Archive for October, 2008

Lausanne Metro

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

This is a big deal. Lausanne is getting its second Metro line. The first one runs from the center of town, then northwest toward the University of Lausanne campus. It then hooks around and has its terminus in the suburb of Renens.

The new M2 runs without drivers. There is no living person who understands how the trams works anywhere near the paying passenger. That’s right! There are engineers who sit in a control room, miles away from the actual cars, playing with joysticks and buttons. There are always at least two of them together. That way, they can keep each other awake by saying things like, "Hey, Maurice. Want to see an old woman jump?" Or, "Jean-Pierre, let’s see if this guy can get out of the sliding doors with BOTH of his suitcases." Oh, those engineers. They have quite a sense of humor.

But it really is a big deal. The line starts at the lake at 373 meters (1,223.7533 feet, Randy) and ends high above Lausanne, just near the freeway, rising to 711 meters (27,992 inches). This is supposed to be quite an accomplishment. Yet even I could have figured out how to get the trams DOWN to the lake. It seems that getting them back UP was quite a problem.

I actually tried the tram out on open house day, and got stuck in it for 15 to 20 minutes. Which was fine with me. I had nowhere to go, and no one to complain to. They two engineers had gone for tea…

Posted in Lausanne, Transportation | 3 Comments »

Lausanne Marathon

Sunday, October 26th, 2008

Wife ran the Lausanne semi-marathon today. She took the train 21 kilometers away.  (13 miles, Randy.) She took off her extra clothes, put them in a numbered bag, gave them to a man, who then loaded it onto a truck. She was then told, "If you want to get back to Lausanne and retrieve your stuff, start running." They even shot a pistol to scare them away from the truck, and off they went down the coast road toward Lausanne.

She finished 1 hour, 43 minutes and 58 seconds later.

It was a long way to run just to get her clothes back. But she seemed happy that the whole thing was over. 

You can always check her blog out, all you runners out there, by clicking here.

Gotta run…

Posted in Running | 1 Comment »

Rick’s illness

Friday, October 24th, 2008

I am saddened by Rick P’s illness. I am a bit angry too. At 61 years old, his pancreatic cancer has spread to other organs. It’s all happened lightening fast. The Canadian doctors say there is no hope.

Rick has a heart for Ukrainians, having Ukrainian blood himself. While raised in Australia, he grew up listening to English, German and Ukrainian. He visited Switzerland just after Wife’s family moved here in 1969. Wife’s father and he traveled east to meet contacts who had been listening to the preaching on shortwave radio.

Rick continued his Slavic studies in Canada while preaching for different churches, then moved to Kiev a few years after communism fell. The women in his life (wife and 3 daughters) settled into Ukrainian ways. Later, two of the daughters left Kiev to continue studies (Harding and beyond). The youngest is a senior in a Ukrainian high school.

The Shevchenko Church is the only Kiev church of Christ using the Ukrainian language, and it will dearly miss Rick. Extremely energetic, he got a medical clinic going in one western Ukraine city, and two churches started there through his efforts.

Whenever we would talk about the future during my annual visits, Rick would often say, be it for problems or just talking about tomorrow, “It’s all in the Lord’s hands. We say that all the time. But do we really believe it?” I assure you, Rick believes it. And though I struggle with the "injustice" of critical illness, I believe it too.

(I just got news, 5 minutes after posting, that Rick passed away.)

Posted in Death, Healing, Ukraine | 5 Comments »

Lille, France

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

We caught a mid-morning train to Geneva. The following train on to Lyon had been cancelled, with a bus had been scheduled instead. Since it wasn’t quite big enough, one angry, mid-fifty-ish, loud American just kept yelling (in French): “My ticket is for 10:58. My ticket is for 10:58.” I felt sorry for him until he became more and more disagreeable. He had to wait for the 11:10 bus. (And now he’s probably writing about the event on his blog. “Why wouldn’t anyone get up and give me their seat so they could be late to their appointment? Why?, I ask you…”)

We caught a TGV in Lyons (Part-Dieu station). TGV, as you know, stands for “Train Goes Vast”. In fact, it goes VERY vast.

P picked us up in Lille. We took the Metro to her place. She and her family hosted us the whole weekend. I could say a million things about this family, but just let me start with:

  1. P is the Director of the Teen Youth Camp;
  2. P, P’s husband, is a veterinarian yet finds time to teach and preach nearly every week at the local church where there is no full-time guy;
  3. P and P have 4 great kids who walk with God;
  4. P read a sermon when he was a new Christian entitled (no lie): How to welcome the visiting preacher. This is one lesson he learned well. However, I do not think there was a section in the sermon on keeping a cold beer in the fridge. They must have added that part.

The following afternoon, two wonderful meals later, we left for a short church retreat. I spoke 4 times on faith. They were very gracious, listened carefully, and encouraged us.

P. and P. are amazing people. They love the Lord dearly, carry the burdens of their brothers and sisters, and are one reason why a light is shining brightly in the city of Lille, way up there in the north of France.

Posted in Church life, Ministry | 3 Comments »

Prayer list

Thursday, October 16th, 2008

Here’s my current prayer list. I go through it several times a week and the people mean the world to me.

  • Rick P.: He’s Christ’s servant who’s been in Kiev, always ready to give me a hand when I come through. He’s gotten terribly sick (no details) and is now in the hospital in Canada. What a blessing he has been to the Ukraine work.
  • L. (from church) and his brother Victor in Canada, who is dying of cancer.
  • Mom: Recovering from knee operation.
  • Susanne and J-Pierre: Their age brings a new challenge every day;
  • Son 1 and his studies.
  • Daughter and Son 2: Both away from home.
  • M., an older woman living with us who’s having many problems.
  • C. and her severe sprain, T. and her search for work, J. and her emotional state, L. and her illness, Nicole’s father and his illness.
  • Upcoming teen retreat.
  • Of course, the church here, that we have faith and love and hope. It’s my constant prayer. As well as for strength to go forward.
Perhaps some of you will pray for these people.

Posted in Prayer | 4 Comments »

Time management

Friday, October 10th, 2008

Yesterday, I got to attend a class in Time Management and Organization. I’d been bugging a consultant friend to let me follow his course (for free), given to civil servants from around Lausanne. He not only let me come (this time), but wants me to teach it (next time).

Great advice was given, lots of strategies debated and problems discussed. Many folks have extremely tough work environments, even in the public service.

During the lunch break, being somewhat on my own, I began thinking of Jesus’ teaching on managing difficult times and situations. His advice, his order, “Do not worry” would sound pretentious, even lacking sympathy, if put on the lips of anyone else. But as the Son of God, Jesus not only challenges but also comforts, revealing that faith in the One who feeds the sparrow and clothes the lilies will energize life, especially in times such as these.

One day we will be on the other side of all this stuff and the question will not be so much what we did financially to get through it, but rather did we seek his reign? Did we search for his righteousness? Did we continue to live generous lives of solidarity with others and trust in the Father?

And the answer will be: Of course we did. What else could we do? He takes care of us.

Posted in Future, God, Investing | 3 Comments »

P66

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

About 10 days ago we got to visit the Bodmer Museum (Bibliotheca Bodmerians) in Cologny, just next to Geneva. A friend who lives there paid our way because he knew I’d been wanting to go for a long time.

There, behind glass, under dim light, was P66.

I saw probably 15 of the small sheets on display, stacked neatly one a top the other, each almost square, about 6.5 inches by 5.5 inches. I could read the Greek letters as clearly as if they had been written yesterday.

But they hadn’t. The papyrus sheets are some of the earliest pages we have of the Gospel of Jean. They date from just after 200 AD.

The museum neighbor commented: Pretty moving, isn’t it?

I didn’t know what to say. To think that some brother or sister in Christ had read that text 1800 years ago in the assembly of the Christians; that many had come to faith and to new life long ago through the story it contained; that people from another age had risked everything for the preservation of those pages and the living-out of the Gospel… Those things moved me.

They move me today.

Posted in Museums | 6 Comments »