Familiar faces in various places (Home Assignment 2023 - New York)

Sleeping after a long flight is never really easy. Jet-lag. Bloated legs and feet. Phones with push messages set for 7 hours ahead (which ping in the middle of the night). So the next several days after our arrival in the US were a bit of a struggle. But we are acclimating. And the climate is something we are getting used to as well. We have seen the sun - a little bit. But there will be plenty of sun to come. 

For now we were excited to get on the way with our visits. First stop: Aunt Betty in Newburgh, New York. As mentioned, the last time Scott was here was over 40 years ago. And yet the house is still standing and looks pretty much as it did then. Aunt Betty saw the car driving up and stood at the door to welcome us - a bit grayer than she had been then, but we are all a day (or more) older, a few shades grayer. 

We spent a wonderful time sharing stories from the past, catching up on where the kids have all landed in their lives, and talking about what life looks like now in the present. Scott recognized pictures of cousins and we shared some pictures of our life. An hour goes by quickly when you are digging in the past and sharing the present. But that was about all we had. Still, it was wonderful to be reacquainted with someone that, without knowing it, had been a major influence on Scott’s life in many ways. 

When we left Aunt Betty, we headed off for what was to be a 5 hour drive to Rochester. The rain was drizzling down, just enough to make it and interesting morning. Driving away from Newburgh we headed up into the hills and valleys of New York. If you did not know that it was Spring, you might be tempted to think that it was Fall, as the hills were covered in a haze of light orange and the trees were not yet completely blooming. But it was a nice backdrop to some country music on the radio and the sun starting to peek through the clouds. 

By the time we finally reached Rochester, after a few short stops along the way, the sun was starting its slow descent for the evening. We got to our hotel and were able to call ;Scott’s mom who came to pick us up. She and Paul took us out to an asian restaurant where we could also share some conversation before heading back to the hotel. 

Another slightly restless night brought us to a new day when we could visit Scott’s mom at Paul’s house. She had prepared all sorts of good things for breakfast and we took our time getting to know Paul, looking around the house and sharing stories. Paul’s son, David came over for a short visit so that we could get to know him. We have both heard of each other for years, but this was the first time for us to meet. 

In the afternoon we drove out to Lake Ontario and walked out on the pier to the gray churning lake. Seagulls screamed at us along the way and Scott’s mom screamed back. Scott and she laughed, since this was typical behavior for Scott as well. He is definitely his mother’s son. After a brisk walk, though not too cold, we headed out for another meal together at a local hamburger joint before saying goodnight for the evening and heading back top the hotel. 

The next day began as part one of three parts. Part one started the day with breakfast at Patty and Paul’s and left with hugs and smiling hearts for part two driving 6 hours to our next destination. This trip was much grayer than the drive up. It rained all day and made for some beautiful misty scenes and challenging, busy roads. But we made it safely to our next stop. part three of the day, the home of Mark and Oneta Tornij in Connecticut. 

We have known Mark and Oneta for some time. When we first came to The Netherlands to start the church, Oneta and her family were meeting with the church in Aken, Germany. They began meeting with us from the beginning in Maastricht. Years later, when Oneta met Mark, Scott baptized Mark and officiated Mark and Oneta’s wedding, sharing this beginning moments with them. As the Tornij family started taking shape, their faith led them to touch lives everywhere they went and they wanted to support this effort in any way they could - so they have helped with Bible camp, in various church needs and with regular financial support for us. 

We were met at the door with a hug from Ezra, the youngest, followed by warm greetings from Boaz and Fayah. Fayah is soon to graduate from high school and start another chapter in her life. We enjoyed this last section of a long day, sharing a meal and getting reacquainted with one another. 

On Sunday we joined the family to worship in another city in Connecticut - it amazes us to see how much traffic can clog a road even on a Sunday - and then went out for lunch with Mark and Oneta. After lunch we drove out to Long Island Sound as the rain beat down and the wind blew the sea and rain around us. It was exciting, rough and exhilarating, but it was also very wet! 

Back at the Tornij’s Scott played some chess with young Ezra, we shared a pizza meal and some good conversation and wound up the day planning what the Monday would look like. Should we take the George Washington bridge or the Mario Cuomo bridge? How long would it take to get into Newark? Our flight would leave at 11:40, so we shouldn’t have to leave too early. 

And suddenly, we would be moving on. It seems like we have already been away from home for weeks and it has only been 5 days. But some of those days have at least three parts, making it feel like we have had various days. But we are so very thankful to be blessed to share these moments with so many people we truly love and who love us. 

You can find the pictures from this first leg of the trip here. 

Planes, lanes and automobiles (Home Assignment 2023)

When the clock struck 5am I (uncharacteristically) jumped out of bed and announced, “Time to get up!” The trip was beginning, after several days of trying to make sure that everything was going to be okay at the house, that everything we needed was packed and that we weren’t forgetting anything essential. Now it would all begin. Brother Alexander from the Maastricht church was picking us up in an hour and would take us to the airport. 

The first information I got after a quick shower was that our flight had been delayed by 2 hours. So that meant we didn’t really have to hurry, except that we were going to get stuck in Brussels traffic if we left much later. It meant that we would have plenty of time to sit in the airport in Brussels, but I was taking a book, so no problem. 

It also meant that we would be late to pick up the car I had reserved in Newark. I tried to call to see if we could let them know and adapt the reservation, but you know how ‘help’ desks are these days. After typing in several 1’s and 2’s to let them know what I needed, a friendly voice announced that they could not help me with that. 

I figured we would just have to see what would come. We knew that we would be likely to have all sorts of hiccups along the way, and God would help us deal with all of them. These types of things are good moments to re focus us on God and His good care of us through everything. 

We left the house a bit later than planned, thinking we had time, and got a little stuck in traffic to Brussels, but nothing terrible. We said goodby to Alexander, made it through all of the lines in the airport and sat down to wait for our flight. I was thankful for. Good book and that we had decided to travel with only hand luggage. It made the lines much easier and would mean that we needn’t stop at baggage claim on the other end. 

Although the space on the flight - which left even later - was minimal, that is not something I need to tell any of you. I=f anyone has flown in the last years, they know how seats have gotten narrower, closer together and more upright. But we survived without any trouble and were glad to be standing, finally, in front of the car rental counter and hearing that there were no worries with our rental. 

Our little warrior car for this section - a little Nissan Kicks (a kind of ’SUV’ if something this small can be called that) did a good job on the hills and highways getting us out of New Jersey and into New York. We had brought our gps, so finding the way was not a problem. And the scenery was beautiful. 

Often people think of New York as New York City. But New Jersey and New York is also beautiful rolling hills, much like the Ardennes. New Jersey is “The Garden State” and was wearing its name proudly, even on the highway. Green trees covered thick outcroppings of granite rock as the highway meandered between what I later saw were parks and swamps and rivers and lakes. 

When we finally made it to our first destination for the day - our hotel in Newburgh, New York - and were able to contact my Aunt Betty and pan for the next day, we headed out to get something to eat. A Denny’s just down the road welcomed us as it began to rain in the darkening evening. 

When we returned to the hotel we went to bed at what for us was an unbelievably early hour - 9 pm. But it was all our bodies could take at the moment and tomorrow was a new day. It would be a day for visits with family, drives through beautiful countryside and celebrating a birthday. That is the next story. 

As soon as we get a chance we will get some pictures up here.