Accepted

I came home from work today to an envelope from Switzerland. Inside was a letter of acceptance to the University of Lausanne (in French and English.) Once I arrive in Switzerland, I will have to take a language placement test, but provided I pass that I will be an official student! I am so excited!  This year has just been a really neat time of seeing puzzle pieces fall into place.

Being a student at the university will give me easy access to the campus, access to the international students since I will be one, and a chance to improve my French as I will be in a course specifically designed for non-native French speakers. Now, I am hoping to spend time this summer working on French so I will have the level required!

A Lesson in Trust

Today was the first time in over a week that I drove my car to work. I have been driving around my dad's Audi because my car had several problems that needed fixing and ended up costing several hundred dollars. While I'll admit that this is concerning, I was glad to see I didn't have a major flip out over having to shell out the money. God protected me from feeling worried and stressed over my car and instead gave me a peace about it. For one thing, although my bank account will take a serious hit, I did have the money. For another, God provided the job that provided me that money so that when my car broke down, I would have the funds (and the awesome dad!) to take care of it. This is not a revolutionary thought, but I can trust God! I can trust him to faithfully provide for me, whether it be a few hundred dollars for my car of several thousand for my ministry.

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Look at the lilies of the field, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If this is how God clothes the grass of the field that is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, o you of little faith?
~Matthew 6:27, 29-30

Switzerland: A Country Profile

Let me guess, what you know of Switzerland is probably summed up in several stereotypes  Swiss banks, Swiss cheese, the Swiss Alps, Swiss chocolate, Swiss bank accounts, and above all: Switzerland is always neutral! I have been doing a little research and thought I would try to give you a little bit more information about Switzerland.


Location
Switzerland is a land-locked nation in western Europe. It shares borders with France, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Italy. The capital is Bern, but the largest city in Switzerland is Zurich. Switzerland is full of lakes and mountains, most notably the Alps which border Italy on the south.

Language
Contrary to popular belief, there is no such language as Swiss! Switzerland has four official languages: German (65.7%), French (20.4%), Italian (6.5%), and Romansh (0.5%). Lausanne, in the canton of Vaud, is French-speaking.

Name:
Officially Switzerland is called the Swiss Confederation from the Latin Confoederatio Helvetica, which is how the abbreviation CH comes about. In French, Switzerland is called La Suisse.

Currency:
Switzerland is not a part of the European Union and does not use Euros. Their currency is Swiss francs (CHF). One Swiss franc equals about one dollar and 8 cents.

Lausanne:
The city of Lausanne is located on Lake Geneva in western Switzerland right across the border from France.  It is home to the International Olympic Committee and is the fourth largest city in Switzerland.

Cathedral in city center

City of Lausanne, Lake Geneva, Alps