Action-man, 13 June, Pilatus, Switzerland

I'm riding with my good friend Micah Hilliard on a gondoli through the Swiss Alps. From the bottom, in the city of Luzern, the hanging cars rise 7000 feet to the peak. They glide over evergreen forests and herds of cows, their bells echoing melodiously. There are three stations at strategic locations on the climb up. Facing the view at my back--which grows as I ascend--it would be tempting to get out at any of these stations. The view out over the Alps is pretty good even one third of the way up. The stations even offer attractions: cafés, a ropes course, a bobsled, and gift shops.

But one look forward reminds me not to get off just yet. The cliffs and snow caps are rising before me precipitously. The cable car tilts--angling steeply to overcome a pass between two peaks. There's more coming!

Turn back around. It wouldn't slow us down too much to stop for lunch, or to climb on the ropes course. Or perhaps it would. Perhaps we would learn to like it there, tasting one meal after another. Perhaps we'd build a village even, with fortifications. Would we ever miss the top?

I won't know. We stayed in the car, staring ahead "wide-eyed and ambitious," as my friend would say. We reached the top, and what a scene! Chasms fled before us. Large sheets of snow draped over the cliffs, like a tablecloth overa table's corner. Glorious light hit us smack-on.

Somehow this place feels like heaven, and this whole climb like everything before it. There's more coming!

Drew

An explanation

Let me make a quick explanation about our posts, to clear any misconceptions.

When we stayed with our Aunt Al and Uncle Julie in England, we were asking for advise as to how to write and format the blog. We said that we wanted to write both pieces about the events of our trip and the ideas behind them. Aunt Julie said that it sounded like reporters at a sports event. You've got an "action man" and a "color man." The first covers the events; the second covers the color behind the events. Sam and I have adopted those names as we write about both the action and the color. We switch off, as we feel led to write.

Secondly, the first date on each blog is just the publish date. This is just the day in which we had time to enter our journal entries onto the blog. The date below, in the main title, is the date it was written.

Please write us with encouragements, rebukes, advise, or news from the states. Samuelbelz@aol.com or Drewbop@gmail.com. It was refreshing yesterday to receive 50ish emails about the engagement of my cousin. All our best from Roma, MCD/S and Jon. Keep reminding us of home.

Action-Man, 10 June, Goteburg, Sweden

Drew and I are waiting at the bus station in Goteburg, Sweden. A girl acrss from me is helping me pronounce Goteburg and the number seven in Swedish. French people, she says, have the oddest pronunciation of Swedish. I am writing in part to slow down the conversation. Sofia is pretty with a small nose and brown hair past her shoulders. She has a baby brother with her, whose name is Sebastien. He's spinning and rolling on his own stroller. She thinks he is a monster. He has blond hair and lots of energy tonight. Their mother is quiet. I don't think she speaks much English.

The clock nears midnight. Drew is putting on some finishing touches to our departure at 2:30 to Copenhagen. I read in Judges today about men who held fast to the Lord and were blessed for it. Drew and I also listened to The Silver Chair. C.S. Lewis draws me to a higher standard of writing--better descriptions, shorter words, sparser sentences, more talk of redemption and Christ. Across the barren tableland, Jill and Eustace stopped talking about King Aslan and the lost prince and talked and complained only of warm beds and hot baths at the giants' castle. Drew and I agreed that it was convicting.

I never thought I'd be in Goteburg. What happened here and in Norway? Why did men and women so completely turn from God? Meanwhile, Sebastien still rolls recklessly on the stroller. He just missed me on his last screeching stop. And here comes Drew. He is back with cash for the trip tonight.

Sam