15 minutes, 15 hours, and 50 years
There was only the yellow light on the road from the few street lamps overhead. One hundred YWAM students and staff huddled in groups finding what shelter they could from the rain. It was 3:00 am and our busses had not arrived yet. They are 15 minutes late, and 15 minutes of rain starts to seep through peoples bags and pillows. I wonder what the commuters think of what they are seeing. Despite the gloomy scene, there is excitement in the air.
We were going to Switzerland! It was the 50th anniversary celebration of YWAM. The celebration was being held at the very first YWAM base ever purchased and the founders, Loren and Darlene Cunningham, were hosting it.
Our task at hand, was to survive the 15-hour bus ride. The night was dark out, and the ride was a mix of sleep, stiff necks, and thinking, “how am I going to ever get to sleep.” followed by the thought, “did I just wake up?”
We finally made it across the border into Switzerland, and as if someone threw a giant switch to turn on beauty, the rolling hills opened up and we were surrounded by a new land. The colors of the sun bouncing off the green hills mixed with the deep blue sky was breath taking. Switzerland is known for its natural beauty for a reason!
The celebration was a filled with talks of YWAM’s past and how far they had come. It was also about the future and plans of YWAM. They have programs aimed at helping huge portions of the world at many different levels. The vision was inspiring to say the least.
But our legs were stiff! We had been sitting for 15 hours on a bus, then two days of lectures and meetings. We needed to move! We had some time to explore Lausanne. My task for the day was to take a picture of the alps across the lake. This was no easy task, as they were sacked with clouds. Anytime they did not have clouds around them, there was a building in the way. On our way out, I had admitted defeat. My desire to see the French Alps would not come to fruition. Just then the bus rounded a corner and we got the best view of the Alps, Lake Geneva, and the surrounding area possible. My picture above does little to show what the view was like being there. The trip was a full success with great teaching and a beautiful country.
