In the loop: Home Assignment 2026 Stage 5 - Iowa

The loop is coming full circle as we leave Colorado and head back East. In the past we would have stopped for a few days in Omaha, Nebraska to visit Shirley’s family. Recent years have meant that what is left of her family has settled in Council Bluffs, Iowa, just across the river from Omaha. So we headed there, looking forward to seeing nephew and niece and their kids. 

We had had to organize an AirBnB in town because the College World Series was in Omaha and most of the normal hotels were full. But what a blessing this place was! We stayed in an historic house basically right down the road from where the niece lives. We were able to enjoy an evening walk, a morning walk as well as the time together with family - all in the ambiance of this historic house. 

Although our stay was short, we were thankful for the time to see and visit with family. We were able to sit with Shirley’s brother and also meet with everyone for a meal on our last evening there. After this very quick stop, we moved on across the state of Iowa to Muscatine in the southeastern corner of the state. Here we met with the last of our supporting congregations and stayed with good friends, Rudy and Pam Schellekens. They were both our mentors in the past as well as helpers most recently teaching and cooking at Ardennen Bible Camp. 

One of our days we spent out at Midwest Bible Camp getting ideas of how others do camp. We were able to talk to the kids, the camp directors and the cooks. This got us into the mood for our own week of camp which is coming up at the end of July. Then we will be leading the Benjamin week of Ardennen Bible Camp. Being at a Bible Camp reminded us of how far away we are and how soon we will return to these tasks we love so much. 

On Sunday Scott was able to teach the Bible class and lead singing at the Muscatine church. It is always amazing to worship God together with those who love Him so much - wherever we are in the world. We enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting new ones - although finding names was quite a challenge. In the evening we met again with some members at an evening get-together where we could answer questions about our work. Then Scott met with the elders to talk about the future and their part in our work. 

We had one more day in Iowa to wind down and get everything ready for the last stage of our trip which will be in New York. The rain of the previous day (which couldn’t disturb the “family” lunch we were invited to with our hosts and others of their family) made way for sun as we got the last little things necessary for our trip and packed our bags. 

We have enjoyed walks along the Mississippi, drives around the town, watching World Cup games together and lots of food and conversations with people who love us and the Lord. Last stop on our trip is coming up - New York City! But that is another story. 

Here are the pictures from the stops in Iowa. 

Whensday: 1924 Nobel Prize

In our travels we have had contact with various people who have struggled with or are struggling with their health. This is not strange considering that we, too, are getting on in years - even if we do not know it ourselves. Some of these people had heart trouble and went to the hospital to be checked. 

In 1924 Willem Einthoven received the Nobel Prize for his discovery and invention of electrocardiography. We are all familiar by now with the monitor above a hospital bed showing all sorts of lines and numbers, recoding the health of the patient in the bed. Although doctors in the 19th century knew about the heart’s electrical activity, it was Einthoven who in 1903 developed a meter to measure the signals precisely. This revolutionized cardiography. 

These days we still can be confronted with the electrodes placed on the skin and tied to a monitor. The electrodes have to be stuck to the skin and removed later. The patient cannot move. They are restricted to the hospital bed. But we are perhaps even more familiar these days with things like a smart watch which also registers heart signals and gives us information. 

Willem Einthoven would certainly be surprised by modern technology. He was born in 1860 on the island of Java in the Dutch East Indies, which is now Indonesia. He became a professor in Leiden in 1886 and was admitted to the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1902, a year before developing his galvanometer. 

In the loop: Home Assignment 2026 Stage 5 - Colorado

Some things just never get old - no matter how old we get along the way. Driving down from Montana to Colorado Springs, passing through Denver, the drive between Denver and Colorado Springs is baked into my memory from the many times that we crossed these passes. Even though the “towns” - which have become cities - along the way have spread out along the highway and into the foothills of the mountains. Even though Colorado Springs reaches all the way to Air Force Academy, turning what had been a city of 225,000 people into a city of almost 500,000 people. Some of the views and places remain the same. 

My heart skips a beat every time I see “the Peak” - Pike’s Peak. Almost every road you take in the Springs points down or away from the Peak, with Cheyenne mountain on its side. I will never tire of seeing this sight. The play of the sunlight on its sides or the dancing of the shadow of the clouds being blown past on the wind all make for a show that never ends. It is new every time I see it. And it is nice that we can have some certainties as well as new moments every time we come to visit. 

One of our certainties includes visiting the same coffee place we have visited since before we even moved to Belgium. La Baguette was one of THE places to be in Old Colorado City back in the 80’s and it is still there. The coffee is not worth drinking, but we like to visit. This time we were able to visit with Scott’s brother and his wife. Then we walked the old town street, stopping in some beautiful galleries and making new acquaintances. Scott stopped in to a barbershop to get his hair cut and meet more new people. 

On Wednesday evening we went to the midweek Bible study at Pikes Peak Avenue. This is always a meeting of good friends and family. Some of the members there went to high school with Scott and John (Scott’s brother). Others knew Scott from when he first put on the Lord in baptism. But we also met several new members of the congregation and talked of how God has touched our lives in so many ways. It is good to have family in so many places. 

Our last stop in Colorado Springs included dinner with Scott’s sister. Conversation included memories of old times, of course. Barb is the oldest child of the family, but she was often the mom at moments. Scott and John sometimes remember things differently or not at all. But it was good to share together. It continues to amaze that time and distance does not completely dissolve our relationship. 

After the few days (much too few) in the Springs, we drove up to Denver to share and make new memories there as well. My other brother - Bret Carter has been my best friend since Junior High School and brought me to Christ - now has a growing family. It is fun to share laughter and new games with the kids as well as memories with Bret and his family. 

On the Saturday we were invited to join with Ruby Mirror, which is a group made up of Bret and his sister, two of his cousins and Scott’s brother, John. There was also a new guitarist for this session. Scott used to sing with them when they were all teens in a group called Summer Breeze. You can find the recording of this fun “concert” (we were basically jamming a planned set of songs) on Facebook. 

We also were able to meet up with the Ross. Henk and Celia are not only good friends but mentors. Scott spent time with them and their sons when he was an apprentice back in the 80’s. And Henk and Celia (who worked with the church in Den Dolder, the Netherlands) helped us with Bible camp and much more. They have since moved to the States to be with their kids. 

On Sunday Scott brought the sermon and the study at the Miller Street church of Christ and we once again got to meet new people and connect again with old friends and church family. In the evening we visited Bret’s mom in hospital where she is recovering from a broken arm (she is 92). She still teaches Bret’s kids piano and hopefully will again soon when her arm heals. 

And then, as soon as it rolled into our travel days, the time in Colorado was finished and we were driving away East, up into the cornfields of Nebraska and Iowa. But that is for the next story. 

You can find pictures of this stage here.