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
Thursday, October 25, 2007
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)