Here am I, send me!

Here below is our latest newsletter. I wanted to take the time to look ahead at how God can use us, wherever we are. There is some very important family news as well. Thanks for stopping by and for your continued encouragement!

On Assignment - at home in Indiana

How often do you need to see people in order to retain a close relationship? This is something that has intrigued me almost my entire life. I grew up traveling all over. I had lived in six cities in three countries before the 6th grade. So family was always important, and making friends meant figuring it out quickly, or keeping things on the surface (I would not immediately call this superficial).

This continued when I went off to university, where I traveled all over the US, traveled to Europe and in the end spent two years in the Netherlands. My brothers and sisters also traveled. Three of my brothers were in the military and the other roamed off to Alaska. But we have always been able to re-connect. And we are still there for each other.

Our last leg of our Home Assignment brought us to Indianapolis where my ‘little’ brother, Mike and his family live. We keep and eye on how Mike and Amy and the four boys are doing through the wonder of modern communication – and I have always been very thankful for that. Since Indiana is not in the normal ‘loop’ of our travels on home assignment, the last time we visited was in 2007. Now we not only got to visit, we were blessed to spend Christmas together!

We arrived a day late so that Shirley could recover after the wedding. That left us two and a half days to enjoy the time together. And we were mixing several families as well. Marc and Wouter, who had traveled with Sean to New York city and then joined us for the wedding, were experiencing their first Christmas away from their rather large family back in Belgium. So it was good to share, to experience some local family traditions, and to just have fun.

And all along our travels we had expected snow but had seen barely a flake. Each time we left somewhere, they received a foot of snow after we left, but we were not burdened at all on our travels with snow-covered highways or backed-up traffic. Now, with a few days, we expereienced a blizzard, right in Indianapolis, for Christmas! And when it was time to leave, the roads were clear where we were headed.

Our last day was spent in Chicago with another blast from the past – Jimmy Schellekens is a young man that I knew when he was about 2 years-old in Schiedam. We spent time getting ready to leave, saw some of Chicago, had some great food (again) and even played a bit of football (the real kind). And we could relax the English or work on Dutch by speaking Dutch with Jimmy. We are so thankful that Jimmy and Amy were willing to share their apartment with us for that short visit on our way out.

After two months in the US we were now finally headed back … home. But we have been home all along the way, everywhere we stopped. You are why we can be home when we are with you. We are so thankful for the reality that wherever we are, if we are with God and his family, we are at home. Thank you!

Here is wher you can see pictures of our visit to Indiana and Illinois. 

A wedding … and so much more

A lot of planning goes into a wedding. That was certainly the case with Stephan and Natalie. We only saw some of what had to be decided upon, chosen, made and planned. We were able to help with some of the planning: making cake-pops, setting up the venue, working through some of the ceremony. But there is a lot more that happens before a wedding – at least, that is what we were thankful for. A wedding can be simply a wedding – a big party to mark a certain day. Tht is not what this was.

Stephan and Natalie wanted to have a great day. They wanted the people who would come to the wedding to have fun. But they also knew that this day was what they had worked toward in their relationship and would be the beginning of a lasting life together that was just starting.

We wanted the day to be special for them. We were looking forward to seeing them begin their lives together. But we were also looking forward to getting to know this young woman whom we had, until then, only spoken to via Skype. We knew too that we would be meeting her parents and family. We knew that this day meant we would be giving up our son, gaining a daughter and, hopefully with grace, would be letting go so that they could start this new life together.

How do you let go? Many of you will have experienced this already. Perhaps it is different each time with each child. There are so many emotions on the day (and following, as things start to settle in). Since we hadn’t seen Stephan since December 2010, we were excited to see him again. But of course this would be to see him start a new life as a husband, not just our son. And that is good! That is why he was put in our lives. Our children are placed in our hands for a time so that we can prepare them to grow, to live in Christ and to be a blessing to others. That time had come.

So, we enjoyed the preparations. We had a blast making cake-pops, laughing with our new family. We enjoyed the day, shedding a tear or two and taking that deep breath of pride in these two young people wanting to give themselves totally to each other and to God. And we look forward to the many times coming that we can watch them grow.

You can see a few of our pictures of the wedding over here. Thank you all for being a part of this through the years – seeing these two grow and helping them along the way. We are so thankful that God, who is love, continues to guide their lives together. 

On Assignment - at home in Ohio

Years ago, on one of our home assignments, sitting in the airport of some city in the United States, a man sitting next to us began talking to the boys (they were quite young at the time). Stephan turned to us and asked: “Do we know him too?” We had been meeting with and getting to know so many new people on our trip, and even family was new for Stephan and Sean. As far as Stephan was concerned, this too could be family.

That is one of the blessings of God’s family – that we can be at home in so many different places. And we have so enjoyed seeing so much family – blood relatives and spiritual family – on our travels. But as we drove away from Muscatine and through Indiana, we knew we were headed to Ohio, where we would be meeting another sort of family. We were soon to meet the in-laws and become the in-laws for the first time. Although we had talked with Natalie on Skype and had briefly talked to her parents as well, this was to be the time to meet the whole family. And what a blessing it was!

We were able to stay at Jay and Pauline’s while Sean, Wouter and Marc (when they arrived on the Thursday) stayed at Natalie’s grandparent’s house (John and Fran). We were taken up in the family – which meant being able to help out making cake pops, making our own coffee when needed, sharing the Christmas concert of Natalie’s youngest sister, Rachel, working toegtehr to get everything ready for the wedding – it was a real pleasure and a blessing to be together. We are so thankful for Natalie and her family – our family!

Our time in Ohio was filled with moments like this. Sean and his best friend, Wouer, and Wouter’s father, Marc, had spent five days in New York City before arriving for the wedding. Marc and Wouter had never been to the States before and were welcomed with open arms by so many people. They arrived in the middle of the preparations for the wedding, helped out moving chairs, cleaning up, blowing bubbles. They attended worship services with us on Sunday as well. They were surrounded by people all around welcoming them. John and Fran shared stories of Egypt with them, we played ping-pong in the garage with the gathered family, and made one huge family.

It was great for us to also be able to meet up with Scott’s Mom who has moved back to New York to be with Paul Drushler. This was the first time for us to meet Paul (and he us, of course). It was great for them to have made the trip to share this time with us and with Stephan and Natalie.

After the wedding we had planned on driving over to Indiana, but Shirley was hit by a bout of dizzyness and a migraine, so instead we spent some more family time. This was exactly what we all needed after such a wonderfully busy time – a day to wind down. A trip and walk to Maumee Bay on Lake Erie, the sun shining even as the cold wind blew, reinforced us as a new family, caring for one another. We are so thankful for the love that comes in God’s family. 

Check out the pictures from this leg of the trip!

On Assignment - at home in Nebraska and Iowa

One of the biggest joys on our trip around the US is seeing family again and meeting new people. We usually have a mix of both at each stop on our way, seeing church family we have stayed with before and meeting new members while there. But in general our family is in different States than the congregations we visit.

Leaving our Minnesota church family we rented a car and began the 'road trip' section of our Home Assignment. From Minneapolis we would drive the rest of the trip - to Omaha, Nebraska, over to  Muscatine, Iowa, on to Curtice, Ohio, back to Indianapolis, Indiana, and finally to Chicago, illinois where we would fly out. We left Minnesota with a light powdering of snow on the ground and fog in the air wondering what Omaha would be like when we arrived about 5 hours later. We heard that Minnesota received a foot of snow after we left, but we arrived in Omaha with no snow.

Once arrived in Omaha we found a hotel, checked in and headed over to Shirley's sister's, pretty much just around the corner. From there we were able to go to her son's house where we were all together for dinner. What a great evening - finally being able to see each other again!
The next day we planned to attend Southwest church of Christ, where we had visited back in 2007. Walking in the door we were enthousiastically welcomed by Joan Hazelwood who knew we were to be in Omaha and hoped that we would be coming by. How fun and encouraging to be so welcomed! Joan and LaVerne had been in the congregation when Shirley was growing up and Joan had allowed us to translate her curriculum for Belgium and the Netherlands. We also ran into Lane Hinton, who had been one of our 'students' for a summer back in the 90's.

We only had a coupe of days in Omaha, but we were able to spend as much time as possible with family, doing a bit of shopping, Scott got his hair cut and we did a lot of catching up. We even drove over to see a neighborhood with an amazing light display. We are so thankful for these opportunities and how this is made possible by the generosity of so many. We couldn't have been in the States if others hadn't brought us over.

After a much too short visit in Omaha, we jumped in the car and headed over to Muscatine, Iowa. It was Shirley's birthday, so we had some heartfelt goodbyes with her sister, stopped to get a Nebraska sweatshirt (some things are just important!) and went out to eat when we finally drove in to Muscatine about 5 hours later.

in Musactine we were staying at our 'regular' place. This place is far from regular, but the Huddleston's see us as family (since we have stayed with them several times) and we feel very much at home. So we simply let ourselves in. Muscatine is a congregation where we have many familiar faces and church family (including the Schellekens, with whom we have worked since 1982!), but it was here that we were thrilled to meet a whole group of new people.

In the 5 days we were in Muscatine we had several chances to meet the congregation and get to know them better. On Wednesday evening Shirley went to the ladies group while Scott went to a different class. Afterwards we had a meet and greet around dessert foods.
We found out that the church family in Muscatine often meets around food. The following three evenings we had dinner and then dessert with various groups - elders, deacons, wives included, long-time friends and then the youth as well. The exciting thing was being able to meet so many new families as well as reconnect with old friends. On Sunday we talked about our work during the class, Scott preached and then went to sing with a group at a rest home. In the evening we visited with the youth again and two different classes before praying with the elders. We always want to be of use when we visit and we were glad to be able to do so many things here.
In the meantime we also enjoyed a quiet home and even went out to The Hobbit - it's a three-parter, so be warned (tongue firmly in cheek). On a rainy morning we drove off on our way to Ohio where we will finally meet our soon-to-be daughter-in-law and see our son.

You can see more pictures over here. We were busy meeting people in Iowa, so we don't have much of any pictures. Did you take some? We would love to see them!

On Assignment - at home in Minnesota

As we arrived in Minnesota, expecting cold, winter weather, we were greeted by the providence of God and the grace shown through his children. Our family at Woodbury blanketed us in warm fellowship and sharing. It was a very busy visit, but full of a restful busyness. And to start it all out we were welcomed with a car on loan, a gps to get us around, and a hotel room for the first night – time to be together after a lot of traveling.

Our time in Minnesota was mostly filled with visits with the various ‘Life groups’ which meet throughout the week – church in practice outside of the Sunday morning. Each evening we met a different group and on Sunday we met three! Sometimes we talked about what we were doing, but most of the time we simply took part in the study and discussion (this time about ‘downward mobility’ – very interesting thought!) and did some singing. So we not only met the members, but heard their hearts for Christ as well.

In the meantime we spent time in the hospitality of two homes as different and similar as can be from each other. We started in the home of the Chenoweths, whose children are married or off to college – much like ourselves. Their home is in the country, out by a lake, and provided wonderful daily walks for us. There was a quiet, a peace – except when we watched Nebraska lose to Wisconsin on the big screen one night. Otherwise, our time was filled with gracious and challenging conversation, gathered in the living room together.

About half-way through we moved over to the Davidson house – a family we have known for some time, but which has changed in the years. This is a growing family, with four young boys (the oldest being just 10) and the last of the four girls (we still remember Malia, now 16, when she was just 5). Plenty of activity, questions, fun and evident loving hearts. Scott played lego all day with the boys, we went for walks in the park and continued to enjoy the life groups in the evenings. Both homes – for they are truly homes and we felt very much at home – were places of rest. One was a place of calm rest and discussion, the other an energetic vibrancy that hugged us deeply.

We met many new people on this stop and look forward to getting to know them more in the future. We saw a vibrant, caring, living church caring for each other. What a great encouragement for us! As we moved on from Minnesota, now driving to Nebraska, Iowa and Ohio, we were greeted with a light snow – just so that we knew that it does snow in Minnesota. It was a day later – after we had safely arrived in Nebraska – that we heard that about a foot more had fallen. Some more busy rest?

Check out our pictures from this leg of our journey.

On Assignment - at home in Texas

Our relationship with the congregation at S. 11th and Willis in Abilene, Texas molded much of our mission-mindedness. We were married on December 21, 1984  - the day Shirley graduated from Harding University - and drove from Searcy, Arkansas to Abilene, Texas where Scott would finish at Abilene Christian University. We arrived on a Saturday late and Sunday morning went to services with the couple we were staying with. It was S. 11th & Willis that welcomed us and we have remained with this congregation in our hearts all the years since. They took us out to lunch that Sunday (everyone drinks sweet ice tea), showed us around town and made sure that we had everything we needed (including, in the coming weeks, a place to stay and a car to use). 

When we attended ‘Willis’, it was a congregation with a strong emphasis on missions and reaching out no matter where you are. They are still a missions congregation all these years later. It was exciting to see the work being done with some of the refugees from Burundi, the long emphasis and dedicated love for the church in Kenya, both deaf and hearing, the deaf congregation at Willis and all the local efforts to be the body of Christ in the community. We usually end our home assignements here – that is how the loop of travel works out, and it means that we have a safe, restful place before we head back to Belgium. This time Texas is in the middle of our travel loop, but it was just as encouraging.

We were treated to a surprise when the congregation held a reception and money tree for Stephan and Natalie on the first Sunday we were present. They had mentioned to us that they wanted to bless the couple, and Stephan was ‘theirs’! Stephan was born in Abilene and his first Bible came in cradle roll from this wonderful family. To make it complete, we mentioned that we could skype with Stephan and Natalie during the reception – what a great thing technology can be! So, although it was quite difficult to hear one another, many in the congregation were able to meet Natalie and say hello to Stephan.

E.B., Jean and Max

Throughout the week we took the opportunities offered to meet with members – often for lunch or dinner (everyone still drinks sweet tea). Sitting down together always brings with it a level of fellowship and unity. We stayed with E.B. and Jean Dotson who originally arrived in Abilene about the time we did all those years ago. E.B. takes so many missionaries' tax worries on his shoulders and  Jean's heart goes out to everyone seeking peace who doesn't know that peace is truly to be found in Christ. We are so thankful that we are able to spend time with them (and with Max, the parrot this time). We also visited Amanda Martin who is now studying at ACU – amazing to see how ‘our’ young people (Amanda is from the congregation in Long Beach) are all grown up! Scott was also able to connect with a friend from his high school days for a good talk.

Thanksgiviing beckoned and Black Friday loomed this week as well. We were blessed to be ale to share Thanksgiving with the Bundy’s in Graham, Texas (about 90 minutes away). Good food and fellowship there as well. This was all possible because of the giving hearts of members back at Willis lending us their car. As someone mentioned recently: perhaps it was fitting that we were leant a convertible in California and a pick-up truck in Texas. We were very thankful for both!

At home with the McNeill's

Scott brought the sermon the second Sunday morning in Texas and we headed out to Haslet, Texas to meet up with the McNeill’s, our long-time friends and supporters. It was good to drive up, unload and be completely at home. There are some families that can do that for you and such are the McNeill’s. It was a very short visit, but we were thankful to be able to see them and check up again before they drove us very early in the morning to our flight to Minnesota.

These people were some of the first to teach us about giving and sharing. It was good to see them, hard to miss some who have passed away, but encouraging to know that we will all meet again. That has always been enphasized. And their example of giving and sharing is something we try to continue in our lives. Now we are the ones who welcome young couples, young people, young Christians and show them the beauty of living daily with Jesus Christ. 

On Assignment - at home in Colorado

Visiting with Yumiko

Our next stop was Colorado where most of Scott’s family lives. We only had 5 days to cover Colorado Springs and Denver, so we tried to get in as much as possible within everyone’s schedule. We usually come in the summer when at least the kids are out of school. People cannot simply drop their jobs and spend time with us, but it was great to be able to plan an evening when Scott’s family was able to get together for pizza. A chance to meet the new husband of a niece, talk about plans and school and jobs, and see how everyone has grown. We want to be an encouragement wherever we are and hope the time we spend together is just that.

For the few days in Colorado Springs, we were able to visit with our sister-in-law, do a bit more shopping (shoes!), enjoy a good Bible study evening at the Pikes Peak Avenue congregation and drive around the city visiting old haunts before we headed up to Denver. In the meantime, Scott was also checking his email every morning to make sure that things were going okay back in Maastricht and with son Sean. Technology is great when it keeps us in touch with one another! We were even able to call Willemien (our sister in Christ in Maastricht) one morning. We usually see her every Tuesday afternoon. This time we were only able to give her a call while others are caring so well for her, but it was so good to hear her voice.

We headed back up to Denver to spend time with Scott’s older brother and sister and their spouses. Gathered around the table with good food and lively conversation, memories and stories flowed freely. We all change over time and it is good to see what that change looks like. Imagine if we only allowed everyone to remain as they were when they were our ‘little brother’ or ‘older sister’. We change and we want to allow others to change as well.

We also had a good visit with the Rog family, re-connecting and seeing how they have been blessed. The connection that is shared in Christ is special and exciting. Our visits in Denver hold many of these blessings. Scott’s best friend, Bret Carter, met us for lunch and a good heart-to-heart. The next night we finally got to see one of his musicals performed as well. That evening and the next day at the airport (you try to fill every possible minute) we made the most of the conversations with Ron and Jean Carter and Hans and Julie Oehlert as well (AND we got to see Rachel and Caleb!).

Colorado was a whirlwind family visit full of emotion, nostalgia, beauty and family of all kinds. This leg seemed to fly by and left us slightly gasping for air for various reasons. We were able to get an early birthday/Christmas present for Shirley (an iPad) with the financial help of Scott’s brother, Chris, and generous gifts from church family along the way. But the visit seemed too short. And this will not be the first time we experience this elation and evisceration.

On Assignment - at home in California

I recently read a very good article stating some things that for us were very obvious, but for many are obviously not very clear. You can read the article here. What Dale mentioned spurred me on to take a moment to let you see what it is that we are doing on this trip. I know that when we explain to our neighbors and some others that we are going to be gone for two months they are astonished that we would take such a long vacation. 

Home Assignment (I used to call it 'furlough') is a blessed mixture of encouragement and encouraging – or at least that is how we see it and what we desire it to be. We want desperately, not only to have time to get to know new people in the congregations supporting us, but to re-establish ties with those we already know and have been missing, to use any time we have at a congregation to encourage and help, and to learn new things while we are in the US. Along the way we also get to see our family. And there are so many people who so much want to be a blessing to us, to give us a time of refreshing and rest.

As you have read, our Home assignment every three years covers quite a bit of territory – usually at least 6 states and 9 cities, visiting at least 8 different congregations. We basically have 4 supporting congregations: Long Beach, 11th & Willis in Abilene, Texas, Woodbury in Minnesota, and Muscatine in Iowa. Our family, however is in neither of the four states those congregations are in. So we are blessed (and it truly is also a blessing) with the possibility for lots of travel – usually a combination of air travel and road travel.

We are now about halfway through our travels. We started this time in Long Beach, California where we were blessed by being able to take part almost right away in ‘First Fridays’. The local businesses spend the evening showing themselves along the boulevard, getting people to come inside, doing something special to let the community know who they are. The congregation in Long Beach understood that they, too, could let people know that they are a presence in the neighborhood. So they pass out water along with information about the church. They are the face of the congregation on that evening and we were able to share this with them.

Our visits are often a micture of food and conversation. This way we get to meet members and catch up on what is happening in our lives or get to know each other. Thankfully, members often invite others along so that we all share this time. In Long Beach Scott preached and answered questions at a meeting of the elders and deacons (reporting on how things are going in Maastricht) and Scott and Shirley were able to sit in the Sunday morning Bible study as well as a mid-week study. We were able to take part in a prayer evening that is regularly organized by the church. This group regularly prays for us and keeps abreast of our needs - what a blessing! And Shirley headed off for a weekend to a Ladies Retreat in the mountains.

Along with these moments of sharing we also were simply part of our host family in Long Beach, the Jablonski’s. Scott went with the family to daughter Zoey’s volleyball game (they were in the play-offs vying for State).  Shirley knew that she needed to find her dress for the wedding at the end of our travels, so Wanda Martin took her shopping – and they found a dress! More shopping time would follow, since shoes are also needed. Walks in the park, making lunch together or taking an afternoon to see local sights were also among the encouraging moments before we moved on.

These are times of blessing and giving that always astonish us - even though they should not. We have learned about giving and how much God blesses, from people like these. The congregation got together to bless us in a special way financially before we left, but they had already lent us their cars, hosted us in their homes and fed us bodily and spiritually. 

Learning to share

Thanksgiving with the Bundy's

When we married - the day Shirley graduated from Harding University - we jumped in a car laden with all our worldly goods (they all fit in that run-down Chevelle) and headed off for Abilene, Texas where Scott would finish his degree. We had already both expereinced the amazing wealth of blessing that comes from people who have learned to share.

Arriving in Abilene (gassed by our car - but that is another story), we attended the congregation at S. 11th and Willis. The elders there, the young marrieds there, eeryone was full of a servant attitude that permeated the congregation - a church that put missions above buildings and welcomed all comers with open arms and hearts tuned to Jesus Christ. We began a relationship that has lasted and blossomed in all the years our marriage has also grown.

It was these men and women who taught us to give by their example of giving. They helped us when they could and were always there. Since then we have found similar congregations and people all over. These are the amazing, faithful examples we are blessed to visit along our trips when we come back to the US. And we have again been blessed by their great generosity - for us and for Stephan and Natalie who will soon be married.

This bounty has taught us how to walk, has shown us how good it is to share God's blessings - even when we think we have nothing to share. Bounty comes from our gracious Father and we are blessed with the opportunity to be part of passing that on.
We are so thankful for so many lives through which God has blessed us.

Stop here to see our most recent pictures from the Texas leg of our home assignment.

Old memories and new

At Denver Airport
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

Things change. Kids grow up. Houses are sold. But memories remain and new memories are made. All of this is what Colorado was to us this past week.
We drove down to Colorado Springs to spend time with family there. In order to accomodate everyone we decided to meet at a restaurant - Fargo's pizza - a pizza place themed around the old west. Waiters walk around in period costume, piano's play while moose and deer heads gaze down on the pizza-eating patrons.
This place held all sorts of good memories from when we would come here for church youth activities. It's a good family place. And it was here that we got to meet our niece, Kimberly's husband, Derrick, and talk about their quickly changing life together (new baby on the way). We also had time with the other nieces and nephew, trying to get to know each other a little bit better.
While in 'the Springs' we drove around visiting old haunts. The Raab house on Illinois has been sold, but still looks the same. Elementary school, high school, where we rode the bikes down the hill, where the donkey used to be ... all sorts of memories. The streets have all changed. The city has grown tremendously. But it was fun to reminisce.
Up in Denver we met up with more family for a great evening of food and discussion. The next day we met up with old friends and church family (wonderful how that goes together!). We were also finally able to watch a play from Bret and Ron Carter! We have been wanting to hear and see one of these musicals for years and now finally had the chance.
As we headed out (meeting more friends at the airport) the view in this picture struck me. The kids playing still as time marches on and a hotel is built next to the airport. It's fun to mix old memories with new ones. We are so thankful for family and this opportunity to share this time.

On Home Assignment

California!
Originally uploaded by sraabs.

We are traveling through the United States, visiting family and church family who support us in the work God is accomplishing in Belgium and the Netherlands. This is a time of re-establishing relationships, spending time with family, reporting on what we have been doing in Belgium and the Netherlands, and encouraging and being encouraged in the love that God brings us in Jesus Christ. We travel a lot, spend plenty of time visiting, and mix a time of relaxation with times of energizing encounter.
We started this 'Home Assignment' different than previous years in California. Usually (we return on home assignment every three years) we start in Minnesota, swing through California and end up in Texas, hitting everything else in between. Since we are finishing this time in Ohio with Stephan's wedding, we turned things around, starting in California and working our way east. As we continue our travels, we will try to keep you updated on what is going on, through this blog and through the pictures we take. The pictures from California are now online. You can also always simply click on the photos on the right, here on the blog.
This time back in the US is only possible because so many of you have made it possible. Thank you! In California we were blessed by time with loving family, a Ladies Retreat for Shirley up in the mountains, being able to take part in your family activities (like a volleyball tournament), good food, good fellowship and wonderful examples of service. We are so thankful for God's wonderful people in so many places!

Come fly with me

In just 10 days we will be off to travel the US for two months, visiting many of you along the way. We look forward to seeing many of you, spending time with you, being encouraged and encouraging you with how God is blessing us each day. Here is a quick run-down of what our travels will look like. Until the last leg of the trip we will be traveling without Sean, who is of course in the middle of a semester at university in Brussels.

Use the map in the picture as a link to the numbers if you are like me and like a visual reference.

1. We fly on November 1 from Dusseldorf to Los Angeles and spend the next week and a bit with church family in Long Beach, California.

2. From Long Beach we fly to Denver, Colorado on November 12.

3. We will be in Denver at the beginning anf end of the week (Monday, Tuesday and Friday), down in Colorado Springs on Wednesday and Thursday visiting family and church family in both cities. It has been a while since we have seen Colorado at this time of year!

4. We fly from Denver to Dallas on November 17 and will spend the next 10 days in Abilene and the Dallas area. We will be at the S. 11th & Willis congregation in Abilene.

5. We fly from Dallas to Minneapolis (over Denver!) on the 27th of November. We look forward to several wonderful days with church family at the Woodbury congregation. Wondering if we will also be blessed (?) with snow at that point in our trip. The last time we were in Minneapolis at this time of year holds some wonderful sledding memories.

6. On December 8 we will start the driving section of our trip. Please keep this section in your prayers as we would like to enjoy it and remain safe. We will first drive from Minneapolis to Omaha, Nebraska to visit family. We will be able to celebrate Shirley’s birthday with her family.

7. That same day we will carry on from Omaha across Iowa to Muscatine to visit with the loving congregation there. We expect some interesting weather along the way and look forward to seeing everyon again in Muscatine.

8. December 17 will see us driving from Muscatine to Curtice, Ohio. It is here that we will first meet our future daughter-in-law in person and finally be able to hug our son, Stephan. We look forward to meeting the White’s and helping to get things ready for the wedding on December 22. On December 20 we will pick up Sean and his friend, Wouter, and Wouter’s dad, Marc, from the airport in Detroit as they arrive in time for the wedding.

9. The Sunday afternoon after the wedding (while Stephan and Natalie are winging to Europe), we drive over to Indianapolis to spend Christmas with Scott’s family (the brother we don’t get to see as often).

10. From Indianapolis we drive with a full car to Chicago to spend an evening and morning with Jimmy and Amy Schellekens before flying back home.

11. We depart Chicago on December 28 and arrive in Dusseldorf on December 29.

Thank you to all who are making this trip possible, as always. We only are able to visit because of your faithfulness and generosity. We are looking forward to sharing time with you and your families. Let us know if you are in the neighborhood and we can get together! We would love to see you!

What kind of child are you?

As you have read, we challenged the young people at the youth weekend in Maastricht to read one of the gospels during October. I am reading through the gospel according to John.

‘Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or of a husband’s will, but born of God.’ (John 1:12-13)

I was supposed to be a girl. That was the plan. My sister is the oldest, then my older brother. So the plan was to have another girl and then a boy, making the perfect family of four kids, two boys and two girls. Of course, I was not a girl. And the next several tries for that girl also never panned out. I am one of 5 brothers, with my sister as the lone sister and oldest.

But that was the plan. My parents had a plan. They decided to have me. That in itself is a wonderful thought. There are plenty of people who only ‘plan’ on having sex, fulfilling themselves. A child is an unwanted, unforeseen (really?) consequence that needs to be dealt with. I was desired. And loved. And cared for. But I did not choose to be here. Someone else made that choice.

John tells us something amazing. Did you catch it? To be a child of God (the Creator of heaven and earth, the Eternal, the Almighty, the Loving One), I can be born. It is no one else’s decision and no one else can do it for me. There is no person who can make you a Christian, deciding for you that you will have wanted to make that choice.

But I can. I can decide to receive him, believe in his name. Then I have a right to become a child of God. I can choose this wonderful Father, because He has chosen me. And He has chosen you. Will I simply stand outside, accept being only a child of my parents, or will I accept the invitation to be a child of God? You see, I am both. God allowed me to be born into the family my parents ‘planned’. And then He invited me into His family. I am formed by both. And God makes both situations glorious, because He is this wonderful Father, able to turn even the worst situation into a victory.

What kind of child are you? Will you be His child?

Growing up in the Lord

We are never too old to grow in the grace and love of the Lord. Every day we need to be reminded and challenged to allow Jesus to truly be our Lord.

In September we organized a youth weekend in Maastricht - at our house actually - with the theme: Meetings with Jesus. We had a great group of young people from Eindhoven, Antwerp, the area around Tienen and from Maastricht and Valkenburg. How well do we know Jesus? How can we know who he is and what he wants? We took time in the two days we were together to read, think about and discuss six different stories of what Jesus did, what he was like.
We met the 12-year-old Jesus in the temple, saw Jesus washing the apostles' feet and when he fed more than 5000 with a little boy's lunch. We talked about the night in the garden of Gethsemane and around the fire. We saw how Jesus dealt with Thomas and his doubts. And we looked at Jesus walking over the water and stilling the storm.
Each meeting gave us plenty to chew on for our own lives. Are we willing to ask questions and listen to answers, seeking God's will? Can we serve each other? Why are we afrai of what people think? Can Jesus do anything with the little bit I can offer? How strong do I really need to be? All good questions and challenges. For October we challenged the  young people to read one of the gospels and meet Jesus. Why don't you join us?

At the end of October we are organizing Fall Camp. This is vbasically a youth weekend down at camp in the Ardennes. Since we have our new facility, some things will be easier. The beauty of the season and thrill of change will still be just as present. For this weekend we will challenge ourselves with questions on fighting. How do we fight the good fight? What weapons do we have to use? Who (or what?) are we fighting? Who are we NOT fighting? It should be a great weekend! We will be able to tell some of you about in person.

The nice thing about all these weekends ... we get to learn so much from these young people and their desire to know and follow Jesus!

September 2012

 It has been quite a while since we put up a newsletter, so this is an update of what we have been doing in 2012 and a bit of what is coming up. To read, simply click on the pictures at left.















If you would like the newsletter as text in an email, just let me know.

Thank you for taking the time to check out what is going on in our lives and how God is blessing us!

Meeting Jesus

This past weekend we hosted a youth weekend in Maastricht. Usually we have a bit more time to announce things and get a group together, but the short notice for this weekend (less than two weeks) didn’t keep too many from coming. We had a great group of young people willing to learn and looking forward to encouraging one another.

One of the things that we so want to encourage in our youth is to really get to know Jesus. That is what we consistently hear from Jesus in the gospels: Follow me. When Philip asks Jesus to show them the Father, Jesus replies, “Philip, have I been with you so long and you still don’t know me? If you have seen me you have seen the Father.” (John 14:8-9)

So we took time from Saturday afternoon until Sunday afternoon to meet Jesus and see what we could learn about him in those meetings. Along the way we also had fun with eggs, a scavenger hunt and marshmallows around a fire. We spent time developing relationships with each other while we developed our relationship with Jesus.

I am always impressed by young people who are not only able but who are also willing to listen to the Word and dig into what is being said. We looked at the 12-year-old Jesus in the temple, at Jesus on the mountain and feeding the 5000, at Jesus washing the feet of the disciples and why he could do this, at Jesus in the garden and walking over the sea. The challenge now is to read one of the gospels in the coming month to continue getting to know Jesus. Why not read along with us? Choose a gospel and take the time to get to know Jesus. We can talk about what you have found next month. 

Thank you!

Photo from ACU Today

Each time that we are in the US we of course stop in Abilene, Texas. The day after we married (almost 28 years ago), we drove from Arkansas to Texas because I would be attending ACU. Our first Sunday we attended the congregation at 11th & Willis and fell in love with a group of people who were in love with Jesus Christ. One of those people was Neil Lightfoot. We heard from plenty of people how important a teacher he was at ACU, and in the years following I experienced that – although it was only in auditing Dr. Lightfoot’s ‘Gospel of John’.

But what we remember most are the wonderful Bible classes Sunday mornings, the dry laugh and wry little smile, the willingness to listen. Neil and Ollie were great encouragers and examples for us. We had come to Willis at our ‘young married’ stage (just-married as a matter of fact) and attended Sunday morning Bible class with Larry and Michelle McElroy, Neil and Ollie’s daughter and son-in-law. We saw in this young married couple the love Neil aand Ollie had passed on. Sitting in front of the Lightfoots Sunday evening meant sharing their voices in singing praise to God. They were able and willing to listen and guide, gently with their words and truly in example.

When we made plans to go to Europe to spread the gospel, 11th & Willis stood behind us and continue to support us. When I had theological questions and needed advice and guidance, I could email Neil and receive a response. It was good to know that the church was there, not only sending money, but truly as we had talked about – as co-workers. When Ollie passed away, we grieved for the family. We were happy, then, too when Neil met Marjorie.

The last several times that we have returned on furlough, Neil and Marjorie have always made sure to make time for us. A lunch out at the country club (quite a treat for the boys at that time) together with good, real conversation. A real interest and care not only for how we were doing, but how God was using us where we were. It is that heart for which we are so thankful. Neil has taught a thirlll for the word of God - and digging into it honestly - as well as a true, loving, deep concern for living that very word in our life. 

That strange English language

Language is fun! And it reveals so much about a culture. Cultures are influenced by their language and in turn influence that very language. Certain Inuit tribes have many words for the color white, since they can distinguish various shades of the color in their environment. To other cultures, white is white.

English is a language which has a rich history, but which also has allowed itself to be richly influenced by languages and cultures which it has encountered. To some this might seem a frustration. Why do we spell some words in such a strange way? And why do we use certain ‘foreign’ words. Why not use a good English word? 

When we first came to the Netherlands a man asked: “Why do you say ‘u’ for a word with two o’s, like ‘book’. If one ‘o’ is ‘oh’, then two o’s should be ‘ooh’,” he said, making a very rounded ‘o’ sound. “In Dutch we are consistent," he continued, "If one ‘e’ sounds like ‘eh’, then two e’s is ‘ay’. You English speakers confuse everything.”

Of course, much of this is because English borrows words vigorously from any language it comes in contact with. Unlike some countries which fight to keep their language ‘pure’, English simply swallows words whole and spits them out with adapted pronunciations (as one might expect after spitting something up).

I want to have some fun looking at this wonderful language. I will regularly use a Wednesday to pass on the weird way our words warp through time and cultures.

Consider today (although it is Saturday and not Wednesday), for those many of you so looking forward to the rain (something which we typically look forward to getting away from here in Belgium and the Netherlands!), the expression: It’s raining cats and dogs. For animal-loving Dutchmen, this seems an abomination! Although, really horrible weather is called ‘hondenweer’ or ‘dog’s weather’. It is weather even a dog would not want to go out in. So it simply does not rain cats and dogs here. Here it rains ‘steel rods’ or ‘pipe rods’. This is of course only descriptive of what we see in a heavy rain, but I don’t know that I would want cats, dogs or steel rods pelting me from the sky. I would much rather a nice refreshing drenching, whether needed or not.
 

(Want more info on 'cats and dogs'? Check this out.)