Whatsit Wednesday: Hand axe of Kesselt

What do you think of when you think of a fist? A fist might be used for various things, but I think first of using it as a weapon. When one gets angry, someone might tell you to put your fists away. A person might stand with balled fists when they are ready to fight. So hearing about a fist axe might give a clear picture of what is meant - except that it doesn’t. 

Our town in Belgium is made up of seven little villages. We live in Neerharen, our colleagues live in Veldwezelt and on the edge of the whole conglomeration is the farming town of Kesselt. They also have a large brickworks there. But long ago, this was one of the places that people came across the river and started settling. And in settling, they used a “fist axe” or as the English language would generally say, a “hand axe”. 

The “hand axe of Kesselt” is well-known because it is probably one of the oldest tools found in all of the Benelux. It was made and used by the Neanderthals or earlier. These are the people who first populated this area. The hand axe is made of silex or flint and can be created in 15 minutes by those who know what they are doing. The hand axe of Kesselt is in the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren. 

A hand axe was multifunctional. They could be used to file things down, to cut up animals that had been hunted, to dig up edible roots or to work wood to a useful shape. It find in the hand - or more specifically in Dutch, the fist. There are very few examples of these tools in the Netherlands except in South Limburg and the area around Maastricht. Kesselt is separated from Maastricht only by the Albert Canal which was dug around 1930. 

The Belgians continue to be a people who are very creative in how they use their hands and their tools. The saying goes that every Belgian is “born with a brick in his stomach” meaning that they all want to build their own house. But they have moved on from “fist axes” to modern tools in building these house - although they still use bricks. 

Beginning the loop

Each time we plan this Home Assignment (the trip we take every three years to re-connect with supporting congregations and family) it always includes a section of driving. We usually leave Minnesota and make a loop through Iowa, Colorado, returning to Minnesota before flying on. When Stephan moved to Indiana, we cadded this to the loop, but later made Indy a flight.

This time, since Scott’s brother and mother moved to Montana, the loop will include Montana, Colorado and Iowa before returning to Minnesota. The beginning of this loop includes three stops: Sioux City, Iowa; Belle Fourche, South Dakota; and Billings, Montana. Pull out a map and follow along on this exciting first section of the loop. 

Our first real stop on the loop is planned to be Billings, Montana, but to get there from Minnesota we have to drive quite a few miles (or kilometers). So we split the drive up into three sections and planned on visiting good friends and supporters along the way. The first stop was after a shorter drive of 5 hours to Sioux City, Iowa. This city is in the Northwest corner of Iowa and is only about an hour away from Omaha, Nebraska. We stopped here back in 2023 on our way to visiting Shirley’s family and took a picture of our friends’ house before they even saw it. 

This time we stopped to spend an evening and morning with Daniel and Tonita Stovall and also got to see Dale and Vicki Hawley who live in the area and have been mentors and encouragers throughout our time. Tonita is originally from Omaha, where Shirley is also from. She and Shirley were roommates at Harding and Tonita was the maid of honor at Shirley’s wedding. Daniel sang at our wedding. They were influential in connecting us with the support of the congregation in Minnesota when they were living and working there. 

They have continued supporting us financially and we have almost always found a way to get together in Texas for an afternoon when they were living there. This time we were able to play some guitar, reminisce and even talk about future plans. It was an encouraging stop along the way to our next stop in South Dakota. 

After spending a night on the edge of Iowa, we drove out across South Dakota on what would be a long 8 hour drive. Much of eastern South Dakota is farmland and flat. But toward the West the country starts getting quite rugged. We took a short section through the “Badlands” and stopped for a restroom break at Wall Drug. Hundreds of billboards along the route across South Dakota tell all drivers to stop in at Wall Drug Store. 

Our trip ended in Belle Fourche, South Dakota where we connected with the sister of one of our members from Maastricht. She and her family work with the church in this beautiful little city and surrounding area. They had arranged a beautiful retreat for us after our drive. This was the first time we had been alone for some time. The sunrise woke us for another new day and we met the family for a breakfast in town before heading off on another long drive towards Montana. 

To get to Billings, Montana, we would drive through the Northwest corner of Wyoming, driving right past the natural monument of Devil’s Tower. This looks like a mountain that has been scratched down the side by a monstrous bear (which is one of the myths around it). We skirted a severe storm, glimpsed the Rocky Mountains in the distance and finally drove into Billings by the evening. Scott’s brother and sister-in-law welcomed us along with Scott’s mom who lives with them. 

For a few days we enjoyed the quiet ruggedness of this cowboy state. Lots of pickup trucks and casino’s (entering the state we were greeted with a sign “Entering Crow Country” - the Crow being the local Indian tribe). We went out to breakfast with Scott’s mom - a local “greasy spoon” eatery where she has met lots of regulars sitting at the counter and the waitresses all know her by name. We went walking along the Yellowstone River with Chris and Lynette one morning and visited an immense sporting goods store called Scheel’s (“Like a Cabela’s but better” we were told). 

This was a place of rest and retreat, connecting with family. The severe weather came and went, slashing hail across the yard, but we were safe and well inside. Scott got to discgolf again (he had done a little in Minnesota and California) and we enjoyed time together. On Sunday we met with the local church of Christ and ran into some people who knew people we knew as well as being built up by a wonderful lesson and worship time. Family is clearly important in Montanas. 

This first section of the loop was full of sharing memories and making new ones, time to rest and recover from the traveling we have been doing. Our next stop will be in Colorado. It will start with a long drive through Wyoming and down to Colorado Springs, but we are looking forward to the next step. 

You can find pictures of this first section of the loop here. 

Whodunit Wednesday: Theodore Roosevelt

As we drive through South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming, we drive past or through many National Parks. The idea of National Parks and monuments was first championed by president Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt. Before becoming governor of New York, he recuperated from the death of his wife (and also of his mother at the same time) by purchasing and running a ranch in the Dakota’s (what is now North dan South Dakota). 

Following his time as assistant secretary of the navy, he formed the Rough Riders and then went on to become the governor of New York. But his penchant for progressive changes seemed to be the impetus for New York to put hi up as the running mate of McKinley in 1900. McKinley and Roosevelt won by a landslide. 

When McKinley was assassinated, Roosevelt took over as President of the United States. 

It was during this time that he established the national parks, forests and monuments which now are all over the Untied States. We drove past the Badlans, Buffalo National Grasslands and will drive by Devil’s Tower today. We did not have time to drive to Mount Rushmore where Theodore Roosevelt shares space with presidents Washington,Jefferson and Lincoln. Theodore Roosevelt was of Dutch decent, being a great-great grandson of Herman op den Graeff (from the late 16th century)

Home Assignment 2026 - Stage 4

God’s family can be so amazing. Our time in Minnesota means meeting wonderful servants, sharing memories and getting to know new members of the congregation. 

Our arrival in Minnesota this time was even more surprising - the kind of surprising that only God does regularly. We were picked up at the airport by our friend Jimmy just as he was dropping off the couple with whom we would later be staying and who was loaning us their car for several days while they were away. We had met them originally in Europe when they came to sing. The songs they sang with Psalom, written by Constantin Zhigulin, have become standards in many congregations in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. I have translated some to Dutch. 

We picked the Cawyers up from the airport when they returned (in their own car that they had leant us) and our last few days were spent at their house. We last saw them in the Dallas area on one of our previous visits. Now they have moved to Minnesota and we were able to share even more time. 

It is these family times that are so important to our work wherever we are. Our first host was Jimmy, with whom we have stayed in the past. He connected us with everyone else in the congregation, made sure that things were arranged and made time in a busy schedule to eat dinner with us. He had a real home for us to stay for a few days. 

It was while we were at Jimmy’s house that we also did a few fun things together, bringing back memories of past visits. We went to the Mall of America - an absolutely huge mall with tons of stores and even an amusement park in the middle. We had always enjoyed going there in the past when the boys were young. Scott was also able to go disc golfing a few times at a local park which had a simple 9 hole layout. Simple because that is what is best for Scott when it comes to disc golf. 

Memories were also shared when we got to visit for a meal with the Davidson’s. Their boys have grown and this family continues to be a real influence on us and our work. They all take part in supporting the Bible camp (Flaming Pine) where both Shirley and Scott had memories. Scott even did some disc golf putting with the boys and Kent after dinner while Shirley caught up on news with Christy. 

On Sunday we were able to meet so many members of the congregation that we know (and test whether we still knew names) as well as meet new members. Scott taught the Bible class and presented the thought at the Lord’s Supper. Earlier in the week Scott had presented the Bible study with the young people and it was great to see them again on this Sunday morning. The potluck after services was a perfect opportunity to continue sharing.

This evening will be our last meal here in Minnesota for now and will be shared with more members of the congregation. The Edwards just married their daughter off this weekend (we had seen the soon-to-be-wed couple when Scott taught the young people’s study earlier in the week), but there is always a place at the table of the Edwards. This is a place of families - no matter what the family looks like. God has placed His children - all of us followers of Jesus Christ - into a family that is everywhere in the world. We are so thankful for this family and the opportunity to meet so many in such a short time. 

It is this family which has always made it possible for us to do our “driving loop” coming up tomorrow. We often borrow someone’s car and drive thousands of miles through several States so that we don’t have to fly. We will talk about that more in the next stage. 

Here are a few pictures of our time here. 

We have also added some late pictures to some of the other albums.

Where, oh where Wednesday: Ghent, Minnesota

We have moved on to Stage 4 of our Home Assignment and are currently in the area of Minneapolis-St. Paul. This is the main urban area of the state of Minnesota in the northern Midwest. The “Twin Cities” of Minneapolis and St. Paul straddle the Mississippi River which runs through the city on its way to the Gulf of Mexico after crossing through the middle of the United States. 

Much of Minnesota is historically populated by Scandinavians who came to the US looking for new opportunities. But as with so many places around the world, both Belgians and Dutch settlers also left their mark. There is even a village named Ghent, Minnesota. This village (population 376), named after the major city in the west of Belgium, was first established as part of a colony in 1881 for Irish settlers, but it attracted Belgian and Dutch families. The area - including Marshall and Minneota - remains a notable Flemish-Dutch ethnic settlement today. 

Ghent itself is known as the “Rolle Bolle capitol of the world”. Rolle Bolle is a sort of sport looking like a mix between curling and lawn bowling or jeu de boules. Originally it was known as “krulbollen” - literally “curve balls” - and was played in the Flemish region of Belgium before being brought to the US. It is played with wheels that curl in to a pin in the ground. 

In addition to these namesakes, there is plenty of Dutch and Belgian culture throughout the state. Belgian Malinois (a very intelligent dog breed used often for the police and military) are bred in Rochester and St. Paul. One can find Belgian beer at the Thirsty Belgian in Rochester. Or one could go to the Holland neighborhood in Minneapolis to find the Dutch Bar. Old Dutch Foods is a well-known snack producer founded in St. Paul in 1934 and sporting a red and yellow windmill logo. Most people will recognize the logo and the potato chips.

We are looking forward to our time here, visiting with church family. Perhaps we will have the opportunity to discover some of these Dutch and Belgian tints as we enjoy the cities. 

Home Assignment 2026 - Stage 3

The last 10 days or so we have enjoyed our time with the family in California. This stop is always a bit of a warm hug in so many ways. The colors, smells and beauty of California wraps you in a warm, colorful blanket even as you arrive. If you look past the traffic on the way from the airport to where we are staying, you can enjoy all of the colors of flowering plants and trees everywhere. It is amazing to me when people say of the blooming oleander, “Oh that. That is just a weed that grows along the highway.” But its pink and white flowers - literally everywhere - make every moment of the day a little lighter. 

We saw plenty of the oleander and much more when we drove up to Mokelumne Hills (pronounced - if you can believe it - “Ma-cúllum-nee hills”) to meet Shirley’s cousin. They found each other on Ancestry and were so thrilled to share stories and histories for the day and a half that we were there. It is amazing what technology can do in these days. Shirley didn’t even know that she had this cousin - and neither did the cousin know that she had Shirley as a cousin. We unfortunately were not able to hook up with Scott’s sister-in-law and nephew in San Diego, so we missed the beautiful cactus and more down that way. Our communication efforts stranded on the internet.

We had two Sundays while we were here. Long Beach is our sponsoring church and we wanted to make sure that we were able to re-connect with everyone, especially as the church is changing. So the first Sunday Scott gave the Bible study. Afterwards a Pacific Islanders potluck was already planned and gave us both the opportunity to visit with and meet new members. On the second Sunday, the congregation moved up their quarterly Missions Sunday so that Scott could report on the work and present the thought during the Lord’s Supper. 

Around each of these meeting moments there were other chances to meet with members we knew and new members we were getting to know. You can read more about those in the post from last Monday as well. Eating together is always a good time to share life events and questions. We were thankful to spend our last evening with our hosts, Kerry and Marisol. 

Throughout this time in California, we were extremely blessed by the hospitality of so many. We had a place to stay and were welcomed into several homes or meeting places. We had the use of a car - which was essential since were in Southern California where you can’t really get around if you do not have a car. We had walks, talks, time to play guitar, time to laugh at stories and memories, time to encourage and be encouraged by new life in Christ and the grace of Christ in our lives. 

As with other years that we have come through California, we will leave with some wonderful memories. This time it will be an evening walk across the golf course, a discgolf session with a random guy in the park who had just returned from Hawaii and watching Shirley do a hula dance with several others while celebrating Hawaiian and Polynesian culture. We will take memories away of flowering trees in the golden hills, flowering bushes along every stretch of highway and hugs from loved ones that filled our hearts with the fragrance of Christ. 

We now move on to our next stop in Minnesota before beginning our road loop. But that is for next time. 

If you are interested, take a look at the pictures here.

Whensday: Memorial Day

Because we live in Europe and do not have a television, one of the things we generally miss are tv advertisements, including those that come with special days. A holiday always gives a good excuse for special deals of all kinds. And although Belgium has plenty of special days (often connected to religious holidays), the US has plenty of their own. 

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, although I was not aware of it when I planned our travels. Memorial Day is always the last Monday in May and is a day when those who died for the country are remembered. We will be traveling this weekend and will be flying to our next stage on Monday. Hopefully the fact that we are flying on Monday - when everyone else is celebrating at home - will make flying easier. 

And although we will be traveling, we will be remembering. But we will be remembering other important things. This weekend we will be driving up to get to know a first cousin that Shirley did not know she had. She is the daughter of the brother of Shirley’s father. Years ago Shirley looked into some dan results, looking for the sister she knew she had but had never really met.  She finally found the information but never met the sister, who unfortunately had already passed away. 

But we are looking forward to this cousin visit. This will be a time to remember families, share information and simply get to know each other. I imagine there will be some pictures and talk of current families. We do not have a lot of time, but it will be worth the long drive. 

If possible, we will also drive down to San Diego to visit more family and remember that we are family. Since we only come around every three years it is sometimes difficult to keep in touch or have the correct contact information. We look forward to the opportunity to share some time on the Saturday in San Diego. 

And on Sunday we of course will be remembering the most important death for all of us - as we do every Sunday. We are very thankful for the soldiers who gave their lives so that we can be free. And yet we are never truly free unless we accept the death and resurrection of Jesus who gave his life so that we could truly be free of sin and death. 

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ has set me free from the law of sin and death. (Rom. 8:1)

(Photo of the area we are traveling to this weekend)

Food and Fellowship

A lot of the time that we are in the US traveling we are moving from group to group, getting to know new people and getting to see old friends. When we are in an area, connected with a church, or when we are with family, eating together is a good way to spend time getting to know one another. That means lots of opportunities to try new things. And it means a lot of eating. 

In Texas we went to a fish fry and got to meet a whole family out at a ranch. We also were treated to meals prepared for us in a home setting. In Indiana we got together for a birthday celebration and met up with family for taco salad. We also shared in coffee and donuts on Sundays while we met new members of congregations in both places. 

In California, where we are currently, we took part in an Asian and Pacific Islander potluck with the congregation. Places were reserved at each table so that Shirley and I could make our way around the room to the various tables and get to know people from the congregation while enjoying delicious foods. Shirley even got to learn some hula-dancing with some of the others present. The day before we had helped prepare a potluck lunch with some of the leaders in the church.

We have also gone out to eat with our hosts and met their friends, getting wonderful opportunities for good conversations. This coming week will include more lunches and meals with old friends and even new family. We hope to drive up to meet a first cousin that Shirley found through her searches for family as well as see family down in San Diego. 

We are thankful for all the people welcoming us to their homes, preparing meals, joining us at restaurants or churches for a communal meal and simply sharing time with us. We look forward to the coming times of fellowship in the areas we have before us. 

Whatsit Wednesday: koffielepel

As we travel through the US (it has now been two weeks) we realize what some of our normal habits are. We always wake up with a cup of coffee. Neither Shirley nor I take anything in our coffee - we drink it black. But we definitely like our coffee. And not everyone we stay with enjoys coffee as much as we. 

Many people in many countries drink tea as their hot beverage of choice. We have seen this in several of the places we have stayed so far. Even if one goes to a restaurant (even a breakfast restaurant) one cannot be assured of a good (dark, full) cup of coffee. One can usually get plenty of whatever is being served (cup sizes in the US are quite large), but not always the taste one would expect. 

And along with the coffee comes a “koffielepel”. This is a small spoon meant for stirring your coffee. It is small because coffee cups in Europe are small. One does not drink a mug of coffee (or tea for that matter). So a “koffielepel” or “theelepel” are perfect. In English we are of course familiar with a teaspoon. Somehow, for the Dutch, coffee became more important. A “koffie lepe” is also smaller than what I would consider a teaspoon. 

In any case, we have had a week of instant coffee (but fantastic company, which is much more important) and will now be moving on to California where we may or may not be in a place where we can drink a usual morning coffee. In the past, people would also collect coffee spoons from the various places they had visited. Special spoons, commemorative spoons, could be put up in a display case, showing off where one had traveled. We have seen estate sales where kids have no idea what they are to do with these collections of small spoons. 

Thankfully, we do not take anything in our coffee, so we technically do not need a “koffielepel”. And we collect pictures and memories as we travel from place to place. Today will be a moving day. We should arrive in California in the early evening. We will be in a new time zone (we had been in Eastern but will be in Pacific by the time we get in) and with a different group of wonderful people. 

If you are reading this in the morning, enjoy your warm beverage, however you enjoy it. With spoon or without. And enjoy your travels, even if it is just across town to visit friends or family. 

Home Assignment 2026 - Stage 2

Indiana is more or less in the middle of the United States. We took a roundabout way to get here, flying from Texas over Atlanta, Georgia to Indianapolis. Indianapolis is the city of fast cars, basketball and the Colts (NFL team). More importantly it is where family lives. At this stop we get to see Stephan and Natalie and our granddaughter. We also get to see Scott’s brother, Mike, and family. And then we have church family and Natalie’s family here as well. 

On our first day here we were glad to be able to greet our granddaughter, hug on Stephan and Natalie and just get some rest. Scott jumped online to lead the Bible study in Maastricht. There is a 6 hour time difference from Indiana, so it was morning for Scott while it was evening for the rest. But it was good to see and speak (in Dutch) to everyone. 

The next evening we drove out to the family we stayed with when we came for our granddaughter’s first birthday (back in 2024). They are members of the church in Noblesville, a congregation that has won our hearts on each of our visits. The Mahan’s were very welcoming back in 2024 and it was good to see them again and spend the evening together. This time we got to meet Doyle, who had been away farming when we came in 2024. 

At the weekend we headed out with Stephan, Natalie and granddaughter to Fair Oaks Farms about 2 hours north of us. This is a sort of farm outing for families. It was exciting to see all sorts of families enjoying their time together. There was a hotel with a pool, tours to the cows and to the pigs and all sorts of delicious food. We were joined by new friends of Stephan and Natalie (they had met at a playground nearby and their kids hit it off) who also came with their parents. So the grandparents also bonded I the short day we were together, watching cows being born, checking out piglets and enjoying grandkids. 

Sunday was a refreshing time with church family in Noblesville (about 10 minutes away). This church family has always been very welcoming and loving - to everyone who comes. It reminds us of our family in Maastricht. In the evening we headed over to Natalie’s parent’s house where the rest of Natalie’s family was present to celebrate her mom’s birthday and Mother’s Day for all the women present. The little cousins had a rambunctious time together and it was good to finally make it back home and get to bed. It had been an encouraging but long day. 

Monday brings another day to celebrate mother’s, since the previous day wasn’t really possible. We will go out to eat lunch with Stephan, Natalie and granddaughter before driving down to see Mike and Amy, Scott’s youngest brother. Being able to see family is always good. Some families see each other all the time. We tend to see each other every 3-10 years, picking up wherever we are at the time. 

The last day will be a day to help family as Natalie’s sister's family are moving house and can use some extra hands. It has always been good to help out where we could. In the past we have helped with building a deck, but we have also enjoyed seeing the new steps in each young family. 

Indiana has come to be a place of family and we have enjoyed looking around. It has been good to spend time with our granddaughter, getting to know her better and seeing her grow up (we will just miss her birthday, but will be able to congratulate her). It is exciting to see her growing, talking, becoming her own person. To see Stephan and Natalie as parents and husband and wife as well as being our children. We have been very thankful for the family time here. 

We will fly out on Wednesday to our next stop in California where we are mostly with church family. We will also meet some newly discovered family, but that is for next time. 

You can see some of the pictures from Indiana here.

In the meantime…

As we are traveling, visiting and experiencing all sorts of things in the US, tasks continue back in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is so good to know that the congregation in Maastricht continues to help one another and reach out in love to those around them. Our sisters in the church continue to visit our sister who is a shut-in, visiting her and sharing the lessons we all are learning. Some will call, others will visit on a Sunday and others will do her shopping. 

A Sunday morning is a time for all of the brothers to share the gifts that God is developing in them. Even if someone is sick and can’t do the singing, another can step in and help. Whereas I often do the translating, there are others capable of translating from English to Dutch or Dutch to English. God provides what we need and helps to grow the gifts needed for the congregation. 

And speaking of growing, our grass continues to grow whether we are there or not. The day before we left I tried to get our grass done. In Belgium you have to mow when it is dry since you are never sure when the next dry day will come along. But I am not there to mow. Thankfully, there are brothers like Jef who will come along and get after the high grass, taking care of our lawn. 

And there are still activities planned for the coming months. This past weekend was a “Survival Camp with Papa” where fathers can bring their children to camp. Everyone sleeps in tents, they cook on fires outside and learn how to use knives, axes and such to survive. In the pictures I saw, they also had to figure out how to deal with very wet, rainy weather. Our brother Paul and his youngest son, Isaak were there to experience this. In the coming weeks there will be a work camp. Some of the brothers will spend a day or two at camp helping get camp ready for the summer. 

Everywhere one goes there is plenty to do. Keep your eyes open and be ready to lend a hand wherever you are. And know that you are not alone. This always reminds me of the text in 1 Peter. We are never alone and God is powerful. 

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.  1 Peter 5:8-11

Whodunit Wednesday: Herman Snellen

How well do you see? Anyone who has ever been to an eye doctor recognizes a certain chart on the wall. The large “E” is at the top of the chart. If that is all you can read, then you have a problem. All of us may be able to say how good our sight is. If it is 20/20, the we see well. Anything lower (20/70??) means that you have a problem with your sight and need eyeglasses of some sort. 

The chart you are familiar with is from Dutchman Herman Snellen. He lived and worked in Utrecht around the end of the 19th century. He published the Snellen Chart which measures visual acuity and was designed and presented in 1862. It is the same chart that you recognize when you go to the eye doctor today. 

Truth doesn’t change. Wisdom doesn’t change. We are looking through the wisdom of Proverbs with the congregation in Maastricht. We will even be doing this on the Wednesdays that we are not traveling while on assignment in the US (which includes today). Proverbs makes it clear to us that we can check our wisdom by seeing if we are following God and His desires. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Tuning your ears and eyes and actions to God will always be a good thing. 

Both Shirley and I wear glasses. I have worn mine since I was 9 years old. Our granddaughter is only turning 3 and already wears glasses. But it is a good thing to be able to correct our vision and see clearly. We pray that we all will continue to correct our hearts and minds to see clearly in a world that is troubled. We will not need a Snellen Chart, but the words of God.  

Fish, Fellowship and Family

As we round up our stay in Texas we look back on a wonderful time of church family and fellowship. We drove out to the Bundy Ranch out in the middle of nowhere near Throckmorton, Texas to spend an evening with the Bundy family. Bill and DeeDee Bundy have been a part of our family for quite some time. They were in Antwerp, we saw them in Bern, Switzerland and Sean lived with them when they were in Brussels. 

This evening was an interesting mix of family feelings and reminiscing. Bill is a member of a family of 12 kids (he is the youngest) and most of them were present for this fish-fry. The brothers all did the fish-frying while some of the ladies had brought the "fixings". Good food and meeting new people is always exciting. And afterwards, before we drove back to Abilene, we spent some good time catching up with Bill and DeeDee. 

We were well cared for at E.B. and Jean’s house the whole tie we were in Abilene (see photo). They have been our best friends from Abilene since the beginning of our life together. We still love watching old movies together and sharing the beauties of God’s love and grace as we see it in so many lives. At their house, we also enjoyed the parakeets (I am probably mentioning the wrong type of bird). Max is Jean’s and Fiki (for Rafiki) is E.B.’s. 

On Sunday we spent almost the whole day with the Oldham Lane congregation who picked us up as supporters in 2023. This is a congregation of 600 people that feels very homey. We enjoyed Bible class and worship in the morning. After services people stood around talking, introducing themselves to us. A girl whose family is from Belgium, a woman who lived in the rue de Trone in Brussels and some South Africans who speak Afrikaans. 

Later in the day we met with the missions committee to talk about how God is working in Belgium and the Netherlands. After evening services there was a “small” group fellowship at one of the members house. I say “small” because this was a group of about 40 people. Good food, amazing conversations and once again connections all over. The pulpit preacher went to Bear Valley. His wife grew up in Colorado Springs and we once again were able to speak some Dutch with the people from South Africa (who speak Afrikaans). 

We ended up our Texas leg with the McNeill’s in Haslet (just outside DFW airport). This house with the yellow door is our home away from home whenever we travel. Tim and Debbie and Nathan simply open the door and make us at home in every way. We know where things are and are welcome to grab whatever we need. It is so good to feel at home in a place away from home. They lived for a while in Belgium and know our quirks. 

Tomorrow we drive out at about 5 am to catch a flight around 9:30 am which will take us over Atlanta to Indianapolis. We are looking forward to the next stage of this trip since we get to spend it with Stephan, Natalie and Sophia as well as see Mike and Amy (Scott’s brother). Texas has been a wonderful start to this trip. More to come. 

You can find pictures of this stage here. 

Home Assignment 2026 Stage 1

Tuesday morning early Alexander showed up at the door ready to drive us to the airport. It is amazing to have such wonderful brothers and sisters in the church who are more than willing to take time in their day to help. This day meant not only that we had to get up early, but that Alexander had to get up even earlier to come get us and drive through early morning traffic towards Brussels to get us to the airport. Thankfully the traffic wasn’t extreme and we arrived without any problems. 

Our concerns had of course been that things at the airport might not go very smoothly. In the past weeks there had been stories of strikes by airport employees, flights being canceled because of high airfoil costs or extra long lines because of new European customs requirements. We are quite familiar with the various normal possible delays and we couldn’t do anything about anything new happening, so we just put it out of our minds and moved ahead. Having only carry-on luggage and a personal item made things easier. And indeed, it seemed all lights were on green and we got to our gate without any trouble, ready to fly. 

Our flight with United took off soon time and we started the first leg of our trip (although the leg had actually already started back with Alexander picking us up). We sat next to a nice, but quiet man who was French-speaking and very polite. The usual airplane dance of letting your row-mates know that someone has to use the rest room was only engaged in a few time. 

First, there is a tap on the shoulder and a polite request. Everyone then removes the things on their laps (including the blankets which were quite necessary), moving into the aisle until all have exited. Then those who do not use the restroom (our seats, by the way were directly in front of the restroom) stand and wait, perhaps stretching, mostly simply trying not to bump into the shoulders of those sitting. Finally, it is time to do the sitting dance where all return to their place, picking up the dropped bits in the seat and establishing oneself again in the seat, ready to continue the flight comfortably seated. 

Our flight from Brussels arrived in Chicago without any incident and we moved to our next gate where we were to take the second part of this leg - a flight to Dallas, Texas.  Normally, this would be the easy last bit of the trip, but there was a delay. In the end we left more than an hour late, having boarded the plane and waited on the tarmac for something to happen. 

The young gentlemen next to us in the aisle was taking his first trip to Texas - a business trip. The plane had been delayed because there wasn’t enough space in the overhead bins and all of the luggage was needing to be reshuffled to be safe for flying. This announcement was one we had never heard before. In the end we arrived without much incident, having tried to sleep a bit on this flight. It had, after all, been almost 20 hours since we started this whole leg. 

Of course we were worried that the delay for this last flight might have influenced the other reservations we had made. We still had to pick up a rental car and head to a hotel for the night. Standing in the line at the rental place I could hear them telling the people before me that there simply weren’t any cars to offer them. I calmed my thoughts and was patient. When we could step up to the counter, the young lady took our papers, typed into the computer in front of her and handed me the contract for our rental. It was waiting patiently for us in the lot. 

We drove to our hotel through the spaghetti that is the highway system around Dallas-Fort Worth. Our hotel knew we were coming and had a room ready for us as well. Many of you travellers will be thinking, “Of course, it was. That’s how reservations work.” But I was simply thankful that we had a place where I could finally stretch out long and just crash. We took a shower and fell into sleep - waking up twenty-three million times to go to the restroom throughout the night. But we had arrived. 

The next day (the first real day of our trip in the US) we were able to drive off to our first stop on this Home Assignment, Abilene, Texas. The clouds were gathered and threatening to rain - which everyone in Texas has been praying for. At the same time we would drive by a section not more than 50 miles away where a tornado was touching ground. Thankfully no one was injured in that town and we didn’t see any of that. 

Toward the evening we went to a congregation (Westgate) for a bring-your-dinner fellowship. We were able to meet several members from our previous supporting congregation, 11th and Willis. It was good to share time together. Afterwards I was able to present the Bible study, talking about our work in the Netherlands and Belgium and linking that to the grace and might of our wonderful God. You are not too small. God is using you wherever you are for His glory if you are allowing Him in your life. 

The rest of this first leg will include a tax talk (US taxes) a fish-fry out at a ranch, a Sunday full of meeting and talking as well as wonderful worship time with another family of Christ and a last drive back over toward Dallas-Ft. Worth. But that is for another time. Hopefully we will be able to share some pictures of our Texas time by the next post. 

He's got the whole world in His hands

We are running around our house at the moment trying to get everything cleaned and ready to be left alone for two months. We want to be able to come home to a clean house. We are also making sure that we have all the “things” that we need. These days there are many more electronic things. But mostly we don’t want to forget anything that is necessary. 

We are traveling with only carry-on, so having already made the decisions about clothes, we are settling our minds about those choices. Once we get in the air, it will be easier. Then there is truly no going back. And since we are moving forward, we also want to make sure that we have all the contact information we need for each stop along the way. We have it digital, but it is also always good to have a printed copy handy. 

And while this is happening, we are rejoicing with the good news we received and saw yesterday afternoon. We gained a new brother in the Lord as Daniel gave his life to Christ I baptism and rose to new life in the strength of his Lord. Daniel has been thinking of this for some time and decided he wasn’t going to sit any longer. We were blessed to be invited to come to his family’s house to see him die and be born again. 

Seeing new life takes away any concerns there might be for anything. God is wonderfully mighty and caring and has our loves in His caring hands. We look forward to each new day as we get to walk with Him. 

Keep an eye on this space, although we may not be posting at our usual times. We will try to keep you up to date on our travels as we go. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.