Little Words

The last weeks have seen me trying to help someone who I have known for more than 20 years. We started reading the Bible together and I helped him out with moving, small things around the house, parenting tips (he is a single father) and more. 

Recently he was operated on a perforated intestine and almost died. His son - who is now a 26 year-old lawyer - reminded him after the operation that he had been given a second chance. You see, he has never been an easy person to live with. I have tried to remind him of an amazing truth I learned many years ago (as I mentioned a few weeks ago about pizza evenings with the youth group). The simple words “please” and “thank you” make the world a completely different place. 

While he was in the hospital a nurse came to assist him. She mentioned her name when he wanted to call her “miss”. Later, when I went looking for coffee, because we needed to wait for quite some time, she showed me the way. I thanked her and mentioned her name. A smile lit her face. It was nothing more than a simple “thank you”, but it meant a lot to her. Nurses have long days. 

So, we (his son and me) have given this man a challenge to learn these two simple sayings. He started his chemo this past Friday and immediately had some opportunities to practice. It is NOT something that comes naturally, although Ince you learn it, it can become normal. I saw this reality this past weekend in another way that we might not expect. 

This weekend was the COPA Benelux. The last COPA (the cup) was in 2019. Covid rules killed this indoor soccer tournament for the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands in the years between. We had people from 7 or 8 different congregations. We had 5 Fun teams and 5 Pro teams (each team being at least 5 people). We came with a Fun team from Maastricht. The Fun teams aren’t that serious and are often comprised of younger players. 

The COPA is also a time for members from the various congregations to see and talk to one another. It is a time to invite people we know who may or may not know Jesus to an event where we talk about and show what fun is like when Jesus is in our lives. 

During the play I remember hearing Luk Brazle, who played for Ghent Fun, calling out to the goalkeeper of Rotselaar Fun, “Good stop, Eva!” His teammate had just tried to score and the goalkeeper had kept the ball out. It was a great stop. It deserved the attention. So Luk made sure that the encouragement was there. 

Throughout the day you could hear and see these kinds of things happening. People thanking one another, enocuraging one another. During the Pro games I saw players admit when they had kicked it out, rather than wait on the ref. In fact, once their was a bit of a dispute about whose ball it was. The ref said one thing, a player said something else. Finally the opposite player simply said, “No problem. Their ball.” And the game continued. 

This is what people who know Jesus have discovered. Complaining may have its place in life, but it can only get so much done. And it seldom changes people. Gratitude changes hearts and situations the it is real. It doesn’t have to be big or flashy. It doesn’t really have to be noticed by anyone, except the person to whom it is addressed. Gratitude admits that YOU are not the most important at that moment, that someone else was needed. Gratitude allows humility to be present and grow. The same thing happens when we use “please”. 

Amazing that these are things we could learn early on in our lives. But we can still learn them later in life as well. Please keep A in your prayers as he tried to put his second chance to good use and learns to change his world. 

Thank you so very much for your encouragement of us in our lives and for how you show the love of God where you are. Enjoy your day of Thanksgiving this week, and remember that it is possible to practice this every day, in any month of the year. 

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Ukrainians update, God’s family

We have been blessed in Maastricht with various opportunities to get to know, help and be blessed by our brothers and sisters from Ukraine. Let me give you a quick update on what things look like for us. 

In Maastricht

Back in 2020 we welcomed Alexander Zotov to our congregation. He is a widower and preacher from the church in Kiev, now married to a widow in Belgium. He hand his son, Andrey moved to Belgium before the war broke out in full in Ukraine. At the beginning of the conflict, Andrey’s fiancee, Adriana, also moved to Belgium. She lives with our colleagues Ruud and Karla. 

These three Christians are a blessing to us in Maastricht. Most recently Andrey's cousin, Vlad, has joined us and lives with Andrey. They both bike to services on Sunday (and anywhere else they need to be). This is a good 40 minute bike ride. 

Andrey and Adriana also have family that moved to Eindhoven connected with the church there. We have been able to get together in the past year with those refugee brothers and sisters when we go to a devo/bbq night there or the monthly singing that we hold with the church in Eindhoven. Several of the young people also went to our Bible camp in the past weeks. 

Alexander has continued his work with the word by preaching and teaching in Maastricht. It is nice to have his knowledge, wisdom and desire to serve in the congregation. He has also helped us as we try to help others in Ukraine. He has contacts with those on the ground in Ukraine and we are able to help immediately and directly. So far the congregation in Maastricht has helped out with a brother who helps people who have problems with addiction and are even more affected by the things happening in the country. 

Elsewhere in The Netherlands

Back in the Spring the Dutch-speaking churches held their annual Spring get-together. This year we used the opportunity to look at how to deal with difficult times. Alexander was one of the speakers there, together with Oleksander, who is staying in the building in The Hague with his family. The day was encouraging and challenging as we worked through translating and dealing with various cultures and the challenging topic as well. 

Oleksander (whose nickname is Sasha - as are most Alexanders) is a youth minister from the church in Ukraine. He and his family left to be able to care for their daughter who has specific needs. Thankfully, they are able to stay in the building in The Hague. Unfortunately, this building has long needed some upgrades. But that has also been helped, most recently. 

The congregation in Muscatine, Iowa, held a special contribution jin order to help with the situation in Ukraine. They asked us how best to use these funds and we knew that they could well be used for the situation in The Hague. A new shower and washing area has been created in the building. 

Oleksander and his family are already reaching out in the community where they live. The past week and this week they organized a sort of vacation camp for Ukrainians in The Hague. About 150 people registered for these dates. Pray for how God will use these contacts and how He is using the members in The Hague mightily. Here is an article in Dutch (google translate it) that talks about Oleksdander. 

Camp

As mentioned, various young people form Ukraine attended camp. We at first had envisioned being able to host families at our Bible camp facilities. But the way that Belgium set up their refugee system made this nigh to impossible. Instead, we have been able to have any Ukrainian families send their kids or come themselves to the Bible camp week. 

There were several young people at our Youth Camp (15 years and older) as well as 4 young people at our Benjamin Camp (8-11 years) and 3 at our Teen camp (12-14 years). Add to this how God has used Russian brethren in the country to help out with translation and contact and I am thrilled at how God can make things beautiful from all situations. 

Thank you!

Thank you, Muscatine for your help with financing. Another part of your gift also went to helping a congregation in Ukraine which is welcoming refugees to their area. Thank you all for your prayers for refugees and church alike as we strive to show God’s grace and might in everyday situations. Praise the Lord for His might in making all things work according to His plan. 

Thank-you-very-much-you’re-welcome

Have you ever noticed? It is such a hard thing to do: to simply say, “Thank you.” Why is that? I know that part of it is a desire to be humble – a misplaced desire (the desire is not misplaced, but it gets put in the wrong place). When someone compliments me on something I have done, or on a characteristic that they have noticed or experienced in me, why do I feel the need to minimalize that? Because I think that otherwise I am being proud, tooting my own horn. So I say something like, “It’s nothing really. I just threw that together.” Or something like, “This old thing? I just found it in a thrift store.”

It is often true. Maybe it is something that I just threw together. Maybe I did get for a really good price so that it looks expensive but wasn’t. Maybe it is something that is easy for me. But am I being humble when I mention that?

God gives gifts as He sees fit. We are blessed with certain abilities that others do not have. That is how we can help and serve one another. If we didn’t have different abilities, we would not need one another, we would not be a body. (Consider Oholiab and Bezalel in Exodus 31 and 1 Corinthians 12 about the body).

What I am actually doing is negating what the other has said. I am basically saying that they are a liar. That what they are saying is either not true or not correctly seen or not actually important. But that is not at all what I want to do! It isn’t what I mean to be doing! But it is what is happening.

On the other side, what do I do when someone thanks me for something? Too often I minimalize again. Perhaps I don’t know how to deal with the attention. Once again, I don’t want to be prideful. So I deny them their thankfulness. Of course that is not at all what I want to do, but when I minimalize their thanks, I am not being humble.

I have noticed that this gets in the way of my relationships. Maybe you have noticed that as well (in your relationship with me – or in your own relationships). But it doesn’t have to happen. We all learned as children some simple ways of dealing with these situations.

When I was a kid there were a few ‘magic’ words: Please, Thank you, and You’re welcome. Nothing has changed since I have grown except that I have gotten taller and older. God asks us to be thankful to Him. He has made us and knows how we work best. Thankfulness is what puts all into perspective.

Thanking someone is good, but it is the same when they compliment us. They have done something for us – given of themselves, opened themselves up to us. It is best for me and for him/her to simply be thankful. If you have been able to do something for another, or be something for another and he/she mentions this in a compliment – say, “Thank you.” It is that simple. If someone thanks you for what you have done or said or have been – simply say, “You’re welcome.” No more, no less.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18