On the Family Side…

One of the reasons we will be moving back to the US, or one of the blessings we will enjoy, is being closer to family. This includes, of course, being able to be grandparents from closer by. Our granddaughter will be a car ride away. We hope to be able to see her and she us more often than we get to see one another now through video connections. 

And at the end of our Home Assignment, we of course also heard that we will be becoming grandparents a second time - for Sean and Jill’s baby. Although we will certainly not be within driving distance of New York, the possibility of seeing granddaughter number two will be exciting. A continental flight will be closer than an international one. 

We of course do not yet have any specific dates or times for when we might be able to see one another, but the wheels are moving. We are talking to moving companies, are putting the house up for sale and are trying to get rid of the accumulation of “stuff” from 35 years. How much stuff can one gather in that amount of time? More than enough. 

We were glad to be able to see almost all of our family as we traveled during our Home Assignment. It will be interesting to see if the distance, although it is closer, is actually closer when we move. Reality remains that one has to be intentional in getting together with family and friends. When our first neighbors moved across the town, they said farewell, knowing that it would not be that easy to find time to see one another - and that was simply across town.

But we look forward to enjoying the little moments of the grandkids. We have already seen granddaughter nr. 1 before walking and talking and now well on her way to talking up a storm and running wherever she wants to go. Granddaughter nr. 2 is due in January, so we are praying that all goes well and we get to meet her soon and start making these memories as well. 

Whatsit Wednesday: a mussel pan

From August to September is the best time to eat a Belgian delicacy served in many restaurants and homes throughout the country: mussels. Mussels are mollusks, but are not clams. A mussel has an elongated shell compared to clams. Mussels can be freshwater or saltwater, but it is the saltwater variety that Belgium is known for. 

Most Belgians will be able to tell you how to eat mussels and many will even have a special pan in the house to prepare the tasty meal. The mussels are often eaten with “firieten” (French fries). These pans are made specifically for preparing mussels and can be stainiless steel, enamel-coated steel (most of them) or even cast iron. They are designed to steam the mussels. 

Recipes for mussels include cooking in butter, oil or even beer or wine before steaming in order to add flavor. When the mussels are prepared correctly, the shell opens and the delicacy can be removed and eaten. If they are open before cooking, you should not eat them. You should also discrad any that do not open after cooking. 

The whole process can be done in about 10 minutes, making this a favorite meal for groups together. It is a bit like gathering around a fondue, but everyone gathers around the pan. It uses all the things Belgians like in a meal: butter, garlic, beer or wine and seafood - as well as “frieten”. 

People here wait for the first fresh mussels and get their pans ready or plan their next outing to a local restaurant. Do you have a mussel pan? Do you have a special recipe that you use for mussels? Have you ever had mussels? My family loves them, although I personally do not eat them. 

Benjamins

We have been doing Bible Camp for quite some years. There are photo albums at camp with a history of who all has attended and helped throughout the years. The kids love finding these and trying to recognize who is in the pictures. I was amazed to see how often we (Shirley and I) have done the Benjamins throughout the years. We have also done the other weeks, but often the Benjamins. 

And my birthday usually falls in the week of the Benjamins, so I get to celebrate with them down at camp. Some years that means a balloon crown or funny hat. Any year it means some kind of cake or brownie and some good singing. This year we also had two campers with birthdays on the following day as well as a counselor at the end of the week. 

The Benjamin’s are the youngest group: 8-11 year-olds. Their week follows the senior camp of 15-20 year-olds. The week following Benjamins is the teens (12-14 year-olds). The last week of camp is Family Camp. One of the kids this past week asked me why they were called Benjamins and I explained that Benjamin was the youngest of the sons of Israel, as they are the youngest group. But young never means that they can’t learn or be a challenge. 

We enjoyed our challenging week and I look forward to teaching two days during Family Camp next week. At Benjamin Camp I was the camp director as well as the teacher and we learned about the gospel of Luke. It was exciting to see some of the campers making links between what we were doing in the day and the lessons we heard or the songs we were singing. 

Luke taught us that we can trust what we have been taught about the good news. He takes the reader through how remarkable Jesus is - from his birth, through his teaching and miracles, to his death and resurrection. There are pieces that we only find in the gospel of Luke. It was exciting to see how many of these moments we talked about were being lived out during the week. We talked about things being “remarkable” for example. That very day, just before class, the kids found a lobster in our creek! 

Luke also showed us how Jesus taught about forgiveness and choosing to follow. Several of the kids struggled with this very thing - how could they forgive one another. Thankfully, they are young and also had the example of the counselors around them. 

We had a great team to help out with the week. A Ukrainian couple brought their youngest to camp to have the experience. She has dealt with some very serious health issues for the past years they have been in the Netherlands, but they prepare city camp weeks in The Hague for Ukrainian refugees every year. I knew that they would be a great help. In addition we had two young people from two different congregations helping as counselors, translators and activity directors. They were amazing with the kids. We also had the help of a young lady from the church in Eindhoven who had already done a week of camp helping in the kitchen and will also be helping with Family Camp. 

Shirley helped out our sister in Christ, Tonia, in the kitchen, making sure that everyone ate well and remained healthy. This week saw a lot of dry weather which also meant some ticks. The Ukrainian girl ended up having 5 ticks removed and also fell one day over a wall. She got the full camp experience. Shirley was often the nurse for the kids, several of whom had medicines to remember throughout the week. 

In a few weeks, after we have had time to recover and get the photo albums ready, we will be putting pictures up. As mentioned, I will still be going to Family Camp in a week. We know that many of you are also busy with your summer camp weeks and continue to pray for all of the kids whose hearts will be touched with the word of God in all of these places.