The Pfennigers – Fred and Lydia

Do you ever wonder why children have so many accidents?  It is simple; they do not fear dogs, gravity and or objects in the mouth while learning to walk.

 “Dear Lord, grant me the grace of wonder.  Surprise me, amaze me, awe me in every crevice of Your universe…. Each day enrapture me with Your marvelous things without number.  I do not ask to see the reason for it all; I ask only to share the wonder of it all.”  Abraham Joshua Heschel

 Over the past few months we’ve had a chance to see so many changes in Noah.  We’ve had so much fun with him in moments of laughter! We’ve seen him go from barely crawling to standing to walking.

 There are definitely challenging days, but it is in these moments that I wonder at all that God has blessed me with.  These are memories I will hold onto and cherish.  These are moments that bring a smile and laugh no matter how long ago.  These are moments that I thank God for what He has so blessed me with and thank Him for what is to come!

 We hope that you will enjoy these three moments with us!

 God bless

Noah and Dad Playing Doggy

Noah Falling

Noah Walking

We took time this month to visit family.  For those that do not know, both my mom and my dad are from Switzerland and come from very large families (I had 22 aunts-uncles, 7 have passed away, 4 are living in Canada).  Of the eleven living in Switzerland, we have visited eight.  In addition to this, I have 73 cousins (65 are living in Switzerland, we have visited 13).

To visit the Muller family (mom’s side of the family), we have traveled to Arth-Goldau, Zug, Bern, and Frinvillier.  There is a possibility of further travel to Aldorf, Wilen and Unterschachen.  To visit the Pfenniger family (dad’s side of the family), we traveled to Root, where there was a small but fun cousin reunion!  To communicate, they speak a Swiss-German (which I can understand to some degree) and I speak a broken Swiss-German/English/French –they call it talking with your hands and feet (and yes, for those of you know me, it is the same way I speak English!!).  For the most part we talked about family, current events and played Jass (a Swiss-German card game, pronounced “yas”).

Ten years ago, when I was in Switzerland, I also had the chance to visit almost everybody (aunts-uncles and cousins) thanks to two separate Muller and Pfenniger cousins reunions.   In visiting family (and others) I have not seen in a long time, I am often amazed at how they remember me.  Humbly, I am not the engineer turned doctor going to Africa to work for two years.  I am, instead, the 8 year old boy banging on the breakfast table with my sister screaming “I am hungry”; I am the 8 year old boy wearing a bed pan on my head thinking it’s a helmet; I am the 30 year old man cooking bratwursts on the grill barking out orders like I was a short order cook; I am the 30 year old man who fell asleep on the train and almost ended up in Italy; and I am the 30 year old man leading 10 pigs down a mountain saying “Here piggy, piggy, piggy.” (To those of you laughing, they were following me, that is until the hail came, and then they ran back up the hill knocking my sister over and making my uncle laugh.  And yes he is still laughing when I met him this month.)

I am often confused when people are taken back by what I say from time to time but slowly I understand why.  There is a gap between what I think I am –which is defined by today, and what they see me as –which is defined by moments of time since birth.  As a child I used to cry easily and was referred to as “Baby Fredy,” maybe this is why my mom still reminds me to dress properly when visiting family! 

Of the towns we have seen so far, Bern is the most fascinating for multiple reasons.  First, the old village of Bern was established late in the 12^th century.   Local legend has it that the founder named the city after the first animal he killed, a Bear.  Every year since then, the city has had a bear in captivity, except for a few years when it was occupied by the French around 1798. (One wonders if the French tried to demoralize the citizens of Bern by taking their bears –the pettiness of war!)  Second, Bern is where Einstein lived, worked, studied, and met his first wife.  She was actually taking some of the same courses Einstein was at the University.  We visited his apartment and learned that he had a daughter with his first wife out of wedlock that he never saw. (The daughter was raised by his wife’s parents in Hungary.)  It was here in Bern while working at a patent office that he proposed his theory of relativity.  And third, Bern was one of the “old eight” cantons that formed the backbone of the Swiss confederations.  Until its declaration of neutrality, Switzerland was known for its fighting ability and for supplying mercenaries.  One quote we came across states “Swiss soldiers were once the cruelest in Europe, killing their prisoners as they fought.  This is a fundamental part of Swiss history.  The country probably became peaceful because it had such cruel past.” Go figure!

God Bless

How many of you read the last blog about parenthood and thought “What does Noah’s father do?”  Here is my response.

There are three great professions in this world, the first two: following God and parenthood –they have their impact not only on day to day events but also the future.  The third, everything else, is really about today and not so much about the future as we like to think.

 Following God was in the past, prior to the new covenant, a master-servant relationship.  After the new covenant (the crucifixion of Christ), it became a father-son relationship.  It works for a multiple of reasons.  First, we choose willingly, not out of fear, to follow Christ.  Second, there is a leader, a final judge, an authority, and an example to follow.  Because we have choice this is a mute point when we choose to follow.  It, however, becomes an important point if we choose not to follow and/or in times of stress or uncertainty.  One could say, not in a negative light, that it is not a democracy.  What would morality be if it was a consensus and not an absolute?

Christ gave many examples to follow; the greatest of these was Love.  But he not only asks us to follow Him but also to lead others.  “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church”.  Ephesians 5:22-23.

I am a Christian and I love my wife dearly.  Our relationship is one we choose to be in everyday and we make mutual decisions.  But not everything is mutual.  In times of uncertainty and/or stress, such as a child crying, a dirty diaper and or a child waking up during the night, success is not so much dependant on a working relationship as much as leadership.

It is during these times, I the husband, humbly and willingly accept my role.  So when Noah is hungry, wet, or smells, I tell his mother.  And when Noah wakes up during the night, I wake up too . . .  to wake up his mother.

 Remember I was born this way.

 God Bless 

 P.S. As a father, I worry about Noah too, about his future, his health and his opportunities.  His cuts, bumps and bruises are meant to be toughening him up.  And picking up things off the ground and putting them in his mouth . . . well can you say welcome to the Boy’s Club!

Mother’s Day, oh, yes, we need to make sure we get a card sent to both of our mothers and maybe a phone call if possible. Would I like something . . . ?  Something for what? This question from my husband was the first reminder I’d had that this Mother’s Day, I’m now a “mother.”  My second reminder came when I was asked by one of our supporting churches to write a little something for them on being a mother in another country.  Wow, now it’s really starting to sink in!  Not that I didn’t know or realize I was a mother before!  Between dirty diapers, piles of laundry, cleaning up spills, rocking him to sleep, feeding him, and playtime, how could I not know!!  (My husband would like you to know he does most of this work!).  But there’s something special about the first few Mother’s days when you realize you are now at the receiving end!

One of the things mothers don’t need reminders for is to worry.  At least for me this comes very naturally!!  I worry when my husband doesn’t come home right when he said he would.  I worry when I think about going to Africa with a little boy who is starting to be very adventuresome and loves to pick things up off the ground and put them in his mouth (thank goodness for pacifiers, they can be good deterrents for this!).  I worry about the snakes, scorpions, and spiders that we will possibly be finding while we’re there!!  I thought I worried before I became a mother!  And now I know the worrying is only just starting!!  But this is where I must STOP!  Worrying is not something that is helpful.  It doesn’t bring my husband home any earlier, it doesn’t put food on the table any sooner, and it definitely doesn’t my son’s life any easier!  And as God so aptly put it, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” (Luke 12:25-26).

Recently I’ve been working on memorizing my favorite Bible verse in French, Proverbs 3:5-6.  It’s amazing how even though it means the same, somehow when you are translating it, it can take on an even greater meaning to you than it did before.   My personal translation of the French comes out like this: “With all of your heart, place (to wear) your confidence in God; do not praise (or applaud) your own intelligence; make known to God all your paths and it is He who will plan your ways.”  This verse continues to challenge me to trust God in all things, including my son.

Since being here in Switzerland there has been one time that I felt like God “spoke” to me.  One afternoon as Noah was sleeping in my arms on the bus, I noticed a scar that was just lateral to the corner of his left eye.  As all boys do, especially when you are learning to walk, Noah has gotten his share of cuts, bumps, and bruises, but this one was less than just a few centimeters from his eye and had been deeper then some of his other cuts.  If the table that had caused the scar had been a little closer, there is a good chance he could have injured his eye and we would have needed to go to the Emergency Room.  At that moment, when my thoughts were racing and thinking about all the “what if’s,” I felt as though God said to me, “If I can keep him safe now here in Switzerland, how much more will I keep him safe in Togo?!” Does this mean that Noah will live a perfectly happy life and nothing bad will ever happen to him?  No, but it does mean that I can and need to trust God, “De tout ton couer . . . .”  To trust in the character of God, that He is good, and that He loves my son, even more than I (or any mother) can!

Happy Mother’s Day!

It started with a simple request from a member of the La Rochette Church here in Neuchatel and a game of “Peek-a-Boo” with Noah.

The Request:  She is a high school student who had a paper to write.  Her topic was “Foreigners impression of Switzerland before and after their arrival”.  She interviewed Lydia at the end of January.  The Game:  Sometime during the month of February and as documented in “Short Stories,” three teenagers played “peek-a-boo” with Noah on the bus.

The Result:  We are not sure of the exact events but believe our blog was read by the high school student, who then told one of the three teenagers about the write up.  From there one of the teenagers introduced him-self and a simple conversation was had about who we (him and I) are and what we are doing (He is a young Christian man who is finishing high-school this year and will be studying Law at the University this fall).  This was followed by two more conversations with the teenagers in question, one with the young lady who hid behind the seat, embarrassed at being caught playing peek-a-boo with Noah (She is a young Christian lady who is also finishing high school this year and will be studying management this fall.  Not only that, she has been to Togo and knows the area where we will be working – what are the chances of that?!).  Topping this off was being identified in the grocery story by one of the fathers of the teenagers.

So, you ask, “What is your point?”  I can tell you very specifically that we have smiled at least 6 times while in Switzerland –at the end of January during Lydia’s interview, when the teenagers were playing peek-a-boo with Noah, and at the four follow up conversations.  And yes, especially after finding out that one of the teenagers had actually been to the area we are going to serve.  There are other examples too of us smiling – a shop keeper in Les Ponts de Martel, the elderly couple of Peseux who waves at us and Noah every-time they see us, the families that have invited us for lunch, the Portuguese Lady who gave us a French Novel to read, the other missionaries here, and the other random conversations we have had on and off the bus.  

As Christians we are asked to fellowship with each other, to encourage one another.  Often we are uncertain what to say, or think above all else that we must talk solely about God.  And afterwards we often question the contribution we made.  We devalue the simple “Hello, how are you?” and overlook the people dressed nicely.  Instead we look for the obvious, the people in distress. 

We, for the record, are not in distress but have appreciated greatly the encounters that have made us smile, especially after difficult days of study.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10: 24-25.

God Bless

Preparation:

“A cake?  Sure, I can do a cake!” was the thought running through my mind as I was thinking of what I could do for Noah’s birthday.  First problem . . . I’m not in the US!  So, I went to a local friend and told her what I was hoping to do.  No problem!  She gave me one of her favorite Suisse recipes for a carrot cake.  I briefly glanced over and recognized all the ingredients and thought it seemed fairly simple.    Second problem . . . when I got home, I realized that the amounts of all the ingredients were listed in grams!  How do you measure 250 grams of flour?!  I found the measuring cup that someone had loaned me and saw that it measured out deciliters and ounces.  Ok, I really liked math in high school, but this I do not remember!  And we don’t have internet at home, so what to do next?  I went to the local small grocery store with my measuring cup and recipe in hand, hoping this and my little bit of French would be enough to help me.  Thankfully there were no other customers.  So through my broken French and a lot of pointing I was able to communicate my story, and what she communicated back was she didn’t know either!  However, she told me that I could come in with all the ingredients and weigh all of them on the scale there!  Problem solved!  After weighing out the ingredients, I went home and started to mix them all together.  In a separate bowl I was to beat 6 egg whites until they were stiff.  In the US, this wouldn’t have been a problem, pull out the mixer, turn it on, and go around the bowl a few times and after a minute or two, viola!  Third problem: I don’t have a mixer!  Solution: a willing husband!!  After 2 very tired arms the egg whites were beaten and stiff!  And thankfully there were no more problems!!

 Where and Who:

One of the church’s outreaches here is a soup kitchen that provides a lunch every Wednesday.  During that time, they also have a short devotional that shares an encouraging message from the Bible.  As the visiting missionaries, we were invited to attend these lunches, to help practice our French and also as a way of ministry and getting to know others.  It has been very interesting getting to know the people who come to these lunches.  Many who have come to live in Switzerland from as close as Italy to as far away as Mexico and Africa, and some have been through tough times.  Noah has become one of the highlights for people there at the lunch.  He already has a few “adopted grandparents” there.  So we thought the Wednesday Soup Lunch the perfect place to celebrate Noah’s first birthday!  You should have seen his look of surprise and awe when they brought out the cake and as everyone was focused on him and singing “Bon Anniversaire!” He wasn’t quite sure what to do with the candle, but he had no hesitation of what to do when it came to the cake!  We were also really blessed as almost everyone came up to him afterwards and wished him a happy birthday! –in French of course!

 Why:

It’s been amazing to see the changes that have taken place in Noah over just one year!  I think of when he was first born and needed to be fed and taken care of every 2-4 hours to now when he is starting to feed himself with a spoon and it won’t be too much longer before he walks on his own!  I feel very blessed to have been given charge of Noah and a great awe for God’s creation.  Isn’t it amazing to think that God created our inmost being and that he knows when we sit and rise, he knows our thoughts, and is familiar with all of our ways!  And that He has written down our days before even one of them has come to be! (Psalm 139) That is how precious we are to him, down to even the smallest detail of how many hairs we have on our head!  I thank God for the gift of Noah and pray that we may be parents that honor God in the way that we raise him!

Bon Anniversaire Noah!  And Thank you Lord!

You can find the 2013 Spring Newsletter under the Newletter tab and or click here.  Watch for prayer and picture updates to come.  Thank you for your continued prayer and financial support.

God Bless

They are themes to our videos of Noah!!!

Video #1 – Noah and Rocky!!

His “caterpillar” crawl has now advanced to a full all out crawl and he is now even walking while holding on to us with both hands –his mom and dad are learning how quickly he can move and all sorts of places he can end up!  We are taking him out on the not-so-cold days to help expend some of this energy.  This first video is video-taped on some steps right near where we live.  And please remember when you watch this I’m neither a musician nor a movie expert!!

Video #2 – Noah and A Spoon

Noah is starting to learn to use a spoon.  The vantage point is not the best, but I just had to get this on tape as I and he started to laugh.  It was quite fun!  Though I have to say we may have to start putting a shower curtain down underneath him and wear one as well when he’s eating!

We have been blessed with a very special little boy and we are so thankful for God’s mercies and provision!

God Bless

Short Story #1 – Knifes, Chickens and Bomb Shelters –A “Little” about Switzerland (as per the internet)

• Swiss army knives are red so they can be seen in the snow.
• Switzerland was founded in 1291 by the communities Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden at a place called the Rutli with the following prayer

“We shall be a single People of brethren,
never to part in danger nor distress.
We shall be free, just as our fathers were,
and rather die than live in slavery.
We shall trust in the one highest
God and never be afraid of human power”

• In 1471, in Basel, Switzerland, a chicken laid a brightly colored egg and was put on trial for being “a devil in disguise.” After being found guilty, the chicken was burned at the stake.
• Switzerland size – 41,285 square km (15,940 square miles, 7.9 million people); 60% is covered by the Alps; the lowest point is 193 meters (633 ft) above sea level; the highest point is 4,634 meters (15,203 feet) above sea level (they are 43 miles apart)

Kentucky – 104,659 km² (4.4 million people);

Indiana – 94,321 km² (6.6 million people);

Washington – 184,827 km² (6.9 million people);

British Columbia – 994,735 km² (4.4 million people)

• There are palm trees in Switzerland (Just to clarify, there are no palm trees in Les Ponts de Martels!!!!!)
• The first bond girl was Swiss
• Switzerland has 1,500 plus lakes (you are never more than 14 miles from a lake)
• The average Swiss eats 23lbs of chocolate per year compared to the 11.7lbs consumed by Americans (we are happy to report that although we are struggling with the language, we are succeeding in the consumption of chocolate!!!)
• Direct Democracy: Referendum and Initiative.  Referendums are common in Switzerland.  They occur if not yearly, multiple times a year.  Recent referendum questions include:

(passed) 2013 – executive pay (the purpose of this was to limit risk taking by corporate managers, key components include: — ban advance & severance packages — ban corporate proxy & the representation of shareholders by depository banks)

(failed) 2012 – six weeks of vacation for every one

(passed) 2012 – an end to limitless construction of second homes (you are now only allowed to own one home . . . no summer / winter homes)

(failed) 2011 – Guns can no longer be kept at home, but must be stored at the arsenal (recognizing that all Swiss males are required to do military service and all have guns at home)

• Switzerland’s rail system extends some 3,100 miles (the Swiss rank only second behind Japan in relying on trains)
• First Successful documented c-section, the first recorded incidence of a women surviving a Caesarean section was in 1580’s in Switzerland: a pig gelder is supposed to have performed the operation on his wife after a prolonged labour (Today they call us doctors) 
• Every citizen is required by law to own a bomb shelter or have access to one

Short Story #2 – Who am I?

There are things that happen in life that leave an impact. Some are major things and some are minor things.  10 years ago I came to Switzerland, for a short period of time, because I happened to be in the area (I was studying French in France).  I remember still to this day, working in Zug, calling dad and asking why he left Switzerland, wishing he had not.  He said his family, 13 brothers and sisters, were poor, and he and four brothers left for Canada to make a new start.  More importantly, I remember two distinct feelings that are coming back to me as I find myself back in Switzerland.  The first is a real understanding of who my parents are and were.  The home they created in Boston Bar was and is Swiss from their mindset, to how they raised us, to the physical home they built and maintained.  The second is an identity or should I say lack of.  Although born in the US and raised in Canada, I have always felt different.  Here in Switzerland, especially when talking to a Swiss-German person, I feel a connection, the Swiss in me wants to come out but does not know how as I was not raised in this culture. 

So what am I?  I am an Immigrant, not just to Switzerland, but also to Canada and to America (My wife says I have Swiss blood, think I am Canadian, but am actually American).  So what is my identity?  Interesting enough, I have come to find this not in a country or culture but at church.  At church I fellowship with others through personal stories and struggles holding God’s word as the example.  I am a Christian.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law” Galatians 5:22.

Short Story #3 – Baby for Sale

I do not understand it, Noah smiles and waves at a lot of people.  People say he is a friendly, easy baby.  They love holding him.  And yet, when I tell them they can take him home for a mere 1 CHF ($1.10 US dollars) nobody has. 

God Bless

We wanted to make you all aware of one of our fellow colleagues with Samaritan’s Purse who has recently experienced the loss of their 15-month-old little girl.  Aaron Kelley is an ER physician who had at the end of January moved with his family to Kenya to start their 2-year term.  The little girl, Hannah was within this past week diagnosed with a very serious brain tumor, underwent surgery, and then passed away shortly after.  Through this heart-breaking situation, they –as Job–are continuing to amazingly trust in God’s sovereignty! But I know they would much appreciate your prayers as they go through this extremely difficult loss.  If you would like to read more on their situation, you can go to: http://www.aaroninkenya.com/2013/03/we-treat-jesus-heals/

Thank you again for all your encouragements and prayers for us! –it really does make a difference!