VBK, sport and youth activities

This past week I was down at our Bible camp for VBK (Vacation Bible Kamp - we spell camp with a “k”). I was asked to teach the teen kids while my colleague, Karla Verheijen, taught the young kids. We both focused on teaching them some of the truths we find in Paul’s first letter to Timothy. 

This is the first time that this camp has been organized in the Spring. It has been organized twice already in the Fall during the Fall school break. That went well, so Shareya (Karla’s daughter) and Sue Foster, both from the church in Ghent, wanted to try it for the Spring break. These school breaks are only for the kids going to school in Belgium. The Netherlands has different holidays. 

Despite this being only for Belgian kids, we had 22 campers come down to camp. I had 9 teens (11-14 years old). The rest were all with Karla. Each day we focused on a different chapter of the letter and tried to help the young people see the beautiful truths Paul shared with this young man, Timothy, his son in the faith. 

I was once again impressed with how well young people can understand what is being presented, and how well they can remember and apply what they are learning. As is usual in Belgium, we put up with some grey weather, but it was mostly dry. I was able to teach a new song to the group, using one of the memory verses. Everyone learned it quite well. Hopefully it will show up on the YouTube channel soon. (There are already quite a few other songs there if you are interested in hearing them.)

The day after getting home from camp there was a sport day planned in the middle of Belgium. This came from a 9 year-old who thought it would be a good idea to invite his friends and others to come sport together. He said it, the adults made it happen and we all had a great day together (although my body is definitely telling me I did plenty this past week). 

It was fun to see how a neighbor of the 9 year-old’s sister wanted to visit for a play day. The mom mentioned that we were at a sport hall, but that they were welcome to come. So mother, daughter and father all came to sport with us all. And when we stopped to sing praises to God, they took part as well. Sharing how to have fun as Christians is a wonderful opportunity. 

In just 2 weeks the members of the church in Maastricht will also hold our Youth Day - about 10 minutes away from where we played sports this past Saturday. Some of the same kids will be there. We are looking forward to sharing some thoughts about our mighty God as well as give them time to have fun together. I will be able to teach yet another new song. 

This coming Thursday and Friday I will also spend time with some Catholic kids as they think about their choices in life. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to teach them how to read the Bible. The last 40 days a group of them have been meeting every Monday online to read through a bit of the gospels, getting to know who Jesus is. 

We are so thankful for these opportunities that God gives us to share how wonderful He is, the wonderful love and life that He offers to all who want to accept it. I am reminded of one of the memory verses fro VBK: 

This is a trustworthy saying and worth acceptance, that Jesus Christ is come into the world to save sinners of which I am the first. (1 Tim. 1:15)

Looking ahead

We have entered a new year, although we tend to look at things along the school year. So what does our coming year look like? That is what some o the members asked me yesterday after a wonderful worship time together. As I mentioned then, we cannot know what is coming, but we can know that God will be with us through everything that comes up. 

Here are some of the things we are looking forward to in 2024: 

We will continue holding our Games afternoons after worship on the 2nd Sundays. This has become a great time to get to know one another and to mix the generations. 

We are looking forward to various youth weekends and youth days in the year. The first one is planned for the end of January for kids 10 and older and will be held in Gent. We don’t know if any of our kids will go, but we are thankful for the various churches planning days and weekends. Basically there is some sort of youth activity somewhere in Belgium or the Netherlands each month. In April the church in Maastricht is planning another youth day like we held in the Fall of 2023. This year we hope to organize two of these days, one in the Spring and another in the Fall. 

Shirley and I are both looking forward to various seminar moments. February is the month for the Advanced Bible Study Series (ABSS) in Gemünden, Germany. Shirley might come along for the first time in a long time. We always had to leave one of us home for the dog in the past. In March, Shirley will be off with some of the ladies from Maastricht to the Ladies Retreat, also in Germany. 

Our involvement with Ardennes Bible Camp (ABK) will continue this year. The annual meeting is at the end of January. This year we are installing a new commission and planning some changes. I will be teaching at the Spring Vacation Bible Camp (VBK) in April and will lead the Benjamin Camp (8-11 year-olds) in the summer. We will also attend and help at Family Camp. The congregation in Maastricht will organize the Family Day at camp in September. 

We are also a singing congregation. We continue to meet every first Friday of the month to sing together and encourage one an other in song. Every third Wednesday Shirley and I go to the congregation in Eindhoven to sing with them. We may finally be able to set up a singing day in September with the congregation in Cologne and Liege (which we have missed for the last few years because of covid measures). And at the end of the year we want to reach out to our neighborhood and see how we can use our singing to encourage others. 

Along the way we are looking at a “Thanks Walk” on certain Saturdays throughout the year. This will be an opportunity not only to meet people in the neighborhood, but to encourage them to be thankful, as we hope that we are as well. We hope at some point in the year to maybe be blessed to travel to the US and see (and hold) our granddaughter, Sophia. We just missed meeting her in 2023 (she was born a few weeks after we passed through Indianapolis). In all of these activities and moments we will are thankful for the people in our lives, in the church, and those who help in so many ways. 

We do not really know what the year holds. No one does. We make plans and work toward doing what we hope to be able to do. We lean on God’s strength in each moment that we are given. And we are thankful for the grace and strength that He provides in each day. Keep close to Him and choose to follow Him every day. 

Across the country

Both Belgium and the Netherlands are small countries. We live on the far East side of Belgium and the church meets in Maastricht, the far South of the Netherlands. It only takes about 3.5 hours to drive across Belgium from East to West. And from South to North in the Netherlands would take perhaps 5 hours. When we were living in Texas, those distances were fairly matter of fact for many people. The same went for our time in California where we even now drive down to San Diego from Long Beach to visit family. 

This small size (if it were a house, it might be described as being “bijou”) means that the congregations in both countries can get together for activities much more simply than in places where the distances stretch out across the plains and mountains. This also means that the congregations work together quite often in various activities. 

Last moth the church in Maastricht organized a Youth Day. In order to make it easier for kids from further away - remember that we are at the ends of the two countries - we held there day in a town more in the center of Belgium. This meant that we were able to welcome many more kids for the day. It is important that our young people can develop friendships with kids from other cities around the country. 

When I have planned a song workshop, helping members of the church learn to sing or learn to lead singing, we also encourage members from various congregations around the country to attend. Twice a year a Family Day is planned for the churches in the two countries as well. In the Spring the churches gather in The Hague - this is mostly the churches in the Netherlands. In the Fall it is held down at camp and serves more of the Belgian churches. 

I remember helping out at a VBS various times when we lived in the US or were traveling during one of our Home Assignments. These were week-long opportunities to reach out to children in the city or direct neighborhood. This week a “VBK” or Vacation Bible Kamp will be held down at camp in the Ardennes. Instead of hosting kids from one city or neighborhood, this is a week for kids from all across the country. In this case only Belgium, since it is a school holiday win Belgium, but not in the Netherlands. This past weekend camp also hosted Fall Camp, which is a weekend at camp for teens which hosts teens from both countries. 

Within the next few weeks the same thing will be happening for different groups. The ladies of Maastricht (including Shirley) will be hosting a Ladies Day in Maastricht, welcoming ladies from around Belgium and the Netherlands for the day. It is thrilling to see how these activities reach out to church family as well as seekers who are interested in the good news of Jesus. 

A week later the church in Ghent is organizing an indoor soccer tournament for the churches. There will be players, young and old, as well as supporters from both countries. They will come to enjoy a day of sport and to see brothers and sisters again. Some players and supporters will just be getting to know the church. We hope to go with a group from Maastricht, both players and supporters. 

It is exciting to see how life in Christ means life in the body of Christ. It is thrilling to be able to take part in activities with brothers and sisters from around the country (two countries even) because we live in such a nice, ‘bijou’ place. Pray for all of these opportunities and thank God for how He makes us a family.  

Devo’s and Delays

The end of October, beginning of November is an active time for us. Although Halloween is not really a European thing, it is catching on here. People here like to dress up, although it is usually in February or March for Carnaval. We, of course, have different memories of Halloween, as Stephan was born on that day 34 years ago. 

But the end of October also (still) brings “Winter Time” as we set the clocks back and everything gets very dark in the morning. The latitude where we live already means that the winters are quite dark (as the summers are quite bright). But moving the clocks back only makes it more of a challenge. We will be waking up in the dark and kids will be coming home from school in the almost-dark of an early evening. 

The end of October is also when we hold our Fall Camp down at camp. Since all Belgian schools have a Fall Break in the week that includes November 1, we have the perfect opportunity to hold a weekend camp. The weekend means that the Dutch kids, who had their Fall Break two weeks earlier, can also come. And in the last few years, tow sisters in the congregation in Ghent have organized a VBK (Vacation Bible Kamp) for younger kids for the whole week of Belgian school vacation. 

Those of you who know Sue Foster will already know of this as she is one of the organizers of the week. Our colleague, Karla, is often also involved teaching the kids. Her oldest daughter, Shareya is the other organizer. This year Shareya contacted me and asked if I could help in teaching some of the young men (the week is for 8-14 year-olds) how to organize a devotional. So I will be going down on the Monday. After teaching the kids some discgolf, I will work with a group of young men teaching them about presenting God’s work in truth. 

This reminds me of long ago when I first presented a “lesson” on a Wednesday evening at Eastside church of Christ in Colorado Springs. I was amazed that I was trusted to present some thoughts as a young man. I was also touched by the responsibility and necessity to make sure that what I was saying truly came from God’s word. That feeling of responsibility and desire to present only God’s words has stayed with me all these years. 

Later in the month, the ladies of the congregation in Maastricht are organizing a Ladies Day for the ladies of Belgium and the Netherlands. They will be looking at waiting on the Lord. Are we willing to put up with the delays that the Lord puts in our lives? How do we deal with them? Some of our younger sisters will also be presenting their thoughts. It is exciting to see how God forms us, tests us and challenges us as we strive to follow Him in all of our days. 

We are thankful for all of the opportunities that God has given us and still gives us to grow in faith and help others in their walk in faith.