Family!

As we prepare to head off for two months, we are reminded again of the things that are so important and real in our lives. The apostle Peter said to Jesus, “We have left all we had to follow you!” Jesus replied, “No one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of Godwill fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

People here are almost flabbergasted when we mention that we will be gone for two months – until we explain where we will go and who we will see. Then it is often surprise that we are welcomed in so many placesby people we don’t even know. And truly, it is wonderful to know that we have family all over the world. And while we are very much looking forward to hugging on our boys’ necks, seeing our daughters-in-lawagainand seeing our blood relatives, we are also so thankful that we will be able to see brothers and sisters in Christ whomwe have not seen for quite a while and meet new parts of the family all over the US.

But before we get to see everyone on that side of the water, we have been spending time with our family here. As I wrote earlier this year, blessings come in all sorts of packages, including painful ones. It has been beautiful to see how we as a family in Maastricht can help one another when a member loses a loved one, when a dreaded diagnosis is given, or when a daily reality of living with a spouse antagonistic to faith hits again. We are here for one another. 

We have also been spending these last couple weeks trying to take care of everything that needs to keep going while we are gone. We will jump into a week of camp three days after we arrive back in Belgium, so lessons and plans need to be in place already. We want to make the most of relationships with people we have been talking to about God’s love, so we have spent time around the table in conversations. And the grass finally needs to be mowed and the weeds on the driveway pulled. 

In March Shirley enjoyed the ladies retreat in Germany. Scott held another singing workshop, this time in Eindhoven where Scott and Shirley go every third Wednesday for singing. We enjoyed several Monday evening studies with brothers and sisters as well as several other Wednesday studies at our home. 

These are the kinds of things we also look forward to in our travels in the coming months. Scott will offer a song workshop in Muscatine and Denver, will share thoughts and views on Bible camps and missions and will, together with Shirley, talk about how God has brought us this far and how He wants to use all of us. We look forward to seeing you in the US. Please let us know if we can hook up when we are in your neck of the woods. Family is very important to us.