Summer News

LIGHT in the Lowlands

Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands

Summer 2008

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.  Jude 20-21

Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,

Where in the world have you been? This is what I hear some of you thinking, especially if you don’t have facebook, flickr or a blog (is he speaking English?). So let me tell you where we’ve been all summer!

Singing, France and Camp

In June we focused on the youth weekend in Maastricht. We not only talked about but also practiced telling others about Jesus. This concluded with a concert by Listen Up! So exciting to see the young people talking and serving others. 

This theme continued as we took a group of young people down to Marseille, France for a week. In Marseille we served, learned, sang and put faith into practice. It was an amazing seven days! Scott went with two Verheijen girls, Stephan and Sean, and Isha’s friend, Valéri. 

It was so good to see how excited they were to be learning, to be serving at an old-folks home, to be singing - and all of this in French! All of them have mentioned that they plan on returning next year and we have been seeing the fruits of this week ever since in their daily lives. 

 

Back in Belgium July brought the camp season, but before that started ...             

... we welcomed a group of high school students from Canada. 

Former missionary to Antwerp, Blair Roberts and his wife Susan brought these students to work with several different congregations in Belgium. First they held a Young Friends week in Antwerp, teaching English using the Bible. They also helped out with evangelism in Ghent and went down to camp as counselors. Stephan spent time with them for this whole time and also helped out at camp. In Maastricht we waited for the beginning of August when the students would head over our way for a few days. It was exciting to see how they were helping in so many different places.

 

By the end of July it was our turn down at Bible camp. This year we had the Teens (11-14 year-olds). We talked about turning the world upside down, as Jesus presents it to us. 

It was a great week and started out with a bang: 

David van Ginneken, one of our teens, gave his life to Christ on the first day of camp, and that evening Isha Verheijen did the same at home (she had been at Youth camp the week before)! 

It is exciting to see new life and the pleasure and determination that these young people bring to that new life. They know how mighty Jesus is and trust that. What an example! 

Following Teen camp we continued into Family Camp where Scott presented three lessons (of the 12 or so total lessons) on the Holy Spirit. This was a really challenging week with good discussion, good lessons and challenges, and fantastic examples of the Spirit working in our lives. 

As always with camp, the real challenge comes when we have to go home and live as we have just been taught - in our own homes, towns, schools and churches. We are so thankful for the opportunities we have to challenge and encourage one another during the camp weeks. This is a very important time for equipping the Dutch-speaking churches. This summer session of camps was completed with our annual Family Day. We were especially excited that the French-speaking members also came during our fellowship time. 

Back in Maastricht we welcomed the Canadian students and were blessed immensely by a short but intense few days of encouragement.

We had talked to our young people about being an example for the students, and we challenged the students to be the same for our young people. Both took up the challenge. We cleaned, played soccer, cooked, visited, talked and distributed - all the while getting to know one another better. 

It was especially good to hear our young people share their stories about their lives with God, and vice-versa with the Canadian students. Everyone opened up and was willing to be seen and help each other. We have already seen some real growth an openness in our young people because of this time together. 

A new year begins

As the summer ended, we headed into the new school year, planning for several weddings, a youth weekend in Maastricht, a Single’s Retreat, and Fall Camp all coming up. But the summer was an immense encouragement! Thank you Father!

PRAYER WARRIORS

Please keep the following in your prayers.

Continue to pray for Valéri and her parents. She wants to give her life to Christ, but her parents aren’t too sure.

Praise God for our new family members in Maastricht - Isha Verheijen and Susanne Dela!

Pray as we start up our weekly Bible studies with Mieke, RW, LJ and C&T. 

Please pray for our upcoming activities including a youth weekend in Maastricht, Single’s Retreat, and two weddings.

Pray for our continuing outreach through the Wiser on the Way courses in the Fall

Pray for guidance for world leaders, also here in Europe.

EXTRAS

Did you Know?

Olympics

Everyone was watching, but we were blessed to be able to root for more than one country. So we were thrilled with the US victories, but also with those from the Netherlands and Belgium. Sometimes we had to shout and cry during the same event.

Michael Phelps was master - Pieter van den Hoogenband was completely out.

Te Dutch took gold in women’s water polo, and the US surprised in the final of the men’s water polo. 

The Dutch also won gold in women’s field hockey, jumping and rowing. 

Tia Hellebaut brought the gold home for the Belgians in the women’s high jump. (I almost saw her at the airport the day she returned to Belgium)

THANKS!

For sending the Canadian students 

For your prayers for our work! New life is coming!

For your good care of Stephan - he is in good hands

What’s coming up?

OCTOBER

Marriage weekend

Fall Camp

NOVEMBER

Youth weekend

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .

So much can change in such a short time - although to be honest this newsletter is covering a relatively long time period. Let me tell you about the summer. 

 

At the end of June the boys (including Scott) had an adventure in France. Their car broke down on the way to Marseille, so they got to try their hand (tongue) at French with the gendarmerie and AAA before they were finally able to get to Marseille. They had a great week in Marseille singing and sweating. It was a lot warmer there than it was back in Belgium!

When they returned we got the feeling that Stephan was trying to prepare us for his impending departure (or were we trying to prepare him?) by being gone quite a bit. He left for a week to Antwerp to be with some Canadian students, and then headed down to Youth Camp. 

Sean knew that he had Mama and Papa to himself, so we went for a special day to Cologne to look at guitars. Sean has been really active in teaching himself guitar, learning new songs and getting a band together. 

Check out his band (konverse) on his facebook site. 

When we got the chance, we went back to the music store with Stephan as well and since it was near Scott’s birthday, Scott got an early birthday present - a guitar to complement his good ol’ Yamaha (which he bought back in 1983). 

For a few short days there was plenty of guitar playing in the house!

After a few weeks of camp we all welcomed the Canadian students to Maastricht, which meant that the guys stayed with us. The last day was also a going-away party for Stephan and Shareya (Shareya is our colleagues’ daughter) as they head to Harding University. It was a beautiful and a beautifully hard evening for us. Scott went to Arkansas with them, to help get Stephan settled in. 

Shirley survived all these trips with her typical strength. She went shopping with Mieke (who reads the Bible with Scott ) while everyone was down in Marseille. When Scott and Stephan were checking out the Wal-Mart in Searcy, she was shopping with Willemien, Geesie and Sean - building relationships and getting the necessary done. 

 

Now the new school year has begun. Sean mentioned that he expects it will be better than last year. The new home situation will take a bit longer to get used to. Setting one less place for dinner, making less food, Sean sleeps in Stephan’s bed sometimes. We miss him, but we are so excited for him as well. Stephan is doing great - getting to know lots of good people and learning who he is and will soon be. We are so thankful for a wonderful Father and family!

Wonderful words of life!

This evening we witnessed the birth of Susanne Dela. Our births here are always so very special. Every birth is special - because we get to see God in His saving grace and power raising a loved one from the dead of sin to the newness of life. But in Maastricht, because we do not have a place to baptize people, we are especially blessed. We usually call up the church in Liege and ask to have the birth with them. This makes for a very special relationship. Although most of us in Maastricht speak very little French, and most of the members in Liege speak next to no Dutch and only a few speak English - we both understand the joy of new life. So we sing, pray and are witness to the mighty power of God!

This evening was doubly special. Susanne and her husband have lived in Liege in the past, so the church there know her struggles and journey to this point. So it was especially good for them to be a part of this wonderful birth. And the two families (Maastricht and Liege) were able to renew their ties again. How wonderful it is to be part of the family of God!

A great team

The team
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

The high school students from Western Christian College in Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada came with Blair and Susan Roberts for several weeks to help with the church in Belgium and the Netherlands. They gave conversationl English lessons in Antwerp, distributed flyers offering courses in Ghent and helped out down at camp for several weeks.

In Maastricht we would only have them for a few days, so we wanted to make the most of the opportunity. We decided to use the time to challenge our young people to also be an influence and example on these young people in living for Christ. It was a great time of learning and encouragement!

We did a few different things that all involved working together so that we could encourage one another. We cleaned up the building in order to give our ladies a well-deserved rest. Many hands make light work - and it was fun too!

The team was also split up into two groups - each group made up of Canadians and our own young people. Each group had to plan a meal on a minimal budget, buy what was need, cook the meal and decorate the table - for everybody! This was a real challenge, but well-met by these young people.

We also spent time simply playing. Getting out on the local football (soccer) field was a good way of getting to know one another and letting others see how fun it is to do things together. This will be a good example for the future with our young people and their friends.

The most encouraging time for me was the evening we spent some time telling our stories. Everyone has a story - the story of their life and how Christ has touched it. Although this was quite a confronting time as well, it was very encouraging for our young people.

And all of this (inclduing a bit of distributing in the rain) was completed in just four days of being together. In these four days our young people also developed some good relationships with the students. Now that is encouraging!

Family Day!

Johan Huyghebaert
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Family Camp always ends with a Family Day - a day for the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands to get together for learning, encouragement and fellowship. This year was organized by the churches in Brughe and Roeselare. Johan Huyghebaert, who was also the camp leader for Family Camp (and had the help of his son, Robin, Robin's finacee, Joyce, and Johan's mother, Jose), got the day going with some good singing and announcements.

This is always a day of wonderful fellowship - sometimes the only time you might see someone from a congregation further away. It is always esepcially nice when some of the French-speakers from the church in Belgium are also able to attend. And this day was amply blessed with beautiful sunshine until everyone was on their way home again!

(click on the picture for more pictures of the visiting during this day)

Family Camp

Every year we put together four outstanding weeks of Bible camp for all ages. These weeks are often some of the only times for young people in the church to get together with other Christians. But this is also a time for families. We see the week of Family Camp as a time to provide some needed Biblical training and encouragement. This is a time when families can not only enjoy good textual studies, but can discuss what they mean for daily life - ready to head back into their daily lives encouraged and armed.

This year we focused on the Holy Spirit - in all His aspects. Although several of the teachers ended up stepping on information already presented earlier, it was always a good review and reinforcement. It was especially exciting to be able to discuss how God wants to help us, lead us, make us His own through His Spirit in our lives. As we head into September it is exciting to be watching and waiting for how God will use us, will have changed us and challenged us to live in His might.

As always during this week we have plenty of time to be together and do some fun things as a family in God. For our family this was just about the last time we had to be with Stephan. Sean enjoyed the time he was able to spend with his brother, although he might not have let on that he was going to miss him.

Take a moment and check out some of the pictures of Family Camp and be thankful with us for such times that God gives us. We are so glad that we are able to help in this way and take part as well. That is how a family works!

Tienerkamp 2008

Tienerkamp 2008
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Check out the pictures for Teen Camp. I know that it was back at the beginning of August, but I am glad to finally be catching up a bit. Hopefully the pictures for Family Camp qill be up in a few days.

This week was such a joy. We worked for the first time with a new couple - Daniel and Caroline Boonaerts. We saw David van Ginneken resurrected to new life. We learned about living upside down, had lots of fun and deepened our relationships together. You can see quite a bit of this just by glancing through the pictures.

We are so thankful to be able to work with these opportunities! It is great to see God working in people's lives! What a mighty God he is!

Catching up

It has been a while since I was able to keep this blog up to date - the summer season tends to take me away from the computer more than most times. Thank you for stopping in and wanting to know what is going on with our lives. It is especially encouraging to us to know that you are checking because you are also praying for us.
At the moment I am in Searcy, Arkansas bringing Stephan to Harding. But I have so much I still want to tell you about the summer! We have put up some of the pictures from Teen Camp, but we still want to tell you about the week. And we had a great week at Family camp as well. After that a group of students from Western Christian (in Canada) came through Maastricht. Lots to talk about, so be patient. I hope to get some of this information up this week or next.

New life!!

Many of you have been praying for the people in our lives here - for their growth, their struggles and their joys. We have mentioned Isha and Valéri - two of our teens - and their search for and desire to know the Lord. They both went with us to Marseille at the end of June and have been talking and praying sincerely for the last weeks.

On July 27 Isha decided to give her life to Jesus, dying to herself, being buried in baptism and raised in life with Christ! She was with her family at home, but now she has a larger family - and that includes many of you! We are so excited for her and her new life. She has also not been able to stop smiling. What a wonderful joy and what a wonderful sister she is already becoming.

On the same day, but down at camp (which is where we were when we heard the news about Isha), David van Ginneken - one of the teens who regularly attends our youth weekends and Bible camp as well (they are members in Ghent) also decided to give his life to Christ. You can read more about his decision and see some pictures over on Luk Brazle's site.

Thank YOU for being part of this wonderful family, for sharing in this joy with us, and for taking part in the growth of these two young people. Continue to pray for them and for the church here in Belgium and the Netherlands as God does mighty things - changing peoples' lives.

Guitars!

I know it has been a while since I wrote. It's not that life has not continued, but that I haven't had much access to my computer (and that other things were more important at the time). But let me update you a little bit - and thanks for checking in anyway - even when nothing was happening over here!

We have been doing our best to cram all that we need to get done into the few weeks we have in the summer, along with cramming as much time together as a family before Stephan heads off to Harding. It hasn't been easy, considering there are so many different priorities. Sean just recently realized how quickly the time was passing and commented, "Stephan's leaving in a week!" I reminded him that he had already known that. "Yeah!" he said, "but Stephan's leaving in a week!"

Before that had hit home, however, we had spent some time together - mostly around the area of Cologne, Germany. Sean has been looking at buying an electric guitar for a little while now (he and his friends have started a band called "Konverse" - check out the band page on facebook). In Cologne there is a music store called The Music Store (inventive name, eh!). They have pianos and things like that, but more importantly, they have guitars!

So we spent some time there, first without Stephan, then on another day when he could come along. Sean bought his guitar and the second time was near Scott's birthday - so he arranged one as well.


And guitars are no fun unless you play them, so Sean got right to work. He has enjoyed playing - all day long if need be. And it has been neat to see him teaching others how to play as well (even though he has only taught himself to play). Down at Family Camp we even got to play together. What a great time!

Stan en Bertha

Stan en Bertha
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Our neighbors down the street recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. We were thrilled to be able to celebrate this with them. Our street regularly gets together for a yearly summer barbecue or some other activity, but this was especially nice.

It is so good to see how a couple can love one another and allow their love to grow for such a time. Of course these two also have their health - which is essential if you want to reach that milestone! We were glad that Stan and Bertha invited us to share in this time, along with the rest of the neighbors. Good to have good neighbors and to be able to share truly good times.

French week

On the way home
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Last week Scott took five young people down to Marseille, France for a week of "Christians on Mission". This is a program set up by the church there in Marseille to encourage young people to learn more and be practical in their Christianity. There are lessons in the morning and in the afternoon and evening there are opportunities to serve, reach out, share and live what we have heard about.

Scott, Stephan, Sean went with Isha and Kyana Verheijen and Valéri Ubachs in Ruud Verheijen's car (a Fiat Multipla seats 6 and has room for baggage) down to Marseille. Or at least, that was the plan. The car broke down about 90 minutes from Marseilles - in the left-most lane of the highway in the middle of traffic. (Wanda Martin and Dino Maisano are already going "Aahh!") But the car really didn't have too big a problem (it was taken back to Belgium and has already been fixed) and that meant that we began a great adventure without the worry of a foreign car in a big city.

And it was definitely an adventure! We finally got to Marseille and into bed around 3 a.m. But it was a great beginning for a week of learning how to be flexible, how to share and how to keep each other focused on what really matters! Lessons were often in French (translated into English), it was almost always hot, we did a lot of walking, a lot of singing and a lot of helping - and it was all great! Amazing what a right attitude will do for your days.

In the meantime we have made it back home and everyone is sad that it went by so quickly. We all made new friends, stretched our view of what is possible in our lives, and grew in faith. We are looking forward to what God is doing with us each and every new day!

I made it!

I made it!
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

After 12 years and lots of hard work, tonight was Stephan's night. Students here have to wait until the day before the graduation to find out if they have passed or not. so yesterday was a little tense, but this evening was all fun.

It was amazing to feel how proud we are of Stephan and what he has done. To see him walking down the aisle, knowing that this is just the next step - but a big one! It was great to be able to talk to some of his teachers afterwards who said they would miss him.

And now on to the next step - quite a scary one, according to Stephan. He leaves for Harding on August 18 - to a place where he really doesn't know anyone (except for Shareya, who will also be attending there). He has met his roommate and is looking forward to that new life - but it is a new life. Making daily decisions without the push or help from parents. Scary, exciting, challenging!

Orange!

FBL-EURO-2008-NED-ROM-MATCH 21
Originally uploaded by joe.klinsman.

For those who have been following the Euro 2008 games it cannot have been missed - the Netherlands is doing great! And everything is orange: milk, cheese, chips, bandages in the hospital, the fountains in Bern (where the "Orange Legion" fans are stationed). You can tell when the Dutch are playing by looking at the stadium - more than half will be completely orange!

What has impressed me the most about this team is that, for the first time in a long time, they play as a team. And, perhaps because they are winning and things are easier, they seem to want to put things in a right perspective. This picture is perfect (copyright PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty Images) - orange everywhere and the players - who are also husbands and fathers - spending time with their children at the end of the game.

Go Holland!

Good news!

Fun!
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

This past weekend was a youth weekend in Maastricht. The theme was "Telling the good news" so we put that into practice in lots of different ways. In Maastricht the young people personally handed out invitations to the Listen Up! concert, handed out "compliment cards" or distributed invitations to the concert. After spreading some good news, they also took some time to get to know Maastricht.

The next day, Sunday, the young people who could stay for the concert helped Listen Up! spread the good news. While Listen Up! was singing, they were helping at the door, talking to visitors, serving food or drinks, helping in the concert, or setting up and cleaning up. What a great opportunity to grow!

We had a wonderful turnout for the concert in Maastricht. There were visitors from our street, from the boys' school, from the local paper Scott works with, from the university students and from the local neighborhood as well as from other churches in the city. It was quite an international group as well. We are so thankful that God gives us these opportunities and look forward to the conversations we will be having in the coming days!

April-May Newsletter

I know it has been a while since the last newsletter, but here is what has been happening in our work and lives.

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

April/May 2008

There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
I don’t know how the time can move so quickly, but once again a month has flown by so quickly that it has become two and a bit. But life is great in the Lord!
Busy and busy
One of the things I struggle with is deciding how busy I should be - or with what I should be busy. Committees can seem quite depressing (especially in the middle of a long meeting) and I am involved with quite a few. I help with committees on Bible camp, financial assistance, school and a local newspaper. I will be adding a community activity committee in July.
Sometimes it all feels like a bit much. At the same time, I know that many of these activities are the things that connect me to people i my life and in the community - and I like these things! So I continue to pray that God is able to use these moments to reach hearts as well.

In the meantime, we also continue with our studies and church activities, including youth days, a Ladies day, studies with univerisyt students and camp work days these past two months. You will have seen some of these on the blog, but I want to tell you a little bit more about a few of these - moments that were really exciting, seeing how God is working.
I have often mentioned how important our work with the youth is. I am proud that our young people are struggling to hold on to their faith - and are growing. So many young people today are simply abandoning their faith, often without even considering. We are trying to make sure that our young people have the tools they need to grow in faith and love.

In April we had the opportunity to go to Switzerland to play soccer. But the trip was much, much more than that. We ended up getting a group of 25 people together (definitely not all “young” people) to go play against teams from Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland (it sounds like the matches going on now!). But we also sat in a car together on the trip there and back, spent time worshipping together and got to know one another better. It was great to see the commeraderie in the teams. We had four teams there along with some great cheering sections.
Even more, we met and got to know Christians from all over Europe. One evening the young people stayed up late singing (wonderful music to fall asleep to). On Sunday we worshipped God together - in several languages. What a privilege! It was a wonderful opportunity. Now we are planning to do something of the sort at home (in Belgium and the Netherlands) before going again next year.

In May, on the weekend of Pentecost, we planned a weekend down at camp for the congregation. Once again, this was not a time just for young people, but rather a time that all ages could encourage one another. It was absolutely fantastic, passing all expectations. Everyone helped one another, we were all able to learn from one another and we grew closer as a result - closer to God and closer to one another. Once again we got six new songs - what a blessing! Each time since last year that we get together, we challenge the young people and any present to write a song based on a text from the Bible. And they do! (you can hear these by going to www.gvcmaastricht.nl and clicking on the “Liedjes” tab).


In June we will be putting some of this closeness into practice when Listen Up! sings after a youth weekend. Everyone is inviting their friends, colleagues and classmates to the concert. It is exciting to see how many people (connected through all those committees!) have said that they will attend - wanting to know who we are more closely. It will be exciting to see what God will do with these opportunities in the coming months.

A funeral, a wedding, a birthday and a dinner
In these months we have also had many chances to share joy and sadness with our brothers and sisters. Our friend and colleague in Eindhoven, Roel de Gruyter, lost his mother (his father is now in the hospital - please pray!). On the other side, one of our former student members, Linda N., got married and we were able to share in her joy.
With RW I was glad that we could help out in any way. He had a birthday dinner with his whole family - a yearly family reunion - but didn’t have enough tables. We were able to help out - although the weather didn’t. And we have spent some very good times with LJ, just eating dinner, sharing coffee, or sitting in the garden, but always getting to know one another better and learning more about who God is.
God has given us all a family - His construction - in order to live and grow. We are loving living this real life and all the busyness it brings!

PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Pray specifically for the youth weekend and concert - our outreach to the city in June! Many of our friends, neighbors and co-workers will be attending!
- Continue to pray for Mr. W. and LJ as we continue to study together. your prayers for them and for me mean a lot!
- Praise and thank God for the wonderful times we are experiencing as a church family! We want to use this to continue growing in faith and love.
- Pray for our regular visitors A., S.,V. S has mentioned that she is ready to take the next step!
- Our high school seniors need your prayers as they finish their final exams and get ready to move on in their lives.
- Please keep our summer Bible camp preparations in your prayers. This is a very important time for our young people and for the church in Belgium and the Netherlands.

DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
Art!?
From the Renaissance to Impressionists, both Dutch and Belgian painters are well-known throughout the world. Taste varies, of course, but in the Netherlands and Belgium you can find almost any kind of art you might like. From Rembrandt , Frans Hals and Vermeer (Dutchmen), to Rubens, Brueghel - both Jans and Pieters (Belgian). The Dutch gave us Van Gogh, M.C. Escher and Mondriaan, while the Belgians offer James Ensor and René Magritte (the heads with apples). Even the bunny “Miffy” (her name in Dutch is Nijntje) is from Dutchman Dick Bruna.
Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know. s.raabs@tele2allin.be

What’s coming up?
JULY
Canadian students
Marseille trip
Camp weeks
AUGUST
Camp
Listen Up! concert

THANKS!
- For your emails and comments - it is good to hear from you!
- for your prayers and encouragement
- for good advice and help for the future with Stephan

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
You would think that two months would present plenty of time to do all sorts of things. And I am sure that all sorts of things happened, but sometimes the days seem to be very normal - so you wonder, when you look back on them, what happened.

As far as school goes, the boys have been soldiering on, trying to make sure that homework gets done and tests passed. This being Stephan’s last year, he is especially aware of the need to make sure things go well. He has been busy getting things ready for Harding in the Fall - but first things first. He will need to pass this year, of course. Sean has completely gotten used to his “new” school from this year. And it has even been interesting to see the guys helping each other with various school problems.
Stephan has been working on his GIP which is a sort of research paper covering all of his disciplines. The preface needs to be in French, the acknowledgment in English (the rest in Dutch, of course) and the various parts covering Biology, Chemistry, Economics, etc. All of this with the theme of “bread” (one of the themes they were allowed to choose from, as long as it had to do with food). This has covered all year and is finally coming to an end.

For a weekend in April all of the “guys” left for a weekend. Scott, Stephan and Sean went with about 20 other people (youth and adults) from the church in Belgium and the Netherlands to an indoor soccer tournament organized by the church in Switzerland. Friday evening driving down, Saturday all day playing, Sunday worshipping and driving home after the final games. It was intense and fun. It was pretty quiet back at the house, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing!

At the end of May we welcomed Anina Zingg for a few days. She is one of the organizers this year of the soccer tournament; she is a 19 year-old from Schaffhausen. Since she was traveling all over Europe (getting in some travel before she starts back to school) and was doing the Belgian/Dutch wing of the trip, we were glad to be able to host her here for a few days. It got us thinking of all the traveling and meeting that Stephan will soon be doing in the States. It’s good to know that there are people who will care well for him.

One of the more interesting, exciting, but at the same time slightly scary things has been our house. We have never really been able to do too much to fix parts that needed fixing, but recently we became more and more aware that something had to be done to one of our walls. As a result we have torn out a closet (exposing how wet one of the walls really was!) and have starting talking to an architect about what we can do to remedy the situation. It is exciting to look at what might be in the future. It’s slightly frightening to think of the extent of changes needed to make this possible. But it will be a good adventure - one we take together.

We pray that you have been able to enjoy and survive the challenges in your life these past two month and more. With God in our lives it will always be a good day!
Have a great day today!

An Italian, French-speaking Belgian, Philipino Christian

When Mishell first visited us, we asked which language she spoke.

You see, she came with Philip and Susanne. Philip is from Togo, but he has lived quite a while in Germany and speaks German in addition to English. His wife Susanne is Aramean, but is born and raised i Germany, so speaks German. But she also speaks English. They have two children who speak German, but who are now learning French, since Philip and Susanne have moved to Belgium and settled in the French-speaking city of Liege.

Mishell is in French class with Susanne. She was looking for a church to attend and "happened" to be in class with Susanne, who just "happened" to know of a church where they attended. So Mishell came along on the 30-40 minute drive (a long drive for people here) Sunday morning. Mishell speaks English (and French now, of course). We were intrigued how she got to Belgium and learned that she had married a Belgian - an Italian Belgian.

You see, the area where we live is coal mining country. Back when the mines were open, there were a lot of guest workers, in Belgium and the Netherlands. in the area where we live that meant Italians, Turks, Greeks and Poles. The same has been true in Liege. So there is a rather large group of Italian-speaking, French-speaking Liegeois. And one of them is Mishell's new husband. They have been married just short of two years.

We were also interested in Mishell's faith. She obviously loved the Lord, since she was searching for a place to worship, was willing to go to the trouble of a longer ride, and do this with a family she was only just getting to know. It was also obvious in talking with her that she knew her Bible and saw the importance of not only reading the Bible but putting it into practice in her daily life. What an encouragement! It turns out (and I still want to learn the rest of the story) that she came to faith in Hong Kong and was baptized in the sea! But now she is our French-speaking, Italo-Belgian, Philipino sister in Maastricht.

Where we come from is much less important than where we are going.

Our weekend together

gemeente van Christus / church of Christ
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

During the weekend of Pentecost (the second day of Pentecost is also a holiday), we organized a study weekend for the church down at camp. God obliged with be-a-utiful weather and it was an amazing weekend!

Everything was centered around the letter to the Romans - the lessons, the activities and even the food. It was great to see how everyone pitched in to make it a special weekend. Scott and Ruud did some exegesis and practical lessons and Stephan gave his first sermon on Sunday morning.

Several of the young people helped out with our workshops: on nature, art and language. Shareya and Isha helped with the art by teaching the participants how to make Roman sandals and mosaics. Stephan did a workshop on nature photography (see the results here). Philip Dela taught us some sign language and Scott got his participants to write new songs (another six for our book! Go here and click on the "Liedjes" tab to hear our songs. The ones at the end are the ones from this weekend.)

We endeavoured to do things together - even making our food. So we made a huge bowl of fruit salad and quite a few vegetable skewers for the Saturday dinner. Add to that all of the great times just playing, walking, sitting and talking and you end up with something we are definitely planning on repeating! (click on the picture above to see more from the weekend)

Football for a weekend

Netherlands 2
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

This past weekend we took a group of almost 30 people to Thayngen, Switzerland to play football. Luk and I heard of this opportunity, organized by the church in Switzerland, while we were in Switzerland last year singing. We thought we might be able to get a few people from Belgium and the Netherlands interested. Turned out we were able to bring four teams!

This was a weekend of great moments. We had to drive all night Friday to get there, played all day Saturday and drove back on Sunday, but in between we had some great fun, built relationships with the youth in our churches, made new friends from all over Europe, practiced our French and German, worshiped God together, sang, shared good food and fellowship and were wonderfully blessed!

If you want to see some of the pictures you can click on this picture or you can go here (from Luk Brazle) or here (from Christian Goebbels) for more.

Where we live

Fall canal view
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

We often get questions about where we live - what it looks like, what the weather is like etc. I thought I would give you a bit of a view through some of the pictures we have had on our photo site before as well as some others that I fished up out of the past.

I have included pictures from our yard, the canal behind our house and our street as well as pictures of the surrounding area, camp (about 45 minutes away) and Maastricht, where we work. Hopefully this gives a little idea of where we are.

(click on the picture to go to the set on our photo site)

March Newsletter

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

March 2008

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2

Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
I will try to summarize all the different activities in this month, but I fear that I will not be able to tell you as much as I would like in this letter. God is working mightily!
Outreach and in-reach?
This month was full of opportunities to share our faith and encourage one another. Sometimes that was within the context of the church, other times as a means to reach out to others.

It is a real privilege to teach, but also to learn from our young people. March saw the start for 2008 of our youth days in Maastricht. This time we also included a short quiz on a Bible topic.


This month there were separate youth weekends. The guys had a games console weekend and looked at “How to get there from here”, talking about what ‘salvation’ is.
The girls looked at their “Spiritual DNA” in Eindhoven, talking about who we really are in God. These are opportunities to invite non-believing friends and also to deepen relationships within the church. It is exciting to see how God uses these opportunities. Pray for us in the coming months as we plan for the next season (2008-2009) of youth weekends.

What is prayer? And how do you do that? Last year I was asked to assist with a Catholic youth weekend. This year the same people approached me to help once again. I mentioned that I would pray about it and get back with an answer. This led to me being asked to present a lesson on prayer. These young people are being told that this is an important time in their life, that God should be part of their daily choices. And yet, the examples they have around them (even their parents) are not always positive (most people here do not attend church, and yet they find these traditions important). So, in addition to helping work on a song and some poems, teaching about the Bible and simply being an example, I talked about the priveleg of prayer. I was excited at this chance to touch lives once again.

In addition to the work with the youth, we also continued our regular studies. Mr. W and LJ continue to ask good questions. They come from very different backgrounds (one an elderly Catholic gentleman, the other a Chinese PhD student), but are able to focus on what is really important. Keep them, and us, in your prayers.

We also had some wonderful studies within the church context, building one another up. We had a visit from a church in Oxford, Alabama, who works with the church in Curacao. Since many people from Curacao also come to the Netherlands, this church understood how important it is to keep up those contacts and visit here as well. We had a nice visit at Shadira’s house (she is from Curacao).

We also had a wonderful time around Easter. Easter Monday is always a gathering of all the Dutch-speaking churches (organized in The Hague). This year was devoted to workshops on the resurrection. I presented a workshop on how to stand up for your faith - if you really believe Jesus is risen.

The next week we had a wonderful potluck dinner in Maastricht with a special class on “New Life in Jesus” for those who have some questions about baptism. We discovered that one of our visitors is our sister in Christ! I hope to give you some more of this story soon on the blog, so keep tuned if you are online.

Activities and events
Next to all of these planned events we had several other activities to challenge and encourage us. As mentioned last month, Willemien received a new knee. This month was her rehabilitation, which only took her an amazing three weeks. She was soon home walking the dog. The hospital staff called her their ‘wonder child” (Willemien is 86!).

We were pleased to attend a wedding of one of our student contacts from the past. Agnes had stayed in Maastricht and we got to share in her wedding day. What a joy! We also went up to Eindhoven for a funeral. Roel de Gruyter’s mother passed away and it was good to be there with and for him on that day.

A completely different activity was the Moslim-Christian debate that I attended with our young brother, Tim. The debate was organized by a Moslim organization around the question “Jesus, son of . . .”. The same evening a film from the Dutch politician, Geert Wilders, came out on internet. He is very much against the Koran. It was an interesting evening. We need more opportunities to talk about what the differences are between these two. And I pray that people will read their Bible more and think critically.
We are presented with so many opportunities to learn and grow. I am so thankful for the strength and guidance of a wonderful Father!

PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Pray for Mr. W. and LJ as we continue to study together. Praise God that they are willing to listen!
- Pray for our plans in the church: WoW course, our church study weekend, men’s studies and our weekly Bible studies as well as our daily contacts.
- Pray for our regular visitors A., S.,V. We had a wonderful lesson on New life in Jesus. V. and I. are studying the Bible together now!
- Praise God for Mishell. She has come as a visitor, but is our sister in Christ, baptized in Hong Kong!
- Pray specifically for our plans for June. We are organizing a youth weekend and concert to challenge our youth and reach out to our city.
- Thank God that all went well with Willemien’s second new knee.
- Thank God for the time we had with the young people during the Catholic youth weekend, teaching and encouraging.

THANKS!
- For your faithfulness - it cannot be easy financially for many now, but you remain a strength!
- For all the emails, phone calls and comments on the blog
- for your prayers and encouragement
What’s coming up?
MAY
Work camp
Maastricht study week
Leadership training
JUNE
Youth weekend
Listen Up! concert

DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
Science and knowledge
Some important, but obscure discoveries are attributed to Dutch and Belgian scientists. VanderWaal forces, magnetism, or blood pressure in the body were all discovered by Dutch or Belgian scientists. But even our everyday life is impacted by the discoveries made by Dutchmen and Belgians.
Christian Huygens developed pendulum clocks for navigation, but Gerardus Mercator is the one who gave us cartography and maps. Einthoven developed the electrocardiogram (ECG) but Quetelet invented the body mass index (BMI). Tinbergen figured out the dance of the bees while de Smedt invented our modern-day asphalt.
Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know. s.raabs@tele2allin.be

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
In between all of the various church activities this month we were also able to slip away for a day or two. You can see more of that on our picture site if you have can get online. But before that came at the end of the month, we enjoyed some good meals with various friends and long time contacts.

We hadn’t seen Gerard for quite a while. He has been studying with Scott for quite some time and continues to have good contact with one of our previous summer students. It was good to have him over for dinner this month and renew our friendship.
We also spent some good time with LJ who we are getting to know better and better. She had to move, so we helped move her meager belongings to her new apartment. In the following weeks we had dinner at her place twice and once at our place. In April she will cook for us again - at our place! And at the end of the month we also went over to Jacques and Mieke’s for a wonderful dinner. Mieke reads the Bible with Scott as well. So we have had plenty of good dinners this month. Stephan is even going to prepare a meal soon which he also has to be able to prepare for school.

Easter Monday is usually a busy but good day in The Hague. We leave at around 7 in the morning in order to make the 3 hour drive. Once there we sometimes have a minute to drink coffee before getting started (Scott usually has some part in the program). This year we were able to talk to plenty of people afterwards. We don’t plan on getting home before 7 p.m. and this year was no different. Thankfully Snuffles can handle a long day like this at home without any troubles (although she was definitely glad to see us when we got back!)

The last day of the month ended up being a wonderful surprise. We had seen that a day-trip to Canterbury, England wasn’t that expensive, so we asked the boys (who had vacation at that time) and made the plans! What a wonderful day!! Long, but wonderful. We left the house at 4 a.m. to get to the boat in Calais on time. But we were in Canterbury by 10 a.m. - without any troubles driving on the ‘wrong’ side.
The day was planned as we wanted - we would choose as we went. So we stopped to see Greyfriar’s, took pictures of “English alleyways”, ate a bacon sandwich with “brown sauce”, walked along the sea in Whitstable and Herne Bay, napped on a bench in the sun and had a thoroughly wonderful time together as a family.
Near the end of the day we headed back to Dover, got something to eat and loaded back on to the ferry for the continent. By 2 a.m. we were sneaking into Luk and Holly Brazle’s house in Ghent (they let us spend the night, of course!). The next day, as rainy as it had been sunny in Canterbury, we walked around the city of Ghent and took in the history.

We pray that your month was like Sean’s - he said these were some of the best days he had had. He was ready to enjoy all that we came across.
Have a great day today as you live with God!

March in pictures

March was a very busy month - full of fun and opportunities to serve and learn. The newsletter is coming in the next few days, but here are some pictures that hopefully tell a few stories. Click on the pics to see more over on our picture site.

- we finally got some snow! -

- console weekend in Antwerp -

- Easter Monday with brothers and sisters -

- teaching from the Bible, learning how to pray, writing poetry, and singing -

- talking about new life in Jesus -

- chillin' out in Canterbury -

Family far and near

Good visit
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

We recently had some great family visits.
Louis Higgins and Tom McKleroy from Oxford, Alabama, came over to visit with Shadira. The church in Oxford supports work with the church on Curacao and realized that lots of members head over to the Netherlands, where they have difficulty with their faith. So they have made an effort to meet with the members of the church with ties to Curacao who live in the Netherlands.

On another evening we were all invited to dinner at Philip and Susanne's house in Liege. They have moved to Belgium from Germany and want to be a part of God's family wherever they are. Susanne, who is still studying about and considering what it means to give her life to Christ, has made friends with Mishell - a Philipino woman who has recently married a Belgian. So we had quite an international evening together with some good food and great conversation.

It is thrilling to see how God brings us together and helps make a real family - wherever we are!

February Newsletter

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

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Jesus Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
As anticipated, this year started with a bang and has continued to be quite busy - which is exciting! We continue to look forward to all that God has prepared for us to do.

Home or away?
We had several times this month that our family was a bit split up. The Ladies Retreat which usually comes at the beginning of March was in February this year. This is always a good opportunity to get the ladies of the congregation together. We are thankful that several always want to and can attend.

Our young people went over to Antwerp for a youth weekend on music and how it influences our lives. This time we went to help out in the kitchen - a first for Scott, but he was in good hands with Shirley. God has made us a good team!

The end of the month brought the Advanced Bible Study Series (ABSS) in Gemünden, Germany. This is usually organized by the Brazles, but since they are in the States for a year as visiting missionaries, Scott and Doyle Kee from Switzerland took over the organization for a year. This week and weekend retreat is a great opportunity for members in Europe.
Lessons are presented from teachers who have taken the time to dig deeper into a subject that will also help those who participate in the week. And it is participation! Although there are only four or five speakers, the listeners have plenty of time during meals, walks in the woods and fussbal games to chew on all the information and thoughts that the teachers passed on. It is always an invigorating week. We were glad to be able to help in this way this year and are looking forward to next year already.
One of the best things about this week is the contact that we have with Christians from around Europe. Traveling hours to get somewhere is not that common here. So when two brothers from Poland traveled more than 11 hours to be with us for two days (before turning around and heading back home), it was a privilege to get to know them. This year we fellowshipped with people from Switzerland, Slovakia, Poland, England, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United States. It is great to be a part of God’s family!
Outreach
Being gone during these moments did split up the month quite a bit, but this did not change the various studies we have going on. Let me update you on a few things that you have been praying about.
You may have seen all the news about the snow storms in China and the distress this caused travelers. We were worried about LJ because she had gone home to visit her parents (the first time in a few years!). We finally got to see her this month when she returned and heard that she had been affected, but that she was able to visit with her parents.
It was good to be able to get together again after she has had some time to be away and think about what we are reading and studying. She visited a few churches while at home as well, wanting to see what opportunities there might be. Amazingly, it was her father who directed her to the churches. Back in Maastricht we helped her move from one apartment to another and she shared a good meal. We are proud that she considers us her friends and continue to pray that we can be of even more help than moving her worldly good from one place to another. We want to see her again when we all get Home.
The study with Mr. W. also continued well this month. What do you do when you start reading in the Bible and find out that many of the things you were taught are not there? Mr. W. has some very strong opinions about all sorts of things. He respects those who will listen and be willing to change. It has been interesting to see him struggle with his own struggle to change or accept.
Scott was also contacted by people he had studied with in the past, but who had stopped. It is exciting then to see some initiative coming from them, wanting to study again. Please continue to pray for these efforts, these relationships and for the amazing things God can do in people’s lives.
In Maastricht we also took Willemien in to have her second knee replacement. Soon she will be ready to run again, without pain. She is pleased that this is all possible, even more with how it has brought people into her life. She found a neighbor who was willing to watch the dog for 4 weeks and with whom she now has a good relationship. God is amazing and gracious. Keep an eye out for what He wants to do with you!

PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Continue to pray for Mr. W. He is asking lots of questions and is willing to listen.
- Pray that LJ will think more about what Jesus wants to bring her life.
- Pray for our plans in the neighborhood: WoW course, our church study weekend, and our Bible studies as well as our daily contacts.
- Pray for our regular visitors A., S.,V. and M. who are all deciding whether they want to give their lives fully to Jesus. For some this is a difficult cultural decision as well.
- Pray for Ruud and Karla, our co-workers. Ruud is in terrible pain. He continues each day, making it through the pain. Thank God for the strength Ruud finds to still be such an example.
- Pray for our young people heading out near the end of this year to start university far away - that they will continue to grow.

DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
Belgians and Dutchmen in the world
You may not know much about Belgium or the Netherlands, but odds are that you know some of the things they produce.
You may have had contact with Dutch companies in the supermarket (Unilever), at the bank (ING), the gas station (Shell), in travel (KLM) or in electronics (Philips). The Dutch have also been involved in rebuilding the area damaged by Katrina, using their know-how of how to keep water at bay.
While Belgian companies are less well-known in the global sense, they are no less prevalent. Belgium has many middle-sized companies working in lower-profile areas: textiles, dredging, languages (translating software). Best-known are perhaps their beers.
Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know. s.raabs@tele2allin.be

What’s coming up?
APRIL
WoW course
Youth weekend
Single’s Retreat
MAY
Work camp
Maastricht study week

THANKS!
- For extra funds - you take great care of us!
- For all the contact - Facebook, blog, email or otherwise
- Your prayers for all that is happening here and in Europe

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
Every year Shirley has the opportunity to go to the Ladies Retreat in Germany. This year was going to be different. We heard back in October that everything was already full and that there was no room left. This meant that our ladies could not go. We put them on a waiting list and hoped for the best. Sean was especially distraught - it is when Shirley comes home from the Ladies Retreat that we have received such wonderful gifts from Americans in Germany as Oreo cookies, Pop Tarts and Kraft macaroni and cheese. Now, it seemed, this would not happen.
Thankfully, room opened up and four of our ladies got to go. And yes, Shirley came home with arms full. Thanks to the ladies at Kaiserslautern we had once again been spoiled (although I like to see it as a blessing!). The ‘guys’ survived just fine at home alone. By now they have learned to get along just fine and take good care of each other.
At the end of the month Scott and Shirley went off together to the Advanced Bible Study Series (ABSS) in Germany, leaving the boys behind to fend for themselves. We had seen that they could do this quite well when we went to Switzerland last Fall with Listen Up!. Now Scott was organizing the week in Germany with Doyle Kee and needed some good support. And we form a good team together! The boys joined us in the weekend, so we had a good little break together as well.
ABSS is always a great time to see people we don’t see so often and to meet new people. This year we met some brothers from Poland and Scott got to play basketball as usual with Doyle. He even played some mud-soccer with the young guys from Marseilles. Probably practicing for May when several from Belgium and the Netherlands will travel to Switzerland for a tournament with teams from various churches of Christ around Europe.
Stephan got to meet one of his future classmates while in Germany. Justin Smith (son of Brady and Stephanie - Stephanie was cooking for us and Justin is studying at Marseilles) will also be attending Harding. It is neat to see how Stephan is getting to know his future classmates online already. This should help when he gets there. But for now he also needs to be focusing on his studies here to make sure that he passes the year well.
Sean has struggled this month with the weather and his health as far as his sport. His team’s field is underfunded, so when it rains or freezes they cannot practice or play. This has meant not much working out and that leads to slight injuries and frustrations. His growing like a weed probably doesn’t help much either (with the injuries). Sean is getting nearly as tall as Scott.
We hope that your month was a blessing, bringing plenty of challenges - and the strength to meet them. We are so glad for the days we have together, realizing that they are quickly changing. Enjoy your day today as you follow where God is taking you!

Prayer opportunities

Not that you need to hear from me to know that there are so many wonderful opportunities to speak with God, but I wanted to share these things in our work for which we would greatly appreciate your prayers.
- Last year I told you about the opportunity we had with our colleagues in their village. Karla was asked to help with the Catholic confirmation group by teaching them about the Bible. I was able to help out during a weekend retreat where we talked about faith. This year they have asked me to help again, specifically to talk about prayer and what it is. So I will be able to talk to these young people (and also to the adult supervisors) about how and why we can pray. Talk to the Father about this. So many people miss out on what prayer really can be and this is an opportunity to give this to these young people who aren't even yet sure if they want to know who God is.
- P. called Ruud (Karla's husband) last week and told him he wanted to be baptized. Ruud called me and we discussed how we should continue. We made an appointment to talk - so that he could see what we were saying and we could see what he was thinking. He lives up around Nijmegen - a good 2 hour drive from us. We went up last Sunday and talked for several hours, finally leaving, understanding that P. would let us know what he was going to do. He called this past Friday to let us know that he is very serious about his desire to give his life to God, but that there are a few more questions he is examining. He has a yearly vacation in France at this time, so this will give him a good opportunity to think, pray and study. Pray for P. and his wife, N., as they are making this consideration for their life.
- We have a new couple in the congregation in Maastricht. Philip is a Christian from Togo, via Germany, and his wife, Susanne, is from the Orthodox church. They are bringing a regular visitor who just moved to Belgium. Susanne's desire to know the Lord in her life, along with the visitor, along with two other regular visitors are all putting a strong emphasis on the decision we all make to belong to our King, Jesus. This has also been good for our young people. Pray for our discussions and the decisions of those considering giving their lives to God.

Thank you for your faithfulness and encouragement!! It is so good to know that we are striving together to have a wonderful family in our Father's kingdom.

ABSS

At the end of February we got our annual portion of abss - that is the Advanced Bible Study Series. This is a wonderful week of lessons and fellowship held in the beautiful Taunus area of Germany. From Tuesday to Friday there are at least 5 challenging lessons a day on various topics from qualified speakers. On Friday we switch over to a more family-friendly schedule for those who can come for the weekend. But every day brings new thoughts and challenges, and new opportunities to discuss this all with new friends from all over Europe.

ABSS is usually organized by Paul Brazle, but he is in the States for a year as missionary-in-residence, so this year was organized and run by Doyle Kee and me. Although, to be honest, we didn't leave Paul alone much, either (we are thankful for email). I am so thankful for people who are willing to help (like Stephanie Smith from Lausanne, Nicole Hoffman from Bern, and Brandy Svensson from Wiesbaden who took care of the kitchen) and for all the opportunities to meet brothers and sisters from so many places. This week brings some really challenging lessons (this year from Philip Slate, Jim Krumrei, Craig Young and Bob Eckman) and serves to train, equip and encourage church members in Europe.

This year Shirley was able to come along, since we have seen that the boys know how to take care of themselves (they did such a good job when we went to Switzerland). The boys joined us at the weekend (as you can see in the pictures). We met brothers from Poland and Slovakia as well as from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. We saw a whole herd of deer, took some really wonderful walks, and I played basketball AND football (soccer) this time (although there was no snow - maybe best for the basketball playing).

Some things never change. ABSS is a week of study, but there is always time for some fun and fellowship. How can we learn without those also being a part of the process? The "Gemundener Follies" are always the highlight of the week session - the moment when the real talent floats to the top.(?)

One of the biggest changes we DID see this year was in the available technology. The speakers were checked - while speaking - on their information thanks to being able to 'google' on a laptop while listening (stop and listen to that sentence again - where is our language going!). Instead of copying the lessons on cassette, or making them available on cd, we can now simply place them on the internet for everyone to download. If you are interested in hearing the lessons, you can download them here. We are already looking forward to next year. If you are in the neighborhood next year, be sure to plan to drop in for the week!

On its way

SinglesBeauty07
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

I just uploaded a few more artsy pictures from Stephan that he took during the Singles Retreat last Spring. The beauty he can see astounds me!

And it also reminds me at this time that the winter is over and spring is on its way. March came in like a very angry lion last night (lots of wind and rain)! But that means we will soon be enjoying more sunny days!

Marionette

Marionette
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Jump on over to our picture site (click on the picture here) and go to "Artsy Favorites" (on the right) to see some of the pictures that Sean and Stephan took last week while in Germany. What a wonderful eye they have! I've got to give them the camera more often!

Antwerp Youth Weekend

Kyana, Isha, Elise
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Back in the middle of the month we went over to Antwerp to help with the youth weekend there. A smaller group certainly didn't make for any less fun. Luk Brazle talked about the lies that advertisers, video's, films and music try to pass off on us. Then we talked about how music can influence us for good and what we should do about that.

As with all our youth weekends, this is a time to see friends you don't see regularly, and to have some fun and cement those relationships. Ice skating, good food and good music always help. This time Scott and Shirley were in charge of the kitchen (a new one for Scott).

We are so thankful that God can use us in this way and for young people who so want to know God and grow in Him.

Wonderfully made

This evening we went in to visit Willemien in the hospital. She is our 86-year-old sister who continuously encourages. She is not in the hospital because she is sick really - she is getting a new knee. This is her second one. You might remember me writing about her other one a year and a half ago. Now she is getting her right knee renewed.
It amazes me how wonderfully we are made. Now you might think "Wait a minute - she needs a new knee. How wonderful can that be?" But what amazes me is that this is possible! God has made us so wonderfully that we are able to figure out how to do this. And, amazingly, those wonderfully smart doctors and engineers figured out how to make these replacement knees by looking at how the original was made. They even try to find solutions for the materials. These new knees only last 10-15 years. Just about enough for Willemien (all the women in her family have lived to be at least 90!)
Just as amazing is how God has made our bodies to respond to something like this. Willemien was operated on yesterday morning. Her leg was put in a sled to start working out while she was in the recovery room. This evening, after getting some good sleep through the day, she was laughing and in good spirits. Tomorrow she will get out of bed and start walking. By the end of the week she will be able to leave the hospital, ready to use her new knee.
Our bodies are made to renew, to heal, to grow. And this while we are actually dying a little bit every day (now that's a slightly less positive thought). But that ability shows us how wonderfully we are MADE. And it points us to our true future. I love that Willemien puts those things together. She knows her future!

January Newsletter

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

January 2008

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
As we glanced back near the end of last year at what we experienced, we had a chance to look ahead to what is coming. Here are some of those thoughts.

Looking ahead
We want to focus in 2008 on three major areas of our work (which have also been our focus in the past): youth, equipping members and outreach. In 2007 we had 5 youth weekends and 4 youth activities. This coming year will be no different. The first youth weekend for 2008 was this month. Haarlem hosted more than 20 kids for a weekend on sin (and what to do about it!). It was great to see some of the youth from earlier years leading this weekend.

Community and family are essential concepts if we are going to live and grow. Last year was a beginning for special days with the brothers and activities with the older youth. It has been good to see how this has also taken off. The older ‘youth’ have not let go of their faith. Instead, they want to put it even more into practice in their lives. A new group begun last year - ‘Het Anker’ (The Anchor) continues to be important in this.

One of the most exciting parts of community to me is how God has made us able to sing. 2007 a year of song for us in Maastricht. The members in Maastricht wrote 10 new songs. This has been so encouraging, to us and to others. At the end of this month the annual Camp meeting was held in Antwerp. This is a formality which we use to do even more by making it into a community event. We used the opportunity to teach some new songs and sing together with members from around Belgium and the Netherlands. What a privilege! If you are interested in the songs, take a look at our church website: www.gvcmaastricht.nl. Everything is in Dutch, but some of the songs are in English. Click on the top right tab “Liedjes”. You will see a list of songs and a player. There are at least two in English, but take a listen to the Dutch ones as well. Most of these were written by our young people! That’s how we combine youth with community.

Outreach
Trying to let people know how wonderful God is would seem to be a straightforward activity. In reality it has to be a mixture of large efforts and activities as well as everyday, small efforts by all members. In 2007 we had more than 150 studies (even though we were gone for three months in the summer) and we hope to continue these in 2008. We had a wonderful opportunity to work with a Catholic youth weekend and have been approached to help this year as well. And our everyday opportunities are ever-present - if we open our eyes to the people God brings across our path.

We plan to offer our Wiser on the Way course at least twice this year - this time in combination with some extra efforts in the neighborhood. We also plan to host a concert with Listen Up! at the end of a youth weekend in June. This is a big effort, requiring all sorts of help from all of the members. But it is also a time to see how God can work through us. This concert will bring in all sorts of visitors who are interested in what is being said, but still from a distance. It will be up to us to let them see how good it is to be up close and personal with God.

This month has been a challenging and exciting one for relationships. I have been able to continue with some of my studies from last month and they are exciting. Mr. W. continues to ask such good questions and be genuinely interested in what God says in His word. But other members of the congregation have also been able to talk about their love. Willemien was excited when her neighbor asked her about the Bible. This is a neighbor who helps Willemien regularly and is now interested in where she gets her strength. We look forward to how God is going to continue using us in so many ways (many that we don’t even know right now) to let others see how wonderful He is.

This past month has brought some regular visitors in our services as well. We have never really viewed our worship time as the premium moment of evangelism - it is instead the premium moment for us to encourage one another and be encouraged by the presence and might of our loving God. But we are encouraged that several young people have made a clear choice to meet with us in order to get to know God better.

God is amazing and gracious. We are ready to be amazed in this year as we look for how He will let the year unfold. A bit exciting. A bit anxious, not knowing what is coming. But all will be very good - in His hands.

PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Continue to pray for Mr. W. We are having some great studies in the Word.
- Pray also for LJ who knows how challenging the life of a Christian is and is considering whether that is something she is interested in.
- Pray for our plans for this coming year as we try to reach out more to the neighborhood.
- Pray for our regular visitors A., A. and V. These are young people who want to grow and are an example even for their parents.
- Continue to pray for our youth activities planned for the year. These are so important for the future of the church as well.
- Pray for Ruud and Karla, our co-workers. Ruud is in terrible pain. He continues each day, making it through the pain.
- Pray for our young people heading out near the end of this year to start university far away - that they will continue to grow.

DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
That’s music to me
The Dutch and the Belgians have had an interesting musical history. In the 60’s and 70’s people will remember the Dutch groups Golden Earring (Radar love), George Baker Selection and Mouth and MacNeil. These days listeners will recognize Anouk, Raccoon, or DJ Tiesto. Country listeners might know Ilse de Lange.
Belgian singers like Jacques Brel and Ann Christy were internationally known. Toots Thielemans is the best-known jazz harmonica player in the world and the Queen Elizabeth contest is the premier contest for classical piano and violin.
Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know. s.raabs@tele2allin.be

ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
We kind of skipped out on the December news. We are so thankful for so many of you who send year-end newsletters updating us on what is going on in your lives, but somehow we always feel like December is a bit of news overkill, since we send you a newsletter (almost) monthly. So we also enjoyed lots of visits (we even crammed Thanksgiving into December!), way too much good food and sweets and lots of time together.
We brought the new year in with a bang over at Ruud and Karla’s house with most of the congregation. That was fun! Sean did magic tricks (with his beautiful assistant Shirley at his side), Stephan juggled and Scott sang a song or two. Others played piano, read poems and made jokes. It was a great evening, rounded off by some good fireworks outside.

Once in January things picked up pretty quick (amazing how quickly a year can get going!). The stores all put everything on sale - which means good fun and opportunities for Shirley! She headed out into the wilds with Geesie and Marjolijn to see what she could find. Even Stephan and Sean enjoyed a bit of this shopping, since they needed some clothes.

It has been interesting to see how Sean has changed in the past few months. He switched schools at the beginning of the school year and this brought an almost immediate change in the way he dressed. Now he is much more willing to listen to the fashion advice of his mother (who knows of what she speaks).
Sean has also decided to buckle down and get to work this semester. A new school brings new ways of doing things, but also brought some pretty good competition in his class. This is not always a bad thing. It has been fun to hear Sean speaking French whenever he is not playing soccer or playing the guitar.
The guitar is Sean’s newfound love. He has decided that he is going to be a bass gitarist and has set to learning quite a few songs from his favorite group (at the moment) Bloc-Party. It amazes me how quickly he can learn something when he decides to do it! Great fun to see - though not always fun to hear (but what budding musician is?)

Stephan was absorbed this month by “Chrysostomos” which is slightly comparable to senior prom, but only slightly. The last-years put on a show for the lower-years and there is a dance. For Stephan the show included the ‘hakka’ (know idea how to spell that) which is the Maori dance. He made sure that he worked out enough first, since they were doing it in traditional dress. The dance does not include fancy dresses and tuxedos and probably resembles more of the ‘after-prom’ dances than anything else. It is not held in or by the school, but simply in a local disco. We were actually pleased that Stephan decided to stay home.

We also started looking at how to fix a few things around the house as the time for spring cleaning gets closer. We’ll see how that works out.

DON'T FORGET!!
What’s coming up?
FEBRUARY
ABSS
Hootenanny/Youth evening
MARCH
Youth weekend
Camp meeting

THANKS!
- For your comments on the blog - great to hear from you!
- For letting us know what’s happening in your lives
- Your prayers for all that is happening here and in Europe

Enjoy each moment as you walk with God today!
Love in Him,
Scott, Shirley,
Stephan and Sean Raab