Switzerland

 

A City of Influence

Switzerland - February 10, 2006

We recently had the opportunity to spend some time in the city of Lausanne, Switzerland. Throughout our time spent in this city, we were amazed to find out how this town of 150,000 has been an epicenter of influence throughout the world.

For generations, some of history's most influential individuals have come to this city, and as a result produced some of their most prolific work. Below, you will see several recognizable individuals that this city has inspired. Francis Schaeffer - Schaeffer is recognized internationally for his work in Christianity and culture. He founded L'Abri Fellowship international study and discipleship centers (the original is near Lausanne). Schaeffer's influence and legacy continues worldwide after having touched the lives of future leaders and visionaries, and leading many to Christ. Mark Twain - Twain rested in Hotel Beau Rivage in Ouchy. Some of his most famous works were published after his time near Lausanne. John Calvin - The birth of Protestantism started near Lausanne and affected Christianity forever. Calvin's Reformation was started in Geneva, and he held a famous debate in Lausanne. His writings and Protestant work ethic changed even the city of Lausanne. Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church recently gave a fantastic message on the modern Calvinism vs. Arminianism position called Modified Calvinism. Winston Churchill - Churchill sought refuge and rest in Lausanne. Lord Byron - This English poet, who was the main precursor to the wave of Romanticism in the nineteenth century, wrote his work in Lausanne. Ernest Hemingway - Hemingway used his experiences in Lausanne as a backdrop to his famous novel A Farewell to Arms. Edward Gibbon - Arguably the most famous historian of all time. While in Lausanne, he finished Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a monumental piece of work that still influences the way history is understood today. William Wordsworth - Wordsworth's most famous poems were also a precursor to the influential Romanticism Era. His poem "Prelude" was written after his first time in Switzerland, and he returned to Switzerland later to finish all his work. Many of Wordsworth's stanzas describe his feelings and thoughts about being in the Swiss Alps. Voltaire - A one time resident of Lausanne, Voltaire was a French philosopher and writer whose works epitomize the Age of Enlightenment, often attacking injustice and intolerance.  Loren Cunningham - Cunningham founded YWAM as a young man, and his very first base was in Lausanne. He said God called him there, even though by all practical purposes that made no sense to anyone (since Lausanne is expensive, and seems more like a vacation spot, not a ministry place). As a result of this calling, YWAM is considered to be one of the most important and effective movements in Christendom today.

View Comments

 

Faint WiFi Is Better Than No WiFi

Switzerland - February 09, 2006

Our days continue to be busy as we gear up for our departure to Central America. Although we both wish our days were 30+ hours to accomplish everything we would like to,
Patrick recently reminded me through this picture how far we have come in just a few short months.

One of the big challenges we were just talking about is how to maximize our time. At the moment, we are very blessed to have discovered a faint, intermittent WiFi connection that has allowed us to capitalize on the seemingly endless repetitive things we have to do (among them: project research, Skype calls and email). It's been a bit of a juggling act for both of us, as we are still learning how to properly balance the amount of time we spend in front of the computer and the amount of time we spend directly with people. A new challenge we will obviously face in the coming months will be dealing with scarce internet accessibility on an ongoing basis.

The last few days have been quite productive, as we have been in discussion with multiple organizations regarding partnerships (including Operation Blessing and International Sports Federation) and have also received good leads for separate projects in Kenya and India. We have also developed contacts with multiple YWAM bases in Peru, Argentina, Bolivia and Southern Chile.

Recently, we have been learning more about (1) some of the things we've observed during our time in Switzerland (including street graffiti) and (2) the incredible impact that Lausanne, Switzerland has had on the world. It is absolutely staggering at the amount of influence this small city has had on history's most influential men and women over the years. We hope to share some of this information with you in the coming days.

-Lee and Patrick

View Comments

 

New Switzerland Photos!

Switzerland - February 05, 2006

View Comments

 

Antigua Well Project

Switzerland - February 02, 2006

We are extremely excited about the project we have just locked down for February 18-25th. We will be in Antigua, Guatemala working
on our first well drilling project in collaboration with Living Water International. We'll be learning the basics of water sanitation as well as well drilling and repair. Hopefully, this project will equip us with the knowledge and skill set for future collaborative projects with Living Water.

It will be an interesting experience, as we have volunteered to camp in a tent near the well site in the Guatemalan jungle to save on cost and increase our effectiveness. I'm sure we'll have plenty of stories from that one.

Today, Michel took us to the wine country near Lake Geneva. It was incredibly serene seeing the Swiss Alps tower over the near-frozen lake below. Sadly, all of last year's crop was destroyed from a hail storm, so there was nothing for sale this year.

This area is quite unique, since the Swiss government put a strict regulation on the preservation of the vineyards, essentially meaning that no one is allowed to build here anymore. As a result, all of the homes are extremely sought after and are very old (1500s).

Sidebar of the day...
One thing that has really surprised me about this city is the amount of vandalism that has sprouted up in the past 5-10 years in Switzerland. Literally every block has something that is tagged. It is quite disheartening to see, especially when considering the beauty of this country.

View Comments

 

New London Photos!

Switzerland - January 31, 2006

View Comments

 

Bonjour from Switzerland!

Switzerland - January 30, 2006

Exciting news today as we have solidified a well drilling project with Living Water International in Guatemala! More details coming soon.

As I write this we are currently in Lausanne, Switzerland staying with dear friends of Patrick's family. It's been amazing so far. We're actually here for a few more days until we head to L'Abri February 1st and 2nd. It's been wonderful because we've really saved in cost staying at their place and having absolutely fantastic meals. We have been completely overwhelmed at the hospitality we've received.

Our hosts, Gloria and Michel, have two girls (Stephanie and Camille) that speak French, Spanish, English and Latin. Needless to say, I feel a little ignorant being an inspiring 'monolingual.' I'm at an internet cafe right now about a 20 minute walk from their house. As I write this, I am looking out over the lake and can see across to France from here. Wild.

Thankfully, we have been able to get some much needed rest here. It's been much different from London, which was "go, go, go." Last night, Gloria said "Please, sleep in as late as you'd like," and I think I had a mini party in my head. Coincidentally, I slept in until 1:30 pm today (a first in probably over a year). Must still be exhausted from everything.

It's quite weird because as much as I love this country, I feel that there is so much ahead to think about and plan that I am not able to sit still and enjoy everything as much as it truly deserves.

Sidebar of the day...
For those of you who don't know, Swiss chocolate is so good that I could probably eat a choco brick the size of a car. So when I heard a little nugget of info that our host family eats Swiss chocolate every day of the week, you could say it was a good day. I believe I have partaken of this lovely tradition 3 times already. (Thankfully we have walked around 5 miles in the last several days or else I'd have a few extra kilos of Lindt chocolate floating in my bloodstream).

View Comments