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

Whensday: Flood of summer 2021

Eline woke up early. She was staying down at camp with her family - mom and dad and brother, as well as grandma and cousins. It was a fun week to be together in a very nice place - Bible camp. This morning she was hoping it would be a bit better weather since it had been raining. Especially last night. As she looked out the window she was surprised at how high the creek was that ran next to camp, so she went and woke Grandma to show her. In a very short time - 15 minutes or so - they whole group had gathered as many belongings as they could, loaded the car and driven away from camp. The creek had become a flood. 

That day in 2021 the weather people called it a water bomb. It had rained enormously in a very short period that night. Later, studies would show that some poor decisions had been made as far as opening gates or closing gates. These decisions contributed to some of the extreme damage caused in the various valleys that were flooded by this water bomb. 

At our Bible camp the bubbling brook that runs through cam became a streaming river and swept away all sorts of things. There was a wooden building behind our dormitory which was swept into the dormitory and torn to pieces as it was swept along. All of the tools and metal lockers full of things we use for camp were swept away. Thankfully the lawn mower was off for repairs. 

The tiles that had recently been placed on our terrace , a place to sit outside to eat or study, were rolled up and pushed off into the adjoining field, along with the picnic tables (heavy wooden tables). It looked like a frozen wave of cement tiles. Glass from broken windows accompanied stones thrown up from the creek bed and covered the field. It would be a year before we were able with several cleaning crews to clear up the field well enough to be played in without danger of being cut by glass or sharp stone. 

That summer of 2021 the youth Bible camp weeks had to adjust. The first planned week was only a week after the flood and had to find somewhere else to hold the week. The Benjamins also had to seek other accommodation until the camp could be cleaned up. But by August several crews had been to clean up well enough that the Teen camp could be held back at our normal Bible camp grounds. The kitchen and bathrooms had been flooded, but had been cleaned and disinfected. 

The summer of 2021 was to be a summer that would be different for Bible camp. The summer of 2020 had been a special year because of covid rules. This year was to have been more “back-to-normal”. The flood made it a memorable summer for everyone. In the villages and cities around camp there were people who lost their houses and lives. Some have, even now, not yet been able to recover from the loss. We are thankful for all the people around us that made this bad situation into a strong memory.

(Picture is after the flood and after some of the cleanup - the flood took all the tiles away and the cleanup crews came later and stacked them).