crepes for dinner tonight.

My friends,

I'm continually pleasantly surprised to see that there are people who actually read the blog this term and (even better) people who read comments. I've been pretty poor at updating this term. We're almost half-way done; on Thursday we'll begin a ten-day term break in which Kay, Jasie, and Thomas punt everyone out of Bellevue and we're left to fend for ourselves for a while.

My good friend Kim from childhood on 'till post-college is coming to visit us here in Switzerland. It's important to remember that in some ways, time seems to stop for people who are at L'Abri, or at least to slow down a lot. Back in the States things seem to be changing or moving a lot quicker. Maybe at L'Abri it just seems like you get to think about every frame of these changes more intently because other distractions (small things like billboards and television) are eliminated. Either way, Kim coming is really great not only because I get to see one of my best friends but because I get to catch up a little on what's going on with others I know back in Chicago. There's been lots of changes here and I'm sure there's been a bunch of changes at home as well.

But mostly, I'm pumped about the break. We're staying in Sapins (I'll try to put pictures up when that's really a possibility) and the weather in Switzerland has been sunny and over 60 degrees the past couple of days. The skies are clear and we can see the mountains perfectly.

Things I've been learning this term have included (but not been limited to) how difficult it is to cook for more than 30 people (why does 30 seem so possible but 40 seem like an impossibility? I'll give you one reason: a GAS OVEN, one side of which sometimes decides not to work); the fact that the image of God in people was not affected or "tarnished" by the Fall; our relationship with God (not our image of him) was what was affected and what needs to be addressed; the meaning and purposes of human relationships; and the joys of carving in the Alps (sometimes it's icy and hard, and sometimes you don't make very much progress), and the wonders of breakfast food.

Other important updates include the fact that I won't be at L'Abri after this term. I'm excited for the next steps that are coming and would appreciate eveyone's prayers about that.