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. 

Where oh where Wednesday: Borders

Crossing borders in Europe used to be quite difficult. But ever since the Schengen Accord, borders have become more like a thought than a real border. Although recently Germany has gone to checking people at the border. In our area it is simple, but not as simple (or complicated) as in some other places.

We live about 500 meters from the border (it is the river behind our house. It only takes us 15 minutes to drive to the church building in Maastricht, which is in the Netherlands. When I used to take our sister’s dog out for a walk, I could easily cross in to Belgium walking to the Albert canal. So we are used to recognizing borders, but we don’t usually have to deal with them much. 

Then there are places like Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog. In this little town the border runs through the middle of the town. During the corona rules, the Netherlands had different rules than Belgium. So people could go into a store which is split down the middle of the store. They could shop in the one section, but not in the other section. 

A few years ago we took our teens from Bible camp to a rail-bike  excursion. These are cars on an old train track which you move by bicycling. The interesting thing is that the track is all Belgium. But the land on either side of the track could be Germany or Belgium. There are little “islands” of country as you travel along the tracks. At the end of the track is a station which is also part Germany. Plus it is in the German-speaking area of Belgium. Imagine what it must have been like when the borders needed to be policed. 

(The picture above is the store. The Belgian side was closed. The Dutch side was open for business)

Singing, fellowship and flowers

This has been a week and a half of singing and fellowship. On April 10 we held our first Friday singing - on the 2nd Friday. This was because the first Friday was Easter weekend and most people could not be there. This made it possible for more people to come. And we were especially thankful that we finally saw our brothers and sisters from Liege again. It has been maybe 2 or 3 years since they have been able to attend this, although we saw them last year at camp for a day. 

The Wednesday after we were in Eindhoven for the 3rd Wednesday of the month and our singing with the church in Eindhoven. We had quite a group their meeting as well. It is always so encouraging to be able to share time singing together of God’s love and faithfulness. Our singings are always a balance of learning new things and singing songs to encourage one another. This time we even were able to find helpers for the camp we will be leading in the summer. 

On the Saturday (just past) we headed to Haarlem in the north to help them with their singing. We haven’t been able to be with them since February. This time we took the train up, which was restful. We ended up with a group of about 16 from all around the area. We were especially thankful that we were able to see a young man and his family that we grew up with and had not seen in perhaps 15 years. He now has three kids. We also saw a couple we love from the Den Haag area. 

Following the singing we spent some time with our Russian brother and sister and his visiting mother and went to look at flowers in the area. This is the tie of Keukenhof and the tulips and the flowers were amazing. It is beauty like this that makes you sing of the wondrous love of Jesus. But it is also the beauty that we see in our brothers and sisters at such times. We are so thankful that God gives us the opportunity to meet with so many congregations from around Belgium and the Netherlands. 

Soon we will be leaving for our Home Assignment (April 28) and we are looking forward to all the singing and visiting we will be able to do with brothers and sisters from around the US. We hope to see some of you soon and join in singing the grace of God together. 

Whensday: Tax day

For many people in the US today is tax day. A frantic gathering of papers and numbers and hoping that you have everything correct and on time. Wondering if you will get any money back or have to pay even more. It doesn’t matter what country you live in, these feelings remain the same. Nobody likes paying taxes. 

Some people will expound on how good it is to have services - which are paid by our taxes. Others will point out that the services could be cheaper if we didn’t pay all the taxes. Still others point out the fraud going on which makes our taxes even higher. In any case, most nobody wants to pay taxes. Almost everyone wished they were paying fewer taxes. 

At the moment one of the bigger worries for many is the price of gasoline. For us that means diesel, since we drive a diesel car (you use less for more miles). Looking at the high prices we hear about in the US doesn’t give us much of a shock here. We are paying about $10 per gallon here. And most of that is tax. Which is how some countries are helping the pain at the gas station by lowering the taxes - temporarily. But someone will have to pay in the end. 

As mentioned earlier, we are working through our tax situation here in Belgium. But we are also working through our tax situation in the US. Since we live outside the US we do not have to worry about the April 15 deadline (ours is in June). But we do still have to make sure that everything is ready, correct and up-to-date. 

So for us we will simply enjoy this Spring day. The sun is shining at the minute, but that could change. It is after all, April. The Dutch say, “April does what she wants”. Nothing about flowers and showers, just uncertainty. The beauty is simply evident if you open your eyes.  

And just in case you missed it, these things all happened on April 15. The Titanic sank, Leonardo Da Vinci was born in 1452, Jackie Robinson became the first black baseball player in the MLB, Notre Dame cathedral in Paris caught fire in 2019, the first McDonald’s opened in 1955. Like I said, April does what she wants. 

Getting ready to travel

In just 15 days we head off on our Home Assignment. This is our trip along our supporting congregations and our family. These last two weeks before we leave are filled with last-minute-getting-readies (if I can use that word). We are contacting the places we will visit and making sure they know we are coming. We are contacting the congregations making sure we know what how we can help while we are there. We are still finalizing a few travel bits, like accommodation in some of the stops. But we are looking forward to the time together. 

A Home Assignment is always quite a logistical challenge. We have 4 congregations which support us and at least 2 others we visit along the way with whom we have developed a good relationship. Our family is not in any of the places our supporting congregations are, so that means some extra driving or flying. Altogether this means that we want to make the most of every moment we are anywhere - even if it is only for a few days. 

As we prepare, we also are aware that we will be gone from our house for some time, so we want to make sure that everything is ready there,. We have very good neighbors who will keep an eye on things. I will try to mow the lawn at least one more time before we leave. And I will get the weeding done before we go. Not that it will look like I did by the time we get back, but at least it will have been done. 

Then we have to both think about what we will pack for the trip. As any of you who have traveled recently know, luggage allowances have gotten smaller about as quickly as gas prices have risen. When we traveled in 2023 (our last Home Assignment) we only took “carry-on” for the first. Since we are traveling from end of April to end of June, all across the country, we have to consider what kind of weather we might get and pack at least something that will be appropriate. 

At least this time we do not have to worry about any house pets that we are leaving behind for a few months. We have a neighbor cat who likes to come visit when she feels like it. We cat-sat our colleague’s cat for a few weeks back in March while they were gone. But we do not have any pets of our own to be concerned about. We do look forward to seeing our kids and their pets. We especially look forward to seeing our granddaughter in person again. 

So if we seem a little tired when we see you, don’t worry. We are not worried. We are very glad to be able to travel to see you. We are so thankful that you make the effort to see us as well. Traveling is an adventure and seeing people is an amazing blessing that we look forward to. We will miss seeing everyone here in Europe while we are gone, but we look forward to seeing all of you in the US while we are there. 

If you want to see our route, check out this earlier post.

Whatsit Wednesday: Elstar apple

The trees are blooming everywhere. White, pink, red flowers in an explosion of Spring as you drive around the countryside. In our backyard our cherry tree is blooming as well. We used to have a pear orchard just across the canal that would be a full field of blossoms at this time. That field is now just a field, but not far from us is the fruit district. Pear and apple trees grow all along the sides of the roads everywhere they can be found. 

It will soon be the time of year to eat apples. Although, to be honest, the apples have never really left the supermarkets. If they are not being grown here, they are going from Spain or elsewhere. Some are even grown in hothouses year-round. And there are all types of apples. The Elstar is one of the most sold here, next to the Jonagold and Granny Smith. I like the Granny Smith because I like my apples sour. It reminds me of the apple trees in our backyard when I was growing up. 

The Elstar apple is an apple that was made in the Netherlands in 1955 by crossing a Golden Delicious with an Ingrid Marie (an older race of apple). This was done by Arie Schaap and Tijs Visser. When the time came to give the apple a commercial name, a solution was sought combining the maker’s name and the place he lived, Elst. So they combined Elst+ AR (from Arie) and created the Elstar. The apple official went in to production in 1975. 

By 2006 about 45 percent of apple production in the Netherlands was Elstar. They can be plucked in September and saved until June. It is a red striped to dark red apple which is also used for apple juice and apple sauce. 

What kind of apple do you prefer? 

Whodunit Wednesday: M.C. Escher

He is still one of my favorite artists. M.C. Escher is well-known for his drawings that trick the eye. The detail in his drawings is what always drew me to his work. When I first came to the Netherlands, I got a subscription to the library so that I could check out his books and look through the pictures. Several of his paintings adorn the walls of buildings around the world. 

Maurits Cornelis Escher was born in 1898 in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. Leeuwaarden is a part of Friesland, which in the past was its own country and people. But Escher’s family moved to Arnhem (much further south) when he was only 5 years old. He was considered a sickly child and did not do very well at school, although it was clear from early on that he was good at drawing. 

He went to a technical college and the Haarlem School of Architecture and decorative arts where he learned to make woodcuts. In his journeys in 1922 he traveled to Italy and Spain and was amazed at the intricate designs that he saw there. He started a family and lived in Italy until just before the war. In the end he ended up in Baarn, the Netherlands, where most of his work was done (although he had already been commissioned to design stamps for the Dutch Postal Service). 

His work is quite mathematical, which often means that conservative artists consider him less and artist and the general public loves his work. His technical ability is praised by all, but some cannot find themselves in his mathematical, symmetrical style. Perhaps Escher would say that they simply need to look deeper into the works. Some of his works tend to push into infinity.

You can find his work in The Hague, of course, but also in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and in Huis ten Bosch in Nagasaki, Japan. Have you ever seen his work? What do you think of it?

Training

One of the joys and challenges of our work in Belgium and the Netherlands is working with young people and those wanting to learn more. The body of Christ is just that - a body. The church is made up of all sorts of people and God can use us all in many ways. Buut we learn from each other how we can be used to help others. That is part of what we are doing, helping to train and mentor others to become leaders and helpers. 

This past weekend we offered a day of training for those wanting to work with the Bible camp. It was Inspiration for Aspiring leaders, so we called it “Breathe”, knowing that it is the Holy Spirit who prepares us and forms us in our tasks. Last year we held this day at the church building in Antwerpen because that was more central, easier for people to reach. But we have wanted to hold it at camp itself so that the prospective leaders can see in person what they are working with. So this year we met down at camp. We are thankful to be able to do this with good colleagues (Luk Brazle). 

It was great to see the willingness of these few young people to learn and be aware of the responsibility of leading a team for a week of Bible camp. This is a time of reaching young hearts with the truths from God’s word and putting those into practice every day for a week before they return home. It is a time when many young people from the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands see friends from around the country or make new friends. This is all facilitated by good camp leaders. 

We are also helping to mentor some of our couples and singles in Maastricht. We meet on Mondays to study and talk about situations in leadership. On Wednesday afternoons we have a Bible study in English for some of our young people where they can ask questions and get honest answers. It is exciting to see how the members of the congregation are maturing in Christ and stepping up to new challenges in their daily Christian life. 

In April we will also be taking part in a First Aid course for those who work down at the Bible Camp. This is another aspect of learning and teaching. The Red Cross will offer the course and we are thankful for the various people who will attend, including several from the church in Maastricht. We are learning how to use the spiritual muscles God has given us and feeling the challenge of using those abilities and trusting in God’s strength and leading. 

(Here are some more pictures of the training day at camp.)