Wild Wonderful Wednesday

Today is a 5th Wednesday so I want to take you on a different kind of trip. The Netherlands is a country where the bicycle is more than welcome. Bike paths are everywhere in the cities and kids ride bikes from very early ages - even goin on their own to school across town. 

Admittedly, where we live in Belgium is not as bike friendly, but it is better than many places in Belgium - maybe because so many Dutch people live here. And although there is plenty of infrastructure for the bike, I must admit that I do noot use it as often as I might. But on a Thursday, I like to take the bike to my colleague, Ruud’s, house for our Bible study together. 

Ruud lives in the village on the other side of our “town” which population 13,500. Our village has about 1700 people. Ruud’s village is bigger with 3200. From our village to Ruud I can bike along a whole section free of the major road running North/South. Right out my driveway I simply bike to the paved road running along the canal which runs behind our house. 

I pass by two locks along the canal, passing a building supplies company on the right and a cellulose factory across the canal on the left. The road on the canal ends as I approach the local paper making company, Sappi (a South African company) where I have to turn right and climb a hill to join the main road. Thankfully I have a pedal assisted bike. Otherwise I would be walking this part of the trip. 

Up on the road I am able to bike on good bike paths, crossing the Albert Canal (which leads to Antwerp) on a bridge with plenty of space for cars, bikes and pedestrians. From this point I have a nice ride up a slight incline until I can coast all the way from the plateau into Ruud’s village. The journey takes me about 20-30 minutes (depending on how tired I am or how sweaty I want to get). 

After the study (we are looking at the book of Acts with E who is considering what it means to be a Christian), I can bike home, climbing the long hill I previously came down with such ease. But last week I decided to get some things done in the “city” - in Maastricht. 

From Ruud’s house I can bike right across the border, which is not really even recognizable as a border. You cross a bridge (crossing the Albert Canal again - this time the section going South to Liege) and bike along a mountain on the right. This is what some might call a mountain. I am from Colorado. It is a hill. Still, they have a ski hill on it in the winter. There is also a golf course here. 

Biking further into the city I pay attention to the right-of way. I am on a bike path, but just like any other traffic participant, I have to follow the rules. At intersections there are clear signs for who has right-of-way. “Shark’s teeth” (a line of triangles with the points toward the rider) painted on the bike path show that I must yield. At other points along this route, the red brick color of the bike path continues without any signs and the cars have the shark’s teeth. 

After passing the hill and golf club I come to a stoplight. There is a light specifically for the bicycles as well as pedestrians and cars. At this intersection there is also a light for the bus. Moving on when I get my green light I next approach a very large roundabout or rotunda. I have to yield here and also pay attention to the many “brommers” or scooters taking the bike path with me. 

These days there are all sorts of vehicles on the road. Back along the canal we always have top be aware of cyclists who are training. You know, Tour de France types on very skinny wheels flying by. They often do not have bells - and when they do, they do not always use them. So you have to simply be aware and be ready to get out of the way. 

But there is now also every kind of electrified vehicle. “Speed pedelecs” are VERY fast electric bikes. They can easily pass you going more than 50kmh. Then there are “scootmobiles”, used usually by older people out for a jaunt in the open air. Most often four-wheeled, they also silently sneak up on you with their older driver enjoying the speed of the electrified motor vehicle. 

Besides all of these vehicles, you may also end up with a mother pushing her baby buggy, or simply some pedestrians not wanting to walk on the sidewalk. But it seems most people get along just fine and the traffic is much safer than I have ever experienced in the States. During this trip I easily made it to my destination in downtown Maastricht. 

I needed to stop at the store, so I quickly parked the bike at the bike rack, fixed the lock and putting the key in my pocket (and taking my battery with me) walked into the store. You ALWAYS want to lock your bike in the Netherlands. In Amsterdam, there is a sort of saying: Lost your bike? No worries, just take the next one. While not everyone does this (and locks have gotten better), it is always good to keep your bike locked, even If you are quickly running into the store. 

As I leave the store, I walk my bike among the many pedestrians, listening to the many languages of the tourist who have come to Maastricht on this sunny day. I next want to visit an acquaintance in a nearby nursing home and afterwards turn my bike homewards. 

The whole trip will only cost me 30-40 minutes. It would be about the same if I were to take the car, because of traffic. I have often passed a bike only to have them pass me by as I am stuck in the traffic jam. This time I am the one passing the waiting cars. I bike back along the Meuse, amazed at how low the water is these days. You could probably cross the river on foot. 

This route takes me between the river and the canal. I cross the border back into Belgium in Smeermaas (another village that makes up our “town” - there are 7 of them) and ride further along the river. This section is beautiful - riding behind our local castle, past the wild cows that live here to keep the shrubbery in check, past the nests of the blue herons in the tops of the trees along the river. 

I get back home and haven’t even broken a sweat. Then I climb off my bike and realize that I have been exerting myself. That slight breeze always helps. But now the heat hits. Time for a cool glass of water and a sit in the shade before going into the house (where it is a sweltering 90 F). But it has been a good day and I am glad that it is so easy to get around on a bicycle. 

To give an idea of what it is like along this ride, here are a few video’s which are already online. 

This video is a walking tour, but it shows you the area along our canal. In fact, from 00:37 - 1:17 you can see our lock and the church in our village (our house is just down the street fro this church building). 

In this video (TURN OFF THE SOUND to skip the rude music) shows you the border crossing in Smeermaas, what the bike paths look like and what traffic is like along the canal and in Maastricht. 

Talk about it

I am an email guy. I know, I know - it’s old school. And yet I am old enough that I can remember how amazing it was to be able to keep contact with folks back in the States simply by this method. Back in the 80’s I sent airmail letters to Shirley - thin pieces of paper filled with tiny writing (to get as much in as possible) folded and sent with the post. Now I could simply write something on the computer, dial in, and send it via email. 

But I realize that things have changed. Although young people do have email accounts (perhaps because they must), they do not use them often. And others are so inundated by work emails that they do not want to look at an email after a day or week of work. So I have learned to use Whatsapp and Telegram. 

I even send text messages (called “sms” in Belgium) to those I know will not see their email or app. Sometimes this is the quickest way to reach someone. But I must admit that my fat fingers and “intuitive” text often make a mess of things. Still, it works.

The most important thing is that we can communicate. I have been so encouraged by how the members in the congregation in Maastricht take this to heart. The sisters have a group app where they encourage one another and keep in contact. Various sisters make the effort to call those who cannot be on the app group. The young members tend to be on Instagram more often, so one of them asked about an Instagram account for the congregation. She has set it up and maintains it. 

Other members are not tech people. They prefer a good conversation, face to face. So they make time to visit others in the congregation. Our church is made up of members from Belgium and The Netherlands, spread over a fairly wide area. Spending time together takes and effort and that effort is made. 

Others do it even more old-school: letters and cards, real mail (even if it is snail mail). Cards for birthdays, times of encouragement, anniversaries. These are often very important, coming at moments when encouragement is truly needed. One sister makes sure that cards are ready and signed by all the members. 

This is all done in a group made up of at least four different languages and various age groups. It takes effort to keep in contact with one another. It is much easier to wait until someone contacts you. But here we are learning, and putting into practice, how good it is to reach out and touch those around you. We share with one another how good God is in our lives. We share the needs for prayer in difficult times. We say “thank you” because we are thankful and “I love you” because we do. 

To borrow and adapt a phrase from a shoe company: Just say it. Today. In any way you can.

Where oh where Wednesday - Francorchamps

This Sunday the roar of Formula 1 cars will pierce the air around where our Bible camp is located. Spa-Francorchamps, where the Belgian Grand Prix is held, is about 30 minutes away from camp in Solwaster. So this weekend the Dutch driver, Max Verstappen, as well as all the rest of the F1 coterie will be present to chase their cars around this winding track in the “mountains” of Belgium. 

The first time went down to camp, back in the 80’s when I was first in the country as a trainee, one could actually drive on a part of the race track. I can even remember driving the track myself shortly after we first arrived as a couple in 1991. But it wasn’t long after that the track was closed to public driving and a route was made going around the track. 

Back at our camp we not only hear the roar of the F1 race in August, but at other times we can watch all sorts of oldtimers race right along the road which passes our camp. There is an oldtimers race every year passing through the small village of Solwaster. Any other time, we simply hear the roar of motorcycles who like to hit the hill near our camp. Or we hear the tractor of the local dairy farm pulling the feed wagon up to the lowing cows in the fields. Any other time, we simply enjoy the peace of the countryside.

Whatsit Wednesday - Door handles

“As dumb as a doorknob.” I’ve heard that one before. But are doorknobs really that dumb? And what is a doorknob? I had always heard of door handles, but a doorknob? I remember the movie “Bedknobs and broomsticks” but that was a bed knob - a knob on a bed. And door handles can certainly be different from country to country. 

When I was young and living in the US, we had doorknobs that had a little button in the center. If you went to the bathroom (the place where you could use the toilet and also take a bath), you could push the button and shut the door. This would lock the door so that no one would walk in on you. When you were ready to leave, you simply turned the handle and the door unlocked, popping the button out from its locked position. 

This type of doorknob was especially useful if you had little kids. The other type had a small turnable button that did the same thing. Problem was often that a small child could get the door locked, but could not get it unlocked, leaving him or her crying for help to anyone within earshot. 

This system was not only meant for bathroom doors. The front doo of our house worked the same way, although there was also a deadbolt on it to make sure that all was locked up safely. Still, you could have the door unlocked during the day, which meant that we could enter from outside simply by turning the handle and pushing the door open. 

Perhaps that sounds strange to you. “Turning the handle”? Here in Belgium and The Netherlands the doorknob on the outside of the house door is just that - a knob. There is often nothing to turn. (That is a picture of our front door) On the inside of the door is a handle. This can be turned to open the door. It can also be locked with the deadbolt that accompanies it. But the door is not open from the outside. Anyone wanting to enter must have a key or ring the bell to get in. Unless of course you are in The Netherlands where the letter box is also in the door. Parents wanting their kids to be able to get in would hang a string attached to the latch out the mailbox. The kids could pull the string, pulling the latch and opening the door.

Often this knob is not even on the side of the door, where an American might expect a handle to be. It could simply be a great big knob in the middle of a great big door. When you leave your house you simply pull on the knob, closing the door behind you. Your house is closed (though not completely locked). 

Handles, knobs, locks - things can be different in different places. The same has been true in all of the places God has brought us. Some cultures are easier to talk to about religious topics. In some places you can mention Jesus without anyone looking at you strangely. In other places, you might have to approach such a conversation differently. In all cases, God is the one who opens the doors if we are willing to follow Him and try - whether it is a knob or handle. 

Ukrainians update, God’s family

We have been blessed in Maastricht with various opportunities to get to know, help and be blessed by our brothers and sisters from Ukraine. Let me give you a quick update on what things look like for us. 

In Maastricht

Back in 2020 we welcomed Alexander Zotov to our congregation. He is a widower and preacher from the church in Kiev, now married to a widow in Belgium. He hand his son, Andrey moved to Belgium before the war broke out in full in Ukraine. At the beginning of the conflict, Andrey’s fiancee, Adriana, also moved to Belgium. She lives with our colleagues Ruud and Karla. 

These three Christians are a blessing to us in Maastricht. Most recently Andrey's cousin, Vlad, has joined us and lives with Andrey. They both bike to services on Sunday (and anywhere else they need to be). This is a good 40 minute bike ride. 

Andrey and Adriana also have family that moved to Eindhoven connected with the church there. We have been able to get together in the past year with those refugee brothers and sisters when we go to a devo/bbq night there or the monthly singing that we hold with the church in Eindhoven. Several of the young people also went to our Bible camp in the past weeks. 

Alexander has continued his work with the word by preaching and teaching in Maastricht. It is nice to have his knowledge, wisdom and desire to serve in the congregation. He has also helped us as we try to help others in Ukraine. He has contacts with those on the ground in Ukraine and we are able to help immediately and directly. So far the congregation in Maastricht has helped out with a brother who helps people who have problems with addiction and are even more affected by the things happening in the country. 

Elsewhere in The Netherlands

Back in the Spring the Dutch-speaking churches held their annual Spring get-together. This year we used the opportunity to look at how to deal with difficult times. Alexander was one of the speakers there, together with Oleksander, who is staying in the building in The Hague with his family. The day was encouraging and challenging as we worked through translating and dealing with various cultures and the challenging topic as well. 

Oleksander (whose nickname is Sasha - as are most Alexanders) is a youth minister from the church in Ukraine. He and his family left to be able to care for their daughter who has specific needs. Thankfully, they are able to stay in the building in The Hague. Unfortunately, this building has long needed some upgrades. But that has also been helped, most recently. 

The congregation in Muscatine, Iowa, held a special contribution jin order to help with the situation in Ukraine. They asked us how best to use these funds and we knew that they could well be used for the situation in The Hague. A new shower and washing area has been created in the building. 

Oleksander and his family are already reaching out in the community where they live. The past week and this week they organized a sort of vacation camp for Ukrainians in The Hague. About 150 people registered for these dates. Pray for how God will use these contacts and how He is using the members in The Hague mightily. Here is an article in Dutch (google translate it) that talks about Oleksdander. 

Camp

As mentioned, various young people form Ukraine attended camp. We at first had envisioned being able to host families at our Bible camp facilities. But the way that Belgium set up their refugee system made this nigh to impossible. Instead, we have been able to have any Ukrainian families send their kids or come themselves to the Bible camp week. 

There were several young people at our Youth Camp (15 years and older) as well as 4 young people at our Benjamin Camp (8-11 years) and 3 at our Teen camp (12-14 years). Add to this how God has used Russian brethren in the country to help out with translation and contact and I am thrilled at how God can make things beautiful from all situations. 

Thank you!

Thank you, Muscatine for your help with financing. Another part of your gift also went to helping a congregation in Ukraine which is welcoming refugees to their area. Thank you all for your prayers for refugees and church alike as we strive to show God’s grace and might in everyday situations. Praise the Lord for His might in making all things work according to His plan. 

Whensday - National Days

In the United States the whole country is celebrated on July 4th. This is Independence Day - they day that we celebrate our independence from the British, the beginning of our being a country. There are fireworks, family get-togethers, picnics and more. 

We remember sharing a few of these on several of our Home Assignments: outside of Minnepolis or Hudson with various members in different years from the Woodbury family (or what would become the Woodbury family), in Indianapolis with the family of our daughter-in-love, in California with the Jablonski’s. 

Other countries have their own national days and traditions. Belgium, being a very interesting set-up, has three different special days. The Flemish-speaking area celebrates their day on July 11. The French-speakers celebrate on September 27 and the National Day is held on July 21. This last is the only one where everyone has a free day. And of course we can’t forget the German-speaking day on November 15. 

Typically there are no fireworks or such, but families in the various communities do get together, since it is a holiday in that community. The National Day is a holiday for everyone - not just the specific language community. On that day, stores, banks and such are all closed. 

Kamp around the klok

July and August are the months for our summer Bible camp weeks. As mentioned in previous months, Shirley and Scott help out with many of the camp weeks. This year Shirley cooked at the Benjamin week (8-11 year-olds) while Scott was camp leader at the same week as well as camp leader and teacher at the Teen week. (12-14 year-olds). This current week, they are both commuting back and forth to camp (we only live about 50 minutes away) for Family Camp week where Scott is also helping with some of the teen lessons. 

The Benjamin camp week this year was extremely full for our standards, which is great! We had 28 campers, including 4 Ukrainian kids and a Ukrainian/Belgian camper. Most of the campers in this week were girls, but the guys certainly made their presence known. Our colleague, Karla Verheijen, and Lucinda Vrieze from Eindhoven did a wonderful job with the lessons, splitting the group up into younger and older campers. 

If you had a kid at camp, ask them the question that was asked in the week: Who is God? Ask about the cake, about the days of the creation, about how special God considers each one of us. If you would like to see pictures from the week, just click here. 

The Teen week “only” had 22 campers, but was equally divided between girls and boys. We once again had 3 Ukrainians and a young Russian-speaking teen who helped some with the translating. Lessona and communication was a challenge at the beginning of the week, but by the end, the kids had figured out how to make things clear. Games and food always help things along. During this week we looked at the law of Moses and asked the question: “What does God actually want?” 

If you had a camper at this week, test them to see which of the ten commandments they know. Ask them as well about what God really wants. You can find pictures of the week here. 

Scott needed a break and some good sleep, so he and Shirley are sleeping at home each evening after a day of Family camp. But it is so good to see some new faces at camp as well as some well-known faces and kids growing up. How wonderful it is to see how God can use these weeks to touch hearts and minds and to bring people to a full walk in His light.