Fall camp activities

This coming weekend we will be holding our Fall Camp once again. This is a weekend organized mostly for teens (12 years and older) but also through the years for families. One of the first times that Shirley and I can remember going together down to camp was at a Fall Camp. We slept in a small caravan next to the dining hall - if one can call it that at the time. We woke to freezing icicles on the inside of the caravan and joined the rest in the dining hall to endure the dripping ceiling caused by condensation and cold. 

Things have changed quite a bit through the years for Fall Camp. What we have been able to do with the facilities because of the efforts and giving of so many in the church here in Belgium and the Netherlands as well as partners in the US has greatly increased the use of camp. Now we have a warm, dry hall, topped by a second floor used for teaching and playing games. 

This weekend a group of young people will gather at camp to once again encourage one another and enjoy the beauty of God in the nature surrounding the camp buildings. We have a good group of young people, including several Ukrainians this year. Although they are not especially happy to be away from their home, they are thankful to have made new friends and brothers and sisters in the Lord. 

Following the weekend a new Vacation Bible Camp will start. This is the second year for this camp week, meant for kids from 8-14 years old. It is a full week in the Fall vacation week for Belgian kids. This week is not the vacation week for kids in the Netherlands, so the camp is almost exclusively Belgian. It is a great time for the young people who have first met during the summer camp weeks to see one another again and encourage one another after the beginning of the school year. 

Good relationships are so very important for all young people. The world is never an easy place, and now it seems often to be even more difficult. To have friends who are not only interested in faith but living it daily is extremely valuable. These camp moments make sure that our young people have these opportunities. Thank you for helping to make this possible and for praying for these young people and the camps they attend.

Colours of the Seasons

Autumn is a favorite season for me. I love the smells, the colors, the variety in the days. Every day can be different, every week brings new changes. And God’s beauty shows through each day and each change. That is how I experience our Fall activities as well: a varicoloured variety of challenges and changes. 

We do a lot with singing. This is a gift God has given me that I want to continue using in every way possible. At the end of September we got together with the church from Cologne for our annual singing – but this time in Maastricht (the previous times has been halfway between the two cities in Aachen). We invited people from the neighbourhood and were thrilled to welcome visitors in the groups that came from Maastricht, from Cologne and from Eindhoven. The singing was great, but the conversations during the day were even better. 

A few weeks later we were in Eindhoven for our monthly third-week Wednesday singing there. One of the visitors from the singing with Cologne was also present at this evening. And a few weeks later, at the Song Workshop, she was present again. Singing is a time to speak truths to one another and share the emotions that God’s grace puts in our hearts. We are so thankful for those moments. 

At the Song Workshop midway through October we focused on writing new songs. This is the 5th time the workshop has been organized (twice a year, but started in the Fall of 2016), but this time we focused on writing instead of on learning how to sing. In Maastricht we have over 30 songs in our songbook from members of the church in Belgium and the Netherlands, so we know that this is possible. At the end of the day (the workshop is one day, from 10:30am – 4:00pm) we had 8 new songs. We figure at least half of those will wotk their way into the congregations in the coming months. 

(Interested in hearing some of the [very] rough work? Listen to the first recordings from the day here.)

In between all the singing, we went off to play some indoor soccer at the annual tournament for Dutch and Belgian congregations. Scott got to play with some other old guys (and a few young ones: they were the good ones) and both of us were able to have some good conversations. This is a time to encourage members and visitors from outside the congregations. 

In the meantime we also put Sean and Jill on a plane to New York City. We do not know how this adventure will turn out, but we put them both in God’s hands where we know they are safe. We have been very thankful to be able to talk with them every week and get pictures from their adventures there. They will be back in January, but we do not know for how long. 

And so we continue to enjoy the astounding beauty of what God can do – unexpected colours, scenes that take your breath away and the certainties of the seasons. The symphony of colours correspnded with a chorus of activities which continue into the next season. We are thankful to know that God’s beauty shines through all of these moments and we look forward to how He is going to use us in the coming days. 

Would you pray for us in the coming months as we continue with some singing activities, but also with a group that is following our “Meeting Jesus” sessions in Maastricht. And let us know how we can be praying for you.