Where oh Where Wednesday: Grotten van Remouchamp

Every summer we organize summer Bible camp weeks for various ages. There is a Youth group for those aged 15 and above, a Benjamins group for 8-11 year-olds, a Teen group for the 12-14 year-olds and a Family camp for all ages and any who want to come. In addition we have been trying for years to get a Young Adults group started and the various congregations use camp for retreats and more. We have expanded in the last years to include a Vacation Bible Camp twice a year as well as a Fall Camp (during the Fall break for Belgian schools) and a Winter Camp at the end of the year for the older youth. The camp weeks will begin in July. 

During the normal summer weeks the camp leaders of the different weeks try to find activities that fit the group and the budget. We have always tried to make sure that coming to camp is well within everyone’s budget. At the same time, we want to make it a fun time learning about God, getting to make new friends and seeing old friends, and experiencing God’s nature. Camp is situated in a wonderful area to the Ardennes. I have talked about that before on this blog. 

There are all sorts of activities in the area, including mountain biking, a waterfall, a dam with an amazing huge statue, castles, ancient European cities and ruins, the highest point in Belgium, an old mine with a tour, and lots of walks through all sorts of nature. One of the interesting outings that we do with the camp weeks is to the caves of Remouchamp.

These caves were first discovered in 1828 and have been a tourist attraction since 1912. When we take a group there, we are taken on a tour around the cave in two parts: the first part is done on foot and includes a visit to a huge cathedral like area. The whole walk and area is full of stalactites and stalagmites. As you continue the tour, you climb into a boat and fare the Rubicon river through the rest of the cave system. The site of the caves declares that this is the longest underground river in the world. 

It is an exciting visit and gives plenty to talk about, including how such formations come to be and how this fits with God’s creation. 

On the family side - in Indianapolis

Last Monday we were flying. Shirley is just recently returned from a short but intense visit to her sick sister, but now it is time to travel for a much happier reason. We finally get to meet our granddaughter, Sophia. We are looking forward to being able to get to know her a little bit in the 2 weeks we will be there. 

Sophia Ruby was born June 29, 2023, just after we had visited. We were in Indianapolis in the middle of May and Sophia arrived at the end of June. We have been thankful for every single photograph we receive. And every once in a while, especially as she is getting older, she is awake when we video-call our son. Since there is a 6 hour difference, we call at their lunchtime. 

The month before we traveled we were able to wave and say hello again via the computer. She was a happy little baby and was clearly learning how to wave, flapping with her fingers as we cooed and laughed through the computer screen. Now we are able to wave and coo and hold her tight. We are enjoying hearing her, seeing her and laughing with her. And of course sharing all these moments with Stephan and Natalie. 

It was exciting recently to be able to congratulate both of them on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. We remember how much our children changed our lives, with all of the challenges and excitements. It still amazes me that God has so designed us that he trusts us for a time with children, teaching us the love of a parent so that we understand Him as well. 

We have also already had an opportunity to see Scott’s brother, Mike and his family. It is good to see the nephews again who are all growing tall and have become young men. On the other side we have also spent time with Natalie’s parents and her sister and brother-in-law. We are able to move around the city and have been blessed with a place to stay thanks to church family who are also so willing to help in so many ways. 

We will be in Indianapolis until July 4 (what a day to fly back to Europe) and are looking forward to all of the time we will be able to share. Sean and Jill are also flying over from New York, so we will all be together on Sophia’s birthday. Not that she will remember any of that. Hopefully, she will simply stick her face in a cake and laugh. But we will enjoy being all together - with this new addition. 

We are so very thankful for the chance to make this trip and for all who have helped to make it possible. 

(This picture is from the last time we were all together in 2018)

Whensday: 1602 world’s first stock exchange

In the Netherlands and Belgium, throughout Europe, the lottery is something that is well-known. In the Netherlands you can “play” with the other people on your street, joining in the postcode lottery. The whole idea behind a lottery is that people can take their chances in winning a much larger sum. You buy a lot and take your lot in your own hands - or at least that is what is sold. 

This idea of risking your money to make even more has been around a long time. There has always been all sorts of gambling. But it was the Dutch who first came up with the idea of risking funds to help businesses grow. It was in the Netherlands in 1602 that the Dutch East India Company was set up. Some see this as the beginning of trading stock in a company. The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is often considered the beginning of modern securities markets, although lending had been present on a larger scale since the Middle Ages in places like Italy. 

The idea behind a stock exchange is that people can buy stock in a company. The buyer buys a part of the company and runs the risk that the company will do well, hoping that the stock will become more valuable as the company grows. But this is of course never certain. Some companies fail, others become suddenly very successful. Today we would say they go “viral”. The stock holders want the company to do well so that they can get their money back and more. 

The most well-known markets are now in the US and England: the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ and the London Stock Exchange. The AEX is the exchange in Amsterdam. The buildings in which these exchanges are housed are often well-known, even as tourist attractions. The “Beurs” or the “Bourse” can be found in Brussels, in Amsterdam and in many other European cities. (The picture is of the exchange in New York on Wall Street).

Whatsit Wednesday: Billiard balls

When I was young, I remember going to someone’s house who had a pool table. I do not remember whose house it was, but it must have been someone with some money. A pool table is not a small thing. You have to have a whole room for the thing. But in those days, it was one of the things to show that you were up and coming. Later it might have been a ping pong table, or simply a pool. 

The pool table intrigued me because of the feel, the smell and the game itself. The table was felt, the balls seemed like huge marbles, maybe made of ivory or something like that. The room had a light smell that came from the chalk that you could use, even if you didn’t quite know what it was for. And I could use my maths to play the game, figuring out angles and corners and lines. The billiard cue was a simple stick that, in the hand of the right person, turned into an amazing piece of sport equipment. 

Billiard cue. It was years before I figured out that the game was called “billiards”. By then I had come to know that there were other games on such table. Billiards was played on a table with holes in the corners. But some games didn’t have any holes at all - and the balls were colored differently. “Snooker” sounded like some word that you should be ashamed to say. But it was played all over Europe. 

Some of the best snooker players are indeed English or even Belgian. But all of them use the same kind of balls. Billiard balls, snooker balls and even “bumper pool” balls are all pretty much the same. And amazingly, they mostly come from Belgium. In the past (the games have been played since the 17th century), balls could indeed have been made from elephant ivory. Laster balls were made by certain composites, including balls made of bakelite - a substance also made by a Belgian. 

But modern balls are made of phenolic resin which is resistant to cracking and chipping. Almost 80% are made by Saluc under the name “Aaramith”. Saluc is a Belgian company founded in 1923. They also make Logitechh trackballs and nine-pin bowling balls. So the next time you enjoy any of these sports, you can think of Belgium’s contribution. 

Fathers

When our boys were young, in primary school, the teachers always made sure that the children did something for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. I remember wearing a paper tie on a Sunday morning because it was made by my son for me for Father’s Day. In Belgium, Father’s Day falls on the second Sunday, so it was celebrated yesterday. 

In the Netherlands and the United States the day is celebrated this year on June 16. This will be our oldest son’s first Father’s Day. His daughter, our first granddaughter, Sophia, will turn one year old at the end of the month. We are thankful that we are able to finally visit and meet the young lady. We arrive in Indianapolis the day after Father’s Day. 

These celebrations always remind me of the many people in my life who have played such an important role. Of course we are so very thankful for our own parents (and I will be congratulating my father as well next week). But as Jesus promised Peter, when we leave all to follow Jesus (and that is what any follower of Jesus truly does), then we find we have hundreds more in our lives. 

My best friend’s father, Ron Carter, was always somewhat of a father to me, teaching me about who Jesus was and what it means to follow Him as well as showing me what a father looks like in a family. When I spent two years as an apprentice to an evangelist, it was he who also influenced my life. He was less of a father figure and more of a teacher, but I learned much from him as well. 

Being a father is more than simply having children. Although I know that I was not the best father in the world, I tried to do what I had learned from the people around me and especially from God’s word. I am aware that the example I was to my boys is what will last longest in their memoires. And it is then that I am also thankful for my Heavenly Father and the grace that He provides. 

Who was influential in your life as a father figure? How important is it to you to know that God is your Father? 

(It is such a joy to have seen and see these boy grow to men). 

Whodunit Wednesday: The ladies of sport

This will be quite the summer of sport. The European Cup (men’s soccer) is being held in Germany in from the middle of June to the middle of July. About two weeks later the Olympics start in Paris. And of course the normal summer sports are also taking place: the Tour de France, Wimbledon and more. 

Women’s basketball is big news in the US recently with Caitlin Clark, but it has also been big news in Belgium for the last few years. The Belgian Cats (the woman’s national basketball team) grabbed the bronze medal at the European Championships in 2021 and then won the European championships last year, beating favorite Spain. 

In the last Olympics in Tokyo, the Cats lost out to Japan. This year they are also in the group with the US, Japan and Germany. But they will depend on two players who have also been making a name for themselves in the WNBA: Emma Meesseman and Julie Vanloo. 

Emma was crowned WNBA champion with the Washington Mystics in 2019. Since 2022 she has played for Chicago Sky. Julia Vanloo, a 3-point specialist, has joined the Washington Mystics this year and has already made her mark. 

In athletics, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has been making recent news in the 400 meter and 400 meter hurdles. She is the reigning Olympic champion in the hurdles. But she will have to deal with Femke Bol who has taken the spotlight more recently. Bol won the bronze medal in Tokyo to Machlaughlin’s gold. But in 2023 Bol has taken all of the indoor medals and records, leading up to an exciting showdown at the Olympics this summer. 

In gymnastics, all eyes will of course continue to be on Simone Biles. But in Belgium,

everyone still knows Nina Derwael. She has taken gold medals (even from Simone Biles) on the beam and especially on the bars. She was world champion in 2018 and 2019 and took the first gold medal for Belgium in gymnastics in Tokyo. She even has a new element named after her. 

Growing in grace

It is always exciting to see kids grow up. If you have known them for a long time (like since they were a baby), you see them learn to talk, learn to p[ay attention, start going to school and all the rest. You also see them grow in stature. Luke says Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52). That  is wonderful to see in our young people. 

One of our young men is just 13 but is almost (almost, not yet, you see) taller than I am. We check every week when we see one another. But it is also good to see how he and the other young people in the congregation are growing in knowledge and wisdom as well. We want them to know and understand the wonderful grace of our loving Father. And this is not just with our youngest ones. It is also good to see our older teens and 20 somethings growing. 

As mentioned before, we have a games day every 2nd Sunday. This is not digital games, but board games. It is a great time to be together, talk together and have fun. It has been fun to see the group that usually stays - it is a cross-section of the congregation. There are a few of us older folks, the young Ukrainian couple and some of the younger teens. This reinforces our family, helping us to get to know one another better.

It has also been great to be able to get together with our English speaking members. There is a group of 20-somethings who all speak English (and some are learning Dutch). We get together for a Bible study on Tuesdays when it works for all to be there (about every two weeks). This is a group of Ghanians, Ukrainians and Americans. It is wonderful to see their hunger for the word of God and their discussions about God’s will in their lives. 

We started a few weeks ago with showing some video’s on Sunday after services for the younger guys who are interested in some scientific evidences and discussions about God. This group sits in a corner, glued to the screen and the words being shared. Then there is a lively discussion afterwards. It is great to see. 

This Friday we will hold our first Friday singing again. The last time this has been with a smaller group since the French-speakers have not been able to come. But it is still nice to be able to learn new songs. I recently translated three songs from English to Dutch and hope to get them recorded soon so that others in the congregations can learn them and use them. I was also able to write two new short songs based on Bible texts - one was for the Vacation Bible Camp, the other for our youth day. The first has already been recorded and is online. I hope to get the other up fairly soon as well. 

Next weekend, just before we head out for our quick US trip, we will hold another Thank Walk. This is an opportunity to meet the neighbors, share the beauty of thankfulness and just know and see how beautiful God is in His nature - even around the building in the city. Our building is on the edge of the city, so there are several nice walks. And as the weather gets better (although it is still mostly rain now), the walks show even more beauty. 

With each of these activities, it has been so good to see the various members of the church growing in wisdom and grace and favor with God and man. We are so thankful for the way that God puts family together, forming us into His body, able to do amazing things with His Spirit. I am reminded daily of our theme this year: “You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household… “ (Eph. 2:19)