Whensday: 17th century Delft Blue

When people visit the Netherlands there are certain things they are looking to see. Many know that wooden shoes and windmills are Dutch, so they visit Kinderdijk (windmills) and go to a souvenir shop to get a pair of wooden shoes, even if they are only tiny ones for a key ring. 

But people also know that blue and white pottery is typically Dutch. Delftware, or Delft Blue, came to the Netherlands in the 16th century from Antwerp. It was originally produced in cities like Haarlem and Amsterdam, but the finely painted pieces were made in the city of Delft. This tin-glazed pottery was made to compete with the Chinese porcelain of the day. 

In the 17th century factories started using special marks to show who had made what. They started coating the whole piece in white tin glaze instead of simply the painted area. And in 1653 the “Porceleyne Fles” (the porcelain bottle) was begun. It is from this factory that Royal Delft comes. This delftware had its heyday from the mid 17th century to mid 18th century. Dinnerware was common, as were special plates and even tiles in many houses of the day. 

The paintings on the delftware ranged from typical Dutch scenes, like windmills, fishing boats or hunting scenes. When Shirley and I first visited the Netherlands on a campaign in 1981, our group of students all received a special commemorative plate in Delft Blue that we still have today. It was based on the text from 1 Corinthians 15:58 and listed three words: standvastig, onwankelbaar, overvloedig (steadfast, unmoving, overflowing). This has remained an encouragement to us throughout the years. And so the 17th century reaches all the way into the 20th and 21st century. 

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.   1 Corinthians 15:58

Giving Sundays

In the congregation in Maastricht we have learned how good it is to pass on the blessings that God has given us. Every 5th Sunday we hold a special contribution for any specified needs. This is an additional contribution to our normal Sunday giving. Working up to the 5th Sunday one of the brothers asks in the congregation if there are any needs that members have noticed or have themselves. On the Sunday, members can choose to which need they will give, if there is more than one. 

In the past we have regularly given for a rehabilitation center in Ukraine which our brother Alexander knows about. We have helped with winter heating costs, running costs and, recently, relocation costs as they had to move because of the war. We have also helped with other costs in Ukraine. Knowing the people there always helps us to understand the need. 

We have helped with various projects in Africa including Bibles in Uganda, water in Uganda and Kenya, and a deaf children’s home (Sam’s Place) in Kenya. W have helped send rice into Myanmar and helped with the rebuilding of Sint Maarten. These are always done working together with our brothers and sisters in the countries themselves. And most of them are combined with sharing the word of God at the same time as assisting where needed in daily life. It is exciting to know - at least on paper and email - that we are family with brothers and sisters around the world. 

At the end of 2024 we had one more 5th Sunday. We also had news from the Philippines of a horrible accident among our brothers and sisters there. who had been sharing good news. We were thankful that we could help in some small way. It is always a challenge to see how we can send funds to these places around the world (especially with heightened security measures in more recent years), but we are thankful that it is possible. 

What this does above all is remind us all of how we are connected as the family of Christ. The more we get to know our brothers and sisters around the globe, the more we become aware of needs and are able to help, pray and know that we are one in God. This brings us even closer to one another as a family. 

And always amazes me how much is given by the family here. I do not need to mention amounts since each members has given simply as they were moved and with a joyful heart. But I am almost always moved to tears to see how graciously this small family gives of themselves. They even made us the recipients of their graciousness when we have unexpectedly had to travel to the US (or even when it was planned). We are so thankful to be working with a family that understands and shows this grace that they have been given in this wonderful family of God. 

Whatsit Wednesday: Environment station

It sounds strange in English. In the Netherlands, city neighborhoods all have their own “environment station” or street. It is called a “Milieu perron” and consists of several containers which are partially underground and partially above ground. These containers are for various sorts of trash: glass, paper, plastic-metal-drink containers, and even diapers. Every week or two a truck comes, lifts the containers out of their hole in ground, and empties them, taking their respective trash to the trash collection and sorting area in the city. 

Everyone here is used to separating their trash. In the house one already considers what kind of trash it is. Food scraps are put into a green container which is also placed on the street to be picked up regularly. Paper is usually collected in some sort of cardboard box and then either taken to the environment station or placed o the street to be picked up once a month. Even batteries and electronics can be collected at the local supermarket in special boxes. 

In Maastricht all the rest of the trash (which is called “restafval”) was put in a red and white plastic trash sack and put out on the street to be collected twice a month. You could not put your sack out until after 5pm before the day of collection. Ion 2025 the city of Maastricht is changing their rules. Suddenly, the environment station will look quite different. If it will encourage people to continue separating trash or not is a big question. 

The environment station will still have the containers, but now most of them will be for “rest”, the stuff people used to put in the red-white sacks (which they had to buy). The containers for glass and paper will remain, as will the container for diapers. But the containers for PMD (plastic-metal-drink) will be turned into containers for “rest”. And people will need to use a special card to dump their trash here. It will be weighed or measured in some way. 

In the meantime, the PMD will still need to be sorted, but this will happen in the house. All of the PMD will now go into a plastic sack (which is free at the time) and placed on the street to be collected twice a month. For some people this change simply means exchanging sacks and carrying heavier sacks to the environment station. But for older people, this may mean that they have difficulties getting their trash out. 

Some of the reasons for these changes has been that the environment stations recently (in 2024) were getting more and more messy. People would simply drop their trash sacks at the station, not separating anything. Trash was left blowing about in the wind - not placed in the containers. Officials hope that this will now stop. I will be interested to see how many sacks are now simply dumped at the environment station (because people do not want to have it weighed or do not have the money for it). 

In a small country full of people like the Netherlands, taking care of trash and the shared spaces has always been a challenge. This has become part of the national identity. It will interesting to see how this evolves in the coming year.