High School Graduation

In just a few minutes it’s Son 1’s graduation. He’s got on slacks and a dress shirt. I’m going to loan him my blue “cow” tie… even tie it for him… a way we still “connect”, I guess.

He still says “yes, dad”, most of the time without rolling his eyes. The goodnight kisses he gives me are still on the lips. The hugs still refuse all self-consciousness. They come from the heart.

Despite the dumb jokes his dad tells, he’s not (overly) ashamed to invite friends over for dinner. (They roll THEIR eyes.)

His yearbook just came out. It’s actually in color this year. Not exactly like the tomes from the USA. It’s a simple book. Each class has an 8 by 11 inch page. Maybe even two. I turn to Jordan’s class page. It’s full of cartoons that represent the students, like those drawings they do at the fair. “See if you can find mine”, he says. I look. His classmates have drawn a young man with a halo and wings. Yes, he’s a saint. But he’s also got something else on his face: a smile.

Congratulations, son. Those wings will help you soar… The smile too.

Sunday School

You’ve heard of one-room schoolhouses. We have a one-room Sunday school. I knew I was in trouble when I started hearing toddler noises this morning. Fortunately the song leader had us stand for a hymn so I was able to discretely look in the back (we sit on the front row). So what do you do when you’ve prepared a lesson on Jesus choosing his disciples for your three 8 to 10 year olds who don’t show up, but two toddlers do (one of whom has seen you only once before)? First of all you pray as you are singing. Then you whip out your trusty Beginners Bible as soon as you get to class and start with creation. You sing lots of songs with clapping and hand-motions. You get down on the floor instead of sitting at the table.

Many, many years ago some older ladies from some little church somewhere in the States sent us cloth books for Sunday school. Have you seen these books? There’s a “page” with buttons to button, one with a zipper to zip, one with pockets to put your hands in, one with a shoelace to tie, etc. I had forgotten how cool theses little books were. They were a godsend this morning. Whatever the situation, God sends something to help us through it.

Stephanie

Field trip

Brady said to go ahead and blog while he's away. I woke up this morning wondering what I could blog about. The answer came in the mail...

Catherine was my best friend in junior high and high school. She moved away (all the way to Morges, 15 kilometers down the lake) so we don't see much of eachother now. We talk on the phone, but only get together a few times a year. One of those times is the traditional end of the school-year field trip. Did mention that Catherine teaches 3rd and 4th grade? We took the train to a nature reserve and learned all about lizards, had a picnic by the lake, played games, then took the train back to Morges. When Catherine drove me home she expressed her disapointment that the Mom whose boy arrived at the train station that morning 15 seconds before the train left didn't bother to say she was sorry for the tardyness. I didn't realize how disapointed Cathrine was in her 3rd graders till this morning. I recieved a fat envelop of cards she had her students write to say they were sorry they hadn't come up to me after the field trip to thank me for coming and shake my hand goodbye.

Cathrine is old-school. She hopes and believes there will soon be a 180° turn in society bringing back respect and discipline. Let's pray that the 180° turn will be a return to God.

Stephanie

BAFA Training

Today I’m taking the bullet train from Geneva to Marseille, then tomorrow on to the city of Gap, to complete training as a camp counselor. I’ll be officially certified by the French authorities as competent in the art of getting teens out of bed, encouraging them to maintain proper hygiene, overcoming the evil of talking at the table with their mouths full, and getting back into bed sometime before daybreak.

I would not be able to pass the course except for the hands-on training I’ve already received! No, I don’t mean raising three teenagers. Not that training. I was thinking of the fact that WIFE has been competently helping ME learn these helpful habits over the last 22 years.

The BAFA course to become a real person, I mean a counselor, consists of 3 parts: 9 days of initial training; 2 weeks on-the-job at a camp (our church camp); 5 days of reinforcement training in a special field. I’ll be camping with communists. This group gave Garth and me (colleague/comrade from Marseille) our initial training. Nice guys, except for the Mao suits.

I’ll be away till the 28th. WIFE and kids may blog, so click on by. And pray…

Exams

Daughter just finished her exams today. Over all, things went well for her. She’ll be able to go to high school. Son 1 still has 4 more orals. This morning he had to figure out the volume of a cone in space with only certain points on a plane provided. He also had a question on probability. It was something like: What’s the probability of your dad understanding even 30% of that first question? He did not know whether to be loyal or truthful. One of those hidden integrity questions.

Last night, 17 neighbors came for a good-by party. Irish Mary, husband Robert and kids are moving to the other side of town. It provided a moment to speak with daughter’s dean, also invited. He’s concerned about the direction of Swiss education, claiming kids are arriving at finals without a clue. He blames everyone: politics, parents, teachers, students, the war in Iraq (oops, wrong discussion). When I expressed how happy I was with our children’s learning experience in the public schools, it was like water on parched earth. It had been a long time since he’d heard that one.

BTW, thanks for the prays about the faith conference. God listened.

Theology

We learned an important theological truth last Christmas when we met family at my sister’s and brother-in-law’s in Arlington, VA for our first USA Christmas in 13 years.

Ready for that truth? (which has been reconfirmed innumerable times since that original epiphany): Every church should have a ping-pong table.

Arlington was having the warmest holidays in decades and while the wives were out jogging, shopping (at places other than Best Buy) and cooking, us guys would head over to the church for ping-pong. After Brice’s prayer and a quick exegesis on “the perfect” by Randy, Tadd would whip us all. Then we’d play some more.

Later, when we got back to Switzerland, we received a very definite sign that it was the moment to purchase a table: Our favorite store had one for 33% off and a 10% off day was coming up. I mean, 10% off days only happen twice a year.

That Sunday after worship and just before our AGAPE meal (editor’s note: pot-luck) the table went up. 3 hours later, visitors were still playing (I don’t know who those people were, but hey…) and we’d actually had fun together. All in all, a good Sunday.

More faith

This weekend the Geneva church is hosting a conference on faith. Members are inviting friends. Adam will speak Friday on, “Is faith still possible today?” I’ve got the Saturday session, “Is faith useful?” Then on Sunday morning, Renaud will cover, “Where will faith finally take us?” (The flier’s on http://www.i-evangile.com/foi21siecle/)

On the late train heading home to Lausanne, I invited Lydia, my Tuesday-night-train-traveling-partner, to come to the meeting. We go way back. She was one of my English students years ago. We were neighbors. After she and her husband moved, we lost contact, until we started regularly taking the same train.

Her reply begged for clarification: I’d love to have more faith. I have so very little. -- What do you mean by “little”? -- She said that she was pessimistic. People of faith are optimistic. She doesn’t have much hope for the world. People of faith see a future for the world. She had no desire to read the Word, and people of faith love God’s Word.

Just before pulling into the Lausanne train station, I offered to help her faith grow. She said great, she’d call me this summer. She’s too busy right now for more faith.

Reunion

The email popped up on my screen in March, 2005. Creel (there’s a fun name) was looking for a friend she’d made in school some 40 years ago in the nearby Lausanne suburb of Renens. In the 60’s her family had come to Lausanne with a three-family team to plant this church. She became best friends with Dominique. Well, thanks to a unique last name and the internet, the two childhood friends hooked up again.

Creel and her family have just left our home after a wonderful Raclette lunch of cheese and potatoes. (We’re open 7/7!) She told us of her preparation for this trip, of the tears she cried upon her return, of the emotion she felt when reunited to her friend. Yes, they found each other again yesterday, on June 12, 2005. The last time they’d seen each other was on June 12, 1969.

The reunion continued till 2 AM this morning. (When the Swiss invite you over for a meal, don’t ever expect to eat and run. There is no hurry! Meals are definitely an “affair”. Reunions even more so.) News was exchanged. Emotions expressed. Events were remembered. For around here, friendships really are for a lifetime.

Sunday

Not too many people at our Lausanne worship time today. In fact, it was one of those Sundays where more were gone than were actually present.

Now all this can a preacher down. I live for Sunday, but sometimes get the (wrong) impression that members save sickness for the Lord’s day… Or that they pull ligaments on Saturday to sleep in on Sunday… Or that they take that business trip to skip an offering. (I’m not one of the “the glass is half-full” guys.)

To these accusing (satanic) thoughts God offers a simple remedy: Consider brothers and sisters as superior to yourself. In French it’s “esteem others as superior to yourselves”. Someone writes: Put yourself aside. Push others ahead.

My motives are soooo GOOD. 90% of my mistakes are made for the right reasons. My ideas are often on target.

Yet my brothers have BETTER motives. 95% of my sisters’ goof-ups are for the right reasons. Their ideas hit the bull’s eye without fail.

So today God is calling me to cut my spiritual family some slack. A loving preacher will challenge them. A godly pastor will call show them Jesus.

And a “half-empty” guy will pray… for next Sunday.

LST, Part Two

Ben, Amber and Carter arrived just a few minutes late in Geneva Airport from Dallas via London. They are doing the follow-up on the Let’s Start Talking project started by Morgan and Jessica.

Carter is 15 months old, so we don’t expect him to teach much English, but that won’t diminish his effectiveness. He has many of the characteristics of a fervent missionary:

He’s got enormous amounts of energy! Lots of folks like level ground. This guy loves stairs. He isn’t content with the flatlands. Up or down is where he’s going. Please keep clear!;

He expresses overflowing joy. His smile originates from deep down. And it’s not just for a few people. It’s offered to anyone within smiling range;

The boy counts on others. He can’t make it on his own! He’s almost always got someone by the hand;

He spends an extraordinary amount of time with his father. (Not doing that may be what keeps most of us folks from accomplishing the mission.)

Pray for this family. In 14 years, over 400 “Lausannois” have participated in LST. It’s a great way to meet and serve people, gently introducing them to the Timeless Man. Welcome, Ben, Amber and Carter!

The High Cost of Missions

Max Dauner, my colleague from Marseille, France wrote up the following article a few months ago. The dollar was at a near historic low against foreign currencies, something that bothers people evangelizing outside of the USA, but may be an “unknown” to you. He was kind enough to let us use his article here. BTW, the dollar has made a spectacular rebound in the last 3 or so weeks. That’s good news for us.
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There was a day when a missionary left for Africa, and all he needed was a pith helmet and a Bible. Those days are over. There are presently 61 countries around the world where the cost of living is higher than if you lived in downtown New York City. Add to all of this the weakening dollar, and you have a recipe that produces a high support base for missionaries.

International companies understand that when they send personnel overseas the salary package has to be doubled. That does not happen in missions even though a missionary is a self-contained unit of ministry. The missionaries pay their own office rent and expenses, supplies, phone bill, postage, cost of travel, insurance, social security, and sometimes pay taxes in two countries. There’s no way around it: missions is expensive! The obvious question is, “What can we do about it?” We do not have control over the world economy. Therefore, our focus should be on that which we can control. I suggest that we examine our priorities.

The problem is not money. The Christian Booksellers Association recently reported that they are a five billion dollar a year business. That means American Christians have that amount of disposable income for T-shirts and bumper stickers. We have the resources to fulfill the Great Commission. The only question is, “Where are we going to put those resources?”

Yes, missions is an extremely expensive proposition. But it is obvious from Scripture that missions is not an option. It’s a command of God. We support missions, not because it’s cheap, but because it’s God’s will.

Voting day

Sunday evening’s news’ broadcast opened with the headline, “Switzerland broadens its borders and its morals”.

Yep, it was another voting day in direct-democracy Switzerland. Time to decide to make some policy changes in our relationship with surrounding countries… Time to eliminate some 19th century moral baggage too. Out with the old, in with the new.

Broaden borders: Switzerland is NOT (yet) part of the European Union. There are still rapid border checks when you enter the territory through one of the border countries. (Five, counting Liechtenstein.) Thanks to Sunday’s vote there will be seamless travel from Norway to Italy in 2007.

Broaden morals: The second issue was never presented, before the vote, as a moral change (by those who proposed it). It had to do with rights. We have now officially created a relationship, (not marriage), which gives special status to homosexual couples. Many privileges inherent to married couples are now granted to same-sex couples, though the law specifically prohibits adoption or fertility treatments (while singles, including gays, have access to those procedures. How long will the new law stand up in European court?)

For an English article, see:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-06-05-swiss-referendum_x.htm?csp=34

Here’s a fun thought: Morals can be established through referendum.

Finals

Exams start on Monday. These are finals. Son 1 should do well and pass the year, giving him the possibility of carrying on his studies at the University of Lausanne. Daughter has to take finals too, and she’s just finishing up 9th grade, heading on to the high school that prepares students for College.

Only about a third of Swiss-educated students get to go on to University. No telling how many of them finish a complete, degree-ful college education. I do know that the department Son 1 chose has over a 90% failure rate for the first year.

This exam situation will give Son 2 two weeks off soon. No exams for him, but he is tutoring others so they’ll pass. His plans during the two weeks free are getting up early, working in the garden, painting the house and doing our 2004 income tax declaration (yeah, right).

Speaking of income tax declarations, if you live outside of the USA you get two extra months to declare. But you still have to declare, and even to pay up in certain situations. The colonists called that “taxation without representation”. I don’t know what we call it today. Maybe just bad luck.