Will we ever get there? Will we be able to return home? Two questions that became very real when flights to Geneva were delayed and cancelled. Arriving in Geneva after midnight to find the small budget hotel in darkness on the outskirts of the airport, we sat on our suitcases and prayed for a small miracle, and our prayer was answered within minutes. Luis (we called him an angel in disguise) turned up along the deserted street and with his wife Sara (café manager at the hotel) located a key and escorted us to our room!

Having arrived in Zermatt, we opened up the church and were delighted to receive nine visitors from different countries within a few hours. Also, a local relative of the celebrated Bernard Biner whose memorial plaque is in St Peter’s and, who heroically escorted to safety through the Swiss mountain passes those fleeing the Nazis in the second world war, arrived saying that she often visited the church for the peace and quiet she experienced there.

Out and about around the town we had some engaging conversations with visitors. On one occasion, we met a family from Mumbai India who were part of a 40 strong group staying in Zermatt. The father had been a Gurkha and was really grateful for Joanna Lumley and the British Government’s decision to recognise their contribution in WW2 and provide pensions for retired Gurkhas. They appreciated and thanked us for a prayer of blessing and we received text messages of thanks for the ministry of ICS.

It was a joy to meet up with several local residents who have become friends over the past few years and also to meet some new local people who live and work in Zermatt. They too were open and grateful for prayer about their circumstances. Throughout our stay in Zermatt there was a steady stream of visitors to our lovely English Church and we were able to listen to many of their life stories, their fears and anxieties, and their hopes and dreams for the future. We offered prayer and ministry which was gratefully received and we could see that God was really at work in this picturesque village nestled in a valley of the Alps at the foot of the iconic and majestic Matterhorn.

It’s always a pleasure to serve in Zermatt and to have the opportunity to meet and greet visitors from all over the world and this year was no exception. People were open and interested in the history of St Peter’s and to hear our testimony of how Jesus had changed our lives for the better. If we could pass on a few words of encouragement it would go like this:

“BE BOLD AND BE BRAVE because people are still seeking and searching for meaning and purpose. (see John 19:35)”

Frances Houghton and Angela Cattell, Resort Chaplains in Zermatt