The Ravens' Roost

Team work

2011-11-16T20:51:00.001+01:00

When a couple gets married there are many ways their unity is emphasized. Ringsare exchanged, a marriage book is signed (here in Belgium and the Netherlands),and of course we are reminded by God in His word that we are one, no longertwo, but complete, whole, in Christ Jesus. Each couple then has to go onand realize the reality of this oneness. Which side of the closet is used by whom, and on which sideof the bed do you sleep? Who does the cooking? The cleaning? When children come,who trains them and in what?

Before we arrived in Belgium, we had already discovered thevarious ways that we complemented each other’s strengths. Still, it is alwaysexciting to see it in practice. Throughout the years that our boys were growingup, our tasks were more varied. Shirley is a fantastic manager, making surethat we always have enough with whatever we have at the time, providing for aplace that we as a family and the church family can always feel at home. She is a teacher and example for herchildren, for her neighbors and for church members – always ready to help. I was more active preaching, teaching, visibly leading.

When we worked with a week of summer camp, I would leadand/or teach and Shirley would take care of the kitchen. We always knew wecould depend on one another doing our jobs. And we were able to leave the workfor that area to the other member of the team.

Now that both Stephan and Sean are out of the house, we havemore time to work together in our outreach and teaching. Recently we have beguna series of studies with the members from the book of Mark. We are not onlychallenging ourselves as body members to be changed by our lives followingJesus, we are also training in learning how we can help others do the same. How do you help people see who Jesus isin the Bible and in your life?

Every two or three weeks we are meeting with at least threedifferent groups in the congregation, reading, sharing, challenging,encouraging. It is exciting to see how God is changing the various members,changing us. It is exciting to be doing this together. I am so thankful for this team, that we are a team together.

Extreme makeover at Camp

2011-11-01T17:18:00.001+01:00

Everyone got into the work
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Down at Ardennen Bijbelkamp we moved on to the next phase of our Extreme Makeover. In Spring 2012 a new hall will be built where the old hall used to stand (we tore that down in phase 1). But before that can happen, we needed to remove the old foundation.
My back definitely did NOT enjoy this work (at least not the next day), but it was exciting to see so many people working together to get this done. As I talked about with some of the little guys, we all can use our strengths. Some guys can swing heavy hammers, some guys can't. But we can all help.
It is great to be part of a body that can work together!

Our 90-year-old teenager

2011-10-26T18:41:00.000+02:00

This past week we celebrated Willemien’s 90th birthday. Wehad a great time making her day especially special. The smile she usuallygraces us all with was even brighter that day.

I may have mentioned it before, but Willemien has prettymuch ruined my idea of what “old” is. She had two new knees put in a few yearsback and was recovered and back to full steam within 3 weeks – this was aftershe was 85. She walks the dog twice a day. Although she has someone come in tohelp clean once a week, she still lives at home alone and takes care ofherself. So when I meet someone who is, say 78, I think, “Ah, that’s a young’un.”

Willemien came to know Jesus back about the time we startedworking in Maastricht. She and her husband, Cor, had been searching for truthand God for 40 years (at that time). God brought us together and we have neverlooked back. So, technically, Willemien is about 16 years old in her faithlife. And she is a great teenager. She loves mixing with all ages, is willingto listen, and shares her stories as well. She is a true prayer warrior in thechurch and always willing to learn.

Join with us in thanking God for His rich blessings inWillemien’s life and through Willemien’s life to so many around her. Willemienhas no other family than her Christian family, but what a great family that is!

Willemien and Josephine celebrating together

Now that's fellowship!

2011-10-21T14:07:00.000+02:00

Thanks to Luk for the photo

Once again, members from the various congregations around Belgium and the Netherlands gathered for some fun fellowship. It is moments like these that thrill me about God's family. I learned long ago from my first mentor, Ron Carter, that Christians are the best one's to know how to really have fun. And the COPA Benelux is a good example.

Usually the congregation in Maastricht brings a team as well - as a matter of fact, we have won the FUN cup twice (in the 4 years the competition has existed), but it's not about the winning (is it?). But this year we had several members not able to make it, so Scott and Michael sought a team that might need some extra players. We hooked up with the guys and gals from Brussels for their PRO team ... and look what happened!

Not that our presence was that important to the win, but we sure had fun! And to be able to meet with brothers and sisters, having conversations in English, Dutch or French, making plans for other activities in the year, encouraging one another with struggles - it is a great time to be together. Luk Brazle's lesson on the body and finding our place was an encouragement for our spiritual lives.

I am glad that Christians understand that something like this day is helpful, encouraging, beneficial and fun! I think of the years of camp in Colorado, California, Nebraska or Iowa, or of biking in the Tour de Togo in Minnesota (haven't made it yet, but I will), or so many other activities. Getting to know one another, encouraging each other, learning how to deal with winning and losing, showing non-Christian friends how to really have fun ... that is what a day like this is all about.

It is time

2011-09-12T20:12:00.000+02:00

We are dealing with some basic realities, in our home life and in our work. Reality: there always comes a time of doing after the time of planning and preparation.

At the end of August, after several official years of planning (and several more unofficial years), our Bible camp site finally got official permission to begin with the renovation works that we have been planning for so long. We want so much to be able to make better use of the facilities we have in the Ardennes. If all goes as planned and as God wills, we will have a new meeting hall in the Spring and everything will be ready next summer to welcome our summer campers.

But before that could happen, the old hall needed to be taken care of - torn down. The old fiberglass roof which rained on the inside just wasn't getting the job done. When it rained, the holes in the roof leaked. When it wasn't raining, the moisture would often condense on the roof and rain down anyway. The windows on one side of the hall came from a different era. We had double glass on one side of the hall and plexiglass - actually simply plastic on wooden frames - on the other side. A lot of hard and loving labor went into making this hall. Years of great lessons and fellowship in what the various churches created here for each other. But now it was time to move on.
So we did. It was time. You can see some of the pictures (and maybe you already have) as well as a video showing some of the fun in getting the demolition done. It was a bittersweet labor of love. But we are looking forward to what will take its place and how we will be able to enjoy that.

At home, we have enjoyed watching Sean grow up. He has shown interest in so many things. His first plan was to be a professional football (soccer) player - and he was very adamant that he would do it! And he still enjoys playing, but that is not where his interest lies. Then he talked about having his own business, but in the end - somewhat out of the blue, though not completely - he is moving over to Brussels to study film.
In the last months we have prepared by finding out about the metro and the train (he will come home each weekend with the train and will use the metro to get around Brussels), about what he needs for school, visiting Brussels, setting up his room (he will be staying with good friends Bill and DeeDee Bundy) and getting things ready back at home. Sean still plans on working each Saturday and rehearsing or performing with his band as well.

Brussels - what a mix!

But there comes a time when it will start. And today it was time. On Sean's birthday (for all his life until now he always spent his birthday at school - it is the first day of school here) we went to Brussels with most of his things. Today we took the last bits and left him behind there, with advice and admiration, our prayers and admonitions. This week he will get used to living in Brussels before he really starts classes next week.

We are so thankful for the things that God allows us to see in this life - the work that He is completing in so many people. We are thankful that we can be part of that and will keep planning and doing each day, because it IS time.

This old house

2011-08-31T08:55:00.000+02:00

This house is full of sounds. Every door has its own special creak. And don’t get me started on some of the floors! When the boys were younger I thought that this was perfect – no sneaking around without us knowing. If their bedroom door opened, I knew it, even in my sleep.

After years of practice, I know how to get around most of these sounds (and so, probably do the boys), so when I woke up early in the morning I made an effort to be quiet on my visit down the hall for a call of nature. But for a moment … for a moment I was surprised at Sean’s open door. Even in the dark and without my glasses I could see that he wasn’t in his room, he wasn’t in his bed. Then I remembered that he was spending the night at his friend’s house.

None of this changed the sudden feeling in my heart – a feeling of exhilaration, of worry, of change. This will soon be a regular scene. Last night we got to talk again to Stephan as he is starting his fourth year at Harding. And Sean is not yet gone to his study in Brussels, but it won’t be long. He’ll be home on the weekends, but there will be less creaking around the house.

Exciting – we are so thrilled for the things the guys are learning, the people they are meeting and the opportunities in their lives. Change is different. We have to adapt. Things will not be the same. But they will be good – of that I am sure. Exhilarating, a bit scary, but full of expectation.

Camp is where it's at

2011-08-17T12:47:00.004+02:00

For the last four weeks young and old have taken advantage of Ardennen Bijbelkamp. We are so thankful that we have this facility and can encourage one another here. Each camp week (there are four) are organized and run by various members from various congregations working together to serve the youth and anyone interested in learning more about God during such a great week. We have a week for "jongeren" (15 and older), for "Benjaminen" (8-11 yr-olds), "Tieners" (12-14 yr-olds) and a "Gezinskamp" for families or anyone who wants to come.

Jongerenkamp (click on the photo here to see more pictures) had the theme of "Serving". (You can see more complete compilation here on Luk Brazle's site.) It was exciting to discover together the various ways that we can serve one another and to dream about how we are going to put this into practice after camp. During the week we helped people in the village, shared candy during "snoepwinkel" (where you can buy chocoalte, chips and cola) by buying for someone else instead of yourself, and of course enjoyed "corvee" (kitchen duty).

The Benjamins learned about the gospel of Luke. Karla Verheijen worked with her father and Annette and Mainor Boalanos from the church in Haarlem to teach 23 kids during this week. This was a full week! There were also good helpers among the young people.

The teens learned all about the parables of Jesus. The members from Rotselaar pretty much took care of the organization of this camp. Although they had fewer campers, they enjoyed their time learning together immensely. Check out the photo's on Daniel's site by clicking here.

The last week of camp, Family camp, was a rainy week. While much of the world has been groaning under heat and drought, much of northern Europe hasn't seen very much of summer. But every moment that the sun shines, or that it is simply dry, we rejoice and enjoy. So the theme of Salt and Light was appropriate for our time together as well. How can we make an impact on our world, bring the goodness of God to where we are?

Each day brought a different teacher. I was blessed to teach on the first day and enjoy all of the speakers throughout the week. Family week is always a great mix of young and old, married and single - even different languages sometimes (although we do the lessons in Dutch). It is great to see how God is helping us to grow, to have this time to encourage one another, to know, as Peter says in 1 Peter 5, that our experiences are shared by our brothers and sisters around the world. Check out some of the pictures by clicking on the photo.

We are so thankful for these opportunities because we see how these short weeks, rainy or not, bless us. Tey give us challenges to take us into the rest of the year. They give us moments of friendship so that we know we are not alone. They bring new relationships into our lives that strengthen and challenge us the rest of our lives. Thank you, Lord, for Bible Camp!

Catch me if you can

2011-07-30T15:37:00.003+02:00

I need to learn to stop for a minute and continue on afterwards at full speed. Some things happen all at once and you have to get it written down before it is too late. Here are some of the things that passed by very quickly after my last post:

The graduate!

Sean graduated from high school on June 28. We are so thankful for his daily effort doing his best. He is excited at the moment to enjoy the summer before starting a new chapter in his life in the Fall.

In September Sean will be attending Narafi (www.narafi.be), a film and photography school in Brussels. We are also thankful and grateful that he will be able to stay with Bill and DeeDee Bundy while he is there this year. He is still planning on being home in the weekends (“So don’t get any ideas about my room,” he says.)

Vieny Wanga’s new life!

Vieny is the daughter of our sister in Christ, Shadira. Vieny has been living the past year in Curacao with her grandmother (who was baptized there this year as well), but has grown up with us here in Maastricht for the last 10 years. In those years she has attended youth weekends, Bible camp and had plenty of questions. Many of you have been praying for her as well.

On Thursday, July 14, she and Scott had made an appointment to discuss her growth and any questions she was struggling with in her faith. When Scott arrived, Vieny said, “I don’t know why I am questioning. I want proof, but God has shown me all I need to know. I know He loves me and has done everything for me. I know that I want to give my life to Him.” So that afternoon, Vieny put her Lord on in baptism, dying to her old life, rising in new life through faith in Jesus Christ!

Bible Camp

That same weekend Scott and Sean headed down to “Jongerenkamp” (a week of Bible camp for 15 years and older). Scott was teaching on “Service”. It was a gray-weather week, but a wonderful time of learning how to serve one another and dreaming of how we can serve after returning home. It was exciting to have several from the congregation in Maastricht there, learning from each other and encouraging one another. Check out some of the pictures on our site or here.

Mr. and Mrs. Fenny

At the end of camp, several of the campers and helpers, all of whom were also part of the congregation in Maastricht, headed back to Maastricht to share in the marriage of Shadira and Farley. Some of us sang, some helped, others spoke – and all of us enjoyed sharing this new life together. We are so thankful for the love that God teaches us. The congregation looks forward to the example that Shadira and Farley already are and will continue to be. In the coming year they are planning on moving to Curacao to be with Shadira’s girls.

In the meantime

We also headed down to Paris for a day with Sean and our interns. Very quick, but a wonderful time as family. You can see some of the pictures over on our photo site, but be assured, the memories made were even better.

We also have been helping a young couple learn about ministry – as best we can. Shane and Rachel Morr have been with us for 5 of the last 8 weeks, evangelizing in Maastricht, meeting the members, participating in Bible studies and singing evenings, helping out wherever they could. We enjoyed our time with them immensely and hope that they were able to learn a bit from us what it means to be servants in this way. They headed back home this week. They are also friends of Stephan, so it is good to have that link connecting us as well.

Sean has played several times with his band – the playing great, the results (some were competitions) sometimes disappointing, but all exciting for us as parents. He hopes to continue the band in the Fall, combining school, work and playing in the weekends. Quite a challenge.

Okay, take a breath. I’ll try to get up little bits a bit quicker in the future. Thanks for stopping by. It is always good to talk with you. And praise God for all that He is able to do in so many ways!

New life for Farley!

2011-06-24T15:18:00.004+02:00

Farley has been visiting our services, participating in the weekly Bible studies and asking plenty of questions for a while. He and our sister in Christ, Shadira, are planning to wed next month. He has a lot on his mind and likes to make his life decisions certain. And he had a lot of questions about a life in Christ. But there are some things you just need to do.

We had talked about how giving your life to Christ is so much like a marriage. If you love the other, you want to belong completely to them. Jesus has already shown us that He has given everything so that we can be with him. Farley was already to the point that he knew he wanted to belong completely to Shadira, to give his life to become one with her. So when we talked about life in Christ in these terms, he understood that it was about the love he had for Jesus and making the decision - yes or no.

He had talked about being baptized in the sea. Both he and Shadira are from Curaçao. The ocean is part of their life - even if much of their lives have been in the rainy, hills of the Netherlands. But we also wanted to be able to share his birth with the brothers and sisters of Maastricht. So when someone said, "Why not this afternoon at the barbecue? We'll all be there," his response was, "Yeah, why not? Let's do it!"

A spatter of rain couldn't ruin the fellowship at the barbecue and definitely couldn't dampen Farley's spirits in giving his life to "my Lord and redeemer!" A swimming pool, some water and, most importantly, a family of believers and the blood of Jesus made for a wonderful afternoon of praising God for new life! Welcome Farley!

Let's do it!

2011-06-21T12:02:00.004+02:00

Photo thanks to Luk Brazle

Monday, June 13 was the annual Spring fellowship of the Dutch-speaking churches in Belgium and the Netherlands. held in The Hague. This is always an opportunity to meet and encourage one another through word and song. The theme this year was based on the Acts of the Apostles – how can we “act”- do and live as christians, not simply say that we are.

The lesson brought by Ruud Verheijen encouraged all to make their faith active, to allow the word of the Lord to live in their lives in reality. This was followed by a quiz on the book of Acts. Teams formed loosely from the congregations “competed” against one another on their knowledge of the the truths in Acts, the things we could learn from those first Christians. And there was still plenty to learn, but everyone seemed ready to try. A jury made up of Ruud Verheijen, Roy Davison and Jim Krumrei not only made sure that difficult questions were answered correctly, they also gave important background information. This was a fun and informative way to dig into the word of God.

To encourage all to understand the concept of a living body, tasks for the day were spread out among members from the various congregations. Brothers from 5 different congregations led the group in song and prayer. Helpers from other congregations made sure the youngest children were cared for during the quiz. And everyone brought their own lunch – and more (there were about 80 people from 8 different congregations present). This cooperation was exciting to see. When we remember whose children we are, when we are challenged to live as such, we do just that!

There was more than enough food for all present. There were more than enough helpers to set up and clean up afterwards. There was an abundance of activity from a real body on that day. We are so thankful for how God can work through us and look forward to continuing to be active as His body wherever we go.

See another report of the day here.

Thank you!

2011-06-10T13:39:00.001+02:00

Our car
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

You heard us call for help and you responded! Thank you so much for being willing to help us out financially with a car. I talked a little bit about the joys of struggle while looking for a car - this is the one we found.
Sean likes the tinted windows along the back since he was convinced that the sun always had it in for him and somehow only shone through his window. Now he is protected.
This car has plenty of space - even though it is technically a smaller car than the one we had. I have already put bikes in it, helped people move, and taken things to the dump. The motor is set to go since we changed the timing belt this past week - ready for another 150,000 kilometers.
Thank you again for your willingness to sacrifice, to help, to share. It is so exciting to experience these things in the family of the Lord!

So…. Who is He listening to anyway?

2011-06-07T09:28:00.001+02:00

Today we got some more rain … and I was thankful. We have been going through quite a dry spell here in Belgium. At one point they were telling us that we would need to have 14 straight days of rain in order to get to where we should be. Imagine Belgium without rain! So we have been praying for rain.

But many of my friends and family have been praying that rain, snow, storms and weather would cease. Tornados and flooding have caused terrible troubles in too many places. And so we have been praying with our friends and brothers and sisters in other countries.

But who is God listening to? What is best: rain or drought? And this is “simply” weather. What about when someone is sick and/or dying? When I am praying for my son’s safety and he is praying to have good fun? Does God hear me more than you? To whom does He listen?

For me the question has been more – what do I ask. I know He is listening to me – even the most inane things I might say or think. He cares about all of that. I know because Jesus told us so. And Jesus shows me what is important, how to ask, what to see as most important. Jesus asked for what he wanted, but he left all in the Father’s hands. “Not my will, but yours be done.”

Paul, too struggled with what he desired. Wouldn’t it be better to leave this life and go Home? But there is still so much to be done! (see Philippians 1:21-24). Perhaps instead of praying for rain, I should pray for strength to help those struggling with drought.

We are missing the rain, so I will continue to ask my wonderful Father for rain – as I will continue to ask for strength. And when the rain comes, I will remember to give thanks (and not complain about how wet it is!).

Enjoying the struggle

2011-04-18T10:42:00.002+02:00

About a month ago our car “died”. There are times when things go wrong with your car that you simply fix them. But there is a moment when the costs outweigh the benefits. We were long past that moment with this car (which had served us well for about 5 years). The motor stopped and it was going to cost more than what the car was worth simply to figure out what was wrong. So we were suddenly car-less.

It’s amazing how much your life is planned around your mobility. We live in a village. There is a supermarket fairly close by. We can walk or bike there. But of course you have to be able to carry what you purchase. Sean still needed to get to school, but we had a bicycle for that. All of Scott’s appointments, however are in Maastricht, which is seven kilometers away. Sunday mornings are then also a challenge.

But challenges can bring out the best in people. Before we had much of a chance to even ask for help, help had been offered on all sides. Brothers and sisters in Christ made sure to pick us up on Sunday mornings. We were offered the use of a car from colleagues in Antwerp. And when the bus schedule didn’t work out, someone was there to get us home. It is so exciting to see the desire to help. It is an immense comfort and encouragement.

For daily tasks we still needed a way to get around and we were pleasantly surprised by the offer of a moped from a friend. He offered the moped, with helmet and a tank of gasoline (and we all know what is happening with the price of gas). Of course a moped brings certain challenges as well, but more about that another time.

In the meantime we also were presented with financial help from various sources close by and far away so that we could purchase another car. Finding the right one is a task in itself, and we were thankful for the help of our brother in Christ, Jan Blaakmeer. Hours of driving around looking at possible cars, hours of scouring the internet and calling in various languages about cars finally resulted in a good find.

When this first began, the day that the car broke down, you wonder what will happen. But, to be honest, I was mostly intrigued to see how God would use this time. We have seen how he takes care of things, how he turns struggles into triumph. And this was a simple, everyday problem. The question was never IF it would be solved, but HOW and what we could learn along the way. It has been wonderful to see God’s hand in all of this. Although it may seem strange to say it, we are thankful for the struggle. James put it this way: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds.”

Getting into the Acts

2011-03-21T11:13:00.001+01:00

The group
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Last weekend we had a group of young people take over our house (we are so thankful for a house that can be used!) for a youth weekend on the book of Acts. There was a quiz, styled after Jeopardy! (for those of you who are old enough to know the show) and some fun, practical activities.
What was the first church like? What did they find most important? What can we learn from those first followers of Jesus? That is what we wanted to look at - not only in knowledge, but in reality. So we helped each other serve tables, shared, told others what we were doing, studied the apostle's teaching and encouraged one another. We even looked at persecution, although that is something we most definitely do not experience here.
It was a great group and so encouraging to see the young people wanting to learn more. Thank you Lord for using us all in so many ways to show Your love and grace!

(click on the picture for more pictures)

Welcome!

2011-02-16T14:26:00.002+01:00

Welcome our new brother, Rob Kok, to the family of God. Rob is the identical twin brother of our Peter Kok. For years he has been considering his life with God and wondering what he wants to do. He grew up in a strict Dutch Reformed home, but both he and his brother rebelled against this faith, although both have said they never felt they completely left God.

Peter has been part of our family here in Maastricht and in those years Rob’s life continued in the north of the country, closer to the place he grew up. But the brothers have never really been far apart, and it is certainly due to Peter’s life and stuggles, questions and discussion with his brother that Rob thought more and more about giving his life to Jesus. So when he came by recently, while visiting Peter (who lives in our street), it was to talk about if it was possible to be baptized.

It was during the Christmas break. Stephan had gone down to Peter’s house to say hello and Rob was visiting. Rob talked with Stephan about it who suggested that Rob should “just go talk to my dad.” So he did. And this last weekend Rob drove all the way down to us here (about a 3 hour drive) so that he could share his new birth with us and with his brother.

It has always thrilled me to see how the Holy Spirit works in people’s lives. Rob has had many people influence him in this choice to live now totally for Jesus. His brother, the memory of things his father said and did, talks with us during visits, and even Stephan on a simple visit. The Good Shepherd is always out doing all he can to find the lost sheep and get them home. I am so glad that I can be part of that.

Rob’s new life has begun, and it is just a beginning. He lives with a loving wife and has two wonderful sons, but they do not share his faith – are even against it. But I know, and he has experienced, that the Holy Spirit continues to work through people all around us. Thank you Father, for your grace and might, for your love for Rob!

Where do you go?

2011-02-05T16:30:00.004+01:00

Next week we will deal with a great problem, once again. Someone we know, who has been struggling with his life and now knows that he wants Jesus to run things, has asked to be baptized. He wants to give his life completely to Jesus, to die and be born again. We are so thankful for the grace that Jesus continues to show!

This man will come down to our area, since he doesn’t have a congregation where he is. As so many times before, we are looking for some practical ways to deal with his death, burial and resurrection. You see, our building doesn’t have a baptistry. I know that we are not the only ones who deal with this “problem”. I remember seeing pictures of soldiers in the desert, crowds lining up for a muddy pool in India or Africa, and have myself been part of baptizing people in freezing waters.

The where doesn’t matter. As long as you can find water to bury someone in, you are going to be fine. I used to look for deeper waters which were long enough for tall people (the Dutch are some of the tallest people in the world). Then I remember seeing a baptistry in Croatia that was basically a cylinder in which the person being baptized could stand. When he bent his knees, he would sit in the water, which would of course go over his head. This was what some of the first baptistries were like.

Who doesn’t matter either. I mean, who is doing the baptising. The apostle Paul even makes the point that he did not baptise many personally. And further, we are seldom told who does the baptising. It’s just not important.

What matters is the heart of faith of the person who is giving their life to Jesus. What matters is that the family of Christ knows that God is adding to their number that day. What matters is that we understand that the angels are rejoicing – and that we will do so as well with this new brother or sister.

So on Saturday we will look for a place to bury this man’s sins and welcome his new creation into the body that is Christ’s. We have a blow-up pool which we could fill in our kitchen/livingroom. We could go to a local lake. We have friends who have an outdoor swimming pool. The one thing we do not lack in Belgium is plenty of water! So, no matter what, we will rejoice!

What kind of baptisms have you seen?

Shirley's surprise

2011-01-10T10:24:00.001+01:00

Shirley's surprise
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

In Belgium turning 50 is a big deal. Usually you invite the neighbors (your whole street), any colleagues you have, perhaps the parents of your children's friends and of course all family and any friends. Food and rink must be arranged for all, as well as music and entertainment of some sort. This usually means that some venue must be arranged to hold the party.

A life-size doll of an grey woman is placed outside your door (if you are a woman). This is "Sarah", because you have "seen Sarah". This comes of course from the saying of Jesus (although most people here are not aware of these origins) that he was before Abraham. His listeners then say, "You are not even 50 and you say you have seen Abraham." Next to the doll is usually some sort of poem about the life of the woman, with funny anecdotes.

Shirley was not looking forward to any of this. But she also knew that it would not be polite to just let everything pass unnoticed. So we planned a day with the church after worship on the Sunday following her birthday (we were in Antwerp at a Listen Up! concert on her birthday). But she did not know that Scott was already planning a secret party.

Thanks to so many of you who helped make this a special time for her as well. Snowfall prevented several from making it, and kilometers prevented others. But you were still al there - so many of you sent memories of your time with Shirley. They were bundled and presented that evening and she has continued reading them in the days since then.

This year (2011) Shirley will be 50 almost the whole year. She may have shivered a bit at the sound of the number, but she weathered the party that she feared (even enjoyed it) and is enjoying each day - as she always has.

Thankful

2010-12-07T07:57:00.002+01:00

Thankful
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

This past weekend we took time for what we jokingly call "Thanksmas". Since Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Belgium or the Netherlands and falls on a Thursday, we seldom get to celebrate on the real day. Instead, we get together with other Americans (or interested parties) on a day that works for all of us - which is usually closer to Christmas.

This is always a time of good food, good feelings and good fellowship. We get to have some things we don't generally get, like a great big turkey, pumpkin pie, yams, and such. Many of these foods come with great memories or feelings. It has come to be comfort food.

We play games and even watch a football game (downloaded from the internet). This year we watched Green Bay lose to Atlanta (or should that be Atlanta winning from Green Bay). It's fun, even if you might by chance know the score before watching. For some this is the only time they see American football.

Above all, we all enjoy the time together. This is a time of planning for the coming months, hearing about the ways God has been blessing us, and sharing in new joys, like little Liam who was at this Thanksmas for the first time. Last year we witnessed the birth of Adrian, who gave his life to Christ during this celebration. This year we cooed and drooled over the beauty of a new baby. So many things to be thankful for. We are especially thankful that we make time to share these things together.

(Want to see some more pictures? Click on the picture above or here.)

The "Old" testament

2010-11-22T22:18:00.002+01:00

Recently one of the people I have been studying with commented that things would be a lot better if we simply threw out the old testament and used only the new testament. Even better would be to use smaller portions of the new testament. Then maybe people would not be so daunted by this book, the Bible. Or by the difficulties with all that “old” stuff in the old testament.

Mind you, most people still aren’t even willing to read small sections of the new testament before passing judgement on the whole library (the Bible). But is was Jesus who “began with Mozes and all the prophets and explained to them what was written about him in all the Scriptures.” Jesus said that Mozes talked about him. That the prophets mentioned his suffering. That if his followers had read these writings, they would have known about him (although Jesus himself had to explain it).

Think about it: Paul went always first into the synangogue in a city and proved from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. We take as our example the people of Berea because they were willing to check the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true. These Scriptures were what we call the Old Testament. And they spoke of Jesus!

So we have been studying the Scriptures, looking at where we see Jesus who told us that “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” (Luke 24:44). It is an intriguing study, a challenge for us all. And maybe we will be able to help others also see that they shouldn’t throw out their Old Testament just yet, but instead start reading it with the eyes of Jesus.

Football fun and fellowship

2010-11-19T14:20:00.005+01:00

(photo by Kay Minne)

Last weekend a bunch of people got together to play some football (soccer for the Americans). Actually that’s not quite right – family from all over the Netherlands and Belgium got together to share some wonderful time of fellowship. Football happened to be the catalyst.

It is so important to know that we are family, to spend time getting in touch with one another again, to meet new members of our family. I am so thankful for activities like the Copa Benelux (organized by the guys over in Ghent) to do just that. The church in Belgium and the Netherlands strives to be a family, a close family. But that is because we have gotten to know one another, we pray for each other and we share our lives together.

So this last weekend we had fun, most of us. In Maastricht we definitely had fun – we took the “FUN” trophy home with us for the second time. But we also had some great conversations, talked about what was concerning us in our congregations, sang together to praise our Lord, and spent some time getting to know people we were acquainted with but didn’t yet know.

In Maastricht we understood very well that, trophy or not, we came home real winners.

By the way, my camera was lost at this tournament, but you can see some more pictures (from Luk Brazle and Kay Minne) by going here.

The finale

2010-11-08T18:35:00.003+01:00

The finale
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Gentle rain of leaves

dancing on the wind,
tempo rising, swirling,

tossing with increasing urgency,

hurling themselves to the ground
leaving their patrons bare and stark,

staring in silence
at the vari-colored finale

on the floor.

Sharing a weekend

2010-11-04T14:51:00.001+01:00

Crossing the "High Bridge"
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

We were so thankful that Dale and Vicki Hawley got to share some time with us this past weekend! They are in Heidelberg, Germany for a year and would be meeting up with family in Amsterdam on Monday - a perfect chance to stop it at our place!
It was great to talk about what God is doing in our lives (theirs and ours), have them meet the members of the church and enjoy the beuaty of a colorful Fall season in our area. We know that there are so many who would love to visit and can't, so we are thankful for this visit - Dale and Vicki shared your love with us as well!
It is so good to experience in so many ways the family that God has created for us!

Follow along

2010-08-05T07:29:00.001+02:00

Family
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

As we are traveling in the States this summer I am finding it quite difficult to find time to sit down and update our blog with the update it deserves. Instead we are spending some very wonderful and valuable time with everyone we are so blessed to see along the way. We have so enjoyed seeing so many of you and still look forward to seeing so many more as our trip moves toward its end. Please take the time to visit our pictures and follow our travels in that way.

Furlough schedule

2010-06-22T12:32:00.004+02:00

Next week we will be stepping on a plane to the United States to begin our trip visiting so many of you. Here is our schedule as it is planned so far. Some parts may change, but we will keep you updated. We are looking forward to seeing you!!

June 30 - Fly in from Europe!

July 1-9 - In Minnesota visiting with the Woodbury church

July 9-13 - In Muscatine, Iowa with the church there

July 13-16 - In Omaha, Nebraska with family

July 16-23 - In Colorado Springs with family and the church at Pikes Peak Avenue

July 24th - a Summer Breeze reunion (for those who know what Summer Breeze was)

July 23-25 - In Denver with family and church family

July 25-28 - traveling to Long Beach over Utah and Nevada

July 28-August 5 - in Long Beach with the Long Beach church

August 5-7 - traveling to Abilene, TX over Arizona and New Mexico

August 7-15 - in Abilene with the 11th & Willis church

August 15-19 - in the Kellar (TX) area with the McNeill's

August 19-20 - traveling to Searcy, AR (through Oklahoma?)

August 20-23 - in Searcy installing Stephan and visiting church family

August 23-24 - traveling to Naples, FL through Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama

August 24-26 - In Naples, FL with family

August 26 - fly back to Europe!

Please let us know if we can see you along the way! We would love to visit and be encouraged by how God is working in your lives.

Hope to see you!

2010-05-20T23:12:00.001+02:00

Our travel plans
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

This summer we will be traveling all over the States, visiting family and church family. As usual, we are looking forward to seeing so many of you and getting to catch up on how God is blessing your lives.

This little map will give a bit of an idea of where we will be going. Thanks to some wonderful brothers and sisters we will be able to make this trip a road trip - since it will probably be the last time we make this trip as a complete family.

We will arrive in Minneapolis on June 30, move on down to Muscatine, Iowa on July 9 and further on to Omaha, Nebraska on the 13th of July. Three days later we ill drive over to Colorado Springs where we will stay until the evening of the 23rd when we drive up to Denver.
We leave Denver on the 25th on our way to a stop-over in Grand Junction, after which we move on to Las Vegas. After a few days in the desert, we arrive in Long Beach on the 28th of July, where we stay until August 5 (with a trip down to San Diego).
On August 5 we travel to Flagstaff, Arizona, where we spend the night. The next day takes us to Albuquerque, New Mexico. We may hook up with some friends in Clovis on the way to Abilene, Texas. We will be in Abilene until August 15 when we travel up to Haslett, Texas for a few days. On the 19th we are considering traveling to Oklahoma City before moving on to Searcy, Arkansas where we can install Stephan.
A few days in Searcy willbring us to August 23 when we drive on, without Stephan, towards Naples, Florida, stopping in Oxford, Alabama. We arrive in Naples on the 24th of August and drive over to Miami to fly home on the 26th, hoping to be able to speak Dutch by the time we get back.

Along the way we look forward to vacation Bible schools, a Summer Breeze reunion, birthday celebrations and lots of good fellowship. We hope to see you! Let us know how we can get together if we are in your neck of the woods.

Keep the trash out

2010-05-15T09:35:00.004+02:00

- thanks to Olga Zhigulina for the foto -

During our weekend of footbaal in Switzerland I was the goalie for "Holland Pro" (don't take the names too seriously). I didn't keep my goal completely clean. One or two got past me. But the only reason I was able to keep some out was because I wasn't alone. My teammates kept running back to defend, save, help.

It is so good to know in my life with Christ that I am not alone. My brothers and sisters are helping, running themselves ragged sometimes. And when they are standing in the goal, trying to keep the trash out, I am there for them as well. We are a team, a body. We dont work alone.

April 2010

2010-05-07T19:07:00.007+02:00

LIGHT in the Lowlands

Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands

April 2010

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:10-11

Dear all,

Every day is a new beginning, an opportunity to grow, to see something new. But growing is not always easy!

Sing!

We have always loved singing. God has given us a song of love and grace in our hearts that can’t help but be expressed. And doing this with brothers and sisters is the best. This month we welcomed the Dela family into their new home in Belgium with an evening of singing and prayer.

Every first Wednesday of the month we get together to learn new songs and encourage one another. The church from Liege comes over for these Wednesdays and we get to practice our French (and they practice Dutch).

How do you do this?

- the kids trying to figure out how everything fits together -

We want people to know Jesus, to come to enjoy the real life that He gives us. To do this, people need to meet Jesus, know who he is. That means reading, discovering, digesting the Bible and
getting to know the Word - Jesus. But how do you do this? It sounds so easy to say simply,
“Read your Bible. Pray every day.” And yet, that is exactly what we are helping people to do.

This past month we worked with the Catholic young people from Veldwezelt. It is exciting to see that not only they, but their parents and people in the village are expecting to hear from the Bible (something that was not always expected). Our discussions with RW and LJ center around how real life is informed by what we see in Jesus’ life (which we see in the Bible). “But can I understand it?” is the question most often asked.

As we have been working through a deeper study with some of the young people in Maastricht, we, too have been faced with how some things may seem easier than they are. The reality remains that we are able to understand what God wants from us, but certainly not all at once (and not everything). We need to keep trying to understand (asking questions, listening to God speak in His word), and in the meantime live what we know is right.

PRAYER and FELLOWSHIP

We cannot continue without the strength and guidance that our King gives us every day. The song is right - if we want to grow. Sometimes we forget that we need each other. It is good to know that there are others exeperiencing the same struggles as we (1 Peter 5:8-11). I have tried lately to help the brothers in the Netherlands and Belgium see how they can encourage one another. We have been meeting to share our lives and pray.
Yes, we meet at an Ikea for breakfast (only 1 euro!) because it is a central place and makes things easy. But the sharing time and prayer in the weeks afterwards are invaluable. I pray that this idea and desire will spread locally as well. It is absolutely necessary that we know that we need each other.

Which is why playing football in Switserland is simply amazing! This is the third year that we have taken several groups (about 40 people this year!) to the soccer tournament put on by the church in Zurich and Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Fun teams, “pro” teams, plenty of soccer, and even more fellowship - in a whole slew of languages!

Sunday morning is a time of singing in German, French, English and Dutch. We partake of the Lord’s supper, realizing that the death and life we are celebrating is what binds us all together. And then listening to a wonderful message in English, but translated sentence-by-sentence in French and German - even the movements at times! God has placed us in His family so that we can stretch and grow. Sometimes it can be a bit of a struggle. But some times can be so enjoyable!

Let God have his way with you today so that you can grow. Read his word, every day - even if it is sometimes difficult. And pray. Talk to God every day.

PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
Keep our studies in your prayers - that we can understand what God is saying and put it into practice in our lives

Pray for our contact with K., LJ., A., R., C&T., and RW.

Pray for our sister, Shadira, and her plans to move to Curaçao with her daughters. Pray that her daughters will also be able to adapt to this move.

Pray for the Spring conference “Love Works!” on Pentecost Monday and afterwards - that the church here will be encouraged to be active.

Thank God for our oppotunity to visit this summer.

DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits about Belgium and the Netherlands
Working together

Just recently the prime ministers of Belgium and the Netherlands signed a document stating their desire to organize the World Cup in 2018 or 2022 together. Some in both countries have wondered if two small countries should even try this. But Belgium and the Netherlands are willing to work together for this.

Of course, both countries will first have to get their governments ready. Both governments have recently fallen becasue the parties in the governments could not work together. In the Netherlands that means the normal right and left parties. In Belgium that means the French-speakers and Flemish-speakers AND left and right parties in each language!

ON THE FAMILY SIDE ....
April can be such a joy! Everything begins to bloom, the trees gain a hazy green, everyone is busy with muddy hands getting the yard or the garden ready, and the weather finally begins turning. Though not always as quickly as we would like.

We too were able to get out in the yard and get some work done. Of course most of it was simply heavy moving. We had a tree cut down earlier and all of the wood needed to be taken out of the yard. Several trips to the container park with gummy hands later and the yard started looking like a yard - albeit a messy one still. One of these days we will be able to get it completely finished.

In the meantime we enjoyed a wonderful Easter break. Sean gets two weeks off of school. A great time, except that he then gets no more breaks until the end of June when school ends. So we decided to make the most of this break. We wanted to have at least one family day, and it became a day to The Hague. (You can see our pictures at www.flickr.com/sraabs) We drove to the edge of the city (about 2,5 hours) and took the tram to the beach at Scheveningen. Mr. Blue Sky was our friend for the day, although it was still a bit chilly.

Walking along the beach, picking out seashells to take to Stephan in the summer, a walk through the parks of The Hague and a short tram ride back to downtown brought us to the center of the city. This is where the government meets, where the queen gives her annual speech, where people demonstrate ... and of course where the shops are. After looking around a bit, we had another tram ride back to the car, a ride home, and a film when we got back. A good time together!

Sean is hanging on since then, willing himself to do well at school (and doing well). He has gotten a job at a local restaurant and cafe boat, hoping to make enough money to invest in amps and guitars. His third gig went well, and he is looking forward to playing twice at his school for their open day. His life is quite a bit busier, but this has helped him to prioritize as well.

And all of us are trying to get our work done here before we leave for the summer. Being gone for two months takes quite a bit of planning and organization. We look forward to seeing so many of you again and are so thankful for the help we have already received. We will be starting in Minnesota, as usual, followed by Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, California and Texas. This time we will also be dropping Stephan off in Arkansas before heading on to Florida. Check out our blog in a few days for the schedule and please plan on hooking up with us while we are there! (http://ravenraab.blogspot.com)

Enjoy the moments together! They are meant to be times of love and joy, struggle and strife - real life. So good.

THANKS!
For the funds for our furlough, cars, and places to stay. It’s going to be great to see you!

For your prayers for our work!

For encouragement, wisdom and answers to questions.

What’s coming up?

MAY

Soccer in Switzerland

Love Works! Spring meeting

JUNE

Ladies day

Youth weekend

I can do this!

2010-04-18T00:41:00.001+02:00

Old kitchen, new pantry
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Those who know me know that I am not all that handy. So when I needed to get our kitchen done, I asked for help. Paul Brazle and Pieter Good came for a day and helped me put our kitchen together. I kept a close eye on what they were doing and listened.

You see, I knew that I still needed to put together our "bijkeuken" (the pantry). And I can't always have people come all the way from Antwerp to help. So I gathered my courage and jumped in - putting into practice what I had just learned. And it went pretty well!

Made me think about how often we ask others to grow in faith. Most of the things that God ask us to do really are impossible - until we trust in Him to help us. But we still have to gather our courage and get on with it. It is nice to first be able to watch someone else do it. I am glad for those who went before me, whom I could watch. And I am glad that God is using me to teach others as well.

What a difference!

2010-03-25T09:02:00.003+01:00

Round about this time last year we were thankful to have heating, could open our kitchen door and step out into wide open space instead of walk back to the bathroom, and had begun this journey that is remodeling.

We started this because ... we couldn't keep the house warm, which was costing us a bundle, and we noticed everyone regularly having breathing troubles. Nothing too serious, but not good. When we looked behind the built-in cabinets that came with the house and looked behind the wood panelling to see what was being hidden - we understood all.

Fixing these walls would have been as expensive if not more expensive than ripping them down and building anew. So... we did.

Plans were for less space, but more efficient use. The kitchen, which on good mornings would catch ray of sunlight, would move out of the dark, inner room to the new sunlit extension. We would lose a toilet and bathroom downstairs until the toilet could be rebuilt in a different place.

To make all of this possible we also had to tear things apart upstairs where the old heater was removed and a new one installed. Until our kitchen was ready, we (Shirley) would cook in what was basically a sink and electrical outlet with space on the counter. Shirley cooked for almost a year using a microwave and electrical pizza pan.

When Chuck Hicks and the Good News Singers from Harding arrived last year for the campaign here in Maastricht, we welcomed them with a house not even close to being finished - but we had windows! When we were finally able to hook up the cooker, life started getting easier. We still had to get water from the sink in the downstairs toilet, but dishes were done upstairs.

Finally, all of the parts were complete. We now have a whole kitchen downstairs. And the old kitchen? This dark little room is starting to shape up, as we try to finish the bits and bobs that still need so much work, and will soon be able to be used as an office. We may even soon be able to finally move the washer and dryer out of the makeshift kitchen upstairs to its rightful place downstairs.

Things are far from being completed (finishing touches, the yard still full of debris), but the winter showed us why we did this - we were able to heat the house and no longer suffer from the mold which was eating away the back part of the house. Interestingly - the original house, from 1936, never has had troubles. It was a section added on in the 70's which we tore down. Let the sun shine in!

January-March 2010

2010-03-19T12:28:00.009+01:00

LIGHT in the Lowlands

Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands

January-March 2010

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:11-12

Dear all,

Take a moment and look back at what God has done in your life these past few months. He is amazing!

NEW!

Lots of things happen when you start a new phase in your life. In January we were pleased to marry Adrian and Kata at our building (after their wedding in the City Hall). Both families were able to meet Adrian’s new Christian family. This was a great start to Adrian’s new life in Christ, his new life with Kata and their new life together with their daughter (who was born a month later). Keep Adrian in your prayers as he continues to grow in grace and knowledge.

All about the money?

In January we had our annual Camp meeting. We usually use this time - a planned and required formal meeting - for church fellowship and singing. This year was exciting to me. Although some felt like we were only talking about money - since we have been trying to raise funds for the needed renovation of the facilites - what we saw was a heartfelt outpouring of encouragement and support. Members from all around Belgium and the Netherlands looked into their hearts and their wallets and prayed about what camp meant to them and the future of the church here. It has been exiting to see this level of commitment and unity!

SING to the Lord!

One of the most encouraging aspects of our work here is how we are able to encourage one another in song. Listen Up! is one aspect of this encouragement. The church in The Hague planned an evening of learning new songs and learning how to learn songs. Listen Up! was there to help and it became an evening of great fellowship which has echoed in the church for the last two months.

In February Listen Up! traveled through the snow to Eindhoven to teach some kids in an internationals school about singing. In March we shared about a cappella singing to a group of Chinese believers in Utrecht. And every month the church in Maastricht welcomes the members from Liege! Singing gets us into the Word itself and touches hearts.

In May we want to repeat the Gospel Singing workshop we started last year (we were blessed with Chuck Hicks and the Good News Singers from Harding). We have had several people from last year contact us asking if we will continue this project. We learn songs and then sing for our local nursing homes. Our young people will take the lead this year! What a great opportunity!

ENCOURAGEMENT

Every time we get together, we can share what God is doing in our lives.

That is why God created church. We are part of a body, a home, a family, a building built together. Back at the beginning of the year the young people gathered at camp for Survivor Camp. It is good to know that you are not alone. At the end of March I will get together with several brothers for a time of prayer, so that we know that we can depend on each other.

The annual Spring fellowship meeting in The Hague is based around the theme: “Love Works! ... discovering how we can look like Jesus”. We want to encourage one another to be active parts of the body of Christ, wherever we are!

LOOKING ahead

I started this letter with a request to look back at what God has done for you. That is so that we can continue to look forward, knowing that God is doing wonderful things and can be trusted for the future! We are looking forward to: seeing some of you in the summer, welcoming new babies into the family, being used daily to praise God in all we do.

PRAYER WARRIORS

Please keep the following in your prayers.

Praise God for how He is teaching and encouraging our young people in the church here in Maastricht.

Pray for our contact with K., LJ., A., R., C&T., RW., N., and M. We have had some good studies and discussions.

Pray for our sister, Shadira, who is in Curaçao for her grandmother and making plans for the future.

Praise God for the response to our Bible camp needs. Pray for the plans and red-tape.

Pray for active churches here in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Pray for our plans for our furlough this summer, that all can be planned well.

DID YOU KNOW?

Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands

Something to be proud of?

In the past few months there have been various elements in the news about both the Netherlands and Belgium - some causes to be proud, others less so. In sports, both Jutin Henin and Kim Clijsters made good on their return - and then didn’t. Sven Kramer was the hope for the Netherlands during the Winter Olympics, and a lesson for many.

Belgium experienced its worst train crash in more than a decade and the government in the Netherlands fell, due to an imminent “train crash” over troops in Afghanistan.

In The meantime, Dutch car company Spyker bought Saab and Europe’s largest art fair settled once again for two weeks here in Maastricht.

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .

One of the things that we usually miss here is snow. Scott is from Colorado Springs, Shirley is from Omaha. We are used to a bit of snow. Or at least we thought so. Although we obviously did NOT get as much as many of you, we got our share (was it fair?). And soon enough we were yearning for the wet, green Spring of Belgium and the Netherlands. But it is now on its way.

Our family has of course been quite different since Stephan headed off to Harding. Now when we think about telling what has happened, he is on the sidelines, somehow. But this is not how we feel. A typical skype evening is something like this: we call around 11 p.m. our time, which is afternoon for Stephan. Somehow, the days we have planned (often a Friday or Saturday evening) Sean is not quite home yet. This gives the parents time to talk. Questions about school, life there (girlfriend?), life here, some forms that need taking care of (taxes, orthodontist). He shows us where he’s sitting, we show him the latest changes in the house (isn’t it great to be able to video-chat!).

Then Sean comes home, cuddles up to us on the couch - head in the video - and the discussion turns to music, guitars, the latest sports or plans. By this time we are almost falling asleep, so we say goodnight and Sean takes over for another little bit before heading off to bed. The next day we all simply sigh; it is good to see that he is doing well, but we sure miss him.

In the meantime, our family continues here as well. Sean is pushing through the 11th grade. Some days better than others. He will have his wisdom removed next month (his teeth, in any case), but is quickly becoming a wise young man in dealing with everyday problems and relationships. He is also enjoying expanding his music. He has now had two “gigs” with his band and is looking forward to the next one next month. He has also started playing a melodica (ask him about it).

In February we all went to Germany for ABSS and saw Scott Lambert. What a great time to touch base again (although way too short!).

In March Shirley went off for three days to the Ladies Retreat in Germany. A good time of fellowship and encouragement, spiritual food and some goodies for the boys back home (Sean’s “Whoah!” when he saw some of the specials).

This summer we are planning our furlough once again. Has it already been three years since we stayed with the Jablonski’s, helped with the VBS in Muscatine and saw family in so many places? This will probably be our last furlough with the boys, so we are making it a bit special. In the coming newsbits we will let you know more.

Thanks for being part of our Family!!

What’s coming up?

APRIL

Youth weekend

MAY

Soccer in Switzerland

Gospel singing workshop

Love Works! Spring meeting

THANKS!

For the funds for our upcoming furlough

For your prayers for our work! New life and new chances!

For contact through fb, emails, calls and cards

Newsletter - summary 2009

2010-01-08T13:38:00.007+01:00

LIGHT in the Lowlands

Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands

Fall 2009

Sing to the LORD a new song,

for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

The LORD has made his salvation known

and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

Psalm 98:1,2

Dear all,

Let me take the time to bring you up to date on what happened in 2009 and look forward quickly to 2010.

NEW life!

Recently during a Wednesday evening Bible study we were talking about the past year. Our newest brother in Christ, Adrian, mentioned how glad he was to be a part of the family, but that he

was just a baby. As we looked around the circle, we realized that we have 5 babies in the family here! And it is exciting to see how active they are in allowing the Spirit to guide their lives.

FAMILY time

In Maastricht we are a family. We try to care for one another and encourage one another. This is evident when the Dela family is looking for a new house. Anita helped to find one in her village, Ruud worked with them in communicating with the bank and notary, others helped them to move house and all are helping the children adapt to a new situation.

On Wednesday evenings we travel either to Shadira’s or Geesie’s house for the study. This way they too can share in the fellowship and growth. On the first Wednesday of the month the church in Liege comes to Maastricht and we sing in English, Dutch and French, learning new songs and encouraging one another.

We are here for each other. It is not always perfect. In november we tried to help Willemien out with her house; together with the help of some students from Canada we cleaned out some of the extra in her house. On returning, this turned out to be quite a shock to her, although we had discussed it. We are now working through loving each other as a family - and God is such a wonderful help and healer!

ACTIVE

Every season is full of activities for us. In 2009 we helped with or conducted five weddings, taught at or helped with seven youth weekends and activities, including a youth weekend in Maastricht, directed or helped with four camps, conducted an international song seminar, and met weekly for various studies. But we don’t want to just be busy. It is important that we are reaching hearts, helping people to grow and learn so that they can also know who Jesus is and let others know this as well.

Our youth weekend in Maastricht focused on perseverance. At Fall Camp in the Ardennes we took the weekend to look at the dools we need to dig in to the word. It has been exciting to see how our young people have taken both of these topics to heart, diggin into their Bibles with perseverance!

The end of the year was filled, as was yours, with many visits with family, although ours was of course our church family. At Thanksgiving we saw the birth of Adrian. Near Christmas we sang with Listen Up! of the true and living Savior, the reality of Christ in our every day. At New Year a group of young people was down at camp examining the old year, looking toward the new and considering how best to survive.

LOOKING ahead

As we head in to this new year of 2010, we are looking forward to the life and activities that God has prepared for us. We are encouraged by how our work with the Catholic kids is touching hearts and pray for more open doors and hearts in this group. We are greatly encouraged by the growth of our “babies” in Christ, how they hunger for His word, and look forward to how God is going to use them this year. We know that we have some challenging studies coming our way as well.

In all of this, God is doing marvelous things, and we want to tell the nations of Him (you should see our services on Sunday: Dutch, Belgian, German, Philippine, American). We look forward to what He has planned for us in each new day.

PRAYER WARRIORS

Please keep the following in your prayers.

Pray for the continued growth of our newest brother and sisters from this past year: Wim, Susan, Valéri, Isha and Adrian! There have also been births in several other cities. God is moving and bringing life!

Pray for our contact with K., LJ., A., R., J & J., C&T., RW., N., and M.

Pray for our studies in the coming months with several of these contacts.

Praise God for the church family here and how they are helping one another.

Pray for guidance for the coming year and the work that God has prepared for us to do.

DID YOU KNOW?

Tidbits of information about the Netherlands and Belgium

Presidents

Europe has all sorts of heads of state. The Netherlands has a queen, although that may soon become a king. Belgium has a king. Germany has a president. But all of these people are mostly window dressing. The Prime Minister, or Premier (the “first”), is the one who runs the government.

Recently both the Belgian and Dutch prime ministers were being considered for the job of head of the council of Europe - a new position. Herman van Rompuy, the Belgian Prime Minister, was chosen over the Dutch Jan-Pieter Balkenende. If Europe were something like the United States, then a president would be the leader of Europe. But this is still Europe. This “president” may be more show than action. Something to watch in the future.

On the family side . . .

How can you summarize a whole section of the year in such a short space. I know we receive some of your year-end letters and they are wonderful! Although I will probably miss some things, I will try to hit the high spots of the last bit of 2009.

As mentioned, we were so glad to have had Stephan home for the summer! Stephan is doing well at Harding, enjoying his studies and various opportunities. He was chosen as beau and has been enjoying that added attention as well.

We are always glad that we have the possibility of skype - it is nice to be able to see him, talk with him, laugh. During the Christmas break he was able to stay with Scott’s brother and family in Colorado Springs, see a good bit of Scott’s family and enjoy what little snow he coul find there (he had expected so much more coming from Arkansas).

Sean has continued with his music. He played his first gig with his band “Karma Police” and has since played another gig as well. It is exciting to see him growing, trying new things, writing songs. He is growing into such a fine young man. This Fall he took the PSAT, reminding us that things are moving pretty quickly. He was serious with his studies, which showed at the Christmas exams: he did very well with his grades.

Scott took a course in reanimation with a hand-held machine so that he can help in the neighborhood. An awesome responsibility which also reminds us of our responsibility with the knowledge we have of Jesus. We need ot know and know how to help.

In the meantime Scott has been trying to get some things done on the renovations of the house that still need finishing. The downstairs toilet is finally available, parts of the kitchen have been added, and the old kitchen, which has become a gathering room of assorted objects, is periodically sorted out and emptied.

Shirley had some fun in the Fall putting some of her clothes online - Style by Shirley. The closet gets cleaned out, others get a good deal, and Shirley ahs learned how to use the computer and internet. Still plenty to work with, a fun hobby.

In December Scott and Shirley celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. They forced a few days free during a busy schedule for this month and went off to Brussels together. Bill and DeeDee Bundy lent them their house for the days, making a wonderful anniversary. Here’s to the next 25!

In 2010 we look forward to the challenges coming up. We are also looking forward to seeing some of you again - it is time for our furlough already! More on that in the next letter. Enjoy the new year with all that God has prepared for you.

WHAT"S COMING UP?

JANUARY

Youth weekend

Camp fellowship

Song workshop

FEBRUARY

Youth outreach

THANKS!

For your contact - email, fb, calls, cards and letters!

For your prayers for our work! New life is exciting!

For your faithfulness in living for God in your life

A few years ago

2009-12-21T08:14:00.003+01:00

A hug after a concert. Hours sitting together on the steps at York talking about the world, about good friends, about God and our relationship with Him. A few years with a few thousand miles separating us before we could finally be together. That one day, 25 years ago was the most beautfiul beginning of life together! Shirley – my very best friend, my lover, my wife – I love you! And I am so looking forward to the next 25 years!

Give thanks to the Lord!

2009-12-02T16:30:00.006+01:00

Last Saturday, very close to the actual day, we celebrated Thanksgiving with friends and guests in Antwerp. This day is always special because we get to see one another again, remember all the things we have to be thankful for, and spend some great fellowship time together (and - oh yeah - there's some really great food!)

What made this year special was Adrian. Before we began the afternoon Carol Brazle mentioned that each year a turkey is pardoned by the White House, while all the other turkeys are eaten. Her point was that for us, One is offered and all are spared. So when I mentioned why Adrian had come with us, that was what I made clear. He came for the turkey.

You see, Adrian came to us about a month ago. He had seen my name and number online and had called. He and his fiance live in Maastricht where she is a students (she just graduated). Adrian wanted to know what kind of christians we were. So he visited and had lots of questions. Recenlty he called up again - after a time that we had heard nothing. He wanted to talk - and seriously. He had been looking at things and wanted to give his life to Christ. He wanted to be free from all the things that had kept him captive in his most recent years (all sorts of darker practices).

So Shirley and I sat down with him and opened up the Bible. By the end of the day he wanted to know what he could do to get this new life started. We knew we would be in Antwerp the next day with all sorts of brothers and sisters - a perfect opportunity (and practical place) to help him in his death and resurrection.

So Adrian came for the turkey. He came for the One who gave his life that all could be spared. And it was a wonderful time for thanksgiving! He was a bit worried (he is turning his back on quite a hefty past), but thrilled once he had been washed clean in the water and the blood.

Please keep Adrian in your prayers as he starts hs new life and immediately will face all sorts of struggles. Pray for us as we meet with him to help him grow and learn. And thank God with us for God's mighty power to save!

(Thanks to Jim and Ruth Krumrei for the pictures!)

A little thing

2009-10-01T17:54:00.003+02:00

The other day when we showed Willemien this picture she was very surprised. "Look, the baby is doing just fine, and I am talking." You see, she was convinced (even after this had happened) that she could not hold or take care of a baby. When she was a child, just before a family picture (nephews and nieces included), her mother told her that she could not hold a baby (with the idea that the baby would be in trouble and that Willemien was not made of the right stuff).

Willemien and Cor never had children. Somewhere in her head were still the words and thought of her mother - she couldn't handle babies. Even after holding Joelle on this day (this is the youngest of one of our members in Maastricht), she didn't think she could do this. When she saw the picture, saw that the baby looks quite comfortable, and that she is actually doing it, she believed it possible.

I want to be careful that I am encouraging my children, being aware that even the smallest thing I say may have quite an impact on them as they continue to grow.

Running the Race

2009-09-21T07:16:00.007+02:00

This past weekend we had 17 young people "over the floor" for a youth weekend in Maastricht. We are always so thankful when we can have the young people down to our city - and that God has put us in a position to help. From the beginning of our time here in Belgium we have been able to use our house to host these events.

This weekend we talked about "Running the Race" - a great picture of our life in Christ - and touched on four points:

1. We must participate (no standing on the sidelines)

2. We need to hold on to the end (and we have good examples)

3. We run according to the rules (which help us get where we are going)

4. We must give our best to win - give our best to Jesus who makes us winners!

It was a challenge working with a group with quite an age split: there were 7 who were just 11 years-old and another 7 who were all older than 15. But everyone helped one another - what a joy to see!

On Saturday we went to the "kazematten" in Maastricht - tunnels dug under the city (these ones during the reign of Louis 14th) to defend the city. This was also where D'Artagnan (the 4th musketier) died in battle (defending the - at that time - French city). The beautiful weather held throughout the day, so that the kids could help with making dinner back at the house. They prepared a fruit salad and some vegetables for the hot dogs and "frieten".

- Our group for the weekend (picture from Tim Bos) -

It is exciting to see how longing these young people are for what God has to offer. We had three "visitors" the whole weekend as well, friends of our young people who came along to the weekend. God offers us so much, ever day. There are so many reasons for not participating or stopping, but it is good to know that we can run the race and reach the finish line, with His strength. We ar enot too small (Zacheus), we are not too sinful (Paul). We can be His - if we wish. The invitation is there, but will we accept and participate?

(you can go here for more pictures of the weekend.)

Dig a little deeper

2009-09-10T22:36:00.003+02:00

This whole year we as a congregation in Maastricht have been looking at how we are being made into a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). As we have talked about trusting in God, discovering His will and putting that into practice in our lives with the help and strength of the Holy Spirit, we have also come up against plenty of questions. We all come from some kind of background. And here in Maastricht we are quite a mixture (cultures, countries and religious backgrounds). So it has been exciting to see the desire to get together more often and start digging together.

Of course we want to read the Bible. We know that God is speaking to us through His word. But we want more. We want to understand. We want to understand as much as He wants to make clear to us. So we are taking time every other week to come with our questions, learning to use a concordance and look at passages with contextual questions, digging and letting God's word make its way into our hearts and minds. It's great to see us all getting dirt under our fingernails together, helping one another to know God better in this way, too.

January-July 2009

2009-08-19T10:48:00.006+02:00

LIGHT in the Lowlands

Reaching out to the people of Belgium nd the Netherlands

January - July 2009

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:1-3

Dear all,

Amazing days and wonderful things have been happening! Most important is the birth of our brother Wim in April. He and Anita will wed in August.

Youth weekends and touching hearts

We try to plan a youth weekend at least every 6 weeks. A weekend in January in Haarlem, another in The Hague in April, and two soccer tournaments in May meant wonderful times to encourage and challenge our young people.

The soccer tournament in May was the first organized in the Benelux, fashioned after the tournament we have come to know in Switzerland. It was great to see teams from all over the Netherlands and Belgium get together to compete and encourage one another - and Maastricht won the trophy for amateurs!

In addition to these opportunities, we were also challenging and touching hearts among the Catholic youth in the village. We spent time examining if Jesus’ death and resurrection were real or not. It was especially exciting to see how we were able to integrate this group with our campaign group that came in May.

Campaign fellowship

In May we welcomed a part of the “Good News Singers” from Harding UNiversity for a campaign in Maastricht. They offered a Black Gospel workshop, teaching people new songs, if the people were willing to sing those songs at a local nursing home. We had three different opportnities, including one with the young people from our village. The reactions from those parents speaks volumes. “What have you done to my daughter? She doesn’t stop singing!” One of these parents also has started reading her Bible seriously.

From the adult groups we had several people who were not only interested in the workshop, but also in who we were and our faith. K. has visited us twice and hopes to come more often. A. was a bit wary, but has come to our first Wednesday singing and is more open to talking now. J. wanted to know more for herself and her daughter. They both attended the Song Seminar from Listen Up! and plan to visit us more in the future. Keep these hearts in your prayers.

Our campaign group ended their time with the yearly Spring gathering, this year organized by Maastricht. We chose as our topic to talk about how to talk with one another when there are differences of opinion or teaching in the church. It was a challenging day full of good discussions and good fellowship.

Far away and close to home

The end of June took a group of our young people to Marseille, France for an intense week of sharing faith (in French!). I was so proud of our young people and their desire and ability to move out of their comfort zone to help others. It was also exciting that LJ, with whom we study and discuss all things biblical, decided to go along! Keep her growth and questioning in your prayers.

Back in the Netherlands Listen Up! welcomed an group of more than 100 people from across Europe to learn more about and practice a cappella singing. This 15 year birthday celebration-turned-workshop was a great chance to encourage people to sing, write songs and spread the gospel through song.

Camp and what’s coming

Before the summer ever arrived we took the opportunity to help fix camp up. There was a work camp and a “dig camp” where we laid a drainage pipe. Wonderful work together!

The summer camp season included Teen Camp for us, where Scott taight about Paul’s missionary journeys and how we can go “to the ends of the world.” The following week, he and several other brothers taught about the Christian Family during Family Camp. Now we are slowing down and planning for the coming year - looking forward to what God will bring!

PRAYER WARRIORS

Please keep the following in your prayers.

Praise God and continue to pray for our new brother Wim and for Valéri!

Pray for our contact with K., LJ., A., R., J & J., C&T., RW., N., and M.

Pray for our studies in the coming months with several of these contacts.

Praise God for our young people who have encouraged one another and have been an example in faith for so many in many places.

Praise God for His work in the campaign, youth weekend and camp weeks this year so far and for the coming months.

Pray for guidance for world leaders, also here in Europe.

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .

And life goes on ... this past half year has often been in the theme of change. With Stephan off at Harding, things were quite different here. We noticed that especially at “normal day” moments. Shirley would get dinner ready and set the table - for four. And there would always be too much food. Sean would get home from school - to find a much quieter house and no one to talk to (except parents, of course). Scott would walk in to Stephan’s room in the morning to wake him up - and find Sean, in Sean’s room. Things change.

So it has been a thrill to have Stephan back with us since May when he arrived at the same time as the campaign group. We only just brought him back to the airport back to Harding last week, after a wonderful three months. It was great to hear him and Sean with their infectious laughter again. To hear them playing guitar together or telling stories to one another. To count on his strength when Scott needs to lift something (which was quite often) or his spiritual strength during youth activities.

It was especially nice to have both boys here while all of the renovation works were going on in the house. As some of you have been able to follow, since the end of February we have been in the middle of fixing up our house. The back section of the house (with 3 rooms, the bathroom and the toilet) have made way for a smaller, but better and healthier section for the kitchen/dining room. But we are not yet done. The kitchen still has to be placed, the electricity finished and connected, and the outside taken care of. Plenty to do in the coming months. And to think that we thought this would be done in a few months back in October!

It has been very nice, however to have the new section when it is wonderful weather - as we have had several times this summer. It has helped make new memories with the family. Sitting in the peace of the backyard eating lunch or dinner together outside, chilling in the chair playing guitar while a cool breeze plays around the house, enjoying the morning sun before getting going for the day ... the addition has been worth most of the trouble.

And now the year continues. Stephan and Sean both finished their school year last year and are ready to begin another year. Stephan as a sophomore at Harding University, Sean as a junior in high school. Stephan is looking forward to playing rugby (oh no!) and singing in the chorus. Sean is gearing up for a gig with his band and realizing that he will need to work hard at school this year. And we are taking advantage of every moment we have together as a family. We are so thankful for this family God has given us.

EXTRAS

Did You Know?

Trash

What do you do with your trash? Well, it actually depends on what kind of trash it is. If it is glass, you put it aside in separate containers, which you later bring to a large central container in the neighborhood - the “glasbak”. Once a week this glass is collected by the city and recycled.

If it is food scraps, you put it in a green bucket which is also picked up once a week. This bucket might be big (if you have a house) or small (if you live in an apartment). Both stink quite a bit when it is warm weather.

If it is certain kinds of packaging, you separate it and put it in plastic sacks which get picked up once a week and recycled. Otherwise, you simply throw it away. What do YOU do with your trash?

THANKS!

For your contact - email, fb, calls, cards and letters!

For your prayers for our work! New life is exciting!

For your faithfulness in living for God in your life

What’s coming up?

SEPTEMBER

Youth weekend

Camp meeting

OCTOBER

Fall Camp

Studies

Long time, no see!

2009-05-29T12:28:00.007+02:00

It has been a very long time since I updated the blog. As you will hear in the newsletter (which has also been a long time coming), we have been preparing for a horde of exciting activities - many of which have started taking place. So here are a few pictures to show you what we have been doing. You can always check out more photos by clicking on any of the pictures or clicking on the link in the sidebar.

Thanks for continuing to drop by to see how we are doing!

A group of more than 50 from Belgium and the Netherlands went down to Switzerland to play football (soccer) with teams from churches from all over Europe (including Austria, France, Switzerland and Germany). Great fun, but also great fellowship, getting to know family and encouraging one another. I was blessed to be able to preach on the Sunday there.

In the meantime our house renovations have continued. When the wall came down, everything had to be put into one room - a bit cramped! And this was just before our campaign group was to arrive (half of which would be staying with us).

But the windows have arrived, the floors are almost here (maybe next week) and we are able to breath a little again. Soon we may even have a kitchen!

Check out those low-tech earphones! A few threads, a spoon and you're ready to go. Just clang them against something hard, with your hands over your ears, and you've got an amazing sound!

Mid-May we went over to Antwerp for a youth weekend on Science and Faith. I taught some lessons, we looked at some science and we had a good time encouraging one another. Our campaign students from Harding (and Stephan!) also went with us.

In between Stephan, Sean and Scott went up to Eindhoven to celebrate Jan Blaakmeer's 50th birthday - he "saw Abraham". Jan and Nit are good friends and loved brother and sister for many years.

By Ascencion Day weekend it was time to head down to camp for our yearly clean-up, fix-up of camp, getting it ready for the summer. In the last few years it has been a miserable, wet, muddy bit of work (with plenty of good fellowship to outweigh all the negatives). This year was still muddy, but full of sun.

Quite a bit still needs to be done, so it was great to have so many there to help! On to the summer camp weeks!

From May 11 our campaign group has been working hard. A part of the Good News Singers (from Harding University), with director Chuck Hicks and his wife, Melinda, has come to offer Black Gospel Workshops. We have had two groups in Maastricht and another with the kids in Veldwezelt (this picture). All of the groups learn to sing, learn about the message of the songs, and then sing for a nursing home in the area.

It has been a great time to meet people from the neighborhood, sing some great songs, and really be an encouragement. As a matter of fact, many of the participants want to know if we can continue. Keep this in your prayers.

This weekend we as a congregation are organizing the annual spring gathering of the churches in The Hague. Our theme this year is unity. This will also be the last activity for our campaign group, after which we will have a preparation month of June, getting ready for the busy month of July. Hopefully I will get some news up here again before then!

Thanks again for stopping by! Praise God for all that He is doing in our lives (yours and ours).

Wim's birth

2009-04-13T23:27:00.001+02:00

Wim's birth
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Sunday morning, just before our services began, Wim came up to me and asked if he could ask a question. "I want to be baptized." I asked him when he might want to do that and he anwered - "As soon as possible."

So after some calling around (my French is not very good, but somehow Jozef in Liege understood what I needed), we were able to get things set up at the church in Liege. What a wonderful relationship we have with this church family!

Dutch, Italian, French, German, English - they were all present. God knows all the languages and hearts. Wim was only interested in giving his life into Jesus' hands. So good to see his trust and desire. Praise God for this new "baby"!

Champions of fun

2009-03-18T18:17:00.008+01:00

Last Saturday was the inaugural "Copa BeNeLux" - a football (soccer) tournament for the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands. We got this idea from the Swiss churches last year. Thanks to Pieter Good, Luk Brazle and Dennis van Erp a local variant was organized.

There were 10 teams from 6 different congregations and plenty of friends of members taking part. It was a great day! The teams were either "fun" or "pro" depending on how serious they wanted to be. In Maastricht we put together a fun team, decided which color to wear and headed out to just have some fun.

It was great to see how our young people worked together. A lot was learned that day: keep going, even if you are afraid; perseverance will get you where you want to be; be fair and honest - it is the most fun. I was so proud of everyone!

And in the end, we were the "fun" champions!

(Thanks to Elisa van der Oest for the picture of team Maastricht ready to play)

Demolition man

2009-03-04T09:20:00.001+01:00

Renovation / Verbouwing
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

You may have heard that we are working on our house. Actually we are demolishing part of our house. This picture is a good example of why.

For years we have struggled with dealing with smells, heating the whole house, keeping it dry, wondering what is going on behind the wooden panelling on the walls. We considered trying to fix the problems with the walls, but after examing all it became clear that it was more cost efficient to demolish this section and rebuild.

I can't build very well, but I am good at demolition. So before the builders come, we have torn out all the wood, all the extras, taken out the windows etc in preparation of the new section. That is when we found out why we really do need to demolish this section. Mold in most of the walls, walls that were not correctly built. And a heating system that was pouring money out the walls trying to keep everything warm and dry.

Now we have an efficient heating system for the whole house and soon the old, sick section will be surgically removed - to be replaced by a clean new section.

Check out the pictures by clicking on this picture here.

Stuff!

2009-03-02T16:23:00.002+01:00

It has been a while since we've talked. Sometimes I want to wait until there is something BIG to announce. Something exciting happening. But the last two months have all mostly been preparation for things that are coming.

How much "stuff" do you have? Do you have stuff in which to put your stuff? We have lots of stuff, with lots of stuff in it. God has always blessed us with enough, and people bring us things, knowing that we will be able to get it to those who need it (or sometimes simply because they didn't want to bring it to the trash). And we have been blessed with a house large enough to hide things away. But now we are removing a whole section of that house, and that meant getting rid of stuff.

Stuff in the form of papers and pictures, books and folders. What do you do with all those things you were going to read? You can't throw "that" out, it could come in handy some day! And that memory means so much (which is why you found it under a pile of books under a pile of papers, at the back of the cupboard you hardly ever open). It needs to get sorted!

Stuff in the form of clothes ("remember those jeans!"), shoes and boots ("oh he was soooo cute in those"), coats and socks (do you have one of those sacks of unmatched socks too!!!) Stuff in so many forms - things. It all needed to get out of the way, because they are coming to demolish soon. But in order to put it somewhere, we needed to make room where all the other stuff was.

Short story long, (or is it the other way around), we have gotten rid of lots! And boy does that feel good! Clean it up, sort it out, move it, throw it, junk it. You can gather so much over the years. And this was a very good time to think about what was gathering dust in our spiritual lives as well. It's good to check things out, sort things through, throw away the junk and keep what is really good and necessary.

Thank you!

2009-01-07T12:04:00.002+01:00

Looking back on the past year while preparing our information for tax situations, we were struck with how stable our financial situation has been in the years we have been here. We have had some ups and downs, but have always made it through - and have never really suffered as we know so many do in the world. And we know that this is only possible because so many of you are so faithful in giving.

We know that we do not have to worry about our daily needs - God will always continue to take care of us (and you). But this is made even easier because you are so faithful - even when it is difficult for you! Thank you for helping us to be able to be here, for making these efforts possible, and for the peace of mind that you encourage. You are such an example for us and for so many. Thank you for your faith and trust in God.

Fall Newsletter

2008-12-30T10:15:00.002+01:00

LIGHT in the Lowlands

Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands

October, November and December 2008

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
The Fall season is usually a fairly busy time of different activities - with youth, weekly studies, holiday visits and family times.

New life!
Our most important news is the birth of our new sister, Valéri. It has been exciting to see her growing towards this moment in her faith. Let me give you a quick summary of this journey.
Valéri is Isha’s best friend at school (Isha is our colleague, Ruud and Karla’s second daughter). These two have been encouraging each other throughout the year - beginning especially from the time this past summer in Marseille.
Isha was baptized on a Sunday evening at home because she knew that she didn’t want to wait. Valéri, in the meantime, had been told by her parents that she would have to wait until she was 18 (next year summer). We have always been very encouraged that her parents are concerned with what is happening with their daughter. We would be no different with our children!
Partly because Valéri was obedient, wanting to help her parent’s understand, her mother asked her in December when she would like to be baptised. “Now!” was the answer. Her mother agreed that after exams would be possible. This was a big step for the family.
But it has been the courage and faith that these two young people have continued to show to the church and those around them that has been such an encouragement to us all.
Church life
As we moved through the normal months of activities it has been good to see the desire for life in the members here. Danny - a young postman - comes to all the mid-week Bible studies, even though he has to get up quite early the next morning. He not only wants to learn, he wants to encourgae. Willemien, who has so very little in her life, is more than willing to press an amount into my hand to pass on to the people in Myanmar who are suffering. There has been a desire in all the members to see how God is changing them, making them able to do mighty deeds that He wants done. And these are being accomplished in their everyday lives.
How “great” is it that someone is able to bite their tongue and say something nice instead? For that person, who has struggled for so long to change - it is amazing! How “wonderful” is it that someone is present regularly at church activities? For someone who has struggled to order their life - this is a victory! I am in a privileged situation to see some of these victories and I praise God for His might and faithfulness.
Everyday life
We are thankful for the tasks that we are able to continue - because of the spiritual and financial support of so many around the world. We continue to have at least 6 weekly studies with a variety of people. We are trying to encourage and train up our young people - throughout the week, during special events (Fall Camp in October), and at special moments.
With Listen Up! we were able to challenge people to think about the Saviour, encourage a new sister as she begins her life, and let people know who Christmas is really about. When Willemien recently lost her dog or needed new furniture, we were able to help. It is great to see how these lessons are things that all of the members are learning - God can use us all, wherever we are!
Looking ahead
Some of the things we are doing are in preparation for the future. We are updating a songbook - with our own songs. We are planning for a campaign group in May, a yearly church get-together in June, and a song seminar in July. In the past months we have seen how important family is. God has put us in a family that He wants to use as His body. And He is able to do amazing things - even with us. Here’s to the coming days!

PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
Praise God for our new sister Valéri! Continue to pray for her and her parents. Pray for her growth and for peace and understanding for her parents.
Pray that we can grow as a church as we focus on His strength in 2009.
Pray for me with RW as we continue to study in the word.
Praise God for our young people who have encouraged one another and have been an example in faith for so many this year.
Pray for our plans in the coming year for a campaign, youth weekend and outreach.
Pray for guidance for world leaders, also here in Europe.

DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about the Netherlands and Belgium
Holidays
The Fall season brings all sorts of holidays - and holidays are where you see how much you are part of a culture. Since we are Americans, living in Belgium, working with the Dutch - this can be a pretty interesting time.
In the Netherlands: people in the South (where we live) celebrate St. Martin, sometimes with paper lights, sometimes with tricks. And of course there is Sinter Klaas (on the 5th of December) when kids get presents.
In Belgium: All Saints day is quite important here, when the dead are honored (and flowers are sold). Of course Sinter Klaas is here as well (on December 6).
Interestingly, Halloween is making its way into both cultures because it is similar to Carnaval. Thanksgiving is nowhere to be seen.

What's coming up?
JANUARY
Youth weekend
Camp meeting
FEBRUARY
Youth weekend
ABSS

THANKS!
For your continued financial support, especially now
For your prayers for our work! New life is exciting!
For your cards (Irene and the Thurstons) and emails

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .

The Fall has been a beautiful, ever changing whirlwind of activities and people. As the colors change and the weather has gotten colder (though not really that cold), we have enjoyed the changes in our days.
We have always been very thankful to be able to get around as we need. We have a good car that gets us wjhere we need to go (and back). Gas prices may make you think twice, but at least you can consider going. But the car is still not always the best way to get around. When we get the chance, or when we need to, we have taken the train. We have used them to go to Brussels (with the ladies or just together). Sean even used one recently to get back from his friends’ house - and it all went fine (thankfully). The last time he and Stephan were on the train was a bit of a stress. In the Netherlands the train is more expensive, but it is well worth it to Scott to not have to sit in the traffic jam which is the normal traffic going north. If he has to go to Haarlem to rehearse with Listen Up!, it is better and easier to take the train.
Our visits this Fall have taken us to Antwerp - for a wonderful “Thanksmas” dinner, a day out shopping at the mall or rehearsals, to Brussels - with the ladies from church for a day together, or a day together for our anniversary, to Leiden - to visit with Genya and Ken, and even to Cologne (to find out that the store was closed). We enjoyed seeing Genya and Ken. They were both working in Maastricht some 6 years ago - Genya from Siberia, Ken from Japan. Genya brought Ken to Christ and then both moved away. Ken married a Dutch girl and lives in Leiden where they also have a little daughter. Genya is now planning on moving to Haarlem to be close to his job in Amsterdam. He is also married and has a son and a daughter on the way.
Sean has been enjoying his electric guitar and he is getting quite good, so he decided that he needed a bass guitar as well. (He also wanted a drum set - but that’s a NO). He sold his games consoles (and learned a lesson about how people will cheat you) and planned which guitar he would buy. The Music Store is a huge store in Cologne, Germany (about 2 hours away). We drove over, only to find that they were closed - on Christmas Eve! Go figure! So we just had a great time together (in the only store open for a while - McD’s) and then headed home - to order the guitar online.

Christmas was a wonderful day with Willemien and skyping with Stephan. The second day of Christmas we spent with friends in Belgium. New Year’s Eve will be in Antwerp. It is so good to be able to see, hear, talk to and be with people we love. We are so thankful for all the possibilities we have to be family!

Sharing Christ at Christmas

2008-12-30T10:02:00.004+01:00

This season has always been a time for us to let people know about who Jesus really is. In past years Listen Up! has taken the time to present the whole story of Jesus in music. This year we went to Haarlem to sing with some kids from the BOB (the after-school daycare with the Bible) for a home for the elderly, sharing the message and the joy of Jesus. It was thrilling to see how the members even came out on their balconies to listen and to sing together with us, celebrating the goodness of God.

A few days later we welcomed Willemien to our house for Christmas day. She is such a part of our family. It was great to be able to have Stephan in the living room with us (via Skype). He was able to laugh and joke with Sean, greet Willemien and share in a cup of coffee (kind of) for a little bit of the day.

We are so thankful for how blessed we truly are with so many things, so many opportunities, and especially all the people in our lives.

New life!

2008-12-24T08:23:00.003+01:00

Last Friday we were so pleased to welcome our new sister to the family! Valéri is the best friend of Isha, one of our teens. They have both been encouraging one another immensely this past year, striving to grow in Christ. Valéri had already decided she wanted to give her life to Christ, but her parents were not so sure. We were so glad that her parents care about her and want what is best. When Valéri's mother recently asked her when she would want to be baptised, Valéri's answer was "Now!"

Thank you for your prayers in the past months and please continue to pray for Valéri, her growth and new life in Jesus, and for her family as all start this new beginning. New life is always so good to see!

Looking back and forward

2008-12-18T21:28:00.002+01:00

Eugene visit
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

A few weeks back we had the pleasure of seeing Evgeny Voronkin in Maastricht again. Eugene (or Genya) - as he said we could call him - was first in Maastricht about six years ago while working at a computer programming company in the city.

It was there that he worked with Ken Yamashita. Genya is a christian from Tomsk, Siberia (Russia). He was the first real person I had met from Siberia - a bit of proof that people really do live there. And Genya very definitely wants Jesus as his Lord every day. This is something that was evident in his work, and Ken noticed it. After some talking, some studying and some praying, Ken was baptized into Christ late in the evening at our neighbors' house (they had a bigger bathtub).

Now Genya is married and soon to have two children (a three-year-old son will soon be joined by a daughter) and he was in the Netherlands for a job interview. The company in Amsterdam not only hired him, they also hired three other guys from Russia. So in the Spring Genya, Tania and his family will be moving to the Nettherlands.

While he was here for his interview it was great to visit with him and to go visit Ken, who now lives in Leiden and has also begun his family in the Netherlands (you can see his wife and daughter in some of the pictures of the visit by clicking on the picture). We are looking forward to how God will use this family in the coming year.

Welcome, "Sweetheart"

2008-12-05T11:10:00.002+01:00

Willemien and Lyuba
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

We weren't planning on taking anyone home, but when we got to the dog pound in Maasmechelen and saw the little English Cocker Spaniel, Willemien was certain. There were some concerns: this little guy is only 8 months old, he still needs to learn a lot. But the two have taken to each other amazingly.

His name is slavic and (Willemien tells me) means "sweet heart", or "nice", or "kind" (I am sure that some of you might be able to give me a more precise definition - either in Russian, Ukrainian or Slovakian). And he is just that. From the first day he has been a loving help to Willemien. And unlike her other dogs, he listen to her first, and then to others (like me).

We are so thankful for this comfort in her life. God is so good!
You can see some more pictures of Willemien and Lyuba by clicking on the picture here.

Shopping for others

2008-11-20T16:56:00.001+01:00

The group
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

The youth weekend in Eindhoven was titled "How to survive with/without "thingy". The last bit was a play on words (which almost works in English) showing how much we need Jesus and don't need "things". This weekend is spent helping us put into practice what we learn about sharing. We head into the city to buy gifts to put in shoeboxes to send to kids who usually don't get any presents.

The interesting thing for us is that this is held on the weekend that Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) arrives in the Netherlands. For some he arrives on a boat from Spain (didn't you know that?) - and so will arrive in the harbor (in Rotterdam for example), but he also arrives on his horse. He is surrounded by his helpers. In this case there was a whole band of "black Petes".

After getting everything in the boxes and making them look special, we spent some time thinking about what was really important to us. Jesus says: Your heart will be where your treasure is. What are we really holding as our treasure. I was extremely encouraged by these young people and their desire to share and learn.

Unexpected farewell

2008-11-12T21:29:00.003+01:00

MacRooney was the runt of the litter. But that was perhaps why Willemien loved him and wanted him. He was full of fun and life, jumping and catching (he could throw a ball in the air and catch it - all by himself), beating your legs with his wagging tail. Willemien wasn't even sure she wanted another dog. Her experiences with Bartelo had not been good. And Willemien is no stranger to dogs.

The day Willemien was born she was given a dog - a big bouvier. Since then she has always had dogs, even though she actually liked cats better. When she was married to Cor, they had dogs - first a collie, then various sorts of hunting dogs. Bartelo was the last of that line, taking over the house when Cor passed away, making life difficult for Willemien because he missed his master and decided that he needed to be master in the house.

When Bartelo got sick and needed to be put down, Willemien was not planning on getting another dog. She had had enough. But MacRooney (Rooney for short) stole her heart. And they were so good for each other. Rooney probably would not have lived if Willemien had not chosen him. No one wanted the others in the litter and they were put down. And to be honest, Willemien definitely wouldn't have done as well without Rooney.

The last three days Rooney has been at the vet. Willemien barely got outside (she usually walks Rooney 3-4 times a day). When she called today, I could hear that it was not good news. Rooney had developed a kind of meningitis - an inflammation in his brain, perhaps caused by a hernia which had gotten worse in the last days. He was already blind. Willemien didn't want to see him in any more pain and allowed him to go to sleep. MacRooney was only five years old.

For anyone without a dog, this may all seem quite trivial. But these two helped each other live. Please consider Willemien in your prayers. She is doing well, although the sorrow hits in waves. We sat and looked at possible new dogs - she knows that she really needs to find a help (and one she can help) fairly soon. So we look forward to seeing who will choose her soon.

What a beautiful couple

2008-11-01T16:29:00.001+01:00

What a beautiful couple
Originally uploaded by smileyneel.

For those of you who know Tonia and Mario, you can see some pictures of their wedding (from Karen Neel's site - thanks Karen!).

Focus on Marriage

2008-10-31T19:35:00.001+01:00

Couples
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Right in the middle of the month we had the opportunity to attend a weekend for those who wanted to "Focus on Marriage". You would think that that would mean married couples - and most of the people in Eindhoven were married - but it was exciting to see the range in the participants.
The church in Eiondhoven organized this weekend to be a help for the families in the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands. They invited Steve Minor to present the lessons. And there were participants from all over Belgium and the Netherlands. Newlyweds, couples who had been married for more than 40 years, and also singles who wanted to plan well for marriage were all present.
It was thrilling to see how many wanted to make this their focus. As the teacher mentioned: it is astonishing how much planning, money and effort goes into a wedding these days, while the preparation for marriage is basically non-existent. But if we want to be able to make a difference in this world, we cannot ignore the importance of good marriages building strong families.

September News

2008-10-23T22:29:00.006+02:00

LIGHT in the Lowlands

Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands

September 2008

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again ... through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:22-24

Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
September seems to be the beginning of our work year as the young people start back to school, everyone returns from vacations and we are able to focus on regular activities. This month was especially full.

And the two became one
It has been exciting to witness the new beginnings in the last month. Robin Huyghebaert and Joyce Agyare pledged their love for each other in September. It was a real honor to be asked to help with this service - singing with Listen Up! and being the master of ceremony. In October we were able to witness the beginning of two more friends, Mario Nyeki and Tonia Davison, where I performed the ceremony.

Weddings are so beautiful because they show the beginning of something truly beautiful - love. When this is true love - love that comes from God and includes God - it is fantastic! At both of these weddings we were able to enjoy these additions in the family of God. It was especially thrilling for the church in Maastricht to show their love for Mario and Tonia who are members in Maastricht. Almost the whole congregation was present. When we got up to sing as a wedding present, every one of us sang from the heart.

How’s your serve?
At the end of September the church in Maastricht hosted the youth for a youth weekend. We took the time to talk about what it means to serve - and then we took the time to put our words into action. We cooked for each other, cleaned up after each other and served one another. But we also spent several hours at a local playground cleaning up the grounds. If we do not let our young people see how good it is to give to others, they will never know this joy. And it is a joy!

It was exciting to see how the young people reacted to the day and the lessons they learned from it. Many of the things they learned did not necessarily come from the lesson moments - they came from working together. It has also been exciting to see how this continues to impact their lives. Not this one weekend, because this is not the first time that we have talked about this, but a continued encouragement to find the joy in serving others.

Single’s Retreat
The end of September brought the Single’s Retreat. This is organized twice a year for single’s from all over Europe and is an amazing time to fill up on good spiritual food. The lessons are often the dessert, with the discussions and long walks together being the real meal. This year I was privileged to be present again with this wonderful group of Christians - I taught from Ephesians 6 on the armor of God.
It is so good to see how God is using people all over Europe in so many ways. This weekend had visitors from seven different countries, but even more impressive than their willingness to travel (the weekend is held in Germany) was their willingness to learn and encourage one another. These people love God with all their heart and are encouraging churches all over Europe. Exciting! God is truly good. (see more pictures here)

New life and new beginnings
Everday continues to go its way - meetings with the school, for camp, with community groups; cleaning, maintaining, letting people know where we are - it all starts again each week. But each day is holding a myriad of opportunities to help each other, touch others’ lives and learn from what God is giving us in our lives. It has been good to see this in our two new babies (Isha and Susanne). We look forward to the coming months as God shows us all the mighty things He will do. It is so good to know that we are family, helping one another, growing together.

PRAYER WARRIORS

Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Continue to pray for Valéri and her parents. She wants to give her life to Christ, but her parents aren’t too sure.
- Pray that we can all continue to keep our focus on the One who really matters and ensures our future.
- Pray for RW as we continue to look at why we can give our life to Jesus.
- Continue to pray for our young people as they encourage each other in their growth in faith.
- Pray for our continuing outreach through the Wiser on the Way courses in November.
- Pray for guidance for world leaders, also here in Europe.

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .

You might notice that most of this news is actually from parts of September and parts of October. Or maybe you won’t notice that - that’s okay too. As we get older, the days fly by even quicker - but some of you know that already. And some of you are beginning to figure that out!

The biggest change for us this month has of course been the absence of Stephan. Mind you, thanks to the wonder of the internet - facebook, skype, email - Stephan has not been completely absent. But when we sit down to eat in the evening, when we read our Bible in the morning before everyone gets started, when we figure out how many are going somewhere - so many times we miss him. But he is doing great at Harding (as far as we know). And we are so thankful for so many of you who know him and are encouraging him in so many ways. It really is exciting to see him growing, knowing that he has so many fantastic things ahead of him.

Back here we have had some really good visits due to all of the family activities this month. The two weddings we attended were wondeful culinary events as well. We also held a barbecue for all the birthdays we had had during the summer. The church in Maastricht got together at our house for good food and fellowship.

And with the beginning of the school year and work year we also went to the first ‘hootenanny’ for the year over in Antwerp. This is an evening of guitar playing and hotdog eating. It was fun this time to see the looks on some of the visitor’s faces. “Ah, this is normal food for you then?” they wondered.

Speaking of guitar playing, it has been a thrill to see Sean learning more every day on his guitar. He donwloads a tablature from the internet (there you go again with that strange language) and then starts practicing the song upstairs. He plays electric guitar and likes a good rock beat, so stop for a minute and imagine the sound. .... Got it? But it’s great to hear. He is so dedicated and enjoys playing. Then he and Scott get together and jam for a bit (turn up the volume of the sound you just imagined).

It has been good for Sean to have the guitar. When he comes home from school is when he realizes that Stephan is not there. It is then that he is very happy to still have Snuffles (our dog) and he pulls out the guitar downstairs (a classical guitar - much quieter) and plays. And his creativity has been challenged and sharpened by this outlet.

As we head into the Fall we are enjoying the colors, enduring some of the rainy days and looking forward to what the house will look like in the Spring (with our plans for changes). Each new day brings reminders of how wonderful God has been and promises of how mighty He will be as we move together to the next day.

What’s coming up?
OCTOBER
Marriage weekend
Fall Camp
NOVEMBER
Youth weekend
WoW Course

DID YOU KNOW?

Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands

Tourism
Tourism is a major industry in the Netherlands and Belgium. So where should you go when you get over here to visit? (other than our house of course) Here are a few ideas that you may not find on the internet.
In the Netherlands: the house of Corrie ten Boom, a walk through the Jordaan (a neighborhood in Amsterdam), a trip to the Veluwe or Schiermonnikoog (tulips may soon be gone, but this beauty remains), a train ride to Maastricht (just sit, watch and listen to those around you and the scenery).
In Belgium: An auction hall in Antwerp, a walk in the dunes in De Panne, a village full of books in Redu, a train ride from Brussels to the Ardennes (Spa, for instance) where we can pick you up for the beautiful trip to our house.

THANKS!
For your continued financial support, even now
For your prayers for our work! New life is coming!
For your emails, comments, cards and encouragement

A new beginning

2008-10-12T14:10:00.002+02:00

Although I can't show you the pictures (just yet) I can try to paint a picture of a wonderful day. Tonia and Mario have had to struggle in order to wade through the sea of red tape needed to make their wedding possible. They even went through a stormy night on high seas, waves spilling over the ship, people lurching in every corner, in order to get to Denmark for the formal part of their wedding.

But on the day that they would share together - sharing their vows before the witnesses they will trust to help them in their coming life, bending their knees in grace before God's blessing - the sun broke through the clouds and bathed the castle where we all gathered in glorious sunshine. Atop a hill along the Rhine, in the libraray of what some royal person probably considered a simple hunting lodge, Tonia and Mario pledged their love to each other and to God. Their faces shone even more than the sun, if it is possible.

Later, at the reception, friends and family from all over Europe celebrated with the happy couple, presenting gifts of song and laughter. It was great to see everyone singing together - what a vision of the final wedding banquet we will be sharing! It was so exciting to have most of the church from Maastricht there to let this couple know how much we love them. A long day, to be sure, but well worth every minute.

Single's Retreat

2008-09-30T19:21:00.001+02:00

2008 09 27 Fall ESR 2008 054
Originally uploaded by eurosingles.

This past weekend I was down in Gemunden, Germany for the Fall European Single's Retreat. It is always such a privilege to be asked to teach at this retreat. This is a group of exciting people - young and older - who are in love with the Lord and wanting to know how better to serve Him. What an encouragement!
The theme this Fall was "Fight the good fight of Faith", based on the armor of God from Ephesians. We also had a knights and ladies theme running through the weekend and that was fun. It was exciting that we had quite a group from the Netherlands and Belgium. It is so great that all of these people are able to make so many contacts from all over Europe. It was a real blessing to experience this place of encouragement once again - gives some real strength to fight the good fight!

A wedding and a weekend

2008-09-22T19:48:00.004+02:00

In September every weekend has an eventful activity. Last weekend we had the honor to take part in the wedding of Robin Huyghebaert and Joyce Agyare.

Robin has been involved with camp weeks from a very young age. When he was 16 he decided to organize a winter camp, because he wanted one and no one else was organizing it. Joyce has always been active in the church in Turnhout and has also helped out with camp the last several years. What a team these two make!

But last week it was just wonderful to see how beautiful they were. Listen Up! sang, several people form their lives took care of parts of the wedding, and we all had a wonderful time sharing this day with them.

The very next weekend we were welcoming a group of young people for our youth weekend in Maastricht. We talked about "A Body Lives", but we did more than just talk about it. We also took the time to put the ideas (a body works together, has to be active, and helps others) into practice at a local playground. We cleaned up the area, then went back and helped each other get ready for dinner. A good group having a good time with an important concept. Fun with friends and learning about God - that's what a youth weekend is all about.

The next few weekends are also full - but more about that as the time comes.

Summer News

2008-09-21T17:05:00.005+02:00

LIGHT in the Lowlands

Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands

Summer 2008

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Jude 20-21

Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
Where in the world have you been? This is what I hear some of you thinking, especially if you don’t have facebook, flickr or a blog (is he speaking English?). So let me tell you where we’ve been all summer!

Singing, France and Camp
In June we focused on the youth weekend in Maastricht. We not only talked about but also practiced telling others about Jesus. This concluded with a concert by Listen Up! So exciting to see the young people talking and serving others.
This theme continued as we took a group of young people down to Marseille, France for a week. In Marseille we served, learned, sang and put faith into practice. It was an amazing seven days! Scott went with two Verheijen girls, Stephan and Sean, and Isha’s friend, Valéri.

It was so good to see how excited they were to be learning, to be serving at an old-folks home, to be singing - and all of this in French! All of them have mentioned that they plan on returning next year and we have been seeing the fruits of this week ever since in their daily lives.

Back in Belgium July brought the camp season, but before that started ...
... we welcomed a group of high school students from Canada.

Former missionary to Antwerp, Blair Roberts and his wife Susan brought these students to work with several different congregations in Belgium. First they held a Young Friends week in Antwerp, teaching English using the Bible. They also helped out with evangelism in Ghent and went down to camp as counselors. Stephan spent time with them for this whole time and also helped out at camp. In Maastricht we waited for the beginning of August when the students would head over our way for a few days. It was exciting to see how they were helping in so many different places.

By the end of July it was our turn down at Bible camp. This year we had the Teens (11-14 year-olds). We talked about turning the world upside down, as Jesus presents it to us.

It was a great week and started out with a bang:
David van Ginneken, one of our teens, gave his life to Christ on the first day of camp, and that evening Isha Verheijen did the same at home (she had been at Youth camp the week before)!

It is exciting to see new life and the pleasure and determination that these young people bring to that new life. They know how mighty Jesus is and trust that. What an example!

Following Teen camp we continued into Family Camp where Scott presented three lessons (of the 12 or so total lessons) on the Holy Spirit. This was a really challenging week with good discussion, good lessons and challenges, and fantastic examples of the Spirit working in our lives.
As always with camp, the real challenge comes when we have to go home and live as we have just been taught - in our own homes, towns, schools and churches. We are so thankful for the opportunities we have to challenge and encourage one another during the camp weeks. This is a very important time for equipping the Dutch-speaking churches. This summer session of camps was completed with our annual Family Day. We were especially excited that the French-speaking members also came during our fellowship time.

Back in Maastricht we welcomed the Canadian students and were blessed immensely by a short but intense few days of encouragement.
We had talked to our young people about being an example for the students, and we challenged the students to be the same for our young people. Both took up the challenge. We cleaned, played soccer, cooked, visited, talked and distributed - all the while getting to know one another better.
It was especially good to hear our young people share their stories about their lives with God, and vice-versa with the Canadian students. Everyone opened up and was willing to be seen and help each other. We have already seen some real growth an openness in our young people because of this time together.

A new year begins
As the summer ended, we headed into the new school year, planning for several weddings, a youth weekend in Maastricht, a Single’s Retreat, and Fall Camp all coming up. But the summer was an immense encouragement! Thank you Father!

PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
Continue to pray for Valéri and her parents. She wants to give her life to Christ, but her parents aren’t too sure.
Praise God for our new family members in Maastricht - Isha Verheijen and Susanne Dela!
Pray as we start up our weekly Bible studies with Mieke, RW, LJ and C&T.
Please pray for our upcoming activities including a youth weekend in Maastricht, Single’s Retreat, and two weddings.
Pray for our continuing outreach through the Wiser on the Way courses in the Fall
Pray for guidance for world leaders, also here in Europe.

EXTRAS
Did you Know?
Olympics
Everyone was watching, but we were blessed to be able to root for more than one country. So we were thrilled with the US victories, but also with those from the Netherlands and Belgium. Sometimes we had to shout and cry during the same event.
Michael Phelps was master - Pieter van den Hoogenband was completely out.
Te Dutch took gold in women’s water polo, and the US surprised in the final of the men’s water polo.
The Dutch also won gold in women’s field hockey, jumping and rowing.
Tia Hellebaut brought the gold home for the Belgians in the women’s high jump. (I almost saw her at the airport the day she returned to Belgium)

THANKS!
For sending the Canadian students
For your prayers for our work! New life is coming!
For your good care of Stephan - he is in good hands

What’s coming up?
OCTOBER
Marriage weekend
Fall Camp
NOVEMBER
Youth weekend

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
So much can change in such a short time - although to be honest this newsletter is covering a relatively long time period. Let me tell you about the summer.

At the end of June the boys (including Scott) had an adventure in France. Their car broke down on the way to Marseille, so they got to try their hand (tongue) at French with the gendarmerie and AAA before they were finally able to get to Marseille. They had a great week in Marseille singing and sweating. It was a lot warmer there than it was back in Belgium!

When they returned we got the feeling that Stephan was trying to prepare us for his impending departure (or were we trying to prepare him?) by being gone quite a bit. He left for a week to Antwerp to be with some Canadian students, and then headed down to Youth Camp.

Sean knew that he had Mama and Papa to himself, so we went for a special day to Cologne to look at guitars. Sean has been really active in teaching himself guitar, learning new songs and getting a band together.
Check out his band (konverse) on his facebook site.

When we got the chance, we went back to the music store with Stephan as well and since it was near Scott’s birthday, Scott got an early birthday present - a guitar to complement his good ol’ Yamaha (which he bought back in 1983).
For a few short days there was plenty of guitar playing in the house!

After a few weeks of camp we all welcomed the Canadian students to Maastricht, which meant that the guys stayed with us. The last day was also a going-away party for Stephan and Shareya (Shareya is our colleagues’ daughter) as they head to Harding University. It was a beautiful and a beautifully hard evening for us. Scott went to Arkansas with them, to help get Stephan settled in.

Shirley survived all these trips with her typical strength. She went shopping with Mieke (who reads the Bible with Scott ) while everyone was down in Marseille. When Scott and Stephan were checking out the Wal-Mart in Searcy, she was shopping with Willemien, Geesie and Sean - building relationships and getting the necessary done.

Now the new school year has begun. Sean mentioned that he expects it will be better than last year. The new home situation will take a bit longer to get used to. Setting one less place for dinner, making less food, Sean sleeps in Stephan’s bed sometimes. We miss him, but we are so excited for him as well. Stephan is doing great - getting to know lots of good people and learning who he is and will soon be. We are so thankful for a wonderful Father and family!

Wonderful words of life!

2008-09-07T21:17:00.002+02:00

This evening we witnessed the birth of Susanne Dela. Our births here are always so very special. Every birth is special - because we get to see God in His saving grace and power raising a loved one from the dead of sin to the newness of life. But in Maastricht, because we do not have a place to baptize people, we are especially blessed. We usually call up the church in Liege and ask to have the birth with them. This makes for a very special relationship. Although most of us in Maastricht speak very little French, and most of the members in Liege speak next to no Dutch and only a few speak English - we both understand the joy of new life. So we sing, pray and are witness to the mighty power of God!

This evening was doubly special. Susanne and her husband have lived in Liege in the past, so the church there know her struggles and journey to this point. So it was especially good for them to be a part of this wonderful birth. And the two families (Maastricht and Liege) were able to renew their ties again. How wonderful it is to be part of the family of God!

A great team

2008-08-28T17:30:00.002+02:00

The team
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

The high school students from Western Christian College in Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada came with Blair and Susan Roberts for several weeks to help with the church in Belgium and the Netherlands. They gave conversationl English lessons in Antwerp, distributed flyers offering courses in Ghent and helped out down at camp for several weeks.

In Maastricht we would only have them for a few days, so we wanted to make the most of the opportunity. We decided to use the time to challenge our young people to also be an influence and example on these young people in living for Christ. It was a great time of learning and encouragement!

We did a few different things that all involved working together so that we could encourage one another. We cleaned up the building in order to give our ladies a well-deserved rest. Many hands make light work - and it was fun too!

The team was also split up into two groups - each group made up of Canadians and our own young people. Each group had to plan a meal on a minimal budget, buy what was need, cook the meal and decorate the table - for everybody! This was a real challenge, but well-met by these young people.

We also spent time simply playing. Getting out on the local football (soccer) field was a good way of getting to know one another and letting others see how fun it is to do things together. This will be a good example for the future with our young people and their friends.

The most encouraging time for me was the evening we spent some time telling our stories. Everyone has a story - the story of their life and how Christ has touched it. Although this was quite a confronting time as well, it was very encouraging for our young people.

And all of this (inclduing a bit of distributing in the rain) was completed in just four days of being together. In these four days our young people also developed some good relationships with the students. Now that is encouraging!

Family Day!

2008-08-28T17:12:00.002+02:00

Johan Huyghebaert
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Family Camp always ends with a Family Day - a day for the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands to get together for learning, encouragement and fellowship. This year was organized by the churches in Brughe and Roeselare. Johan Huyghebaert, who was also the camp leader for Family Camp (and had the help of his son, Robin, Robin's finacee, Joyce, and Johan's mother, Jose), got the day going with some good singing and announcements.

This is always a day of wonderful fellowship - sometimes the only time you might see someone from a congregation further away. It is always esepcially nice when some of the French-speakers from the church in Belgium are also able to attend. And this day was amply blessed with beautiful sunshine until everyone was on their way home again!

(click on the picture for more pictures of the visiting during this day)

Family Camp

2008-08-28T12:41:00.002+02:00

Every year we put together four outstanding weeks of Bible camp for all ages. These weeks are often some of the only times for young people in the church to get together with other Christians. But this is also a time for families. We see the week of Family Camp as a time to provide some needed Biblical training and encouragement. This is a time when families can not only enjoy good textual studies, but can discuss what they mean for daily life - ready to head back into their daily lives encouraged and armed.

This year we focused on the Holy Spirit - in all His aspects. Although several of the teachers ended up stepping on information already presented earlier, it was always a good review and reinforcement. It was especially exciting to be able to discuss how God wants to help us, lead us, make us His own through His Spirit in our lives. As we head into September it is exciting to be watching and waiting for how God will use us, will have changed us and challenged us to live in His might.

As always during this week we have plenty of time to be together and do some fun things as a family in God. For our family this was just about the last time we had to be with Stephan. Sean enjoyed the time he was able to spend with his brother, although he might not have let on that he was going to miss him.

Take a moment and check out some of the pictures of Family Camp and be thankful with us for such times that God gives us. We are so glad that we are able to help in this way and take part as well. That is how a family works!

Tienerkamp 2008

2008-08-24T06:55:00.001+02:00

Tienerkamp 2008
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Check out the pictures for Teen Camp. I know that it was back at the beginning of August, but I am glad to finally be catching up a bit. Hopefully the pictures for Family Camp qill be up in a few days.

This week was such a joy. We worked for the first time with a new couple - Daniel and Caroline Boonaerts. We saw David van Ginneken resurrected to new life. We learned about living upside down, had lots of fun and deepened our relationships together. You can see quite a bit of this just by glancing through the pictures.

We are so thankful to be able to work with these opportunities! It is great to see God working in people's lives! What a mighty God he is!

Catching up

2008-08-19T19:13:00.003+02:00

It has been a while since I was able to keep this blog up to date - the summer season tends to take me away from the computer more than most times. Thank you for stopping in and wanting to know what is going on with our lives. It is especially encouraging to us to know that you are checking because you are also praying for us.
At the moment I am in Searcy, Arkansas bringing Stephan to Harding. But I have so much I still want to tell you about the summer! We have put up some of the pictures from Teen Camp, but we still want to tell you about the week. And we had a great week at Family camp as well. After that a group of students from Western Christian (in Canada) came through Maastricht. Lots to talk about, so be patient. I hope to get some of this information up this week or next.

New life!!

2008-08-17T14:27:00.002+02:00

Many of you have been praying for the people in our lives here - for their growth, their struggles and their joys. We have mentioned Isha and Valéri - two of our teens - and their search for and desire to know the Lord. They both went with us to Marseille at the end of June and have been talking and praying sincerely for the last weeks.

On July 27 Isha decided to give her life to Jesus, dying to herself, being buried in baptism and raised in life with Christ! She was with her family at home, but now she has a larger family - and that includes many of you! We are so excited for her and her new life. She has also not been able to stop smiling. What a wonderful joy and what a wonderful sister she is already becoming.

On the same day, but down at camp (which is where we were when we heard the news about Isha), David van Ginneken - one of the teens who regularly attends our youth weekends and Bible camp as well (they are members in Ghent) also decided to give his life to Christ. You can read more about his decision and see some pictures over on Luk Brazle's site.

Thank YOU for being part of this wonderful family, for sharing in this joy with us, and for taking part in the growth of these two young people. Continue to pray for them and for the church here in Belgium and the Netherlands as God does mighty things - changing peoples' lives.

Guitars!

2008-08-10T18:21:00.006+02:00

I know it has been a while since I wrote. It's not that life has not continued, but that I haven't had much access to my computer (and that other things were more important at the time). But let me update you a little bit - and thanks for checking in anyway - even when nothing was happening over here!

We have been doing our best to cram all that we need to get done into the few weeks we have in the summer, along with cramming as much time together as a family before Stephan heads off to Harding. It hasn't been easy, considering there are so many different priorities. Sean just recently realized how quickly the time was passing and commented, "Stephan's leaving in a week!" I reminded him that he had already known that. "Yeah!" he said, "but Stephan's leaving in a week!"

Before that had hit home, however, we had spent some time together - mostly around the area of Cologne, Germany. Sean has been looking at buying an electric guitar for a little while now (he and his friends have started a band called "Konverse" - check out the band page on facebook). In Cologne there is a music store called The Music Store (inventive name, eh!). They have pianos and things like that, but more importantly, they have guitars!

So we spent some time there, first without Stephan, then on another day when he could come along. Sean bought his guitar and the second time was near Scott's birthday - so he arranged one as well.

And guitars are no fun unless you play them, so Sean got right to work. He has enjoyed playing - all day long if need be. And it has been neat to see him teaching others how to play as well (even though he has only taught himself to play). Down at Family Camp we even got to play together. What a great time!

Stan en Bertha

2008-08-10T18:12:00.002+02:00

Stan en Bertha
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Our neighbors down the street recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. We were thrilled to be able to celebrate this with them. Our street regularly gets together for a yearly summer barbecue or some other activity, but this was especially nice.

It is so good to see how a couple can love one another and allow their love to grow for such a time. Of course these two also have their health - which is essential if you want to reach that milestone! We were glad that Stan and Bertha invited us to share in this time, along with the rest of the neighbors. Good to have good neighbors and to be able to share truly good times.

French week

2008-07-09T14:49:00.002+02:00

On the way home
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Last week Scott took five young people down to Marseille, France for a week of "Christians on Mission". This is a program set up by the church there in Marseille to encourage young people to learn more and be practical in their Christianity. There are lessons in the morning and in the afternoon and evening there are opportunities to serve, reach out, share and live what we have heard about.

Scott, Stephan, Sean went with Isha and Kyana Verheijen and Valéri Ubachs in Ruud Verheijen's car (a Fiat Multipla seats 6 and has room for baggage) down to Marseille. Or at least, that was the plan. The car broke down about 90 minutes from Marseilles - in the left-most lane of the highway in the middle of traffic. (Wanda Martin and Dino Maisano are already going "Aahh!") But the car really didn't have too big a problem (it was taken back to Belgium and has already been fixed) and that meant that we began a great adventure without the worry of a foreign car in a big city.

And it was definitely an adventure! We finally got to Marseille and into bed around 3 a.m. But it was a great beginning for a week of learning how to be flexible, how to share and how to keep each other focused on what really matters! Lessons were often in French (translated into English), it was almost always hot, we did a lot of walking, a lot of singing and a lot of helping - and it was all great! Amazing what a right attitude will do for your days.

In the meantime we have made it back home and everyone is sad that it went by so quickly. We all made new friends, stretched our view of what is possible in our lives, and grew in faith. We are looking forward to what God is doing with us each and every new day!

I made it!

2008-06-26T23:40:00.002+02:00

I made it!
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

After 12 years and lots of hard work, tonight was Stephan's night. Students here have to wait until the day before the graduation to find out if they have passed or not. so yesterday was a little tense, but this evening was all fun.

It was amazing to feel how proud we are of Stephan and what he has done. To see him walking down the aisle, knowing that this is just the next step - but a big one! It was great to be able to talk to some of his teachers afterwards who said they would miss him.

And now on to the next step - quite a scary one, according to Stephan. He leaves for Harding on August 18 - to a place where he really doesn't know anyone (except for Shareya, who will also be attending there). He has met his roommate and is looking forward to that new life - but it is a new life. Making daily decisions without the push or help from parents. Scary, exciting, challenging!

Orange!

2008-06-18T17:14:00.001+02:00

FBL-EURO-2008-NED-ROM-MATCH 21
Originally uploaded by joe.klinsman.

For those who have been following the Euro 2008 games it cannot have been missed - the Netherlands is doing great! And everything is orange: milk, cheese, chips, bandages in the hospital, the fountains in Bern (where the "Orange Legion" fans are stationed). You can tell when the Dutch are playing by looking at the stadium - more than half will be completely orange!

What has impressed me the most about this team is that, for the first time in a long time, they play as a team. And, perhaps because they are winning and things are easier, they seem to want to put things in a right perspective. This picture is perfect (copyright PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty Images) - orange everywhere and the players - who are also husbands and fathers - spending time with their children at the end of the game.

Go Holland!

Good news!

2008-06-17T22:54:00.001+02:00

Fun!
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

This past weekend was a youth weekend in Maastricht. The theme was "Telling the good news" so we put that into practice in lots of different ways. In Maastricht the young people personally handed out invitations to the Listen Up! concert, handed out "compliment cards" or distributed invitations to the concert. After spreading some good news, they also took some time to get to know Maastricht.

The next day, Sunday, the young people who could stay for the concert helped Listen Up! spread the good news. While Listen Up! was singing, they were helping at the door, talking to visitors, serving food or drinks, helping in the concert, or setting up and cleaning up. What a great opportunity to grow!

We had a wonderful turnout for the concert in Maastricht. There were visitors from our street, from the boys' school, from the local paper Scott works with, from the university students and from the local neighborhood as well as from other churches in the city. It was quite an international group as well. We are so thankful that God gives us these opportunities and look forward to the conversations we will be having in the coming days!

April-May Newsletter

2008-06-09T15:00:00.004+02:00

I know it has been a while since the last newsletter, but here is what has been happening in our work and lives.

LIGHT in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands

April/May 2008

There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
I don’t know how the time can move so quickly, but once again a month has flown by so quickly that it has become two and a bit. But life is great in the Lord!
Busy and busy
One of the things I struggle with is deciding how busy I should be - or with what I should be busy. Committees can seem quite depressing (especially in the middle of a long meeting) and I am involved with quite a few. I help with committees on Bible camp, financial assistance, school and a local newspaper. I will be adding a community activity committee in July.
Sometimes it all feels like a bit much. At the same time, I know that many of these activities are the things that connect me to people i my life and in the community - and I like these things! So I continue to pray that God is able to use these moments to reach hearts as well.

In the meantime, we also continue with our studies and church activities, including youth days, a Ladies day, studies with univerisyt students and camp work days these past two months. You will have seen some of these on the blog, but I want to tell you a little bit more about a few of these - moments that were really exciting, seeing how God is working.
I have often mentioned how important our work with the youth is. I am proud that our young people are struggling to hold on to their faith - and are growing. So many young people today are simply abandoning their faith, often without even considering. We are trying to make sure that our young people have the tools they need to grow in faith and love.

In April we had the opportunity to go to Switzerland to play soccer. But the trip was much, much more than that. We ended up getting a group of 25 people together (definitely not all “young” people) to go play against teams from Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland (it sounds like the matches going on now!). But we also sat in a car together on the trip there and back, spent time worshipping together and got to know one another better. It was great to see the commeraderie in the teams. We had four teams there along with some great cheering sections.
Even more, we met and got to know Christians from all over Europe. One evening the young people stayed up late singing (wonderful music to fall asleep to). On Sunday we worshipped God together - in several languages. What a privilege! It was a wonderful opportunity. Now we are planning to do something of the sort at home (in Belgium and the Netherlands) before going again next year.

In May, on the weekend of Pentecost, we planned a weekend down at camp for the congregation. Once again, this was not a time just for young people, but rather a time that all ages could encourage one another. It was absolutely fantastic, passing all expectations. Everyone helped one another, we were all able to learn from one another and we grew closer as a result - closer to God and closer to one another. Once again we got six new songs - what a blessing! Each time since last year that we get together, we challenge the young people and any present to write a song based on a text from the Bible. And they do! (you can hear these by going to www.gvcmaastricht.nl and clicking on the “Liedjes” tab).

In June we will be putting some of this closeness into practice when Listen Up! sings after a youth weekend. Everyone is inviting their friends, colleagues and classmates to the concert. It is exciting to see how many people (connected through all those committees!) have said that they will attend - wanting to know who we are more closely. It will be exciting to see what God will do with these opportunities in the coming months.

A funeral, a wedding, a birthday and a dinner
In these months we have also had many chances to share joy and sadness with our brothers and sisters. Our friend and colleague in Eindhoven, Roel de Gruyter, lost his mother (his father is now in the hospital - please pray!). On the other side, one of our former student members, Linda N., got married and we were able to share in her joy.
With RW I was glad that we could help out in any way. He had a birthday dinner with his whole family - a yearly family reunion - but didn’t have enough tables. We were able to help out - although the weather didn’t. And we have spent some very good times with LJ, just eating dinner, sharing coffee, or sitting in the garden, but always getting to know one another better and learning more about who God is.
God has given us all a family - His construction - in order to live and grow. We are loving living this real life and all the busyness it brings!

PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Pray specifically for the youth weekend and concert - our outreach to the city in June! Many of our friends, neighbors and co-workers will be attending!
- Continue to pray for Mr. W. and LJ as we continue to study together. your prayers for them and for me mean a lot!
- Praise and thank God for the wonderful times we are experiencing as a church family! We want to use this to continue growing in faith and love.
- Pray for our regular visitors A., S.,V. S has mentioned that she is ready to take the next step!
- Our high school seniors need your prayers as they finish their final exams and get ready to move on in their lives.
- Please keep our summer Bible camp preparations in your prayers. This is a very important time for our young people and for the church in Belgium and the Netherlands.

DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
Art!?
From the Renaissance to Impressionists, both Dutch and Belgian painters are well-known throughout the world. Taste varies, of course, but in the Netherlands and Belgium you can find almost any kind of art you might like. From Rembrandt , Frans Hals and Vermeer (Dutchmen), to Rubens, Brueghel - both Jans and Pieters (Belgian). The Dutch gave us Van Gogh, M.C. Escher and Mondriaan, while the Belgians offer James Ensor and René Magritte (the heads with apples). Even the bunny “Miffy” (her name in Dutch is Nijntje) is from Dutchman Dick Bruna.
Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know. s.raabs@tele2allin.be

What’s coming up?
JULY
Canadian students
Marseille trip
Camp weeks
AUGUST
Camp
Listen Up! concert

THANKS!
- For your emails and comments - it is good to hear from you!
- for your prayers and encouragement
- for good advice and help for the future with Stephan

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
You would think that two months would present plenty of time to do all sorts of things. And I am sure that all sorts of things happened, but sometimes the days seem to be very normal - so you wonder, when you look back on them, what happened.

As far as school goes, the boys have been soldiering on, trying to make sure that homework gets done and tests passed. This being Stephan’s last year, he is especially aware of the need to make sure things go well. He has been busy getting things ready for Harding in the Fall - but first things first. He will need to pass this year, of course. Sean has completely gotten used to his “new” school from this year. And it has even been interesting to see the guys helping each other with various school problems.
Stephan has been working on his GIP which is a sort of research paper covering all of his disciplines. The preface needs to be in French, the acknowledgment in English (the rest in Dutch, of course) and the various parts covering Biology, Chemistry, Economics, etc. All of this with the theme of “bread” (one of the themes they were allowed to choose from, as long as it had to do with food). This has covered all year and is finally coming to an end.

For a weekend in April all of the “guys” left for a weekend. Scott, Stephan and Sean went with about 20 other people (youth and adults) from the church in Belgium and the Netherlands to an indoor soccer tournament organized by the church in Switzerland. Friday evening driving down, Saturday all day playing, Sunday worshipping and driving home after the final games. It was intense and fun. It was pretty quiet back at the house, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing!

At the end of May we welcomed Anina Zingg for a few days. She is one of the organizers this year of the soccer tournament; she is a 19 year-old from Schaffhausen. Since she was traveling all over Europe (getting in some travel before she starts back to school) and was doing the Belgian/Dutch wing of the trip, we were glad to be able to host her here for a few days. It got us thinking of all the traveling and meeting that Stephan will soon be doing in the States. It’s good to know that there are people who will care well for him.

One of the more interesting, exciting, but at the same time slightly scary things has been our house. We have never really been able to do too much to fix parts that needed fixing, but recently we became more and more aware that something had to be done to one of our walls. As a result we have torn out a closet (exposing how wet one of the walls really was!) and have starting talking to an architect about what we can do to remedy the situation. It is exciting to look at what might be in the future. It’s slightly frightening to think of the extent of changes needed to make this possible. But it will be a good adventure - one we take together.

We pray that you have been able to enjoy and survive the challenges in your life these past two month and more. With God in our lives it will always be a good day!
Have a great day today!

An Italian, French-speaking Belgian, Philipino Christian

2008-06-05T17:33:00.003+02:00

When Mishell first visited us, we asked which language she spoke.

You see, she came with Philip and Susanne. Philip is from Togo, but he has lived quite a while in Germany and speaks German in addition to English. His wife Susanne is Aramean, but is born and raised i Germany, so speaks German. But she also speaks English. They have two children who speak German, but who are now learning French, since Philip and Susanne have moved to Belgium and settled in the French-speaking city of Liege.

Mishell is in French class with Susanne. She was looking for a church to attend and "happened" to be in class with Susanne, who just "happened" to know of a church where they attended. So Mishell came along on the 30-40 minute drive (a long drive for people here) Sunday morning. Mishell speaks English (and French now, of course). We were intrigued how she got to Belgium and learned that she had married a Belgian - an Italian Belgian.

You see, the area where we live is coal mining country. Back when the mines were open, there were a lot of guest workers, in Belgium and the Netherlands. in the area where we live that meant Italians, Turks, Greeks and Poles. The same has been true in Liege. So there is a rather large group of Italian-speaking, French-speaking Liegeois. And one of them is Mishell's new husband. They have been married just short of two years.

We were also interested in Mishell's faith. She obviously loved the Lord, since she was searching for a place to worship, was willing to go to the trouble of a longer ride, and do this with a family she was only just getting to know. It was also obvious in talking with her that she knew her Bible and saw the importance of not only reading the Bible but putting it into practice in her daily life. What an encouragement! It turns out (and I still want to learn the rest of the story) that she came to faith in Hong Kong and was baptized in the sea! But now she is our French-speaking, Italo-Belgian, Philipino sister in Maastricht.

Where we come from is much less important than where we are going.

Our weekend together

2008-05-15T12:14:00.003+02:00

gemeente van Christus / church of Christ
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

During the weekend of Pentecost (the second day of Pentecost is also a holiday), we organized a study weekend for the church down at camp. God obliged with be-a-utiful weather and it was an amazing weekend!

Everything was centered around the letter to the Romans - the lessons, the activities and even the food. It was great to see how everyone pitched in to make it a special weekend. Scott and Ruud did some exegesis and practical lessons and Stephan gave his first sermon on Sunday morning.

Several of the young people helped out with our workshops: on nature, art and language. Shareya and Isha helped with the art by teaching the participants how to make Roman sandals and mosaics. Stephan did a workshop on nature photography (see the results here). Philip Dela taught us some sign language and Scott got his participants to write new songs (another six for our book! Go here and click on the "Liedjes" tab to hear our songs. The ones at the end are the ones from this weekend.)

We endeavoured to do things together - even making our food. So we made a huge bowl of fruit salad and quite a few vegetable skewers for the Saturday dinner. Add to that all of the great times just playing, walking, sitting and talking and you end up with something we are definitely planning on repeating! (click on the picture above to see more from the weekend)

Football for a weekend

2008-04-29T22:40:00.002+02:00

Netherlands 2
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

This past weekend we took a group of almost 30 people to Thayngen, Switzerland to play football. Luk and I heard of this opportunity, organized by the church in Switzerland, while we were in Switzerland last year singing. We thought we might be able to get a few people from Belgium and the Netherlands interested. Turned out we were able to bring four teams!

This was a weekend of great moments. We had to drive all night Friday to get there, played all day Saturday and drove back on Sunday, but in between we had some great fun, built relationships with the youth in our churches, made new friends from all over Europe, practiced our French and German, worshiped God together, sang, shared good food and fellowship and were wonderfully blessed!

If you want to see some of the pictures you can click on this picture or you can go here (from Luk Brazle) or here (from Christian Goebbels) for more.

Where we live

2008-04-16T14:57:00.002+02:00

Fall canal view
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

We often get questions about where we live - what it looks like, what the weather is like etc. I thought I would give you a bit of a view through some of the pictures we have had on our photo site before as well as some others that I fished up out of the past.

I have included pictures from our yard, the canal behind our house and our street as well as pictures of the surrounding area, camp (about 45 minutes away) and Maastricht, where we work. Hopefully this gives a little idea of where we are.

(click on the picture to go to the set on our photo site)

March Newsletter

2008-04-12T18:36:00.007+02:00

LIGHT in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands

March 2008

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2

Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
I will try to summarize all the different activities in this month, but I fear that I will not be able to tell you as much as I would like in this letter. God is working mightily!
Outreach and in-reach?
This month was full of opportunities to share our faith and encourage one another. Sometimes that was within the context of the church, other times as a means to reach out to others.

It is a real privilege to teach, but also to learn from our young people. March saw the start for 2008 of our youth days in Maastricht. This time we also included a short quiz on a Bible topic.

This month there were separate youth weekends. The guys had a games console weekend and looked at “How to get there from here”, talking about what ‘salvation’ is.
The girls looked at their “Spiritual DNA” in Eindhoven, talking about who we really are in God. These are opportunities to invite non-believing friends and also to deepen relationships within the church. It is exciting to see how God uses these opportunities. Pray for us in the coming months as we plan for the next season (2008-2009) of youth weekends.

What is prayer? And how do you do that? Last year I was asked to assist with a Catholic youth weekend. This year the same people approached me to help once again. I mentioned that I would pray about it and get back with an answer. This led to me being asked to present a lesson on prayer. These young people are being told that this is an important time in their life, that God should be part of their daily choices. And yet, the examples they have around them (even their parents) are not always positive (most people here do not attend church, and yet they find these traditions important). So, in addition to helping work on a song and some poems, teaching about the Bible and simply being an example, I talked about the priveleg of prayer. I was excited at this chance to touch lives once again.

In addition to the work with the youth, we also continued our regular studies. Mr. W and LJ continue to ask good questions. They come from very different backgrounds (one an elderly Catholic gentleman, the other a Chinese PhD student), but are able to focus on what is really important. Keep them, and us, in your prayers.

We also had some wonderful studies within the church context, building one another up. We had a visit from a church in Oxford, Alabama, who works with the church in Curacao. Since many people from Curacao also come to the Netherlands, this church understood how important it is to keep up those contacts and visit here as well. We had a nice visit at Shadira’s house (she is from Curacao).

We also had a wonderful time around Easter. Easter Monday is always a gathering of all the Dutch-speaking churches (organized in The Hague). This year was devoted to workshops on the resurrection. I presented a workshop on how to stand up for your faith - if you really believe Jesus is risen.

The next week we had a wonderful potluck dinner in Maastricht with a special class on “New Life in Jesus” for those who have some questions about baptism. We discovered that one of our visitors is our sister in Christ! I hope to give you some more of this story soon on the blog, so keep tuned if you are online.

Activities and events
Next to all of these planned events we had several other activities to challenge and encourage us. As mentioned last month, Willemien received a new knee. This month was her rehabilitation, which only took her an amazing three weeks. She was soon home walking the dog. The hospital staff called her their ‘wonder child” (Willemien is 86!).

We were pleased to attend a wedding of one of our student contacts from the past. Agnes had stayed in Maastricht and we got to share in her wedding day. What a joy! We also went up to Eindhoven for a funeral. Roel de Gruyter’s mother passed away and it was good to be there with and for him on that day.

A completely different activity was the Moslim-Christian debate that I attended with our young brother, Tim. The debate was organized by a Moslim organization around the question “Jesus, son of . . .”. The same evening a film from the Dutch politician, Geert Wilders, came out on internet. He is very much against the Koran. It was an interesting evening. We need more opportunities to talk about what the differences are between these two. And I pray that people will read their Bible more and think critically.
We are presented with so many opportunities to learn and grow. I am so thankful for the strength and guidance of a wonderful Father!

PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Pray for Mr. W. and LJ as we continue to study together. Praise God that they are willing to listen!
- Pray for our plans in the church: WoW course, our church study weekend, men’s studies and our weekly Bible studies as well as our daily contacts.
- Pray for our regular visitors A., S.,V. We had a wonderful lesson on New life in Jesus. V. and I. are studying the Bible together now!
- Praise God for Mishell. She has come as a visitor, but is our sister in Christ, baptized in Hong Kong!
- Pray specifically for our plans for June. We are organizing a youth weekend and concert to challenge our youth and reach out to our city.
- Thank God that all went well with Willemien’s second new knee.
- Thank God for the time we had with the young people during the Catholic youth weekend, teaching and encouraging.

THANKS!
- For your faithfulness - it cannot be easy financially for many now, but you remain a strength!
- For all the emails, phone calls and comments on the blog
- for your prayers and encouragement
What’s coming up?
MAY
Work camp
Maastricht study week
Leadership training
JUNE
Youth weekend
Listen Up! concert

DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
Science and knowledge
Some important, but obscure discoveries are attributed to Dutch and Belgian scientists. VanderWaal forces, magnetism, or blood pressure in the body were all discovered by Dutch or Belgian scientists. But even our everyday life is impacted by the discoveries made by Dutchmen and Belgians.
Christian Huygens developed pendulum clocks for navigation, but Gerardus Mercator is the one who gave us cartography and maps. Einthoven developed the electrocardiogram (ECG) but Quetelet invented the body mass index (BMI). Tinbergen figured out the dance of the bees while de Smedt invented our modern-day asphalt.
Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know. s.raabs@tele2allin.be

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
In between all of the various church activities this month we were also able to slip away for a day or two. You can see more of that on our picture site if you have can get online. But before that came at the end of the month, we enjoyed some good meals with various friends and long time contacts.

We hadn’t seen Gerard for quite a while. He has been studying with Scott for quite some time and continues to have good contact with one of our previous summer students. It was good to have him over for dinner this month and renew our friendship.
We also spent some good time with LJ who we are getting to know better and better. She had to move, so we helped move her meager belongings to her new apartment. In the following weeks we had dinner at her place twice and once at our place. In April she will cook for us again - at our place! And at the end of the month we also went over to Jacques and Mieke’s for a wonderful dinner. Mieke reads the Bible with Scott as well. So we have had plenty of good dinners this month. Stephan is even going to prepare a meal soon which he also has to be able to prepare for school.

Easter Monday is usually a busy but good day in The Hague. We leave at around 7 in the morning in order to make the 3 hour drive. Once there we sometimes have a minute to drink coffee before getting started (Scott usually has some part in the program). This year we were able to talk to plenty of people afterwards. We don’t plan on getting home before 7 p.m. and this year was no different. Thankfully Snuffles can handle a long day like this at home without any troubles (although she was definitely glad to see us when we got back!)

The last day of the month ended up being a wonderful surprise. We had seen that a day-trip to Canterbury, England wasn’t that expensive, so we asked the boys (who had vacation at that time) and made the plans! What a wonderful day!! Long, but wonderful. We left the house at 4 a.m. to get to the boat in Calais on time. But we were in Canterbury by 10 a.m. - without any troubles driving on the ‘wrong’ side.
The day was planned as we wanted - we would choose as we went. So we stopped to see Greyfriar’s, took pictures of “English alleyways”, ate a bacon sandwich with “brown sauce”, walked along the sea in Whitstable and Herne Bay, napped on a bench in the sun and had a thoroughly wonderful time together as a family.
Near the end of the day we headed back to Dover, got something to eat and loaded back on to the ferry for the continent. By 2 a.m. we were sneaking into Luk and Holly Brazle’s house in Ghent (they let us spend the night, of course!). The next day, as rainy as it had been sunny in Canterbury, we walked around the city of Ghent and took in the history.

We pray that your month was like Sean’s - he said these were some of the best days he had had. He was ready to enjoy all that we came across.
Have a great day today as you live with God!