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.)

Where oh where Wednesday: Afsluitdijk

The ideas were there from the 17th century. What if the Zuiderzee was laid dry (partially) in order to win land? This was not a strange thought for the Dutch who had already won quite a bit of their land fro the sea. Amsterdam is partially built on land taken from the sea. The airport everyone uses to access THE NETHERLANDS is Schiphol, which literally means the hollow for the ships. But what would it take to dry out the Zuiderzee? 

Concrete plans started to be made at the end of the 19th century. Engineer Cornelis Lely especially had ideas for making it all possible. In 1913 he was the minister of water works and he suggested and had plans to make a polder of the sea, winning valuable land that was needed for the country to expand. But his plans weren’t heard until the First World War and after flooding in 1916 and a famine in 1918. 

The work began on shutting off the sea, protecting the land that was already there and making it possible to create new polders. The works began in 1920 and were finally finished in 1932. A dike, with a road atop it, had been built to stop the sea. Even today, this is the only road in The Netherlands where the speed limit is officially 130 kilometers per hour. 

In the past 90 some years that the dike was built, the polders have emerged. Lelystad (named after the engineer) is the main city rising from the polder. The sea has turned into the IJsselmeer. Tourists can drive across the dike from one tip of North Holland to Friesland on the other side. During the 2nd World War, the battle for this dike was the only defeat that the Germans saw in regard to the Dutch (when they bombed Rotterdam, the Dutch capitulated). 

The dike is 32 kilometers long and 90 meters wide. There have been regular times of maintenance and most recently the dike has had to be strengthened. In 2006 a Formula 1 driver (Robert Doornbos) reached 326 km per hour on a section of the dike which was closed off temporarily for this purpose. We have only ever crossed it by train. 

Taxes

Nobody wants to pay them, but they are a part of everyday life. Jesus told Peter that it was normal to pay and the Bible makes clear that we should pay our taxes. But what do you do when things get a bit complicated? We have lived for the last 30 plus years in Belgium, working in the Netherlands and receiving a good bit of our support from the United States. So which taxes do we pay? All of them. 

We have always paid income tax and social security I the US. We also pay social security in Belgium. But it has been a real blessing all these years to have brothers and sisters who have helped us with our taxes in the US. E.B. Dotson did our taxes (and others) as a service for missions (now the office of Larry McElroy). And what a service this is. It is amazing to have these worries taken from your shoulders, not having to worry about figuring out how things work - because it is confusing. 

You see, we live in Belgium, but receive a part of our funds from the US. Anyone who has lived outside of the US knows about the various forms that have to be filled in (FATCA, FBAR and such). Knowing that your taxes are in good hands, of brothers and sisters who are putting their talents to this service, is extremely comforting. So we are very thankful. 

This is especially important now. This past year the Belgian tax office decided that things have not been as they think it should be. They are only allowed to go back 5 years, so they went back to 2022 and looked at our taxes in Belgium. Their conclusion is that we should have been paying income tax in Belgium, not in the US. This influences how much social security we pay in Belgium as well. 

So now we are looking at back taxes in Belgium, back payments for social security, and continuing to try to figure out our social security status in the US. This can be worrisome or frustrating, but in the end we know that things will work out. Our God knows what we can handle and knows what is going on. That doesn’t mean that it will not happen. It means that He will give us strength to deal with it. 

Thankfully we do not have to worry about anything more than VAT (Value Added Tax) in the Netherlands. And we all have to deal with that in some sense. And as oil prices (gasoline, diesel - which is what we use in our car, gas for our heating) rise exorbitantly, we know that although this may be difficult, we will be able to deal with it somehow. God trusts us to be able to handle what he allows in our lives - with His strength. 

Whensday: 1902 - Korfbal

March in the USA brings March Madness - colleges vying for a title in the team sport of basketball. Basketball was invented in 1891 by gym teacher James Naismith. About 10 years later a gym teacher in Amsterdam invented “korfbal” which translated is “basket ball”. This game was based on the Swedish game for women, but Nico Broekhuysen made it a team sport for both sexes. 

Korfbal, as a matter of fact, is one of the only team sports for both men and women together. Like basketball it can be played outside or inside and there is an outside season and inside season. And like basketball, the goal is to put as many points on the scoreboard by putting the ball through the basket (“korf”). 

In korfbal, the basket is on a tall pole (3.5 meters or about 11.5 feet) and has no backboard. The players, both men and women are on the field at the same time, may not walk with the ball. They also may not dribble. The player can take one step and must then pass the ball. This creates a game with a high level of team interaction and low contact. 

The International Korfball Federation was created in 1933 and there are currently 72 national federations. The sport was a demonstration sport at the Olympics of 1920 and 1928. It is not part of the Olympics, but is part of the World Games. Since it is mostly played in Belgium and especially The Netherlands, the World and European champion has always been The Netherlands (although Belgium was world champion in 1991). 

Whatsit Wednesday: Dutch door

I remember learning about Dutch doors when I was younger because we visited somewhere (I don’t remember where) that had them, probably a farm. This would have been in the US. So why are they called “Dutch Doors”? Well, actually the Brits might call it a stable door and the Irish might call it a half door. But it was the Dutch who brought it into normal cultural use, through painting and their general use of the door in their housing. 

In paintings fro the 17th century you can find plenty of examples of Dutch doors. It was also in this period that Dutch in the areas that would become New York and New Jersey were incorporating the doors in their homes. The purpose was to keep livestock out of the house and children inside while allowing light and air to circulate freely. 

One can easily imagine working in the house, not having to worry about the small children escaping or the animals bringing their dirty feet into the house, while still being able to see and be part of the outside or chat with a passing neighbor. As a matter of fact, this type of door was later also incorporated for a time on railways to facilitate employees carrying out tasks or visual inspections. 

Even into modern times, the doors could be useful in nursing homes (line of sight is maintained while the patients cannot wander aimlessly), childcare facilities (although safety concerns finally restricted this use) or barns and stables, where they were originally used. The romance of the past often makes people wonder about installing or using such a door. The practical limitations usually come to mind in later stages. But Dutch doors are still used in many places. 

Have you ever seen a Dutch door? Would you want one in your house? 

Sisters

This past weekend some of our sisters in the church were off to the Ladies Retreat. This is a retreat organized in Germany. Each year his organized by a different group - sometimes the Swiss ladies, the ladies from Germany or England, or the Belgian and Dutch ladies. It is four days (Thursday to Sunday) to get to know sisters from around Europe, hear lessons in English and sing together. 

We were thankful that several from our church family could go. One of our sisters who moved away a few years ago (first to France and now back to Belgium, but a few hours away, following her husband’s work) was able to attend for the first time. It is always exciting to see how getting together with fellow believers can be so encouraging and to see how God can use you in such times. 

Last year our young Ukrainian sister went to the retreat and ended up translating for many of the other Ukrainians who attended. This year our sister who moved away was able to get together with new sisters and friends from South America. She herself is from Brazil. So even though she speaks Portugese, she understands and can speak Spanish as well. 

The car that left with the group p from Maastricht included Shirley and three other sisters. While they were gone some of the brothers (husbands and brothers in Christ) got together to spend some time together on the Saturday. Cooking for one another and spending time together is always good. I ended up planning some work in the house while Shirley was gone. Our new brother, Jef, was able to help start om putting a ceiling in our pantry. It is a lot easier to get things done when you can make a mess while your wife is gone. 

Sunday morning was a bit different without the ladies. We have several ladies in the congregation who are strong singers. But even four being gone was definitely noticeable. We are thankful for the time that the ladies were able to spend together and how God uses each one to encourage others. But we are also thankful that they made it home safely.

(Top photo is of the full group. Bottom photo are "our" ladies.)

Whodunit Wednesday: Fred van der Weij

When we first moved to Belgium there were a few things we had to get used to. One of those was not only the food, but how food was prepared. We both love fries, so that was not really a problem. And since fries are the best in Belgium, it was definitely not a problem. But fries are meant to be deep-fat fried. And not only fries. Lots of other foods are fried. Hamburgers are not known in Belgium without a breading and being fi=ried (unless you get them from one of the well-known American fastfood chains). 

In order to do all of this, every house has/had a deep fat fryer. And all of the recycling parks have a place to reclaim your used frying oil. After all, a good diesel engined car (of which Belgium has plenty) can even run on “frietolie” - fry oil. So one of the first things we needed to purchase was a fryer. 

However, we do not eat that much fried food. That meant that the frying oil often sat for quite some time and needed refreshing before we made fries again. So when Fred van der Weij came out with his invention, we were pretty happy. It was also around this time that we were becoming much more health conscious, worried about the kilo’s (or pounds) we might be putting on. 

Fred van der Weij was a Dutch engineer, born around the same time as we, but in the Netherlands. He invented a small oven in 2006 and later sold it to Philips in 2010. The air fryer is not quite a convection oven, although both use heated air to cook. The air fryer does this quicker and in smaller amounts. 

These days almost every house has an air fryer - although many may also still have a deep fat fryer as well. Not many people will know the name Fred van der Weij (who passed away in 2022), but most will be thankful for his ingenious invention for cooking well known meals in a more healthy way. 

Family (travel plans)

Every three years we make a trip back to the US to visit supporting congregations and family in a two-month long journey around the country. This is our “Home Assignment”. Our plans for this Home Assignment 2026, which will cover May and June, are solidified and partially paid. 

We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as we can. If you are in the area of where we will be, please let us know before hand so that we might be able to get together. This will be quite the trip, as usual, so we will not have a lot of wiggle room, but we always want to meet with as many as we can. 

In short, our schedule looks like this: Leave Belgium on April 28, arriving in Texas.Texas (churches) from April 28 - May 4

FLY May 5 to Indianapolis

    Indiana (family and church) from May 5-12

FLY May 13 to Los Angeles

    California (church and family) from May 13-24

FLY May 25 to Minneapolis

    Minnesota (church) from May 25 - June 1

DRIVE LOOP:

DRIVE June 2 to Sioux City, IA

DRIVE June 3 to Spearfish, SD

DRIVE June 5 to Billings, MT

    Montana (family) from June 5-8

DRIVE June 9 to Colorado Springs

    Colorado Springs (family) from June 9-11

DRIVE June 12 to Denver

    Denver (church and family) from June 12-14

DRIVE June 15 to Omaha, NE

    Omaha area (family) from June 15-17

DRIVE June 18 to Muscatine, IA

    Muscatine (church) from June 18-22

DRIVE June 23 to Minneapolis

FLY June 24 to New York City

New York City (family) from June 25-29

FLY June 30 to Brussels, arriving on July 1

(You can see this all visually on the map above)

It is always a challenge to fit the puzzle pieces of family and church together, making sure that we leave Sundays for meeting with church members and connecting in that meaningful way. We also want to meet all of our family members, including our granddaughter in Indiana. 

This is not possible without the help of so many people. Some people will be lending us their car for the time we are in their area. Others will be putting us up and feeding us in their home, sharing their families with us during our stay. Many have given sacrificially so that we can make this trip. Thank you all so much! We look forward to seeing you. 

Where oh where Wednesday: Geleen

We work in Maastricht, the capital of Limburg, the southernmost province of the Netherlands. We also live in Limburg, the easternmost province of Belgium. Last week we drove through Limburg in Germany as well. But today I would like to tell a little bit about another city of Limburg in the Netherlands. 

Although Maastricht is the capital, the city of Geleen is also quite important. Most of the cities in this province were mining cities. When the mining dried up, other possibilities had to be sought. Just down the road from Maastricht (or “up” the road, heading North), Geleen is in the middle of the chemical industrial “city” of DSM and Chemelot. 

Ever since 1979 this chemical company has been making special fibers in Geleen. Dyneema is considered the world’s strongest fiber. It is 15 times stronger than steel but tight enough to float on water. It is based on polyethylene (technically a UHMWPE = ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene. Try saying that 6 times in a row!). Wikipedia tells me that this fiber weighs 0.97 grams per cubic centimeter. I am not quite sure what that is, but it is quite light. 

This fiber is used in competitive cycling, fishing line, repairing ligaments, protective gloves and bulletproof materials. It is used as a replacement for the steel cables which launch gliders, protects ice skaters (like recently during the Winter Olympics and the many Dutch skaters), anchoring Oil platforms in the sea (steel breaks, Dyneema doesn’t) and all sorts of uses in archery or climbing. 

We drive past the chemical towers regularly, but had never realized what kinds of things can be made so close to home. Geleen has in the meantime merged with the city of Sittard nearby to become Sittard-Geleen. 

Video calls

Getting to talk to family is a blessing. We both grew up in a situation where we were separated from family for longer periods. In those days, that meant air mail letters or long distance phone calls of very short duration. These days we can send video messages, songs, pictures and more by our phone or computer. And we are thankful that we are able to connect with our boys, their wives and our granddaughter via the computer on video calls. 

We were able to talk to Sean for quite a while yesterday, checking in with his life and sharing ours. Everyone has a busy life. When we were younger and starting our life together, we were sure that our life was full of busyness. Of course now that is exactly where our children’s lives are. Which is why it is so nice to be Abel to “drop in” on a video call. 

We can hear the fire engine sirens screaming by our son’s window as they race to a fire on a snowy day in New York City, while we sit comfortably on our couch in the closing of the day in Belgium. Or we can show our midday snow to our granddaughter who is just waking up 6 hours away. It is always a bit of adapting, but it is good to see one another. 

It is even better to hear one another. The cadence of speech reminds us again of times when we were together. The laughter we share warms our hearts. And it is sometimes much better to share things “face-to-face” than in an email or letter. 

Of course it is also nice to be able to show off anything new in the house, or let the dog say hello. Most of us are used to being on video while talking these days. We use it for our weekly study with the members (which means more people can join the study). We also hold a video study with the younger people who are English-speaking - and spread to various places in Europe. Whereas some might turn off the camera (we don’t, since I am teaching, but others do) to avoid video weariness, we are thankful to be able to see one another, especially on these family calls. 

But in a few months we will get to take the next step and actually hug our kids. We are looking forward to being with Stephan and the family in May and Sean and Jill at the end of our trip in June. Along the way we will also be able to see others in our family with whom we do not have video calls - although I guess that would also be possible if we all wanted it. 

We are thankful for technology, for mobility and for possibilities to gather together in various times and places.