the next train. As such, all of the times for the bus stop at the end of our driveway were also changed. One of the changes I immediately thought of with the new schedule was for the 9:57am bus.

For years the 9:57 bus has had special significance here at L’Abri, as it is the first bus following breakfast that comes by our Chalet. For that reason, it has frequently been the bus students leave on, and it is often the scene of many hard goodbyes. I imagine the picture has been the same for many years with heavy suitcases being loaded onto the bus, and long goodbye hugs that continue until the patience of the bus driver and Swiss passengers reaches an end. Each term these goodbyes give testament to the many deep and meaningful relationships that have formed between people who were strangers only months before.

From the perspective of having spent a number of terms at L’Abri, goodbyes can still be hard. I wonder how it can ever become routine to watch 30 people you have lived with for many months leave, many of whom we will probably never see again. Each person came with a unique story and brought a unique contribution to our community. For different reasons, some people are particularly hard to see leave. In about three weeks another group of students will arrive and again fill our Chalet with life, yet it will be a different L’Abri. Anyone who has spent more than a term at L’Abri can tell you that the atmosphere of each term is heavily shaped by the people and personalities of those who come.

Reflecting of this past term, there are a number of things that have stood out. In Greg and Lisby’s absence, we had a flurry of activity with many people visiting to help out. These included Andrew Fellows, Dick Goodwin, and Jock McGregor, who all came and lectured during the term. We also had help from George and Laura Bradford. They visited for a month, and George helped with sermons for our Chapel service, while Laura cooked meals. Charlie and Margaret Lyle also came for three weeks. Charlie helped with handy work around the Chalets and Margaret helped with meals. With all of our visiting cooks, we are pretty sure it is the best students have eaten in a while at Swiss L’Abri! We were all grateful for all their help.

Being the fall term, we also had Arts Week, in which workers Richard Bradford and Karryn Goldsworthy lectured on topics related to the arts. Also as part of Arts Week, it was great to welcome Josef Luptak back again, to perform another amazing cello concert. The week ended with the traditional student performance night, in which we had a showcase of talent from singing to piano playing to a amusing rendition of a hoe-down, complete with overalls, guitar picking, and tobacco spitting.

The mid-term break also brought a lot of activity here. The students left, and a generous work team from Canada of 10 people moved in to help with electrical repairs to Chalet Bellevue. Specifically, the group consisted of Bill LeSauvage, Fred DeVries, Wayne and Margaret Minor, Jim and Esther Elliott, George and Laura Bradford and Bob and Louis Carey. Also, Ken Phoenix, with his fluency in French and ability to work deals with the local stores, came and coordinated the buying of supplies and acted as a liaison with the Swiss electricians. We are very grateful for all their hard work, not to mention the volunteering of their time and money to come. Approximately one-half of the chalet rewiring was completed in addition to completing many other miscellaneous repairs including replacing badly worn carpet in a few of the chalets and in the chapel.

Going into the next term, we have a number of new changes. For workers, Greg and Lisby will be returning from their Sabbatical, and Shelby Stuart who has been here since the Fall of 2003 will be joining us as a worker. Also, Josh Vargo and his wife Elizabeth will be joining us. Josh has worked at L’Abri in the past, and we are looking forward to having him return.

We will also have many students and helpers returning. For helpers, Kevin Quigley and Vanessa Phillips, who were helpers this fall will be continuing as helpers. Kevin has been a great help in dealing with situations where we need someone to speak French, as he speaks it fluently. He has also been tutoring some of the workers who are working to learn the language. Vanessa, among her many responsibilities, headed up the massive task of laundry for Bellevue in the fall. Also returning, but from the summer and not the fall term, are Kate Newby and Sarah and Campbell Hooper-Johnson who have all previously been helpers. So we will have a full house of helpers for our next term, which is welcomed.

With the holiday season and end of the year upon us, our thoughts go out to the many people that have come through L’Abri this past year. We hope that you have come away blessed by your time with us at the Swiss L’Abri. We have certainly found our lives enriched by having you stay here with us. We also want to extend a welcome to everyone to the Jubilee conference in St. Louis, March 11-13 th. This is a special conference in celebration of the 50 years of L’Abri. Please see the web site (www.labrijubilee.org) if you would like more information about the conference.

May you know God’s blessings to you, your family and friends this holiday season.

Brian Shaw