Youth weekend

Goede lessen
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

This past weekend we had about 40 people in our house - we are so thankful that God blessed us with a place like this to be used for Him! The church in Maastricht organized a youth weekend on the theme "Music man!" talking about why it is important to know what we are listening to.

The boys stayed at our place while the girls stayed over at the Verheijen's house. Sean and Stephan were glad to have their rooms full (literally: Sean had 5 in his room, Stephan had 6 and there were two in the playroom donwstairs!) During the together times it was packed, but exciting.

We went to a "bare-foot-path" where we walked through the woods, over stones, through rivers and all sorts of things - all on bare feet. It was great. (check out our photo site for more pics). In the afternoon the young people split up into groups and wrote their own songs, based on any text they wished from the letter of James. These kids continue to surprise and impress us! What wonderful songs!

On Sunday the meeting room for the church was packed full (overfull) with all the youth and several visitors (including my Chinese Bible student!). The singing was great, as was the fellowship. Afterwards we ate together and finished up the weekend with a concert from Listen Up! For this even more people showed up to make it standing room only.

What a blessing God has given us in music, in song, in his family and his Word!

Furlough Schedule

In just a few weeks we will be leaving our house at about 6 am to drive three hours over to Frankfurt, Germany to start our trip this summer through the USA. We are so excited about everyone we will get to see! When Jesus promised Peter that he would have family everywhere, he knew what he was talking about. And we won't even be able to visit all of you!

As you might be able to make out from the puzzle here, we will be visiting 9 different places in 7 different states - not counting the ones we just fly or drive through. We will do our very best to keep this blog updated regularly - with pictures (on the photo site) - and let you know how we are doing and how we are enjoying your company!

Here is a summary of our travel schedule:
June 29 - Leave Europe and arrive in Minneapolis/St. Paul
June 29-July 8 Together with the Woodbury church in St. Paul, MN
July 9 - Drive down to Muscatine, IA
July 9-15 Together with the church in Muscatine
July 13-14 Drive over to Indianapolis and back to visit with Scott's brother, Michael, and his family
July 16 - Drive across Iowa to Omaha, NE
July 16-19 In Omaha with Shirley's family
July 20 - Drive to Colorado Springs, stopping at York College to visit
July 20-28 In Colorado Springs with Scott's family
July 28-29 In Denver with Scott's brother, Chris, and church family in Denver
July 30 - Fly to Los Angeles
July 30-August 9 Together with the Long Beach church, including a visit to San Diego to visit Scott's sister-in-law and nephew
August 10 - Fly to Dallas and drive to Abilene, TX
August 10-19 Together with the 11th and Willis church in Abilene and including visits to LCU and ACU
August 20 - Drive to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area
August 20-22 With church family (McNeill's) in the Dallas area
August 23 - Fly to Minneapolis/St. Paul
August 24 - Fly to Frankfurt, Germany and drive back to Belgium

If you are in the area (or fairly close) let's try to get together!
As mentioned, we will not be able to see everyone we would have liked :-( Florida and Canada are a bit off this particular beaten path that we have to take, and Kansas and Oklahoma, nestled nicely in between, were just not possible in the time we have. We will miss you! Please keep up with how things are going and let us know how you are doing too.

NONE of this is possible without the love and care that so many have shown! On this end we have had to figure out how to take care of Snuffles for two months while we are gone. Several people form the church in Maastricht and even our neighbors have offered to watch the house and walk the dog. We are so blessed!

And we know that we will be welcomed in every city with open arms and genuine love (and lots of food ;-) ) wherever we stop during our trip through the States. It is so good to be a child of the King! We are looking forward to seeing you, hearing how God has been working in your lives, seeing how much taller everyone has gotten (the "kids" who aren't kids anymore!) and sharing together how good God is. Thanks for making this possible!

Close to You (some more dog wisdom)

"Just like me, they long to be . . ." Can hear the Carpenters? Then I guess this dates you too.

Snuffles loves to be wherever we are. If we are sitting on the couch in the living room, she will either be on or under our feet. If we get up to get something in the kitchen, she will follow. As I am writing this on the computer, she is sleeping on "her" ottoman behind me. So, of course, when we leave, she misses us. If we leave anything personal in the kitchen where she stays when we are gone (and I mean ANYTHING: socks, a shoe, a scarf or handkerchief), we can be assured that we will return to find her laying on it - just to be close to us. (This is Sean's sportsbag she's laying on).

Nice thought when you translate this into our relationship with God. Wanting to be so close to Him that we spend all of our time with Him - wherever He may be, or what He may be doing (or wanting us to do). Another one of those links that my mind makes.

Weird and wonderful (2)

This is for our hot water in the kitchen. It looks a bit like a mini-boiler, but it isn't. It heats the water as it goes through. We used to have a boiler (5 liter), but you had to wait until the water was hot and then hope you didn't use that much water for the dishes. This works okay, but to get really hot water you have to keep the pressure down - so it becomes a game to see if you can get the water hot enough with enough pressure. I am always ready for a game.

These are our electrical outlets. My brother might find these pretty interesting, considering he is an electrician. But these are NOT Belgian outlets. The person who did the electricity in our house was wise. You see, the Belgian outlets have a pin sticking out of them. Only a Belgian plug will fit. But a Dutch outlet will take a Dutch, German, French or Belgian plug. But don't plug your American hair-dryer into these - it still won't work. Not because I don't want you to have dry hair, of course, but simply because it works with 220v and your hair-dryer (if it comes from the States) runs on 110v. Your dryer will blow up and my electricity and your hair will go on the frizzle.

A long, long time ago - and plenty to come

It was 26 years ago that Shirley and I first started dating - during a campaign to the Netherlands, on the steps of the church building in The Hague. We have never looked back. It would be 3 years of dating - most of those with me in the Netherlands and Shirley in the US - before we were able to give ourselves in marriage. But May 31 is still our special anniversary. This year we spent time together in Maastricht - just being together. That's how we belong. We are looking forward to everything that the future brings - as long as we are together.

The weird and wonderful

I just wanted to take you on a short tour of some of the weird (have you ever noticed how weirdly this word is spelled?) and "different" things you might find in our house, compared to yours. Then again - I have been in some of your houses!



This is a birthday calendar. Every Dutch house will have one. Of course we live in Belgium, but a lot of my "upbringing" is Dutch and we work with the church in Maastricht - the Netherlands. One puts all important birthdays on this calendar - family, uncles and aunts, special friends. The interesting thing is where you will always (or most often) find this calendar. Care to guess? It is where you will always be able to see it and be reminded.

Sometimes our visitors, when asking where the milk might be, search our kitchen for the refrigerator. It is right in front of them, hidden in the kitchen cabinet.


This is not that different from many homes. The size might surprise many of our friends from the US. We had to learn quickly how to pack efficiently.


But they don't sell supersizes over here either - so that is a plus. And if you are looking for the milk, you may not find it in our refrigerator anyway - we use sterilized milk which can be stored in the cabinet without refrigeration. (not very Dutch - they hate the stuff - but very efficient)
More later.

Don't Forget

Scott reminds us "Don't forget!"
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

This past Monday was the yearly gathering of the Dutch-speaking churches, held in The Hague. This is a time of fellowship, of encouragement, and of challenging one another in our Christian lives.

It was great to be able to sing with Listen Up! again after the long hiatus we had taken to finish the CD (which is almost done!). It is such a blessing to be able to serve, to sing and to be with these people who love God so much. Days like these help you to remember what is most important.

My best friend and I always put a PS in our letters - "Don't Forget!" This is to remind us that we have a place we are going, we have a Home, we have a Father who is taking us there - so we want to live as people who have such things. That is the song I am singing - based on 2 Peter 3:9. Don't Forget!

Ascension Adventure

Years ago, when Shirley and I were young marrieds (wait a minute - we are still young marrieds!). we would often go off on a walk somewhere, just wondering where it would lead us. We looked for "adventure" this way. Sometimes taking a new road, sometimes not worrying about whether our shoes would get wet or muddy - whatever. When the boys came along, these adventures slowed down (although they were just as much a part of the adventure!).

Now that the guys are older, can handle themselves at home alone, and aren't always interested in doing what Mom and Dad are doing (did that surprise you?), Shirley and I decided to leave them on their own for a bit and go on an adventure. Ascension Day is a holiday here, so we jumped in the car and drove off - we had a general direction, but simply chose a turn whenever we approached an intersection.

We are blessed to live in a very international area, and a very beautiful area, so we drove through hills in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany - all within 10 minutes of each other. There is a "three-country-point" (which we didn't visit since we have been there before), and lots of rolling hills and picturesque villages. A stop for coffee and lunch in one village, wondering where that road leads to (and finding out), several castles and ending up at a village where they were holding an antique and rummage sale (one man's junk is another man's antiques!).

We got home in time for dinner and played a game with the boys before watching a movie together. It was a great adventure-filled day!

Of dogs and the Holy Spirit

When I first came to the Netherlands I was quite a young Christian. I remember being frustrated at how much I didn’t know and thrilled at how much I could learn. I am still caught in this dichotomy and enjoying it as much. But back then I would take a walk each evening to clear my head and just think and pray. There was a beautiful park close to where I lived and I enjoyed walking there. It was there, while watching someone walking their dog, that I saw for the first time how the Holy Spirit worked at times in my life.

I don’t remember now exactly what was going on, but I had been reading that evening in my Bible (often trying to read in Dutch as well) and that evening I was able to put some things together. Just watching that dog put together some of the points that had been made in the Word barely an hour before. And it made sense because I could see it (I am visual and tend to visualize a lot of things). I believe that that is how the Holy Spirit works. Of course, if I don’t put any of God’s Word into my head and heart, then there is not much for Him to work with.

Yesterday the Holy Spirit was teaching me through Snuffles. Snuffles – for those of you who may not know – has been our dog for the last year and a half (for an interesting lesson concerning “our” dog, click here and see "Finally 'ours'"). She was born with tunnel vision and is basically blind. Since she doesn’t smell that well either, she is pretty wary of other dogs. As a matter of fact, she will attack first in order to make sure that she is not attacked.

This has several consequences for our walks. First of all, she likes to stay on the beaten path. She does NOT want to run off into the grass or whatever, because more than likely she will get some twig poked in her eye or fall off the edge of the road into the canal beside our road. If we go off the path, she has to stay right close to me (following me) to be sure that she doesn’t get in any trouble. And I have to take a path that is not dangerous for her. Where it is safe, she is free to roam around and get spooked every once in a while by the sounds of the rabbits in the bush. She can stretch herself and try new things. She knows I am close by.
Secondly, Snuffles is most ferocious with other dogs when she is on the line. She knows that I am going to pull her back. I have been trying to teach her to be calm around other dogs. But at the same time, I DO have to protect her from other dogs. Some dogs want to bite her head off (and could do with no great difficulty!) If she is loose (which I do when I know no dogs will be around), she is actually a scaredy-cat and stays nice and close.
Finally, she trusts me to keep her out of trouble – I am her eyes. I know when things are approaching and can see the whole picture. She only sees what is right in front of her (and can’t even see that half of the time!). When we drop a special snack for her, we usually have to tap the floor until she finally finds it!

So the HS pointed out how similar we are, Snuffles and I. If I am to stay safe, it’s good to be in close contact with God. Now it may sound strange, or even upsetting to think of this as a leash, but the only reason the leash is there with Snuffles is to make sure she doesn’t fall in the canal or get eaten by big German shepherds. God sees the whole picture, where we often only see what is right in front of us (and not even that half the time!).
When we are loose, it is in a safe environment, although we may not think so at times. And God will always keep us safe, so we need to trust him. When he says we are okay, we shouldn’t be growling like vicious animals (and I think about how we treat one another sometimes – attack first and think later).
Psalm 119:105 says that the Word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path, but 1 John 1:7 reminds us that we WALK in the light as HE is in the light. Having the light isn’t everything – we are walking along. And if we stop, the light continues and we are left in the dark. One of the most endearing things about Snuffles is how she always runs back to me to make sure that I am still there. She hears me, turns around with a little jump and confident walk, and heads back out to find out what is ahead, knowing that she is okay – I am there. Good thoughts. Amazing what the Holy Spirit can do with a dog and a walk.

April Newsletter

Light in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you have refreshed the hearts of the saints. Philemon 6-7

Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
This has been a very challenging month - God is so good and mighty. I’m glad He is in charge - He does such a good job!

Reaching out and reaching in
One of the joys of knowing God is that we have the opportunity to let others know about Him and how good it is to live with Him. Sometimes that means studying or talking, and other times that just means singing His praises.
In April we tried again with the “Getting to know the Bible” series we offered in March. This time we put it in the newspaper as well. We had four good responses, of which one was able to find our building (something to work on in the future). Mr. W. not only came to the first three lessons, he also continued through the second set of lessons and wants to know more about the church. Hopefully you will be reading more about him in next month’s newsletter. Please keep him in your prayers.
At the end of the month Listen Up! went to Antwerp to sing with the a cappella vocal band “Agape-la” from Paris. This was a great opportunity to reach out to people in the neighborhood in Antwerp. Posters and flyers were printed, people were invited and in a meeting place meant for about 70 people we had more than 120 listening to good news about Jesus Christ! It was a sweaty evening (there is no airco in this building and it was one of the hottest days in history for this time of year), but everyone listened with pleasure. We heard afterwards that there were several from the neighborhood as well as a couple who had come from more than 2 hours away because they had seen it on the internet. It’s great to sing of such a wonderful life!
Speaking of singing, at the beginning of the month we went down to camp with our young people for an Easter weekend. Before the weekend we had told the young people to prepare by knowing Philippians. Down at camp we had a quiz and talked about what we had learned, but we also put that knowledge into song. We sent them off in groups for 90 minutes with the task of writing a song based on something in Philippians. Now we have four new songs for our songbooks! Amazing what God can do with willing hearts and minds!

- the view from the "Love Tree" -

We closed out the weekend with a sunrise service up at the “Love Tree” (a tree at the top of a hill nearby camp) remembering what Jesus has done for us. Then everyone headed back to their respective congregations to celebrate this wonderful family that God has given us. It was a great weekend which we are already planning to repeat. First we have a weekend to prepare for June which will also include singing and song-writing. This weekend showed me never to underestimate what God can do.

Studying
In addition to the regular studies Scott has with several adults, he and Ruud have also started working with the youth of the congregation. At least once a month they get together to have fun and games, and on other days to challenge their hearts and brains. Sometimes these studies are about current topics (most recently - creation), but also about the basics of real life with God. Please keep these young people in your prayers as they struggle to see if this is real or just something adults do. Pray also for us that we will not be just teachers, but examples of how real this life truly is.
On Monday evenings Scott is involved with university students from Maastricht in a weekly Bible study. Students from Germany, Romania, Ukraine, the Netherlands and the US get together to discuss all sorts of topics. Scott recently led a study on “Who is Jesus” as part of a group of studies on God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus. It has been interesting to see that although these students don’t want to be “told” what is right, they are more than willing to listen to someone who has a little more experience (and hopefully more knowledge). Pray that we can always simply get back into God’s word and see what is really there.
Next month Scott will be presenting a study and helping with a discussion over homosexuality and how Christians should respond. This is quite a current topic for these students (and all of us). It is exciting to see that instead of running away from difficult topics, they are more than willing to examine them based on God’s word.
Some months can be very busy and very challenging. There have been times this month that I felt like the day had stretched into 36 hours. But each evening God brought rest and created new opportunities and strength for the new day. What an awesome God!

Prayer warriors
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- My reading in the Bible with LJ, Gerard, Cor and Titia and Mieke.
- Our continued contact with people in our villages.
- Upcoming youth weekends and concerts in May and June.
- Our upcoming youth activities. What a blessing to see them growing in so many ways!
- Thanks for the “Getting to know the Bible” series and continued prayers for the participants.
- Shirley’s and Ruud’s health. Shirley is doing better.
- Thanks and praise for a wonderful church family!

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
Although many of you may have gotten showers in April (or even snow - we heard), we have been enjoying summer weather. As a matter of fact, we broke a record for the most days without rain here. Thankfully (yes, I can truly say that!) it has started raining again. But during the sunny days we have experienced a good mix of fun,beautiful and challenging times.
Stephan went off at the beginning of the month to some friends outside of Eindhoven. It’s not always easy when your friends live so far away. But he also spent plenty of time with his school friends and his teammates from basketball. As a matter of fact, his team became champions - which meant that he had to shave his head! Sean couldn’t stop laughing, some girls were quite impressed and Stephan simply continued with a smile (as always).

- Stephan, the champion -

Sean had a real up and down month. He was approached by the coach for the C1 team (two levels up from where he plays at C3) to play with them. Unfortunately, his own coach didn’t want to lose him. So he played for both teams for a little while. But in the next to last game, one the C1 had to win in order to continue at their current level Sean fell and broke his elbow (maybe)! Scott was off in Antwerp at a concert, Shirley was off to the store, but thankfully Ruud (our colleague) was there to accompany Sean to the hospital. After lots of x-rays, they still weren’t sure, so now Sean is in a cast and waiting on new x-rays and certainty about what has happened.
In the meantime, he had been having a good time with his best friend Wouter. Wouter’s parents were off together and didn’t want to leave Wouter alone, so he stayed with us for several days. Both he and Sean are big Genk fans (the pro soccer team) and followed all the news together. Genk is fighting to win the season and they have a good chance.
Shirley is doing well. The latest EMG showed that things are actually getting better. She has doubled her medicine so that it is more effective (according to doctor’s orders) and we will check in again just before we leave for the States this summer. In the meantime it is definitely Spring, which means new flowers and trying to keep up on what is happening in the yard (but being careful about what she does!).
We all have enjoyed the times getting together with our brothers and sisters around the country. At the end of the month Listen Up! had a concert in Antwerp together with a group from Paris - Agape-la. Shirley and Sean had to stay home (the day Sean got hurt, Shirley taking care of him), but Stephan went with Scott and got to see lots of friends and meet new people.

EXTRAS
DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about
Belgium and the Netherlands
Delicious?!
- Most people have heard of Dutch cheeses: Gouda, Edam. Some other typical meals include pea soup and many different ways of preparing cauliflower or cabbage.
- Although the Belgians are not as well known for their cheeses, they do have quite a few varieties. Currently Belgium is more known for their beers and their chocolate. But you might also want to look into recipes for cooking venison or rabbit.
Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know.
What’s coming up?
MAY
Getting to know the Bible
Listen Up! concert
Youth studies
JUNE
Youth weekend and concert
Outreach in our neighborhood
THANKS!
- For praying for us - and letting us know that!
- For your continued desire to know and follow God
- For your blogs, emails and calls - it is great to hear what is going on with you.

Sometimes we think we know what to expect. April is supposed to bring flowers and the beginning of showers, right? But if it ends up doing something different - well, then, just keep on going, with a smile (Stephan is always a good example!). We have been blessed through all the things we experienced this month and pray that you too have been able to see the blessings in all that has happened in your life this month. Have a great day today!

Wiser on the Way

This evening we finished up the "Getting to know the Bible" series of lessons. In Dutch it is called "Wiser on the way". A "wiser" has two meanings: to be wiser and something that points (like the hand on a clock). So the title means that you can become wiser on the way and you can be pointed to the right direction with the Bible.

We had put a press release in the local papers and had 5 good reactions. Mr. W. showed up for lessons 1-3 last week. (We know that at least two others tried to find it, but got lost in our neighborhood - something to learn from for next time!). We have had some wonderful discussions with him each evening. He decided to stay for lesson 4, 5 and 6 this week and has asked for more information on the church and on the Bible. Thank you for your prayers and please keep him in your prayers.

One of the most encouraging things throughout this series has been Willemien, our 85-year-old sister. She has been present each time we have offered lessons 1-3. She makes sure the room is open, turns on the heat if needed (we started these last Fall) and gets coffee ready. But more importantly, she takes part. As she has said, most of the time she arrives tired (the lessons are in the evening) and leaves completely energized. This time she was telling everyone to be sure and come - and she takes the information she has learned and passes it on to people she meets and talks to. What a wonderful blessing she is to the church here!

Thank you for your prayers for this effort. We will repeat the series again in the Fall, hopefully reaching more people from here in the neighborhood.

Stephan - the champ!

Stephan - the champ!
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Stephan came home yesterday looking a bit different. This season his basketball team had decided that if they won the championship they would shave their heads.

As the end of the season came into view this promise became a bit more serious - they hadn't lost a single game. The next to last game they lost (their only loss!) to the second-place team. This meant they had to wait for one more game before knowing if they were champs or not.

Well, last night they were crowned (can you say that with a head like that?) champions. Click on the picture to see a few more pictures of Stephan's new style.

What do you believe? (2)

I wanted to respond to one of the questions on the last entry about the Catholic weekend.


It was really exciting to see these young people struggle with what they do believe. They expected, I think, that we (the adults) would simply tell them what they SHOULD believe. And as usual, when asked the first answers were typical answers (the ones they know you as adults want to hear).

But then they realized that the question was serious. If they could choose, which elements from the "articles of faith" would they keep, which would they throw away and what would they add to it? There was a time of discussion to talk about things that they believed. Some of these points included: "That man and animals will always live well together" or "That God will always help me to love animals." There was also mention of "eternal love", "friendship" and "forgiveness".

One of the most interesting points came after everyone had had a chance to say some of the things they believed. We then voted on what should stay or go. What with Idols and such, that is what these kids were used to (and to be honest - that is what a lot of adults would like to think they should be able to do with their "articles of faith"). But they only had three votes! They had two blue (a full "YES") and one red ("maybe?"). At the end, we had a board with the various points blue or red-dotted.


An intriguing point came from the article (mentioned by one of the participants): "That we should forgive because Jesus forgives." This point was one that had the most stickers, but they were mostly red. When discussed it was made clear that many thought this a VERY important point, but they also realized that it was very difficult to do.

Some other points concerned whether there really is life after death, whether God created the earth or what it means to be part of the church. The most exciting point of all of this to me was that these young people were seriously THINKING about all of this, instead of just learning something by rote or writing something down. They will struggle with these concepts, for a little while at least. And that is what we are supposed to do!

No - just because we decide that something shouldn't be on the list does not determine whether it is true or not. We don't get to vote on what is true. But we DO, we MUST decide what we really believe. Belief is not cerebral, it is entire - encompassing our thought AND our life-actions. That is something these young people were exposed to in this weekend and I hope in the coming months and years still.

February-March Newsletter

LIGHT in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11

Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
Some months just fly by! These past two months have shown us why it is so important to know what we believe.

What do you believe?
Our regular studies, our youth activities and our outreach has been focused on this question - either by purpose or providence. It has been enervating and exciting as well as frustrating at times.
Every week I read from the Bible with four people (for whom many of you have been praying). It has been interesting to see how each meeting is becoming a confrontation - not because I am doing anything differently, but because the message of Jesus is getting through. We mustn’t underestimate how much smoke and miscommunication blurs this message to people in a culture where one assumes the message has already been heard (and long ago rejected). So when the real picture of Jesus - as presented in the Bible - finally gets through, it can be quite confronting.
Some don’t like it. Jesus calls us to follow him and only him. He makes clear that there are good things and bad things - no relativism for him. And he calls sin “sin” - without beating around the bush. So what do you do with Jesus?
One of the people I read with has come to realize what it means to be adopted nito Christ - at least that he is not yet part of Christ. Another has been considering this question for some time. She knows that if she accepts Jesus that this means changing her life. This change can be literally dangerous for her in her own country. She wonders if she is willing to make this choice. Does she really believe?
This is also what came up during the Catholic weekend in which we had an opportunity to participate. The “articles of faith” are usually quoted during confirmation - the moment for Catholics when they accept the baptism they were given as babies and declare their own faith. But do these young people (11 and 12-year-olds) really believe these things? That is what one of the organizers struggled with, mainly because he also is not sure if he believes them. So the young people were encouraged during an activity to put together the things they DO believe in. These young people will have been challenged to think about what they really believe when they make this choice.
Thank you for your prayers for this opportunity. There were some really good opportunities for discussion - with the young people and with the adults. We pray that God will continue to use us in this village in the future. There are so many who do not know what they believe or why.
This is why we want to get people into reading their Bible. Our course “Getting to know the Bible” was offered in March, but there were no takers. We sometimes don’t know if this is because of the time (just after Carnaval), our advertising methods, or some other reason. It was frustrating to have everything ready and no one show up. But we are not giving up. We have put ads in the papers and will offer the course again at the end of April, beginning of May.
Growing together
In February I presented a series of lessons at the Advanced Bible Study Series (ABSS) in Germany. The lessons were on “Glory and suffering” and camne from 1 Peter. Difficult material when you are one who has not yet really suffered - considering that in the West we aren’t really persecuted as Christians. But it is important information to internalize. We all expereince what we feel is suffering, and the message remains the same: If we hold on to God, He is glorified and will carry us through, shining as never before.

- Scott taught at ABSS -

The week after ABSS Shirley was able to go to the Ladies Retreat in Germany. We weren’t sure if her health would allow it, but she did well on the drive there and back and enjoyed the time with sisters from around Europe. We are so thankful that several of the ladies from the congregation here are able to go - and want to go.

- at the Ladies Retreat -

Back in Maastricht we continued working on some memory verses - another possibly confronting situation. It was exciting to see some of the young people learning these verses, while the adults were the ones struggling. But it was also a challenge to make clear that this is a opportunity and not a badge of superiority. We want everyone to know the pleasure of knowing God through His word. In April we will get together for a weekend at Easter and test our knowledge a bit, but in the meantime we will put our knowledge into practice - the best test. What a wonderful, challenging, life-changing God we have!

PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- My reading in the Bible with LJ, the Chinese PhD student.
- Our contact with young people in the village of Ruud and Karla (Veldwezelt).
- Development of a program for our older youth (18-30) and helping them to grow in their faith.
- Our upcoming youth activities. These contacts are going well, with our own young people and their friends.
- The “Getting to know the Bible” series in April and May - for good visitors.
- Shirley’s and Ruud’s health.

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
I want to use this opportunity first to update you on what has been going on with Shirley’s health. At the time of this writing she is feeling pretty good and we are very thankful for your prayers and for the wonderful care we always have in our Father.
In December Shirley realized that the pain in her arm and neck were not going to go away, so we went to the doctor. He sent us to the physical therapist, who really couldn’t help, so we were referred to some tests. Shirley has now had the pleasure of expereincing a CT scan, an EMG and an MRI. To clear up that alphabet soup a little: a CT scan is like an all-around x-ray, and EMG measures electrical impulses, and an MRI uses magnetics to look at the soft tissues in your body (sees what the x-ray cannot).
All of these tests confirmed what the first specialist said - Shirley has two major hernias in her neck pressing on two nerves which go to her right arm. The hernias may be caused by or exacerbated by the arthrose in her neck (arthrose is basically wear and tear - the bone is worn out). She has anti-inflammatory medicine to help what may be swelling (although it is not certain that anything is swelling) and takes some pain madeicine. She also needed to stop doing the things that hurt (easier said than done!).
At the end of March we had a further meeting with the neurosurgeon (works on nerves) about the possibilities of surgery. He is happy that Shirley seems to be doing well with the medicine. Shirley will go in for another EMG in April to make sure that the nerve is not deteriorating (even though she does not have as much pain). At that point they may discuss surgery again.
In the meantime, Shirley continues being the joy she has always been in the lives of those around her. She makes bread and muffins and cookies (as long as one of her “men” gets the things from the tall cabinet), makes sure that everything is running well in the household and shows a continuous and firm trust in God. She knows that this physical ailment is frustrating, but not eternal.
The boys have continued growing and learning in all they are doing. Sean is now well above Shirley in height. In fact, he may pass Stephan soon. They both continue to enjoy their sports and keep going in school (whether theyreally want to or not). Stephan takes the SAT in May, so he has been doing some extra studying.
It has been great to see how both of the boys have tried to help in all ways when needed while Shirley was not feeling well. Stephan is truly a young man, willing to accept responsibility, taking the consequences when he does something wrong, willing to make things right, sharing in his victories. It is exciting to see.
At the end of March we were pleased to be able to see Sue Foster. She is still planning on joining the team in Ghent and was able to spend some time with them there. We were just glad to be able to visit some. What a joyful spirit!

EXTRA'S
DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
Well-known current sport celebrities
- Women’s tennis: Justin Henin and Kim Clijsters
Interestingly - Justin is from the French-speaking area, Kim from the Flemish-speaking area of Belgium.
- Swimming: Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband was American sensation Michael Phelps’ major competition in the 200meter freestyle at Melbourne. He won 3 Olympic gold medals in Sydney.
-IOC: Jacques Rogge, a Belgian, is the chairman of the International Olympic Committee.

What’s coming up?
APRIL
Youth weekend
Getting to know the Bible
Listen Up! Concert
MAY
Getting to know the bIble
JUNE
Youth weekend and concert

THANKS!
- For your emails and comments on the blog
- For all those helping with our furlough
- For your continued prayers and encouragement

Thank you for all of your prayers and comments (on the blog). We are enjoying the things that God has brought into our life, knowing that we are always with Him - so it’s going to be great!

Sonrise

Zonsopgang / Sunrise
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

This past weekend we held a youth weekend down at camp for our young people. We have been learning memory verses and looking at the letter to the Philippians, so we put some of that to the test with a quiz.

We also split up into groups and wrote some new songs based on texts from Philippians. Unbelievable what these young people can do! We have four new songs to add to our songbooks. And they did that in 90 minutes!

Sunday morning we got up early to see the sunrise - you can't really see the sun rise from here, but you can see it getting lighter. It was so beautiful! A good time to remember what we have in Jesus. Back at camp we ate breakfast together and headed out to our respective congregations (we did this weekend with some of the youth from Tongeren).

It was a wonderful weekend that we are looking forward to repeating at different times in the year. What a great family we have been put in by such a wonderful Father!

What do you believe?

This past weekend I took part in a youth weekend for Catholic youth preparing for their confirmation. You might remember that Karla Verheijen was approached in her village by the committee which organizes the catechism for these young people. They knew Karla and Ruud were believers and that they know their Bible, so they asked if Karla wanted to help. Along the way Karla mentioned that I had experience with youth weekends and the committee asked my help with this weekend.

This was a unique opportunity – both Karla and I want people to consider what they believe and to look deeper at what they are taught. We also encourage all people to read the Bible. The other adults in this committee not only don’t know much about the Bible, they aren’t really sure if they believe in God. But they do believe that the church is important for these young people. So this weekend was organized to help prepare them for their confirmation – the time for Catholics when they accept the decision made for them when they were baptized as babies, and the moment when they receive the Holy Spirit, according to Catholic teaching.

At the weekend, one of the activities was to look at the creed that they were to know. Often this must simply be learned by rote and repeated at the ceremony. But the committee member who isn’t sure if he believes in God thought it better to have these young people look at what they really believe. In this way they will not be saying that they believe something that they don’t believe. So we had them list some things they believe in. Then they were allowed to vote for the points they considered most important. It was very interesting to see what came out of the voting.

What do you really believe? What are your articles of faith? Do you believe that God is creator of heaven and earth? That Jesus died and was raised on the third day? That we can live eternally? That the Holy Spirit lives in us and guides us and gives us strength to be different people? And what is the most important for you? And what does this mean for your daily life then?

And then the thought: does it really matter what we think? We can vote all we want – and we live in a world where the publics opinion is the most important (“Idols” with the tele-voting) – but that does not change what is. When we say: “I believe”, are we saying “I think this is true” or are we saying “I accept this truth”?

It was an exciting weekend. And these young people have been challenged in ways that others certainly will not have been. And that happened because a man is not sure what he believes and is willing to ask others to help. I am glad that we were able to participate and look forward to what will happen in the future.

Try again

What do you do when you’ve put a ton of effort into a project and it flops? I am still trying to figure that one out.

This month we wanted to get our course “Getting to know the Bible” going again. We first offered the course back in November. For that effort we distributed about 2000 flyers and knocked doors. We ended up with a good group for both sessions of three lessons. This time we distributed over 2500 cards inviting the neighbors, put up posters in all the local stores, knocked some doors and . . . welcomed no one to the one session of three lessons which we had planned.

We of course have been praying for these efforts, as have many of you. Sean was more upset for me than I was, I think. He kept mentioning how I had put so much effort into it, that it was disappointing that no one came. He was right. But I know that we need to keep on trying.

So we have set anther date (end of April) when we will once again offer the course. The cards we distributed mentioned that the course would start soon. This time we will also get some press releases in the local papers and knock some more doors. And we will pray, as we have from the beginning.

Sometimes it is hard to know if I should share the struggles that go with these efforts. But to be honest, I am glad that I can share this. We cannot do this alone. And, thankfully, we are not doing it alone. Thank you for your prayers.

Chillin' at the hoot

Stephan
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

You may have heard me mention our 'hootenannys' here. Most people here say "A what?" - which is what many of you might be saying as well. A few years back Paul Brazle got these started - a good time for fellowship built around a fun meal, some guitar playing and just plain old good conversations. For those from the hicks (or is it sticks?) this is known as a hootenanny.

Most of our visitors (this is always a good time to bring visitors who are less likely to come to a religious event - a good time to share friendships as well) had no idea what this was. But we had to explain the concept anyway, so why worry about the name.

Anyway, we usually get some guitar-players together, play some John Denver or Beatles or some such, eat some chili-hotdogs and brownies (preferably not at the same time), and have a good time for a few hours getting to know people or renewing friendships.

Some weekends we combine this with a youth late movie and sleepover. This weekend we even added a concert with Listen Up! (we hadn't really sung together since November last year) and a new group we are encouraging, called "In Hymn".

It was a good weekend! Especially since we also got to see Sue Foster (who worked with us for two years in Maastricht) who is making plans to return and work with Luk and Holly Brazle in Ghent. She is here for a few weeks trying to make plans and get some information.

And of course there are some people who can do all of these things and look cool at the same time. So if you're one of those, drop on in at our next hoot. We'd love to have you!

Shirley update

Today I learned (Shirley already knew this) that a neurologist and a neurosurgeon are two different things. The neurologist deals with brains. The neurosurgeon deals with nerves. We went to the latter today.
Again, it is not nice to know that there is something wrong, but it is good to know that it is not all in your head. So the neurosurgeon confirmed that Shirley has a pinched nerve caused by a herniated disc. They want to take an MRI (magnetic resonance image) at the end of the month to better see exactly what the situation is. There is always an option to operate - which sounds pretty scary, but they said is fairly routine (hopefully THEIR routine).
In the meantime, Shirley is doing a little better - sleeping better at night and the pain in the arm is not as frequent. Thank you for your prayers, thoughts, calls and emails. We have a wonderful Father who continues to strengthen us through all the different situations we experience.

Ladies Retreat

Good fun
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Shirley got back yesterday from the Ladies Retreat which was held in Speyer, Germany. This retreat is held every year at the beginning of March for the Ladies in Europe (this year organized by the ladies in Heidelberg). It is a great time for these leadies to see each other again (they come from all over Europe) and to get some good spiritual food for the two days they are together.

Shirley was worried that she might not be able to handle the drive to the retreat, but it was only three hours this year (some years it is 5+ for ladies from here). Shirley, Karla and Geesie (from Maastricht) went with Ruth (Karla's mom) and Margreet (from Haarlem) and enjoyed their time together.

These weekends are also always a good time for the boys back home - they get to cook for themselves (Stephan and Sean took good care of me :-) ) and see how much these women really mean. You always know how much you had when it is not there.

For our family it is also always a bit of a special time - the ladies who organize always have some special things for missionaries (THANK YOU!). This year we got some root beer, macaroni & cheese and lots of other things. Sean was especially impressed with the marshmallow spread for bread. And we thought we were decadent over here with chocolate going on bread!

ABSS 2007

ABSS lessons
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

The Advanced Bible Study Series (ABSS) is a wekk-long seminar of Bible lessons to encourage and equip workers and Christians in Europe. This mid-week in February has always been a time of growth and encouragement to us when we get to go. We see co-workers from around Europe, enjoy some real meat in the lessons, have time to ponder difficult situations and share in some really good fellwoship with Christians from around Europe.
This year Scott presented a set of lessons on "Suffering and Glory" from 1 Peter. There were over 40 people present from Croatia, Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, England, Ukraine and the US. This time Stephan was also able to attend since it was during his school vacation. (Sean stayed home with Shirley who was sick) Next year Scott will be helping to organize this event with Doyle Kee from Switzerland.

Shirley's neck

Shirley's neck
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

We got the results from the tests on Shirley's neck today. She has some advanced arthroses (wear and tear) of the neck. This is bothersome and rather early for her. More to the point, it may have also contributed to the real problem.

She also has three hernia's (a bulging of the stuff in between the disks) - between C5-C6, C6-C7 and between C7-D1. A hernia is not a problem on its own if it doesn't push agains a nerve. Unfortunately, that is exactly what is happening with two of Shirley's hernias. So the hernias are causing pain, causing the feeling in her arm to go away and even at times causing a loss of motor function.

She will continue to take it easy, take some medicine to reduce the swelling and some pain medication to be able to sleep at night. She is still able to function fairly normally during the day (the doctor's words), but should refrain from things that hurt.

A bit frustrating realizing that the arthroses is already present, but also nice to know that this isn't all in your head (although WE knew that!). The hernia can be reduced (the swelling) so that it doesn't push on the nerve, but this takes a long time. Thanks for your prayers. Continue to pray for comfort and courage.

Sing and be happy!

Familiedag
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

At the end of January we always hold a meeting to satisfy the requirements for the group that runs camp. But since we have to get together, we always figure it is a good time to fellowship, so we sang! There has been a group of young people in Maastricht lately who love to sing and they came with. After all the coffee and tea, cakes and crumbs, they were still singing!
We already planned a special Wednesday evening to learn new songs with them with the congregation in Maastricht. What a joy to share this joy in the Lord!

January Newsletter

Click here to download a pdf version of the newsletter. You can also simply read it here on the site and click on the pictures to view more of our pictures.


LIGHT in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:2-3

Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
When a new year begins, you feel like getting going, getting started - unless things just don’t seem to get started. This month has been a month of expectation and preparation for us, although plenty has gotten under way as well.
Youth and outreach
As in years past, 2007 will also have its share of activities focused on our youth and the youth in Belgium and the Netherlands. In Maastricht we are getting into the swing of holding a fun activity and a lesson activity every month. We are especially thrilled that our young people invite their friends as well to these activities. In January we planned a study evening so that I could summarize the first lessons from the “Getting to know the Bible” series. In addition to these local activities which are starting to really take off, we also have our youth weekends. Haarlem hosted a weekend this month which was focused on “The Internet” - how to use it safely and wisely.

- learning about the internet and having fun! -

The feeling of expectation and preparation definitely applied to our outreach. We want to present the ‘Getting to know the Bible’ series again in March, so we have to prepare the invitations well ahead of time. In February we will have those printed and distributed so that we can personally invite people in March. We hope to have some good visitors for this series again, making some inroads into our local neighborhood.
Along a different tack, I mentioned last year that Karla, our colleague, had an opportunity to work with the local Catholic church. This happened because the people planning the activities for these young people don’t know anything about the Bible and knew in the village that Karla and Ruud do know about the Bible. So Karla was asked if she would present a lesson about what the Bible is. Along with this opportunity she is helping to form the activities for these young people. I was then also asked to help with the planning of a weekend, since I have experience in that area.
This whole situation is fairly unusual to say the least. I wondered if the Catholic church would mind someone from another church teaching the young people. So far, this has not been a problem. And we actually are looking forward to any conversation which might arise. It is good to know what you believe and why you believe it. But most of this is also for February and March, which means praying, preparing and waiting. Karla will present her lesson at the beginning of February and the youth weekend is at the end of March. Please keep these efforts in your prayers as well. We want to know Christ, and we want others to know Christ - and the power of his rising and life.
Lessons and church activities
In February I will present a series of lessons at ABSS (Advanced Bible Study Series) which is held each year in Germany. This is a good week of challenging lessons and good fellowship (and this is usually the only place we get to see snow!). It will be a challenge to prepare these lessons, hoping that they will also be an encouragement to those who come. But I know that I always learn so much more when preparing lessons.
In the meantime, it has also been exciting to see some recent changes in the congregation. Shadira has begun keeping up the website and Willemien keeps track of the birthdays. These may seem like small things, but they are very important. Our website is one of the ways we keep in touch with each other and birthdays are times of prayer for us as a congregation.

- Shadira at her birthday party -

Our young brother, Tim, recently stepped up and helped out wonderfully on a Sunday morning. He is one of a group of 30 or more young people between 18-30 who really want to encourage each other in their growth in the Lord. This is something that Tim has missed. It shows how important it is to make and keep contacts with your Christian brothers and sisters. In the coming months we are planning a new program with this group of young people (“we” being Luk Brazle, Ruud and Scott, and the young people themselves). We are looking forward to how this will develop and grow and what it can mean for the congregations throughout Belgium and the Netherlands.
My regular lessons reading the Bible have not yet begun in earnest due to sicknesses, but will begin fully in February. I have begun studying again with the international students and will keep you up to date on all of this next month.

PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- My reading in the Bible with LJ, the Chinese PhD student.
- Our contact with young people in the village of Ruud and Karla (Veldwezelt).
- Development of a program for our older youth (18-30) and helping them to grow in their faith.
- Our upcoming youth activities in February and March. These contacts are going well, with our own young people and their friends.
- The “Getting to know the Bible” series coming up in March - for good visitors.
- Shirley and Ruud both deal with pain on a daily basis.

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
Winter just can’t figure out if it wants to drop in or not. While we have heard of freak winter storms in the US, snow in California etc - we have been waiting on anything nearing freezing temperatures. In fact. the trees have begun blooming again and the flowers hardly went out of bloom. We had a few days when we thought it might have arrived (winter, that is), but then it simply whimpered off into the night. Stephan and Scott will be going to Germany in February and hope to see some Winter (and snow!) down there at that time.
Still, no real winter can have its advantages. Sean is able to get outside more when he wants, Shirley can dry clothes a lot easier at times, and biking to school is not such a hassle. So we are not complaining too much. We all enjoyed the Christmas break immensely, spending plenty of family time together. It is nice that this is still possible with two teenage boys. They enjoyed going to Antwerp to shoot off fireworks with the Brazles on New Year’s eve. We also had some good game time (we like Masterpiece, Trivial Pursuit, Boggle, Clue and cards) and the guys still got to play plenty with their friends. As a matter of fact, Stephan and Sean made another movie together (this one with a nerf battle) which will probably on line pretty soon.
Back to school has gone pretty well so far. Sean doesn’t really like going to school, but he does just fine. Stephan doesn’t mind going, and he is starting to pull things up. He took the PSAT in December and we have been communicating with school s in the States. This has helped him to realize that time is going faster than he might have thought. We will take the SAT and the ACT this Spring and look at some schools during our furlough this summer. This has also been a wake-up for Shirley and Scott - Stephan is already 17 and is growing up fast!
Shirley’s news this month has been a bit less cheery. In December we knew that there was something wrong, but didn’t know what. We still don’t know what, but we know that the pain has increased in her back and arm. She has been to the physical therapist and will go in for an EMG and CT scan at the beginning of February (keep an eye on the website for current info). This doesn’t keep her from doing most of what she wants to do, although it probably should! She cannot use her right arm without pain and is not always sleeping very well - but she is surviving and continues to be the joy in the house.
Scott has been able to go out to dinner a few times with various organizations he is part of: Chinese with the parent’s committee, french fries with the men after going carting, and johnny cakes on Shadira’s birthday. So he has been pretty happy. He of course has also had to have his teeth worked on (one of the times was an hour long!), but he is still alive.

- carting and chatting -

DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
That although the peoples of Belgium have been around since before the Romans arrived that the country of Belgium is only 176 years old?
Belgium became a separate country in 1830. At this time Belgium separated itself from the Netherlands.

That the Netherlands has a history stretching back to the 16th century, but it has only been a country in its present form for 191 years.
The Netherlands became a constitutional monarchy in 1815.

Belgium has always had a king while the Netherlands has had a queen since before the 1st World War.

EXTRAS
What’s coming up?
FEBRUARY
ABSS study week
Console weekend
MARCH
Getting to know the bIble
Youth day
APRIL
Youth weekend

THANKS!
- For the cards, calls, emails and holiday greetings
- For all those getting things ready for our furlough
- For your continued prayers and encouragement

We pray that you are enjoying the things that God has brought into your life, knowing that with Him all things are good.

A nice story

I have been reading the Bible with a Chinese PhD student since Fall last year. We have read through John and finished Luke last night. LJ always has very good questions and comments on the story and on what it means for life. She says herself that she believes in God, even though that is not a common thing.
Last night we read the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. "Whoa!" she said when we finished. "That's quite a story. But I see it as a very nice story." Her emphasis was on the 'storyness' of it. She has stated various times how hard it is for her to accept some of the things that we are reading. And from the beginning I have let her know that she is not alone. In this text we even see the disciples who just saw Jesus in Emaaus and then are surprised to see him alive when they return to Jerusalem!
Jesus dying is something that many people may not like (it is gruesome and extremely sad) but are willing to accept. After all, we see examples everyday of man's injustice to man. But a resurrection? I realized last night how difficult that is when I saw it through her eyes. In the West we are used to hearing the story (and perhaps accepting without thought and thereby latently rejecting it). She is coming from a different place in thought.
As we left the library she reminded me that there are things in Asian thinking that are difficult for Westerners to understand as well. "So don't be upset if I cannot accept this right now," she said, with hope in her eyes of being able to understand it at some later date. It has been good for ME to look at this 'nice story' and see what I really accept and believe and what it means to my life.

Stephan free running

Click here to see a video of Stephan free running during our vacation at the bungalow park. This is the one I put together, but Sean put one together as well (and he is really becoming a great movie maker). Go here to see his version.

Let's get started!

Time to rest
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Just before Christmas we had the chance to take a break at a bungalow park. A good book, good company and some good snacks - what more do you need? Well, a great indoor pool and some things to jump over (see the rest of the pictures under the set 'Vennebos') help things along. We had a very restful and renewing time. Now we are ready to jump in to the new year. What will we discover this year? I don't know, but I know it's going to be great if God is leading!

Early Christmas

Early Christmas
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

We received some special presents from Yayoi and "Mama", Ken Yamashita's sister and mother. We met them this past summer before Ken's wedding. It was a wonderful time of new relationships and challenging conversations (we don't speak Japanese and "Mama" doesn't speak English). These beautiful cups and some delicious Japanese candy made a great start to the Christmas day. Now we just have to translate the letter we also received - and we're looking forward to it!

Learn Dutch!

Just ran into this over on Joel Muller's site. Amazing! If you want to learn Dutch, here are all the makings. Go here and have fun.

End-of-year summary

Click here to download a pdf version of our end-of-year letter with pictures. You can also simply read it here on the site and click on the pictures to view more of our pictures.

Sing
Listen Up! spent most of the year trying to finish up recording their second CD.
They spent 14 trips to the studio to record 12 songs with 5 voices.
In the meantime they also performed 3 times during the year.

OUCH!
Sean visited the physical therapist, the hospital, the doctor and the orthodontist more than 20 times this year. Of course most of those were his trip to the physical therapist. Sean’s leg started growing faster than the rest of his body which gave him a bit of pain. Now his body has caught up!
His soccer injuries were definitely not to be ignored either. He had to have a finger x-rayed and a sonogram for his leg after being kicked inappropriately. Mind you, we were VERY HAPPY that we were able to get him into soccer at all. He is now recovered from his most recent injury to his ribs. We’ll see what comes next.

295
The number of young people in total who were present at the 7 youth weekends, 5 camp weeks or weekends, and 6 youth days.
These young people came from at least 10 different cities from all around Belgium and the Netherlands.
The weekends were held in four different cities and organized by the various local congregations and a ‘youth team’ which Scott helps with.

Bridegrooms and brides were also part of our year in 2006. We are far from celebrating any of this for our own children (at least, that’s what we hope!), but our family is broader than our blood relatives. We were pleased to take part in or celebrate in a special way 3 very special weddings this year.
Björn and Stephanie were students in Maastricht when they were part of the church here. We are so pleased to be able to see them continuing to grow in the Lord and together. Ken Yamashita is our Dutch-Japanese brother. He married his Dutch sweetheart, Elizabeth, and we were able to meet his mother and sister in the weekend of the ceremony. Paul and Iva married in Prague, but Listen Up! was pleased to be able to sing for their reception when they returned to the Netherlands.

LESSons were a major part of the year, as with each year. Lessons for the Wednesday evening studies with the congregation, for youth weekends, for camp weeks, for studies with international students for the PEL and for outreach.

In this year we spent at least 88 hours reading and studying the Bible in English. Scott and Shirley both take time to meet regularly with people who are interested in bettering their English using the Bible. Scott also volunteers teaching a beginning English course at the Red Cross center for asylum seekers (refugees).

23 The number of meetings in which Scott has taken part as member, secretary or chair. Some are more interesting than others, of course. There are meetings to decide how the Bible camp will be run and better used. There are organizations where Scott takes part in the local community (school and local newspaper). And there are meetings with the brothers to help decide where we are going.

We distributed 5000 FLYers in the neighborhood of our meeting place while we enjoyed the company of three Canadian students and their supervisor. From these cards we had 7 good visitors to our course on “Getting to know the Bible.” We will be repeating this course in 2007, so keep this in your prayers.

But numbers only tell a part of the story, as you all know.

Sean’s year was pretty much dominated by the struggle around playing soccer. Early in 2006 his body was protesting against all the growing going on. His legs and knees were always hurting and Sean worried that he might never get to play soccer. After working with a physical therapist to loosen up his joints, things were looking up, until the Fall when we realized that his team in Belgium would be playing games on Sunday mornings. But in the end, we were able to find a team in Maastricht - the Dutch teams play on Saturdays. This hasn’t stopped the pain (see “Ouch” on the other page), but has increased the pleasure of being able to play.


This year for Stephan has pretty much been a year of new and old, growing up and still having fun (yes, those two go together!)

Stephan continued being the gracious, loving young man that he has always been - making friends among the adults as well as being a good friend in his own circles. He has tested himself with basketball, training his body and trying to persevere. He too, like Sean, has had to make some difficult decisions, since his team plays all their home games on Sunday mornings. But he knows where his priorities lie. He has built on his frinedships through sport, camp, weekends and everyday evenings together.

Shirley was able to travel a bit this year. As usual she was blessed by the Ladies retreat in Germany in March, but she also spent some time traveling at other times through the year. She went to Paris with her neighbor/friend, to Amsterdam and Haarlem with the ladies from the church and to the west of Belgium with Scott. This year has been a time of finding new boundaries as she has also discovered the internet. She was able to plan the special few days she and Scott spent together as well as the end of year break with the whole family.


This has been a challenging year with blessings for Scott. His teaching continued as normal with lessons for the camp weeks, youth weekends and studies both international and otherwise. Getting the CD ready with Listen Up! and starting some new activities in the neighborhood (like working with a local newspaper) were real challenges. The moments of peace with Shirley and the boys were very welcome. This was also the first year in the last five that Listen Up! did not do any concerts around the holidays so that the families could spend time together.

We have been VERY blessed (again!) this year. Isn’t it great how God takes care of that each and every day! As we grow together, getting to know each other better each day, we are so thankful for the grace that God shows us. And we are thankful for how broad our family is. This year we enjoyed so many times with our Christian family (Family Day at camp, a ‘family reunion’, bbq’s) as well as the times we spent together. We have such a wonderful God!

October-November Newsletter

LIGHT in the Lowlands

Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2006

So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1 Peter 4:19

Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
It is wonderful, exciting, a bit scary and amazing to see how God can and wants to use us every day!

- Stephan, Willemien and Ruud -

There are so many things that have been done these past two months and I could list them all, but instead I want to tell you about our colleagues, Ruud and Karla Verheijen. You prayed for Ruud last year after the summer camp season - he had a car accident which landed him in the hospital for quite some time with a broken hip. He now knows that he also has severe rheumatism, five hernias and the broken hip wjhich is not healing because of the rheumatism. In the meantime, bills continue, their four girls continue growing up, and the church is a daily desire in their lives. So what do you do when you can’t or shouldn’t be doing so much?
When Fall camp arrived at the end of October, Ruud made sure that all the young peopl who wanted to go had a ride. His car can seat seven people, so whether he drove or not, his car took kids down to camp. At the end of November when the next youth weekend was held, he and Karla encouraged their daughters to go. They don’t do this because they have to, but because they love God with all that they are and want thier children to know that love as well. It is their ideas and encouragement that gets the youth activities in Maastricht going and continuing. Because of their example, their daughters regularly invite their own friends to activities also.

When we hosted a group of students from Alberta Bible College at the beginning of November, Ruud knew that he wouldn’t be able to walk the neighborhood distributing the flyers we had made to invite people to our “Getting to know the Bible” course. But he was praying and he asked how things went. He and Karla made sure that their chidlren could spend time with these students so that they could see some young adults who love the Lord. When the class began, their oldest daughter, Shareya, was ready for the lessons, but was also ready to help in any way. She has a good example in her parents. And again, they are the ones praying for the contacts we have made, asking what we should do to help more, considering new ideas on how to reach more people in our neighborhood with this wonderful news.
Ruud is the one in the church who glues the mebers together. He is always issuing some good challenges, pushing the members to stretch themselves in their faith. And he is the first one to call, email or just talk to someone to make sure they are doing okay.
They are both just as excited as I am with the studies with LJ, who is weekly asking who God is and what it means to follow Jesus. They know when my studies are and are praying for me. They know the othe rpeople we study with and take every opportunity to get to know them better and tell them about God.
So a month full of pains, a house full of teenage girls and the cares that come with them, a table full of bills that need to be paid - these are all challenges to see the mighty and loving hand of God in their life. They don’t always have a smile on their face and are sometimes just plain tired, but they keep on holding on because they know who God is.
We are so thankful that we have co-workers like Ruud and Karla. This is what it means to lead a life with Christ. Every child of Christ is a member of the body - and this body of Christ is ACTIVE and able, with His might, to do amazing things!
We want to thank so many of you, who also share in this work through all that you do. It is so good to see God’s hand working in our lives and the lives of the people here.

PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Pray for Ruud and Karla as they struggle with Ruud’s health issues. They are such an example of faith - to us and those around them.
- Continue to pray for “LJ” from China who is studying the Bible and hearing the story of Jesus in its entirety for the first time. Pray for her heart and the Holy Spirit working in her.
- Praise God for our outreach in October and November. We were able to reach a few people this time and look forward to the next time we hold this class. Keep this in your prayers as we continue to talk with those who followed the course.

KID'S KORNER
Communication
There are so many ways to communicate. Talking, body language, looks that can kill. But there is also technology to help with communication. These days you can email, MSN, sms, chat, or even write a letter.
Sean and Stephan both have friends from the youth weekends they chat with. Sean has a cell phone, but since he can’t use it at school and the time costs too much, it has basically become a fancy toy.
As you have been able to read here, they both also put up videos. Sean keeps a blog and they like keeping in touch. But neither of them ever really writes a letter.
What communication methods do you use most? Do you ever write letters? Communicate with us!
e-mail Stephan at: greenleaf@tele2allin.be
e-mail Sean at: dudeis2cool4u@hotmail.com

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
October and November flew by - and we aren’t even really in Fall yet! The weather here has been extremely mild for the year. They have even been talking about heat waves (for this time of year). Mind you, our visitor from Ghana didn’t find it to be much of a heat wave. But we have enjoyed the soft weather and the things we could do.
Sean has been enjoying his soccer team and enduring school. He does well with both, but it is obvious which one is his favorite (which is no surprise). He has had to put up with some pretty hard beatings recently, though. In October he was kicked from behind and had to be taken off the field with a calf injury. We had a sonogram done just to be sure that nothing really bad was done, but the pain lasted a good week and a half. In November he was injured again - again while making a goal. This time the goalie slid into him with his feet held high. He ran straight into Sean’s chest, putting holes in his shirt and bruising a rib. Sean was carried off again. His greatest pain however was that they didn’t allow his goal and even gave the other team a free kick. Thankfully his team is on a winter stop right now so he has plenty of time to recover (and it is going quite well). And you thought American football was rough!
In the meantime Sean continues to make crazy videos when he gets a chance. Most recently he was asked by the webmaster of the Genk soccer team (professional team that Sean supports) if Sean could take videos of the games. He had seen a video that Sean had made of one of the matches and liked what he saw. So Sean’s desire to become the next Peter Jackson or such is well on its way. MOst importantly, he enjoys himself with these things and it lets his creativity out.
October was of course also the time for Stephan’s birthday. He had two friends over for a games and video evening. It is amazing to think that he is now 17! Where has the time all gone? But it is so thrilling to see how he is growing up (and at times thoroughly frightening trying to let go). Stephan has, with typical dizzying speed, gone through several different interests and rediscovered old ones again. He took a PSAT test in preparation for the SAT coming up in the Spring. There are no firm plans, but we want to have all avenues open. Interestingly enough, language was the hardest part of the test - not reading or such, but simply understanding the terms in a math question. We are working on that.
Shirley struggled with some recurring pain in the neck and heel. We checked out the possibility of rheumatism and found that she needed some special soles in any case. These have helped to take the heel pain away. Thankfully, this was not enough to stop Scott and Shirley from spending a day together in Utrecht. We were able to hear some great music, visit some nice shops and spend some good time together.
We also enjoyed the visit from ‘our Canadians’ at the end of October, beginning of November. Eric Nyrose, who worked with Scott 20+ years ag0, brought a three of his students for a few days work in Maastricht. We enjoyed catching up on the years gone by as well.


THANKS!
- For your responses on the blog, your cards and calls and your encouragement
- For your prayers for the work here, we really need your support.

What’s coming up?
DECEMBER
Youth and family activities
JANUARY 2007
Youth weekend
Camp meeting
“Get to know the Bible” course
International studies

We pray that these days have been a blessing to you as you experience God each and every day.