Where oh Where Wednesday: Visits

We are extremely blessed to be able to visit all sorts of places because of where we live and work. Many Europeans would love to visit all the places we see in the US on our Home Assignment. Many Americans would love to be able to see the places we see as a matter of course in our work here in Europe. And we are very thankful for the opportunities we have had to travel, but also to meet Christian family in so many places. 

We are only 4 hours from Paris, France, so have visited there a few times - just to visit. We also were able to take day trips (or a day and overnight) to Rheims. But we have also been as far as Marseille a few times to take a group down to “Christians on Mission” - a week of missions with the church in Marseille. And we visited the church in Lille, singing there with Listen Up! in those days.

In Germany we regularly spent time at a castle youth hostel in Bacharach for German youth retreats where we sang with Listen Up!. Cologne is only an hour away, so we have visited the church on singing days, but have also shopped at the Music Store with the boys when they were younger and growing their interest in music. We have also visited the church in Hannover and Hildesheim, gone on the Euro-American retreat in Rothenburg and visiting Scott’s memories from his youth in Berlin. 

We regularly visited Switzerland as well, taking groups of kids from Dutch and Belgian congregations to the soccer tournaments organized by the church in Schaffhausen. At other times we traveled to Zurich, Thun, Bern, Lucerne and Schaffhausen with Listen Up! on a singing tour. At least twice, Scott went with a group led by Doyle Kee on a hike in the Swiss alps. 

Another trip with Listen Up! took us to Graz and Vienna in Austria where we sang with and for the churches there. This same trip took us to Zagreb and Varazdin in Croatia. 

We have visited the church in Prague as well as taken a midweek trip there when we could get free. Other midweek trips took us to Budapest, Hungary; Rome, Italy and Barcelona, Spain. We have visited brothers in England and toured the British museum. When you can fly around Europe for 20 euro a person, it makes a short trip (the flight is often less than 2 hours) quite easy. 

Back near home, we have visited various places in Belgium and the Netherlands regularly - with the church and simply on a day trip together. Antwerp, Brussels, Brughe and Ghent are all cities we have visited with youth weekends and evangelistic campaigns as well as tourist trips. Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Haarlem have also been places where we go as a matter of working with the youth and the church in the Netherlands. 

We are always thankful for the opportunities to travel places with the church and to be able to see and meet with the church in all of these places. God’s family is everywhere, it feels like. We are not alone. And we are not working alone. I regularly remember the verse in 1 Peter which reminds us of this and how good it is to be working together in the family of God. 

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you. Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.  1 Peter 5:6-9

You can find some pictures from our travels here. 

Vacation or business?

That is what they ask you at the customs counter. That is what they ask in questionnaires about travel. That is what some people ask when you tell them you are a planning a trip. Most people are shocked to hear that we will be gone for 8 weeks. “That’s quite a long vacation!” And to be honest, this trip is a very interesting mix of emotions, activities and purposes. 

We used to call it “furlough”. That is what a soldier took when he would head home for a bit after being on tour. In Dutch, the word “verlof” comes from the same root, but means vacation. In more recent years we have titled our trip “Home Assignment”, but perhaps it is not any clearer in that sense. 

We work as evangelists in Belgium and the Netherlands. We are financially supported by various congregations and individuals throughout the United States (as well as a few in Europe). It has been our desire to get back to the US every three years to visit with these congregations - to talk about what we have been doing, hear about how God is blessing those congregations, and renew the bonds that tie us together. 

Since we only go every three years and travel is not cheap, we combine this trip with seeing our family. In the earlier years that meant Scott’s family and Shirley’s family. Now it includes seeing our sons and daughters-in-love (and their families). But the congregations we visit and the families are not in the same cities, or States. So it means a lot of traveling and a good bit of puzzling to work out when we go where and how long we can be anywhere. 

The last time we were on this trip was in 2019. Our planned return would have been in 2022, but travel restrictions made that difficult. Although we took a short health visit to Shirley’s family in November, we had to delay our trip until this year. But now the puzzle is coming together and we look forward to the amazing mix that is a Home Assignment this May-June. 

In 8 weeks we will travel to 16 different cities in 9 different States, worship with 9 different congregations and see a good portion of our supporters and family while doing it - though not all. We will get on an airplane 7 times, rent a car 3 times and will be blessed to borrow a car in 2 other areas (one for 23 days!) while we drive roughly 3000 miles. 

While we will stay in at least 4 hotels in this time, we will mostly be blessed to stay with family and friends along the way. We hope that if you are not along our route (and we know that many of you are not), perhaps we can call or email while we are in your area. We are so thankful for the relationships that we have because of being family in Christ. 

If you are in the area, please let us know so that we can see you and spend some time together, even if it is only a cup of coffee somewhere. That is what makes a trip like this so amazing and different. Is it a vacation? We get to see a lot of people that we haven’t seen in at least 4 years. We get to hug on family and enjoy wonderful meals and conversations with family in Christ. We even get to see some places in the US that other people will never get to see. We get to travel. 

This is what our schedule looks like: 

We will land in New York City on April 26 and drive the next day to upstate New York to visit Scott’s mom on her 85th birthday. The Saturday after will be a drive down to church family ion Connecticut (family from in the Netherlands who are living in the US!). We are looking forward to being able to worship with them on Sunday before flying out the next day to Minnesota. 

We will spend a week in Minnesota with our wonderful church family at Woodbury before driving out for a Midwest loop hitting Omaha, Nebraska (Shirley’s family), church family in Muscatine, Iowa, our son Stephan (and his wife Natalie) and Scott’s brother in Indianapolis, Indiana, good friends in Chicago and returning to Minneapolis. This section is mostly possible because of generous hearts in the church at Woodbury loaning us a car for the whole trip (as they have done in the past as well). We look forward to worshipping with the church in Minnesota, Iowa and Indiana. 

After the Midwest loop we will fly down to Texas on May 25 hoping to visit with several supporters and worship with the congregation where we began our life as a married couple, 11th and Willis in Abilene. On May 31 we will fly on to Denver where we will visit Scott’s family in Colorado Springs and church family in Denver, worshipping in both cities on the same Sunday. 

We fly to California on June 7 and spend time with our supporting congregation in Long Beach as well as visiting family in San Diego. This leg of the trip is again made much easier by the use of a car from members of the church in Long Beach (which they have done on many trips in the past). We are also put up in all of these cities by members of the congregations we are visiting. What an amazing love and giving that make this type of trip possible!

Our last leg will begin on June 14 when we fly back to New York City, this time to spend some time with our son Sean and his wife Jill. We will worship in Manhattan for our last Sunday in the US before flying back after a total of 8 weeks exactly. We arrive in Belgium before the end of the month ready to jump into activities in June and Bible camp weeks in July and August. 

Along this trip we will have had some good vacation time - mostly because so many of you want to insure that we have some time to rest, knowing what all the traveling can mean. We will also have opportunities to tell about our work, preach, teach and visit. This is work, but it is good. We are so thankful that God can and does use us wherever we are or go. We want to be an encouragement wherever we are. 

Vacation or business? Yes. We travel in May-June if the Lord wills and because His family makes it possible. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible. Thank you for your help in making this possible!

Whensday: Ardennen Bijbelkamp (ABK)

I talk a lot about Ardennen Bijbelkamp. That’s because a lot of what we do has to do with this wonderful tool that has been given us. At the end of this month we will gather with members of the church from various congregations around the Netherlands and Belgium to talk about how camp has been used and how we can continue to use it wisely for the churches. 

This place was first conceived and purchased back in 1965 by various brothers in the French- and Dutch-speaking churches at the time as well as some brothers from the US. The desire was to have a place in God’s wonderful creation which could be used to help members grow in faith. This would be a place for youth and family camps, a place where congregations could go for a retreat together, a place where members or families together could simply get away and meditate on God’s Word together. 

From the very beginning it was a place that was for all of the congregations. The work that was done to clear the land was done by various churches. Later, as buildings were erected, this works was done again by members of the various congregations working together. In the first days, everything was done in tents. Later a simple shed-type ‘building’ was constructed. 

In the 1960’s many of the French-speaking churches made good use of the land. It is, after all, in French-speaking area in Belgium. Solwaster is only about 20 minutes from the resort town of Spa (you can read more about that in these articles). As the congregations grew, partially because of this tool, more possibilities were added to the camp terrain, including a kitchen and toilets. 

Mind you, in the beginning there was no running water and certainly no sewage system. That had to be taken care of by members as well. When a plumbing system came, the toilets were still flushed by buckets of water hauled from the creek which runs through the terrain. I even remember washing in the creek, and that was in the 1980’s. 

We didn’t have electricity at camp for quite some time. Lighting was done with gas lamps. Food was bought each day fresh or was planned to be food that would not spoil. In the 1990’s we were able to purchase a generator, the church members getting together for the funds and the installation. And for years the sound of the oil-spouting diesel generator was added to the sounds of camp - alongside the squeals of kids playing in the creek, the quiet of people reading their Bibles, the joyful singing together. 

By the 2000’s we finally had real electricity, plumbing had been around for some time and we began dreaming about maybe finally putting the plumbing into the dormitory that had been built in the 1980’s. But it was the demolition of the main hall in 2012 that was first to come. This was to make way for the new hall and upper room. Many of you worked on this building or helped to finance it. 

After the main building was renovated, the use of camp was able to move further. From being usable for perhaps 10 times in the year (4 major weeks in the summer and various weekends through the year) we moved to using it almost 20 times a year. The last three years, after a renovation of the dormitory, we have used camp om average 30 times a year. 

And there are more plans coming. The next renovation will be to the kitchen and toilet/bathroom section, bringing everything into the new century. This has all only been possible because of an inheritance from a sister who had been there from the very beginning in 1965. When she passed away - to wait for us all at the Home prepared for us by Jesus - she left her funds to make sure that camp would be provided for. 

I am thankful that we (Shirley and I) have been able to experience quite a bit of this history. Another time I will talk about how much Bible Camp (this one, but more importantly a few others) have been in my faith wak and life. We pray that this place has been such an influence to the people who have come to Ardennen Bijbelkamp. Thank you for your prayers and your working together throughout the years. 

Go here to find all sorts of pictures from many years of camp. (choose a year, then click on the photo)

(By the way, find me and Shirley in this first photo. Our colleagues are in the second photo. Both of these taken before we were married couples)

Blue Monday

Back in 1922 Goerge Gershwin wrote an opera (only 20 minutes long) in which the main character sings a song about how everything goes wrong. The song is the “Blue Monday Blues”. But in 2005 a PR company (or a scientist, supposedly) pointed out that the 3rd Monday of January was the saddest day of the year. The PR firm made this announcement for a travel company which was trying to sell vacations to the sun - so for them it may have become the best day of the year. 

In Dutch, “een blauwe maandag” (a blue Monday) means ‘a short period of time’ or an unexpected moment. So something can just show up suddenly, or show up unexpectedly in your life. Or perhaps something good might happen, but only for a short time. 

I can imagine people dropping into a sort of depression on the 3rd Monday of January. Family events are all passed, but the consequences of feasting and good fun remain. New Years resolutions have had enough time to have all been broken, leaving us frustrated with ourselves. The weather is freezing (or rainy as it is here), grey and wet. And the year stretches out before you. 

Or… the year is still to come! Look at all the new opportunities that God is presenting us with. And look at who we get to walk with every day. How we look at things determines a lot of how we feel about things. This year the congregation in Maastricht is focusing on Jesus saying “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” We will be unpacking that through our studies and conversations with each other. 

On Wednesday evenings we meet partially online and partially in person for a Bible study. We have started in the Psalms - to examine the truth - and this week we look at an evening song and a morning prayer. In both of them the message is: we are with the Lord who is mighty and righteous, so we can sleep and be at peace when we wake each new day. 

Our year looks a bit uncertain. We are making plans for our trip to the US in May and June, trying to make sure we get as many people and congregations worked in as possible. This month the churches here get together to plan and look forward to the various Bible Camp weeks and how we can best serve our youth and members using this wonderful tool. And as a congregation, Maastricht is looking at how we can further encourage one another and reach out with the gospel. 

This is exciting! It’s not depressing, no matter the weather. It is not temporary, flitting away like the birds that inhabit our bushes. It is not a time when everything bad is happening at once - and even if it is, we walk with the Almighty God at our side, so we can handle it (because He can handle it). 

We are excited about a new study with our English-speakers, of chances to gather to regularly pray, of planning new activities to share with each other and those around us. How has God already blessed you this year? What are you looking forward to? Wherever you go, go with the Lord. 

Here is a song based partially on Psalm 5 and co-written by Shirley. 

Whatsit Wednesday: Appliances

When someone here mentions something that is ‘American’, they usually mean that it is large. So they might look at purchasing a new refrigerator and mention to their friends in a proud voice that it is an American refrigerator. Appliances in Europe are different from those in the US. 

As mentioned, a large refrigerator would be called American. That is because the typical refrigerator when we first arrived here (which was of course 30 years ago) fit under the kitchen counter top. There were those who had larger refrigerators and there were those who had freezers as well. And combination fridge-freezers were available. But they were all typically smaller than what one would find in the US. And let’s not even think about water or ice dispensers in the door. 

Of course sizing is smaller here as well. We get milk or cola or water in liters, not gallons (4 liters) or even half gallons. So a refrigerator doesn’t need a door that will accommodate such sizing. The same thing applies to washers and dryers as well. Things are smaller - more manageable? Since most of Europe could fit inside Texas, that probably makes sense. 

Washers and dryers are a different situation however. A washing machine here will always be front-loading, not top-loading. It might take 7 liters of wash if it is a larger one (so it might take your duvet cover, but certainly not your duvet). It will however take about 3 hours to finish a wash load. On our washing machine we have a ‘speed’ button which gets things done in 90 minutes. Then it still needs to be dried of course. 

Drying clothes on a line would be a good choice, saving energy, keeping things fresh. But it also implies a certain amount of dry weather outside. Drying clothes in the rain just doesn’t work as well. And yet, before dryers became ubiquitous, most people dried their clothes on a rack - but inside. 

Now there are plenty of dryers. We have to have one that uses condensation since we cannot hook a vent to the outside. That means that we empty a reservoir in which the wetness of the clothes has been captured after each drying session. But it still takes forever to get a load of clothes dry. Often it means drying them first and then finally hanging them up or putting them on the radiator. 

Radiators - they are meant for heating. Where I grew up in Colorado we had forced air heating. That meant ducts on the ceiling in the cellar and vents in the floors upstairs where we lived. You could sneak on what people were saying by listening at the ducts (which I may or may not have done when I was young). Here most house have floor heating or radiators - if they have central heating. There are still plenty of houses with heating downstairs where the living room and kitchen are found, but next to nothing upstairs where the bedrooms are. 

We have a water heater that heats the water for use (shower, dishwashing, drinking) as well as the water in the combined boiler which runs through the radiators to heat the house. Radiators take up space along the walls in each room where you find them. But you can’t use them to listen in secretly to conversations. 

Back in the kitchen you will find various common appliances here. An air fryer or deep fat fryer must be present. One could not do without fried foods (either in the Netherlands or Belgium). A fryer is essential for french fries, frikandel and many more things. And alongside the fryer one will find a coffee maker. Although these might be of various brands (pods or pads), you will always be able to get a cup of coffee. You will not find a 'Keurig' - even though that is a Dutch word meaning 'neat'. You may find a Nespresso or a Senseo or some other brand. And tea can still always be made with a kettle on the stove. 

We are thankful for the many appliances we are able to have in our lives that make things easier. Sometimes it has been a journey of discovery in learning how things are different, but in the end we are well fed and clothed. 

Ardennen Bijbelkamp

We love Bible camp. Ardennen Bijbelkamp has been a tool for the churches since 1965 and continunes to be a place where faith is grown. The camp is owned by a non-profit organization made up of the various congregations in Belgium and the Netherlands called ‘The Sentinel’s of the Faith’. And it is wonderful to see how this place can touch so many hearts and lives. 

At the end of this month we will hold our annual meeting where we talk about what was done in 2022 and look forward to what is planned for 2023. As I look back om this past year I am thankful for the place, for the possibilities and for the people who make it all possible. Many of you reading this will also have had a part in this effort. Some have visited, helped counsel, helped build, offered financial support or attended as a camper. 

In 2022 it was exciting to see things getting back to normal and even expanding. For years we have been increasing the use of camp. Not only do we organize the summer weeks, but there are various other groups that use camp, including fathers with their kids, mothers with their kids, churches on retreat and families from church getting together. In the last three years camp has been used more than 30 times in the year, compared to around 25 times a year in the 5 years before that. 

This past year was the first time in a while that we as a congregation from Maastricht had been able to plan a day. It was a great opportunity to get to know one another better as we have grown a bit this year and welcomed several new members. Camp always gives good opportunities to talk. A long walk through the woods, playing games and singing together make for great fellowship. 

The reason we put so much effort into camp is that it is a place for fellowship, increasing opportunities for churches to work together. Each camp week in the summer is a combination of members from around Belgium and the Netherlands. But camp is also a place to help members learn to lead and serve. Young people come to be counselors and are made aware of how important their example is to the kids they help. Teachers, camp directors, cooks all see how teamwork is essential, useful and fun. These lessons are plugged in again in the local congregations. 

We look forward to this coming year and how God will use members and this facility for growing faith in many. We will be leading Teen Camp when we get back from our trip to the US. We also look to get down to camp again with the congregation in Maastricht as well as attend Family Camp and the Family Day in September. Thank you for your help along the way. Maybe we will see you again at camp sometime soon? 

Interested in seeing some more pictures? You can find a photo album at the camp website (as well as a neat flyover: www.bijbelkamp.eu). You can also see plenty of our moments at camp at our photo site. 

Whodunit Wednesday: Film

As a New Years starts some people look to the various awards ceremonies for film which will soon be talked about. People will watch other people walk down a red carpet, listen to names presented and decide if a movie is worth watching or not - sometimes simply based on whether there has been an award or not. 

The Dutch-language world is quite small, so although there is a Dutch-language film market, most Dutch-language film makers make their films in English. Paul Verhoeven known Dutch filmmakers include Paul Verhoeven was a film director who was successful with both Dutch-language films and within the world scene. Although his movies not be ones you might have seen, they were well received within the film world and include: RoboCop, Total Recall, Starship Trooper, Hollow Man and Basic Instinct. 

Dutchman Theo Van Gogh is best known perhaps because of his name and the fact that he was assassinated because of his film content. He made controversial films about controversial politicians. The film for which he was murdered was about women in Islam and their treatment. 

Jan de Bont is another Dutch film director, perhaps best known for his action films Speed and Twister, but he also worked as director of photography on films such as Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October and Basic Instinct. 

For Belgians, the list runs a bit differently. Belgium is of course a multi-language market, serving both Dutch speakers and French speakers. The French-speaking market is much larger than the Dutch-speaking market. There have been plenty of directors within the French-speaking market who would not be known by English-speaking followers of film. 

Chantal Akermans is best known for her film ‘Jeanne Dielman’ which is considered by some in the film world to be one of the best films made. Others, like Akermans, have made their fame either in Dutch or French, including Stijn Coninx, the Dardenne brothers and Erik Van Looy. Van Looy directed his film ‘The Loft’ first in Dutch before also directing the US-remake. 

More recently films like “The Broken Circle Breakdown” and “Beautiful Boy” from Felix van Groeningen, “Girl” from Lukas Dhont, “Bullhead” from Michaël R. Roskam, and the “Bad Boys for Life” with Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have brought Belgian filmmakers into the spotlight. 

Depending on what kind of film you might watch, what kind of film might garner an award (Foreign Language film, for example), or if a film is in English or not, you might have watched or be planning to watch a film by a Dutch or Belgian director. Sometimes the name might give it away (with a “van” or “de” in the middle), but you might not know unless you look into it a bit further. 

Hang on!

“Hang on!” When you hear those words, they could mean two different things. 

“Hang on!” Could be like the poster I saw when I attended York College so many years ago. It was of a small kitten holding on to a branch of a tall tree. Hold tight - help is on the way. That was the thought. This past weekend I was down at camp with 6 young people for Winterkamp. We talked about New Years’ resolutions and how to keep them going throughout the year. In my lesson on Sunday I talked about the apostle Peter and why I like his example so much. 

Throughout his life we see Peter as someone who was passionate about almost everything he did. So when he messed up, he often did it in a big way. But he never gave up. He picked himself up and kept going, knowing that Jesus (the one he messed up with so often) loved him. So I know that I do not have to give up - even if I have messed up. I can pick myself up and continue on, knowing that Jesus loves me. 

Hang on! That is what a lot of 2020 and 2021 looked like for many. This past year was a bit different, but still held a lot of this sentiment. 

“Hang on - here we go!” This is something I can remember from some exciting activities in the past. A rollercoaster just getting to the top of the hill before the scary, exciting, scream-inducing fall. Holding onto a bar, my feet in skis in the water, just before the boat pulls away with a growl and I have to try to stay upright and feel the thrill of sliding over the water (just before splashing face-first into the spray). White-water rafting. Driving a car for the first time or riding a motorcycle. Bicycling down a hill, racing against my brothers. Jumping across a chasm or the creek at camp, hoping not to fall. 

The excitement that comes with new moments, something dangerous, difficult and yet wonderful arriving at that moment. That is also where we stand now. This is a new year with new challenges and new blessings. We can face it because we walk with the one and only Almighty God who loves us deeply. So let’s go! 

It was a great weekend. We enjoyed many good conversations, watched some amazing fireworks on a night that was completely clear - even though it was supposed to be raining - and got to know each other better. We each of us headed home to different challenges, thankfully with still a little time to rest after a weekend of excitement. I am thankful for young people willing to get together and help one another. I am thankful for a place like camp that we can do these things. And I am so very thankful for a wonderful God who also says, “Hang on!”

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4