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December 2001 NewsLetter Dear Friends of Swiss L'Abri, Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. (Ps. 125:1,2) The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. (Ps. 97:1) He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. (Ps. 91:1,2) I doubt if there is anyone reading this who has not been marked by the events of this past September. Who could forget the terrible images that were constantly replayed on television and that drew the world together as a spectator of horror? The world was shaken and people in various places have said that the world will never be the same. I know for myself, the next day, after a fitful night's sleep filled with disturbing dreams, I awoke to see the sun rising behind the mountains and I experienced a sense of shock and surprise to see them there as before, unchanged. It was a comfort to me and reminded me that even as the mountains seem permanent and unchanging, how much more God is there unchanging, the Lord of history surrounding us. We in Swiss L'Abri wondered in what way the events of this autumn might affect us. Would students who had booked after September cancel their trip? Would parents ask their children to come home? There were some delays and worries, but we found we had a very full house all the way into December, and at times we had more students than we could accommodate and so we were tucking them into any available space we could find. We have had a really excellent autumn and were encouraged by all that we saw the Lord do in the lives of those He brought to us. In early October we decided to take advantage of a glorious Indian Summer and have a community hike, using every car available to us (Max and Pat Aeschbach and Juanita were able to join us) and drive across the valley to climb the Grammont - a peak towering right over Lac Leman. It was a challenging climb that not only afforded us time for conversations with students as we hiked, but rewarded those who reached the top with a splendid view in all directions. Arts Week was very stimulating with several art forms represented. The chapel was decorated with various "stations" representing different arts - music, children's literature, painting, where one could go and read up on the subject or try one's hand at the art form. Philippe Fretz very kindly displayed 9 large panels on the Lord's Prayer - done in a medieval style with many interplays of color, subjects, etc. Dag Anders , the assistant concertmaster of the Bergen Orchestra in Norway, opened the week with a concert, accompanied by helper Angela on piano. He also gave a sobering lecture on Shostakovich and the musical symbols he used to get around the repression of the Soviet regime. Dag also added a bit of background music to a dramatic reading of two Norwegian folktales by helpers Manuela and Joie. Jill Holmquist, an American living in Neuchatel with her husband and son, came for the week and led the students (and a few workers) in an evening of dramatic improvisation. This in turn inspired some of the students to continue working with improvisation in the following weeks, and she was helpful to a number of students who are interested in pursuing a career in drama. Claudia presented the film Run Lola Run and led a stimulating discussion afterwards. And on Saturday, Philippe Fretz along with George Wingate, who had been a student in French L'Abri many years ago, came to discuss their art - Philippe's 9 panels and a few representative pieces that George brought with him from the U.S. where he is a professor of art. Arts Week traditionally ends with an evening of student performances and the workers are always delighted to see a different side to the students than we normally see. Helper Linda from Sweden led a group of singers in a medieval song, sung a cappella in total darkness with one lit candle. It was very effective and beautiful. And a number of other students read their poetry, or sang songs they had composed, played an instrument, or kept us in stitches with their improvised drama. By the time the week ended we were thankful to the Lord of Creation for all that He had blessed us with during the week. As October drew to a close John Sandri came to us with the sobering news that he did not have enough in the accounts to pay the bills let alone the salaries. This led us to a day of prayer and fasting and a week of special prayer. Imagine our rejoicing when a week later the 15,000 francs needed had been provided. It was an amazing testimony to us and to the students that God is indeed there and He hears our prayers. And so we celebrated our thankfulness on Thanksgiving Day with a magnificent brunch lovingly prepared by the helpers and a feast at supper time in a beautifully decorated Bellevue. There was much rejoicing, and after dinner, when we gathered in the lounge to express those things for which we were thankful during the past year, it was a precious reminder to each of us of God's goodness and grace. Many of the students expressed all that l'Abri had meant to them in the preceding weeks. We are indeed thankful for all the Lord has given us. While the core group of our students was from the United States and Canada, we had students and helpers from Germany, Sweden, New Zealand, England, Hungary, Fiji, and Korea. Even though they come from different countries and cultures, from Christian homes or unbelieving, the questions are the same search for meaning in their lives, how to understand and live in the cultural climate of today, or how to truly live a Christian life that expresses and experiences God's grace and forgiveness, and that results in wholeness and joy. After September 11th many of our table discussions dealt with the question of evil in this world, pluralism, Islam and the Christian's response and relationship to Islam, and then with the news of the first "cloning" of human embryonic cells, we went on to discuss the questions surrounding human life and medical ethics, etc., and what the Bible might say about such issues. Immediately after the new year we will again open our doors. As we have in the past few years we will have several students coming from Calvin College to do a three-week interim of study with us, and Calvin College is sending us a science professor, Dr. David VanBaak, to come and lecture for us on Christianity and Science. Wim and Greta Rietkerk will be with us from early January until mid-March as Wim has left his pastorate and they wish to devote more time to L'Abri. They will come and help with mealtime discussions with the students, tutoring and Wim will lead us in worship on Sundays. We are very thankful for this possibility and look forward to their coming and enriching this branch. It is now a couple of weeks since I wrote the above - we wanted to include news of Matt and Sally's baby. The due date was December 12 but the doctor had to induce labor on the 21st and little Max was born by emergency caesarian section. He is doing well now and came home yesterday (December 26). Pray for Matt and Sally as they make the change to doing L'Abri work with the needs and demands of a little one. Rejoice with us at Max's safe arrival and pray for this little one, and all the children in L'Abri, that God may watch over them and lead them into His truth. With the new year only a few days away, we wish you all a very Happy New Year and May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. (2 Thess. 2:16-17) Gail Ingram PS! From time to time we send out a more frequent prayer letter by e-mail only to those who commit themselves to pray with us on a monthly basis. If you are interested please send an e-mail to swissmailings@labri.org. PS!!
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