An eventful day

Some days just stay etched in your mind. I remember hearing from people who could remember everything that happened on the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. I remember watching the first landing on the moon and know exactly where I was when the Challenger blew up. In the Netherlands people remember where they were when they heard about the Bijlmer catastrophe (plane flying into a block of flats) or when the fireworks blew away a whole neighborhood in Enschede. In Belgium people remember the time hearing of Dutroux (a man who kidnapped and killed young girls) or the gas pipeline explosion near Ath. 

Some things just stick in your mind, become part of the tapestry of history of a place. That is what this date is for many in the world. September 11 brought some major changes in the world which are still reverberating today. We stood watching the news on the television repeating, “What? What? Oh no!” The boys were not quite sure what was happening and why we were so upset. It seemed at that moment that the world was falling apart. 

And yet, that was a very eventful time for us in general. When we first came to Belgium it was to work with the church in Maastricht, the Netherlands. We lived for a year in Antwerp, Belgium to get into the language and still be able to be with a congregation before we would start things with a new team in Maastricht. 

We were able to get a permit to stay in the country which was renewed every year. When we looked into how we would work things with the team, it was easier to stay living in Belgium rather than move into the Netherlands.  So we found a place to live, close by the border, and continued renewing our permit. This worked well for us and at one point we were able to get a 5 year card, instead of renewing every year. 

But coming up on 2000 the government decided that they needed to change things concerning foreigners in the country. It was not a problem to be working for a company, but religious workers were not going to be allowed to stay any more. We were informed that we would need to leave the country. 

Around this same time, the opportunity to become a Belgian opened up. Both the US and Belgium technically allow dual citizenship and the more we looked into it, the better it looked. The process to become Belgian was fairly simple. We wanted to be sure that we would still be able to get back to the US if needed, so only Scott went through the process. We heard the good news right around September 11 in 2001. 

Now it would be possible to stay in the country and continue our work with the church in Maastricht and churches in Belgium. As with the apostle Paul, we would now be able to use both nationalities, both citizenships. We would now be able to move freely within the European Union and preach the gospel. This was a real blessing that we could not have foreseen. And it came at a time when we wondered what was happening with the world. 

Clearly, God has a different perspective on what is happening in the world. We have good friends all around the globe who experience things others may never even hear about. Have you heard of the struggles in Sudan? Of the elections in Kenya? Of the hurricane that basically wiped much of St. Maarten away? Of the tsunami in Indonesia? And so much more (including a war in Ukraine). Or most recently, the earthquake that has killed thousands in Morocco? It may seem like the world is ending. It may look like there is no way forward. It may feel like God has forgotten. But we know that this is not true. We have seen so many times before (look at all the times in the Old Testament) that God has been faithful. He knows what is going on. He can use even this time for His glory. 

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.  Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5

What is God doing?

As we returned from the US to Europe, we were greeted with some of the troubles taking place around us. The war in Ukraine continues, as our brothers and sisters continue to move back and forth from ‘home’ to new ‘home’. So many have now made their home here in Belgium, but still long to be home in Ukraine. 

In the meantime, France seems to have exploded in anger, with cities igniting under the frustration of the youth (and many others) who are striking out blindly. Riots around France come just as many are getting ready to go on vacation. And it seems, if one watches the nightly news, as if the world is on fire. Has God completely forgotten about it all?

Last week we were blessed to be together with the congregation from Maastricht down at camp for a day. We met several members of the church from Liége, our French-speaking brothers and sisters from the sister-city just 30 minutes from us. They were together with a group of students from Harding University who had come with Robert McCready, their French teacher. 

The day was an amazing time of fellowship as the Maastricht congregation spent the morning learning from the Old Testament before sharing lunch. Song and conversation with the French-speaking brothers and sisters afterwards. This was the reality. There was peace and joy and comfort here together as children of God - even if it was just for that afternoon. 

This past weekend, we knew that that group of students was going to be in Lille, France for a concert with the local singing group Atout Choeur. We have enjoyed Atout Choeur for many years, but getting across to Lille (a 2.5 hour drive) is not always that easy. But we were planning on being there. 

The news said that there were riots in Lille. The news said that the buses and trams were not running. We sent a message asking if the concert was going to be held and received a clear message: Yes, of course. Please come! So we did, arriving in time to meet and greet as well as we can in our very broken French. 

Somewhere in the city there may have been some unrest. I do not want to make light of any of that. But in this neighborhood (a very ‘common’ area of the city, tucked up against a bit of highway and railway) everything was quiet and calm. Even better, there was singing! Members of the family in Lille were present as were several visitors and the gospel tones spilled out into the street. 

Afterwards we spent a very little time sharing encouragement with those we could speak with (those who spoke more English) before heading back to our car for the drive home. We would not get back until 1 am, but it had been a good visit. God is busy wherever His children are. He is busy in all sorts of places and situations. Even when we may think the world is burning and God is absent, He is there, in the middle of it all. 

We are so thankful for our brothers and sisters in so many different places who are faithful in singing of Him, speaking of Him and living for Him every day and in all circumstances. In Lille they are singing. In Marseilles a special week of missions is continuing. In Ukraine people are coming to Christ in the middle of a war. In Russia brothers and sisters are speaking of the true peace that comes only with Jesus Christ. God is working in His world. Is He working in your life? 

Where do blessings come from?

I have recently been reminded by a sister in Christ of how beautiful an attitude of trust in the Lord can be - and how much freedom and peace can be gained from such an attitude. So often we lose sight of the ways in which God is making us holy. Imagine that - we are being made holy! That can't be an easy process. So when difficult times rear their ugly heads, like death-dealing dragons, I can ask several questions.
Often the question is: Why? or Why me? But if I am living in trust (in faith), then I can ask a different question and see the real reality of life with the King of kings. I can ask: What is God going to do with this? Not "What is He 'able' to do with this." He IS able. And when we look back, hindsight makes everything perfectly clear. So why not look ahead in faith?
Matthew shares Jesus' words with us about this kind of faith when he talks of being blessed (see Matthew 5:1-12). Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who weep. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst. Blessed are those who are persecuted. These are not pleasant things that happen - they are times of struggle. And in times of struggle we are shaped and formed, like clay in the potter's hands.
So when my life gets difficult (and even when it all seems to be going so well), I can look for the blessings and ask: "Okay, Lord, what are you going to show me now?" Blessings come in all shapes and sizes, but we can easily miss them if we do not open our eyes and see as God sees.
This past month has been a mixed bag as far as 'good' and 'bad' days. But the blessings have been there every day. We are still looking at what God is going to do with some things - like our sister-in-Christ who is sick, or another sister struggling with fear or worry in her life. But I have learned to expect mighty things from our mighty Master.
We are thankful for the blessing of being able to sing together. We are blessed by the distance that separates us from our children, because we still get to talk to them weekly. We are blessed with days of meeting with and talking to many different people - people who are looking for the Lord in their lives and people who challenge us to look for the Lord in our lives.
How is God blessing you today?