Getting ready to travel

In just 15 days we head off on our Home Assignment. This is our trip along our supporting congregations and our family. These last two weeks before we leave are filled with last-minute-getting-readies (if I can use that word). We are contacting the places we will visit and making sure they know we are coming. We are contacting the congregations making sure we know what how we can help while we are there. We are still finalizing a few travel bits, like accommodation in some of the stops. But we are looking forward to the time together. 

A Home Assignment is always quite a logistical challenge. We have 4 congregations which support us and at least 2 others we visit along the way with whom we have developed a good relationship. Our family is not in any of the places our supporting congregations are, so that means some extra driving or flying. Altogether this means that we want to make the most of every moment we are anywhere - even if it is only for a few days. 

As we prepare, we also are aware that we will be gone from our house for some time, so we want to make sure that everything is ready there,. We have very good neighbors who will keep an eye on things. I will try to mow the lawn at least one more time before we leave. And I will get the weeding done before we go. Not that it will look like I did by the time we get back, but at least it will have been done. 

Then we have to both think about what we will pack for the trip. As any of you who have traveled recently know, luggage allowances have gotten smaller about as quickly as gas prices have risen. When we traveled in 2023 (our last Home Assignment) we only took “carry-on” for the first. Since we are traveling from end of April to end of June, all across the country, we have to consider what kind of weather we might get and pack at least something that will be appropriate. 

At least this time we do not have to worry about any house pets that we are leaving behind for a few months. We have a neighbor cat who likes to come visit when she feels like it. We cat-sat our colleague’s cat for a few weeks back in March while they were gone. But we do not have any pets of our own to be concerned about. We do look forward to seeing our kids and their pets. We especially look forward to seeing our granddaughter in person again. 

So if we seem a little tired when we see you, don’t worry. We are not worried. We are very glad to be able to travel to see you. We are so thankful that you make the effort to see us as well. Traveling is an adventure and seeing people is an amazing blessing that we look forward to. We will miss seeing everyone here in Europe while we are gone, but we look forward to seeing all of you in the US while we are there. 

If you want to see our route, check out this earlier post.

Whensday: Flying high?

Today KLM was in the news. KLM is the Royal Dutch Airlines and has generally been known throughout its existence as one of the better airlines. Many people recognize the light blue planes and the logo. Today they lost quite a bit of money because of a strike by the ground personnel. More than 100 flights had top be canceled. This is the reality of flying today. You might have done your very best to plan your holiday, getting the right flights to where you need to go, finding the best price for you and whomever is traveling with you - but it doesn’t mean a thing if some piece of the puzzle is suddenly missing. 

Back in 1908 the problems were different. In September of that year a Wright Flyer - one of the first airplanes - came down in a crash killing the passenger and wounding pilot Orville Wright. This was the first airplane crash I history. Of course there have been many more since then. And still, flying is basically safer than driving a car. There are fewer airplane crashes than car crashes. Car accidents are one of the biggest causes of death in the world. 

I have always loved flying. We flew from a young age since my father was military. We flew to Europe when I was still barely school age. We flew back to the US when I was just finishing elementary school. Every time I get on a plane, I can feel the excitement of traveling. I love looking out at the clouds. I love comparing landings that I have experienced. Although I don’t enjoy the waiting, I do enjoy the watching that can be done in the various airports of the world we have visited. 

Next year we hope to make our next trip back to the US for our Home Assignment. We will fly at least 7 times during the trip - two international flights and at least 5 continental flights. I don’t worry about any crashes happening, but I do hope that everything will go well with the ticketing and flights themselves. There is not much we can do about what might be happening in the world at that time. As always with flying, we will take our chances. 

Planning ahead

We try to get back to the US every three years to touch base with the congregations that support us and visit family. All of these spots are spread around the US, meaning quite a time of travel. It is always nice to see everyone again, as well as see plenty of the places we also call “home”. This is why we call it a Home Assignment. The last time we were on Home Assignment was in 2023, so next year, if all goes well, we will be visiting again. 

But this trip takes a good bit of planning and figuring. Which route should we take? How do we plan the various Sundays to work out with the congregations we want to share time with? How should we divide the driving and flying time? And there are always people that we would very much like to see who simply don’t fit on the route. Are there any ways to see them anyway? 

When the boys were still at home, we always had to plan this trip in the summer, during the school vacation. But now, when we could leave whenever we want, we still have to keep our plans for our ministry here in mind. In addition, we have a new granddaughter in the mix and we want to be there for her birthday, which is in the summer vacation months. So I have been figuring, planning, checking prices and generally trying to discover the best way to travel next year. 

We are looking forward to seeing church family in Long Beach, California; Woodbury, Minnesota; Muscatine, Iowa; and Abilene, Texas. But we also hope to see church family we have met in Denver, Colorado; Noblesville, Indiana; and Omaha, Nebraska. These are the places we hope to sp[end our Sundays, although it may not be possible to hit all of them on a Sunday. We only have 8-9 weeks of travel time. 

In this time we also hope to see family in California, Colorado, Nebraska, Montana, Indiana and New York. There is a little bit of overlap between family and churches, but not much. And, as mentioned, there are still others we would like to meet up with who live in places like Tennessee or Pennsylvania or Florida - far out of the route. So we would love your prayers as we plan this time - prayers that we can find some good deals, that we will be able to get things set up, and that our visit will be encouraging to those we meet. 

If you are in any of the places we are planning to visit (mentioned here), put us on your schedule and make plans to find some time to share with us so that we can encourage one another. If you are not on the route, maybe we can meet somewhere along the way (like driving through Iowa or Wisconsin, or Chicago). These Home Assignments are only possible because of the faithfulness of our supporting congregations, brothers and sisters willing to sacrifice so that we can make this trip. Thank you for these possibilities and all the memories from previous times. 

In the meantime, I am traveling every day this week down to camp and back. It is good to see people we don't see too often, meet new people who love the Lord, and share encouragement from God's word. I will be giving the teens a lesson every day, trying to help make the messages from the Minor Prophets something that they can understand and sow into their spiritual growth. 

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.

Vacation or business?

That is what they ask you at the customs counter. That is what they ask in questionnaires about travel. That is what some people ask when you tell them you are a planning a trip. Most people are shocked to hear that we will be gone for 8 weeks. “That’s quite a long vacation!” And to be honest, this trip is a very interesting mix of emotions, activities and purposes. 

We used to call it “furlough”. That is what a soldier took when he would head home for a bit after being on tour. In Dutch, the word “verlof” comes from the same root, but means vacation. In more recent years we have titled our trip “Home Assignment”, but perhaps it is not any clearer in that sense. 

We work as evangelists in Belgium and the Netherlands. We are financially supported by various congregations and individuals throughout the United States (as well as a few in Europe). It has been our desire to get back to the US every three years to visit with these congregations - to talk about what we have been doing, hear about how God is blessing those congregations, and renew the bonds that tie us together. 

Since we only go every three years and travel is not cheap, we combine this trip with seeing our family. In the earlier years that meant Scott’s family and Shirley’s family. Now it includes seeing our sons and daughters-in-love (and their families). But the congregations we visit and the families are not in the same cities, or States. So it means a lot of traveling and a good bit of puzzling to work out when we go where and how long we can be anywhere. 

The last time we were on this trip was in 2019. Our planned return would have been in 2022, but travel restrictions made that difficult. Although we took a short health visit to Shirley’s family in November, we had to delay our trip until this year. But now the puzzle is coming together and we look forward to the amazing mix that is a Home Assignment this May-June. 

In 8 weeks we will travel to 16 different cities in 9 different States, worship with 9 different congregations and see a good portion of our supporters and family while doing it - though not all. We will get on an airplane 7 times, rent a car 3 times and will be blessed to borrow a car in 2 other areas (one for 23 days!) while we drive roughly 3000 miles. 

While we will stay in at least 4 hotels in this time, we will mostly be blessed to stay with family and friends along the way. We hope that if you are not along our route (and we know that many of you are not), perhaps we can call or email while we are in your area. We are so thankful for the relationships that we have because of being family in Christ. 

If you are in the area, please let us know so that we can see you and spend some time together, even if it is only a cup of coffee somewhere. That is what makes a trip like this so amazing and different. Is it a vacation? We get to see a lot of people that we haven’t seen in at least 4 years. We get to hug on family and enjoy wonderful meals and conversations with family in Christ. We even get to see some places in the US that other people will never get to see. We get to travel. 

This is what our schedule looks like: 

We will land in New York City on April 26 and drive the next day to upstate New York to visit Scott’s mom on her 85th birthday. The Saturday after will be a drive down to church family ion Connecticut (family from in the Netherlands who are living in the US!). We are looking forward to being able to worship with them on Sunday before flying out the next day to Minnesota. 

We will spend a week in Minnesota with our wonderful church family at Woodbury before driving out for a Midwest loop hitting Omaha, Nebraska (Shirley’s family), church family in Muscatine, Iowa, our son Stephan (and his wife Natalie) and Scott’s brother in Indianapolis, Indiana, good friends in Chicago and returning to Minneapolis. This section is mostly possible because of generous hearts in the church at Woodbury loaning us a car for the whole trip (as they have done in the past as well). We look forward to worshipping with the church in Minnesota, Iowa and Indiana. 

After the Midwest loop we will fly down to Texas on May 25 hoping to visit with several supporters and worship with the congregation where we began our life as a married couple, 11th and Willis in Abilene. On May 31 we will fly on to Denver where we will visit Scott’s family in Colorado Springs and church family in Denver, worshipping in both cities on the same Sunday. 

We fly to California on June 7 and spend time with our supporting congregation in Long Beach as well as visiting family in San Diego. This leg of the trip is again made much easier by the use of a car from members of the church in Long Beach (which they have done on many trips in the past). We are also put up in all of these cities by members of the congregations we are visiting. What an amazing love and giving that make this type of trip possible!

Our last leg will begin on June 14 when we fly back to New York City, this time to spend some time with our son Sean and his wife Jill. We will worship in Manhattan for our last Sunday in the US before flying back after a total of 8 weeks exactly. We arrive in Belgium before the end of the month ready to jump into activities in June and Bible camp weeks in July and August. 

Along this trip we will have had some good vacation time - mostly because so many of you want to insure that we have some time to rest, knowing what all the traveling can mean. We will also have opportunities to tell about our work, preach, teach and visit. This is work, but it is good. We are so thankful that God can and does use us wherever we are or go. We want to be an encouragement wherever we are. 

Vacation or business? Yes. We travel in May-June if the Lord wills and because His family makes it possible. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible. Thank you for your help in making this possible!

Travel in uncertain times

These days people are traveling for all sorts of reasons. Many are thankful that they can finally travel after corona rules shut down travel for so long. Some are happy to be able to see children or grandchildren. On the other hand, many are traveling because they feel they must - to escape poverty or war or danger. 

We usually plan to travel every three years. We plan a “Home Assignment” where we travel for about two months in the US to all of our supporting congregations and our family in the various States we find them. Our family members are not in the States where our supporting congregations are. This means a lot of traveling. 

Our last time making this trip was in 2019, a year before corona rules reared their ugly head. That would normally mean that we would travel again in 2022, this year. Considering that many of the rules are only now being changed or dropped, we have been waiting to see what might be possible before planning anything. And then gas prices started going up. 

At this point, we know that we will not be able to come when we might first have planned - from mid-May to begin July as we have in years past. It is simply too close now to try to plan and get everything ready. So we had started looking at coming in the Fall instead. It is a lot easier for us to travel from an empty nest. But as we look at the options, we are still very uncertain. 

So we just want to let you know that we MIGHT see you in August, September or October if things work out well. We would travel from mid-August through the first week of October. Nothing is set. 

We are looking at different ways of traveling as well. Usually our trip included 8-10 flights. As anyone who has flown can tell you, it is not necessarily the flight that is tiring or time-consuming, but getting to and from the plane. So we have considered making a driving loop along many of our midwest stops. This would mean some extra costs for a rental car. And of course, with gas prices, this might end up being worse than flying. 

We understand that we are very blessed to even consider traveling for these reasons and we are thankful that it might be possible. Please do keep us in your prayers as we try to figure out if this would be wise and how then to plan it. We would love to see you in person again. 

Will we see you?

From May 14 - July 9 we will be traveling in the US, visiting congregations and family. We would really like to see you if that is possible. Check out the places we will be and let us know if we can get together.

May 15 - 18 in Omaha, NE

May 18 - 23 in Muscatine, IA
We are looking at the possibility of a Singing Workshop at this stop.

May 23 - June 2 in Minneapolis (and area)

June 3 - 10 in Colorado, first in Colorado Springs and from the 7th in Denver.
The Miller Street congregation (in Wheatridge) is hosting a Singing Workshop with us on June 8!

June 11- 17 in Abilene, TX
We will be mobile, so let us know if we can get together. We stay the night of the 17th in Dallas if you would like to meet.

June 18 - 23 in Indianapolis, IN

June 23 - July 4 in Long Beach, CA and area

July 5 - 9 in New York City

We look forward to seeing old friends and building new relationships. We are so thankful that God is making this possible through your generosity!

Home Assignment 2016

Click on the picture to see our route

Our tickets are purchased and our plans are firming up for our Home Assignment this year! It has been 3 1/2 years since we last saw most of you and we are looking forward to sharing news and getting to know more of you. We would appreciate your prayers for the planning of this trip as well as during our travels. We very much want to be an encouragement wherever we go.

Our trip will run from May 17 to July 18, since we are able to travel outside of school holidays now. This way we are also hoping to be able to see some of you who we have missed in years past. Here is a run-down of where and when we wil be. The red lines are Scott and Shirley, the blue line is Sean with Wouter and Marc and the purple is all of us together.
May 17-25 in the Minneapolis area (nr. 1 on the map). We fly in on the 17th and drive out on the 26th. We will be visiting our Woodbury family during this time and look forward to seeing the changes that have taken place there since our last visit.
On the 26th of May we will drive down to Muscatine, Iowa (nr. 2) where we will stay through Monday, the 30th with our Muscatine church family.  From there we will drive across Iowa on May 31 to Omaha, Nebraska (nr. 3) to visit Shirley's family, where we will stay until June 3. For the first time we will not drive down to Colorado, but will instead bring the rental car back to Minneapolis on June 4 and fly down to Denver.
Our next leg of the trip will be June 4-12. In Denver and Colorado Springs (nr. 4) we will visit Scott's family as well as church family in the area. New family members to meet, a chance to speak a little Dutch with the Rog family if possible and meeting up with Scott's Mom who will come in from New York if possible.
We will fly out of Denver on June 13 and head to the Texas leg of the trip (nr. 5), spending time in Abilene with our 11th and Willis family as well as time with church family in the Dallas area from June 14-22. In the past, this has been our last stop before heading back home. This time it will be in the middle of our travels.
On June 23 we will fly out to Indianapolis (nr. 6) where we will be until July 5. The first part of this Indiana leg Shirley and Scott will have time with Stephan and Natalie and the White family as well as being able to hook up with Scott's family and church family from Minnesota who have moved. On June 30 Sean will arrive with his friend, Wouter, and Wouter's dad, Marc (blue line). They also joined us on our last trip to be present at Stephan and Natalie's wedding. This time it is middle of the summer instead of a snowstorm ar Christmas. This time we will celebrate the 4th of July with family.
July 5 we all fly out together (purple line) to the last leg of the trip in California (nr. 7). In Long Beach we will be able to spend time with our Long Beach church family as well as visit some of Scott's family in San Diego.
This will probably be the last time that Sean travels with us on a Home Assignment. He will be finishing his studies this year and moving into his career choices. So this year we will take a short road trip together. Another friend from Belgium will join us on the 11th and from July 12-17 we will drive around California, seeing what there is to see.
We all fly out on July 18 and return to Europe on the 19th, ready to jump right into our full summer schedule of Bible camp. But we will have seen all of you and have been refreshed by the fellowship we share, the family that we are. This has only been possible because of the generosity of our church families - our brothers and sisters who continue to encourage us and are co-workers with us in what God is doing here in Belgium and the Netherlands. We look forward to seeing you face to face again!