A Full Week

So much has been going on this week that I haven't had much time to sit down and actually put it into writing to give you a better idea of what is going on. Let me try to just sum up a couple of the things here!

Monday:
This was a day off in Switzerland and all the shops were closed. It was rainy and miserable but Andrew and I trekked over to my apartment for some cleaning. I came down with a cold and was sneezing and blowing my nose all throughout Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tuesday:
I had the first part of my language placement exam. A grammar section and a listening section. It was quite tricky!

Wednesday:
I had the second part of my language placement exam. A written comprehension section, a written essay section, and a spoken interview part. My partner was a lady from the Czech Republic and we each had to speak for 2 minutes individually and then 5 minutes together. We were given different topics for our individual monologue and then for our discussion we had to talk about cooking. We sort of ran out of things to say so I started asking her about Prague and told I had been there. I figured, hey! At least we are still talking in French!
Every Wednesday afternoon, the GBEU has a prayer meeting so I went and met more of the people who make up the team for all of French-speaking Switzerland. The praying is all in French which can often be hard to follow but it is great for us all to get together and pray.
In the evening, I went to the welcome night for the French-speaking Swiss students. I guess this would sort of be like the equivalent of an IV large group except I don't think they have large group every week. They had a talk from an American who has been in Lausanne for 18 years and works at the university. He gave his testimony for the first time in French. I could understand him very easily and was delighted to hear that he had also been involved with InterVarsity in the US. After the talk they broke us into small groups and I went to the one for where I am studying. It was very hard to hear and they students were all speaking very quick French but I understood that they were all just deciding when their regular time for meeting was going to be. This is kind of the equivalent to IV small groups.

Thursday:
Andrew and I took my suitcases to my apartment in preparation for me moving in there. I then went to lunch on campus with the GBEU students from the night before. That was quite difficult to understand what they were even talking about. However, I think I mostly got their names down! In the afternoon, Rob and Phoebe, two students from Heidelberg, came to visit the Livos and to check out their international student ministry here in Lausanne. In the evening we all went to campus to set up for the first iCafé of the semester. This is a social night open to all international students (and also Swiss students who don't mind speaking English) and it happens once a month at the moment. The goal is to form relationships with international students and hopefully get them involved in other ways, including a Christianity Explored class and meeting one-on-one. It was such a wonderful evening! We had about 40 people and they were from all over the world! In fact when one student said he was from Bolivia it sort of felt close to home considering! There was one other American girl there who is doing an internship in Switzerland for the next 3 months. She is from Memphis, TN. Overall, the evening went very well with food and some activities designed to mix us all up and get to know other people. As the person who wrote everyone their name tag, I got to meet each person and attempt to spell their names. It was very fun.

Friday:
I arrived on campus and to my building where the School of French as a Foreign Language is located at 9:30 in order to get my exam results. I got placed in the first year of the diploma course which is great! I then went to two information sessions about the university in general and about my program specifically. There are 1,000 students in the School of French as a Foreign Language and they are from about 70 different countries! The common language is French as that is what people are there to study which means that all the information they are giving us is French. After and before the information sessions I talked to people around me in English (which many people also speak, sometimes better than French) or in French. One lady who was sitting next to me helped me to understand the courses a bit more and I was very grateful to her!
I am still learning how the university system works here as it is very different from my experience in Virginia. For instance, you don't choose classes before the semester starts. This is partly because their degrees are so specific that they don't really have as many choices as we do. Their programs are more specialized to the subject matter. But, once classes do begin you have three weeks to kind of try them out until you decide to officially be registered in them. For me, this means that even though I have assigned classes I must take, I do not have assigned times of the week for these classes. Most classes for my program are offered two times during the week and I must pick one of the times to attend. However, next week I could choose to go to the other time which may mean a different professor. It took me quite awhile to try and decipher this!
In the evening, I officially moved in to my apartment which is on the other side of Lausanne from the Livos and takes about 40 minutes to get to. After a quick stop at the grocery store near me I spent most of the evening cleaning the apartment and unpacking my things. It was nice to get clothes out of the suitcases and into drawers and dressers!

Saturday:
I spent the day exploring Lausanne with Rob & Phoebe being tourists. We went to some markets in old town, to the cathedral, and up a tower to the north of the city for some lovely views. I did not make it to the top as you had to climb some open air steps and my fear of heights kicked in like I haven't felt since I climbed the Eiffel Tower 4 years ago! But Phoebe very kindly took some photos on my camera for me. After that, we went the grocery store for food and then to my apartment for a late lunch. (Food is very expensive here that it is impossible to eat out.) Rob and Phoebe also helped me with some apartment things which was so very kind of them. We ended the day by going down to Ouchy (Oo-she) which is right on the lake. It was an absolutely gorgeous day in Lausanne and we had some stunning views. Check out the photos below!

Sunday (today!):
We went to an English speaking church (with a service that started at noon) as Andrew was preaching and Claire was sharing about the ministry with international students here (which we call iConnect). It was a really great service and we had lots of great conversations with people. I met a couple from Canada who have only been here since February and we could relate to each other on so many things!

outside Anthropole, the building where I study

Claire Andrew Rob and Phoebe on our way to iCafé

Thursday: our first iCafé of the semester!

La Grange de Dorigny the building where iCafé is held on campus.

Rob on the tower

Saturday: Rob Phoebe and me eating lunch in my apartment.

Saturday evening: down in Ouchy

Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva

Snapshots

Bonjour tout le monde!
I apologize to those of you who may have been checking here hoping for an update on how it's all going. I really haven't had much time to sit down and organize all that I have been seeing/hearing/observing/learning/discovering into some sort of order. Basically, everything is NEW so there are so so many things that I think I shall just try to give you a few snapshots of life in Lausanne so far. Keep in mind that right now I am getting orientated and that my involvement in the actual ministry will be a gradual thing as first I have to get settled into Switzerland.

#1 The Livos
Andrew and Claire Livingstone are my team leaders and are overseeing the international student ministry part of GBEU (the sister-movement to IV) here in Switzerland. They are an Australian couple who have been here for just over a year and plan on being here for another 8 more years at which point they hope to hand the ministry over to the local Swiss. Thus, their ministry (and mine, now that I'm here!) is really to (a) reach out to international students and (b) teach others to do the same who will teach others to do the same and so on and so forth.
Andrew and Claire call themselves the Livos for short and it is this habit of Australian informality that makes me feel immediately at home. While we organize my apartment (like clean it and set up internet, etc.) they have graciously welcomed me into their apartment. We've talked quite a bit about Australian and American differences and laughed a lot at silly expressions and phrases. (Where as we would say thingy they would say thing-o and yet they don't use hey-o!) For the most part, there isn't a language barrier ;) I am incredibly thankful for them and am looking forward to learning from them.

#2 The language
My confidence in French goes up and down like a yo-yo on a string. For the most part, the Swiss are incredibly patient and forgiving and will usually switch to English if you get stuck. I also consciously push myself to do hard things (like call my concierge or go to a store to get Internet for the apartment on my own). It's so wonderful when taking these sometimes scary steps have positive results. For instance, the young lady who helped me with the internet set-up was SO nice and switched to English to make sure I understood and even offered me a piece of cake because it was another co-worker's birthday in the store that day. Today, at the church was also really positive as I was able to understand a lot of what was said up front (and they sang two songs in French that I knew in English) as well as communicate with the people before and after the service in short little conversations. One lady encouraged me by saying she thought I would do very well since I already have a foundation for the language and another said she thought my accent was quite good. What a confidence boost! I think the language can only get easier and easier the more I do it and I am so thankful to already be at the level I am at-definitely God's hand in preparing me! Next week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, I will have the language placement test to determine my level officially before being given my study program.

#3 The university
Part of what I'm learning is things I would just know about the university system in America. I am learning my way around the university and also just that it is such a different campus culture from the one I attended. On Friday, there was a new students day and a students activities fair. I got to participate as a student so I didn't have to sit at the table and talk to people but instead be the one who was talked to as I walked around to all the different places. It was all a bit overwhelming and tiring but I got lots of free stuff to go through! The most valuable things I got from it were a small foldable map of the university, information on a language exchange program where you get a partner for one-on-one practice (apparently English-speakers are very popular so I will be in high demand), and a free agenda for the school year. After forcing myself through the crowded room in and amongst all the students and booths I had to go and sit outside (fortunately it was a nice day) and re-group. As an introvert, sometimes those activities are just exhausting! However, I am coming to realize it will all get easier as the campus becomes more familiar.

Alright, that's all for now-I hope that these little snapshots give you a better idea of life here for me! Please feel free to email or Facebook me any questions you might have!

New Students during the welcome session

Students sitting outside

The building where my classes will be. 

A clean window at my apartment with the mountains reflected in the glass.

I'm HERE!

The Journey....

On Monday evening, I said goodbye to America and the familiar. I was feeling a little blue, so I watched Monsters University on the plane to cheer me up. I had a whole row of three seats to myself and was able to lie out and sleep. Once I arrived in London I had a wait until my flight to Geneva. I made myself at home with some Cadbury's chocolate and Starbucks coffee. While waiting for the departures board to announce my gate I started talking to the woman next to me who was British but had funnily enough lived in Lausanne of all places! My flight to Geneva was delayed but I again had an empty seat next to me and plenty of space. Once I arrived in Geneva, I had to wait for awhile to get through passport control before getting my bags. Unfortunately, in order to get a cart to put the suitcases on I needed either a 2 Swiss franc coin or a 2 Euro coin, neither of which I had! I ended up having to buy something at an airport shop in Euros (which I fortunately had, thanks mom!) and get Euro coins in change. (I did all this in a mixture of French/English which was funny later but not at the time...) I was finally able to get my cart, load up my suitcases and walk out to meet up with Andrew and Claire Livingstone. With their help, we got on the train (the station is right there in the airport-very convenient) to Lausanne and to the Livingstones apartment where I'll be staying for the next night or two while I settle in and get orientated a bit.

First Impressions...

Lausanne is gorgeous! Even with it spitting rain and gray skies overhead, there is no denying the majesty of the mountains and the charm of the historic buildings and narrow streets. The Livingstones took me for afternoon tea in the old town part of Lausanne. (We walked and metro-ed, not far at all.) Then we came back via the university metro stops so kind of got glimpses of the university. 

Switzerland makes me feel poor! Everything here is priced SO much higher than at home. 

I love technology. My phone was able to receive and send calls to the US, clear as a bell (although I may pay for that later) and I got to Skype my mom briefly.

That's all for now, I will put in a few photos I took on my phone but I'm hoping for a prettier day to get some really fabulous photos of the lake and mountains. 

in the heart of Lausanne

From the train to Lausanne from Geneva

There's the lake, which we call Lake Geneva and they call Lac Léman

Last Tuesday in America

Today is my last Tuesday in America. This time next week I will be arriving in Switzerland! It's so crazy I almost can't believe it! I will be flying out on Monday night (September 9th) and arriving the next day (September 10th). I do still need more support (about $4,500) and am praying that this comes in before I go. Once I arrive in Switzerland I will be attending some welcome week activities at the university to get ready for classes to begin on the 17th of September. I'm so excited to be going but I am also very sad to be saying goodbye to so many wonderful people here too. If you want to see me before I go, let me know!  I also have lots of packing to do as well as administrative details to take care of so please be in prayer for me this week!

Closer and closer

As I sit down to write this my budget percentage has jumped to 80%. I cannot help but praise God this morning for his faithfulness to me! I am still praying that I will arrive in Switzerland before the 17th of September and it is looking more and more possible! I am so thankful for every single person who has made this possible as well as those who have been faithfully praying for me. And while I long to go to Switzerland, I am also enjoying this time here at home with family and friends. It is a blessing to have extra time with them.

During the past few weeks I have had to take a battery of psych evaluation tests as well as an interview to see how I will respond to stress overseas and so that I am better prepared to recognize what my strengths and weaknesses are. Although the interview had questions like What is your greatest achievement? What qualities make a good leader? and so on, it also allowed me to share about Why now? What excites you about moving to Switzerland? It was nice to share about what I'll be doing and recounting the ways that God has allowed all the pieces to fall into place. It was also a great reminder that he is the author and perfecter of our faith and that I can rest on his promises and his timing for this next step.

Crushed but not Destroyed

I am not leaving on August 16th. In fact, I no longer know when I am leaving. Not leaving on the 16th means not going to orientation on the 18th in England. It means not leaving from England for Switzerland on the 1st of September and it means I have to call and re-arrange my flight for an unspecified future date. It shouldn't really be so disorienting but I guess I kind of liked knowing that there was a plan, and now I can't really see what the plan is at all. My new deadline is to be in Switzerland before the 17th of September because that is when I have to take a language placement test to be a student at the University of Lausanne. But, between here and there it's all kind of a blur of what to do and how to go about doing it. The reason I am not going is because I have to have 100% of my budget either pledged or given before I can step on a plane. As of right now I have 68%. I have come so far and yet it still feels as though I am very far away. It is sort of like swimming against a current. You use a lot of energy to push yourself up stream and yet when you pause for breath you still see familiar landmarks as you are pushed toward your starting point. In many ways I feel as overwhelmed as I did when I was starting from 0%. Yet, I definitely know more now than I did before and I have some really awesome stories of God at work. However, it is hard to deal with the disappointment of not going and yet soldiering on so eventually I can go.  I also struggle to see my circumstances from God’s perspective. After all, he is powerful and a God of miracles even today. It is totally possible that he could still allow me to go on the 16^th. I see 32% as a huge hurdle but God could be using this time to strengthen my dependence on him. Or, perhaps, he wanted to give me more time to say goodbye. When I leave for Switzerland, I will be there for two years and I am not planning on coming back during that time. 

Last week I was at Caswell with the youth group. It was such a great time of worship and fellowship. But it was also a hard time of saying lots of goodbyes. Even though I will see some of those people again it was still emotional! It was also hard for everyone to say goodbye to the seniors. The theme of Caswell was based off of 1 Timothy 4:12 where Paul urges Timothy not to let anyone look down on him because he is young but to set an example for the other believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. We were encouraged to speak up, step up, and stand up just as many young people in the Bible did. In my evening CBC small group, I was so encouraged by the girls honesty and passion. They helped turned a great week into an awesome week. 

So many words, Ruth! I know, but if you get nothing else out of this post: listen to the song Trading My Sorrows because it perfectly sums up how I'm feeling disappointed but laying it all down before God.

Journal Page

Worship at Caswell

Always, Always

My foes are many, they rise against me, but I will hold my ground. I will not fear the war, I will not fear the storm, my help is on the way, my help is on the way. Oh my God, you will not delay, my refuge and strength always. 

A song that has been on my heart a lot recently is the one above, entitled Always by Kristian Stanfill. The song is a great example of something that I have to continually remind myself of: there is my perspective and there is God's perspective. Even when my obstacles seem overwhelmingly impossible, God is bigger and stronger. My God will come through always, always. My biggest challenge right now is looking at the amount I have to raise (49% to go!) compared with the amount of time left (only a few weeks til Aug 16th!) and just trust that God has got it all under control. Of course, there are so many details besides just getting the finances to come in and I have to daily turn over my worries/burdens/struggles to God because ultimately I have zero control over them anyway. I will not fear, His promise is true. 

Last week I took pictures for the Evening Bible Camp program at Chantilly Bible Church. I took almost 1,000 photographs during the course of the week! But not every picture was in focus, not every picture captured the moment, and not every photo forms an adequate picture of what it was like to actually be there and participating in the events. Part of my role as the EBC photographer, was to go through all the photos, delete some, and to organize the rest into a powerpoint slideshow so that the parents could see in 8.5 minutes what went on during the week. This is how it is with God, I see glimpses of how He is at work both now and in the past year, but I'm not sure how they all fit together. I'm not even sure that they will make a cohesive whole. This event looks blurry, this one might be upside down for all I know, and this one seems too good to be true. I waste rather a lot of time trying to tell God how to organize the slideshow. This would be similar to someone who hadn't even been at EBC trying to tell me that the photograph of the kids in the canoe should go under 'Bible teaching.' God is the one who is putting everything in its proper place at its proper time. It is so freeing to realize that He has only the best in store for me. Troubles surround me, chaos abounding. My soul will rest in you. God is always by my side and on my side. Always.

Archery at Evening Bible Camp