Where oh Where Wednesday: The Hague

In just 10 days we will be in The Hague again for our annual gathering of Dutch-speaking churches. The Hague is also called “Den Haag” or, to make things even more challenging, “’s Granevnhage”. That last one is the official version which was first used I the 15th century and means “the count’s grove (or hedge)”. 

The Hague is the administrative center and seat of government for the Netherlands. So although Amsterdam is the official capital of the Netherlands, parliament meets in The Hague. It is here that you will find the “little tower” where the prime minister meets, here that parliament meets and makes laws, here that the highest courts of the land make judgements. 

The Hague is part of the province of South Holland (whereas Amsterdam is part of North Holland). It is the 3rd largest city in the Netherlands with a population around half a million. With its greater urban area the population comes closer to 800,000 and joins the other major areas which make up the “Randstad” - including Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht - where roughly half the population of the Netherlands lives. 

The city itself is set along the sea and has a lively variation of activities. You can find Madurodam - a mini park where most of Europe is  shown in miniature, the beach and area of Scheveningen (which also houses a high security prison for international criminals), the International Court of Justice, Europol and a judicial arm of the United Nations. There is a world famous theater, a panoramic museum on the pier of Scheveningen and plenty of modern architecture. It is in the parks of The Hague that activists gather to make their voices heard. 

And this is where, in the 1970’s the church grew due to its international character. The international businesses of Shell, Dow and more meant that the congregation had a varied membership. When Shirley and I arrived in 1981 on a campaign, it was the members of the church here that touched our hearts and called us to return. We spent days delivering flyers I the city. And it was on the steps of the building in The Hague that we had our first kiss (on May 31 1981). 

On June 9 we will enjoy meeting with the various churches from around Belgium and the Netherlands in the building in The Hague. This time we will also spend the afternoon in a park nearby, enjoying fellowship and the beauty of the city. 

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)

Once upon a time Wednesday - Pentecost in modern times

Belgium celebrates all of the Catholic holidays. So besides a day off for All Saints day when everyone puts flowers on the graves of their loved ones and the birthday of Saint Nicholas at the beginning of December, we also have two days of Christmas, two days of Easter and two days of Pentecost. This last one is the one that people take more for granted. 

Most people know the story of Jesus’ birth and enjoy all the special family time around Christmas. Most people understand that Easter has something to do with Jesus and everyone enjoys Spring sunshine and lots of chocolate. But Pentecost is simply a free day for most. If you were to ask the man on the street, they would not know what it is for. 

A man that I read the Bible with - he is an atheist but willing to listen to what is in the Bible - even laughs at his colleagues on this day. He understands that most are religious in tradition but not in practice. So he told them that Pentecost is the celebration of Jesus’ father, Joseph. "Joseph, as we all know”, he would say, “was a carpenter. That is why we all head down to the IKEA on this day.” 

For the congregations in the Netherlands and Belgium the second day of Pentecost is a perfect opportunity to get together as family and encourage one another. Everyone has the day free. We meet at the building of the congregation in The Hague for a day of fellowship, song and lessons from the word of God. This year we will be joined by Ukrainian brothers and sisters. 

We are planning a hybrid gathering so that we can meet in person but make the day available for those who would like to join in online. We meet from 10am - 3pm (4am - 11am EST), so if you are interested (and out of bed at that time), you could jump in for some of the singing or lessons as well. Let us know and we can send you the link.

Pentecost was a feast of first fruits. This is why God has the church beginning on this very day. We are the first fruits. God is working in our lives, filing us with His Holy Spirit. It is the fruits of the Spirit which are so important in our daily lives. You may not have a free day on Monday, June 6, but we pray that you are filled with the Spirit every day. 

April 2010

LIGHT in the Lowlands

Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands

April 2010

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:10-11

Dear all,

Every day is a new beginning, an opportunity to grow, to see something new. But growing is not always easy!

Sing!

We have always loved singing. God has given us a song of love and grace in our hearts that can’t help but be expressed. And doing this with brothers and sisters is the best. This month we welcomed the Dela family into their new home in Belgium with an evening of singing and prayer.

Every first Wednesday of the month we get together to learn new songs and encourage one another. The church from Liege comes over for these Wednesdays and we get to practice our French (and they practice Dutch).

How do you do this?

- the kids trying to figure out how everything fits together -

We want people to know Jesus, to come to enjoy the real life that He gives us. To do this, people need to meet Jesus, know who he is. That means reading, discovering, digesting the Bible and

getting to know the Word - Jesus. But how do you do this? It sounds so easy to say simply,

“Read your Bible. Pray every day.” And yet, that is exactly what we are helping people to do.

This past month we worked with the Catholic young people from Veldwezelt. It is exciting to see that not only they, but their parents and people in the village are expecting to hear from the Bible (something that was not always expected). Our discussions with RW and LJ center around how real life is informed by what we see in Jesus’ life (which we see in the Bible). “But can I understand it?” is the question most often asked.

As we have been working through a deeper study with some of the young people in Maastricht, we, too have been faced with how some things may seem easier than they are. The reality remains that we are able to understand what God wants from us, but certainly not all at once (and not everything). We need to keep trying to understand (asking questions, listening to God speak in His word), and in the meantime live what we know is right.

PRAYER and FELLOWSHIP

We cannot continue without the strength and guidance that our King gives us every day. The song is right - if we want to grow. Sometimes we forget that we need each other. It is good to know that there are others exeperiencing the same struggles as we (1 Peter 5:8-11). I have tried lately to help the brothers in the Netherlands and Belgium see how they can encourage one another. We have been meeting to share our lives and pray.

Yes, we meet at an Ikea for breakfast (only 1 euro!) because it is a central place and makes things easy. But the sharing time and prayer in the weeks afterwards are invaluable. I pray that this idea and desire will spread locally as well. It is absolutely necessary that we know that we need each other.

Which is why playing football in Switserland is simply amazing! This is the third year that we have taken several groups (about 40 people this year!) to the soccer tournament put on by the church in Zurich and Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Fun teams, “pro” teams, plenty of soccer, and even more fellowship - in a whole slew of languages!

Sunday morning is a time of singing in German, French, English and Dutch. We partake of the Lord’s supper, realizing that the death and life we are celebrating is what binds us all together. And then listening to a wonderful message in English, but translated sentence-by-sentence in French and German - even the movements at times! God has placed us in His family so that we can stretch and grow. Sometimes it can be a bit of a struggle. But some times can be so enjoyable!

Let God have his way with you today so that you can grow. Read his word, every day - even if it is sometimes difficult. And pray. Talk to God every day.

PRAYER WARRIORS

Please keep the following in your prayers.

Keep our studies in your prayers - that we can understand what God is saying and put it into practice in our lives

Pray for our contact with K., LJ., A., R., C&T., and RW.

Pray for our sister, Shadira, and her plans to move to Curaçao with her daughters. Pray that her daughters will also be able to adapt to this move.

Pray for the Spring conference “Love Works!” on Pentecost Monday and afterwards - that the church here will be encouraged to be active.

Thank God for our oppotunity to visit this summer.

DID YOU KNOW?

Tidbits about Belgium and the Netherlands

Working together

Just recently the prime ministers of Belgium and the Netherlands signed a document stating their desire to organize the World Cup in 2018 or 2022 together. Some in both countries have wondered if two small countries should even try this. But Belgium and the Netherlands are willing to work together for this.

Of course, both countries will first have to get their governments ready. Both governments have recently fallen becasue the parties in the governments could not work together. In the Netherlands that means the normal right and left parties. In Belgium that means the French-speakers and Flemish-speakers AND left and right parties in each language!

ON THE FAMILY SIDE ....

April can be such a joy! Everything begins to bloom, the trees gain a hazy green, everyone is busy with muddy hands getting the yard or the garden ready, and the weather finally begins turning. Though not always as quickly as we would like.

We too were able to get out in the yard and get some work done. Of course most of it was simply heavy moving. We had a tree cut down earlier and all of the wood needed to be taken out of the yard. Several trips to the container park with gummy hands later and the yard started looking like a yard - albeit a messy one still. One of these days we will be able to get it completely finished.

In the meantime we enjoyed a wonderful Easter break. Sean gets two weeks off of school. A great time, except that he then gets no more breaks until the end of June when school ends. So we decided to make the most of this break. We wanted to have at least one family day, and it became a day to The Hague. (You can see our pictures at www.flickr.com/sraabs) We drove to the edge of the city (about 2,5 hours) and took the tram to the beach at Scheveningen. Mr. Blue Sky was our friend for the day, although it was still a bit chilly.

Walking along the beach, picking out seashells to take to Stephan in the summer, a walk through the parks of The Hague and a short tram ride back to downtown brought us to the center of the city. This is where the government meets, where the queen gives her annual speech, where people demonstrate ... and of course where the shops are. After looking around a bit, we had another tram ride back to the car, a ride home, and a film when we got back. A good time together!

Sean is hanging on since then, willing himself to do well at school (and doing well). He has gotten a job at a local restaurant and cafe boat, hoping to make enough money to invest in amps and guitars. His third gig went well, and he is looking forward to playing twice at his school for their open day. His life is quite a bit busier, but this has helped him to prioritize as well.

And all of us are trying to get our work done here before we leave for the summer. Being gone for two months takes quite a bit of planning and organization. We look forward to seeing so many of you again and are so thankful for the help we have already received. We will be starting in Minnesota, as usual, followed by Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, California and Texas. This time we will also be dropping Stephan off in Arkansas before heading on to Florida. Check out our blog in a few days for the schedule and please plan on hooking up with us while we are there! (http://ravenraab.blogspot.com)

Enjoy the moments together! They are meant to be times of love and joy, struggle and strife - real life. So good.

THANKS!

For the funds for our furlough, cars, and places to stay. It’s going to be great to see you!

For your prayers for our work!

For encouragement, wisdom and answers to questions.

What’s coming up?

MAY

Soccer in Switzerland

Love Works! Spring meeting

JUNE

Ladies day

Youth weekend