Many of you have probably heard or L'Abri, or spent time at a L'Abri branch, but for those who haven't L'Abri is a French word for "shelter", and its the name of a ministry which grew out of the love for God and people that Francis and Edith Schaeffer and their family showed to whomever arrived at their doorstep.
Sunday evening I spent a few hours at the Rochester branch of L'Abri, by myself. I'd been invited to come spend time with whoever was there after Jess & BJ's wedding, but when I arrived Jock told me that everyone had left, and he and his wife had some other guests for dinner. I assured Jock that I'd find plenty to do, and he showed me some left-over pizza in the fridge.
Someone had put a bunch of tabs in the hymnal on the piano, and I played through all the tabbed hymns: they were good, solid hymns, songs of faith, of trust in Jesus, sturdy songs that have carried generations of believers through the storms of life. As I sang and played, I was reminded of the never-ending love of God for his people, in spite of our frequent spurning of his grace toward us.
After a while I warmed some of the pizza, and ate it while sitting out on the porch. The sun descending in the west, I walked out to the end of the yard to see the view. The L'Abri house sits on a hill above a residential portion of east Rochester, and is pretty much in the woods, but there's a small clearing at one end of the yard where the town and the hills beyond it are visible. Standing on a wooden bench, I was able to see much of the sunset. The Lord's grace to us comes in so many different blessings, as a quite house for thinking, reflecting, or a sunset of colour spilled across the sky.
Back in the house, I read through the current issues of the Ransom Fellowship's "Critique", and then JoEllen came home from a wedding shower she'd been at. We talked a bit, and then Jock came over and I went to spend the night at his house.
I'm so thankful for his hospitality to me. The rest of my friends from Covenant were to have left by mid-afternoon, so at the wedding reception Jock invited me to come up to L'Abri Sunday evening. He'd greeted me by name, even though I'd only met him briefly at the L'Abri conference back in February. As I spoke with Jock over breakfast Monday morning, I told him that this was my third time to pass through a L'Abri branch, after being here for a meal in February, and being at the English L'Abri one afternoon and evening in autumn 2000. He shared how he became involved in the L'Abri ministry after studying civil engineering in university.
Pray for the Rochester L'Abri to find the needed staff to host students. Two of their helpers just got married and left (Jess & BJ), and their other worker is leaving soon to get married this autumn. Pray also for Jock's wife Allison's continuing health.
I'd really love to go to L'Abri sometime...
Posted by swanson at augusti 29, 2006 10:33 EM | TrackBack