Challenges and blessings in 2025

Many people send out a year-end letter to catch everyone up on what has happened in the past year. I thought I would take a little space to round up some highlights of this year. It has also reminded me of the various blessings and challenges we have had. 

Singing

Much of our work and fellowship has to do with singing and this year was no different. Every first Friday of the month we get together with members from the church in Maastricht to learn new songs and encourage one another. We also travel to Eindhoven every third Wednesday evening to do the same with that congregation. Although we do not make it every month, we enjoy the months that we do get to share with that church family. 

This year we also traveled to Cologne for a singing day with the congregation there. Throughout the year we recorded songs for the YouTube channel as well. This is a wonderful way for the singers from various congregations to help others throughout the Dutch-speaking churches. You can hear the results on the YouTube channel - which includes the songs that Luk Brazle also records. 

New this year was our working with the congregation in Haarlem which decided to put together new song books and learn to sing better as a congregation. So we have traveled the 2.5 hours there about once a month this Fall. We are looking forward to continuing this relationship in the coming months. 

Studying, young people and Bible camp

We take time every week for approximately 7 Bible studies with various people and groups. Some of the studies are with the congregation, some with those who are growing in faith or learning about faith. Along with the studies have come some planned youth activities, including a youth day again organized by the congregation in Maastricht. It is exciting to see this kind of growth in sharing faith, knowledge and grace. 

As with all of the years we have been working here, we also spent time with Ardennes Bible Camp. This included a special training day for new camp leaders, planning meetings with new possible board members and of course the weeks of Summer camp. This year we directed the oldest youth (15 years and older) as well as helping with the teens during Family camp. 

You can find pictures of camp here or on the camp website (www.bijbelkamp.eu)

Comings and goings

This has also been a year of change. Several of the people whom I have been helping and visiting passed away. Some of these were expected, others quite unexpected. Monthly visits to the prison in Antwerp and to a mental health facility nearby both ended near the end of the year. We also said goodbye to two faithful sisters who we will see again when we get Home. 

We said 'au revoir' to several of our members who moved on to other areas. Our American families have either been stationed back to the US or are almost on their way. This has changed the make-up of the congregation in Maastricht a bit, since we do not need to translate as often or as much. At the same time, we have had some new people move in and we are looking forward to what this will mean for the congregation in the coming year. 

New life

We welcomed three new brothers to the church in Maastricht this year as well. Isaak is young, but understands how important and beautiful life is with Jesus Christ. His 12 years of life are quite different from Jef, who is in his 60’s. But both of them have made the choice not only to give their lives to Christ, but to allow the Holy Spirit to change them as they grow in faith. (Photo is of Jef's baptism in the Spring). Most recently we also welcomed Kristof to the family of Christ. He is a colleague of our brother, Danny. 

We are so thankful for the blessings that God has brought us this year, along with the challenges. Every new day is a good day, bringing new things to learn and new people into our lives. Thank you for being part of this journey and work as well. Your faithfulness, your prayers, your example and help are a blessing to the church here and to God’s kingdom.  

Whensday: Léopold II in 1865

On December 17, 1865 Léopold Lodewijk Filips Maria Victor van Saksen-Coburg en Gotha became Loepol II, king of Belgium. He was the second king of Belgium, following Leopold I, his father. He was 30 years old when he became king and reigned until his death in 1909 at the age of 55. He was king for exactly 44 years and remains the longest reigning king of Belgium. 

Leopold is best known for his ruthless deeds done I the Independent Congo Free State which he established. Many historians now look back on that time with disgust. Léopold II used Congo as a personal zoo en discovery ground. The Congo was his personal property, after all. 

Many of the best known places in Belgium were built during his reign and under his charge. The Jubel Park and Dudenpark in Brussels and the Central Station in Antwerp are examples of these. Besides these public buildings he also built various buildings for himself, including the Botanical Gardens in Laken, the Japanese tower and Chinese pavilion near the palace and even special houses in France. The Villefranche-sur-Mer on the French coast was considered one of the most expensive houses in the world in 2009. 

Congo was finally relinquished from Léopold II to the Belgian state in 1908. Belgium bought the area from the king (or he was forced to sell it). From 1908 until 1960 Belgian Congo was a colony of Belgium until it became the country of Congo. The true history of what Léopold II did in his private state of Congo only truly came to light decades later. 

Family of Léopold II were woven into the families and governments all over the world. His sister was empress of Mexico. Queen Victoria in the United Kingdom was a full niece. But in the end all of his ties died out. Today there is only a branch of the house of Bonaparte (his youngest daughter had married Napoleon Victor Bonaparte).

(Photo is of the Victory Arch in Jubelpark Brussels)

Fun

My best friend’s father always said that Christians know best how to have fun. God created fun, so those who know God know best what fun is. And if you knew Ron Carter or my best friend, Bret Carter, you would understand completely how true this is. And it is something I have found to be true throughout my life. We have fun at Bible camp. We have fun at sport days. We have fun playing games. We have fun telling jokes - even dad jokes. 

This past weekend was a weekend of fun. Shirley’s birthday was on Thursday and we enjoyed laughing together. I made dinner. Or at least, I warmed up the meat that I bought at the store. I also warmed up the potatoes and made a salad - all with Shirley’s help. But it was delicious and we enjoyed the time together. We have always been able to laugh together - even if a lot of it might be me laughing at my own jokes. Shirley has gotten pretty good at dad jokes as well (as have our sons - to their own chagrin). 

On Saturday the congregation organized a sport day to have some more fun. You have heard me talk about the soccer tournament that many go to. But there are plenty of us who actually like playing basketball as well (or we even prefer it). So we planned a sport day for those who wanted to play basketball and had a soccer ball along for the chance that it might be needed. 

Although this is exam time for plenty of young people, we still hoped that some would take the opportunity to take a break from studying and come sweat for a few hours. And we had a good small group to play some 3x3 (or half court) ball. I was happy just to be able to keep up with some of the younger ones who attended, but it was fun. Encouraging one another, experiencing some good ankle breakers and even getting in a lay-up here or there. 

Sunday was the birthday of another of our members in Maastricht, but its was also a 2nd Sunday. That means games in Maastricht. Our Ukrainian couple bring all sorts of games to play, we eat a meal beforehand and simply enjoy getting to know each other while laughing. This time we played a few hands of Uno Hearts. It takes a bit of learning and a good bit of humility. You never know when you might end up with too many cards of the wrong color. But it is all good fun. 

Next week we will hold our church Christmas Get-together. This year we chose for secret Santa’s (instead of a white elephant sort of game). We will enjoy a good potluck meal together and sharing gifts and encouraging Bible texts with one another. This too is part of having fun. When we can go home having laughed, feeling appreciated, knowing that others care about us - then it is a good day. 

On Christmas we will probably be welcoming some of our young couples to our house for a delicious meal (which they will also help make) and some fun games together. It is always good to share laughter and the love of family. God knows what fun is all about and it is good to share it with those who know Him. 

(Photo is our Christmas Get-together last year)

On the Family Side

(This was set to post last week, but somehow did not get posted). 

This past month we were very thankful for technology and that we were able to check in with our kids. We have a wonderful daughter-in-love who sends us pictures regularly of what she and Sean are doing in New York City and we got to check in with Sean and hear about his job and health. It has been a year since he damaged his ACL and was operated. Thankfully he is back to playing soccer every week with friends. 

His wife, Jill, is enjoying running her own antique store in Manhattan. You can even find her on Instagram (brocante_nyc) and if you are in the neighborhood drop in to her little boutique. Sean himself is enjoying his time as a 1st grade teacher. He is also working on a children’s book that he has written - a detective Jack Russel terrier solving a mystery in Brussels. So Jacques Russel from Brussel may be coming to your bookshelf soon. Sean is also working on a novel. Both Sean and Jill enjoy writing and being creative. 

Just after Thanksgiving we were also able to jump on a video call to Stephan, Natalie and our granddaughter. The little one is growing quickly and is intrigued by seeing us on the video, but she is also 2 years old and had just been through a few days of long trips and family visits. We were very thankful to be able to talk for a while with our daughter-in-love who we had not seen for quite some time. We were also thankful to have been able to talk to Stephan for his birthday (Halloween). 

Both Stephan and Natalie work hard and enjoy their time with family that is close by. Natalie’s sisters both live with their families in the neighborhood and both have kids, so our granddaughter gets to be with the cousins quite often. We are looking forward to being able to see everyone next year when we make our trip through the US. We will get to sing to our granddaughter in person and spend enough time with both families (in Indiana and in New York). 

Until then we are thankful for every possibility of contact - pictures, videos and video calling. Who knows, we may even send some actual cards at some point (does anyone still use real snail mail?). 

(Photo is of the last time we were all together in Indianapolis for a birthday in 2024. Lots has changed since then!)

Whodunit Wednesday: Tom Boon and Xan de Waard

Hockey - not ice hockey, but the real hockey. It is played on a field with a ball and sticks. Looks a bit like ice hockey - without the ice, without the huge padding and ice skates, without the fighting. Both Belgium and the Netherlands are world powers when it comes to field hockey and recently one name rose to the top. 

Tom Boon is an “old” player. Just like in so many sports, age is relative. Aaron Rodgers is still making waves in the NFL, albeit at Pittsburgh instead of Green Bay. For hockey players 35 years old is definitely not young. Tom Boon has been the vedette scorer for the Belgian national team for quite some time. The Belgian men won the World Cup (2018), the European Cup (2019) and the Olympics (2021).   

The World Cup of hockey is even played about an hour from here, just outside of Antwerp - in Boom. By the way, the Dutch (or Flemish) words with a double “o” in the middle are pronounced with the “o” sound. A Dutchman commented to me long ago, “I don’t understand you Americans. It is easy in Dutch. If one “o” is “o” then two “o’s” should be “ooo” (making a rounded “o” sound a bit longer). Where do you get this “ew” or “oo” when you say the word “book”?” So Tom Boon (whose name means Tom Bean) plays in Boom (which means tree). 

However one pronounces his name, Boon has just won the prestigious World Player of the Year 2025. On the women’s side, Dutchwoman Xan de Waard won for the second time. And the Dutch women are a definite force in the game. They have won 4 of the last 5 Olympics and 4 of the last World Cups. So the next time you are watching hockey, check out this hockey and know that either the Netherlands or Belgium, whether it is the men’s or women’s competition, will be in the running. 

(Photo of Tom Boon in white playing against Germany)

International thanks

This past weekend we were able to celebrate ‘Thanksmas’. This is what we here call the day that the Americans, Canadians and those linked to such get together to celebrate Thanksgiving. Since it cannot be done on a Thursday, we find a day between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year it was actually very close to Thanksgiving - the Saturday following. We had just been able to talk to our son, Stephan, his wife, Natalie and our granddaughter the day before on a video call. They had been gone on Thanksgiving, so the Friday was better for all. And the following day we were with friends in Antwerp celebrating and eating turkey and pumpkin pie. 

This event brings several different cultures together, but all of whom have a link to the Thanksgiving in some way. Some Dutch or Belgian husbands or wives are linked through their spouse. This means that the kids also get a taste of the day. Some church family has been involved for many years. And sometimes people are invited to simply share the food and fellowship. 

Years ago we brought our Chinese professor friend, Jia (who passed away unexpectedly this year), to share as part of our family. Others have also brought guests. This year we had 5 Chinese visitors who came with their colleague - an American who was living in Belgium but has moved with his family to China for his job. Now he was back in Belgium for a few weeks with his colleagues for a work visit. And they were excited to be able to experience this American holiday.

I spent some time speaking with Justin (his English name). He was thrilled with the singing we did as well as the food differences. It turns out that his parents have also become Christians - in China. But he assured me that the songs they sing sound nothing like what we sang. And he asked if every family at Thanksgiving sings like this. I assured him that at least this group did. 

There are all sorts of holiday traditions. Our son runs a 5K Turkey Trot (with some of the in-laws). Our other son, who lives with his Belgian wife in New York City, has spent time in the past with friends who invite them to a sort of family gathering. This year they spent time on a walk in Central Park. We have previously invited our neighbors and members of the congregation in Maastricht to celebrate with us at our home. It is always a time of meeting, blending families and cultures, and sharing the many things we are thankful for. 

What did your Thanksgiving look like? 

(Photo: games after dinner and before dessert)

Where oh where Wednesday: Suriname

50 years ago much of the world was in turmoil. As a child I was quite interested in maps and flags and countries. We had an encyclopedia - a set of books in which you could find all sorts of information, a paper “Google” if you will - and I would spend hours looking at and copying over the flags of the world. But it was difficult in those years because there were a lot of changes taking place, a lot of new flags. 

Many of the countries that had been colonies were declaring and finding the independence from their colonizers. Africa was changing rapidly, as was much of Asia. Even in South America there was some change. One of the little countries on the shoulder of South America also declared independence. Suriname was a colony of The Netherlands. Although the country at the time barely had a population of 300,000, it was rich in natural resources. 

Even today, Suriname only has a population of around 600,000 of which half live in the agglomeration of the capitol city, Paramaribo. But the country is still rich in natural resources and the population is still quite diverse - a remnant of its colonial past. And it is this colonial past which still calls many from Suriname to the Netherlands. The official language is Dutch and many young people have in the past traveled to the Netherlands to study. 

In 1975 Suriname declared its independence from The Netherlands. This was celebrated recently in The Netherlands by the Dutch and the population which was originally from Suriname. There are approximately 350,000 Surinamers in The Netherlands. At the time of independence, people from Suriname could choose to keep the Dutch nationality and many idd, emigrating to the Netherlands. 

The current president of Suriname is Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, the first female president of the country. She was elected this year by the parliament who are also elected for a term of 5 years. The Netherlands has recently offered official apologies for its part in the slave history of the country. The flag is a red center stripe with a yellow star, framed by a green stripe above and below and a white stripe operating the center red field from the green stripes. 

A certain future

This past Monday evening our sister, Rita Davison, went Home to her reward with the Lord. Her daughter, Tonia, is part of our family in Maastricht, together with her husband and son, Liam. Rita is well known among the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands. She and her husband Roy have been part of the Dutch-speaking work for decennia, having links to the congregations in Brughe, Ostende, Roeselare, Antwerp and Eindhoven. Rita was 88 years old.

As I was looking through the things so many said of her on the memorial site, many of the same things returned. Rita’s smile was amazing and her love for the people around her came from her great love for the Lord. She and Roy have been an influence on many people in the Dutch-speaking work. Rita was especially an encourager in all she did. 

This past month we have had her children visiting us in Maastricht because they were visiting her. We always get to enjoy Tonia and Mario and are grateful for her influence in Tonia’s life. But we also got to spend time with her daughter Connie who lives with her husband Ian McGuiggan in South Dakota. I was a counselor and teacher for both Tonia and Connie at Bible camp when they were both young. Rita’s son, Stuart, and his wife Connie were also visiting this past month. We all spent some good time singing spiritual hymns together. 

There will be many in the churches here (and it would not surprise me if there are plenty in Canada as well) who are looking forward to seeing Rita again and singing with her, hearing her wonderful alto voice lilting high, mixing perfectly with the other voices in praise to the King of kings. We are so very thankful for heroes of the faith, good examples of what it means to remain faithful to the end. So we praise God, comfort those who are hurting deeply, and look forward to the certainty of the future with our Lord and Master.  

What is so beautiful in all of this is how we see God working. The week that Rita went home to be with her Lord, Kristof decided to give his life to Jesus as his Lord. This young man works with our brother in Christ, Danny. He had questions about faith, which Danny talked about with him. And he realized that he needed a firm foundation and good future. So he was baptized this past Thursday, dying to his old self and rising to new life, eternal life, in Jesus Christ. 

God is amazing and gracious. We are so thankful for the secure future that we all can have in Him and that there are so many choosing for this life. 

Whensday: 2000-2025 in the Didohof

The last several weeks we have been feeling how full our little room on the street, Didohof, can get on a Sunday. Back when we started, of course, things were different. We first met as a congregation in a community center on Sundays. It was an upper room and we were a group of about 10. Within a few years we were meeting in a larger room downstairs. But it was still only available to us on Sundays. 

At one point, one of our regular visitors mentioned a room that was open next to her apartment. We called and were able to arrange to rent the room from then on. It was a new millennium and we had a room that we could use every day of the week however we wanted. It was an upper room again, but that didn’t really matter. That first year we had apprentices from York College who helped with our evangelism and outreach (Sue is still working with the Dutch-speaking work today, in Ghent, Belgium). 

In the following years we have hosted youth weekends here, concerts with singing group Listen Up!, study evenings teaching people how to read the Bible. Song workshops with a group from Harding where we also sang at the local nursing homes, and much more. We have seen members come and go, moving on to other congregations or different countries. We have seen kids grow up and give their lives to the Lord. We have even had some baptisms in the room using a blow-up swimming pool (getting the water out is the real challenge). 

We have a main room, a kitchen (which doubles as a children’s class during the Sunday morning Bible class) and two restrooms out in the hall. This coming Sunday is a 4th Sunday, which means that we hold our potluck (every 4th Sunday). We are able to warm up meals that we share with one another and can move the chairs before setting up tables to enjoy the fellowship together. It is exciting to see how everyone helps one another. 

In these years people in the neighborhood have come to know that we are here, although they do not always know who or what we are. A few years back we walked the neighborhood with a questionnaire about “Church and Society”. It was intriguing to hear if people even knew who met in the room. This coming year we will be repeating the questionnaire to see what people know about the group that meets. 

Our direct neighbors certainly know plenty about us. Some have noticed how we help one of our shut-ins who lives just across the way. Others hear us singing on Sundays and other days when we have a singing. Some have even come to our singings as well. If nothing else, the neighbors recognize that there are more cars parked in the street on Sundays and days when we have something planned. 

We can seat about 40-50 people if we put out all of our chairs. As mentioned, these past few weeks we have had more visitors than normal, pushing our attendance on a Sunday up near that 40 mark. During a Listen Up! concert we even had standing room only. We are thankful that God has blessed us with this space and for how we can continue using it to glorify Him. 

(Click on the photo for more pictures of our building and family throughout the years)

COPA Benelux

This past weekend we were united in fun. Really. Every year the COPA Benelux - an indoor soccer tournament for teams from around Belgium and the Netherlands - is organized. In Maastricht we try to form a team to play, but the last few years this has not been possible. So this year three of us from Maastricht joined three from Gent and one from Haarlem to form a team. We are FUN United.

You see, the teams are split up in Pro and Fun. The Pro teams are serious. They usually have people who know how to play, are basically fit and are serious about winning - although they are also there to have fun. Christians know how to have fun. God made fun. The other teams, made up mostly of kids (at least 10 years old), people who don’t know that much about soccer and older people make up the Fun teams. 

This year there were only 3 fun teams and 7 pro teams. But the fun teams definitely had fun. Our team did not win any games, although we made some of them fairly exciting. Still, we got third place. (This is where one would put an emoji sticking his cheeky tongue out). It was fun to play although my body definitely feels it still, two days later. We had some beautiful goals and plenty of screaming to root one another one. 

In between matches I always enjoy meeting new people and checking in with people we do not get to see very often. There were some players from Antwerp that we only see during this tournament. And it was good to check in with them. One of the other Fun teams was from Den Haag. As a matter of fact, last year I won the Fun tournament as part of their team. This year they also won in a thrilling final that only ended after penalty shootouts. 

I am always thankful for people around the country who make the effort to put something like this together. This is a place where young people can get together. It is a time when older people can connect with younger people in a different way. It is a moment when everyone sees that perseverance and fairness are part of having fun. It was great, nearing the end of the day, when we all gathered to sing praises to God and hear a pep talk. Like Luk Brazle always mentions - soccer and singing go together. We love singing to God who gives us such fun moments. 

The photo is of FUN United. You can find more photos of the day here. 

Whatsit Wednesday: Rake

This past weekend I was down at camp with some others cleaning up, getting camp ready for the winter. It was a brilliant, sunny Fall day, the colors glorious all around us. Much of the work we had to do had to do with all that glorious color falling to the ground. So we all had come prepared with a rake. 

In talking with Jef, who I picked up on the way to camp and who is a new brother in the congregation in Maastricht, he mentioned a different word for rake (in Dutch) that I had not yet heard. Jef is Flemish and has lots of different words. I learned my Dutch in the Netherlands so tend to have Dutch words for tools. This matters quite a bit, actually. Much like the differences in the US between Midwest, Southern or Eastern terms. (Do you use a spigot or a faucet?)

The thing is, there are all sorts of rakes. A “dissolute man in fashionable society” could be considered a rake, but that is not what I mean. There are rakes for loosening soil, rakes for gathering fallen leaves, rakes for gathering hay. Each of these could have its own name. I am used to calling the rake for soil (a firm straight head with teeth spaced evenly) a rake (“hark” in Dutch). 

But there is also a rake for leaves. This looks like a metal fan (or plastic these days) and is a bit springy. It is perfect for gathering leaves, whereas a rake for soil tends to get all bunched up with the wet leaves. In Dutch I would call this rake a “leaf rake” (“bladhark”). Jef called it a “gritsel” which sounds like the sound it makes as it scrapes along the dirt after gathering the leaves into a pile. 

If you live on a farm, you might even have various different rakes for the various tasks. A hay fork or rake might be a specific tool. In Dutch I would call this a hay rake (“hooihark”), although I have never used one. I only have a normal rake in my garage since the plastic leaf rake broke and I don’t really rake my leaves in the garden (I leave them for winter ground cover). 

I have at times in the past tried to comb my hair rakishly, trying to look cool (it didn’t work - my hair is pretty stiff) and I regularly rake my fingers through my hair when I am frustrated. And thankfully I have never had to experience gunfire raking the area. I am not quite sure which word would be used in Dutch. The word “rake” is an adjective meaning (more or less) “rough”. You can receive rough hits (“rake klappen”) from someone. I am simply glad that we could take care of all of the leaves at camp while still enjoying the glorious beauty around us. 

Visitors

I remember during my time at university taking part in some short plays. One of the plays was about a cobbler waiting om a very important guest. You might know the story, which is often repeated at Christmas time (a story by Leo Tolstoy) and tells of how important unexpected guests can be. Hebrews 13:2 also reminds us: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

We have recently enjoyed various visitors. A young couple from Ukraine came to visit “our” young Ukrainian couple. The law in Ukraine was recently changed so that young men younger than 23 can now travel outside of the country (before it was any man between 18-60 years old was not allowed to leave the country). 

Sasha (or Alexander) is just 22, so came to visit. He and his wife, Mika helped organize a Bible camp in  Ukraine this summer and the church in Maastricht helped out with the costs. Sasha came to thank us - as well as to visit Andre and Andre’s father (also Alexander) who helped bring him to Christ. While here we have sung with them, played games and encouraged one another in faith. 

Almost at the same time we have welcomed visitors from the US as well. Our members, Mario and Tonia, welcomed Tonia’s sister and her brother and sister-in-law. Tonia’s mother is not doing well and may soon be going Home to her reward in heaven. And even in these circumstances, it has been good to meet, talk, share laughs, sing and even make plans for coming years. 

This past weekend I went down to camp for the winter maintenance work day and took our new brother in Christ, Jef. We met up with several others from Ghent, Antwerp and even Canada. Getting your hands dirty and encouraging one another in the Lord is amazing. These short work days are always a blessing to all who are able to come as well as for our Bible camp. 

We have also recently received messages fro people we knew in the past who will be in the neighborhood or have returned to the area. A young man we knew as a boy (who grew up with our boys( asked if he could worship with us when he comes to visit his family. He has recently rekindled his faith in the Lord. Another young woman we know from several years past has also asked if she can meet with us. Shortly afterwards, her mother also asked if we could renew contact. 

At the end of October our sister in Christ celebrated her birthday by inviting her family to come to services with her. It was great to meet them and talk about the things we heard fro the Word of God. These moments are all moments of encouragement, challenge and grace. It is so good to see how God uses moments and visitors to touch lives and hearts. “Whatsoever you do to the least of these, my brethren, that you do unto me.” How has God blessed you recently with visitors? 

(Photo is of our First Friday singing with several of our visitors. You can see more photos at our photo site - see the link on the right). 

Whodunit Wednesday: Dutch politicians

Last week the Netherlands held elections for federal government. This was necessary because the last elections resulted in a cabinet that - in the end - could not work together. Politics in the Netherlands are always about compromise, but it doesn’t make it any easier. 

The last elections saw right-wing politician  Geert Wilders become the largest party. But the elections last week came out as a tie between his party and the party of D66 led by Rob Jetten. These two politicians couldn’t be farther from each other in character and outlook. But Dutch politics is never short of characters. 

There is a Party for the Animals, a Union of Better Farmers (abbreviated BBB), and a 50Plus party. There are politicians like Geert Wilders with his white sweep of hair that matches his passionate and loud personality. Or Henri Bontenbal from the Christian Democrats who was accused of being boring (which is what most leaders from this party are accused of) although he was young. 

The Green Party (GroenLinks) combined with the center left Labor Party (Partij van de Arbeid or PvdA) to form one party, but they took the older leader of the PvdA as their candidate instead of the young charismatic leader of the Green Party. At D66 they decided quite the opposite, choosing the young Rob Jetten who celebrated his victory on stage with a kiss to his male life partner. 

Now the parties will have to figure out how to form a government with all of these colors and characters. It may end up being much more boring than the voters had hoped for when voting for their particular candidate. In Belgium one time it took almost 2 years to form a government. The Dutch hope to have their government formed before the end of November. It will be interesting to watch. 

(photo of Rob Jetten and Geert Wilders)

Wild Wonderful Wednesday: Wild ones

This is a 5th Wednesday, so we get to go to places wild and wonderful. This time I would like to take you to some of the wilder things we can remember doing (that we are willing to share). But actual locations (cities) often have little to do with the wild wanderings we have made. These wild places and situations could be found in many places.

Although I remember living in and visiting places as diverse as Germany and Greece, some of the wildest moments I remember were when we had moved to Colorado. In those days parents didn’t worry too much about where their kids were (or at least we were allowed to be out of the house, on our bikes as long as we were back for dinner time). My brothers and I were always discovering new places. 

Maybe it was more my oldest brother who made the plans and me and my younger brother followed. Whatever it was, we had good fun and we are glad that our parents didn’t know until later. One of these times was when we took our bikes to the floodway on a rainy day. A floodway in Colorado is designed for rainy days. It is meant to take the quickly rising water safely away from residential areas. Usually the floodway is simply a concrete river, empty of water. Perfect for riding your bike or skateboard or whatever. 

Of course once the rain starts coming, the floodway can turn quickly into a raging river. Not too long after this adventure I heard of a classmate of mine (in Junior High) who was drowned in a floodway. But that was after our wild adventure. And we were young and unaware. 

We rode our bikes to the floodway where we had often gone. This time there was a bit of water running along the bottom. The challenge was to sit in the water and then stand up. But when my younger brother sat down, he began to be swept away. We jumped in to help him stand, but one of the bikes now went in the water and started moving along the water. We were able to get everyone and everything out of the water (which was maybe 6 inches deep at the time), but it woke us up to the dangers. 

In that same floodway were large pipes which took the water from the streets into the floodway. On dry days these pipes, large enough to walk in while standing, were a great challenge. Were we brave enough to walk up the pipe without a flashlight, touching the walls as we walked, perhaps touching some insect or worse? The pipe ended after a turn. If you looked back, the tiny dot of light that until then had encouraged you was suddenly gone. And now, to return, you had to walk back in complete darkness. Exciting. Adventurous. 

These days our adventures mostly take us along the canal behind our house. You might think that is quite bucolic and simple. But in October the winds start and the walk along the canal becomes a risky adventure. We have frequently had parts of trees (and whole trees) fall across the pathway. We noticed this past week that there are even 6-8 trees which are marked to be removed - hopefully before they fall on some poor dog walker or jogger. 

What brings adventure into your daily life? And what kinds of wild adventures have you experienced? 

Normal

It is amazing how many things one can do online these days. Most institutions try to get you to do everything online. This means, of course that the information you give has to fit what they are requesting. I remember years ago when we first made our website for our singing group, Listen Up!, that we wanted people from around the world to be able to order a cd (remember those shiny discs that held music). This meant that the form they filled in from a drop-down menu had to include all of the countries in the world. 

The reason we specifically wanted this was because we had often had trouble ordering or filling in information on US websites. Every drop-down menu had all 50 states and other various areas, but nothing more. There was always a place where we had to fill in our state (in addition to our address, which included our city). The ZIP code had to fit the US way of doing things. The Belgian post code only has four numbers. The Dutch post code has four numbers and two letters. 

We realized even back then that we were not “normal”. Even today, when many online stores have figured out that customers can come from across the world, we see that government sites have not figured out that there are plenty of people who do not fit the “normal”. And it is not simply US government sites. Every government is full of red tape and specific ways of doing things. The Dutch tax office has a saying on their radio advertisements: “We can’t make it any funner, but we can make it easier.” But they don’t. 

We have always been extremely thankful that we have people in the US who take care of all of our tax situations for us. This began decades ago when brother McCurdy in Abilene, Texas saw it as a way to support missions. He did missionaries taxes for free. And what a blessing this is. Perhaps he understood that missionaries are already dealing with enough red- tape wherever they are that to mitigate the red tape in the US could only be a blessing. 

So we have always been extremely thankful for E.B. Dotson and now Larry McElroy for the assistance they provide for so many in this way. Because there is nothing “normal” about our situation when it comes to taxes. We were made aware of this fact - again - recently when the Belgian tax office contacted us. 

Everyone who works with us for Ardennen Bijbelkamp, for example, is a volunteer. There are 3 youth weeks and a family week in the summer, a youth week in the Fall and Spring along with a youth weekend in the Fall and Winter. Every single team member of these activities is a volunteer. IN the summer, the volunteers even have to pay to help. This is not normal in our society and certainly not something the tax man can imagine. 

When people want to help and give advice, the advice is often based on what they know in their own normal world. But we have come to understand that we are far from normal. That means that we often have to explain things many times, find ways to prove things that are hard to prove, look for different ways of filling things in and basically trust that it will work out. And these days that means working past chatbots and all of the “normal” answers. We are thankful that we have a God who knows what is going on and is more than mighty to work things out. 

Be thankful for when things work out “normally” and don’t freak out too much when things don’t seem to fit. Keep calm and look further. Ask questions. Give grace in conversations, knowing that the person you are talking to might not be able to understand how different your situation is. And know that God is mighty. Don’t give up; give in to His might and guidance. God is not normal and neither is our life with Him.