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. 

Where oh Where Wednesday: North Holland

This week we are off for a few days together and we decided to check out some cities in North Holland. The name of the country has often been called “Holland” although the official name is “the Netherlands”. This is because when the Dutch were the kings of commerce in the world, they came from the province of North or South Holland. North Holland is where you find the cities of Amsterdam and Haarlem as well as some of the most important cities historically that people would recognize from their cheese (Edam, Volendam and Alkmaar cheese market). 

Since we can also visit good friends and mentors in Haarlem, we started there. Haarlem (which is where the name for the section in New York City comes from) is where many well-known painters came from, where Corrie ten Boom hid Jews in her watchmaking shop during World War II and where Max Verstappen won the Dutch Grand Prix (actually in Zandvoort just outside of Haarlem). For a short afternoon walk we hit some historical memories for us as well. Scott spent two years working with the church here in the 1980’s and we both did a mission summer here a few weeks before we had our first kiss. 

We also took a walk around the town of Hoorn, which is where the VOC (The Dutch East India Company) had its start and Dutch economic superiority began. It was a beautiful, cold day and we enjoyed delicious goodies from a local baker, a walk beside the sea and an adventure in a parking garage. Boats, ice, dog-walkers, a Belgian woman born in the US married to a Dutch shipper selling English sweaters - an amazing, wonderful day. 

We will end our short trip with a stop-over in the city of Leiden where the oldest university can be found. We have previously visited the botanical garden where the share some of the wonders that were brought back by the VOC. There are also trees which are more than 200 years old. But we are looking forward to see some more of the downtown and sniffing some amazing history which is to be found in so many places, even if this city is in South Holland - but that is a different story.. 

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)

Sing and be happy

This month is a month of singing. We are thankful that we can help congregations in their singing. We enjoy the time together as much as they and we all learn something from one another. This has always been a part of our ministry and as long as I can sing it will remain so. God has put a song in our hearts and singing is what we all will be doing together when we finally get Home. 

This month we have several opportunities to help in singing. The congregation in Haarlem (about 2,5 hours north of us) asked me to come and help them learn new songs and learn how to sing better. We went up at the end of August and will return near the end of September. This is a mix of learning music notation - what is a fermata, what is the difference between ff and mp, why do we breathe at a comma - and remembering that singing for God is about singing with your heart and your head. 

I always want to remind people that God made us to sing. Singing is divine, built for who and what we are. It is the only thing that touches mind and soul at the same time. You can literally feel the sound in your body, but you need to pay attention to the words you are singing. So taking time to look at the words in a song, making sure we understand it, is just as important as learning the rhythm or tempo or harmony. 

The group in Haarlem was excited to learn new songs and to learn more about singing. It was also a great time of fellowship, especially for us. We do not get to see the members of this congregation very often, although many of my Dutch roots come from here. I worked as an evangelism apprentice here when I first came to the Netherlands and learned my Dutch in this city. 

This past weekend we were in Cologne, Germany for a day of singing. Every February Uli and I see each other at the Advanced Bible Study Series (ABSS) in Germany. He is from the congregation in Cologne and I am from Maastricht. We started getting together for a singing back in 2014 when we talked about including Aachen again in some way. Aachen is in the middle between the two cities. We organized a singing and have kept this up (with some exceptions during corona years) every year. We have been in Cologne twice, in Aachen twice and in Maastricht three or four times. 

This singing day n Cologne brings us together with another congregation. We had 6 members from Maastricht attend (it would have been 8, but two were incapacitated, including Shirley). The group also included a refugee couple and a visiting couple from the neighborhood. We sing and speak more in German, but this time we also sang some in French. When we started members from Liege, Maastricht, Aachen and Cologne all attended, making it quite international. This time in Cologne we remembered that in heaven we will all be able to sing together in whatever language it will be. 

This coming weekend several of the members from Maastricht will join others from around the Netherlands and Belgium at the Family Day at camp. So we will get to sing and once again enjoy the wonderful fellowship of being together. This time we will simply take part in the singing, rather than lead any of it. But a week later we will be in Eindhoven for our monthly 3rd Wednesday singing there where we also help with learning new songs. Often people simply need to learn a song and see that they can sing it. 

We enjoy singing songs that members in the Netherlands and Belgium have written, songs written by Russian brothers and translated either into English or Dutch (or German), or new songs crossing over to Europe from other areas of the world. It is exciting to see how the song that God has put in our hearts continues to pour over into words of praise to Him. 

(You can find more photos of our time in Haarlem and Cologne here.)

Where Oh Where Wednesday: Haarlem or Harlem?

In October 1982 I moved to Haarlem, the Netherlands. I had been there on a campaign the summer before with a program from York College called the Master’s Apprentice Program (MAP). Now I would be working with the evangelist in Haarlem (Jim Krumrei) for 2 years in the same program. 

I have never been to Harlem, in Manhattan. We had some travel time while visiting Sean and Jill this past Spring, but we didn’t make it to Harlem. Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan. We were staying down in Chinatown, not far from where Sean and Jill live and work. Most people think of Harlem as a black neighborhood, considering its history in the 20th century. 

Originally, Harlem was a Dutch village, organized in 1658 in New Amsterdam - which would become New York. It was named after the city in the Netherlands. It has been home to large Jewish and Italian populations as well as the African-American migration in the beginning of the 20th century. Harlem in the 1920’s and 30’s was the place to be in many ways. 

Haarlem - in the Netherlands - is the capital of the province of North Holland. It received its city rights in 1245 and the first walls were built in 1270. It is sat on a thin strip of land which is above sea level and surrounded by bits that are below sea level (which is much of the country). The nearby airport of Schiphol is built on what is literally “ship hollow”. It is home to the painter Frans Hals and was famous for tulips, printing and beer brewing. 

I remember learning to speak Dutch among the local stores and listening to playing children. Learning how to talk about my faith with people who were sometimes interested and often not, taught me plenty about people and myself. I was thankful for the areas close by that also afforded respite and comfort. 

From Haarlem I could bicycle to Spaarndam where the statue of the boy with his finger in the dike stands. The statue is based on a book written by an American who clearly did not know what a dike looked like. On the other side of the city I could bike out to the dunes and the sea to watch the sun rise. Or I could head downtown and enjoy the busy market on market day, walk past the cathedral or consider the history that you can simply breath in wherever you walk in the city, like the smell of a sharp cheese. 

It was in this city, on the steps of the city hall, that my colleagues Ruud and Karla were married. Not far from the city hall is the home of Corrie ten Boom. Just a short walk further and you are among the canals where in the Spring a market is held throughout the night to sell flowers. Two years is not very long in a lifetime, but for a young man it was a time to fill up on amazing memories. 

We are still very thankful for the church in Haarlem, being able to share time with our brothers and sisters there whenever we can see them - even if it is elsewhere. Most recently we were able to send time with members of the congregation during Family camp. Jim and Ruth Krumrei, who are now in their 90’s, came to Family Day just 2 weeks ago. 

I haven’t visited Harlem yet. But I hope that we get the chance some day. Whether Harlem or Haarlem, both places are full of intricate, complicated, enticing history. 

Whensday - Beginnings (NL)

This evening Shirley and I will be visiting the congregation in Eindhoven, returning to our monthly Wednesday evening of singing. The congregation here is a relatively young one as far as the history of the church goes in The Netherlands. Of course the congregation in Maastricht is even younger. We helped establish that congregation with our colleagues, Ruud and Karla back in 1991. 

The church of Christ in The Netherlands has an interesting history. Basically the first congregations began after World War II when American soldiers came back to the country to share their faith with the people they had liberated. Congregations were established in Haarlem, Utrecht and The Hague. Later congregations in Amsterdam and a military group in Soesterberg were added. 

In the 1960’s and 70’s buildings were purchased in Haarlem, Amsterdam and The Hague. The congregation in The Hague was at one time as large as 200 members and served a broad group of ex-pats and native Dutch. By the 1990’s the building in Amsterdam had been sold, the congregation in Schiedam (near Rotterdam) which had begun in the 80’s was rolled into the group in The Hague, and congregations had arisen in Groningen in the North and in Eindhoven and Maastricht in the South. 

Throughout the years there were efforts to reach any who were willing to put into practice what is found in the Bible about the first followers of Jesus. This has meant that various congregations are not always clones or copies of American churches. Some members have come to Christ on their own by reading the Bible and understanding what it is that God desires and then seeking a group of people who are living that very truth. 

At present there are congregations in six different Dutch cities from Maastricht in the South to Groningen in the North. The largest group is perhaps the Ghanian church meeting in Amsterdam, followed by the group meeting in Eindhoven. The congregation is also still meeting and strong in Haarlem and in Den Dolder (the continuation of the former US military group in past years). The church building in The Hague is still the largest building. Most recently it has hosted a group of very active Ukrainian refugees. 

In the past two months there have been 5 young people who have given their lives to Christ. Some of this has been as a result of work in and conversations during Bible camp. Others have been through the efforts of refugees currently living in the building in The Hague. 

Europe is an interesting and challenging field. It often resembles the first century in which the church grew up. God continues to use His own people in all areas to bring people to life in the eternal Kingdom of His love. We are thankful that we can be part of this history and that God can use us in any way possible. Thank you for your prayers for the efforts here. 

(This picture is of the Spring gathering this year at the building in The Hague)

Youth weekend in Haarlem

In de regen / In the rain
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

A little bit of rain just can't stop the fun. This past weekend was a youth weekend in Haarlem with the theme "Missing the mark". Biking in the rain could not keep the fun away, since we biked to the Ikea to have breakfast, to an archery club to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow and back home to listen to some good lessons and spend time together. These weekends are always good for seeing friends and making new friends. We had over 20 kids at this one in Haarlem.

What a blessing to have people who are willing to orgainze these events. This one was also organized partially by some of the youth who have grown up - it is great to see their growth in the Lord!

Click on the photo to see more pictures of the weekend.

Let's sing!

City of God
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Last weekend Listen Up! held a concert and party to present their new cd - "Yesterday is coming". A lot of work went in to the day itself - a ton of snacks and drinks, organizing and decorating the place we rented, making sure everyone was made welcome etc - it was such an encouragement to see how so many helped to make this day special!

This was a special day for a lot of reasons:
Listen Up! wanted to let more people know how much God loves them. We do our best to let people know how good it is to be with God and know Him. Not only our songs, but also our attitudes and what we say. With this concert we continued a project we started before the summer where we encourage people to compliment one another.

This was the first time that 'In Hymn' sang for a larger audience and with microphones. This is a group that Listen Up! has taken under its wing to encourage and help in doing the same thing - reaching people's hearts and minds with the word of God.

Listen Up!'s cd was presented to the general public - and well accepted. We are so encouraged by how many people have told us that they listen regularly to the songs we sing and are encouraged by the words, the message, and the music.

Visitors came from congregations from around Belgium and the Netherlands (from as far as 3 hours away)! And there were many visitors from outside the church - people who don't believe but who love music, or know one of the singers, or heard about us from the radio. It is exciting to see how God uses these opportunities!

So many people have been praying for this day and for the people who would be coming. Thank you!! Continue to pray for those who were present, who helped (some of our helpers were also non-believers, and we have already heard how they were impressed by the spirit during this busy evening), and who will hear the music. God is gracious and great and is so very present in this world!