A tree we never see in Thailand is the oak tree. I found these acorns on the ground and told my kids: "I’m ready for the Ice Age."
the adventure I find myself in / das Abenteuer in dem ich mich finde
Month: July 2006
We have spent the last 25 days in Switzerland. We came home this morning one o’clock from Liestal in Basel where we had a great time with a mix of new won friends, people we know from way back and people who were in the mountains with short term teams. It was such a blessing. First we were in the Vineyard Liestal where we realized that we know quite some people and where also Thomas (who does the music productions comes from).
On the way back Lillian and I were talking about all the blessings we received from Switzerland. Lillian said that we are used to give all the time and it seems like this time in Switzerland is a time to receive and be blessed. I was really touched.
It is seven and a half years away from Switzerland and sometime we are afraid that we loose connection to the people and the country. But I realize that the opposite happens and we are blessed with new relationships and people who are interested in what we do.
One of the greatest blessings is the generosity and open arms of the EBV (evangelische Brüderverein) the brethren church my wife grew up in. I’m also impressed by their work in PNG and their faithfulness in the work of the kingdom of God.
We had so many good experiences so far and still nearly two weeks to go. We will fly back on the 12th. of August. I will have three more meetings in Switzerland before I go back fresh and motivated to the work in the North of Thailand.
"Have I shrunk in the kids play room?" No we made the trip to the Legoland in Germany near Ulm. We were visiting friends in Stuttgart the day before.
As a child it was my dream to go to Legoland. It took twenty years to finally see this dream fulfilled. Even better I could fulfill it for my three children as well. We all had the day of our lives, going on rides and looking at all the cool stuff they build from Lego. It definitely was the high of the week.
It is strange to be here and at the same time wonderful. We left Switzerland for SEasia over seven years ago. Since then we came for visits every two years. Switzerland hasn’t changed much compared to Thailand which is in a constant change typical for a developing nation. Switzerland seems to stand still. At least that’s what I felt. Change here is perhaps more subtle. Change is part of this world and no country is an island not even Switzerland with it’s inhabited self preservation.
Coming here I realize how rich this country is even though the people make sure to tell me that they are not doing well financially. This is not always easy for me because in my mind I have the picture of refugees and hill tribe people who have no money to go to a doctor or send their children to school. On the other hand I see how much living here costs. I understand the difficulty of sustaining a family and trying to make it financially through the month hoping to save some for a holiday trip to the south of France. There are lots of people with big salaries and a good life here. There are also those who struggle to make ends meet. It seems that the gab between the rich and the poor is widening in my homeland. Can someone tell me what the government is doing long term to change this? Or how will Switzerland look like in ten years?
While in Switzerland I’m confronted with all the different plants here. I just can’t remember all the names anymore. I used to know them all by their Latin and German names. The fauna in Thailand is so different from here.
One of the plants I miss most in Thailand is lavender or "lavendula angustifolia". Most gardens here have it and they are in full bloom. I love the lavender fields in the south of France. The smell and the color.
We are in Switzerland for a week now. It is just beautyful here. The air is so clean and the landscape is like a piece of art. The other day we went to Laupen. A little town half an hour from Berne. My father grew up there and I used to visit my Grandparents when I was till they passed away when I was ten.
We also got married in the little town (the civil wedding). Here are some pictures I took on our trip:
"Schloss Laupen" the castle of Laupen, where they once held off an invasion.
This used to be my grand parents house. I used to visit and stay in the top room with direct view of the castle. I would draw the castle for hours. The house is renovated and painted very nice. Back then it was realy old and run down. There was no proper toilet and only one shower for the entire house. Heating was done with wood and there were those heavy ovens in every room.
This is house is on the opposite site. There we got married 14 years ago for the civil wedding. There is a small room behind those windows where we sat and said yes to each other. Two days later we then got married in church. It seems like Yesterday…. except that we are here with three children running up to the castle.
The last days were crazy for me. We are leaving for Switzerland tomorow. The worldcup is on and there are so many things to be done. I am more stressed then I realy want to be and I guess have to be. My wife did a bulk of the work, like buying and packing hundreds of gifts for our friends in Switzerland. She also is doing the planing for the visits. Six weeks is a short time when it comes to meet all the people one hasn’t seen in two to four years. What would I do without lillian?
So this morning I’ll run my last errands, like paying all the bills and clean up my office. I have some last prepreations tto do for the Team from San Diego coming on the 6th. Then it’s off to the Gym ((helps me relax) After that going home to pack and get the house ready.
We are flying tomorow morning at eleven, arriving the next day in Zürich.
Yuppeee Switzerland we are coming!
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