The body of Christ

A congregation, the church, as Paul talks about the church in 1 Corinthians, is a body. We all need each other. While we are gone to the US things will continue here in Maastricht because we are a body and a family. It is Jesus’ church. 

We are head out to the US on Wednesday morning early and we are looking forward to being able to see so many people we haven’t seen in four years or more. We will also get to meet lots of new people. But the last month has also given us the chance to see and welcome visitors from the US here. 

Raymond Blasingame, an elder in the 11th and Willis congregation that supports us from Abilene, Texas, dropped in for about a week. We were able to share our city, our village and the congregation with him. We also shared a great day with an old Belgian friend and got to see what our golf course in Maastricht is like. 

On Sunday Raymond shared the good news of being family in Jesus Christ and told us about brothers and sitters in other countries. This coming Sunday the congregation in Maastricht will have the opportunity to share financially with Sam’s  Place in Kenya. 

Not long after Raymond moved on to Kenya and the Philippines, we visited with folks from our supporting congregation in Minnesota. First Jared Hawley spent two days with us and we were able to share our Christian family here once again. He was able to spend a Sunday and spent the afternoon at a games day organized by our young Ukrainian couple. 

Last week we were also able to meet up with Dale and Vicki Hawley (uncle and aunt of) in Cologne for a few hours. They were on their way back from visiting with other missionaries in Greece and we were thankful to be able to see them as they passed through. We talked of life, family and how God blesses us in so many ways. 

As we plan to leave, the brothers and sisters in Maastricht have showered us with love and care making sure that we get to the airport on time, sending greetings to our supporting congregations, and covering some of the costs that we will have for this trip. It is good to kno0w that there are good brothers and sisters who will continue supporting one another and growing in faith. 

The body of Christ - it is not just symbolic. Together all of us as brothers and sisters in Christ work together, wherever we are, to accomplish His will in His Kingdom. It is amazing to be a part of this and to experience this daily. 

(Coffee time in Maastricht after worshipping together on a Sunday)

Memories of Home

I remember singing Joh Denver songs and listening to Battlestar Galactica (on cassette tape) while falling asleep. That was many years ago when I first lived in the Netherlands as an apprentice. I felt alone. Was alone. But not alone. God’s family was always there taking care of me. And the family that made me feel at home was the family of Karsten Rog. 

Karsten was a teenager then. Henk and Celia, his mom and dad, took me in for Christmas and a few other times. Karsten is the eldest of three sons. Later I would work together with his younger brother, Reuben, at the beginning of the singing group Listen Up!. Karsten married Sandi and they became an active part of the congregation in Eindhoven. 

Years later again, when we were traveling in the US on our Home Assignments every three years or so, Karsten and Sandi and their kids were a certain stop for us in Colorado. Their oldest, Whitney, was born the same year as our youngest before the Rog's moved to the US. So we continued close, with Karsten and Sandi, with the kids, and with Henk and Celia. This was always a place where we have felt at home. 

This past week, after years of struggling, Sandi’s struggle with cancer ended and she went Home. We pray hugs to Karsten, to the kids and their spouses, and especially to Henk and Celia at this time of loss. But we also know that we will soon have some great Home time together. That is something that Sandi and Karsten always made clear to everyone around them. Home is where Jesus Christ is to be found. 

We also said goodbye to another sister here in the Netherlands. When I first went to the Netherlands, it was on a campaign from York College with Tom and Dottie Schulz. Sitting at a table in the church building of The Hague talking to Monica and Oscar was one of the major reasons that I returned to work with the church in the Netherlands. Oscar and Monica, two teenagers in the church, talked about how good it would be for someone to come help. I was already picking up the Dutch language quite quickly. My promise to come help them and the Dutch people was one of the reasons I would return. 

Elly was Oscar and Monica’s mother. She was a quiet woman as I remember her. Every time that I came to The Hague throughout the years (we first met in 1981), she was there and would say encouraging words. She loved to sing, loved to hear from the Word of God and did her best to live for her King. I always felt like I was coming Home when I visited The Hague and saw Elly. Elly was 92 and went Home to see her King last week. I look forward to seeing her again when I get Home. We will sing together and sit somewhere together quietly, wondering at the beauty of everything that we see. 

There have been so many memories made here on earth that are memories of Home. We are so thankful for all the saints that God has brought us in contact with - people who have hearts washed clean by grace and who try to live by that grace. What an encouragement to live the same way, have the same thought, in our own lives. Enjoy every minute with your brothers and sisters in Christ, even now. These are memories of Home. 

Every nation and language

This past weekend it happened again – we had a great weekend in four different languages! The church in Schaffhausen, Switzerland organizes a soccer tournament for churches who want to take part. This year Semiye Verheijen, Michaël Marx and Shirley and I went from Maastricht. Don’t worry, Shirley did not play. But we all enjoyed the fellowship enormously.

Imagine again (I know I have talked about this weekend before) – when we play a ten minute game, we are opponents. The ‘Pro’ teams are quite serious about winning (as are some of the ‘Fun’ teams). Our Belgium Pro team is made up of members and friends from all over Belgium. Everyone on the team puts his/her best foot forward. Even in the Fun games there is some serious play.

But Saturday evening we put the balls away, set out some mats on the gym floor (this is an indoor tournament) and we sing. And suddenly we are one. We sing in French, in German, in English, but we sing together to praise God and thank Him for His goodness. We may be from various different cities, different countries, different cultures, but we praise God together. We come before our King as one family. We join together in worshipping Him, because there is no other way to do it.

At the end of the singing, Luk Brazle reminded us that we not only have voices to praise our King, but bodies to worship Him as well. So we are encouraged, again, to be Christians, followers of the Way, who are playing soccer, not soccer players who are Christians. I love this emphasis and am so thankful that we have this kind of opportunity to show our young people (and plenty of not-so-young folks as well) how important and good it is to worship in all we do. It wasn't every nation and tongue yet, but it was a great taste!

Hope to have a link up soon to some of the pictures from this year, so check back soon.