Whodunit Wednesday: Philippe Verbelen and the new birds

It sounds like a band from the 1960’s. Philippe Verbelen is an ornithologist from Belgium, although he is most often in far away places. He has already discovered 7 new species of birds. Verbelen, an ornithologist from from Ghent, has made his most recent discovery in Indonesia where he says there are many more species to be found. 

The “dwarf honey-eater” is a small bird with a red head and black body which is found on the island of Babar. Verbelen first found the bird in 2009, but it has only recently (March 2025) been officially recognized in the scientific world. While there seem to be various types of dwarf honey-eaters in Indonesia, this one can only be found on the island of Babar. 

Verbelen is one of the scientists who realized that the differences in species lay mainly in their song. The dwarf honey-eaters were on many of the Indonesian islands and scientists simply assumed they were all the same bird. But Verbelen has paid more attention to their song and has access now to DNA. 

The birds use their songs to call mates and scare away competition. If the birds react to the song, then they are members of the same group. But they can also simply ignore the song, indicating that it is a different species. So the Tanimbar dwarf honey-eater will pay no attention to the Babe dwarf honey-eater, and vice-versa. 

Verbelen had actually not been looking for this bird. He was only on the island for a week looking into unknown types of owls. He was taking recordings of those birds in the evenings and filled his days by recording the dwarf honey-eaters during the day when he realized his discovery. 

Verbelen also discovered the Rinjani dwarf ear owl and the Peleng forest singer. He has been visiting Indonesia since 1992 and continues to enjoy the many things he can see, hear and experience there. Besides his discovering of species, he uses his knowledge to support the protection of (rain)forests. 

Training to be a leader

One of the great things of our Bible camp (Ardennen Bijbelkamp or ABK) is that it is for and from everyone in the various churches in the Netherlands and Belgium. From the beginning this was a place to help church members grow, to grow contacts among church members, and to learn new skills - all in the wonderful beauty of the Ardennes. I know that I have learned and grown so much through the years because of the things organized at camp. 

One of the things that we want to make possible is that those who want to become a camp leader have the training necessary to do that. And those who don’t know that they can become camp leaders, actually can. We have done this in the past by inviting people to be an assistant camp leader and training them “on the job”. Those who have served as counselors have also grown into camp leaders. And we continue to use this way of training, because it is very hands-on and personal. 

In addition to this we have dreamed for some years of developing a training to help teach some of the things we have all learned through the years. This could be a weekend, a week or simply a day. It is always hard to find slots in schedules for people from across the country, so we settled this year, for the first time, on a day. This was a training session, as we called it: Inspiration for Aspiring leaders. We want those learning to lead to know that although it is scary to take this kind of responsibility, we are not alone. We are busy working with God and in His might. So His Spirit can lead us in these efforts. That is why I called it “Breathe”. 

I planned this together with pour colleague from Ghent, Luk Brazle, and with Shirley. We had a compact group of 5 others who in some ways had already helped at camp, either as counselors, assistant leaders or teachers, but wanted to learn more about being a camp leader. Our camp weeks take on the character of the camp leader who is leading them. There are some things which are always the same (like the age group of the campers, dates and some of the themes, but there is a lot that comes down to the style of the camp leader. 

The training day was a mixture of information that is necessary for a camp leader to run a week of camp as well as practical information and training on how to deal with certain situations that experience has taught us will always show up. “What is leadership?:” was the most important question and we looked at Jesus for our example and answer. 

We are so thankful to be able to be part of this effort. It is so good to see how camp has touched so many lives throughout the years and that it is still a place where members can learn to lead and serve. It continues to be a wonderful place and time where campers get to know who Jesus is, what God does and is doing, and how life in God looks like and works in everyday life. 

This summer Shirley and I will be working with a team leading the oldest age: Youth Camp (15-20 year-olds). We are thankful for the team we have been able to gather to help with sharing the beauty of this life in Christ. 

What experiences have you had with Bible Camp? Did you go to camp when you were young. Have you helped in the past? Are you a helper still? How else are you letting God change you and grow you in His grace and love? 

(In the picture - How do you work with a team to complete a task?)

Where oh where Wednesday: Borgloon

Not far from where we live is the Blossom region of Belgium. This is an area where much of the fruit grows on trees: mostly apples and pears. The herald of fruit season is the explosion of blossoms on all of the fruit trees in this area. Bicycle tours, walking tours, special accommodations - all are focused on this time of year and the fruit which is forming. 

The syrup made from pears is well-known in this area and in the French-speaking area around the city of Liege. Tourists can buy little jars of this specialty to put on their bread in the morning. In the area of Borgloon it is more apples. Both are spreadable, not fluid like molasses (as slow as that can be). 

Whereas the Netherlands has the cheese market in Alkmaar and the flower auction in other areas, this section of Belgium has its fruit market. It is in this area that the price is determined for how much a bushel of apples or a basket of strawberries, red berries or raspberries will cost. The major center of all of this sweet merchandizing is the city of Borgloon which hosts the largest fruit auction of Belgium.

Borgloon, which has now been combined with the city of Tongeren to Tongeren-Borgloon, has always been a smaller city, but steeped in rich history. Several Roman highways in this area show that the Romans were busy here from quite some time before others also settled here. In the 10th century Count Giselbert van Loon built a castle on the hill which now still looks out over the city. Even before the 13th century this little town gained city rights. Wars, witch trials and trade guilds continued to make this an important place throughout the centuries following. 

More recently people might be more familiar with the see-through church (“Doorkijk kerk” or “Read-between-the-lines church”) which was erected in 2011 as part of a project to let people see the surrounding landscapes in a different way. Borgloon is about 30 minutes from where we live and just down the road from where the Ukrainian couple from church live in Tongeren.