Where oh Where Wednesday: The Hague

In just 10 days we will be in The Hague again for our annual gathering of Dutch-speaking churches. The Hague is also called “Den Haag” or, to make things even more challenging, “’s Granevnhage”. That last one is the official version which was first used I the 15th century and means “the count’s grove (or hedge)”. 

The Hague is the administrative center and seat of government for the Netherlands. So although Amsterdam is the official capital of the Netherlands, parliament meets in The Hague. It is here that you will find the “little tower” where the prime minister meets, here that parliament meets and makes laws, here that the highest courts of the land make judgements. 

The Hague is part of the province of South Holland (whereas Amsterdam is part of North Holland). It is the 3rd largest city in the Netherlands with a population around half a million. With its greater urban area the population comes closer to 800,000 and joins the other major areas which make up the “Randstad” - including Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht - where roughly half the population of the Netherlands lives. 

The city itself is set along the sea and has a lively variation of activities. You can find Madurodam - a mini park where most of Europe is  shown in miniature, the beach and area of Scheveningen (which also houses a high security prison for international criminals), the International Court of Justice, Europol and a judicial arm of the United Nations. There is a world famous theater, a panoramic museum on the pier of Scheveningen and plenty of modern architecture. It is in the parks of The Hague that activists gather to make their voices heard. 

And this is where, in the 1970’s the church grew due to its international character. The international businesses of Shell, Dow and more meant that the congregation had a varied membership. When Shirley and I arrived in 1981 on a campaign, it was the members of the church here that touched our hearts and called us to return. We spent days delivering flyers I the city. And it was on the steps of the building in The Hague that we had our first kiss (on May 31 1981). 

On June 9 we will enjoy meeting with the various churches from around Belgium and the Netherlands in the building in The Hague. This time we will also spend the afternoon in a park nearby, enjoying fellowship and the beauty of the city. 

A few days with the French

It is not always easy finding some time to get away together. Thankfully we live in Europe and there are many places very close which we can visit for a day of two. And it is good to take these moments to share some rest time together. We are thankful that we have these opportunities. 

Last week we took 3 full days to head down to Normandy. For some this means WWII memorials on beaches. For us it meant a ton of history. Shirley has in the past years looked into her ancestry and found out that she has some viking. Welsh, Scottish and more in her line. Normandy was therefore a perfect place to visit and explore - this is where the “Noor mannen” or men from the North or Norway had settled centuries ago. 

William the Conqueror was first William the Bastard from Normandy. It was his conquest of England that mixed the cultures and languages that we have now so many centuries later. So we decided to spend some time in Caen and visit the areas around this city. Caen itself was the capitol of Normandy and houses two amazing monasteries - one for men and one for women. 

William was married to Mathilde of Flanders, daughter of Baldwin V, count of Flanders. So it was interesting to see this mixture which touches on our daily lives even now (the queen of Belgium is now also Mathilde). The monastery for women is named after Mathilde, although it has long stopped serving as a monastery. These days it is used for the provincial government. 

We spent a day going to Mont Saint Michel and then the city of St. Malo (in the next province over, Brittany). We spent a day walking everywhere we could in Caen visiting the old castle, cathedrals and the monasteries. Our feet definitely felt it at the end of the day, but it was exciting to discover so many different places. And thankfully we did not have to mangle too much of the French language to get around. 

The Bayeux tapestry was reserved for the one day that rain was forecast, since we would then be inside. This is a meter tall, 70 meter long tapestry which tells the history of the Norman conquest. The tapestry itself was amazing. Thinking about all that happened so long ago and that has influenced so many since then was also intriguing. But the rain meant that we simply returned to our room afterwards and enjoyed a nice evening together instead of getting wet. Although we have tons of pictures from the previous days, we only have one picture of that rainy day (we were not allowed to take pictures of the tapestry). 

The last day was reserved for our trip home (a good 6 hour drive) with a stop in Deauville along the coast. It is always good to be able to walk along the beach, take your shoes off and get wet in the waves licking the beach. Deauville felt more like stepping back into the early 20th century. The bathing changing rooms were all named after actors and actresses - some from a by-gone era, others very current, although it was hard to see and rhyme or reason in who was chosen. 

When we got home we took the next day to “slenter” (walk slowly) around our own Maastricht and spend time together. The sun had accompanied us on all of our days except the day at Bayeux and stayed until the Saturday when the typical Belgian rain reappeared. But it had been a very nice time to connect with history, heritage and one another for a few days. 

If you are interested in seeing our pictures (I know - home movies!), you can find them here. I tend to like to take pictures of things, although this time a few selfies also dot the landscape.

Whensday: May 1066

This day in 1066 was a Sunday according to the Julian calendar. Preparations were being made for the battles to come which would change English history forever. Tostig, married to Judith of Flanders, was ready to attack his brother, Harold Godwinson who would become King of England. 

As Edward the Confessor had died and Tostig’s brother tried to undue a deal between Edward and William of Normady, Tostig tried to take his place. He used ships provided by Count Baldwin V of Flanders, his brother-in-law. But Tostig would join forces with Harald of Norway but lose to the English at the Battle of Stamford Bridge and run off to Scotland. 

Also in May, William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy, was making his case for the kingship of England by the Pope. William was married to Mathilde of Flanders, the daughter of Baldwin V who had leant the ships to Tostig. William would go on to conquer England, becoming William the Conqueror. Whenever he was in England making the conquest certain - which took many years - he left Mathilde to run Normandy.

The city of Caen, where William and Mathilde had their castle and two abbeys (one for women and one for men) celebrates its millennium anniversary this year. It was 1000 years ago, in 1025, that first mention is made of the word “Cadomus”, an ancient form of the name of the town. These days Mathilde of Flanders would refer to Queen Mathilde of Belgium, wife of King Philip.

Whatsit Wednesday: Mailbox

When we first traveled to the Netherlands, on campaign back in the 1980’s, a lot of what we did for the campaign came down to distributing flyers to invite people to some preaching and singing. We walked all over cities in the Netherlands, up stairs in the big cities, in and out of small front yards in the less urbanized sections of the cities. We became quite practiced at shoving flyers into mailboxes. But we also had to become practiced at finding the mailboxes. 

In the Netherlands many front doors have a special flap put into the door through which mail is placed. These are easy to find. The ones in the old style even say “letters” or “brieven” on them. But some of these slots are much harder to find. They are simply vertical slots in the wall next to the front door. If a bush grows next to the door - as often is the case in a good Dutch front yard - then finding the slot is quite a challenge. 

For those without a slot in the door or wall, there are special mailboxes. Of course people who want to individualize their garden have special mailboxes: some looking like little houses on a stick, others presenting as modern marble-like columns and others a simple box. 

But often there would be a generic green box witha red lock on it. The lock was so that no one can steal your mail. These boxes were most often to be found at the beginning of the small front yard, making it possible to place the mail without having to walk up the yard to the door. 

When we first moved into our house in Belgium, we were accosted one day by the mailman on his bike. Our house is on the street. We do not have a front yard. Our mailbox was just inside a small open entranceway shielding our door from the rain and presenting a nice architectural arch. The postman announced that our mailbox was illegal. He had to be able to reach the box without getting off his bicycle or out of his car (if he came in a car). The box could not be too high or too low. Otherwise we would not get our mail. 

So our mailbox is on the outside wall at just the right height so that our postman can stop with his bike, put his feet on the ground and fish in his front basket for any mail that might be ours. Of course these days we do not get much real mail. Most of it is advertisements for the local stores. But the mailbox is legal and we are happy that our postman is happy. 

(If you look closely you can see the dog we have been dog sitting the last few weeks)

Mother’s Day

Yesterday was Mother’s Day, in the US, in Belgium and in the Netherlands. Sometimes the days differ in the different countries. The flower shops will of course have all been quite happy. I must admit, I am always thankful for how easy it is to get flowers in our area. I love getting Shirley flowers, but even more so on this day. 

Yesterday both of our boys made a video call to wish their mom a wonderful day. We also got to see our daughter-in-love Jill (Sean’s wife) and our granddaughter (Stephan’s daughter). It is at moments like those that we are so very thankful for the blessings of being parents. And I am especially thankful for Shirley being their mother. 

It isn’t just about that she was willing to bear them and bring them into the world. That was challenge enough, for sure. I still remember the Lamaze classes we took together preparing for Stephan’s arrival. He didn’t seem to want to leave and in the end they had to remove him with forceps. Shirley had gotten so tired after quite a long labor that she couldn’t push any more. 

When it came time for Sean, four years later, we lived in a completely different country and Shirley knew that she would have to give birth in a different language. She went through some false labor (where we went to the hospital, they kept her a while and then sent her home) and then the day came. It was following a pretty intense couple of weeks of Bible camp where she had stood in the kitchen cooking and also caring for Stephan. 

Sean was different because she birthed in a sort of chair instead of on a bed. She also was almost required to stay 5 days in the hospital. IN the US where Stephan was born, she was sent home pretty much the next day. Of course in Belgium she asked to go home early because she wasn’t getting the rest they were hoping she would - there being 4 other mothers and babies in the room. 

But after the births came all the years of caring, feeding, teaching, learning from, and being amazed at these boys in our lives. Shirley has always been a serious, clear, caring mother and I am so thankful for her love for our boys and our family. It reminds me of all that my own mom must have gone through with me, all of the effort and care and love she poured into me. So I am glad that technology exists and I can call my mom as well. 

For all of you mothers - thank you for your love for your husbands, your children and for the Lord who has taught us what love us and given us this possibility. 

Whodunit Wednesday: Ruud en Karla

As you read through the New Testament and the history of the church, you might come across a few names mentioned here and there. But most of the time names are not mentioned, even though we are told of the various churches and people working to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. We have been working together with our colleagues for more than 30 years. Although you may not know their names, their faith and example have touched many here. 

Ruud and Karla Verheijen were the ones who originally asked us to come and join them in working with the church in the Netherlands. Together with their friends Jan and Rosa Blaakmeer we formed a team to establish the church in the south of the Netherlands on the border of Belgium. Throughout the years we have been here, Ruud and Karla have been “pillars of faith” in all that they do. 

Ruud was not brought up in a believing family. He was taken to church by his grandmother who continued to be an influence on him - even now as he talks of her, her faith and shares notes made from her Bible (given to him when she passed away). He has preached and taught not only in the congregation in Maastricht, but at camp weeks, evangelistic outreach campaigns and any other opportunity he can find to share the great news of Jesus. 

Karla is the youngest daughter of Jim and Ruth Krumrei. The Krumrei’s came to the Netherlands as evangelists and settled in Haarlem. I spent two years as an apprentice to Jim back in the 80’s. Karla has been active in children’s activities, ladies retreats, Bible camp weeks, Vacation Bible camp and as an encouragement to sisters around the country. 

Both Ruud and Karla are Dutch. Ruud is a Dutchman. Karla was born and raised in the Netherlands, although she has an American passport. They have lived in Belgium for more than 30 years. They allow God to use them wherever they are in whatever way He wishes and can. It is exciting to see how God can use us in so many different places and ways. 

This past three weeks Ruud and Karla were off to the US visiting family in Arkansas. It made it all the more clear to us how much we are a team here in Maastricht. I think of how the apostle Paul and Prisca and Aquila worked together and am thankful for such co-workers. In a list of workers in foreign fields we often only see those who are financially supported in some way. Ruud and Karla would not show up on such a list. But they remain a faithful hard-working couple for the Lord wherever they are and we are thankful that we can work together with them. 

Around the world

In the Netherlands today is Liberation Day. Yesterday was Remembrance Day when the country remembers the sacrifices of all of those who died in wars to make so many free. Today they celebrate freedom and what that means. It always strikes me that these two things are also inherent in our walk with Christ. We usually are quite aware of this each Sunday, but it was especially so this past weekend. 

We have been missing our colleagues for a few weeks. They had traveled to the US to visit their daughter and see their two granddaughters. They also got to meet with brothers and sisters in Arkansas. This past week they traveled back home, but we did not see them yesterday to worship together. We were off to a city in Belgium to visit with a congregation there (Roeselare). We had not been there for quite some times it was good to see the brothers and sisters there and meet new friends as well. 

While in Roeselare we always remember the saints who went before us and brought so many to faith in Christ there. Faith is not something that we simply have for ourselves. It is a way of true life that we share with everyone around us. Yesterday we were able to see Jose again. She is 100 and still going strong. It reminded me of our sister Willemien who went Home to be with her Saviour when she was 94. We have so many good examples of brothers and sisters who are faithful in walking in the light with Jesus, including Isaak who is only 12 and has just given his life into Jesus’ hands recently.  

Every Sunday we remember not only those who have gone before us, including the apostles and disciples from long ago, but we especially remember Jesus who died for us and lives still today. We celebrate our liberation. We do not only celebrate that we are living in a free country - not everyone we know who is in our Christian family is living safely. We celebrate that we are safe in the hands of Jesus. 

It was wonderful to remember yesterday how connected we are to the body of Christ around the world. We praise God for His grace and for making us into a family. And we will look forward to celebrating again this coming Sunday and each new day that we are given.