Sweet sisters

We are part of a fairly diverse family of God in Maastricht. I have always been so thankful for the hearts of everyone who is here, their willingness to help one another and intentionally be family for each other. This is especially evident in the sisters of the congregation. 

This past weekend several of our ladies went to the Ladies Retreat which is organized every year in Germany for English-speaking ladies or those who which to attend (there are other German-speaking or French-speaking retreats for ladies as well). It is encouraging to see how some of our ladies attend and encourage one another. 

Some of our ladies do not go to these sort of events, mostly because they cannot handle the travel or the sleeping accommodations. But others because of the situations at home (young children, unbelieving husbands, work schedules). The ladies who go and the ladies who stay both encourage one another, sharing about the weekend, supporting one another. 

This family encouragement continues throughout the year. Some of the ladies meet every Friday morning for a Bible study together. Some of the ladies take time on a Sunday to visit our sister who cannot attend and care for her. Others keep connected via social media or an old-fashioned telephone call. Some even write cards and letters. We have grandma’s, wives, working women, students, single women and daughters - all of them daughters of the King. 

The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy to encourage the older women in the church top help the younger women in the church. Just as with the men, we know that we all can learn from each other. Older members can catch the excitement and energy of younger members. Younger members can learn from the experience and wisdom of older members. This is what I see happening and it is exciting. 

Recently we have had a woman from the neighborhood visiting. She comes for a Bible study on Tuesday, but on Sunday she comes to worship, even as she is discovering what it means to follow Jesus. She sits in the row where several of our ladies sit together and they have wrapped her in their arms. During the coffee yesterday it was great to see sisters connecting with her and encouraging her. 

This coming weekend the ladies have planned a Ladies Day for the neighborhood. They want others to know this great love that God has for us. Please pray for this effort and their continued desire to share the love of Jesus with all of those around them.  

(Photo of the Ladies Day organized by Maastricht sisters November 2023)

Ladies on top of the mountain

This past week was another wonderful opportunity for international cooperation and growth. Every year the ladies in Europe plan a Ladies retreat at the beginning of March. Different groups do the organizing, but ladies come from around Europe: Benelux, Germany, France, Switzerland and Great Britain. Because of refugees in Europe, there are also ladies from Ukraine who attend. 

Shirley went with a group from the congregation in Maastricht which included our young Ukrainian sister for the first time. She mentioned when we picked her up on the way to join the car going to the retreat that as she had been worrying about it. But then she was talking with a therapist she has (as a refugee) and mentioned what the theme was: Questions from Jesus. Questions like: Why are you afraid? Why do you not trust? And she realized that she didn’t have to be afraid. 

It was exciting to hear afterwards how well it went for her. There were other Ukrainians present for the weekend and she was able to translate for them from English. This from a young lady who, when she arrived, could barely say anything in English. Now she speaks English quite well and can understand a good bit of Dutch as well. She saw how God was using her in the weekend, assisting and encouraging others. 

The weekend, held at a youth hostel in Germany, starts on a Thursday evening and goes through to Sunday afternoon, with the ladies getting home just before dinner on Sunday evening. This gives the husbands enough time to get the house cleaned up and dinner ready before the wife returns (or at least that is always my plan). I am always thankful that Shirley has always arranged for food while she is gone, showing me what is in the refrigerator and explaining again how to do things (I do not cook very often). 

We are thankful for these kinds of opportunities. Shirley was with her sisters from Maastricht, but was also able to see others from around Europe. There was also one of the ladies we have had contact with in the past who lives in Brussels and seeks guidance and assistance from Christian brothers and sisters. That is what we are all about as a family, a body. We are thankful this year for the sisters from Switzerland who organized the retreat. Next year will be organized by sisters from Germany and France. 

The body of Christ

A congregation, the church, as Paul talks about the church in 1 Corinthians, is a body. We all need each other. While we are gone to the US things will continue here in Maastricht because we are a body and a family. It is Jesus’ church. 

We are head out to the US on Wednesday morning early and we are looking forward to being able to see so many people we haven’t seen in four years or more. We will also get to meet lots of new people. But the last month has also given us the chance to see and welcome visitors from the US here. 

Raymond Blasingame, an elder in the 11th and Willis congregation that supports us from Abilene, Texas, dropped in for about a week. We were able to share our city, our village and the congregation with him. We also shared a great day with an old Belgian friend and got to see what our golf course in Maastricht is like. 

On Sunday Raymond shared the good news of being family in Jesus Christ and told us about brothers and sitters in other countries. This coming Sunday the congregation in Maastricht will have the opportunity to share financially with Sam’s  Place in Kenya. 

Not long after Raymond moved on to Kenya and the Philippines, we visited with folks from our supporting congregation in Minnesota. First Jared Hawley spent two days with us and we were able to share our Christian family here once again. He was able to spend a Sunday and spent the afternoon at a games day organized by our young Ukrainian couple. 

Last week we were also able to meet up with Dale and Vicki Hawley (uncle and aunt of) in Cologne for a few hours. They were on their way back from visiting with other missionaries in Greece and we were thankful to be able to see them as they passed through. We talked of life, family and how God blesses us in so many ways. 

As we plan to leave, the brothers and sisters in Maastricht have showered us with love and care making sure that we get to the airport on time, sending greetings to our supporting congregations, and covering some of the costs that we will have for this trip. It is good to kno0w that there are good brothers and sisters who will continue supporting one another and growing in faith. 

The body of Christ - it is not just symbolic. Together all of us as brothers and sisters in Christ work together, wherever we are, to accomplish His will in His Kingdom. It is amazing to be a part of this and to experience this daily. 

(Coffee time in Maastricht after worshipping together on a Sunday)

A quick trip

Today we are jumping on a plane - actually three planes - and heading to Omaha, Nebraska. By the time you read this we will have arrived, after a 24 hour trip. We are leaving our house at 6am and arriving in Omaha around 10pm (which is 5am in Belgium). Thankfully our Ukrainian brother, Alex, is driving us to the airport and watching our car while we are gone. Then he will pick us up on the 24th and get us home safely. 

In between we have eight and a half days with Shirley’s family (we fly out the day before Thanksgiving and arrive in Belgium the next day). Usually when we visit the US, once every three years, we have to fit everyone in to a pretty packed schedule. That means that Shirley’s family gets about 3 full days. So this time will be a real blessing. 

We want to take some time to be with Shirley’s sister, whose health is not doing well. It will also be a time to see the rest of the family and be an encouragement where we can be. We are wondering what the weather will be like - especially since we are only taking hand luggage. Sweaters and coats take up a lot more space, but we figure for the 10 days we are traveling, a smaller suitcase will do just fine. 

We are so thankful for the blessing of being able to travel. Although Shirley is not as flexible as she would like to be, she doesn’t want to put anything off at this time. And although we will not be able to see anyone else on this trip, we look forward to seeing her family and being able to see everyone else soon. 

Usually we would have made it to the US in the Spring of this year. That did not work out as travel rules were restrictive. Then, as we thought of coming in the Fall, a long trip and rising costs just didn’t fit. But we do hope and pray that we will be able to make our trip this coming Spring. It will have been 4 fours since we have seen most of our family or supporters. 

Please keep our travel and visit in your prayers as well as our hopeful plans for the coming year. And if you are in the area of Omaha in the coming week, let us know - perhaps we can get together for a cup of coffee somewhere. 

(Picture of Shirley with her brothers and sister in 2016)

Memories of Home

I remember singing Joh Denver songs and listening to Battlestar Galactica (on cassette tape) while falling asleep. That was many years ago when I first lived in the Netherlands as an apprentice. I felt alone. Was alone. But not alone. God’s family was always there taking care of me. And the family that made me feel at home was the family of Karsten Rog. 

Karsten was a teenager then. Henk and Celia, his mom and dad, took me in for Christmas and a few other times. Karsten is the eldest of three sons. Later I would work together with his younger brother, Reuben, at the beginning of the singing group Listen Up!. Karsten married Sandi and they became an active part of the congregation in Eindhoven. 

Years later again, when we were traveling in the US on our Home Assignments every three years or so, Karsten and Sandi and their kids were a certain stop for us in Colorado. Their oldest, Whitney, was born the same year as our youngest before the Rog's moved to the US. So we continued close, with Karsten and Sandi, with the kids, and with Henk and Celia. This was always a place where we have felt at home. 

This past week, after years of struggling, Sandi’s struggle with cancer ended and she went Home. We pray hugs to Karsten, to the kids and their spouses, and especially to Henk and Celia at this time of loss. But we also know that we will soon have some great Home time together. That is something that Sandi and Karsten always made clear to everyone around them. Home is where Jesus Christ is to be found. 

We also said goodbye to another sister here in the Netherlands. When I first went to the Netherlands, it was on a campaign from York College with Tom and Dottie Schulz. Sitting at a table in the church building of The Hague talking to Monica and Oscar was one of the major reasons that I returned to work with the church in the Netherlands. Oscar and Monica, two teenagers in the church, talked about how good it would be for someone to come help. I was already picking up the Dutch language quite quickly. My promise to come help them and the Dutch people was one of the reasons I would return. 

Elly was Oscar and Monica’s mother. She was a quiet woman as I remember her. Every time that I came to The Hague throughout the years (we first met in 1981), she was there and would say encouraging words. She loved to sing, loved to hear from the Word of God and did her best to live for her King. I always felt like I was coming Home when I visited The Hague and saw Elly. Elly was 92 and went Home to see her King last week. I look forward to seeing her again when I get Home. We will sing together and sit somewhere together quietly, wondering at the beauty of everything that we see. 

There have been so many memories made here on earth that are memories of Home. We are so thankful for all the saints that God has brought us in contact with - people who have hearts washed clean by grace and who try to live by that grace. What an encouragement to live the same way, have the same thought, in our own lives. Enjoy every minute with your brothers and sisters in Christ, even now. These are memories of Home. 

Changing faces

In the past two years of corona the face of the congregation in Maastricht has changed. We have always had four families or couples who have been the constant presence. These faces have remained the same, although they of course have gotten two years older. But there have been several new faces and this has changed the dynamic in the congregation as well. 

We mentioned back a while ago that a young American family had returned. The Haak’s had been with us four years ago, stationed in Germany just across the border. Now they have returned and have even been able to rent the same house they stayed in before. The kids have grown up (the youngest was only a baby when they left last). With covid restrictions we don’t get to see them as often as we would like, but it has been good to have them back with us again. 

Most recently we told you about new life here as well. Kitty’s husband, Freddy, put on Christ in baptism and died to his old life to become a new creation. We are all watching how God can make someone new and restore a broken relationship. This also means that we have a new couple in the family where we previously had a single. 

And speaking of singles, in the last two years we have gained 4 wonderful sisters to join the other 3. These ladies are serious about their faith, encouragers of each member and helpful in so many ways. Some are younger, some are older. Some are new Christians, some have joined us from other congregations because of a move to our area. All are a wonderful addition to this family. 

And then we have those who are most recently come to the family, including a brother from Ukraine and a young family from up north who have moved to the sunny south. In addition we have some regular visitors who may end up being a part of the family here. 

Corona has thrown plenty of curveballs for two straight years, but God knows how to handle those. Homeruns all around. We are so thankful for His might and wisdom in dealing with everything that comes our way. We pray that you, too, are experiencing all the good that God is bringing in these difficult times. 

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.   Ephesians 2:19-22

New year, new chances, new life

Yes, we really have started a new year. And we are determined to make sure that we pay attention to the new opportunities and chances that we can have. We want to focus on the reality of walking with Jesus each and every day. That is what matters more than anything else. So, although I have let my exercise slip - even before the year began - and have not been eating as I might wish, I will continue to keep God’s word in my heart every day and look to how to serve Him daily. 

Normally we would be planning a singing workshop for sometime in the Spring. And to be honest, although singing has been one of the major things to have been cancelled in these times, I feel like I have been singing more than ever. In December I was able to finish up work on four more lyric video’s of songs for the church. At the same time, we have been updating our songbook at the church and that has taken a good bit of work as well: fixing comma’s, checking layout, printing and putting the books together. 

In January I sat with a friend to try and translate some songs we want to learn in the church, but in Dutch. They are beautiful hymns, but figuring out how to fit Dutch sentences into the rhythms created for an English sentence is a real challenge. We were able to finish off all three songs which are now ready to be recorded at some time in the coming months. 

In the last few weeks, songs from Listen Up! have been added to the mix. For those of you who know Listen Up! - the a capella singing group with which we traveled much of Europe preaching through song - we stopped singing together in 2011, but have always wanted our songs to be an encouragement to any and all. Now all members have allowed me to make lyric videos of our songs. If you are interested in hearing them again, or singing along, visit the playlist: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFXofVK3dvg8eiLBFkCqsHGpeTQWFhv0b

January is also the time that we meet to officially plan our Bible camp season. We are not sure what the summer will look like with corona rules, but we are planning for the summer in any case. We were so very thankful for the chance to hold our camp weeks in 2020 and look forward to being able to help our young people grow in faith this coming summer. Shirley and I will be working with the Benjamins and I will continue on for another week, helping to train some new leaders in both weeks. 

In our normal, everyday life, we have also been excited by new changes and chances. A new sister has joined us in Maastricht. She has moved from up north and will be trying to make her life down in the south. We are thankful that she has found her way to us and look forward to how God can help us in helping each other and serving Him. 

We also have met another very new sister in the faith. She gave her life to Christ in the summer and is learning quickly every day what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We are meeting with her weekly to help her grow in faith and in knowledge of the word - starting with getting to know Jesus better. Keep her in your prayers as she grows and learns. We were excited to welcome her to the worship time this past Sunday. 

Another new situation is the brothers meeting that was moved from a Friday morning slot to a Monday evening slot. The hope is to help young brothers learn from older brothers, to give space for leaders to grow. We want to have a place where questions can be asked and answered in an encouraging atmosphere. We have had our first evening and I am looking forward to the second coming up in February. 

Some things stay the same. We are thankful that we still have mornings and evenings walking with Chester (our Cocker Spaniel). He is showing his age, but still loves chasing after cats when he gets the chance. And we still get to talk to our boys and daughters-in-love almost every week. Isn’t technology great at times! And we enjoy sitting together, sometimes playing a game of Trivial Pursuit, watching a film together or having a good conversation. 

Thank you, Father, for new days, new opportunities and the certainty of Your everlasting love and grace in our walk with You.