Hiking

It has been conjectured that when the Lord takes us to heaven, it will be via Switzerland. This picture was taken today at around noon, looking out over the mighty Central Alps from Műrren, a town on a ledge suspended high above the Lauterbrunnen valley. This is typical Swiss country, and we so enjoy a sunny day spent in the Alps. A farmer down the valley was burning some wood this morning, and the smoke stratified and hung in a thin layer over the valley floor.

On this day we were with my cousin, Paul Loewen, and his wife Mary. We hiked for about 5 hours with these scenes all around us. We had to remind ourselves constantly that this was Real - not just a wonderful Dream. Later Paul and Mary took us to a wonderful restaurant, right on the shore of the Thuner See - a lovely mountain lake. We watched the Alps turn pink, and then purple as the sun set behind us.

In my condition, heaven looms large. Here's what I anticipate: With the creativity of God so evident in our fallen world, I'm anticipating even much better - lots of diversity in stunning geography with seas and rivers and mountains and all, amazing new kinds of plant and animal life, a spectacular accessible "deep space" cosmos around it all - I really anticipate a lot more than golden streets and cities. I imagine the colours and sounds, sights and smells and tastes to be many orders of magnitude beyond what we already have. I hope there will be lots to discover and learn about - not just that we know everything about the new created order from the outset.

Yes - even if heaven is "only" as lovely as Switzerland, I will be quite happy to live there forever ... with the Son of God who has made it possible for me.

Rome Trip

The Senior Class of the school is very special - they are only months away from being torn apart, many never to see each other again, because they come from so many different places, to whence they will return. So in October, this class of 75 kids takes one week off school to travel to Florence, Venice, and Rome. Rome is a long day's drive from where we are, the other cities a little closer. Staff who have been class sponsors for the past four years as the class has moved from Freshman to Senior status accompany them. It really sets the tone for the remainder of the year, serving as a bonding time, not to mention the many things they learn in places of such historic significance.

This is Chris and his friend Charity, in front of the class's lodgings right by the Mediterranean Sea.