April/May 2015 Switzerland

I'm packing my things and getting ready to leave on May 18th to the DRC...

The cherry tree in full bloom in the backyard.
Le cerisier en floraison au jardin.

New growth.
Nouvelle croissance.

I've really enjoyed my time in Switzerland and will miss the people that I've met here.  It's an amazing concept that people would invite a perfect stranger into their home, treat them probably better than family, and make them a part of their lives.  That takes a lot of courage.  Thanks to all the people in Switzerland who welcomed me and helped me, especially my host family.

The garden at the beginning of May.
Le jardin au début de Mai.

I have really profited from my time here.  I have an intermediate level of the French language.  I have had time to rest and recover from residency training.  I have made new friends.  I learned a lot about communication.  I also read some good books, one of which is called When Helping Hurts.  I highly recommend this to anyone interested in any type of social outreach/mission-type work.

The fields of rapeseed around Le Landeron.
Les champs de colza autour du Landeron.

The view from my window.
La vue de ma fenêtre.

Dinner at my house with my host family, professors, and other students from inlingua.
Un dîner chez moi avec ma famille d'accueil, des profs et d'autres élèves d'inlingua.

From Left to Right, Front to Back (De devant vers l'arrière, de gauche à droite):
1. Simba (the dog/le chien), Melina (my host sister/ma soeur d'accueil), Teresa (missionary to Cameroon and student at inglingua/ missionaire au Cameroon et élève à inlingua), Anastasia (prof at inlingua), 2. Christine (host mother/ma mère d'accueil), Barabara (prof at inlingua), me/moi, Dominique (prof at inlingua), Diane (helps welcome missionaries/ aide d'accueil pour les missionaries), 3. Erino (director at inglingua), Matthew (Teresa's husband/ le mari de Teresa)

A group of mostly German people I met at a place called Ralligen,
a retreat center run by a group of protestant and catholic brothers and sisters.

Un groupe de majorité d'Allemagne que j'ai rencontré à Ralligen,
une maison de repos dirigée par un groupe de frères et soeurs catholique et protestant.

Two of the women who invited me to walk
with them on part of the St. James trail.

Deux des dames qui m'ont invitée à marcher
avec elles une partie du chemin de Jacques de Compostelle.

The view behind Ralligen. It is one of the
best places I visited in Switzerland.

La vue arrière à Ralligen.  C'est un des meilleurs
lieu que j'ai visité en Suisse.

The St. James trail is similar to the concept of the Appalachian trail.
People walking for long distances often reflecting on God and nature, a type of pilgrimage for most.

Le chemin de Jacques ressemble au chemin des Appalachian.
Des gens qui marchent des longues distances en méditant Dieu
et la nature, une sorte de pélerinage.

Mid-day contact: a time for people from the church and
community to eat, talk, and get to know each other.

Midi-contact: un temps pour les gens de l'église et aussi
les défavorisés de l'extérieur pour manger, parler et se rencontrer.

I was albe to help most Wednesdays after classes.
J'étais libre d'aider la majorité des Mercredis après mes classes

 A picnic Sunday afternoon with Didier et Evodine,
a couple who comes to the monthly Bible study I tried
to participate in.

Un pique-nique un dimanche après-midi avec Didier
et Evodine, un couple qui vient à l'étude biblique
ou je participais.

A short walk
Une petite promenade

Grilling out with a couple from the church.
Un grillade avec un couple de l'église, Michele et Verena.

Visiting Mimi (my host mother's mom) at
the restaurant they run near Basel.

Visite chez Mimi (la mère de ma mère d'accueil
au restaurant près de Bâle.

Spending time with Solya, a student from inglingua after she
moved to Lausanne with her husband.

Avec Solya à Laussane, une élève d'inglingua après elle
ait déménagé avec son mari.

Olga (my host family's daughter in law/ la belle-fille
de ma famille d'accueil),Melina, and me/moi.

Visiting Annecy in France.
En visite à Annecy en France.

Pizza at Raphael (son) and Olga's house afterwards.
Pizza après chez Raphael (fils) et Olga.

Simba enjoying the view.
Simba en profitant de la vue.

Walking in the rain at creux-du-van.
Une promenade au Creux-du-Van.

With sunshine a few minutes later.
Quelques minutes plus tard avec le soleil.

My host family/ ma famille d'accueil:
Christine, Melina, Robert and Simba
on trail back to Grinderwald/ sur le chemin
de Grinderwald.

We took a small train from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg
and then walked back down the mountain.

Nous avons pris le train à crémaillère de Grinderwald
à la petite Scheidegg et puis nous sommes redescendus.

No explanation needed.
Aucune explication nécessaire.

I know I've been gone for several months and it's hard to stay connected with someone who lives a totally different life in a totally different country, but I appreciate your continued support and prayers.

I have a lot of mixed emotions about leaving Switzerland.  I'm sad to be leaving and have some fears about going to the DRC, but I know that God continues to be with me and his "calling" is still very clear.  I'm excited but nervous for the next step: a new place to live, new people, new culture, new language, new friends, starting to work again, etc.  Pray that I would have wisdom to know what to do, where to go, and with whom to make friends.

As always, you are always invited to visit (my friend Kimiko is coming in September and my sister Sarah is coming in October!).

Update Letter April 2015

Growing up in the Detroit area did not lend itself to a great understanding of farming or gardening.  Living in Switzerland with a family who owns a small vineyard and tends a garden has opened my eyes to how these things are managed, especially the preparation and care of fruit trees and vines.

Vineyards are very orderly, planted in rows.  There is a base to the plant which shows its age by its size, and the remaining few branches which were not part of the aggressive pruning process in the fall are strung along a line in anticipation of the new season of growth.  All the old, dead branches are piled up to be burned.

Knowing this firsthand gives me a new appreciation for the verses in John 15 that talk about Jesus being the vine and his followers the branches, and it’s made me actively reflect on my own life: Have I produced any fruit?  Am I actually living and following Jesus, or am I a dying, disconnected branch?

These questions lead to a logical but intense outcome: If I live my own way, don’t do what he asks, then I end up getting lopped off and thrown into the fire.  What exactly is the fire?  I’m not really sure, and I think people who have studied the Bible disagree about the meaning.  But it’s obviously not a good thing to be cut off from the source of life, so I’m thankful that even though I get pruned sometimes, I am carefully watched over and tended, very much like real-life vineyards.

Spring is starting here in Neuchatel.  The flowers are blooming, and the birds have come back to sing their songs.  There are promises of new beginnings all around me.

My personal spring was in January.  I packed my bags, got on a plane, and made my way to Switzerland.  I didn’t know how long I’d be there or who I’d be staying with, but I was excited.  The unknown can sometimes be unnerving, but I hoped for good things. 

When I arrived, my host mom and one of the ladies from my new church met me at the train station and brought me to my temporary home, Le Landeron, a small country village in western Switzerland situated between a small river and the hills leading up to the Jura Mountains.  I met my host family, Robert and Christine, was given my own space, and then the intensive French lessons began. 

I take the train each day into Neuchatel for my classes, held from 9 am-12:15 pm.  There we are immersed in grammar and vocabulary, and then I usually return home for lunch (and a conversation in French), walking the dog near the lake (and a conversation in French), homework (in French), catching up on e-mails (which are usually in English), dinner (more French), the news (in French), and then bed (I’m still dreaming in English).

I’ve learned a lot of French.

Most of that has come from the everyday struggle of trying to communicate and be understood.  I have the chance to practice everywhere I go, and going places is a good thing: It forces me to practice.

Outside of class I’ve had the chance to see and experience Switzerland.  I checked out one of the Swiss chocolate factories and saw the region where Gruyere cheese comes from.  I’ve met several of the people I’ll be working with in Nyankunde, and I was able to share with the children at church my story of why I’ve chosen to go to Africa.  I even had the interesting opportunity to take one of my classmates skiing. 

All in all, language learning is intense, but it’s been nice to have a regular schedule, to meet new people, to explore the world around me, and to rest a little while after so many years of pursuing my education and training.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here, but it’s almost time to move on, and I’m looking forward to the next leg of my journey.

I’ve just received my passport from the embassy in Berne with my visa for the DRC.  The organization I work for (Samaritan’s Purse) has purchased my one-way ticket to Uganda, and from there I will fly to the DRC.  I leave Switzerland May 18^th and, hopefully, I will arrive in DRC May 20^th (the due date of one of the docs there).  I’m still not sure when I’ll come back to the US, but it will be to take my board exams.

I’m thankful to all of you who have been praying for me, who have written me, and who have supported me through this whole process.  Please continue to pray for me.  I have been blessed with a great understanding of the French language, but it’s still a struggle to effectively communicate, and this will increase exponentially when I have to work and teach with a vocabulary I haven’t yet mastered.  And pray for me as I move once again and reestablish.  Pray that my cultural and linguistic mishaps won’t cause any lasting damage.