Rochester L'Abri Prayer Letter - March, 2023
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
Dear Friends,
As I write this letter I am watching a blanket of fresh snow cover the icy, dirty half melted piles accumulated from previous snows. Though there are promising signs of spring, such as lengthening daylight hours and birds beginning to sing their spring songs, it appears that we will have to endure a few more weeks of winter weather before spring arrives in earnest and the promise of new life and new growth become a reality.
But, while we wait for the arrival of spring, there has been a new arrival here at the Rochester L’Abri about which we are all very excited! The Lowe family has finally made it here from England, after what turned into nearly a year long process of getting their work visa approved. You will remember that they spent three months with us early last year and were a great blessing. They are settling quickly into the 11th Avenue house where they stayed previously and that is perfect for their family of four young children. Ever since Jock & Alison moved out of this house that so conveniently backs onto the L’Abri woods, we have prayed for another family to join us and we’re looking forward to having their able help to keep the Rochester L’Abri running smoothly, as well as making their home a place of shelter and welcome for those who come to spend time with us. We are giving thanks for their safe arrival, but please do keep them in your prayers as they make the adjustment from England to Minnesota.
Looking back over the year so far, we’ve kept busy with our normal winter routines, hosting our Winter Retreat in January and our annual Rochester Conference in February. Since Karen Alston settled into her new home in Sheridan at the end of the year, and the Lowes were busy wrapping things up in England, it looked like we would be without help for the first part of the year. So we were very grateful that Carissa Francoeur, who hails from New Hampshire, joined us at Ebenezer to help out for a bit. Her hard work and attention to detail have been a blessing to us, both as she helped to host the retreat and also to handle the many details of hosting the conference.
The retreat went well, though there were a couple of unexpected adventures – one of them being a snowstorm which, although there was no heavy ice or severe wind, nonetheless caused a widespread power outage that left us without power for a full day. One of our guests, a theology student from Ethiopia, was a bit alarmed at being in backwoods Missouri with the only heat source in the building being the fireplace in the Greatroom, but we were able to stay warm and even cook meals without electricity – and this student said that when he returned to Ethiopia the story of “the night without lights” would be at the top of his list of stories to tell! The other unexpected adventure came in the form of a fluffy white dog that limped to our door one morning, begging us to help him. He must have wandered a long way, as his feet were quite sore and he was hungry and thirsty. A search through the surrounding community revealed, much to Alison’s delight (and Jock’s consternation!), that no one knew where he came from or where he belonged. They have nursed him back to health and he has now firmly established his place as a part of the McGregor family. We decided to call him Moses, and he is proving himself to be a natural fit in our L’Abri community with his gentle, friendly personality and mischievous sense of humor.
We returned home from Missouri to finish preparing for our February conference, this year on the topic of Higher Education. We were encouraged to see an increase in attendance over last year, and especially encouraged to see a good number of new faces as well as old friends, and many young singles. The speakers did an excellent job of addressing the topic, treating various aspects of the history of education, its roots in Christianity, what it has become today, and how we as Christians can and should engage in our cultural moment. The feedback from attendees was very positive and from what we could see the talks generated much productive thought and discussion. We were able to produce our own recordings again this year, and the collection will soon be available for anyone interested in purchasing a copy.
Our March term is underway, though it has been unusually quiet so far. But we have seen so many times how, as we trust the Lord to bring the people of His choice, He also brings them in His timing. The commitment to trust the Lord to orchestrate our lives gives us opportunity to see His faithfulness demonstrated in many ways. The faithfulness of the Lord has been on my mind often the last few months as I have been reading through the Old Testament prophets and see how often faithfulness, or steadfast love, is spoken of – both as the promise of His steadfast love for us, and as His requirement that we show steadfast love to one another. I’ve been thinking about the word ‘steadfast’ a lot lately, and about the rich meaning conveyed through it. It communicates a sense of constant-ness, of an unwavering perseverance. The promise of the Lord’s steadfast love, the reminder that He is for us, is an immovable anchor that will always be there for us to cling to, no matter how topsy-turvy our world might feel, how confused or discouraged we may be, no matter how distant He may seem at times. It is as reliable as the knowledge that the sun will rise every morning. And it enables us to give each other the gift of steadfast love through the ups and downs, the little irritations, the joys and struggles we encounter daily. It is a difficult practice, since it involves having grace for one another’s imperfections, and the daily acts of kindness or forgiveness or acting in one another’s best interest can seem insignificant in comparison to what the world around us tells us is important. But to know that I can wake up tomorrow without the fear that the Lord will have grown tired of bearing with me, to know that He enables me to show that kind of faithfulness to others, is perhaps the best gift we can give or receive. I have seen repeatedly in L’Abri how often it is the small, seemingly insignificant acts of care that have the most profound impact on people’s lives.
Looking ahead, we’re beginning to make plans for the spring and summer. Jock and Alison will be going to the Netherlands in April to participate in the annual L’Abri Member’s Meeting, and shortly after they return we’ll be heading to Ebenezer to host our Spring Retreat. The plans for the carriage house construction continue to move forward as well, and Jock is working with the contractors on the permitting process. Lord willing, they will be breaking ground by late May. We would welcome your continued prayers for this process.
We thank each of you for your steadfast faithfulness and support, which allows us to continue this work.
Yours in Christ,
Mercy