Together time

Every second Sunday those who wish stay after our worship and coffee time to play some games together. Yesterday was a 3rd Sunday, but we had still moved the games to this week. It coincided with a brother’s meeting as well, so there was plenty to do. But the fun is always simply being able to spend time together. 

That is what Shirley and I are hoping to do in the coming days as well. Our anniversary always falls in busy days in December, so we seldom have time to get away then. January is much easier. Since having to look into getting a car, this has meant looking a bit closer to home, which works out perfectly with some other desires we have had. 

Jim and Ruth Krumrei are now in their 90’s, but are a major influence in our lives. I stayed and worked with them in Haarlem back in the 1980’s. We regularly try to find some chance to visit, but it is not always easy. Most recently we have been up in Haarlem more often because of teaching some singing. But this doesn’t always mean that we will see the Jim and Ruth. 

So, in planning some getaway days together we decided to combine it with some time with Jim and Ruth and perhaps even the congregation in Haarlem. We will travel up to stay with Jim and Ruth in Haarlem and use that area as a hub rot visit some typical Dutch towns and cities in the area. Just as important, we will have time to spend with Jim and Ruth and share memories of how God has worked in this country. 

At the end of the month (or beginning of February) we hope to be back in the area for a singing with the church in Haarlem. The end of this week is the yearly camp meeting where we will also be able to spend time with people we do not see every week. It is exciting to see how God brings people from around the country together to work together for the kingdom. And we are thankful that we get to spend time with so many people.

(Photo is of a previous Games day)

Whensday: 1783, Gas lighting

In dark days it helps to have light, wherever you go. Imagine days of long ago when one only had candles or oil lamps to light the way. A house could be lit because it was a room, or several rooms, lit by a lamp, the light reaching into the corners thinly, laying fully on the people or things sitting closest to the lamp. But in the streets of the city, darkness fell as the sun went down. Everyone went home. 

Except that the couldn’t go home. An Industrial Revolution was at hand and cities were becoming even more urbanized. And as more people moved to the city, and more people had to work or continue their life through the night, the city streets being dark became a problem. But how to solve this conundrum? The solution was coal gas (called “light gas” inn Dutch). This gas was discovered by Jan Pieter Minckelers in 1783. 

Of course there were others who also looked at the idea and it was a while before cities put in gas lines to light city streets. Maastricht, where Minckelers lived, didn’t have city lights until 1854, but the discovery lightened the world in many cities (notably London) long before this. 

These were the days of street lighters, men who would light and douse the street lights at the appropriate time, walking through the streets of the city. Gas was brought into homes as well, bringing light to all corners whenever one needed. Of course it also brought some danger. These days natural gas is used most places if it is used at all, and most places depend on electricity for lighting - but that is a different story. 

Questions for God

One of the things that we as a congregation want to do this year is some evangelization in public. Most of our outreach as a congregation is along family and friend lines. We talk to the people in our lives whom God brings us. But we know that there are people struggling with questions about God who may not have anyone to speak to. So we want to be ready for some of these questions. 

During our Wednesday evening study - each first Wednesday of the month - we will look at questions and what God gives us as answers. We are collecting some of these questions, some of which you also may have struggled with or heard. Why does God allow so much suffering in the world? (Or How can God exist if there is suffering in the world? Or Why do I have to experience this suffering in my life since I am walking with God?)

How can an intelligent person believe in God and the Bible when it is clear that the Bible is an old book written long ago by people who didn’t really know what we know now? And it is full of mistakes and contradictions. How can anyone trust such a book? 

We (people in Europe) have been there and done that. We already know that it doesn’t work. Why stick to an old way of thinking about the world and people? 

Who made God? How old is the earth? So do you believe in dinosaurs? What do you think about politics? I have some questions for God because I am angry with him. 

Last night we were invited to a neighbor’s house for a New Year’s reception with some other of her friends and acquaintances. It was a nice time to meet some new people and get to know our neighbors better. We had several of these conversations throughout the evening. It is always clear that we are Americans, which brings up why we are here. That always leads to some conversations and questions. 

We are looking forward to having these conversations as a congregation in the Spring in Maastricht. We would love your prayers for these moments. We would also like to hear what your questions for God are (or questions you have heard or discussed). 

Whatsit Wednesday: Orange carrots

Well, of course orange carrots. This is after all a blog about things Belgian and Dutch. And we all know the Dutch like the color orange. So that must be where orange carrots came from, right? Actually … yes. 

Historically carrots could have been all sorts of colors. There were black carrots, purple carrots and red or yellow carrots. Carrots were not one specific color. The word for this tuber (root vegetable) comes into English in the 16th century  and is originally derived from the Latin carota. Originally carrots were grown for their seeds and such and were not distinguished from a parsnip (which is still used widely in Belgium)

But it was the Dutch growers in Hoorn in the 16th century. There is pictorial evidence that an orange carrot existed under the Romas in the 6th century, but generally carrots were purple or white. The Dutch cultivated the “Long Orange”, which some say was cultivated because of the love of the Dutch for the Dutch flag or for Willem of Orange (the royal family). Others claim that the orange carrot was preferred because the purple ones made soups and such brown. 

These days we can still find purple carrots (which are orange on the inside) and parsnips still exist, but in general all carrots are considered orange. Think of Bugs Bunny - “What’s up, doc?” Carrot soup, carrot bread or cake, carotine that helps your eyes (or does it?) and much more. How do you like your carrots? 

Cars, cars, cars

As you may have read in our last post, we had a bit of an exciting New Year’s Eve when our car decided to tell us something was wrong. Cars these days. In the past you might have gotten some kind of hiccup, or smoke or some strange sound. These days the car simply tells you that something is wrong. Our car is from 2016, but it is still young enough to have this sort of computer in it. “Engine trouble” is what we were greeted with when the car didn’t seem to be moving as well as usual. 

Since New Year’s day fell on a Thursday, our garage wasn’t open until today (Monday), which meant that we spent the weekend without a car. Not really a problem in these days, except for Sunday morning. Thankfully we have plenty of brothers and sisters who were willing to pick us up if needed (and bring us back home). So we enjoyed a wonderful Sunday morning worship time and also had some good conversation with our sister Gaiane while she picked ups up and dropped us back home. 

Today I took the car in to the garage. It drives just well enough to get it to the garage, about a 10 minute drive away. Of course I would have to leave it there until they could look at it and let me know what was wrong. That meant a good 50 minute walk home in the snow, but that brings its own charms. When the garage called back, they let us know that the fix would be far too expensive for this car with more than 260,000 kilometers. Thankfully they also told us, after I walked back in the snow, that the car would still work for small distances - city driving. 

So now we have spent a good bit of the day looking at second-hand cars and wondering what we are actually looking for. We enjoyed our Citroën, but are pretty sure we will not be able to find another like it for the price we want to pay. You know how it goes - you make up a list of all the requirements that said car must meet in order to be picked. 

Are there any brands you absolutely would not choose? (Renault, Mercedes or BMW) Does the type of fuel matter? (We want a diesel because it fist our needs) Are there other requirements? (Must be Euro 5 designated exhaust in order to get into cities, preferably a bit taller so we can step in easily, and if possible with a trailer hitch for our trailer) We don’t worry about color, at this point, even if we may have preferences. We pay most attention to how many kilometers, how old, and what the price is. 

We hope soon to be able to find something and be completely mobile again. In the meantime we will enjoy the snow which is slowing everyone else down on the roads.

(Photo is of our previous Citroën back in 2018, stuck in the mud at Bible camp)

Wild Wonderful Wednesday

Well, a wild, wonderful Wednesday is always interesting. This one fell on New Year’s Eve and was truly wild. Our plans were set to travel to our sister in Christ for a New Year’s Eve party with others from the church. We would pick up our young Ukrainian couple in Tongeren and drive on to Hasselt. Our other sister would drive in to Hasselt from just outside of Sittard, The Netherlands, bringing her son who was visiting from France. People from all over meeting to ring in the new year. 

Everything seems ready and prepared. The weather was not that bad. A slight bit of misty rain and cold hung in the air, but that is to be expected. We all were ready with snacks, games and a good mood to join together. Although fireworks are usual for The Netherlands, we didn’t really expect anything in Hasselt (Belgium). Our little village has plenty on New Year’s Eve, but that is because of how close we are to The Netherlands and how many Dutch people live here. 

We picked up our couple in Tongeren and headed out to Hasselt, talking about the differences in cultures and things we have experienced. But the car decided to make this outing a bit more wild and wonderful. Cars these days tell the driver what they should dop. There is a computer which determines what you can and cannot do. My car began warning me that I had to have the car looked at. At the same time power began decreasing. 

I pulled over and called the auto service. Thankfully there are people who work on days like these. It would still be an hour before he would arrive, however. So we called ahead and asked if someone could come and get Shirley and the couple from our car. Thankfully we were not really that far from our destination (about 20-309 minutes). Our brother in Christ, Jef, drove out and took everyone to the party while I stayed with the car, waiting on the auto service. 

When the tow truck arrived, he hooked up to the car’s computer and saw that there was an air intake problem. But he was able to remove the computer disturbance and the motor seemed to be running just fine. All seemed well and I would soon join the party. But all was not fine - it was a wild, wonderful Wednesday. 

Within a few miles, the car told me once again that something was wrong and started losing some power. Thankfully I was not really that far from home, so I took the car home, ready to go to the garage when it is open after the holidays. I called Shirley and let her know that we would be celebrating separately. 

Thankfully, they all had a good evening and the sister from Sittard could drop Shirley off while Jef could take the Ukrainians back to Tongeren. In the meantime I also had enough snacks at home to take me through the evening, waiting for Shirley’s return. I got to experience the fireworks near us (a good hour long), while they enjoyed desserts, games and conversation together. Tomorrow I will try to get the car to the garage and walk back home along the winter streets of our villages on the way to complete this Wild Wonderful Wednesday Walk.