What a wonderful day! From even before I became a Christian I saw that "Family" with God was something special. How else could people who were so diverse be so close and really love each other? That is what continues to thrill me about this life that God has given us!
This Christmas day we had Willemien over to celebrate with us. It was great to spend that time together, share the smiles and laughter of our giving moments, and just know that we were family. God is so good!
(Click on the photo to see some more of what we did at home on Christmas.)
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
December dones
Here are a few of the things we done done in December.
Thanksgiving
Since most of us cannot get together on a Thursday, we usually plan Thanksgiving some time later - this time at the beginning of December. We of course have to get it in before Sinter Klaas (Dec. 6).
This year we got together with about 50 other people in Eindhoven to enjoy the food and good company. The guys got to wash up afterwards, the ladies played dominoes and the kids lost themselves in with the fussbal table.
We were especially glad that Li Jia could come with us. We also brought Khrystyna, who is a Ukrainian au pair living in the next village. She heard of us from a friend of hers in Eindhoven and has made a point of getting to services every Sunday, even thought that is quite difficult.
(To see some more Thanksgiving photo's, just click on the photo above.)
Hootenanny
Every once in a while (hopefully at least six times a year) we try to get together for a 'hootenanny' in Antwerp. Since Paul and Carol Brazle have been gone (they are the missionaries in residence at Oklahoma Christian), it has been a little harder. They put these evenings together. A hootenanny is a time to eat hotdogs (chilidogs), have some good conversations, meet new people and play or listen to guitar songs.
Most of the time a few young people get out their guitars to learn a bit from those who already know how to play a little. This time it was fun to have Stephan there with his guitar, as well as Roxanne. We play some John Denver, Beatles or such - or if we are really ambitious, Plain White T's (Stephan had "Delilah" on his computer and it wasn't that hard).
(For some more pics on the hootenanny, click on the photo above.)
Shepherds Walk
Listen Up! had only one concert this end-of-year, but it was a doozy. We had been asked to take part in the "Shepherd's Walk" which is a three hour long walk along woods and farms stopping at certain places where a part of a play is presented. The purpose of the play is to tell the visitors the whole story of who Jesus is and why he came to earth.
The day was beautiful - nice and dry, sun shining during the day. Of course the play started in the evening and clear weather means cold weather. We dressed warm, knowing that we would be singing for at least nine different groups of walkers making their way past our section of the play. To be honest - we had it easy compared to the young actors (check out the pictures by clicking on the picture above). We only sang two songs each time, but it was nice being able to take part.
In between all of this we also celebrated Sinter Klaas, Shirley's birthday and have been trying to get our shopping done for Christmas. December can be pretty busy - but we are also getting plenty of time together. The boys have their exams, but that means they are home after lunch, studying (or complaining that they have to study). We are so thankful that we can enjoy the time we have together!
ThanksgivingSince most of us cannot get together on a Thursday, we usually plan Thanksgiving some time later - this time at the beginning of December. We of course have to get it in before Sinter Klaas (Dec. 6).
This year we got together with about 50 other people in Eindhoven to enjoy the food and good company. The guys got to wash up afterwards, the ladies played dominoes and the kids lost themselves in with the fussbal table.
We were especially glad that Li Jia could come with us. We also brought Khrystyna, who is a Ukrainian au pair living in the next village. She heard of us from a friend of hers in Eindhoven and has made a point of getting to services every Sunday, even thought that is quite difficult.
(To see some more Thanksgiving photo's, just click on the photo above.)
HootenannyEvery once in a while (hopefully at least six times a year) we try to get together for a 'hootenanny' in Antwerp. Since Paul and Carol Brazle have been gone (they are the missionaries in residence at Oklahoma Christian), it has been a little harder. They put these evenings together. A hootenanny is a time to eat hotdogs (chilidogs), have some good conversations, meet new people and play or listen to guitar songs.
Most of the time a few young people get out their guitars to learn a bit from those who already know how to play a little. This time it was fun to have Stephan there with his guitar, as well as Roxanne. We play some John Denver, Beatles or such - or if we are really ambitious, Plain White T's (Stephan had "Delilah" on his computer and it wasn't that hard).
(For some more pics on the hootenanny, click on the photo above.)
Shepherds WalkListen Up! had only one concert this end-of-year, but it was a doozy. We had been asked to take part in the "Shepherd's Walk" which is a three hour long walk along woods and farms stopping at certain places where a part of a play is presented. The purpose of the play is to tell the visitors the whole story of who Jesus is and why he came to earth.
The day was beautiful - nice and dry, sun shining during the day. Of course the play started in the evening and clear weather means cold weather. We dressed warm, knowing that we would be singing for at least nine different groups of walkers making their way past our section of the play. To be honest - we had it easy compared to the young actors (check out the pictures by clicking on the picture above). We only sang two songs each time, but it was nice being able to take part.
In between all of this we also celebrated Sinter Klaas, Shirley's birthday and have been trying to get our shopping done for Christmas. December can be pretty busy - but we are also getting plenty of time together. The boys have their exams, but that means they are home after lunch, studying (or complaining that they have to study). We are so thankful that we can enjoy the time we have together!
Monday, December 10, 2007
November Newsletter
LIGHT in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
November 2007
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
It is so good to know that God is always present, always a strength, always working - whether it is how we expect or not.
Up and downs
Some months bring exciting changes, while others are simply everyday or even disappointing. But we want to simply remain faithful in living for God and letting people know how good it is to live with Him. Although we were a bit disappointed with some things this month, there were other areas that were encouraging.
Many of you have been praying for our WoW course. It was so good to be able to explain the course while we were in the States this past summer as well. This month we offered the course, but for various reasons had little interest. We were offering it still to our own members (especially our new members), but cut this short as well (see church news further on).
Even LJ commented on this in surprise - she doesn’t understand how people could not be interested in the Bible. Continue to keep her in your prayers as she wants to know more and more. She was finally able to attend services and wants to come more often.
We will offer the WoW course again in the Spring and hope to have better results then. Mr. W. continues to ask challenging questions, for us and for himself. He recently commented on his frustration that he had to learn about the Bible from us - although he was very thankful to God for having brought us into his life. We pray that Mr. W. will continue allowing space for his questions, willing to listen to answers.
Another exciting moment in the month was the youth weekend in Eindhoven. The weekend was focused on giving, sharing and serving.
As with this same weekend last year, we had the young people put together boxes to send to kids who have never before received a present. Some of you may be familiar with Operation Christmas Child.
The exciting thing to me this year was how we challenged the kids to use their own money and creativity in finlling the shoebox. They brought their own allowance money and we headed off into the city to make some purchases. Sinter Klaas was arriving in Eindhoven that very day. He is the big gift giver in the Netherlands (his birthday is December 5 and is when most kids get presents - not Christmas, although Santa Claus is based on this idea, which is based on Saint Nicolas). Our young people took the time to find things that would show how much they cared about the kid they were sending their box to.
Church News
For the last several months we have been blessed by the addition in our church family of Leon and Mariette. They are a couple we know through their daughter, who came through our youth weekends and camps in the past. Their daughter is now married and moved away and Leon and Mariette have become an encouraging force in the church here.
Mariette is chronically ill and cannot take much medicine - even though she needs it. Leon is a truck driver, leaving home at 4 a.m. and getting back around 2 p.m. if everything went well on his route. When he gets home he cares for his wife, gets the cleaning and shopping done and gets things ready for the next day. They are both an example to us of faith at work. Mariette tries to be positive in her situation and is always vocal about how God blesses her that day. Leon loves being with us whenever he can be.
And that was a bit of the problem. How long can you keep going when you are tired? So Leon came, torn apart by the decision he thought he had to make. He had the keys to the building in his hands, which he felt he needed to return to us. He had decided that they could not come any more since they could not come to everything! Thankfully, we were able to talk and explain how wonderful their presence is for those in the family. And that finding a balance is very important. So they will be taking a rest and looking for that balance. Please keep them in your prayers.
We also had some good visits with new visitors this month. LJ was able to come to worship with us twice! She has wanted to come in the past but works on Sunday mornings. Now she is looking for some solution to this problem. We also welcomed an au pair from the Ukraine who is working for a family in our town! She found us in Maastricht and goes to considerable trouble to be present. God continues to amaze us with his grace.
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Pray especially for Mr. W. He is seriously considering what God means in his life. Our study each week always brings us to very challenging questions, which he is willing to consider.
- Pray also for LJ who knows how challenging the life of a Christian is and is considering whether that is something she is interested in.
- Pray for Leon and Mariette, our new brother and sister who are struggling with how to fit everything into their lives. Mariette is chronically ill and Leon cares for her as well as working full-time.
- Thank God that the weakness of the dollar has not yet influenced us terribly because there are so many who care about us and the work here. Praise God!
- Continue to pray for our young people, including V. who continues to visit and worship with us every Sunday morning.
DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
Dutch football is soccer
The Dutch love soccer. While there are several international players playing now for big-name teams, there are also several Dutch coaches making names all over the globe:
Poland, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Australia and Russia have recently had or currently have Dutch coaches for the national teams.
At one point recently FC Barcelona (a Spanish team) was coached by a Dutchman and had six Dutch players in the first team (out of 11).
Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know.
THANKS!
- For your emails and comments on the blog - good to know you are following what is happening
- For letting us know what’s happening in your lives
- Your prayers for all that is happening here and in Europe
WHAT'S COMING UP?
DECEMBER
Hootenanny/Youth evening
Listen Up! singing in Utrecht
Bible study in Lanaken
JANUARY 2008
Youth weekend
Camp meeting
ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
This month started out with Stephan - mostly because last month ended with him. On his birthday we had the church over for a nice evening - but that was not a party for an 18 year-old. So Stephan planned a party with his friends. It is neat to see the friendships that he has built up through the years - even though these guys are pretty far away.
Everyone came over for an evening and day of Wii! If you have not yet seen this games console, then you need to. Instead of sitting down staring at the television, the players stand and swing their arms. You can golf, play tennis, or hit a baseball. Since we could hook up the projector, the guys decided to play baseball in the living room. It was great to see the fun they could have together.
Stephan is moving closer and closer to what will be a big change for him in his life. If all goes well, he will be studying in the States next year. Of course he first has to pass this year. That’s quite a task when you are fed up with school and just want to be done (which most of us have experienced). Exams in December after having to study for the ACT in October - November was just a month crammed in between studying.
Thankfully Stephan still has his basketball each week. And this month he had his first score - a three-pointer! He acts like it wasn’t much, but we were pretty proud. We don’t get to see him play very often (his games are often away and we have a Bible study with LJ on his game days), but we sure are glad he enjoys it.
Sean is also continuing to have fun with his soccer. His team is struggling, and that means that playing is not always “fun”, but that is something Sean is also learning, and learning well. Sometimes you just keep working - even when it is not fun. It has been great to see his determination.
Sean is also enjoying his new school. This school year he switched over to a school where more of his friends are. It also has fewer students, which makes the teacher-student ratio good. He has said himself that some things are more difficult, but he seems to be doing quite well.
The rest of us have simply been enjoying each day as it comes. Some weeks are just pain old weeks. Both Scott and Shirley have paid a visit to the dentist and dealt with those minor problems. November also brought winter rains, which means wet-dog walks and lots of extra wash! But this has also meant together time. Walking the dog is a time for Shirley and Stephan or Scott and Shirley to be together. We have had a few family evenings together (Cars or the new Pride and Prejudice or the board game Masterpiece).
Every day brings different challenges and joys. Sometimes the two are the same - a challenge becomes something to enjoy. We have really enjoyed the time we have as a family and that we can be there for each other. Take the time to notice each other and encourage one another. Have a great day today!
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
November 2007
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
It is so good to know that God is always present, always a strength, always working - whether it is how we expect or not.
Up and downs
Some months bring exciting changes, while others are simply everyday or even disappointing. But we want to simply remain faithful in living for God and letting people know how good it is to live with Him. Although we were a bit disappointed with some things this month, there were other areas that were encouraging.
Many of you have been praying for our WoW course. It was so good to be able to explain the course while we were in the States this past summer as well. This month we offered the course, but for various reasons had little interest. We were offering it still to our own members (especially our new members), but cut this short as well (see church news further on).Even LJ commented on this in surprise - she doesn’t understand how people could not be interested in the Bible. Continue to keep her in your prayers as she wants to know more and more. She was finally able to attend services and wants to come more often.
We will offer the WoW course again in the Spring and hope to have better results then. Mr. W. continues to ask challenging questions, for us and for himself. He recently commented on his frustration that he had to learn about the Bible from us - although he was very thankful to God for having brought us into his life. We pray that Mr. W. will continue allowing space for his questions, willing to listen to answers.
Another exciting moment in the month was the youth weekend in Eindhoven. The weekend was focused on giving, sharing and serving.
As with this same weekend last year, we had the young people put together boxes to send to kids who have never before received a present. Some of you may be familiar with Operation Christmas Child.The exciting thing to me this year was how we challenged the kids to use their own money and creativity in finlling the shoebox. They brought their own allowance money and we headed off into the city to make some purchases. Sinter Klaas was arriving in Eindhoven that very day. He is the big gift giver in the Netherlands (his birthday is December 5 and is when most kids get presents - not Christmas, although Santa Claus is based on this idea, which is based on Saint Nicolas). Our young people took the time to find things that would show how much they cared about the kid they were sending their box to.
Church News
For the last several months we have been blessed by the addition in our church family of Leon and Mariette. They are a couple we know through their daughter, who came through our youth weekends and camps in the past. Their daughter is now married and moved away and Leon and Mariette have become an encouraging force in the church here.
Mariette is chronically ill and cannot take much medicine - even though she needs it. Leon is a truck driver, leaving home at 4 a.m. and getting back around 2 p.m. if everything went well on his route. When he gets home he cares for his wife, gets the cleaning and shopping done and gets things ready for the next day. They are both an example to us of faith at work. Mariette tries to be positive in her situation and is always vocal about how God blesses her that day. Leon loves being with us whenever he can be.
And that was a bit of the problem. How long can you keep going when you are tired? So Leon came, torn apart by the decision he thought he had to make. He had the keys to the building in his hands, which he felt he needed to return to us. He had decided that they could not come any more since they could not come to everything! Thankfully, we were able to talk and explain how wonderful their presence is for those in the family. And that finding a balance is very important. So they will be taking a rest and looking for that balance. Please keep them in your prayers.
We also had some good visits with new visitors this month. LJ was able to come to worship with us twice! She has wanted to come in the past but works on Sunday mornings. Now she is looking for some solution to this problem. We also welcomed an au pair from the Ukraine who is working for a family in our town! She found us in Maastricht and goes to considerable trouble to be present. God continues to amaze us with his grace.
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Pray especially for Mr. W. He is seriously considering what God means in his life. Our study each week always brings us to very challenging questions, which he is willing to consider.
- Pray also for LJ who knows how challenging the life of a Christian is and is considering whether that is something she is interested in.
- Pray for Leon and Mariette, our new brother and sister who are struggling with how to fit everything into their lives. Mariette is chronically ill and Leon cares for her as well as working full-time.
- Thank God that the weakness of the dollar has not yet influenced us terribly because there are so many who care about us and the work here. Praise God!
- Continue to pray for our young people, including V. who continues to visit and worship with us every Sunday morning.
DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
Dutch football is soccer
The Dutch love soccer. While there are several international players playing now for big-name teams, there are also several Dutch coaches making names all over the globe:
Poland, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Australia and Russia have recently had or currently have Dutch coaches for the national teams.
At one point recently FC Barcelona (a Spanish team) was coached by a Dutchman and had six Dutch players in the first team (out of 11).
Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know.
THANKS!
- For your emails and comments on the blog - good to know you are following what is happening
- For letting us know what’s happening in your lives
- Your prayers for all that is happening here and in Europe
WHAT'S COMING UP?
DECEMBER
Hootenanny/Youth evening
Listen Up! singing in Utrecht
Bible study in Lanaken
JANUARY 2008
Youth weekend
Camp meeting
ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
This month started out with Stephan - mostly because last month ended with him. On his birthday we had the church over for a nice evening - but that was not a party for an 18 year-old. So Stephan planned a party with his friends. It is neat to see the friendships that he has built up through the years - even though these guys are pretty far away.
Everyone came over for an evening and day of Wii! If you have not yet seen this games console, then you need to. Instead of sitting down staring at the television, the players stand and swing their arms. You can golf, play tennis, or hit a baseball. Since we could hook up the projector, the guys decided to play baseball in the living room. It was great to see the fun they could have together.
Stephan is moving closer and closer to what will be a big change for him in his life. If all goes well, he will be studying in the States next year. Of course he first has to pass this year. That’s quite a task when you are fed up with school and just want to be done (which most of us have experienced). Exams in December after having to study for the ACT in October - November was just a month crammed in between studying.
Thankfully Stephan still has his basketball each week. And this month he had his first score - a three-pointer! He acts like it wasn’t much, but we were pretty proud. We don’t get to see him play very often (his games are often away and we have a Bible study with LJ on his game days), but we sure are glad he enjoys it.
Sean is also continuing to have fun with his soccer. His team is struggling, and that means that playing is not always “fun”, but that is something Sean is also learning, and learning well. Sometimes you just keep working - even when it is not fun. It has been great to see his determination.
Sean is also enjoying his new school. This school year he switched over to a school where more of his friends are. It also has fewer students, which makes the teacher-student ratio good. He has said himself that some things are more difficult, but he seems to be doing quite well.
The rest of us have simply been enjoying each day as it comes. Some weeks are just pain old weeks. Both Scott and Shirley have paid a visit to the dentist and dealt with those minor problems. November also brought winter rains, which means wet-dog walks and lots of extra wash! But this has also meant together time. Walking the dog is a time for Shirley and Stephan or Scott and Shirley to be together. We have had a few family evenings together (Cars or the new Pride and Prejudice or the board game Masterpiece).
Every day brings different challenges and joys. Sometimes the two are the same - a challenge becomes something to enjoy. We have really enjoyed the time we have as a family and that we can be there for each other. Take the time to notice each other and encourage one another. Have a great day today!
Friday, November 30, 2007
WoW
This past week we held our "WoW" course - Getting to know the Bible (which in Dutch works out to WoW for "Wiser along the Way"). Shirley and I went flyering in the neighborhood the week before and I knocked doors after that to personally invite people to the classes. This time we had no visitors for the classes. We did have our two new members attend (Leon and Mariette). They were also the ones who suggested that we advertise the course in Belgium as well. We will try that next time (probably in March).What was exciting was to hear from so many of the members (and the kids) how they were praying for the course and for those who were attending. I know that many of you were doing the same thing. Thank you! We continue to try to find all sorts of ways to let people know how good it is to live with God. Thank you for your faithfulness.
Which brings me to our Thanksgiving as a family. We like to fancy up the table and have a nice dinner together - so we did on Thursday. This Sunday we are celebrating with other Americans, but on the day itself we celebrated together.
All of the little leaves on the table (in the middle under the runner) were "thank you's" that we wrote each other. It was fun sharing those with each other. I enjoy good food, but being part of a wonderful family is great! Thank you for being part of that too.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Bedankt!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
THANKS!
- for a warm house on a rainy winter day as well as a cooling rain during a smeltering summer day
- for people who not only read about what happens in far away places, but who pray, write and do
- for sons who infect a whole house with their laughter
- for congregations who are so patient with us and faithful in their daily lives with God
- for a car that runs well
- for a blind dog who loves unequivocally and unconditionally (or at least when you feed her nice things)
- for family members in places all over, some who I still haven't met!
- for a Hawaiian wedding reception, a flour war, pool-ball, sheet-wars, discgolfing and just plain fun in the summer
- for challenges that continue to force me to my knees and into the mighty hands of God, who alone can do what needs done
- for a computer - could I live without email?
- for a wife who is a teammate, a miracle worker at times and a bombshell even in her sweats
- for a Christian family here which is ready to continue struggling and depend on God's grace
- for a home with a future - wouldn't it be great if the travel rush to get to that home was as busy as this traveling season!
THANKS!
THANKS!
- for a warm house on a rainy winter day as well as a cooling rain during a smeltering summer day
- for people who not only read about what happens in far away places, but who pray, write and do
- for sons who infect a whole house with their laughter
- for congregations who are so patient with us and faithful in their daily lives with God
- for a car that runs well
- for a blind dog who loves unequivocally and unconditionally (or at least when you feed her nice things)
- for family members in places all over, some who I still haven't met!
- for a Hawaiian wedding reception, a flour war, pool-ball, sheet-wars, discgolfing and just plain fun in the summer
- for challenges that continue to force me to my knees and into the mighty hands of God, who alone can do what needs done
- for a computer - could I live without email?
- for a wife who is a teammate, a miracle worker at times and a bombshell even in her sweats
- for a Christian family here which is ready to continue struggling and depend on God's grace
- for a home with a future - wouldn't it be great if the travel rush to get to that home was as busy as this traveling season!
THANKS!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
A day of detours
Have you ever had a day like that before? I got up 10 minutes earlier than usual so that Sean would be on time and so that, when I walk the dog I don't run into (literally sometimes - do you know how dark it is at 7 am?) anyone on the way. Instead we ran into the usual suspects on the walk and had to adapt - and everything was just fine.
On the way to my study with Mr. W. I dropped Shirley off at the shopping center - a bit out of the way, but we knew that we wouldn't be home until dinner that evening. At Mr. W. I was planning on talking about choices, but he had some other questions - about Jewish food customs and why Jesus didn't say anything about it (and I showed him that Jesus did say something about it) and how God would react to those who reject Jesus. And so we ended up talking about choices and how people react to the message of Jesus.
Leaving Mr. W. I had to take a detour that took me way out of my way and made me late to pick up Shirley. But she was waiting patiently and we went on to our visit and study with Willemien. Our time together was wonderful, even though we had to cut our visit there short because we had made a special appointment with LJ at the library in Maastricht.
Arriving at the library I had to find a parking place and we couldn't get the room we wanted at first. But the young man in 'our' room was willing to move for a little bit (we were shooting a video), we got everything done in plenty of time and Shirley and I got home earlier than Sean had expected. "What are you guys doing home already?" (But he was happy!)
After a quick dinner, Sean and I were off to his practice, back in Maastricht. While he was practicing, I got some work done and took the dog for her evening walk. The fields were quite muddy, so we had to change our usual walk. But the evening was dry and warm (I could almost walk with my jacket open) and Snuffles enjoyed it immensely.
After taking Sean back home I drove back in to Maastricht (this is a 20 minute drive) to get together for about 40 minutes with the university students who were looking at Hebrews 6 that evening (don't get stuck in the elementary teachings - move on to a relationship that is worth working on!). I couldn't stay as long as I might have liked. Stephan gets out of his basketball practice at 9:30 in Maasmechelen (about 20 minutes the other side of our house). It is so good to see how he is growing.
Back home I figured I would finally take off my shoes, put up my feet and chill a bit. Sean got ready for bed and came over to give me a hug ("You look like you need a hug"). When I went up to put Sean to bed (I love that they still allow me to do this - they are my little boys and I love them so much), he asked wisely why I didn't just go to bed - so I did.
Not exactly what I had planned at the beginning of the day - but when I leave things in God's hands and focus on what is being done, it all works out just fine.
On the way to my study with Mr. W. I dropped Shirley off at the shopping center - a bit out of the way, but we knew that we wouldn't be home until dinner that evening. At Mr. W. I was planning on talking about choices, but he had some other questions - about Jewish food customs and why Jesus didn't say anything about it (and I showed him that Jesus did say something about it) and how God would react to those who reject Jesus. And so we ended up talking about choices and how people react to the message of Jesus.
Leaving Mr. W. I had to take a detour that took me way out of my way and made me late to pick up Shirley. But she was waiting patiently and we went on to our visit and study with Willemien. Our time together was wonderful, even though we had to cut our visit there short because we had made a special appointment with LJ at the library in Maastricht.
Arriving at the library I had to find a parking place and we couldn't get the room we wanted at first. But the young man in 'our' room was willing to move for a little bit (we were shooting a video), we got everything done in plenty of time and Shirley and I got home earlier than Sean had expected. "What are you guys doing home already?" (But he was happy!)
After a quick dinner, Sean and I were off to his practice, back in Maastricht. While he was practicing, I got some work done and took the dog for her evening walk. The fields were quite muddy, so we had to change our usual walk. But the evening was dry and warm (I could almost walk with my jacket open) and Snuffles enjoyed it immensely.
After taking Sean back home I drove back in to Maastricht (this is a 20 minute drive) to get together for about 40 minutes with the university students who were looking at Hebrews 6 that evening (don't get stuck in the elementary teachings - move on to a relationship that is worth working on!). I couldn't stay as long as I might have liked. Stephan gets out of his basketball practice at 9:30 in Maasmechelen (about 20 minutes the other side of our house). It is so good to see how he is growing.
Back home I figured I would finally take off my shoes, put up my feet and chill a bit. Sean got ready for bed and came over to give me a hug ("You look like you need a hug"). When I went up to put Sean to bed (I love that they still allow me to do this - they are my little boys and I love them so much), he asked wisely why I didn't just go to bed - so I did.
Not exactly what I had planned at the beginning of the day - but when I leave things in God's hands and focus on what is being done, it all works out just fine.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Servant hearts
This past weekend we headed up to Eindhoven for a youth weekend on "Sharing, Serving and Giving". At this weekend we want the young people to learn about giving and serving, so we take part in 'Operation Shoebox'. This is an opportunity to put together shoeboxes filled with gifts for kids in orphanages and refugee camps around the world. When the boxes are presented, the kids also get a book telling about Jesus - the greatest gift.
At this weekend we challenged the young people to bring their own money to buy the gifts. We walked into town (cold, but beautifully sunny!) to buy the gifts for in the boxes. Interestingly, this was also the day that Sinter Klaas came to Eindhoven. Sinter Klaas is celebrated on December 6 and is when kids GET gifts. Our kids were out getting gifts to give away.
Back at the building we heard from Ivo about how important it is to make good choices and how others generosity helps so much. Ivo struggled with his own bad choices and could speak from experience about the prodigal son. It was great to have him there!
Then we all got down to business and made our shoeboxes as beautiful as they could be. We had seen in a video earlier in the day how excited the kids are who receive the boxes. We knew that we could add to that joy with what we were doing. It was neat to see that several of the young people had bought things in bulk that then could be shared in several of the boxes. Sharing in practice!
Scott brought a lesson after dinner about what sharing and serving is all about. Everyone got to practice a little bit - bringing someone some water, bringing some food to the table, or even washing feet! And then the challenge to keep serving one another in little ways every day.
A challenging movie (Pay it forward - sad ending, good challenge) finished the day before everyone went to sleep (or went home) after a busy day.
Sunday morning brought another good challenge from Remco. It is exciting to see how these young people are being challenged by young people (now grown up) who were challenged by young people. God teaches us to serve, to share and to keep giving - because HE has done and continues to do just that. What a wonderful God we have!
At this weekend we challenged the young people to bring their own money to buy the gifts. We walked into town (cold, but beautifully sunny!) to buy the gifts for in the boxes. Interestingly, this was also the day that Sinter Klaas came to Eindhoven. Sinter Klaas is celebrated on December 6 and is when kids GET gifts. Our kids were out getting gifts to give away.
Back at the building we heard from Ivo about how important it is to make good choices and how others generosity helps so much. Ivo struggled with his own bad choices and could speak from experience about the prodigal son. It was great to have him there!
Then we all got down to business and made our shoeboxes as beautiful as they could be. We had seen in a video earlier in the day how excited the kids are who receive the boxes. We knew that we could add to that joy with what we were doing. It was neat to see that several of the young people had bought things in bulk that then could be shared in several of the boxes. Sharing in practice!
Scott brought a lesson after dinner about what sharing and serving is all about. Everyone got to practice a little bit - bringing someone some water, bringing some food to the table, or even washing feet! And then the challenge to keep serving one another in little ways every day.
A challenging movie (Pay it forward - sad ending, good challenge) finished the day before everyone went to sleep (or went home) after a busy day.
Sunday morning brought another good challenge from Remco. It is exciting to see how these young people are being challenged by young people (now grown up) who were challenged by young people. God teaches us to serve, to share and to keep giving - because HE has done and continues to do just that. What a wonderful God we have!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
18!
Two weeks ago Stephan turned 18. I still remember the evening that he was born - it isn't difficult to remember, it was Halloween. But he was the most beautiful thing we had ever seen in our lives. Along the way we have seen him in braces for his feet and braces for his teeth. He has always been someone who climbs - either in trees, up walls and rocks, or in his life as he strives to know God. And all along the way his smile has lit the way, bringing joy in our lives.Amazing to us to think that he is already at this point in his life. This is his last year in school here. Next year he will probably be in the States, making new friends. But it is also so exciting to see how he is growing. He still has so much fun and can be a real goof-off, but he is also a serious young man who takes his responsibilities seriously. He is a good friend to those around him and a good example as well. We are so thankful that God gave us this responsibility and blessing!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
October Newsletter
LIGHT in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
October 2007
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,
October was a busy, exciting month full of challenges, hard work, exciting moments and times to grow. It continues to amaze me how God can do so much in such a little time!
Preach the news, in season and out, take every opportunity to tell the good news. That is what we want to do and are trying to do in our life here in the Netherlands and Belgium. For October that meant getting ready to sing. As many of you know, Scott sings with an a cappella singing group called Listen Up! Many of you have prayed for them in the past, followed their efforts and have supported them.
The churches in Switzerland had also heard of how they preach using their song and wanted to use them in reaching out to their own cities, so a tour was planned (with Swiss precision) for five German-speaking cities in Switserland. This meant that Listen Up! had to find a week they could all get free, which turned out to be the Dutch school break. The Swiss churches found venues for the concerts and planned activites around the concerts to better reach people with Good news. By the middle of October, everything was ready and Listen Up!, together with Remco (Vero’s husband) and Shirley headed out for Bern.
Our experience in the next 8 days was amazing. It was so encouraging to see how these brothers and sisters put themselves into making these concerts a chance to talk to people. Many of the members had to do things they were not used to, but they did them, trusting in God’s strength. We were witnesses of this beauty and might – God is truly amazing in what He can do!
It was thrilling for us also to hear how the members were so pleased with how the word was preached. One preacher from the church in Switzerland let us know that he had never heard a singing group preach the word as we had. He had heard groups sing about Jesus, but we preached. That is exactly what we wanted to be able to do and we are so glad that God was able to use us in that way.
Of course we also saw wonderful places and gawked at the beauty all around us in the beautiful Swiss mountains and lakes. But it came home even more because we were shown the same majestic beauty in God’s creation of His family, the church in the various places we stayed. We stayed in the homes of members who spoiled us with love. We saw congregations who were very small stretching to do what they could and simply being faithful in living for God. As we hope their faith grew and was stretched, ours definitely was.
Maastricht
Back at home we were also able to continue some good studies and encouraging contacts. Scott hadn’t seen Lj since before the summer. When they finally got together, LJ mentioned that an hour a week was not going to be enough if she were to really learn what she wants. She is interested in the Old Testament and the new. “Could we meet for a longer time?” So now we are meeting for two hours a week and reading in Genesis and in Acts! This is exciting!
Mr. W. Is growing with each meeting. When we first met, he mentioned that he had read the New Testament before. This month he exclaimed that it was surprising how little you retain after one reading. He was glad we were going over things again. And it is a challenge for him – we are reading in Matthew, where, according to his feeling, Jesus makes some pretty difficult statements. And some of the things we are looking at directly challenge what he thought was in the Bible. It can be frustrating to see that things are not what you thought. But Mr. W. Is willing to look at this and discuss it. He wants to be more than simply someone who says they are Christian but doesn’t really do anything about it.
In November we will offer the 'Wijzer op Weg' course (Getting to know the Bible – abbreviated for the Dutch as WOW) again. It was this course that brought Mr. W. to us for the study we are following now. We hope that we will be able to reach a few more people in November and in the Spring when we offer the course again.
In addition to these efforts we continue our devo evenings with the men, which has been a real blessing for us as brothers in the church. The ladies try to get together every Thursday, but it is harder to get the guys together. This has worked out well so far – the men look forward to each meeting.
Please keep these efforts in your prayers. Pray for the churches in Switzerland as they continue with the contacts they made during the concerts. And pray for our efforts to continue reaching people as we preach in all different ways.
PRAYER WARRIORS
- LJ and Mr. W continue to ask good questions and be interested in what God is saying in His word. Keep praying!
- Pray for our outreach in November and December – WOW classes, flyering, questions in our neighborhood.
- Continue to pray for our young people in their growth – several of our young people are questioning what they want to do with their lives.
- V. is a girlfriend of one of our girls. She attends service regularly, having her father bring her on a Sunday morning, and goes to youth weekends and camp. Pray as she is considering what Jesus means to her.
- Pray for the Swiss churches’ outreach after the Listen Up! concerts in Bern, Thun, Luzern, Zurich and Schaffhausen.
DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
Places that speak or spoke Dutch
The Netherlands, Flanders (northern part of Belgium), a section of north-western France, South Africa, Indonesia, Surinam, Aruba, Dutch Antilles, Curacao and New York (which used to be New Amsterdam).
Australia used to be called New Holland and New Zealand is named after a Dutch province (Nieuw Zeeland). So the Dutch have had an influence on all continents (except Antarctica).
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 . . .
Our Swiss trip was a real experience for everyone this month. Usually Scott heads off with Listen Up! – without Shirley, but the boys have reached an age that they can handle themselves at home – alone. So Shirley was able to go along to Switzerland. What a blessing! There were such beautiful sites and wonderful relationships. Shirley makes girlfriends wherever she goes and Switzerland was no different. In Bern we were able to see and stay with old friends (Bill and DeeDee Bundy) and in Luzern and Schaffhausen she made new friends. It is wonderful how God has placed us in such a great family – everywhere we go!
Back in Belgium the boys were home alone. They didn’t have school break – that would come the week after we returned from Switzerland. So they had to make sure the dog was walked before they went off to school in the morning and after they got home. They had to take care of their own food (except for the two times they ate at Leon and Mariette’s house – a real treat!). And they had to take care of the house and themselves.
Sean had to bike to his soccer game on Saturday – 40 minutes there, play a full game, 40 minutes biking home. To have the dog eat your sandwiches off the table at that point did not make him happy. But he and Snuffles figured it out (and she didn’t steal any more food after that!).
While we were gone, the brothers devo was planned for our house. Stephan prepared the lesson and Sean picked and lead the songs. They also made sure the house was clean, got tea and coffee ready and offered snacks. Talk about good hosts – it was great to hear about the things they did.
Of course, when we arrived home a few hours early, Sean was quite clear that we were not yet allowed in the house – he hadn’t cleaned up yet! It was so good to know that they were not only able to handle themselves well while we were gone, but were able to grow from it as well.
The end of the month was a whirlwind of different activites. The boys had a vacation and went off to a games day with Joël. The first weekend of the vacation Stephan went early in the morning to Brussels to take the ACT in preparation for next year and the possibility of studying in the States. He also went down to camp for Fall camp and some lessons on what it was like in Jesus’ day.
In the middle of the week he turned 18 (can you believe it!!). We had the church over for some singing and good fellowship. Next weekend Stephan will have some friends down and go swimming all day. By mid-week Sean was convinced that the vacation was already over and he hadn’t done anything with it.
THANKS!
- Special notes from the church in Woodbury – it was a WONDERFUL packet of encouragement, just reading all of your notes and prayers.
- Hospitality of the churches in Switzerland
- Your prayers for all that is happening here and in Europe
What’s coming up?
NOVEMBER
WoW course
Youth weekend
Flyering in Maastricht
DECEMBER
Listen Up! singing in Utrecht
Bible study in Lanaken
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
October 2007
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,
October was a busy, exciting month full of challenges, hard work, exciting moments and times to grow. It continues to amaze me how God can do so much in such a little time!
Preach the news, in season and out, take every opportunity to tell the good news. That is what we want to do and are trying to do in our life here in the Netherlands and Belgium. For October that meant getting ready to sing. As many of you know, Scott sings with an a cappella singing group called Listen Up! Many of you have prayed for them in the past, followed their efforts and have supported them.
The churches in Switzerland had also heard of how they preach using their song and wanted to use them in reaching out to their own cities, so a tour was planned (with Swiss precision) for five German-speaking cities in Switserland. This meant that Listen Up! had to find a week they could all get free, which turned out to be the Dutch school break. The Swiss churches found venues for the concerts and planned activites around the concerts to better reach people with Good news. By the middle of October, everything was ready and Listen Up!, together with Remco (Vero’s husband) and Shirley headed out for Bern.
Our experience in the next 8 days was amazing. It was so encouraging to see how these brothers and sisters put themselves into making these concerts a chance to talk to people. Many of the members had to do things they were not used to, but they did them, trusting in God’s strength. We were witnesses of this beauty and might – God is truly amazing in what He can do!
It was thrilling for us also to hear how the members were so pleased with how the word was preached. One preacher from the church in Switzerland let us know that he had never heard a singing group preach the word as we had. He had heard groups sing about Jesus, but we preached. That is exactly what we wanted to be able to do and we are so glad that God was able to use us in that way.
Of course we also saw wonderful places and gawked at the beauty all around us in the beautiful Swiss mountains and lakes. But it came home even more because we were shown the same majestic beauty in God’s creation of His family, the church in the various places we stayed. We stayed in the homes of members who spoiled us with love. We saw congregations who were very small stretching to do what they could and simply being faithful in living for God. As we hope their faith grew and was stretched, ours definitely was.
Maastricht
Back at home we were also able to continue some good studies and encouraging contacts. Scott hadn’t seen Lj since before the summer. When they finally got together, LJ mentioned that an hour a week was not going to be enough if she were to really learn what she wants. She is interested in the Old Testament and the new. “Could we meet for a longer time?” So now we are meeting for two hours a week and reading in Genesis and in Acts! This is exciting!
Mr. W. Is growing with each meeting. When we first met, he mentioned that he had read the New Testament before. This month he exclaimed that it was surprising how little you retain after one reading. He was glad we were going over things again. And it is a challenge for him – we are reading in Matthew, where, according to his feeling, Jesus makes some pretty difficult statements. And some of the things we are looking at directly challenge what he thought was in the Bible. It can be frustrating to see that things are not what you thought. But Mr. W. Is willing to look at this and discuss it. He wants to be more than simply someone who says they are Christian but doesn’t really do anything about it.
In November we will offer the 'Wijzer op Weg' course (Getting to know the Bible – abbreviated for the Dutch as WOW) again. It was this course that brought Mr. W. to us for the study we are following now. We hope that we will be able to reach a few more people in November and in the Spring when we offer the course again.
In addition to these efforts we continue our devo evenings with the men, which has been a real blessing for us as brothers in the church. The ladies try to get together every Thursday, but it is harder to get the guys together. This has worked out well so far – the men look forward to each meeting.
Please keep these efforts in your prayers. Pray for the churches in Switzerland as they continue with the contacts they made during the concerts. And pray for our efforts to continue reaching people as we preach in all different ways.
PRAYER WARRIORS
- LJ and Mr. W continue to ask good questions and be interested in what God is saying in His word. Keep praying!
- Pray for our outreach in November and December – WOW classes, flyering, questions in our neighborhood.
- Continue to pray for our young people in their growth – several of our young people are questioning what they want to do with their lives.
- V. is a girlfriend of one of our girls. She attends service regularly, having her father bring her on a Sunday morning, and goes to youth weekends and camp. Pray as she is considering what Jesus means to her.
- Pray for the Swiss churches’ outreach after the Listen Up! concerts in Bern, Thun, Luzern, Zurich and Schaffhausen.
DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
Places that speak or spoke Dutch
The Netherlands, Flanders (northern part of Belgium), a section of north-western France, South Africa, Indonesia, Surinam, Aruba, Dutch Antilles, Curacao and New York (which used to be New Amsterdam).
Australia used to be called New Holland and New Zealand is named after a Dutch province (Nieuw Zeeland). So the Dutch have had an influence on all continents (except Antarctica).
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 . . .
Our Swiss trip was a real experience for everyone this month. Usually Scott heads off with Listen Up! – without Shirley, but the boys have reached an age that they can handle themselves at home – alone. So Shirley was able to go along to Switzerland. What a blessing! There were such beautiful sites and wonderful relationships. Shirley makes girlfriends wherever she goes and Switzerland was no different. In Bern we were able to see and stay with old friends (Bill and DeeDee Bundy) and in Luzern and Schaffhausen she made new friends. It is wonderful how God has placed us in such a great family – everywhere we go!
Back in Belgium the boys were home alone. They didn’t have school break – that would come the week after we returned from Switzerland. So they had to make sure the dog was walked before they went off to school in the morning and after they got home. They had to take care of their own food (except for the two times they ate at Leon and Mariette’s house – a real treat!). And they had to take care of the house and themselves.
Sean had to bike to his soccer game on Saturday – 40 minutes there, play a full game, 40 minutes biking home. To have the dog eat your sandwiches off the table at that point did not make him happy. But he and Snuffles figured it out (and she didn’t steal any more food after that!).
While we were gone, the brothers devo was planned for our house. Stephan prepared the lesson and Sean picked and lead the songs. They also made sure the house was clean, got tea and coffee ready and offered snacks. Talk about good hosts – it was great to hear about the things they did.
Of course, when we arrived home a few hours early, Sean was quite clear that we were not yet allowed in the house – he hadn’t cleaned up yet! It was so good to know that they were not only able to handle themselves well while we were gone, but were able to grow from it as well.
The end of the month was a whirlwind of different activites. The boys had a vacation and went off to a games day with Joël. The first weekend of the vacation Stephan went early in the morning to Brussels to take the ACT in preparation for next year and the possibility of studying in the States. He also went down to camp for Fall camp and some lessons on what it was like in Jesus’ day.
In the middle of the week he turned 18 (can you believe it!!). We had the church over for some singing and good fellowship. Next weekend Stephan will have some friends down and go swimming all day. By mid-week Sean was convinced that the vacation was already over and he hadn’t done anything with it.
THANKS!
- Special notes from the church in Woodbury – it was a WONDERFUL packet of encouragement, just reading all of your notes and prayers.
- Hospitality of the churches in Switzerland
- Your prayers for all that is happening here and in Europe
What’s coming up?
NOVEMBER
WoW course
Youth weekend
Flyering in Maastricht
DECEMBER
Listen Up! singing in Utrecht
Bible study in Lanaken
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Home alone
What do you do when your parents leave you alone for a week?
While we were off with Listen Up! in Switzerland, Stephan and Sean were home alone. Of course this has its benefits: eat what you want when you want, no worries about cleaning up your room, the possibility (if you disobey your parents) to have as many friends over as you might want, doing what you want when you want. We wondered how things might go (and trusted of course that they would be just fine).
We were only able to call twice while we were gone. The first telephone call was on Monday after we had left on Saturday. One of the biggest complaints was "I'm bored!" So maybe they don't mind us around after all! Everything else seemed to be going well. Shirley had left a list of which foods could be cooked. When asked what they were planning to eat Sean replied, "Macaroni and cheese of course. It's on the list!" Why come up with something when the work has already been done for you?
The next time we were able to call was Friday, at the end of the week. We found out that Stephan had taken the basketball team jerseys home to be washed but wasn't sure how he was going to get them back on game day since he could only take the bike. Sean had also had to go to his soccer game on the bike (a trip of a good 40 minutes). How would this all work out?
When we arrived early Sunday evening Sean met us outside and warned us that we could not yet enter. "You guys weren't going to be home until 8!" He wanted to make sure that things were cleaned up. Stephan had figured out a way to get to the ball game with the jerseys, and both boys (young men) looked quite healthy. There may have been some things happening that we don't know about (and some of you might know more - don't tell us), but all were healthy (even the dog), the house was still standing and we were glad to be back home.
We have been sharing big hugs the last week - we really did miss each other. It is good to be back together again
While we were off with Listen Up! in Switzerland, Stephan and Sean were home alone. Of course this has its benefits: eat what you want when you want, no worries about cleaning up your room, the possibility (if you disobey your parents) to have as many friends over as you might want, doing what you want when you want. We wondered how things might go (and trusted of course that they would be just fine).
We were only able to call twice while we were gone. The first telephone call was on Monday after we had left on Saturday. One of the biggest complaints was "I'm bored!" So maybe they don't mind us around after all! Everything else seemed to be going well. Shirley had left a list of which foods could be cooked. When asked what they were planning to eat Sean replied, "Macaroni and cheese of course. It's on the list!" Why come up with something when the work has already been done for you?
The next time we were able to call was Friday, at the end of the week. We found out that Stephan had taken the basketball team jerseys home to be washed but wasn't sure how he was going to get them back on game day since he could only take the bike. Sean had also had to go to his soccer game on the bike (a trip of a good 40 minutes). How would this all work out?
When we arrived early Sunday evening Sean met us outside and warned us that we could not yet enter. "You guys weren't going to be home until 8!" He wanted to make sure that things were cleaned up. Stephan had figured out a way to get to the ball game with the jerseys, and both boys (young men) looked quite healthy. There may have been some things happening that we don't know about (and some of you might know more - don't tell us), but all were healthy (even the dog), the house was still standing and we were glad to be back home.
We have been sharing big hugs the last week - we really did miss each other. It is good to be back together again
Monday, October 22, 2007
Amazing grace!
I am continually amazed at how God surprises me. I shouldn’t be – amazed or surprised. He has done it so often in the past, showing how good and mighty He is. I imagine He enjoys surprising us, giving us way more than we could even imagine. That is just what He is like. I get lost in my everydayness, forgetting that He has created each of those days so that He can surprise me with what He can do.
What amazed me was our recent trip to Switzerland. Listen Up! was asked to come sing for five congregations – Bern, Thun, Lucern, Zurich and Schaffhausen. (Shirley got to come with us and the boys stayed at home alone – but that is another story). We were looking forward to singing for them, being able to sing about Jesus – but I was surprised by how we were encouraged and challenged by those wonderful brothers and sisters.
At each city we were welcomed and showered with love.
The natural beauty (every direction you look seems to bring another amazing shot of God’s creation to view) and joyful sharing (chocolate, cheese, fellowship) showed us what we were singing about in each city. These people know God and know what it means to be part of His family!
In Bern, Lucern and Schaffhausen Shirley and I stayed with families willing to give up their living room so that we could have someplace to sleep. In Thun the members took a day off work so that they could follow a song workshop and help with the concert and outreach.
In Lucern we sang in the streets as the members handed out flyers inviting people to the concert. The concert itself was in the small room where the 10 members meet to worship and which is usually used for teaching karate on the fourth floor. But all of the 12 visitors came because they had been given a flyer in the streets of Lucern.
In Schaffhausen the young people who had come for the singing workshop sang with us in the market to invite people and then helped change a dungeon into a fairy tale theater for more than 100 people who were willing to sit in the cold for two hours listening to our ‘preaching’.
All of these people opened their homes and their hearts to us, sharing their positive attitudes, their love for God. We went expecting to encourage and help and we were the ones encouraged and challenged to live what we saw in them. God is so wonderful and His family continues to amaze me!
Now we are looking forward to hearing how God will continue amazing us as they talk to the various visitors to these concerts. We are so thankful that we had this time with them – to get to know them and to be challenged to live with their faithfulness. God is truly amazing – and so is His family when they are following His lead.
(I am still uploading pictures, but if you want to see some from Schaffhausen, you can check out the ones from Anina - click here.)
What amazed me was our recent trip to Switzerland. Listen Up! was asked to come sing for five congregations – Bern, Thun, Lucern, Zurich and Schaffhausen. (Shirley got to come with us and the boys stayed at home alone – but that is another story). We were looking forward to singing for them, being able to sing about Jesus – but I was surprised by how we were encouraged and challenged by those wonderful brothers and sisters.At each city we were welcomed and showered with love.
The natural beauty (every direction you look seems to bring another amazing shot of God’s creation to view) and joyful sharing (chocolate, cheese, fellowship) showed us what we were singing about in each city. These people know God and know what it means to be part of His family!In Bern, Lucern and Schaffhausen Shirley and I stayed with families willing to give up their living room so that we could have someplace to sleep. In Thun the members took a day off work so that they could follow a song workshop and help with the concert and outreach.
In Lucern we sang in the streets as the members handed out flyers inviting people to the concert. The concert itself was in the small room where the 10 members meet to worship and which is usually used for teaching karate on the fourth floor. But all of the 12 visitors came because they had been given a flyer in the streets of Lucern.
In Schaffhausen the young people who had come for the singing workshop sang with us in the market to invite people and then helped change a dungeon into a fairy tale theater for more than 100 people who were willing to sit in the cold for two hours listening to our ‘preaching’.All of these people opened their homes and their hearts to us, sharing their positive attitudes, their love for God. We went expecting to encourage and help and we were the ones encouraged and challenged to live what we saw in them. God is so wonderful and His family continues to amaze me!
Now we are looking forward to hearing how God will continue amazing us as they talk to the various visitors to these concerts. We are so thankful that we had this time with them – to get to know them and to be challenged to live with their faithfulness. God is truly amazing – and so is His family when they are following His lead.
(I am still uploading pictures, but if you want to see some from Schaffhausen, you can check out the ones from Anina - click here.)
Friday, October 12, 2007
September Newsletter
LIGHT in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:23
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
I want to take the time to tell you about a few of the people we have been meeting with, studying with, learning from recently.
Telling the truth in love
We have known Leon and Mariette Christoffels for quite some time. Their daughter, Patricia, came to camp as a teenager. Leon and Mariette attended a congregation in Lanaken that taught some things that were not Biblical. We had looked at working together with this congregation when we first arrived, and have kept the door open at all times, working with youth and trying to encourage where possible.
After some frustrating years and a time without a congregation, due to teaching, Leon and Mariette called us about something else, looking for some information and consolation. I invited them to worship with us and they have been an encouragement from the very first day. They want to know Jesus and his death and resurrection. They want to continue to grow in faith. And their desire is infectious.
We are so glad that we have kept communication open throughout the years, that the door has always been open. This is something we want to continue because we grow and are encouraged by it.
Another aspect of this same situation are our concerts with Listen Up! This month we held a concert to release our second cd. The concert was held in Haarlem and we made a major effort to invite all of our contacts. It was thrilling, then, to see so many people come to hear about who Jesus is and how we should respond to him.
The audience was not completely a believing audience. There were co-workers who simply like the music. There were parents whose children have ties in some way with one of the singers or the church. There were young men who came to help with the catering because they knew one of the singers. It was an amazing group of people, brought together to tell people about Jesus. And that is what happened. We know that when people say, “Beautiful music. I don’t know about the message, but I loved hearing you.” that they did hear the words.
Of course, the next step is to keep contact, to keep doors open and to continue talking about live with Jesus. Music alone will move people to think and act. We need to be ready to listen and communicate in love. That is what we are praying for with the church in Haarlem - and in Switzerland where we will be singing in October.
But how far do you go?
Sometimes you can talk and talk and talk - and you wonder if anyone is listening. It is not always easy to decide when to move on from a study, to allow the relationship to change. My studies with C and T often include some very clear language about Jesus, but this is not always accepted. After several years, they know what we think and we know what they think. Mrs. M. has been reading the Bible with me for almost 13 years! We have become friends, Shirley and I with her and her husband. But perhaps it is time for the relationship to change - not that we would end our friendship, but that we would shift the focus of our time. This is a difficult question.
Some people want to know more - now! LJ and Mr. W. are like that. Although I have not heard from LJ in September, we are planning to start studying again in October. Mr. W. is intrigued about what the Bible says about so many things. Although he feels he knows God, he is willing to re-examine what he knows in the light of the Bible.
And there are more people in this area who are also looking, wanting to know God better, to give their lives to Him. We need to figure out how best to spend our time. Although, as we are spending more time with the various groups, we see that this problem tends to solve itself. In addition to Mr. W. and LJ, we are also increasingly busy with the growth of our own youth in the church.
The men in the congregation decided to get together twice a week on a Friday evening for a devo. Now “devo” is a strange word for anyone here, but the evenings have already become a favorite. Plenty of singing (and really thinking about the words) and then some time to hear what God’s word says and talk about it. It has been so good to have a place to encourage one another as brothers. This has been great for Leon, Stephan and some of the young men we meet with from Tongeren.
As we continue through this year we want to continue to remember how patient God is with us and let that guide us also. It is so great to have such a wonderful, righteous God who is making us holy because He is holy!
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Give thanks for our concert in Haarlem! Thanks to so many for praying and working hard.
- Please keep our families in your prayers as we are away from them and want to help in so many ways.
- Pray for our outreach among the young people here. There are several who are growing into faith and need continued guidance and strength.
- Pray for Listen Up! as they plan for a tour through Switzerland to assist the churches there with evangelism.
- Pray for Mr. W. and LJ as we try to get back to our studies. Also for upcoming plans for classes and outreach.
On the family side . . .
September is the beginning of school and for Sean that has meant a real new beginning. He decided to change schools this year. When he left elementary school, most of his friends went to the Catholic middle school, but he went to the school where Stephan was (a combined middle and high school). Although this was not a problem academically, he has struggled with missing his friends. Now he has moved on to this new school. It is much smaller (200 students instead of 850) and only students in his academic area, which makes things a bit better. He has been a lot happier about school in any case.
Sean is still enjoying his soccer - although it is a lot muddier here than while we were in the States. He has only twisted his ankle slightly once, so he is also staying healthy. Along with soccer he is also showing more interest in his personal fashion. He makes sure that he gets good advice from Shirley - who does a good job teaching the boys about fashion, but also about buying well and not putting too much emphasis on your outside.
Stephan has been listening to Shirley’s advice for years. This is now his senior year and he wants to make a good impression all around. He is trying to stay focused on his studies, is taking part more in school activities, and is showing who he really is as a person. His visit to the States this year showed him how much of an advantage good grades can be, giving you more opportunities. Of course others had told him this before, but this summer it sank in.
In addition to his school work he is trying to make sure he is ready for the ACT test which he will take at the end of October. The most difficult part of these tests is not really the material, but the fact that he is a third culture kid with no mother tongue. We speak English at home, but his school is in Dutch. Imagine trying to figure out what an ‘isosceles’ triangle is (named after the mathematician rather than the property of the triangle), or if something is ‘congruent’ or ‘diffuse’. These are all very specific math or scientific terms. Since his maths and sciences are in Dutch, he has never encountered these terms. So now he is practicing for the ACT, studying on top of his studying. We are proud to see how he is taking it all to heart.
On top of his school work Stephan is still enjoying his basketball – he plays on the men’s team now. He is also a real friend to his friends here. When the devo’s started (see News) he has taken part enthousiastically. At church he offered to be the one to help send the list of prayers around to the men who will be praying (the ‘prayer warriors’ – doesn’t that sound like a bunch of guys?).
Scott and Shirley are enjoying each day with each other and these wonderful boys. Not every day is wonderful of course, but you pick out the good points and try to move past the difficult times, learning as you go. They are looking forward to being able to be together when Listen Up! goes on tour to Switzerland. Usually Shirley would stay behind with the boys. Now the ‘boys’ are young men and well able to deal with Shirley being off with Scott for a week (keep them in your prayers ;-)
EXTRAS
What’s coming up?
OCTOBER
Listen Up! tour of Switzerland
Fall camp
Youth outreach
NOVEMBER
WoW course
Youth weekend
THANKS!
- For the prayers for the work here
- For the good books
- For your encouragement in emails, calls and comments on the blog
DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
(Official) Religion
Recently (5 years ago) Belgium decided to choose some ‘official’ religions which would then be sanctioned by the government as ‘official’. These are: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Orthodox, Anglican, Islam and humanism. The Dutch have quite a history of religious reformation, persecution and tolerance. There are no ‘official’ religions, although there are several which do receive government finances. Less than 40% of people in the Netherlands adhere to a church and less than 50% of Belgians consider themselves religious. Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know.
Have a wonderful day today, growing up in the Lord!
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:23
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
I want to take the time to tell you about a few of the people we have been meeting with, studying with, learning from recently.
Telling the truth in loveWe have known Leon and Mariette Christoffels for quite some time. Their daughter, Patricia, came to camp as a teenager. Leon and Mariette attended a congregation in Lanaken that taught some things that were not Biblical. We had looked at working together with this congregation when we first arrived, and have kept the door open at all times, working with youth and trying to encourage where possible.
After some frustrating years and a time without a congregation, due to teaching, Leon and Mariette called us about something else, looking for some information and consolation. I invited them to worship with us and they have been an encouragement from the very first day. They want to know Jesus and his death and resurrection. They want to continue to grow in faith. And their desire is infectious.
We are so glad that we have kept communication open throughout the years, that the door has always been open. This is something we want to continue because we grow and are encouraged by it.Another aspect of this same situation are our concerts with Listen Up! This month we held a concert to release our second cd. The concert was held in Haarlem and we made a major effort to invite all of our contacts. It was thrilling, then, to see so many people come to hear about who Jesus is and how we should respond to him.
The audience was not completely a believing audience. There were co-workers who simply like the music. There were parents whose children have ties in some way with one of the singers or the church. There were young men who came to help with the catering because they knew one of the singers. It was an amazing group of people, brought together to tell people about Jesus. And that is what happened. We know that when people say, “Beautiful music. I don’t know about the message, but I loved hearing you.” that they did hear the words.
Of course, the next step is to keep contact, to keep doors open and to continue talking about live with Jesus. Music alone will move people to think and act. We need to be ready to listen and communicate in love. That is what we are praying for with the church in Haarlem - and in Switzerland where we will be singing in October.
But how far do you go?
Sometimes you can talk and talk and talk - and you wonder if anyone is listening. It is not always easy to decide when to move on from a study, to allow the relationship to change. My studies with C and T often include some very clear language about Jesus, but this is not always accepted. After several years, they know what we think and we know what they think. Mrs. M. has been reading the Bible with me for almost 13 years! We have become friends, Shirley and I with her and her husband. But perhaps it is time for the relationship to change - not that we would end our friendship, but that we would shift the focus of our time. This is a difficult question.
Some people want to know more - now! LJ and Mr. W. are like that. Although I have not heard from LJ in September, we are planning to start studying again in October. Mr. W. is intrigued about what the Bible says about so many things. Although he feels he knows God, he is willing to re-examine what he knows in the light of the Bible.
And there are more people in this area who are also looking, wanting to know God better, to give their lives to Him. We need to figure out how best to spend our time. Although, as we are spending more time with the various groups, we see that this problem tends to solve itself. In addition to Mr. W. and LJ, we are also increasingly busy with the growth of our own youth in the church.
The men in the congregation decided to get together twice a week on a Friday evening for a devo. Now “devo” is a strange word for anyone here, but the evenings have already become a favorite. Plenty of singing (and really thinking about the words) and then some time to hear what God’s word says and talk about it. It has been so good to have a place to encourage one another as brothers. This has been great for Leon, Stephan and some of the young men we meet with from Tongeren.
As we continue through this year we want to continue to remember how patient God is with us and let that guide us also. It is so great to have such a wonderful, righteous God who is making us holy because He is holy!
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Give thanks for our concert in Haarlem! Thanks to so many for praying and working hard.
- Please keep our families in your prayers as we are away from them and want to help in so many ways.
- Pray for our outreach among the young people here. There are several who are growing into faith and need continued guidance and strength.
- Pray for Listen Up! as they plan for a tour through Switzerland to assist the churches there with evangelism.
- Pray for Mr. W. and LJ as we try to get back to our studies. Also for upcoming plans for classes and outreach.
On the family side . . .
September is the beginning of school and for Sean that has meant a real new beginning. He decided to change schools this year. When he left elementary school, most of his friends went to the Catholic middle school, but he went to the school where Stephan was (a combined middle and high school). Although this was not a problem academically, he has struggled with missing his friends. Now he has moved on to this new school. It is much smaller (200 students instead of 850) and only students in his academic area, which makes things a bit better. He has been a lot happier about school in any case.
Sean is still enjoying his soccer - although it is a lot muddier here than while we were in the States. He has only twisted his ankle slightly once, so he is also staying healthy. Along with soccer he is also showing more interest in his personal fashion. He makes sure that he gets good advice from Shirley - who does a good job teaching the boys about fashion, but also about buying well and not putting too much emphasis on your outside.
Stephan has been listening to Shirley’s advice for years. This is now his senior year and he wants to make a good impression all around. He is trying to stay focused on his studies, is taking part more in school activities, and is showing who he really is as a person. His visit to the States this year showed him how much of an advantage good grades can be, giving you more opportunities. Of course others had told him this before, but this summer it sank in.
In addition to his school work he is trying to make sure he is ready for the ACT test which he will take at the end of October. The most difficult part of these tests is not really the material, but the fact that he is a third culture kid with no mother tongue. We speak English at home, but his school is in Dutch. Imagine trying to figure out what an ‘isosceles’ triangle is (named after the mathematician rather than the property of the triangle), or if something is ‘congruent’ or ‘diffuse’. These are all very specific math or scientific terms. Since his maths and sciences are in Dutch, he has never encountered these terms. So now he is practicing for the ACT, studying on top of his studying. We are proud to see how he is taking it all to heart.
On top of his school work Stephan is still enjoying his basketball – he plays on the men’s team now. He is also a real friend to his friends here. When the devo’s started (see News) he has taken part enthousiastically. At church he offered to be the one to help send the list of prayers around to the men who will be praying (the ‘prayer warriors’ – doesn’t that sound like a bunch of guys?).
Scott and Shirley are enjoying each day with each other and these wonderful boys. Not every day is wonderful of course, but you pick out the good points and try to move past the difficult times, learning as you go. They are looking forward to being able to be together when Listen Up! goes on tour to Switzerland. Usually Shirley would stay behind with the boys. Now the ‘boys’ are young men and well able to deal with Shirley being off with Scott for a week (keep them in your prayers ;-)
EXTRAS
What’s coming up?
OCTOBER
Listen Up! tour of Switzerland
Fall camp
Youth outreach
NOVEMBER
WoW course
Youth weekend
THANKS!
- For the prayers for the work here
- For the good books
- For your encouragement in emails, calls and comments on the blog
DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
(Official) Religion
Recently (5 years ago) Belgium decided to choose some ‘official’ religions which would then be sanctioned by the government as ‘official’. These are: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Orthodox, Anglican, Islam and humanism. The Dutch have quite a history of religious reformation, persecution and tolerance. There are no ‘official’ religions, although there are several which do receive government finances. Less than 40% of people in the Netherlands adhere to a church and less than 50% of Belgians consider themselves religious. Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know.
Have a wonderful day today, growing up in the Lord!
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Off to Switzerland
This Saturday Listen Up! heads off to Switzerland for a tour of five cities there, singing as part of evangelism from the churches in those cities. We are so looking forward to meeting the brothers and sisters there, being used to reach people in those cities, singing!, and sharing this life that God gives. It is GREAT being a part of such a family!
We will be back by the 21st and I hope to share some news then of how everything went. Thank you for your prayers for us, for the churches there and for the people who will be listening. Sing of His great love today!
We will be back by the 21st and I hope to share some news then of how everything went. Thank you for your prayers for us, for the churches there and for the people who will be listening. Sing of His great love today!
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Let's sing!
Last weekend Listen Up! held a concert and party to present their new cd - "Yesterday is coming". A lot of work went in to the day itself - a ton of snacks and drinks, organizing and decorating the place we rented, making sure everyone was made welcome etc - it was such an encouragement to see how so many helped to make this day special!
This was a special day for a lot of reasons:
Listen Up! wanted to let more people know how much God loves them. We do our best to let people know how good it is to be with God and know Him. Not only our songs, but also our attitudes and what we say. With this concert we continued a project we started before the summer where we encourage people to compliment one another.
This was the first time that 'In Hymn' sang for a larger audience and with microphones. This is a group that Listen Up! has taken under its wing to encourage and help in doing the same thing - reaching people's hearts and minds with the word of God.
Listen Up!'s cd was presented to the general public - and well accepted. We are so encouraged by how many people have told us that they listen regularly to the songs we sing and are encouraged by the words, the message, and the music.
Visitors came from congregations from around Belgium and the Netherlands (from as far as 3 hours away)! And there were many visitors from outside the church - people who don't believe but who love music, or know one of the singers, or heard about us from the radio. It is exciting to see how God uses these opportunities!
So many people have been praying for this day and for the people who would be coming. Thank you!! Continue to pray for those who were present, who helped (some of our helpers were also non-believers, and we have already heard how they were impressed by the spirit during this busy evening), and who will hear the music. God is gracious and great and is so very present in this world!
This was a special day for a lot of reasons:
Listen Up! wanted to let more people know how much God loves them. We do our best to let people know how good it is to be with God and know Him. Not only our songs, but also our attitudes and what we say. With this concert we continued a project we started before the summer where we encourage people to compliment one another.
This was the first time that 'In Hymn' sang for a larger audience and with microphones. This is a group that Listen Up! has taken under its wing to encourage and help in doing the same thing - reaching people's hearts and minds with the word of God.
Listen Up!'s cd was presented to the general public - and well accepted. We are so encouraged by how many people have told us that they listen regularly to the songs we sing and are encouraged by the words, the message, and the music.
Visitors came from congregations from around Belgium and the Netherlands (from as far as 3 hours away)! And there were many visitors from outside the church - people who don't believe but who love music, or know one of the singers, or heard about us from the radio. It is exciting to see how God uses these opportunities!
So many people have been praying for this day and for the people who would be coming. Thank you!! Continue to pray for those who were present, who helped (some of our helpers were also non-believers, and we have already heard how they were impressed by the spirit during this busy evening), and who will hear the music. God is gracious and great and is so very present in this world!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Back in Belgium
There are so many things that we missed while in the States - and so many things we didn't miss! Looking at what you have at the moment - and appreciating that - is something that we continue to learn. This trip and return to Belgium has helped along the way.We are back to sweaters and coats (the shorts went straight from the suitcase into the closet - ready for next year!), back to carrying the umbrella when you walk the dog AND back to rainbows almost any day at just the moment you need one (a promise from God!) and escape from stifling heat.
Getting up at 7 in the morning to go to school is a lot different than lounging in bed with friends and family close by with whom you can play BUT school means being back with your friends on this side, playing basketball and soccer, riding your bike, setting up your room with new team emblems.
Back to walking the dog every morning, rain or shine IS back with our wonderful little dog who missed us so much, to morning mists rising on the canal or impressionist sunsets painting the clouds and peaceful walks and talks with God.Missing family who live so far away, BUT being back with family who are so glad to see us once again and whom we so missed. God continues to amaze us with how big, how loving, how giving his family is - because they are his.
These are the blessings of everyday, blessings we never want to miss, wherever we are.
July/August Newsletter
LIGHT in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
July/August 2007
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:10-11
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
Wow - what a wild and wonderful summer! It was great to be able to see so many of you and to get to know so many new people as well. God continues to surprise and bless us.
Furlough tales
Many of you have been able to follow our travels around the States from the blog, so I will not go into detail on everything. I simply want to highlight a few things from each stop - things we learned or experienced while there. We flew or drove through 8 states and visited 12 cities in the 8 weeks we were traveling. We are so grateful that we were able to not only visit our church family, but were also able to spend some good time with relatives. This was only possible because so many of you were willing to sacrifice, risk letting us drive your cars and keep us in your homes. Thank you!
In Minnesota and Wisconsin we were touched by an eldership and church family that was concerned about wanting to be sure that we had the chance to rest and be built up. What wonderful hearts - from just making meals to playing discgolf.
In Iowa we were blessed to help with the VBS, so Scott was Elijah and Jesus, Shirley was Mary and Salome, Sean was Lazarus (which sounds really weird in Dutch!) and Stephan helped conduct the kids each evening. While in Iowa we also drove over to visit Scott’s brother and family in Indiana - meeting our nephews/cousins for only the second time. It was great to get to know them a bit better.
In Omaha, Nebraska, we spent some wonderful time with Shirley’s family. We have been praying for her sister’s family and it was good to see how God is working there. Our nephew is serious in sharing his faith and growing further. We were also able to visit a congregation where Shirley had been baptized so many years before. The links that God makes in peoples lives are so wonderful to see!
In Colorado Scott was able to have fun at Kamp Koinonia as well as present a lesson and sing some old songs with good old friends. But family is the most important thing when we come through this way. We celebrated Scott’s birthday, together with his younger brother, talked about his mom’s upcoming move and deepened the already tight bonds in Christ. It was hard to leave, knowing that there was still so much we wanted to be able to do.
California brought us new family. We stayed with a family which didn’t know us and vice-versa, but which has taken a special place in our hearts. With Kerry and Marisol Jablonski we worked together, shared, talked and learned. It was thrilling to see how God can make such a difference in relationships - something we know, but were able to experience once again.
In Texas we were once again overwhelmed with the love of a congregation wanting to give us an opportunity to recharge our batteries. Abilene always brings a sense of ‘coming home’ when we pass through. It was great to see the boys hook right in to the youth activities as well.
Meanwhile back at the ranch ...
This was one of the first times that we didn’t really leave our work in Belgium and the Netherlands behind. With internet everywhere (or almost) we were able to keep up on how things were going. This also meant that some of our work could follow us around the US as well.
It is exciting to see and realize (and be reminded) that God can use more people than just us. Sometimes we think quite highly of ourselves, but God shows us that He is the one in charge. In July the summer camp weeks went great, with some really good groups meeting. Once again we had several visitors to these weeks from outside the church - young people who were touched by the gospel and other young people who want to know God.
There were also some concerns and difficulties, but our brothers and sisters have the same mighty Father as we do. It has been good to come back and hear how they dealt in a spiritual way with these difficult moments. When we left at the end of June, there was no one to organize the usual Family Day at the end of camp. But this too was taken care of - the young church in Ghent took it on themselves to organize the day. Although the weather didn’t always cooperate, it was a great time to be challenged.
We always see September as the beginning of the year and we are excited about what is on our path this year. As we look back at the summer and see how richly God blesses us, we know that He will continue to strengthen us through the task before us.
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Give thanks for our safe trip in the summer and all the wonderful meetings we had with God’s family.
- Please keep our families in your prayers as we are away from them and want to help in so many ways.
- Praise and thank God for the summer camp weeks - there were several young people from outside the church who experienced God here.
- Pray for Listen Up! and their upcoming concert in Haarlem - this will be for a largely non-Christian audience.
- Pray for Mr. W. and LJ as we try to get back to our studies. Also for upcoming plans for classes and outreach.
ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
Our summer furlough trips are always a bit of a blur - so much happening in so many places! We were so glad to be able to see so many people. We only wish that we could be in more places and in each place longer, but then we would have to hang around in the States for much more than a summer. And we were missing all of our family here as the summer came to a close. What a wonderful dilemma - to have so much family that you want to be everywhere!
Our traveling went basically without too much trouble. We had a bit of a hiccup on the way over (“What do you mean, we’re on ‘standby’ - I bought those tickets months ago!”), but arrived safely and with all of our luggage. Here are a few of the things that hit us as we traveled around the country and visited family and friends.
Sean was thrilled to be able to play soccer in so many places. Most of the places he was able to play it was with girls teams. This gave him a different respect for girls. In Iowa and Texas he trained with some pretty good girls teams. He was glad to be able to play. And in the meantime he bought shoes - cool shoes, soccer shoes that cost way more in Europe, shoes that he chose.
Stephan had a good time meeting new friends and seeing old friends. He seems to be able to get along no matter where he goes. And he still loves being with his family as well! But this trip was different since we were also looking at the future. Hearing college recruiters tell you about there school and what you can do there, what it will be like - it all brings the future awfully close, awfully quickly (or was that just the parents’ reaction?)
Scott was able to go discgolfing in every city they stopped in (except Indianapolis - next time!). Most of the time he went early in the morning with Stephan. New discs were part of the luggage making its way back to Belgium. Shirley enjoyed finding garage sales (remember - we don’t have garages in Belgium, let alone garage sales). She was able to find some super deals and have a good time as well.
We saw fields and fields of corn, vast stretches of Colorado nothingness and mountains climbing to the clouds. We stayed in beautiful old homes, family homes with voices we love hearing and even a little place that seemed to be more of a resort - but was definitely a home. We were able to visit almost all of our family and even met some friends from the past who we hadn’t expected to see. We were blessed to stay with people we just met, and people we had never met before - simply because we are family in Christ.
The boys went to Universal Studios, Scott and Shirley went to Santa Monica and beautiful downtown Burbank. We were blessed with swimming pools, discgolf courses, fireworks, Bible camp activities, guitar playing, VBS and evening walks with good conversations. And we were challenged with family needs and desires. We may live far away from so many, but we are not removed. Some pain and frustration, a need for encouragement - God wants to use all of us anywhere we are. And He is able!
Thank you all for such a wonderful visit! What a wonderful family we have in Jesus Christ!
DID YOU KNOW?
Politics
In the United States people are used to the 2-party system. Politics in Europe is much more complicated.
Belgium has three different governments: Flemish, Walloon and the federal government. There are at least 5 different parties in each of the two regional governments. Then they also have to work together in the federal government.
The Dutch have at least 6 different parties making up the government (not counting the really small ones). They have had to learn to compromise.
Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know.
WHAT'S COMING UP?
SEPTEMBER
Listen Up! concert
OCTOBER
Listen Up! tour of Switzerland
Fall camp
Youth outreach
NOVEMBER
WoW course
THANKS!
- For all the help with this summer and your special gifts
- For so many who put us up and put up with us
- For your encouragement and care of the guys
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
July/August 2007
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:10-11
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
Wow - what a wild and wonderful summer! It was great to be able to see so many of you and to get to know so many new people as well. God continues to surprise and bless us.
Furlough tales
Many of you have been able to follow our travels around the States from the blog, so I will not go into detail on everything. I simply want to highlight a few things from each stop - things we learned or experienced while there. We flew or drove through 8 states and visited 12 cities in the 8 weeks we were traveling. We are so grateful that we were able to not only visit our church family, but were also able to spend some good time with relatives. This was only possible because so many of you were willing to sacrifice, risk letting us drive your cars and keep us in your homes. Thank you!
In Minnesota and Wisconsin we were touched by an eldership and church family that was concerned about wanting to be sure that we had the chance to rest and be built up. What wonderful hearts - from just making meals to playing discgolf.
In Iowa we were blessed to help with the VBS, so Scott was Elijah and Jesus, Shirley was Mary and Salome, Sean was Lazarus (which sounds really weird in Dutch!) and Stephan helped conduct the kids each evening. While in Iowa we also drove over to visit Scott’s brother and family in Indiana - meeting our nephews/cousins for only the second time. It was great to get to know them a bit better.
In Omaha, Nebraska, we spent some wonderful time with Shirley’s family. We have been praying for her sister’s family and it was good to see how God is working there. Our nephew is serious in sharing his faith and growing further. We were also able to visit a congregation where Shirley had been baptized so many years before. The links that God makes in peoples lives are so wonderful to see!
In Colorado Scott was able to have fun at Kamp Koinonia as well as present a lesson and sing some old songs with good old friends. But family is the most important thing when we come through this way. We celebrated Scott’s birthday, together with his younger brother, talked about his mom’s upcoming move and deepened the already tight bonds in Christ. It was hard to leave, knowing that there was still so much we wanted to be able to do.
California brought us new family. We stayed with a family which didn’t know us and vice-versa, but which has taken a special place in our hearts. With Kerry and Marisol Jablonski we worked together, shared, talked and learned. It was thrilling to see how God can make such a difference in relationships - something we know, but were able to experience once again.
In Texas we were once again overwhelmed with the love of a congregation wanting to give us an opportunity to recharge our batteries. Abilene always brings a sense of ‘coming home’ when we pass through. It was great to see the boys hook right in to the youth activities as well.
Meanwhile back at the ranch ...
This was one of the first times that we didn’t really leave our work in Belgium and the Netherlands behind. With internet everywhere (or almost) we were able to keep up on how things were going. This also meant that some of our work could follow us around the US as well.
It is exciting to see and realize (and be reminded) that God can use more people than just us. Sometimes we think quite highly of ourselves, but God shows us that He is the one in charge. In July the summer camp weeks went great, with some really good groups meeting. Once again we had several visitors to these weeks from outside the church - young people who were touched by the gospel and other young people who want to know God.
There were also some concerns and difficulties, but our brothers and sisters have the same mighty Father as we do. It has been good to come back and hear how they dealt in a spiritual way with these difficult moments. When we left at the end of June, there was no one to organize the usual Family Day at the end of camp. But this too was taken care of - the young church in Ghent took it on themselves to organize the day. Although the weather didn’t always cooperate, it was a great time to be challenged.
We always see September as the beginning of the year and we are excited about what is on our path this year. As we look back at the summer and see how richly God blesses us, we know that He will continue to strengthen us through the task before us.
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Give thanks for our safe trip in the summer and all the wonderful meetings we had with God’s family.
- Please keep our families in your prayers as we are away from them and want to help in so many ways.
- Praise and thank God for the summer camp weeks - there were several young people from outside the church who experienced God here.
- Pray for Listen Up! and their upcoming concert in Haarlem - this will be for a largely non-Christian audience.
- Pray for Mr. W. and LJ as we try to get back to our studies. Also for upcoming plans for classes and outreach.
ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
Our summer furlough trips are always a bit of a blur - so much happening in so many places! We were so glad to be able to see so many people. We only wish that we could be in more places and in each place longer, but then we would have to hang around in the States for much more than a summer. And we were missing all of our family here as the summer came to a close. What a wonderful dilemma - to have so much family that you want to be everywhere!
Our traveling went basically without too much trouble. We had a bit of a hiccup on the way over (“What do you mean, we’re on ‘standby’ - I bought those tickets months ago!”), but arrived safely and with all of our luggage. Here are a few of the things that hit us as we traveled around the country and visited family and friends.
Sean was thrilled to be able to play soccer in so many places. Most of the places he was able to play it was with girls teams. This gave him a different respect for girls. In Iowa and Texas he trained with some pretty good girls teams. He was glad to be able to play. And in the meantime he bought shoes - cool shoes, soccer shoes that cost way more in Europe, shoes that he chose.
Stephan had a good time meeting new friends and seeing old friends. He seems to be able to get along no matter where he goes. And he still loves being with his family as well! But this trip was different since we were also looking at the future. Hearing college recruiters tell you about there school and what you can do there, what it will be like - it all brings the future awfully close, awfully quickly (or was that just the parents’ reaction?)
Scott was able to go discgolfing in every city they stopped in (except Indianapolis - next time!). Most of the time he went early in the morning with Stephan. New discs were part of the luggage making its way back to Belgium. Shirley enjoyed finding garage sales (remember - we don’t have garages in Belgium, let alone garage sales). She was able to find some super deals and have a good time as well.
We saw fields and fields of corn, vast stretches of Colorado nothingness and mountains climbing to the clouds. We stayed in beautiful old homes, family homes with voices we love hearing and even a little place that seemed to be more of a resort - but was definitely a home. We were able to visit almost all of our family and even met some friends from the past who we hadn’t expected to see. We were blessed to stay with people we just met, and people we had never met before - simply because we are family in Christ.
The boys went to Universal Studios, Scott and Shirley went to Santa Monica and beautiful downtown Burbank. We were blessed with swimming pools, discgolf courses, fireworks, Bible camp activities, guitar playing, VBS and evening walks with good conversations. And we were challenged with family needs and desires. We may live far away from so many, but we are not removed. Some pain and frustration, a need for encouragement - God wants to use all of us anywhere we are. And He is able!
Thank you all for such a wonderful visit! What a wonderful family we have in Jesus Christ!
DID YOU KNOW?
Politics
In the United States people are used to the 2-party system. Politics in Europe is much more complicated.
Belgium has three different governments: Flemish, Walloon and the federal government. There are at least 5 different parties in each of the two regional governments. Then they also have to work together in the federal government.
The Dutch have at least 6 different parties making up the government (not counting the really small ones). They have had to learn to compromise.
Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know.
WHAT'S COMING UP?
SEPTEMBER
Listen Up! concert
OCTOBER
Listen Up! tour of Switzerland
Fall camp
Youth outreach
NOVEMBER
WoW course
THANKS!
- For all the help with this summer and your special gifts
- For so many who put us up and put up with us
- For your encouragement and care of the guys
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Jet lag
After five days back in Europe we are all starting to get back into the swing of things - although it IS still vacation! Some are still having a bit of trouble getting up in the morning, but that will change as soon as school starts on Monday (not that anyone will be less tired, just that they will have to wake up).
I have also now loaded the pictures from Texas for those of you who would like to see them. Thanks again for all the care, love and prayers while we traveled and visited. What a wonderful family we have in God!
I have also now loaded the pictures from Texas for those of you who would like to see them. Thanks again for all the care, love and prayers while we traveled and visited. What a wonderful family we have in God!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Safe and sound
Today we received our luggage! It is fun to get everything together, open up all the bags and remember what we forgot we had brought back with us. But I am getting ahead of myself - we are home safe and sound! We made it home Saturday after a long day of flying and driving, stayed awake until about 9 p.m. and pretty much made it through Sunday as normal.
Our flight from Minnesota over Philadelphia was delayed. This meant that we barely made our transfer for the flight to Frankfurt - but we DID make it! That flight was great: pleasant service, good food (they even had metal silverware!) and long enough to get a little sleep in (although we didn't). Once in Frankfurt we saw what we had expected - our luggage had not made the transfer. Now, we had planned to be picked up by a brother in the church using our car and a trailer, knowing that we would have lots of luggage. Now the trailer wasn't necessary, but I couldn't cancel it. Still, now the airline would send all our luggage on to our house, saving us the trouble.
So our bags arrived today, mostly without any damage and containing all of our things. Which is a good thing, since we had taken quite a few of our clothes with us (or at least the important parts). In the meantime our wait for our ride from Franfurt meant that we stayed awake on Saturday, Sunday brought a wonderful homecoming with our church family in Maastricht (and Scott already started rehearsing again with Listen Up!) and we can sleep in our own beds again. God takes such good care of us! It is wonderful to live with Him. Thanks for your prayers for our trip.
Our flight from Minnesota over Philadelphia was delayed. This meant that we barely made our transfer for the flight to Frankfurt - but we DID make it! That flight was great: pleasant service, good food (they even had metal silverware!) and long enough to get a little sleep in (although we didn't). Once in Frankfurt we saw what we had expected - our luggage had not made the transfer. Now, we had planned to be picked up by a brother in the church using our car and a trailer, knowing that we would have lots of luggage. Now the trailer wasn't necessary, but I couldn't cancel it. Still, now the airline would send all our luggage on to our house, saving us the trouble.
So our bags arrived today, mostly without any damage and containing all of our things. Which is a good thing, since we had taken quite a few of our clothes with us (or at least the important parts). In the meantime our wait for our ride from Franfurt meant that we stayed awake on Saturday, Sunday brought a wonderful homecoming with our church family in Maastricht (and Scott already started rehearsing again with Listen Up!) and we can sleep in our own beds again. God takes such good care of us! It is wonderful to live with Him. Thanks for your prayers for our trip.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Imagine that!
For the last week we have been in Abilene, Texas - temperatures in the high 90's, so you stay inside. Sean has gotten to practice with a soccer team twice, putting up with the inability to breath in order to get some soccer in. And then it started to rain! Yesterday dropped a good 5 inches (12 cm) in a few hours in this place that barely has gutters since it hardly ever rains. Suddenly the city discovers how many creeks run through the city, how many roads become rivers, and how hard it is to get from one side of town to the other. Imagine not coming to work because it rained (those of you living in Europe)!
This means that I may not get to go discgolfing today. So far we have golfed in every city we stayed in. Stephan and I went the other day here in Abilene, too, so that's okay. It has been great to be able to get out of the house, get a little exercise and see the cities we are in. We usually go quite early (to avoid the heat). Today we planned to play in a mini-tournament, but hole 13 had a water hazard and is now probably UNDER water. We'll see - the play is in the afternoon, things can clear up quite quickly in Texas.
In the meantime we are talking about the different schools we have seen along the way. It is hard for us to imagine that Stephan will soon be gone from home. We want him to have some good opportunities and have visited a few Christian universities here in the States. As we have said goodbye to people along the way of our furlough ("See you in three years."), we realized that Stephan will not be with us the next time. Imagine that!
Friday, August 17, 2007
Southern Cal sights
Furlough stage 5 part 2
One of the things most of our supporters want for us is that we get some time to look around, do some vacation type things, chill out. This isn’t always possible – we also want to see a lot of people who we haven’t seen in so many years. But as in the other States we have visited, here in California the church family took good care of us. The boys were hooked into the youth group almost right away and had a great time. Sunday afternoon they went eating visiting, played guitar hero and were just plain goofy together. Later in the week was a youth evening at the Jablonskis. The end of our stay in California was closed off with a visit to Universal Studios with our home family (Kerry, Marisol, Zoey and Tiger). But that was just the guys – Shirley and Scott had other plans.
One of the days that the guys were off having fun, Shirley and Scott headed off to Santa Monica. That evening they would be able to visit with a wonderful church family in “beautiful donwtown Burbank”, but before getting there they decided to do some sightseeing. Scott even got stuck in an Apple store (now how could that happen, I wonder?). So we saw Warner Brothers, Disney Studios, the place where Nickleodeon and Cartoon Network are made and the Santa Monica pier (with PCH running next to it).
The last full day in California was reserved for a visit to San Diego for Scott and Shirley. Scott’s sister-in-law and nephew live just 2 hours from Long Beach, so we jumped in the car and headed down. Although we only had a few hours together, it was great to see Pricila and Matthew again. It is always good to see family and to be able to renew those bonds each time we are in the States. A great meal together (we get to eat out so much while we are here!) and some good conversation gave us a little more for the next few years (though not nearly enough!).
Thanks again to all those who made this financially possible (support, shared cars, putting us up – putting up with us, feeding us). God can do so much through so many – it is wonderful!
California Cool, part 1
Furlough stage 5
Flying in over Los Angeles, we all got that California feeling:
“Look at all those pools!”
“Did you see the ocean?”
“Okay, the 405 to the 5, or was it the 10? Traffic looks pretty good.”
We were met by David Cron with his familiar smile and welcoming heart. Then we went out to the palm trees of southern California. We were wondering what this stay would be like since we were staying with a family we had never really met before – Kerry and Marisol Jablonski and their two kids, Zoey and Tiger. But we have always been warmly welcomed by our brothers and sisters in Christ and this was no different. Isn’t it great to be part of this family!!
As we walked into the Jablonski home and through the kitchen to the back yard Sean asked, “Am I dead, cause this sure looks like heaven.” Palm trees, banana trees, a pool with waterfalls all welcomed us in. Even better, Kerry and Marisol opened their hearts as well as their home to us. We have been so blessed with the families we have stayed with at each stop – all of them truly making us feel at home while being in their home. This house and family was no different. The first evening included some time for the boys in the pool and the hot-tub, and then off for a really good nights sleep.
One of the things the church in Long Beach wanted us to be able to do while here was to relax. Naturally there were many families who wanted to see us again (and who we wanted to visit) and there were those who wanted to hear about the work, but the idea was also to get plenty of down time. Our first week was a perfect example of this. We were able to go over to the Cron’s house and eat some great home-made pizza while visiting about the work and our lives together. During the day we had plenty of time to lounge around the pool, sit in the cool pool house working on emails or go garage-saling (that sounds interesting – can you imagine a sailing a garage?).
One of the nice things about staying with the Jablonskis was that they allowed us to be part of their family whiel there. They ahd planned a wedding reception for Kerry’s brother and new bride and we were able to help set up and take part. It was a wonderful evening of family and fun (check out the hula dancers and cake pictures on the flickr site). We were so honored to be able to expereince this together with them. The boys even got to earn some extra spending money and gain some experience serving as waiters during the reception.
Which brings us to shopping. Since we were worried earlier in the trip about how many bags we could fit in the rental car, we kept purchases to a minimum – even though we usually plan on buying some things while in the States (shoes, jeans, towels are usually cheaper here). So far we had found a few things at garage sales and had crammed them into spaces in our current luggage. Butu now we could expand a bit – and we did. Sean was especially happy to find soccer shoes (football shoes) at a MUCH better price than at home, while Scott got some shorts (he had packed at the last minute and didn’t have any warm weather clothes). This would of course mean repacking with wisdom, but we were ready for that.
While here we have also spent plenty of time with the church family. Scott preached on Sunday morning and the boys headed off with the youth group Sunday afternoon and evening (check out some of those pictures as well). But we also had plenty of time swimming in the pool, visiting downtown Long Beach, getting to know the kittens in the house, and just relaxing with this church family.
Next time I will talk about the rest of the time in California (San Diego, Santa Monica, Universal studios and beautiful downtown Burbank).
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Goodbye California, Hello Texas!
We are now down in Texas after an exciting exit from Los Angeles. Our flight from LAX was at 6:40 a.m. and we thought that 1 hour before time would be enough - we JUST made it on the plane!
We arrived in DFW, rented a car (by now it had to be a small SUV, since we have grown to 5 big bags) and drove out to Abilene. It is great to see that some things don't change that much - everything is still where we left it three years ago in Abilene :-)
We will put up the update on our time in California in a few days, along with all the new pictures. Thanks again for all the prayers and for the communication while we have been traveling!
We arrived in DFW, rented a car (by now it had to be a small SUV, since we have grown to 5 big bags) and drove out to Abilene. It is great to see that some things don't change that much - everything is still where we left it three years ago in Abilene :-)
We will put up the update on our time in California in a few days, along with all the new pictures. Thanks again for all the prayers and for the communication while we have been traveling!
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Luggage swap and birthday bash (stage4, part 2)
During this leg of our trip we have had a rental car (picked up in Minneapolis and to be dropped off in Denver). This car was quite nice (air-conditioning, satellite radio etc), but the trunk was just big enough for the suitcases we had, with one sitting between the boys. But we came planning on returning with more suitcases than at the beginning. This is one opportunity to purchase some well-needed clothes and shoes for growing boys. But as long as we were using the car, we could not expand our luggage. Now we were in Colorado, however, some of that shopping could begin (although more may be done in California and Texas). So Shirley and Yumiko had a great time looking for garage sales, going to the stores and looking around.
- the flour war at Kamp Koinonia -
One of the highlights of the Colorado visit was the day up at Kamp Koinonia. Scott’s search for Jesus began many, many years ago at this camp (though not this campground). And many of the things that he now incorporates into his camp weeks in Belgium had their origin at this camp. So it was a sort of homecoming for him. He and the boys arrived in time to take part in the flour war and later that evening helped with and took part in the Jewel Hunt. In between Scott sang with his ‘brother’ Bret and reunited with the old ‘Four on the Floor’ – a quarrtet formed more than 25 years ago. Amazingly, the songs came out pretty well! What a joy to see old friends and experience new places all at the same time!
The end of our time in Colorado Springs was another highlight in this trip. Scott celebrated his birthday with almost all of the siblings (his brother Mike was still in Indiana).
Scott’s brother, Marc, has a birthday a few days after Scott’s, so it was a double birthday with all of the siblings and almost all of the nieces and nephews present. Scott’s sister, Barb, hosted everyone and helped organize the whole thing. Plenty of guitar playing, reminiscing, laughing and getting to know one another. It is great to have family!
Before we left Colorado, we did a few interesting things:
Scott went shooting with his brother John (John had recently bought a Romanian AK-74 and wanted to try it out), we all drove up to Denver and visited with Scott’s second family (Ron and Jean Carter and the Carter clan present) and spent some good time with Scott’s older brother Chris and his wife Lynette. It is amazing how good and filled two days can be! We were so thankful for all the time with so many people we love so dearly. 
We finished up the CO leg by spending several hours in the airport in Denver with Bret. The car had to be returned by 10 and our flight left at 4 p.m., so we had plenty of time to talk about movies, books and the future. Then it was through security (shoes off, don’t forget to take the fluids out of your carry-on) and off to California!
- the flour war at Kamp Koinonia -The end of our time in Colorado Springs was another highlight in this trip. Scott celebrated his birthday with almost all of the siblings (his brother Mike was still in Indiana).
Scott’s brother, Marc, has a birthday a few days after Scott’s, so it was a double birthday with all of the siblings and almost all of the nieces and nephews present. Scott’s sister, Barb, hosted everyone and helped organize the whole thing. Plenty of guitar playing, reminiscing, laughing and getting to know one another. It is great to have family!Before we left Colorado, we did a few interesting things:
Scott went shooting with his brother John (John had recently bought a Romanian AK-74 and wanted to try it out), we all drove up to Denver and visited with Scott’s second family (Ron and Jean Carter and the Carter clan present) and spent some good time with Scott’s older brother Chris and his wife Lynette. It is amazing how good and filled two days can be! We were so thankful for all the time with so many people we love so dearly. 
We finished up the CO leg by spending several hours in the airport in Denver with Bret. The car had to be returned by 10 and our flight left at 4 p.m., so we had plenty of time to talk about movies, books and the future. Then it was through security (shoes off, don’t forget to take the fluids out of your carry-on) and off to California!
Rocky mountain high (stage 4, part 1)
Colorado gave varying welcome messages to each of us. The first was that we should have tanked up in Nebraska! This went together with the other thought that Sean had: “Where are all the people?” After leaving Ogallala (yes, that’s a real name) and turning southwards to Colorado, there is literally nothing (okay, not literally, otherwise we couldn’t be driving, breathing, etc), just vast amounts of open country with not a house or mark of humanity in sight (other than the road we were on). So when we needed gas and a gas station finally showed up – well they could ask just about anything they wanted for gas, couldn’t they? But in the end we got to Denver, passed along the airport and drove down to Colorado Springs where Pikes Peak welcomed us.
Sean: “Now where is Pikes Peak?”
Scott: “The big one shrouded in cloud at the top over there.”
Sean: “I thought it was bigger.”
Scott: (a bit flustered, this is ‘his’ mountain) “Yeah, it’s only 14,000 feet.”
Sean: (a few minutes later) “WHICH one is it?”
Scott: “See those black mountains? Look past those to the clouds. The mountained crowned by the clouds is Pikes Peak.”
Sean: (with a sudden recognition) “Oh! Is that the peak! I thought it was one of those black mountains in front.”
Our ‘task’ in Colorado Springs was to relax and spend time with family. Scott was going to speak up at Kamp Koinonia, but other than that there were no obligations. We settled in to the well-ordered cave at John and Yumiko Raab’s house and just sat back. John and Yumiko have a house with a lovely basement, nice and cool on the warm days. They give us the basement to ourselves – the boys in one room, the adults in the other bedroom. What a luxury! But even more is just being able to sit with everyone in the livingroom and enjoy the conversation, the laughing, the time together. No matter what happens, we know we are family.The day after our arrival Scott went with his brother John to get John’s kids who were up at camp. Kamp Koinonia is up in the Colorado mountains just southwest of Denver (Sedalia for those who know the area). In addition to seeing the kids, Scott got to see several people he had not seen for many years (one from about 30 years ago!) and got a tour of this facility with its 140 acres. The following week Scott would come up with the boys to spend a day here at camp – that would be a treat!
One of the things we love about traveling and that we have mentioned everywhere we go is that we get to see all of our brothers and sisters in Christ in so many different places. It is so good to know and experience that as Christians we have family everywhere! A Sunday morning is such a wonderful time – even if you don’t know the people and are just meeting them. But we were coming home to this congregation. It was great to see so many who are supporting us in so many ways. Thank you Father for such a wonderful way of helping us, linking us together, making us one.
Shirley's family
Come meet Shirley's family - check out these pictures of our visit to Nebraska. We weren't able to meet everyone, but it was great to spend time with those we could.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Iowa pictures
I have finally gotten some of the pictures uploaded from our time in Iowa and Indiana. Click on this picture to go to our photo site and check those out.
I hope to get the pictures from Nebraska and Colorado loaded very soon. We are so thankful for all the family and friends who are sharing so much of their time and themselves with us. What a blessing you all are!
I hope to get the pictures from Nebraska and Colorado loaded very soon. We are so thankful for all the family and friends who are sharing so much of their time and themselves with us. What a blessing you all are!
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