Whatsit Wednesday: Shawl

A shawl is not inherently Belgian or Dutch. We know that people around the world wear them, except in the warmer climes of the world. But it is here that I first saw how important this piece of outwear is, for both men and women. Belgian and Dutch weather has a whole season for shawls - and not just one shawl. There is a whole fashion culture built up around this clothing accessory. 

When we first moved here, I knew that a nice “pashmina” would be a good birthday gift for Shirley. Today is her birthday and I still think about a good shawl. Shirley likes shawls. They can be used in so may different ways. There are silk versions, wool version and of course all sorts of blends. They can be one color, multicolored and patterned in every way. And each one can have a different purpose or time of year. 

You see, the light shawl is first brought out in the Fall as the weather starts to turn. One needs something around the neck to keep the sharper winds out, but the winter coat has not yet been dug out of the deepest closet. So every one is still wearing light coats, suit coats or windbreakers. But to add just that bit of extra protection and fashion sense, a colorful shawl is draped around the neck, sometimes tucked into the coat or suit coat. 

That was one of the things that struck me when I first came - shawls are worn in many different ways. You can see students wrapping a long, thick shawl around their neck, tossing it over their shoulders as they climb aboard their bicycles to race off to class somewhere in the city. On the shopping streets you will see posh gentlemen with a somewhat thinner shawl tucked around their neck and into their coat. Some men will even wear a light shawl around their neck, trailing down their back, in the cooler of the summer months. 

Women, as Shirley shows well, have all sorts of ways to accessorize their clothing in any season. Shirley drapes a silk shawl on one side to accentuate a color. Or she can use a thicker one to serve almost as a sort of poncho, adding some warmth which can be easily and quickly removed if needed. 

Shirley loves finding a beautiful shawl and adding it to her collection. So that remains a good choice for a birthday present. Which reminds me… I need to get to the store. 

Sister Nel

Today our sister, Nel, turns 84. Yesterday the congregation did our traditional thing, but with a twist. Usually when someone in the church has had a birthday, we put them in the middle of the circle of us around them, pray for them and sing “Happy Birthday” to them. We want everyone to know not only how important they are, but how we all are blessed by them in this wonderful family of God. 

Usually we wait until the Sunday after the person’s birthday. Often there is more than one person in the circle, since several might have had a birthday in the previous week. For Nel we made an exception and sang o the Sunday before her birthday. And since Nel could not be with us where we meet together, we went to her, which is just around the corner of our building. 

In Spring this year I brought Nel to the hospital because of intense abdominal pain. After some examinations and scans and such she received the news that she had an inoperable tumor on her liver. She was sent home with the words that she was ‘terminal’. The doctor had even had the conversation about a “completed life” which is now typical in the Netherlands. IN other words, did she want to be euthanized. 

Nel made very clear to everyone in the doctor’s office (another specialist and a nurse as well as the doctor) that God is good and whether she were to die today or tomorrow or months or years from now, her life was in God’s hands. She was not going to presume to play God over her own life. 

So Nel has been waiting since the Spring to go Home to her Heavenly Father. But it has taken much longer than she had expected. She is still living on her own at home, cooking most of her meals and even doing some of her own cleaning. A nurse comes every day to check on her and clean her. Another helper comes once a week to clean in the house. And Nel wonders when she will get to go Home. 

In the meantime, she has been able to mend to a point a break with her daughter and has been able to regularly see her daughter and granddaughters. She is so grateful for these moments. She had never thought she would even make it to this birthday. But here she is. And there we were, gathered around her door to pray for her and sing to her and let her know how much wee love her. 

Of course we love her more than just this day. Several sisters visit her every week, taking her soup, reading with her in the Bible (one of her favorite activities), doing some cleaning or just talking. I see her every Tuesday to get her shopping done and take out her trash. And we all call or let her know how much we love her. 

One of these days in the future we will get a call and Nel will not be here anymore. She will have gone Home. But for now, we can still enjoy her in our lives. And we are so thankful that we got this time to be together with her again. 

Bible camp birthdays

Since Saturday last we have been down at camp. This was actually posted early, along with the Wednesday post, because I knew that we would not be able to post normally. This time of year is always busy with Bible camp - and it is often the time that I get to celebrate my birthday. 

I remember as a kid that I was alternately happy and sad that my birthday was not during the school year, but instead during the summer vacation. That meant that no one from school really knew that it was my birthday. It also meant that I didn’t get to celebrate it in any way with school mates. But on the other hand, I didn’t have to celebrate it with anyone I didn’t really want to. So that was a blessing. 

Here in Belgium (and in the Netherlands as well) birthdays are times for the birthday boy or girl to invite people over and serve them. One should usually stay at home because people will be calling to wish one a Happy Birthday. This who come over (and they are often expected to simply come over) are to be welcomed and served coffee and tea along with cake - by the birthday boy or girl. When you are young you bring small treats for the whole class if your birthday is during the school year. 

I have seldom had to do any of this. That is because I am usually down at Bible camp on my birthday. The Benjamin week is usually the 4th week of July, which would include my birthday. Although I do not always direct the Benjamin week (or teach), I have done for quite some years. In fact, the first summer we arrived I taught the Benjamins. 

This year Benjamin Camp starts on Saturday, July 27. So I will have welcomed the campers with a small treat and they will probably have sung for me. There will be others during the week who also celebrate their birthday. The beauty of such a day is that you are with good friends in a beautiful place celebrating a life with and in God’s love. 

In the congregation in Maastricht we pray and sing for those who have celebrated a birthday the week before the Sunday. Of course I will miss “my” Sunday since we will be at camp. But I expect I will still be “put in the circle” the Sunday after we get back from camp. It is good to know that we are part of family in so many places. And it is exciting to know that God is willing to have used us and still uses us in so many ways wherever we are. 

The photo is of my birthday in 2012. I am the crazy guy with the crown. You can see more photo’s of that week by clicking on the photo)

Birthday

June 29, 2023 was the first day of Sophia’s life out of the womb and in the world. It was an amazing entrance. A storm caused the electricity to fall out in the middle of the birth, so Natalie had to continue in emergency lighting. Then a c-section had to be performed and it wasn’t the easiest of c-sections. But finally Sophia was there. 

We were so thankful for this little girl’s coming into our family. Our first grandchild. We had been with Stephan and Natalie just a few weeks prior but were back in Belgium by the time Sophia was born. IN the past year we have fed hungrily on every single picture that was shared. We thrilled at every little moment we could see her while on a video call with Stephan. 

And now it was time. We have spent some wonderful days getting to know this amazing little girl. She laughs and smiles with abandon, waving coquettishly and vigorously shaking her head “no”, although she probably doesn’t yet know that is what it means. 

Sean and Jill arrived on Friday from New York City to celebrate as well. They brought their little dog, Pierre, with them. Pierre got to know Stephan and Natalie’s two dogs - Mochi and Teddy. More importantly, Sophia got to meet Pierre. Sophia loves finding doggies. It’s one of her favorite things. 

Saturday was Sophia’s big day - she turned 1 year old. All of Natalie’s family were there, including Sophia’s cousins, Lilly and Lila. There was lots of conversation for the adults. There was birthday cake for Sophia. She was rather dainty in comparison to some 1 year-olds and their cake eating. She did not like the whipped cream, giving a sour look and a quick shiver of the shoulders. 

In the end we had some wonderful conversations, got pictures of all of the families together with the birthday girl, and enjoyed the time together. Someone had remarked that I of course would have written a song for her for this special day. I had not thought of it until the comment, so sat down and got something ready that could be easily repeated and used for all of those who love her every day. It has been fun singing it to her each day and seeing her eyes light up at hearing it.  

We are so thankful that we were able to share this special time with our granddaughter and our family. It is exciting to get to know her better each day. We look forward to the last few days we have together before heading back to Belgium. And we look forward to the coming video moments when she will know who we are, who she is talking to (or who is talking to her). 

Where oh where Wednesday: Emmen

Where will Kings Day be held this year? In Emmen. Every year the king of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, and his wife Maxima choose a city in the Netherlands to celebrate the king’s birthday. This year they will celebrate in Emmen. This means that this city will ben looking forward to the arrival of the king and will plan all sorts of local activities to celebrate his birthday. The day itself is a holiday across the Netherlands and cities everywhere will hold markets where anyone can come and sell things. In Maastricht it will be in the city park. The cities will also be decorated in orange.

Emmen is a town in the province of Drenthe. It was a city that was formed by combining several villages and only had any real growth after the 2nd World War. It went from 3,000 inhabitants in the 19th century to the 56,000 living there now. Most people in the country know Emmen because of its zoo which welcomes some 1.5 million visitors a year. 

Emmen is the most populous city of the province of Drenthe, but that is not saying much since the whole province only has a population of roughly 500,000. Drenthe is the 3rd least populated province and is mostly known for its agriculture. Ir borders Germany in the east. The whole province, due to its sparse population and rural nature, is known as a cycling destination. 

So this year Emmen will color orange as it welcomes the king for his birthday. It will show off all its treasures and history and will enjoy a day in the spotlight that is different from the spotlight that has recently shown o the Dutch farmers who have been protesting EU regulations causing their farms to be shut down. 

Shirley

It comes around every year. Some years we don’t really get an opportunity to celebrate on the day itself. This year was different. Dutch custom says that you wait at home and accept guests. I told people they could have the morning (if Shirley wanted) because I had plans for the rest of the day. 

We spent the day walking around the stores of Maastricht. Shirley hasn’t been in a while and she enjoys her window shopping. It is always nice to look and see what is being sold. And the Christmas lights were all out! Afterwards we stopped for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants - a fusion place with steak, fish, chicken and veggie variations. 

Later this evening we are going to cuddle down and watch some Pride and Prejudice (the series, not the movie) after we light all the candles in the house and get some good snacks ready. We are blessed to be able to celebrate, to have time to do this together, and to be able to get around with our car. But mostly I am blessed with this wonderful woman who has been with me more than half her life. 

Thank you for so many who have already wished her a happy birthday. And happy birthday to all of those who share this day with Shirley - there are a lot of you in our lives as well! 

Colorful Colorado (Home Assignment 2023 Colorado)

Although “Colorado” means “red” in Spanish, the State itself says it is “Colorful Colorado” and our visit here was full of colorful life. We landed in the middle of a lightning storm out at the airport and had to stay still on the tarmac until there were no direct strikes. Everything cleared up, we took a shuttle to our rental car and headed off for the drive from Denver down to Colorado Springs. This is usually a drive of about 1.5 hours, but it was rush hour, so it took a little longer. No worries, I was thrilled with the view of “my” mountains off to the right. 

Although some people might consider the Rockies just big piles of rocks (preferring mountains like the Appalachians), it has always enthralled me to see how the view of the mountains changes: daily, by the hour, and even by the minute. It is like watching the ocean, except that the peaks climb into your view on the horizon, stabbing into the sky and rolling into the city at their feet. 

As we made our way further south, my heart beat faster, feeling the pull of home. We have many “homes” around the world, and we are so thankful for all of them. But for me (Scott), this is where my heart skips a beat and I melt at the beauty. Memories fill my mind of so many drives along this route, from the beginning of middles school/high school to the beginning of university when I first left home and “coming home” first pulled those heart strings. 

We spent the first half of our too short visit down in Colorado Springs with Scott’s brother and wife, John and Yumiko. We always have a place here, but it has been four years and the dogs have changed. We were greeted at the door by Cowboy and JoJo. Check out our pictures for more on them. They were a real treat. JoJo may be the little one, but it is she who sleeps in the big bed, Cowboy lying with just his head on the edge. 

In the Springs we were able to do some visiting things, including Scott disc golfing nearby, Shirley looking through deals at the thrift store and taking walks in the area. We usually take a trip down to Old Colorado City where we have bought coffee at a place called La Baguette for VERY many years. Sometimes we would, in the past have visited a mystery book store down the street, but it was gone. So instead, Scott stopped at the barber and got a haircut. Since he always does his own hair, this was quite a treat.

Freed of long hair and bushy beard we spent the evening with John and Yumiko. The next evening was reserved for a meeting at Fargo’s Pizza. This is a special pizza place where Scott first spent time with young Christians who would later help bring him to faith in Christ. In the past years it has been a good place to plan family get-togethers on our home trips. This time it was also Scott’s sister, Barb’s, birthday. Good food, good sharing of memories, good conversations in a fun place. 

On the Saturday we got up early so that we could drive up north of Denver where Ruby Mirror planned a special online concert in order to include Scott in the singing and playing. Ruby Mirror is a group made up of Scott’s brother, John, Bret Carter and Julie Oehlert (brother and sister) and Kenny and Jack Carter (brothers, cousins of Bret and Julie). Since they live (relatively) close to one another, they play together often and sing concerts at coffee places and elsewhere. 

Scott and Bret are best friends, having met in junior high. Bret is Scott’s “brother from a different mother”, you could say. Or more clearly, they both have the same Heavenly Father. Bret’s dad had a singing group and they invited Scott and John to join. This was before Scott and John were Christians. The other members were all young Christians. This influence was crucial in Scott’s growth in faith. “Summer Breeze” sang in various places and even traveled to Alabama, and California as well as playing at York College in Nebraska. So to join voices again with parts of this group was a real thrill. Scott was less interested in how professional it might sound and was excited to simply be harmonizing again. The concert is online if you are interested. You can find it here.

After the concert we were also able to continue sharing memories. We saw Karsten Rog, who lives nearby, and spent a short time talking (everything on this visit has been too short). In this same time we were all praying fervently for a young woman we all knew (Julie’s daughter) who was having a pregnancy emergency. Fear, sorrow, trust, compassion. A full spectrum of every emotion possible in such a short time. How do you deal with the loss of one so young - without the loving embrace of a Mighty Father and brothers and sisters around you?

On Sunday we were able to worship with the Pikes Peak Avenue congregation in Colorado Springs, saying hello to people we have known since the beginning of our work with the church in Belgium and The Netherlands. We drove on after worship time to make it to the potluck of the Miller Street congregation in Denver. It was here back in 2019 that we held a song workshop and gained some wonderful new songs. (You can hear one of them here)

This is also where Bret Carter works with the congregation. The next few days saw us getting to know his wonderful family before we were to move on to our next stop. We shared a donut breakfast, a birthday party for the second eldest daughter, a day win the park, another day in another park where Scott and Bret were able to disc golf, and a visit to a German bakery with very special treats. We even finished up the visit on the last evening with a film night. 

Colorado is indeed a colorful place. From the first moment of seeing the mountains off in the distance to the joy of seeing family again and celebrating birthdays, from windy, stormy weather making the dogs howl and frightening realities of losing loved ones to laughter and memories shared with longtime friends - every color of emotion was present in this visit. We are so thankful for the moments that God continues to give us as we travel. 

Unfortunately, we are not able to see everyone we would love to be able to visit. Even in the places we stop, we do not seem to have enough time to see everyone. We were able to video call with Scott’s Dad, but in Colorado Springs, we missed seeing Scott’s younger brother Marc and his family. We are thankful for the time that we did have, however short.  Check out our pictures here.

Haunted Halloween?

I remember several of my costumes as a kid for Halloween. My mom was amazing at coming up with some really creative solutions. We always had great costumes made of pretty much everyday things. I was a scarecrow, a cowboy, an astronaut. The knowledge that creativity can get you quite far has always stayed with me and served well for youth activities and more. 

I also remember the year that we all had to dump our candy out together on the table at home after trick-or-treating because some wacko was putting razor blades in candied apples. That was pretty much the end of homemade candy. It was the beginning, for me, of realizing how nasty the world could be. 

When I gave my life to Christ, my view on a lot of things changed. One of them was Halloween. I like dressing up in costumes, but it seems all of the holidays that do that are a bit deranged. Halloween in the US and Carnaval here in Belgium are examples. But 1989 changed my whole outlook on Halloween. That was the year we received a very special gift. 

Shirley had struggled all day and was tired. In the end, forceps had to be used, but our son, Stephan, was safely welcomed into the world. I remember standing in a room in the maternity section with windows on two sides so that family could see the newborns. My attention, however, was fully on this wonderful new life that God had given us. Even the surprise of seeing all sorts of masked individuals tapping on the glass (another father was with me in the room and his family was greeting him) could not throw me off. But it did remind me that this was still Halloween. 

Not long after that we moved to Belgium, where there was no Halloween. For years we did not even have to think of any of it (although we of course did have to deal with Carnaval - in February or March). It was only later when the boys were older that they realized they might be able to get something from neighbors by going trick-or-treating. They didn’t dress up, just went door to door. People didn’t know what to do, so they gave them money (a practice done here on January 6 at the celebration of Three Kings). Their friends were impressed. 

Not too many years later, stores started figuring out that money could be made off of this new American holiday. Costumes could now be sold in October as well as in February (for Carnaval). Candy could be sold. Presents could be given. Okay - presents aren’t part of Halloween, but who knows? 

So Halloween made its entrance into Belgian and Dutch culture with an economic vengeance. Kids still don’t go door to door to get candy (people would not know what to do), but haunted houses and the scary bits have definitely entered the calendar if not the culture as yet. 

This day for us still means that little boy cradled in the palm of my hand and the man he has become. We are so thankful for Stephan, for his wife, Natalie and for the life they have together. 

(The picture is of Stephan with neighborhood friends on his birthday in our backyard)

Once upon a time Wednesday - King's Day

Next week Wednesday. April 27. Most importantly, it’s my mother’s birthday. But sharing her birthday is the king of the Netherlands, Willem Alexander. So April 27 is known in the Netherlands as King’s Day. 

Mind you, it was first known as Queen’s Day. That’s because it was a celebration of the birthday of the queen of the Netherlands. As mentioned earlier in this space, the Netherlands has had queens for quite some time. Willem Alexander is the first king since the beginning of the last century. 

When I first became aware of the Netherlands, when Shirley and I first came on a campaign as students at York College, Beatrix was Queen of the Netherlands. Queen’s day was April 30th every year. But that was actually the birthday of Beatrix’s mother, Juliana. Beatrix was born in January. But holding a Queen’s day in January would be abominable. 

You see, Queen’s day - or King’s Day as it is now called - is a day when everyone, young and old, puts on orange, figures out some sort of things to sell at a street market, and welcomes the royal family in the city the royals have deigned to visit that year. It is like a huge, national garage sale. Children are outside along the streets selling toys, or pancakes, or lemonade (if they drink lemonade). 

Willem Alexander was born on April 27. So that’s perfect. The day was moved up three days and everyone keeps doing as they are used to. This year the king and queen are celebrating in Maastricht. They were supposed to have come here in 2020 but a crown got in the way (or was it a corona?). Most in Maastricht thought that 2021 would be their day, but the royals chose elsewhere. So this year they decided they truly did have to come back to Maastricht. 

Shirley will miss going to the markets. She loves garage sales and has a lot of fun at them. But we are spending that day with friends elsewhere. We will have to see the king and queen some other day. 

Around the table

In the last months of the year we have had several opportunities to fellowship. I like that word. We share things with one another in times of fellowship. And, not surprisingly, many of these moments are shared around the table. It is at the table that we put our differences aside and try to be at peace with one another. It is at the table that we share our lives, our conversation, our food with one another. Normally we will at the very least try to be polite. But in times of fellowship we simply enjoy.

Here are some pictures of our most recent times of sharing around the table. We are thankful for good friends, Christian family and times together. 

This year we hosted our 'Meeting Jesus' group 

for a real Thanksgiving Day dinner (on Thanksgiving!)

At 'Thanksmis' (because we plan it in between Thanksgiving and Christmas) we saw people from all over Belgium and the Netherlands and got to see most of the new babies.

Having fun at Thanksmis. 

Yeah, probably scared the poor kid 

(although he did go to sleep not long after). 

For Shirley's birthday, which fell on a Wednesday, we had the group from Liege over at our house as well as the members from Maastricht who could be there. 

Christmas Eve we were welcomed by the Brazle clan for gourmet 

(cheese and meat cooked on a sort of hot plate, 

combined with lots of good conversation)

On Christmas Day we went to Willemien, 

since she couldn't easily come to us, and shared a nice afternoon.

Later on Christmas Day we invited some friends over.

We are so thankful for all of our family of all sorts all around the world. We pray that you too are enjoying fellowship with the Lord each and every day, in His wonderful grace. Our sincerest wish is that we can sit together with you around God's table.

Seeing Abraham through ten-year-old eyes

Some interesting spellings of my name

Last week at Benjamin Camp we were learning about ‘Who is God and how can we get to know Him?' The lessons, the songs, the crafts and the activities were all focused on the theme. It was exciting to see how the kids wrestled with the concepts and were not afraid to voice their questions. Even more exciting was seeing how the lessons were impacting their daily lives at camp.
While there, I ‘saw Abraham’. In Belgium and the Netherlands the saying is that when someone turns 50 they have ‘seen Abraham’ (or Sara if it is a woman). A life-sized doll is made of an old man and placed in front of the door with a poem about the person who is celebrating the birthday. This all comes from the text in John 8:56-58. After Jesus mentions that Abraham looked forward to his coming, the Jews remark that this is impossible. How could Jesus have seen Abraham if he were not even yet 50?

Of course, I was not at home, so there was not going to be a old-man doll at my door. I was at camp with 20 kids who were barely 10 years old. But these kids wanted to make this a special day for me. So they filled the camp postbox with notes for me, reminding me of how thankful they were that I was here. They sang for me and presented me with a crown made of balloons (which I had to wear all day – a uniquely humbling experience). The cook had made a cake so that we could celebrate. And that evening during the talent show, the kids sang for me again. 

Interestingly, in John the idea is that the Jews did NOT accept Jesus for who he was. They did not believe that he saw Abraham. And because they didn’t believe who Jesus was, they did not see His glory and His salvation. But these kids who were looking at how to know God knew the love of Jesus as a practical application to life. We had been learning the thought: ‘Do for others what you would like done to yourself’ (also in a new song). And they showed just that.

Getting to know God in this way is a great way to celebrate my birthday – growing in what really counts for eternity.