In the meantime…

As we are traveling, visiting and experiencing all sorts of things in the US, tasks continue back in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is so good to know that the congregation in Maastricht continues to help one another and reach out in love to those around them. Our sisters in the church continue to visit our sister who is a shut-in, visiting her and sharing the lessons we all are learning. Some will call, others will visit on a Sunday and others will do her shopping. 

A Sunday morning is a time for all of the brothers to share the gifts that God is developing in them. Even if someone is sick and can’t do the singing, another can step in and help. Whereas I often do the translating, there are others capable of translating from English to Dutch or Dutch to English. God provides what we need and helps to grow the gifts needed for the congregation. 

And speaking of growing, our grass continues to grow whether we are there or not. The day before we left I tried to get our grass done. In Belgium you have to mow when it is dry since you are never sure when the next dry day will come along. But I am not there to mow. Thankfully, there are brothers like Jef who will come along and get after the high grass, taking care of our lawn. 

And there are still activities planned for the coming months. This past weekend was a “Survival Camp with Papa” where fathers can bring their children to camp. Everyone sleeps in tents, they cook on fires outside and learn how to use knives, axes and such to survive. In the pictures I saw, they also had to figure out how to deal with very wet, rainy weather. Our brother Paul and his youngest son, Isaak were there to experience this. In the coming weeks there will be a work camp. Some of the brothers will spend a day or two at camp helping get camp ready for the summer. 

Everywhere one goes there is plenty to do. Keep your eyes open and be ready to lend a hand wherever you are. And know that you are not alone. This always reminds me of the text in 1 Peter. We are never alone and God is powerful. 

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 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 5:8-11

Growing as a family

Every year we try to be encouragers in all that we do. All of the activities we plan and are part of are connected to how we hope God can use us for His kingdom. This year has begun and will continue no different. We are looking forward to the various activities we can take part in. 

This past weekend we traveled up to Haarlem (2.5 hours north) for a day of singing. The church there is wanting to learn more about singing and how to sing better together. Mostly they want to do this so that they as a congregation can learn new songs and sing well to the Lord on Sundays. But they are also looking at using this as a means of reaching out in the community with the gospel. They asked us to come and help with learning and it has been a great time of encouragement. Each time we have been, there are at least 10 members learning and singing together with us. 

We have been doing the same thing in Eindhoven for several years, although we have had to miss the last few months. It is exciting and encouraging for us to be able to spend time with congregations in other cities and to see and show how God encourages and teaches us through song. But singing is not all that we are looking forward to in the coming months. 

Before we leave for the US for two months (in May and June) we are looking at various ways of reaching out in the neighborhood in Maastricht. In the coming month we will be going around the neighborhood with a questionnaire about church and society in order to gauge where the neighborhood is and also to encourage people to think about the choices they are making. At the same time we hope to again let people know that we are active in the neighborhood. 

We also hope to get downtown Maastricht at some point to engage with people on the street, asking them what questions they might have for God. We have been preparing for this during our Wednesday studies when we look at some of the questions that people ask and how we as Christians can answer them. We hope to be going into town as weather gets better and there are more people walking outside. We would love your prayers for these efforts. 

In addition we of course are also working on plans for the summer camp weeks and training church members for leadership in those areas. The leadership training “Breathe” will be organized at the end of March. Shirley and I will also be leading the Benjamin week at the end of the summer when we return from our trip to the US. Camp opportunities are always a chance to encourage campers as well as the team that we work with during the week that we lead. 

Before all of that comes, we are also looking at some growing time for ourselves and with church family members. Scott will go down to ABSS (Advanced Bible Study Series) at the middle of February with some brothers from Haarlem and Maastricht. Shirley will go to the Ladies Retreat in March with several sisters from Maastricht. It continues to amaze us how God can use so many opportunities to encourage us and others and to help us all grow in grace. 

(Photo: the invitation for the camp leaders training session "Breathe")

A certain future

This past Monday evening our sister, Rita Davison, went Home to her reward with the Lord. Her daughter, Tonia, is part of our family in Maastricht, together with her husband and son, Liam. Rita is well known among the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands. She and her husband Roy have been part of the Dutch-speaking work for decennia, having links to the congregations in Brughe, Ostende, Roeselare, Antwerp and Eindhoven. Rita was 88 years old.

As I was looking through the things so many said of her on the memorial site, many of the same things returned. Rita’s smile was amazing and her love for the people around her came from her great love for the Lord. She and Roy have been an influence on many people in the Dutch-speaking work. Rita was especially an encourager in all she did. 

This past month we have had her children visiting us in Maastricht because they were visiting her. We always get to enjoy Tonia and Mario and are grateful for her influence in Tonia’s life. But we also got to spend time with her daughter Connie who lives with her husband Ian McGuiggan in South Dakota. I was a counselor and teacher for both Tonia and Connie at Bible camp when they were both young. Rita’s son, Stuart, and his wife Connie were also visiting this past month. We all spent some good time singing spiritual hymns together. 

There will be many in the churches here (and it would not surprise me if there are plenty in Canada as well) who are looking forward to seeing Rita again and singing with her, hearing her wonderful alto voice lilting high, mixing perfectly with the other voices in praise to the King of kings. We are so very thankful for heroes of the faith, good examples of what it means to remain faithful to the end. So we praise God, comfort those who are hurting deeply, and look forward to the certainty of the future with our Lord and Master.  

What is so beautiful in all of this is how we see God working. The week that Rita went home to be with her Lord, Kristof decided to give his life to Jesus as his Lord. This young man works with our brother in Christ, Danny. He had questions about faith, which Danny talked about with him. And he realized that he needed a firm foundation and good future. So he was baptized this past Thursday, dying to his old self and rising to new life, eternal life, in Jesus Christ. 

God is amazing and gracious. We are so thankful for the secure future that we all can have in Him and that there are so many choosing for this life. 

Normal

It is amazing how many things one can do online these days. Most institutions try to get you to do everything online. This means, of course that the information you give has to fit what they are requesting. I remember years ago when we first made our website for our singing group, Listen Up!, that we wanted people from around the world to be able to order a cd (remember those shiny discs that held music). This meant that the form they filled in from a drop-down menu had to include all of the countries in the world. 

The reason we specifically wanted this was because we had often had trouble ordering or filling in information on US websites. Every drop-down menu had all 50 states and other various areas, but nothing more. There was always a place where we had to fill in our state (in addition to our address, which included our city). The ZIP code had to fit the US way of doing things. The Belgian post code only has four numbers. The Dutch post code has four numbers and two letters. 

We realized even back then that we were not “normal”. Even today, when many online stores have figured out that customers can come from across the world, we see that government sites have not figured out that there are plenty of people who do not fit the “normal”. And it is not simply US government sites. Every government is full of red tape and specific ways of doing things. The Dutch tax office has a saying on their radio advertisements: “We can’t make it any funner, but we can make it easier.” But they don’t. 

We have always been extremely thankful that we have people in the US who take care of all of our tax situations for us. This began decades ago when brother McCurdy in Abilene, Texas saw it as a way to support missions. He did missionaries taxes for free. And what a blessing this is. Perhaps he understood that missionaries are already dealing with enough red- tape wherever they are that to mitigate the red tape in the US could only be a blessing. 

So we have always been extremely thankful for E.B. Dotson and now Larry McElroy for the assistance they provide for so many in this way. Because there is nothing “normal” about our situation when it comes to taxes. We were made aware of this fact - again - recently when the Belgian tax office contacted us. 

Everyone who works with us for Ardennen Bijbelkamp, for example, is a volunteer. There are 3 youth weeks and a family week in the summer, a youth week in the Fall and Spring along with a youth weekend in the Fall and Winter. Every single team member of these activities is a volunteer. IN the summer, the volunteers even have to pay to help. This is not normal in our society and certainly not something the tax man can imagine. 

When people want to help and give advice, the advice is often based on what they know in their own normal world. But we have come to understand that we are far from normal. That means that we often have to explain things many times, find ways to prove things that are hard to prove, look for different ways of filling things in and basically trust that it will work out. And these days that means working past chatbots and all of the “normal” answers. We are thankful that we have a God who knows what is going on and is more than mighty to work things out. 

Be thankful for when things work out “normally” and don’t freak out too much when things don’t seem to fit. Keep calm and look further. Ask questions. Give grace in conversations, knowing that the person you are talking to might not be able to understand how different your situation is. And know that God is mighty. Don’t give up; give in to His might and guidance. God is not normal and neither is our life with Him.

Prison visits

This week, if all goes well, I will be able to once again visit our former neighbor in the prison of Antwerp. I try to get to see him at least once a month. By now I have become familiar with the habits of this visit. It is only possible to make an appointment in person. This would mean that I would need to drive to Antwerp, park and go to the prison on one day in order to make an appointment for another day. The drive itself is close to 90 minutes with traffic. Instead, I simply drive to Antwerp and hope that someone who has an appointment won’t show up. 

At the prison, which is in a nice street with cafe’s and little shops, I first have to stand at a large iron door and press a green button, waiting until  I hear a click and can open the door. The door leads to a small room with two benches and what looks like a sort of post office windows behind which the guards sit. As a visitor, one is not allowed to bring anything in. There are lockers, most of which have broken locks, into which, if you find one that works, you can put your phone, jacket, keys and anything else you might have with you. 

Once you are called (because I am always on standby, you pass through a turnstile, put your coat if you have one in the winter through a scanner and pass a metal detector before standing at the next iron door waiting for it to be opened for you. Once through this door, you enter a small yard where everyone is waiting together to go into the visiting room. There are toys for little kids, who are often there with their mother visiting father. There is a place for those who need to smoke before they go inside for the visit. 

Once we are gathered by a guard to enter the visiting room, we all take a seat at the table which has been assigned us and wait for the prisoners to be brought in. My former neighbor always looks around for me when he enters and gets a big smile on his bearded face. He, like the other prisoners, is wearing a yellow vest over his prison clothes. We have about an hour to talk about whatever has been happening most recently. He likes to hear about my life since his is pretty much the same every day. 

This year I also started visiting a man who met my former neighbor while they were both in prison. This other man is now waiting in the psychiatric hospital just down the street from our village. He waits patiently, doing all that he needs to do to be able to join society again. I visit him once a month as well, sometimes helping with small tasks he might need done. 

Both of these men struggle with different things in their lives. Both are men of faith of a sort. Our former neighbor believes that he is his own pope and has created a sort of religion for himself. The other man is a muslim, though not really practicing. Both ask for prayers and we pray for them both regularly. 

I am always reminded when I visit them that our situation is not really that different. Without Jesus in our lives, we were slaves, lost, not really knowing where we were going. Paul says in the letter to the Ephesians: “without hope, without God in the world.” (Eph. 2:12). But we have been saved to wake with Jesus sharing His grace to all around us. I am thankful that we are no longer prisoners, but are now servants of the living God. (Rom. 6:15-18). 

New life!

Every Sunday we celebrate the powerful message and truth of God’s grace in the death and resurrection of Jesus. The blood of Jesus washes our sins, even today, because He is risen. And therefore we, who have died in Him, are risen to new life and hope. Around the world this is celebrated by many at least this past weekend. And the religious calendars were aligned this year so that Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant all celebrated on the same day. 

For us this day was even more beautiful than others because we were reminded of the beauty of the salvation that Jesus brings. Isaak, one of our young people, decided to give his life to Christ and be buried and raised in Him through faith and in baptism. He has become more and more aware the last months of his own life and how much he needs Jesus in his life. So on Friday afternoon, Isaak was buried in Christ and rose to new life. 

How much can a young heart know? He knows that he needs Jesus to save him from himself. He knows that Jesus is mightier than sin and death. He knows that life and happiness, both now and in eternity, are to be found in Jesus. He knows he wants to speak of this great news to any and all around him. We are encouraged to see how much a young heart knows. 

A few weeks ago, some of our older young people were together with young people from around Europe at CYC (Christian Youth Conference). This past week some of our young people were together down at camp for Vacation Bible Camp. Please keep all of these young hearts in your prayers as they too wonder if they need Jesus and if He is their King. In the meantime we have several others in Maastricht, not young ones, who are also considering this same question. And on a Sunday we all remember how beautiful it is that Jesus has given us new life as well. 

Getting to know Jesus

One of the most important things we do here is help people to get to know Jesus. In our daily lives we want to be an example of the life we have been given in Jesus. We also want our speech to be full of the reality of living with the grace that Jesus has brought to our lives. This all means that we try to live intentionally in our lives together and our speech is full of the beauty of what we have found in Jesus Christ. And this takes different forms. 

When we meet someone who is wanting to know more about us and the life we are showing, that can come in different ways. Most recently we received a few phone calls from people who wanted to know if we could pray for them, if they could meet with us, if they could attend our worship time on Sundays. Sometimes these are short conversations on the phone. Other times they have turned into weekly Bible studies and conversations. 

I have often thought about set studies - booklets or programs that asre available. But in my experience, everyone is coming from a different place and meets Jesus in a different way. So I usually want to first hear where they are coming from and then start looking at the story of Jesus. In this walk together through the gospels, we inevitably touch on the points that need to be discussed in relation to life with Jesus. Then we can take more time where the need is greatest. 

This has been how my conversations have gone throughout the years. Sometimes people have met Jesus and have decided that they are not really that interested in what is being offered or the way it is being offered. Jesus is very exclusive and not everyone wants to accept this. In this case, sometimes my relationship with the person we have been talking to either ends or changes. Often times we may maintain a relationship, but it becomes one where I continue to help, but in a different way, offering mercy. 

This has been and continues to be the case with a few people in our lives - taking people to hospital visits and being there after the diagnosis has been declared, helping with physical limits and even being the person to help the family say goodbye when the time comes. 

Other times, the relationship turns into one of family as the person’s desire to know Jesus grows and they give their lives to Him. At this point then the relationship turns into one where we help one another grow in faith. It has been exciting to see how some of the new members of this family challenge us to be servants, to be listeners and to be faithful in times of difficulty. This has been true of several of our sisters who have been added to the church in the last 5 years. 

We recently put out an invitation for a series of “Getting to know Jesus” held at our building. We have usually held these at our home, which is a much less intimidating venue. But we wanted the neighborhood around our building to know of this opportunity. No one responded this time. We will look at offering the opportunity again in the Fall, but in the meantime we will continue with the conversations we have at the moment. 

This includes a conversation with a woman who originally called and asked about what we believe and if she could visit. She has been visiting for several months as well as reading through the gospels (getting to know Jesus) almost every week. Last week she said she has been confronted with the need to be bron again - everywhere she reads, every song she listens to, in all of her prayers. I think of Lydia (Acts 16) whose heart was opened as she listened to the story that Paul was recounting. We pray that we will soon be adding a sister to the family. 

And we continue to look for how God will use us, our example, our speech to touch those around us with the amazing story and life of good news in Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. Consider yourself - are you willing to follow Jesus wherever He goes, as He wants? This seems to be our biggest struggle as people. Can we submit to someone else and trust. If we know that He is God Almighty, come to save us and risen from the dead, then we can follow Him even into death, but certainly into obedience in daily life. 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Giving Sundays

In the congregation in Maastricht we have learned how good it is to pass on the blessings that God has given us. Every 5th Sunday we hold a special contribution for any specified needs. This is an additional contribution to our normal Sunday giving. Working up to the 5th Sunday one of the brothers asks in the congregation if there are any needs that members have noticed or have themselves. On the Sunday, members can choose to which need they will give, if there is more than one. 

In the past we have regularly given for a rehabilitation center in Ukraine which our brother Alexander knows about. We have helped with winter heating costs, running costs and, recently, relocation costs as they had to move because of the war. We have also helped with other costs in Ukraine. Knowing the people there always helps us to understand the need. 

We have helped with various projects in Africa including Bibles in Uganda, water in Uganda and Kenya, and a deaf children’s home (Sam’s Place) in Kenya. W have helped send rice into Myanmar and helped with the rebuilding of Sint Maarten. These are always done working together with our brothers and sisters in the countries themselves. And most of them are combined with sharing the word of God at the same time as assisting where needed in daily life. It is exciting to know - at least on paper and email - that we are family with brothers and sisters around the world. 

At the end of 2024 we had one more 5th Sunday. We also had news from the Philippines of a horrible accident among our brothers and sisters there. who had been sharing good news. We were thankful that we could help in some small way. It is always a challenge to see how we can send funds to these places around the world (especially with heightened security measures in more recent years), but we are thankful that it is possible. 

What this does above all is remind us all of how we are connected as the family of Christ. The more we get to know our brothers and sisters around the globe, the more we become aware of needs and are able to help, pray and know that we are one in God. This brings us even closer to one another as a family. 

And always amazes me how much is given by the family here. I do not need to mention amounts since each members has given simply as they were moved and with a joyful heart. But I am almost always moved to tears to see how graciously this small family gives of themselves. They even made us the recipients of their graciousness when we have unexpectedly had to travel to the US (or even when it was planned). We are so thankful to be working with a family that understands and shows this grace that they have been given in this wonderful family of God. 

Taking every opportunity

For the last while we as a congregation in Maastricht have been working through the Psalms. What a blessing to see how God listens, hears, responds and helps. It was so good to see how many of the writers obviously have the same emotions as we all do and that God allows these emotions in the right place. When we trust Him with our thoughts and desires, then things work much better for all.

As we have finished the psalms we are looking at a new set of lessons where we touch on the fundamentals of our faith and how they help us with the difficult questions presented us in our society. Last Wednesday evening we looked at the foundational truths that make up the truly good news of the gospel. One of the things we hope to be able to (re)emphasize is how we can speak with those around us. And as we were looking at these fundamentals we have been praying for the conversations that God presents us with each day. 

As usual, I was not prepared for how wonderfully God surprises. He loves to do what we do not expect or even think of. So the days after our study I had several good opportunities to talk about this very good news. One conversation was with someone who specifically asked what we believe, as he was not religious and wondered what kind of faith this could be. Another was with believers about the struggles we have in life. That same evening a dinner with friends brought conversation about God’s faithfulness and how we struggle to trust, but how good it is. 

This is the reality of every day. We try to keep our eyes open for every opportunity that God presents us to talk about His wonderful love and grace. Sometimes we do not really recognize these moments as opportunities until we are in the middle of a conversation. It is not that we are manipulating conversations. We are simply speaking of the One we love and the good that He has brought us. 

We are thankful that God wants to and can use us in every situation to bring His grace into the world. We pray that we are allowing Him to work through our conversation in all of our daily activities - as parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, shoppers in a store, drivers on the road or wherever else we may find ourselves. 

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:5-6

Growing in grace

It is always exciting to see kids grow up. If you have known them for a long time (like since they were a baby), you see them learn to talk, learn to p[ay attention, start going to school and all the rest. You also see them grow in stature. Luke says Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52). That  is wonderful to see in our young people. 

One of our young men is just 13 but is almost (almost, not yet, you see) taller than I am. We check every week when we see one another. But it is also good to see how he and the other young people in the congregation are growing in knowledge and wisdom as well. We want them to know and understand the wonderful grace of our loving Father. And this is not just with our youngest ones. It is also good to see our older teens and 20 somethings growing. 

As mentioned before, we have a games day every 2nd Sunday. This is not digital games, but board games. It is a great time to be together, talk together and have fun. It has been fun to see the group that usually stays - it is a cross-section of the congregation. There are a few of us older folks, the young Ukrainian couple and some of the younger teens. This reinforces our family, helping us to get to know one another better.

It has also been great to be able to get together with our English speaking members. There is a group of 20-somethings who all speak English (and some are learning Dutch). We get together for a Bible study on Tuesdays when it works for all to be there (about every two weeks). This is a group of Ghanians, Ukrainians and Americans. It is wonderful to see their hunger for the word of God and their discussions about God’s will in their lives. 

We started a few weeks ago with showing some video’s on Sunday after services for the younger guys who are interested in some scientific evidences and discussions about God. This group sits in a corner, glued to the screen and the words being shared. Then there is a lively discussion afterwards. It is great to see. 

This Friday we will hold our first Friday singing again. The last time this has been with a smaller group since the French-speakers have not been able to come. But it is still nice to be able to learn new songs. I recently translated three songs from English to Dutch and hope to get them recorded soon so that others in the congregations can learn them and use them. I was also able to write two new short songs based on Bible texts - one was for the Vacation Bible Camp, the other for our youth day. The first has already been recorded and is online. I hope to get the other up fairly soon as well. 

Next weekend, just before we head out for our quick US trip, we will hold another Thank Walk. This is an opportunity to meet the neighbors, share the beauty of thankfulness and just know and see how beautiful God is in His nature - even around the building in the city. Our building is on the edge of the city, so there are several nice walks. And as the weather gets better (although it is still mostly rain now), the walks show even more beauty. 

With each of these activities, it has been so good to see the various members of the church growing in wisdom and grace and favor with God and man. We are so thankful for the way that God puts family together, forming us into His body, able to do amazing things with His Spirit. I am reminded daily of our theme this year: “You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household… “ (Eph. 2:19)

Amazing love

As children of God we are witnesses daily to an amazing grace and amazing love of our loving Father. It is exciting to see how this works out among the household of God as well, each of us members of this body of Christ. The last few weeks and this past weekend have been very good examples of this reality. 

This past weekend was a day down at camp for the congregation of Maastricht. Everybody who could make it, planned to get down to camp. This meant that some would offer their car to bring others. Some would take care of coffee and tea when we got there. Our Ukrainian brother, Alexander, had spent the last weeks gathering Bible questions that we would discuss - and he would lead the discussion. All of us brought our hearts for one another and for the Lord. 

Although the weather reports had given rain (not unusual for this time of year in Belgium), everything stayed dry and we even finished the day with beautiful sunshine and warm weather. It was a day of real fellowship: singing to the Lord together, sharing thoughts from the Word of God, helping one another, playing basketball or frisbee or simply having some good conversations. This is a family that truly cares for one another. On Sunday we held our monthly potluck and people stayed again, including a few visitors for the day. 

In the past weeks we have also felt how strong God’s family is all over. On May 5 Shirley got a message that her sister had been taken to hospital in Omaha, Nebraska and probably would not make it through the night. But she did. In the following days and weeks, it has been an up and down struggle with a body that has had top deal with a lot in the last years. 

In these weeks, we asked for prayers and our brothers and sisters around the world have been praying. Sometimes being far away, we feel we can do nothing. But we all can pray. And that is far from nothing. We are so thankful for all who have been praying and continue to pray. Mary (Shirley’s sister) has recovered enough to be able to be operated and moved to a critical care facility where we pray that she can really recover. 

In the meantime, Shirley ahs made plans to fly to Omaha to help and be with her sister. Sisters here have offered to help with costs. Sisters in Omaha have offered to pick Shirley up on Sundays so that she can worship with this wonderful family into which God has placed us.  

Shirley will be in Omaha fro May 27 through June 10, arriving back here on the 11th just in time to get here bag ready to leave again on June 17 for our visit to our new granddaughter. That visit will also be a great meeting of family as we will also get to see Sean and Jill, together with Stephan and Natalie. The last time we were all together was in 2018. 

All of these moments are only possible because of God’s grace and His wonderful family. Thank you for your prayers and support. Thank you for your faithfulness in His family. Isn’t it wonderful to experience in so many ways, every day, this amazing love and wonderful grace! 

(The picture is of our day down at camp. We are missing three others who had already had to leave). 

2nd day of Pentecost

In Belgium we celebrate several Catholic holidays with two days. Easter, Pentecost and Christmas all have two days. And then there is also Ascension Day which always fall on a Thursday and includes the Friday so that there is a long weekend. Of course most people understand what Easter and Christmas celebrate, even with the commercialization and strange things like chocolate bunnies and colored eggs. The confusion often comes with Pentecost. 

Pentecost is of course the celebration of first fruits, the first harvest of the first crop. It is the idea that the people of God were to trust God to give them what they needed. They could give Him their first fruits because everything came from Him anyway. These days it is still good to think in this way, realizing that all we have comes from God and we can trust Him for the future. 

If people know about Pentecost, then they know about it as the beginning of the Christian church. And that is certainly true. Christians, followers of Jesus, are the first fruits of the harvest. That first Pentecost when 3000 gave their lives to Christ in obedience was just a beginning. The church has spread all over the world. And it continues to change and grow in various ways. 

In the Netherlands some of the changes are very visible. The church building in The Hague used to house a church of 100-200 members. That was at a time when the congregation was Dutch members and American expats working in the city. Now the church building still exists, although with many troubles, but it houses a Ukrainian congregation and an international group. And the building has been joined in the neighborhood by a mosque next door. 

Speaking of international groups, the church meeting in Antwerp (in Belgium) and outside of Antwerp is also international. In Antwerp there is a Spanish-speaking group. Outside of Antwerp the congregation is mostly African. The largest congregation numerically in the Netherlands is the congregation in Amsterdam which is primarily Ghanaian and meets in Twi (one of the languages of Ghana) and English. 

In the Netherlands there are congregations in Amsterdam, Groningen, Haarlem, The Hague, Den Dolder, Eindhoven and Maastricht. In Belgium there are congregations in Ghent, Roeselare, Brughe, Antwerp, Turnhout, Hasselt and Rotselaar which generally speak Flemish. French-speaking congregations meet in Liege, Charleroi and Brussels. Each of these places has an interesting history behind their establishment and growth (or lack of) through the years. 

In Maastricht we are getting ready to say goodbye to one of our American families as they return to the US. But we have also welcomed some Ghanaians recently. We teach and worship in Dutch and English and are looking forward to meeting together for a day down at camp for fellowship and encouragement. We understand that our existence is all down to the grace of God and His spirit in our lives. We are still His harvest, His first fruits and we pray that He is able to use us to have an even greater harvest here or wherever we go. 

(Picture is of a youth weekend this year in the building in The Hague)

Do I deserve it?

There are various songs that talk about the grace of God. Some of my favorites talk about how grace means that I do not deserve it. About how amazing it is that `God would even think of me in giving His grace. That He doesn’t wait until I am “better” to offer me grace. He gives His most wonderful gift of life exactly when I need it - when I am dying. 

God through the apostle Paul puts it into words well in the letter to the Romans in chapter 5 and verse 6 through 8: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

I have thought about this quite a bit in the past months. Many of my discussions and contacts with people are things that look to be going nowhere if I were looking at my life and task here as a job. In a job you are focused on production. I have worked at a pizza place, a hamburger place, a hotel as room service and as a teacher. I have needed to sell as many pizza’s as possible on my shift, make and serve hamburgers at the drive-thru and at the counter and hope that visitors to the hotel order room service so that I could get tips. Even as a teacher my work was measured by my production. 

As an evangelist the same thing can be done. Supporting congregations might look at a certain area and compare it with another. How many people are coming to the Lord in that country? Not as many in this country over here. We need to encourage the worker there to be more productive. Or we need to move our funds elsewhere. These are all normal thoughts and considerations. And they are thoughts in my head as well. I worry about whether I am using my time wisely. Should I be putting more time into people who clearly seem to not want to hear any good news? Should I just drop them and move on to others? Am I wasting my time and productivity? 

Then I wonder about how long God had to wait for me. I look at so many in the church and realize that God must have worked a long time on them (and me). If I think about all the people He put into my life, I am truly amazed. Amazed that He could love such a sinner as me. He put a lot of resources into my life. I know that some of the people have probably never heard anything about what they did in my life to bring me to a life of faith in this loving God. 

In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus tells a story about sheep and goats. I have shared this often with the young people here. The people in this story who are non-productive are those who do nothing and are not even aware of what they have not done. Those who are praised as good servants are those who have helped in daily matters for people who are often overlooked. 

Some of the people I spend time with seem to me to be quite obstinate. I have spoken to them often of the love of Christ, have shared and read the Bible with them and have prayed with and for them. They remain obstinate and deny the need for any help from this God. And still I continue to help them as I can. 

A man in prison calls me almost every day. He claims that he is the pope and has a strange way of looking at God. But he also prays for me and the contacts I have with others. It is difficult to visit him in prison (90 minutes away and with the usual bureaucracy). Another man is struggling with cancer and health issues. He has no one in his life because he has turned all away through his vitriolic way of talking with most people. A woman thinks that she can and needs to buy every kind of contact - even now that she is in a nursing home at an advanced age. She has no children, but she has money. She has recently begun to learn how to pray, simply talking to God. 

These are people that take time. I wonder sometimes if it is “worth” it. Then I remember God’s grace and mercy in my life. God wants us to be gracious as He is gracious, to show mercy as He shows mercy. That means even when they don’t seem to be listening. As a matter of fact, that is exactly when it is needed - when they do not understand the value of what is being offered. 

We have a walnut tree in our yard. If you didn't know what walnuts were, you would never think to pick up these ugly, dirty things rotting underneath the tree. Sometimes people cannot see the beauty of what is being offered. Sometimes we cannot see the beauty of what is before us. I thank God for His grace and mercy with me, for the people He brought into my life. Many of you are those people. Thank you for being full of grace, even when you could not see where it was leading. Please pray for us as we try to do the same in our lives here. 

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.