Where oh Where Wednesday: Capital cities

You would think that talking about a capital city would be easy. After all, every country has their capital (their head city) and their capitol (the building housing the government) somewhere. Sometimes they move it or build whole new cities to be a capital. But every country has one somewhere. 

In the Netherlands, it is not so difficult as simply a bit unclear. What type of capital does one mean?  Many people when thinking of the Netherlands would say that Amsterdam is the capital. But this is as with many US states, the most well-known or populous city is not necessarily the capital city, where the capitol is found. As a matter of fact, in the States, the capital is seldom the most populous city. 

The government of the Netherlands, parliament, meets in The Hague (and has done since 1588). This is where the prime minister has his office - a little place called ‘the tower’ (the little pointy tower in the photo). When the King gives his yearly speech at the opening of parliament on the 3rd Tuesday of September, it is in the Knights’ Hall. The Supreme Court is also in The Hague. We might say that the capitol is in The Hague.

And yet, Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. This is even established in the constitution. Even in a 1983 revision of the constitution, Amsterdam is noted as the capital city of the country. And yet, Amsterdam has only once in its history housed the government (and this for only 2 years between 1808-1010). The king’s palace (one of them) is here in Amsterdam. 

For Belgium it might seem that things are simpler,. Not so fast. Nothing in the political arena is easy in Belgium. The capital of Belgium is indeed Brussels. The region around Brussels even has its own government and the area is called ‘the capital region of Brussels’. One could also argue that Brussels is the capital of Europe, since the European Parliament meets here. But even that is not easy - and is a story for a different time. 

Although Brussels is the capital of Belgium, Belgium itself is a confederation. It is made up of three almost separate areas working together: Flanders, Wallonia and Capital city (Brussels). And then there is the federal government over all of those layers. There is then a capital of Flanders and a capital of Wallonia. 

So you have choices when you come to visit Belgium and the Netherlands. You could visit up to 5 different cities to have visited the capital of these two countries. Come on over and we will help you figure out what to do. You can also visit the church in 4 of the 5 cities as well. 

A flexible year

This past year was a time to be flexible and see how God could use each and every moment. We all like to plan. To know what is going to happen. But we have all learned that this is not always possible. It may not even be desirable at all times. Often it is simply good to see what is coming and be able top ‘roll with the punches’. That is what this year looked like at various times. 

In January we were still planning on getting to the US for our regular Home Assignment. We try to get back every three years. The last time was in May-July 2019. But the world changed a lot by the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020. Our plans for returning to the US in the Spring of 2022 was looking more and more unlikely as travel restrictions were still in place. So we started looking at planning a Fall trip. Since we do not travel with the boys (2016 was the last time we traveled with Sean, and that was only for part of the trip), we can choose different moments in the year. 

In spite of those plans being changed, some of our normal activities continued: weekly studies, singing evenings each month in Eindhoven and Maastricht, As the year continued, corona restrictions lightened and we were able to make more concrete plans. A lot of this had to do with our summer Bible camp weeks. This would be the first year in a while that we would be able to hold a Family Camp week and everyone was looking forward to that. 

The congregation was also experiencing quite a few changes. In March we welcomed a group of Ukrainians in the congregation and looked into how we could help in this refugee crisis (including looking at how to use camp). We suddenly had more people to care for in the congregation, but we also had to look st how to do this (including translation, housing, helping). A year on, two of these young Ukrainians are getting married in 2023 and have been a strong part of the church here. 

We were able to hold in-person events as the weather cleared up and brought sunshine. This included our yearly gathering in The Hague where we included the various Ukrainians spread across the Netherlands and Belgium. We also planned and took part in various activities in other cities, trying not only to make refugees feel welcome, but looking at how God could use us all together. 

After great summer Bible Camp weeks, we started looking seriously at our plans for going to the US in the Fall. By this time prices were rising everywhere. Travel restrictions were still not completely clear, so we made the decision to move our plans to 2023. Trying to fly and drive for 2 months visiting family and church family from the East coast to the West and all through the Midwest was proving to be a challenge. 

Still, when we saw that Shirley’s sister’s health was not doing well at all, it was important enough to plan a full week (plus travel days) to visit and see if we could help in any way. We didn’t really think or plan that much. We simply looked at what was possible, asked for guidance and help and went. We are so thankful that God has put us in a position to be able to do just that. 

The year has ended with plenty of great activities with a congregation that has grown very close through a year of dealing with change and learning to trust. We react to challenges with trust in God and being active with one another. This is what we are looking forward to in the coming year as well. 

It is not easy to consider being gone for a full two months. This means leaving people and plans behind. But we know that these plans, if they are in God’s hands, are well-cared for. We know that the church is Christ’s church. We know that God can do far more than we ever even imagine or plan. So we will try to make our plans for visiting the US in May-June 2023 as well as continuing normal activities and being ready to develop any new opportunities that God presents us with. Please keep these things in your prayers. We will update you with our possibilities in the coming months. 

God blesses us every day, each year. We are so thankful that, no matter where we are, we know that He is in control and is able to use us mightily for His will and to His glory. Thank you for walking with us this past year. We look forward to hearing from you, seeing you and working together in any way possible in this coming year. 

Whensday: Anniversaries

Today (December 21) Shirley and I celebrate 38 years together. We were married on this day in 1984 in Cloverdale church of Christ in Searcy, Arkansas. Since that day we have celebrated this day in all sorts of places and doing all sorts of things. Most of the time we do not get the opportunity to celebrate on the day, but we make sure that we spend some time together around this period (usually in January). 

That very first day we left Searcy and spent the night in Hot Springs, Arkansas, driving on to Abilene, Texas in a car that almost killed us from a leaky exhaust pipe. For the next few years we celebrated in Abilene with church family encouraging us (we had a great ‘young marrieds’ group at church). 

Our 5th year saw us celebrating with the addition of Stephan, who had shown up on Halloween that year. We were still in Abilene, but by the next year we had moved to Long Beach, California just before moving overseas. Our anniversary was shared with the church family in Long Beach and we flew to Belgium in January the following year (3 weeks later, in other words). 

The anniversary in 1991 we were living in Antwerp, Belgium, on a busy street in a busy city with a growing little boy and planning our move to the area of Maastricht, the Netherlands. It would still be another 6 months before we moved, but the plans had been set in motion by this time. We had started the year out living with our colleagues in their small house. We then moved to an apartment where we could welcome guests and finally get the things we had shipped from the US. We celebrated this anniversary in January 1992, leaving Stephan for a few days with colleagues and spending time together in the area where we were to move. 

In June 1992 we moved to our house in the village of Neerharen, Belgium (a village in the town of Lanaken). The following anniversaries were most often spent at home or nearby doing all sorts of activities. In 1995 Scott began with the singing group Listen Up!. For several years they organized a concert around Christmas called ‘Always CHRISTmas’. These concerts could be in Eindhoven, Woudenberg, Haarlem, Maastricht or Antwerp, but very often fell on our special day. So we celebrated in abbreviated form wherever we were at the time. 

In 1993 we shared the anniversary with our second addition to the family when Sean arrived in September. We also took our first furlough to the States that year in the winter, spending our anniversary with Scott’s mom in Colorado. For most of the years following we would take our furlough in the summer months because of school vacations. 

One of the years, we figure it must have been 2006 (so 22 years married), we took a short mid-week together as a family. We had some time in a bungalow park in the south of the Netherlands where the boys ran around (‘parcours’ was in fashion), we bowled together and enjoyed some family time. 

On our 25th anniversary, in 2009, good friends in Brussels (thank you Bill and Deedee) had us at their place and we spent a few days in the city, taking in some museums, getting some good food and sharing the time together. We were able to relax and spend the time together. The boys were old enough to be left alone and we made the time to make it special. In the year after we took 3 or 4 days together for a real celebration, traveling to Breda, Apeldoorn and Deventer (in the Netherlands).

Fast forward to 2012 and we celebrated in Oregon, OH while preparing for Stephan’s wedding to Natalie. This was only the second time in the US during winter. We met Natalie’s family and spent the day before the wedding making the wedding cake pops together as a combined family. We did spend the evening of our anniversary in a hotel.

In March 2018 Sean married Jill and they moved to New York City in October. This meant that this year was the first time that we had celebrated our anniversary without the kids in any way. Of course, we once again had various activities at the time, so celebrated on a different day. 

We seldom are able to celebrate on the day itself, but we know every year how good it is to have had another year together. We continue looking forward to the places and times we might celebrate in the future. This year we will look at heading off to a nice city ion the Netherlands - sometime in January. 

What does church look like?

“You can’t ‘go’ to church because you are the church!” I remember hearing this early on in my new life as a Christian. And it is so true. The family, the Christians, are the ecclesia, the church. In Dutch, the word for church - “gemeente” - is the same word used for the city government. Some might use the word “kerk”, but this refers more to a building. 

This past Sunday showed once again what it looks like to be the church. In Maastricht we try to make sure that we do things in Dutch. We are, after all, a Dutch-speaking group in a Dutch-speaking city. But we are much more than that. We have 6 Dutch-speaking couples and 7 Dutch-speaking singles. But that only tells a part of the story. Most of these couples are mixed in some way. There is an Ecuadorian wife, a German husband, Belgians, and two Americans (guess who). Among the singles, there is an Iranian, Armenian, and a Belgian. And this is just the group that speaks Dutch. 

You see, although we try to make sure that things are done in Dutch, we know that we have quite a group that does not speak Dutch. So we translate into English. We have one English-speaking family and 8 English-speaking singles. There are Americans, a Nigerian (who also speaks Russian), an Albanian, a Brazilian and four Ukrainians. Around this time of year some might start singing about partridges and pear trees. 

So what does church look like? On a Sunday people filter in (some with a cultural time adaptation - if you know what I mean) and those who are earlier will be greeting each other and already drinking some coffee. After the study, some others will grab their cup of coffee in the space that we leave between the study and the beginning of our worship time together. This is a time of more greeting, hugging and general hullaballoo. 

We worship, as I mentioned, mostly in Dutch. This means that most songs are in Dutch. But we have talked with the Ukrainians and found out which songs they also have in Ukrainian and Russian. This means that the song-leader can choose songs which they know. At that time you will hear singing in Dutch and a bit of Ukrainian at the same time. A few months back, we would also hear some Spanish when Deysi’s parents were visiting from Ecuador. 

The sermon and prayers are translated into English or from English into Dutch. Sermon outlines are available in Dutch and English. Sometimes you will hear some translating of a difficult point into Russian or Ukrainian. More importantly, when all is said and done, we all gather around the coffee and discuss the lessons and how God has been blessing us in whatever language makes things clear. There is a pleasant hum of discussion and sharing. 

One of our ladies takes the Lord’s Supper to one of our shut-ins. In the week we gather online for a Bible study. The ladies just returned from a week together. Some of the members get together in the week to help each other or just meet and talk. Our Nigerian will be moving, so others will help with a car and trailer. Our young Ukrainian couple is marrying in January, so we look at how to help them get settled in. Family stuff. On a Sunday or any other day of the week.

Yesterday we spent time together having Christmas fun. We played games with gifts (white elephants), ate goodies that everyone had prepared and brought, and had a good time together. This is what church looks like. Language doesn’t matter. Where you are from doesn’t matter. There are some challenges, but we can get through those because we are family, we are church - the body of Christ. 

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.  1 Corinthians 12:12-14

(If you do Instagram, you can find us there @gvc_maastricht)

Whodunit Wednesday: Scholars

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘scholar’? If you search for important scholars throughout the ages, you come upon several connected with the Netherlands. 

Many university students would like to get an Erasmus scholarship. The Erasmus program encourages and assists with international study through its scholarships. The scholarship and program is named after the scholar Erasmus, who was full out: Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, or Erasmus of Rotterdam. He was a philosopher and scholar in the mid-15th through beginning of the 16th century. He wrote about changes that needed to be made from within the Catholic Church during the reformation and is considered a Christian Humanist.

Baruch Spinoza, or Benedictus de Spinoza was born in Amsterdam in the 17th century to Portuguese-Jewish parents. He was one of the exponents of rationalism and pushed the idea of the Enlightenment. He developed ideas against the authenticity of the Hebrew Bible and was considered by many as an ‘atheist’, which meant that his works were banned for a time. 

More recently, Somali-born Ayaan Hirsi Ali has made a name in philosophical and scholarly circles. She was a member of the Dutch parliament before moving to the US in 2006. She has especially been outspoken against the Muslim faith and considers herself and atheist. She continues to work against the influence of Islam, especially as it has to do with women. This has put her high on the death-threat list for terrorists. 

These philosophers, scholars and politicians have greatly shaped the Netherlands and how people here think - about God, about the world, about religion.

(PHOTO: Yeager-Crasselt, Lara. “Scholar in His Study” (2017). In The Leiden Collection Catalogue, 3rd ed. Edited by Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. and Lara Yeager-Crasselt. New York, 2020–. https://theleidencollection.com/artwork/scholar-in-his-study/ (accessed December 14, 2022).)

Around the world

This past Friday we held a CHRISTmas sing-a-long, inviting our neighbors, Ukrainians in the city and any others to pion us in singing Christmas songs in various languages. We sang in French, Dutch, English, German, Ukrainian and Russian (and even in Latin). We wanted people to be able to not only enjoy this time in their own language, but also share this time with others. 

The Netherlands was playing against Argentina in the World Cup, so many Dutch people had quite a conflict for this evening. But we had a great group of Ukrainians who came from Eindhoven (about an hour away) to sing with us and to meet the congregation here in Maastricht. The singing was done before 9pm. The talking went on until about 10pm. We are so thankful for how God creates family. 

Last week we also heard from a small village in Uganda who received 50 Bibles in their own language. The church family here wanted to help with this need and took care of sending the Bibles in a responsible way. As a congregation we have helped with various congregations in times of need: in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, St. Maarten and Curaçao as well as with our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. 

God’s family, the church that is the body of Christ, is not some small group of people in a city in a country. It is a body, truly linked around the world and serving as the hands of Jesus wherever they are. If you are a Christian, you are not alone. We are made to be in communion, in a body, working together. And even if you are isolat5ed, you are not alone. Write, pray, email, call, speak to those around you. God is mighty and is using us all mightily, wherever we are. 

Whatsit Wednesday: Dog breeds

Back in June, we said goodbye to our sweet dog, Chester, who was not even originally our dog. He was chosen by our 90 year-old sister, Willemien, when she could not do without a dog after her previous dog unexpectedly passed away. Willemien had always asked that we care for her dog if she herself were to pass away first. She made it to 95 years old, so we took Chester at that time. Chester made it to 94,5 in dog years. But Chester was a cocker spaniel,  a common dog here, but not a Belgian or Dutch dog. Whats’s that, you say? What is a Belgian or Dutch dog? 

There are several Belgian breeds that are well known around the world, although you might not have known that they were Belgian. The Malinois is a very energetic dog often used for police and military purposes. The Brussels Griffon, on the other hand, is a well-known lap-dog as is the Papillon (a toy Spaniel, named as such because its ears look like butterflies). 

The bloodhound is actually called a St. Hubert hound from Belgium. Then there is also the Schipperke, a lesser well-known dog that doesn’t know how small he is. Sometimes nicknamed the ‘little black devil’ it looks a bit like a Tasmanian devil and has the energy to go with it. This is the Belgian version of a sea dog. 

And the Bouvier des Flandres is a huge wooly dog, from Flanders (the Dutch-speaking area of Belgium), which monks formed by crossing Irish Wolfhounds and Scottish Deerhounds. These Bouviers (which means cattle herder) are one of the first dogs I saw when I first came to the Netherlands. It amazed me, because the Dutch live in tiny apartments, but have no fear keeping such a dog as it lived on ships.  

The best known Dutch breed is the Keeshond. Every Dutch child at one time knew this dog, even if they had never seen a dog before. The alphabet was learned from a ‘leesplank’ a reading plank that had pictures to show the letters of the alphabet. So ‘a’ is for ‘aap’ (that is: ape) And ‘k’ is ‘kees’ with a picture of this dog. 

The dog was often kept on Dutch barges and was familiar throughout the country. At one point it was a symbol of the Dutch patriots. The name means ‘Kees’ dog where ‘Kees’ is a common name in the Netherlands. The name could have come from a well-known dog during the patriot days, or one of the patriots themselves. These dogs are family of the Samoyed and Pomeranian. 

These days we don’t really care what breed a dog is, as long as we get a chance to stop and pet it. On our most recent trip to the US a young woman had her dog with her in the airport. When asked, she was more than willing to allow me to say hello to her dog, understanding that we could use the comfort. We will not be getting another dog, but will continue enjoying seeing dogs around us. 

Family Time - again and again

The last few weeks have been full of family time. One of the things that I learned early on in my Christian life was how wonderful God makes family. Not only has he designed the family - father, mother and children - but he has designed the church as family. 

Jesus tells Peter and the disciples, after speaking with and about the rich young ruler, that “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age.” (Mark 10:29-30)

I have always experienced this, from the moment I became a Christian and left my own family but gained a Christian family. So too with Shirley in her life. And yet, we never left our families, our brothers and sisters - they simply had a different place in our lives. 

From November 14-24 we traveled to the US to visit Shirley’s family. Her sister is not doing well and we wanted to see if we could help, to be there for her. Usually, when we are back in the US for Home Assignment, we have about two and a half days in Omaha for Shirley’s family. This time we had 8 and a half days. It felt as if we were able to lavish this time on her family and we were very thankful that it was possible. The travel itself went very well. We would appreciate prayers for the health of Shirley’s sister. 

The Sunday we returned, we were able to share and see family again - in the spiritual sense. We have a young Ukrainian couple in the congregation who are far away from home. They will marry in January, far away from home and most family. But they are with their Christian family. We held a wedding shower for them and blessed them financially as a congregation to help them on their new journey.

The congregation in Maastricht is indeed a big, amazing family. We have several young men studying or working, far from family and culture. We have three young ladies from varied cultures who have made their homes in Belgium or the Netherlands. We have mixed culture families, Belgians and Dutchmen all together in one loving family - because of Jesus Christ. 

This past weekend Shirley and I helped get the Americans in the church in Belgium and the Netherlands together for “Thanksmas”. We cannot meet on a Thursday for Thanksgiving and often have other obligations for Christmas, so we meet in the middle and make it Thanksmas - sharing our American culture and our Christian culture together. Although Shirley and I got sick and couldn’t attend, we were thankful that the others were able. 

This coming Friday evening the congregation has moved our regular 1st Friday singing to the 2nd Sunday and invited people of all cultures to come and sing of Jesus Christ in this time that welcomes Him into everyone’s lives. Our CHRISTmas singalong will be with songs in all different languages. We have specifically invited Ukrainians in the city to come join us. It should be a great time of fellowship and let people know how beautiful family is to God our Father. 

We pray that you have enjoyed family during Thanksgiving and will be able to see family during Christmas. But if you are not able to travel, open your home to others and experience family as God has always intended. We are meant to be together and He does that best. 

Go here (Instagram) if you want to see our fun with Andrey and Adriana. 

Wild Wonderful Wednesday

On this 5th Wednesday we are indeed going wild. Everyone has a bounty of wilderness just outside their door, and it is no different for us. Even if you live in the city, you can find some pretty wild stuff if you open your eyes. Come with us today into our backyard and marvel at what God has made. 

This year we have had full Fall color - even now at the end of November. Our cherry tree is blazing into the winter, giving us a wonderful view to the canal in the background. This is the backdrop of our little bit of the wild. Look down. Look up. Look further away and close by. God has blessed us with all sorts of wonders to enjoy. 

Although it is now colder and we haven’t seen them for some time, we can generally run across some slugs crawling along our terrace and even up the window. In Dutch they are called ‘naked snails’ for obvious reasons. We also have plenty of clothed snails in the yard. 

As we walk further into the yard - stepping very high at the moment because my lawnmower broke down and the grass is quite high - we come across several mole hills. Although we are not too happy with the hills all over the yard (it makes mowing the lawn quite a challenge), it is intriguing to wonder about all the life going on just under the surface. We have only once seen one of these little guys. 

Along the sides of our yard are long stretches of hedge. The one side is a very thorny hedge, in Dutch called ‘May thorn’ (hawthorn in English). Even now there is a constant flurry of little birds flitting in and out, crumbling about with one another, chirping and screeching. We can enjoy these birds from the living room as well, since they also live in the holly tree growing in the neighbors driveway, next to our drive. 

At the back of our yard, outside our hedge and next to the canal, I pile all of the cuttings from the year. The hedge cutting, and cuttings from the trees in the yard (we have a cherry tree and a walnut tree, as well as several other bushes and trees I am not familiar with). In these piles of cuttings live various other critters. In the past we have found hedgehogs roaming the yard and even living in our garage. 

We regularly hear fox in the evening, with their identifiable screeching cry, as if someone were out along the canal I pain. In the summer we hear the frogs calling all night long. If we are up early enough in the morning, we might even see the fox (I have seen him twice) as well as a marten (weasel). The marten’s are endangered, so you cannot dop anything to keep them away, even though they chew through the hoses of your car - one of their favorite places to hide. 

Sitting in the dining room looking out over the yard we can watch the pigeons and blackbirds sitting in the cherry tree. Both of them like to ‘cook’ the cherries in the summer. They pick a hole I various cherries and let it begin to rot. Then they can return later and eat the juice they have created. We compete with the for the cherries. But usually, if we leave them the higher branches, they leave us the lower ones. 

We have also see quail and even a pheasant sitting in the yard under the cherry tree. The quail have wondered across the yard with their young. But they have to be quite careful, since we have various good hunting cats in the street and neighborhood. The dogs have never been able to do any damage, but the cats know their way around a hunting field. 

If we continue through the gate at the end of the yard and walk out to the canal, we can enjoy all of the other water fowl available for perusal: geese of all sizes, ducks, swans and heron. All make their home for a time along this water, disregarding in general the bikes riding by and even ignoring most of the dog owners tied to their animals pulling them along the walkway. 

I haven’t even talked of the various insects and spiders, worms and crawly things the can be found all around the house (sometimes in the house). It is truly amazing what we can see when we open our eyes. I am always thankful for how wonderfully God has made everything. Look around you. Tell me - what do you find? 

Where oh Where Wednesday: Luxembourg

The Benelux is a combination of three countries: Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. All three countries together would be hard to find on a globe if you didn’t know where they were to be found (Northern Europe, between Great Britain, France and Germany). And yet these three countries economically were the foundation of the European Economic Union. The capitol city of Luxembourg is also one of the four institutional seats of the European Union (together with Brussels, Frankfurt and Strasbourg). 

Luxembourg is officially a Grand Duchy with connections to the Netherlands and produced several emperors of the Holy Roman Empire in the 14th century. This tiny country (less than 1000 square miles) with a population of fewer than 700,000 still carries its weight. They were a founding member of NATO and one of six founding members of the European Economic Community (which became the European Union). Luxembourgish politicians were founders of the EU, father of the Euro and presidents of the European Commission. 

Luxembourg was a stalwart of the steel industry until the decline of this industry in the 1970’s. It then became a global financial and banking hub. Since the 21st century the country has focused on developing into a knowledge economy, including a national space program. They were also considered a tax haven and were placed on a grey list of countries with questionable banking arrangements. 

Its central location, stable economy and low taxes make it a favorite for the telecommunications industry as well as students traveling in Europe. Back when I lived in the Netherlands, young people (under 26) could buy an Interrail pass to travel the rail lines throughout Europe. But you were not allowed to use the rail in the country you purchased the card. So everyone purchased the card in Luxembourg and could travel everywhere else. 

In Luxembourg the citizens speak Luxembourgish which is partially intelligible by those who speak High German, but it also includes at least 5000 words of French origin. As a Dutch speaker, I often wonder when I hear a Luxembourg tv station whether I am hearing Dutch, German or French. Yes. That is what I am hearing. 

Luxembourg is a beautiful place to visit, easy to reach (only about 1.5 hours from our house) and varied in every way. You can go hiking in the mountains, see cultural activities in places like Echternach or discover history in Luxembourg city. When we first moved to Belgium we even enjoyed visiting the Chi Chi’s which could only be found there (and it was the only place to find Tex-Mex and Mexican food). 

Whensday: When Belgium went without a government

Do we need government? For plenty of people this is a real question. When people have to deal with red tape or bureaucracy, the real frustration can cause us all to wonder if government is good for anything. 

Politics in Belgium is quite complicated. There are 3 different levels (federal, provincial, city) but there are then also three different areas: Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels. All of these levels make for more than enough bureaucrats and an amazing amount of red tape to swim in. There are elections at various times for the various levels of government, and each level vies for the most attention and money and power. 

In 2010 federal elections had to come up with a new federal government. Belgium is a multi-party system and there is never a clear majority. This means that parties have to work together. And that is in each level of government. The immediate results didn’t give a clear combination of parties. Neither the left side of the spectrum nor the right had enough seats, even when working with others within their side of the spectrum. 

This stalemate of sorts was not strange. It had happened before in Belgium and The Netherlands as well. In The Netherlands, they had had a “purple” government. The left is typically red, the economically liberal right is considered blue -  together they were purple. So waiting for the parties to figure out how they would work together was not a strange thing. 

But it did become a sort of a competition, with the world as spectators. It took more than 500 days (589) before a government was finally formed and installed. So what had the country been doing in the almost two years of no government? Just about everything as usual. The previous government’s decisions were continued, no new decisions could be made and all of the bureaucrats would be staying anyway. 

It was an interesting lesson. I remember some Dutch friends worried that Belgium would descend into civil war. But I knew that most Belgians simply want a good coffee or beer, enough French fries (they are not French, but Belgian) and some peace and quiet. This was exactly what people were able to enjoy during that time. 

In 2018 Belgium started on the path to breaking its own record, this time lasting 653 days without a government and ending up with a “Vivaldi” coalition in October 2020. Vivaldi is the composer of the Four Seasons because there were now 4 groups in the coalition (Greens, Socialists, Liberals and Christian Democrats). Maybe the next elections will last even longer. 

A quick trip

Today we are jumping on a plane - actually three planes - and heading to Omaha, Nebraska. By the time you read this we will have arrived, after a 24 hour trip. We are leaving our house at 6am and arriving in Omaha around 10pm (which is 5am in Belgium). Thankfully our Ukrainian brother, Alex, is driving us to the airport and watching our car while we are gone. Then he will pick us up on the 24th and get us home safely. 

In between we have eight and a half days with Shirley’s family (we fly out the day before Thanksgiving and arrive in Belgium the next day). Usually when we visit the US, once every three years, we have to fit everyone in to a pretty packed schedule. That means that Shirley’s family gets about 3 full days. So this time will be a real blessing. 

We want to take some time to be with Shirley’s sister, whose health is not doing well. It will also be a time to see the rest of the family and be an encouragement where we can be. We are wondering what the weather will be like - especially since we are only taking hand luggage. Sweaters and coats take up a lot more space, but we figure for the 10 days we are traveling, a smaller suitcase will do just fine. 

We are so thankful for the blessing of being able to travel. Although Shirley is not as flexible as she would like to be, she doesn’t want to put anything off at this time. And although we will not be able to see anyone else on this trip, we look forward to seeing her family and being able to see everyone else soon. 

Usually we would have made it to the US in the Spring of this year. That did not work out as travel rules were restrictive. Then, as we thought of coming in the Fall, a long trip and rising costs just didn’t fit. But we do hope and pray that we will be able to make our trip this coming Spring. It will have been 4 fours since we have seen most of our family or supporters. 

Please keep our travel and visit in your prayers as well as our hopeful plans for the coming year. And if you are in the area of Omaha in the coming week, let us know - perhaps we can get together for a cup of coffee somewhere. 

(Picture of Shirley with her brothers and sister in 2016)

Whatsit Wednesday: Manneken Pis en Mestreechter Geis

He has hundreds of costumes, a whole team of people to make sure that he is always presentable and a horde of tourists that visit him every year. “He” is “Manneken Pis” and yes, that is exactly what it sounds like, but no, it is not being rude. This is “little man peeing”. He is one of the main attractions in Brussels and has become the mascot of the city. 

When Sean was studying in Brussels, he stayed with friends who lived just around the corner from this interesting little man (thank you Bill and DeeDee!). Most people from Brussels know where he is and walk past him daily. He has become a normal sight. It is the groups of tourists that are more interesting. Hundreds, even thousands of people trying to get a selfie with this little man peeing in the background. 

The stories about the statue are myriad and are more than likely simply stories - as the story in the Netherlands about the boy with his finger in the dyke (but that is for another time). The interesting thing is how the city embraces the statue with stores in the adjoining streets selling statues of all sizes of this statue. You can purchase a mini “little man peeing” or a larger one. You might even be able to purchase a “life-size” version. Perhaps to place in your garden at home? But then you would have to make sure that everything was always working well, as do the maintenance crews. Although this little man is a little man, he is more of an age to have prostate problems. No one wants his stream to stop, so he is constantly cared for. 

And he is dressed in all sorts of costumes for the various holidays and occasions throughout the year. It is even considered good protocol for visiting dignitaries of all sorts to bring a costume for him to wear. He can wear a military uniform, look dapper in a tux or stand in the colors of the national football team - all while urinating on the corner of the street. 

In Maastricht, they also have a statue that clearly represents the spirit of the city. As a matter of fact, he is called “Mestreecter Geis” or “the spirit of Maastricht”. Maastricht is in the southern tip of the Netherlands. As such it is a Catholic city, the capitol of the province. These southern, Catholic areas celebrate Carnival and “Geis” (which is also a normal name in the south, although spelled differently), represents this well. 

The statue is downtown near the river where the parade walks by during Carnival in the Spring. But this holiday actually begins on 11-11-11, the 1tth day of the 11th month at 11 minutes past the 11th hour. All those 11’s show a bit of craziness. Geis, the statue, embodies this craziness and desire to enjoy, no matter what. That also well represents the feeling of the normal person from Maastricht. 

It has been important for us to be aware of what feelings are important for the populations where we live and work. It has especially been important for us in our work in Maastricht to understand the idea of enjoying fun and placing an emphasis on not being too serious. 

Whodunit Wednesday: Saint Servatius

We work with the church in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Maastricht is an old Roman city, but it is also the home of the patron Saint Servatius. This Saint of the Catholic Church is buried here. Every seven years or at moments of distress (like during Desert Storm) his bones are brought out and walked around the city to call for a blessing. 

Interestingly, I have recently come to know that Servatius is an Armenian. In 2020 we were planning on having the Harding Chorus come to sing for the second time in Maastricht. The first time had been quite a good opportunity to meet new people and serve the city. That first time, the concert was held in a very special church which was not a church any more (for more see this article. 

This second time I had gone looking for another venue, since the previous venue was no longer available. I found a church building which had changed hands from the Catholic Church to the Eastern Orthodox Church. It was when I went to talk to the caretaker that I found out about Saint Servatius as the patron saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church. 

You see, in Maastricht Saint Servatius (Sint Servaas) is everywhere. The Servaas bridge is the oldest bridge in the city (12th century). The main church on the town square is the Servaas church. “Servaas” was used for quite some centuries as a given name. So I was more than familiar with the saint and his name. 

I was not familiar with the fact that he was an Armenian. The Eastern Orthodox Church that was now housed in this old Catholic building from the 1950’s is part of a larger whole comprising the full Eastern Orthodox Church. But this group is historically Armenian - and they were quite proud of having Servatius as their saint and being in “his” city. Servatius died and was buried in Maastricht in the 4th century. 

Unfortunately, we had to conceal the concert in 2020. But this church building in Maastricht would make its mark in our lives in a different way. One of our newest members in the congregation in Maastricht is a woman from Armenian heritage who came to the Netherlands as a refugee with her family (Armenia and Azerbaijan are in a deep struggle still today). She grew up in Dutch schools and was nominally aware of her parents cultural Christianity. It was during the corona years that she actually started looking at the Bible and came to faith. She has been an encouragement and example since then for others in the congregation and does he best to share her faith and the grace of God in her job as police officer. Her parents still attend the Eastern Orthodox Church in town celebrating Saint Servatius. 

Haunted Halloween?

I remember several of my costumes as a kid for Halloween. My mom was amazing at coming up with some really creative solutions. We always had great costumes made of pretty much everyday things. I was a scarecrow, a cowboy, an astronaut. The knowledge that creativity can get you quite far has always stayed with me and served well for youth activities and more. 

I also remember the year that we all had to dump our candy out together on the table at home after trick-or-treating because some wacko was putting razor blades in candied apples. That was pretty much the end of homemade candy. It was the beginning, for me, of realizing how nasty the world could be. 

When I gave my life to Christ, my view on a lot of things changed. One of them was Halloween. I like dressing up in costumes, but it seems all of the holidays that do that are a bit deranged. Halloween in the US and Carnaval here in Belgium are examples. But 1989 changed my whole outlook on Halloween. That was the year we received a very special gift. 

Shirley had struggled all day and was tired. In the end, forceps had to be used, but our son, Stephan, was safely welcomed into the world. I remember standing in a room in the maternity section with windows on two sides so that family could see the newborns. My attention, however, was fully on this wonderful new life that God had given us. Even the surprise of seeing all sorts of masked individuals tapping on the glass (another father was with me in the room and his family was greeting him) could not throw me off. But it did remind me that this was still Halloween. 

Not long after that we moved to Belgium, where there was no Halloween. For years we did not even have to think of any of it (although we of course did have to deal with Carnaval - in February or March). It was only later when the boys were older that they realized they might be able to get something from neighbors by going trick-or-treating. They didn’t dress up, just went door to door. People didn’t know what to do, so they gave them money (a practice done here on January 6 at the celebration of Three Kings). Their friends were impressed. 

Not too many years later, stores started figuring out that money could be made off of this new American holiday. Costumes could now be sold in October as well as in February (for Carnaval). Candy could be sold. Presents could be given. Okay - presents aren’t part of Halloween, but who knows? 

So Halloween made its entrance into Belgian and Dutch culture with an economic vengeance. Kids still don’t go door to door to get candy (people would not know what to do), but haunted houses and the scary bits have definitely entered the calendar if not the culture as yet. 

This day for us still means that little boy cradled in the palm of my hand and the man he has become. We are so thankful for Stephan, for his wife, Natalie and for the life they have together. 

(The picture is of Stephan with neighborhood friends on his birthday in our backyard)

Where oh Where Wednesday - Colonies of Belgium and Netherlands

Last week we talked about colonization. The Dutch were busy early on - during the Golden Age. Although we might not always recognize it, we run into remnants of that time and expansion in many places. Hoboken, Harlem, Bushwick and Flushing in New York (which was first New Amsterdam) are good examples. But Australia was also first known as Newe Holland and New Zealand is very clearly from the Dutch “Nieuw Zeeland”. 

But names are not colonies. As mentioned the Dutch colonized in many places around the world due to their commerce and trade. Indonesia was a major colony in Asia. In the new world, the Dutch colonized Surinam (the north of South America) and several Caribbean Islands. 

Indonesia fought for their independence. Surinam became independent but is still dependent in many ways. The Caribbean islands - Aruba, Saint Martin and Curaçao were all part of the kingdom of the Netherlands until most recently when Curacao became its own country. 

In the Netherlands you can still feel the influence of these times in some of the food and peoples in the country. When Indonesia fought for freedom, some Indonesians fought with the Dutch and had to flee to the Netherlands. They brought their culture with them. The Dutch enjoy Indonesian meals and have made them their own - a bit like Americans have assimilated Mexican meals into “American” culture. Loempia, spicy sambal and rice (including a "rice table") are all considered very Dutch any more. As well as a good “cup of Java” (Java is in Indonesia) - coffee. 

Food from the Antilles has also been popular, although perhaps less of a recognized cuisine. Most recently the Dutch have had to deal with various parts of their history colliding when “zwarte Piet”, the black helper of Saint Nicholas, was taken more and more as a symbol of racism by Dutch people of Surinam or Caribbean heritage. “Black Pete” has been around for hundreds of years. But is it appropriate? That is the question some are still dealing with. 

On the Belgian side, it was all about Congo in deep dark Africa. Although the Belgians did not truly bring any of the African cuisine with them to the “home country”, they did bring chocolate. And, like in the Netherlands, there are some, though far fewer, who have raised questions about “Zwartte Piet” who is also part of the Belgian Christmas tradition. 

In the area we work - the south of the Netherlands and East of Belgium - we do not have as much contact with people of color as one might have in the large cities of Rotterdam or Brussels, for example. But these days our world is a global place. The congregation in Maastricht has members of all colors and backgrounds. Albania, Armenia, Belgium, Brazil, Curaçao, Ecuador, Germany, Netherlands, Nigeria, Ukraine and the United States (with its diversity) are all represented. God’s family is amazing!

Fall camp activities

This coming weekend we will be holding our Fall Camp once again. This is a weekend organized mostly for teens (12 years and older) but also through the years for families. One of the first times that Shirley and I can remember going together down to camp was at a Fall Camp. We slept in a small caravan next to the dining hall - if one can call it that at the time. We woke to freezing icicles on the inside of the caravan and joined the rest in the dining hall to endure the dripping ceiling caused by condensation and cold. 

Things have changed quite a bit through the years for Fall Camp. What we have been able to do with the facilities because of the efforts and giving of so many in the church here in Belgium and the Netherlands as well as partners in the US has greatly increased the use of camp. Now we have a warm, dry hall, topped by a second floor used for teaching and playing games. 

This weekend a group of young people will gather at camp to once again encourage one another and enjoy the beauty of God in the nature surrounding the camp buildings. We have a good group of young people, including several Ukrainians this year. Although they are not especially happy to be away from their home, they are thankful to have made new friends and brothers and sisters in the Lord. 

Following the weekend a new Vacation Bible Camp will start. This is the second year for this camp week, meant for kids from 8-14 years old. It is a full week in the Fall vacation week for Belgian kids. This week is not the vacation week for kids in the Netherlands, so the camp is almost exclusively Belgian. It is a great time for the young people who have first met during the summer camp weeks to see one another again and encourage one another after the beginning of the school year. 

Good relationships are so very important for all young people. The world is never an easy place, and now it seems often to be even more difficult. To have friends who are not only interested in faith but living it daily is extremely valuable. These camp moments make sure that our young people have these opportunities. Thank you for helping to make this possible and for praying for these young people and the camps they attend.

Whensday - Belgian and Dutch colonization

Before New York was called this, it was called New Amsterdam and the Dutch were the ones there. There is an amazing, thrilling history there, during what is called in the Netherlands the “Golden Age”. 

The 17th century saw an enormous period of growth for the Netherlands. It was during this time that the Dutch East Indies company and the West Indies Company spread their business and influence throughout the world. These colonies and areas of influence continued until after World War II in the 20th century. Much of this, then was before the Netherlands actually was what we now know as the Netherlands. 

In Belgium things were quite different. In 1800, the very beginning of the 19th century, Belgium was one of the few West European countries without colonies. Most of this was down to Belgium not having been a separate country during the major period of colonization by European countries. Belgium officially declared itself a country in 1830 (and was recognized in 1839). Before that time it was part of Spain, Austria, France and the Netherlands. 

King Leopold I did all he could mid 19th century to remedy this lack of colonization for the small European country. Hawaii was almost a Belgian colony, and Belgium tried to start things in Guatemala, Chihuahua (in Mexico), Brazil and Argentina. But none of these colonies every really got off the ground. 

It was under King Leopold II near the end of the 19th century and begin of the 20th century that the Belgians finally got their colony. This was mostly due to working together with Henry Morton Stanley. It was Stanley who ‘found” the missing Dr. Livingstone in deep dark Africa. “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” Stanley wanted to continue his explorations and was able to do so under the Belgian flag. This is how Belgium finally got their colonization going.

By the end of the 19th century the Netherlands was still present in much of what the VOC (Dutch East Indies Company) had laid claim to. Many of these colonies would end up becoming part of the Dutch empire. After WWII many of these European colonies, including those from the Netherlands and Belgium, became independent. 

This I have learned

On the first Friday of the month we welcomed three brothers from the French-speaking church in Liege once again for an evening of singing in Maastricht. I always enjoy these evenings and getting to see our brothers. I especially enjoy seeing George and Leonie. They are a couple that has been working with the church for quite some time. 

The interesting thing about my conversations with George is that he speaks neither English nor Dutch. I speak very little French. But we communicate. Sometimes one of the other brothers comes over and translates. But often we simply try to make it work, doing our best with hands and feet. 

This time we also welcomed Richard Wolfe who was visiting in Belgium. Richard used to work with the church in Liege and still works with them from a distance (he and his wife live in Kansas). They left Belgium about a year after we arrived. I still remember some of his lessons and was always thankful for how he and his family served the Lord here and still do wherever they are in the world. 

This past weekend Richard was speaking at the church in Verviers (also in the French-speaking area of Belgium). Verviers is only about 20 minutes from Bible camp and we know the preacher there, although I have never visited the congregation or the building. For years Freed-Hardeman University has had an exchange program working out of the building there. I wanted to meet the church and I wanted to hear Richard’s lesson. But everything was going to be in French. If I can read French, I can do alright. But trying to speak French and understand when someone speaks to me is well outside of my comfort zone. 

Then I though of George and Leonie. They come every month to Maastricht - even though they know we will mostly be singing in English and Dutch. George just does his best. He knows that we are brothers. He loves the Lord and has always done his best to encourage those around with him the grace of God. I had experienced this often. 

So I drove to Verviers. Being a preacher helps when a sermon is in a foreign language. If you understand the names of the books of the Bible and numbers (one of the first things people learn in a foreign language), then you can follow quite a bit of what is being said. And I was touched by a great sermon. 

Afterwards several members introduced themselves and tried to make conversation. Some could speak some English. Others were able to speak German (which I can speak). Otherwise, we simply used hands and feet and the few words we could share. It didn’t matter. We were brothers and sisters together. 

God’s family is amazing. I am so thankful for George’s example of courage and faithfulness. I am thankful for the many times he and I have done our best to converse, no matter the difficulties. I am so thankful for the few French words I have in my vocabulary. Mostly I am so very thankful that God makes us a family. 

Whatsit Wednesday - Chocolate

“Chocolate is cheaper than therapy and you don’t need an appointment.” One of many memes or sayings you can find about chocolate. When chocolate is brought up in the US, it most often has to do with hot chocolate or chocolate chip cookies or some kind of syrup put on ice cream. Nobody is happy when the bite into a chocolate chip cookie and find out that it is actually an oatmeal raisin cookie. 

But if you want chocolate, Belgium is the place to be. The Netherlands has its own storied past as well - putting chocolate spread and chocolate sprinkles on bread - but it is Belgium that continues its love and obsession to this day. Chocolate comes from cacao beans, after all, which come from Congo, which was a Belgian colony. So it seems the Belgians colonized Africa for chocolate. I think most chocolate lovers can understand that perfectly. 

In Belgium, chocolate means pralines. Pralines come in a box. They are all shapes and sizes. They can be milk, white or pure and can come with gooey insides or smooth insides. Brand names like Leonidas, Guylian (the seashells and sea horses), Neuhaus (in Grand Central Station NY) and Godiva offer premium chocolate. You can even go to a special store to buy chocolates - a ‘chocolatey”. Mind you, for a Belgian, not just anything can be called chocolate. 

Years ago, a newspaper revealed that Cadbury’s was not made with cocoa butter. It was basically a bunch of sugar. Belgians were incensed. In 2007 Hershey and Nestle tried to convince the FDA in the US to allow them to use partially hydrogenated vegetable oil instead of cocoa butter and still call their product “chocolate”. 

So Belgians can be chocolate snobs, which is fine with me. I am one of those people who only likes dark chocolate - called “pure” here. I do not consider white chocolate to be chocolate and milk chocolate makes my tummy do loops. But dark chocolate (pure! Yummmm) just makes the day better. What do you like best and what do you consider a chocolate treat?