Camp meeting and new beginnings

Every year in January we hold an official meeting for our Bible Camp. This is required by law, but it is also a time to get together and encourage one another. Camp has always been an amazing opportunity for the various congregations in Dutch-speaking Europe to work together and grow in faith. 

This year is one step in several that we are taking toward the future of Ardennen Bijbelkamp (ABK). For one, we are trying to instill some changes in the commission that runs the camp non-profit. Although we have a newer member of the commission, most of the members have been around for some time. To make sure that there is a future and that we do not keep doing things just “because that is how we always did it”, we want to make sure that everyone knows how things work. We also want to plan for a younger commission. 

Although the commission this year will remain the same, we are looking at getting newer members in while continuing involving all congregations and members in how camp is run. The camp leaders, cooks, counselors and teachers all come from the various congregations and give freely of their time to ensure that young people and church members are built up in faith. 

One of the other purposes of this formal meeting is that it is a place to formally announce plans for the future of camp. It was good to hear at this meeting that camp is being used more and more by more of the congregations, even outside of the usual camp week. The past years have also seen several new regular activities. This year will see another training session for camp workers as well as a first aid course so that all will be prepared for any problems. 

In addition, we heard about the renovation plans that are coming up. The first big renovation was done in 2012 when the “hall” was built. A further renovation of the dormitory was carried out before 2020. Now we will work on the earliest building that was built at camp. The kitchen and bathroom section was the first real building, built in 1968. It had been updated lightly through the years, but it was time to bring it in line with the rest of the building and open up new possibilities. We have planning permission and are now in the process of finding contractors and time to build. Next year may see the first use of the new building. 

In the meantime, we continue with plans for camp activities in 2026. I will be leading the Benjamins this year, learning from the gospel of Luke. That will be at the end of July, after we return from our Home Assignment in May-June. We look forward to another busy year in which God can use so many different people in the churches here.

(Photo of what the building will look like)

What a difference!

Round about this time last year we were thankful to have heating, could open our kitchen door and step out into wide open space instead of walk back to the bathroom, and had begun this journey that is remodeling. 

We started this because ... we couldn't keep the house warm, which was costing us a bundle, and we noticed everyone regularly having breathing troubles. Nothing too serious, but not good. When we looked behind the built-in cabinets that came with the house and looked behind the wood panelling to see what was being hidden - we understood all. 

Fixing these walls would have been as expensive if not more expensive than ripping them down and building anew. So... we did. 

Plans were for less space, but more efficient use. The kitchen, which on good mornings would catch  ray of sunlight, would move out of the dark, inner room to the new sunlit extension. We would lose a toilet and bathroom downstairs until the toilet could be rebuilt in a different place. 

To make all of this possible we also had to tear things apart upstairs where the old heater was removed and a new one installed. Until our kitchen was ready, we (Shirley) would cook in what was basically a sink and electrical outlet with space on the counter. Shirley cooked for almost a year using a microwave and electrical pizza pan. 

When Chuck Hicks and the Good News Singers from Harding arrived last year for the campaign here in Maastricht, we welcomed them with a house not even close to being finished - but we had windows! When we were finally able to hook up the cooker, life started getting easier. We still had to get water from the sink in the downstairs toilet, but dishes were done upstairs. 

Finally, all of the parts were complete. We now have a whole kitchen downstairs. And the old kitchen? This dark little room is starting to shape up, as we try to finish the bits and bobs that still need so much work, and will soon be able to be used as an office. We may even soon be able to finally move the washer and dryer out of the makeshift kitchen upstairs to its rightful place downstairs. 

Things are far from being completed (finishing touches, the yard still full of debris), but the winter showed us why we did this - we were able to heat the house and no longer suffer from the mold which was eating away the back part of the house. Interestingly - the original house, from 1936, never has had troubles. It was a section added on in the 70's which we tore down. Let the sun shine in!

Long time, no see!

It has been a very long time since I updated the blog. As you will hear in the newsletter (which has also been a long time coming), we have been preparing for a horde of exciting activities - many of which have started taking place. So here are a few pictures to show you what we have been doing. You can always check out more photos by clicking on any of the pictures or clicking on the link in the sidebar. 

Thanks for continuing to drop by to see how we are doing! 

A group of more than 50 from Belgium and the Netherlands went down to Switzerland to play football (soccer) with teams from churches from all over Europe (including Austria, France, Switzerland and Germany). Great fun, but also great fellowship, getting to know family and encouraging one another. I was blessed to be able to preach on the Sunday there. 

In the meantime our house renovations have continued. When the wall came down, everything had to be put into one room - a bit cramped! And this was just before our campaign group was to arrive (half of which would be staying with us).

But the windows have arrived, the floors are almost here (maybe next week) and we are able to breath a little again. Soon we may even have a kitchen!

Check out those low-tech earphones! A few threads, a spoon and you're ready to go. Just clang them against something hard, with your hands over your ears, and you've got an amazing sound!

Mid-May we went over to Antwerp for a youth weekend on Science and Faith. I taught some lessons, we looked at some science and we had a good time encouraging one another. Our campaign students from Harding (and Stephan!) also went with us. 

In between Stephan, Sean and Scott went up to Eindhoven to celebrate Jan Blaakmeer's 50th birthday - he "saw Abraham". Jan and Nit are good friends and loved brother and sister for many years. 

By Ascencion Day weekend it was time to head down to camp for our yearly clean-up, fix-up of camp, getting it ready for the summer. In the last few years it has been a miserable, wet, muddy bit of work (with plenty of good fellowship to outweigh all the negatives). This year was still muddy, but full of sun. 

Quite a bit still needs to be done, so it was great to have so many there to help! On to the summer camp weeks!

From May 11 our campaign group has been working hard. A part of the Good News Singers (from Harding University), with director Chuck Hicks and his wife, Melinda, has come to offer Black Gospel Workshops. We have had two groups in Maastricht and another with the kids in Veldwezelt (this picture). All of the groups learn to sing, learn about the message of the songs, and then sing for a nursing home in the area. 

It has been a great time to meet people from the neighborhood, sing some great songs, and really be an encouragement. As a matter of fact, many of the participants want to know if we can continue. Keep this in your prayers. 

This weekend we as a congregation are organizing the annual spring gathering of the churches in The Hague. Our theme this year is unity. This will also be the last activity for our campaign group, after which we will have a preparation month of June, getting ready for the busy month of July. Hopefully I will get some news up here again before then!

Thanks again for stopping by! Praise God for all that He is doing in our lives (yours and ours).