Wild wonderful Wednesday

This is the first 5th Wednesday this year that I have been able to write. So we are going to do things a little bit differently. I won’t be taking you to any spots near our house. Instead I will take you far away.

When Shirley and I started our life together we had no idea of what was to be in our future, but we wanted to face it with a smile and courage. So we made even our difficult times an “adventure”. If something was an adventure, then we could handle it and enjoy it. We did not have the possibility to travel much in the beginning, so even our walks out and around became adventures. We named our feet (mine were Ralph and Fred) and asked how they had enjoyed the adventure to the muddy swamp at the edge of the field, for example. 

And through the years we have had some amazing adventures. When we had our first car, we went to help pick someone up in Forth Worth, Texas. Unfortunately, our car broke down somewhere on the highway in Fort Worth before we could get to the young man we were to pick up. We spent the next few days walking from the cheapest hotel we found near a garage we found willing to tow our car. We had just enough money. We got coffee at the McDonald’s, purchased some cheese and bananas at a little supermarket and prayed that the garage would work out a deal with us. For two days we walked back and forth between the cheap hotel, the supermarket and the garage. I can still remember the smell of the asphalt of Forth Worth. 

Then there was the visit to the hotel in San Antonio, Texas a few years later. We wanted to visit San Antonio because that is where Scott was born. As we arrived downtown in our brand new second hand little station wagon, baby Stephan in the baby seat in the back, a pick-up truck turned left through our green light and smashed our cute little car to bits. 

Everyone seemed fine. Somehow (we still do not remember how) we got to the hotel we had planned to stay at and we made an adventure of the next few days wondering how we would get back to Abilene. That was solved by a brother (Bob Gorsline) who was traveling through and was able to take us with him. We never did see the Alamo, although we were able to purchase a sombrero. Ralph and Fred had a good time. 

But our adventures were not restricted to Texas, nor were they all difficult times. Between the two Texas adventures we traveled to Europe on a survey trip to see if we would be able to do missions there. This was before Stephan arrived and we had a Eurail ticket which meant we could travel all over Europe with the train. Ralph and Fred were excited. We would often plan our trip so that we could sleep in the train, saving costs. 

We walked up the hill to the castle in Salzburg, Austria. At least, we walked a good part of the way. Shirley did not do well with the altitude, so it was slow going. But we made it. In Greece we walked through the market and up to Mars Hill, imagining what the apostle Paul saw when he had been in the same places. We ran through the narrow streets of Venice as we hurried to get back to the train station after a day visiting the canals and bridges and glassblowers. And in Bremen we walked calmly through a park, finally sitting on a bench as we waited and prayed for a lost passport and Eurail pass which finally showed up when we returned to the train station. 

This past weekend we met up with our Chinese professor friend who is hosting her mother in the coming weeks. They told of the trips they will take to Paris, Rome, Venice and Munich. It reminded us of the journeys and adventures we have had. Life is exciting if you can make it an adventure. And oh the stories you have when all is said and done!

Where have you been? Where are you going? What adventures have you experienced? What adventures await you? Ralph and Fred still enjoy everything I throw at them. Walk with joy and courage. Walk with God and it will be great.  

Thanks

You now it’s not about the Friday and how black it is, what deals you can get. And you’re not waiting for today and all the cyber deals you can find. It has been great to see all the people we know getting together with other people we know, sharing time together. That is what it is about. 

Thanksgiving, as we have mentioned before, is not a holiday here. It is a uniquely American thing. And I am thankful that it is part of our DNA. As I jumped onto social media shortly, I was able to see so many of you all up to date and with family. It is fun to try to figure out who is who now, as kids grow up. It is good to see families together who very often cannot be together. 

We were thankful to be able to get online with Sean and Jill (and Pierre) to share some time and get caught up on what is happening in our lives. They were off to celebrate the day later with friends. We are glad that they have people to share this day with. Earlier in the week we had been able to see Stephan and grandbaby Sophia. We were thankful that Stephan, Natalie and Sophia were able to spend the day with Natalie’s family and the baby cousins were together. 

Although we do not celebrate Thanksgiving on the day (some years we have invited our neighbors), we do get together with others in Belgium and the Netherlands somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We call it Thanksmas. This year it will be on December 16 and we are looking forward to the good food and the wonderful fellowship that we are able to enjoy at the time. 

This is what it is about. That is why I am also so thankful that we can truly share this kind of fellowship throughout the year. Yes, that one time in the year is special. But yesterday we met with our spiritual family again - as we do every week. Our 4th Sunday’s are potluck, so we also got to eat. Spending time together, remembering that the people in our lives are the most important things - that is what it is about. Thank you for sharing your time and lives with us. 

Where oh where Wednesday: Waterloo

"Waterloo, I was defeated, you won the war. Waterloo, promise to love you forevermore. Waterloo, couldn’t escape if I wanted to. Waterloo, knowing my fate is to be with you. Woah, woah, woah, woah, Waterloo, finally facing my Waterloo."

We can all hear the music as we read the words. It was the song that won ABAA the Eurovision Song Festival and catapulted them into international attention. Interesting that a song about an epic defeat became their victory. It was definitely not their “Waterloo”. 

We still use this term for all sorts of situations. As in the song, if you have to face your Waterloo, you must face the fact that you are finally and ultimately going to be defeated (ro you will finally give in). This one battle, and one could make the argument that it is because of the song, has entered our collective vocabulary. Many will understand immediately what you mean if you talk about your Waterloo. 

But do people know anything about Waterloo? It is after all a real place. It was a real historical event. As the new film on Napoleon comes out, perhaps the interest for this place will peak once again. But it has been here all the time. 

Waterloo was, at the time of the battle for which anyone remembers the place, a town in the United Kingdom of The Netherlands. It is actually in Belgium - now. Remember, Belgium did not become a recognized country until 1839 and the battle of Waterloo took place in 1815. This was a battle of coalition forces where the armies of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, together with three others clashed with Napoleon until the Prussian forces, who were allied with the others against Napoleon, also arrived and put an end to Napoleon. 

The battlefield was at the crossing of two major roads. It is less than 10 kilometers from Brussels and just outside of the village of Waterloo. Tourism began the day after the battle, it seems. Bodies and remains were found for years afterwards. Today there is a great mound with a statue of a lion at the top and groups stage a re-enactment of the battle regularly. 

The town of Waterloo itself has a population of less than 30,000. It is just south of the language border, lying in the French-speaking area of Wallonia. The name of the town is, however, from the Dutch language and is a combination of “water” and “loo” (which means clearing in a forest). 

In the nearby town of Braine-l’Alleud is the only major disc golf course, where the Belgian Open is played and anyone can meet their own personal Waterloo. I learned disc golf years ago (before the millennium) from good friends in the church in Minnesota and have continued to play whenever I can. I have set up a small course at our Bible camp. But I have yet to visit the course near Waterloo. 

Little Words

The last weeks have seen me trying to help someone who I have known for more than 20 years. We started reading the Bible together and I helped him out with moving, small things around the house, parenting tips (he is a single father) and more. 

Recently he was operated on a perforated intestine and almost died. His son - who is now a 26 year-old lawyer - reminded him after the operation that he had been given a second chance. You see, he has never been an easy person to live with. I have tried to remind him of an amazing truth I learned many years ago (as I mentioned a few weeks ago about pizza evenings with the youth group). The simple words “please” and “thank you” make the world a completely different place. 

While he was in the hospital a nurse came to assist him. She mentioned her name when he wanted to call her “miss”. Later, when I went looking for coffee, because we needed to wait for quite some time, she showed me the way. I thanked her and mentioned her name. A smile lit her face. It was nothing more than a simple “thank you”, but it meant a lot to her. Nurses have long days. 

So, we (his son and me) have given this man a challenge to learn these two simple sayings. He started his chemo this past Friday and immediately had some opportunities to practice. It is NOT something that comes naturally, although Ince you learn it, it can become normal. I saw this reality this past weekend in another way that we might not expect. 

This weekend was the COPA Benelux. The last COPA (the cup) was in 2019. Covid rules killed this indoor soccer tournament for the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands in the years between. We had people from 7 or 8 different congregations. We had 5 Fun teams and 5 Pro teams (each team being at least 5 people). We came with a Fun team from Maastricht. The Fun teams aren’t that serious and are often comprised of younger players. 

The COPA is also a time for members from the various congregations to see and talk to one another. It is a time to invite people we know who may or may not know Jesus to an event where we talk about and show what fun is like when Jesus is in our lives. 

During the play I remember hearing Luk Brazle, who played for Ghent Fun, calling out to the goalkeeper of Rotselaar Fun, “Good stop, Eva!” His teammate had just tried to score and the goalkeeper had kept the ball out. It was a great stop. It deserved the attention. So Luk made sure that the encouragement was there. 

Throughout the day you could hear and see these kinds of things happening. People thanking one another, enocuraging one another. During the Pro games I saw players admit when they had kicked it out, rather than wait on the ref. In fact, once their was a bit of a dispute about whose ball it was. The ref said one thing, a player said something else. Finally the opposite player simply said, “No problem. Their ball.” And the game continued. 

This is what people who know Jesus have discovered. Complaining may have its place in life, but it can only get so much done. And it seldom changes people. Gratitude changes hearts and situations the it is real. It doesn’t have to be big or flashy. It doesn’t really have to be noticed by anyone, except the person to whom it is addressed. Gratitude admits that YOU are not the most important at that moment, that someone else was needed. Gratitude allows humility to be present and grow. The same thing happens when we use “please”. 

Amazing that these are things we could learn early on in our lives. But we can still learn them later in life as well. Please keep A in your prayers as he tried to put his second chance to good use and learns to change his world. 

Thank you so very much for your encouragement of us in our lives and for how you show the love of God where you are. Enjoy your day of Thanksgiving this week, and remember that it is possible to practice this every day, in any month of the year. 

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Whensday - King's Day in Belgium

It isn’t really celebrated here, but today, November 15, is King’s Day in Belgium. In the Netherlands King’s Day is celebrated across the country. There are orange flags everywhere and people set up spontaneous street markets to sell all sorts of second-hand goods and self-made food. Of course King’s Day in the Netherlands is at the end of April and often has beautiful weather. 

In Belgium most people may not even know that it is a special day. November 1 was All Saints day and everyone visited the graves of the loved ones who passed away. November 11 was just several days ago when the veterans were honored, mostly by those who have military family and know what it means. The same day is also the beginning of Carnaval for those who celebrate. Sinter Klaas (Saint Nicholas) is on his way to the country, arriving by boat and riding a horse. That happens on December 5 and 6. The children are especially waiting for that moment. So King’s Day in Belgium passes by without a sound. It is not even in the news. 

Mind you, King Philip of Belgium is a pretty quiet king. He takes his job seriously and is never boisterous, as the Dutch king sometimes has been. Many are waiting for the day that his eldest daughter will take the throne as the first queen of the country. Then Elizabeth will be able to celebrate “Queen’s Day”. In The Netherlands it went the other way around. Since the beginning of the 20th century there had only been queens. King Willem-Alexander brought the change from Queen’s Day to King’s Day in 2014. 

Around this day in 1946 the Dutch government was fighting with a fledgling Indonesia which was forming a new independent country. It would take several years before this fighting ended. The consequences of this struggle, with some Indonesians siding with the Dutch and others fighting deadly battles, have continued to this day. The Netherlands has a strong population of Indonesians who were evacuated from Indonesia to The Netherlands when the Dutch finally recognized Indonesia as a country. 

On November 15, 1948 the weather service recorded the warmest day of 17.3 degrees Celsius (63.1 F) in Maastricht. Today the temperature is not expected to rise above 10 degrees Celsius (49 F). 

Women’s day

This weekend our ladies in Maastricht organized a study and fellowship day for the ladies of the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands. It was great to see so many from the various congregations and cities. There were ladies present from 6 different congregations, from the northern part of the Netherlands to the western side of Belgium - all coming to the far south of the Netherlands, just past the eastern side of Belgium. 

Our little room did a great job accommodating the ladies for the day and our ladies did a great job presenting God’s word and time to share with one another about that word in their lives. The them was “Waiting for God”. The lessons were brought by four of our ladies, including one of our younger sisters in the faith. Shirley took care of setting up the room and making sure the lunch and coffee, tea and cookies were ready. 

It was great to see such a range of ages all encouraging one another. The youngest lady present was 11 and the oldest was 90 with all ages in between. It is exciting to think how beautiful God’s plan is of bringing family together. The lessons came from ladies who told about how they came to faith because of the faithfulness of others waiting on the Lord, about how God works through all sorts of situations to shape us into what He sees in us, about expecting and trusting the grace and strength of a mighty God and Father. 

Thank you for your prayers for this day! We were thankful to be able to organize this day, being able to see so many sisters that we do not see very often. 

Whatsit Wednesday - Mega Corporations

These days we all understand that we have to deal with mega corporations. Many of us use social media. We keep connected with family and friends through all types of channels. I can still remember MySpace and the Dutch version of social media in the beginning, Hyves. These days one has to be connected to several different social media channels in order to be in contact with the various groups. Young people won’t be found dead on some, and older people (Boomers) are not as savvy on others. 

Most of us use the internet to an immense degree. I remember thrilling in the chance to read an encyclopedia. I don’t know how many people still know what an encyclopedia is. But almost everyone knows what Wikipedia is. And if we have a question, the first thing we do is “Google it”. While these are all very recent innovations, the idea of mega corporations is not a modern thing (depending on how far back you want to go to define “modern”). 

The VOC was the “Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie” or the United East India Company, more often known in English as the Dutch East India Company. This company, established in 1602, became much more than a company. It was the first company in which you could be a shareholder, you could buy stock in the company (which could be bought and sold in what would become the Amsterdam Stock Exchange - but that is a different story). 

This company became a megalith with powers to wage war, sign treaties, establish colonies and even strike its own coins. It influenced all of Asia at the time and established markets and cultures that still resonate throughout the world today. Its atrocities resound throughout history as well and should sound a warning. But many are not willing to listen to history, often thinking it only a telling of old tales instead of a warning for future behavior. 

In more modern times we see a few other mega corporations under the Dutch flag. Unilever makes food under many different brands and is partially Dutch. ASML is a Dutch company that has been in the news most recently because of international tensions. They make machines that make chips - computer chips. Much of what they need for their machines is made in Taiwan. If Taiwan were to be taken over by China, the supply of computer chips (which are now used in almost everything) would cease to be as free as it is now. 

So while we are enjoying eating a bag of chips, googling something on our computer or phone or sharing some little tidbit on our social media, we might want to remember what such a corporation can do across the globe. 

Being taken care of

Giving to others is great. Jesus spoke truth when he said it is more blessed to give than to receive. And yet there are many times that we need to learn to accept help. How else will we be able to accept the amazing grace that God offers us. If we are always trying to pay things back, or feeling ashamed of receiving help because we feel we should do it on our own, then we cannot experience forgiveness or grace or how good it is to be part of a loving, helpful family. 

This is something that I remember learning long ago from the first Christians I came to know - my best friend and his family and friends. Pizza every week or so with the youth group sounded great, but I didn’t want to be beholden. My best friend’s father let me know: “This is what we are doing now for you. Later you will do this for others. We do it because God has done it for us. We just want to be like Him.” 

This past month our car needed plenty of TLC (and then some!). And we all know that car care come at a price. Thankfully, we are well cared for because of so many of you who support us, making it possible for us to be sharing God’s good news here. And we use our car an awful lot. This was something that our church family here also understood. They have either been a recipient of us traveling to them, or have seen how we use what God has blessed us with. 

Every 5th Sunday the congregation in Maastricht holds a special contribution. This is in addition to our regular giving. The members can share a need that we can all decide to contribute to, according to our own desire and ability to help, One of the members put us own the list. We were surprised by this attention and even more by how much was given to help us out. It is amazing to be a part the body of Christ! These brothers and sisters give from the heart. 

Those many years ago I learned that the best thing about walking with God is how thankful we can be. He blesses so immensely. He does that through what He has given - true grace and forgiveness and love and peace - as well as through His body, our brothers and sisters. We are indeed so thankful for all of you who continue to support us in prayer and encouragement and financially, making it possible for us to be here. Our trip to the US this past month was also an example of this giving love. And we are so thankful for the group of people we are working with here who also know this wonderful truth of the joy of giving. 

(That is our car back in 2018 when Stephan and Natalie came to visit).

Whodunit Wednesday: Jan Pieter Minckelaers

On the market in Maastricht stands a statue of a man holding what looks like a stick. He is clearly not from our time. Most statues are of people from the past and this is no different. I remember when we first moved to Maastricht, this statue was quite different. A flame rose from the stick in his hand. That made sense once I knew that this was a statue of Jan Pieter Minckelaers. 

Who? Minckelaers was the inventor of gas lighting. No, not gaslighting. Gaslighting is when you trick someone into thinking something that you want them to think. Often it is used to make someone feel guilty for something you yourself have done. Think of the movie “Gaslight”. There are lots of examples of gaslighting that have happened throughout the ages. But that is not what Minckelaers discovered. 

He literally was the one who came up with the idea of making street lights (and lights in houses even) using gas. Imagine, if you can, a time before electricity, before led’s and lighting that is so simple you can put it anywhere. Instead of using candles or oil lamps with wicks, people used lit gas. That meant that gas lines ran all through the city, into homes, everywhere. 

These days we might be worried about leaving the gas stove on when we leave the house - it would cause an explosion. But in previous centuries this was an amazing discovery. Light could be had at any time. You could turn it up or down. And yes, although it might have been dangerous, it was amazing to be able to see when it got dark at night. People could work in the evening. Streets became safer. 

Minckelaers stood on the market as a reminder of this wonderful invention. The flame was always burning. That is, until it got too expensive for the city to keep it burning. Then they put in a coin machine so that tourists or citizens of the city could pay to make the lamp go on. In the end, the city even removed that possibility. 

We heat our house using gas. We also cook on gas. And of course we put gas (diesel in our case) into our car. Our society may have moved away from gas, but not completely. We are told that electricity is the best thing since sliced bread, even though most of it comes from gas. 

In a time when gas prices have risen immensely, sometimes at the drop of a hat and for any possible excuse, it is not hard to confuse the idea of gas lighting and gaslighting. Now Minckelaers stands with an iron staff sticking out of his hand into the empty air.