The Tale of the Alternate Airport

All airports are areas of amazing adventure. Our journey across the water began in Schiphol (Amsterdam Airport) and ended in MSP (Minnepolis-St. Paul, which is Minnesota), but it was the stops in between which make the tale complete of course, since we did not fly from Amsterdam to Minnesota. No, in the effort made by many these days (remember the days of consulting a travel agent?) to make flying more affordable, we had booked a cheaper flight, which meant more flights. 

I must apologize that we have no pictures of this part of our travels (these are not mine). We were too busy getting from one place to another. We flew from Schiphol to London Heathrow early in the morning. In London we enjoyed the hospitality of this mega-airport for a short time before stepping on the plane to Ney York City’s John F. Kenndy airport. A short 6 hours or so (and several movies on our personal media device) later, we landed in the Big Apple – and there began our biggest adventure. 

We had planned a flight from Newark airport to Minneapolis. For those of you who do not know, Newark is in New Jersey, which is the next state over from New York. “No problem”, thought I, “New York City and Newark are actually right next to each other and flow into one another.” And we had more than four hours on a layover to get from one to the other. We had landed at midday and our flight wasn’t leaving until after 5pm. As long as there were no problems with the bus we had arranged to get us from one airport to the next, their would be no problems at all. 

And that is when adventures truly begin. When everything is going as planned, adventure is waiting, watching for the moment to jump in and make things exciting. It is when things begin to fall apart, depart from the plan, that adventure smiles broadly and makes an entrance. And so too with our trip. 

The bus was called and would arrive within 45 minutes. We sat waiting, watching the various peoples that congeal and disapate in laughter and conversation, welcoming parents from their trip, screaming in delight at seeing one another after many months or years. A girl’s volleyball team loudly saying goodbye to each other as they went their separate ways. Several Jewish families waiting patiently to be picked up. A southern couple drawling about what they had seen and would tell to the grandkids. 

And we waited. Our flight was to leave at 5:30pm, but we knew we would still need to go through customs and get to the gate once we made it to the airport. We figured (and had checked out) that midday traffic across town would not be bad and we should be able to make the trip in 90 minutes. So if the bus came by 2pm at least, eveyrthing would be fine. But it was now 2 o’clock and the bus had not yet arrived. 

After waiting 2 hours, the bus finally arrived, having already passed our entrance and needing to drive completely around the airport again to arrive back at our entrance. Together with a man who was outwardly showing what we were feeling inside, we handed our luggage to the driver who would load it on the van. All of the luggage (the van was full of passengers) had been tossed higgeldy-piggeldy in the bag of the van, piled up like the stack a young child makes when cleaning up their toys. 

The van departed into what was now quickly becoming rush hour traffic – in New York City! “Are we heading into that traffic?” one passenger exclaimed with anguish. We tried not to worry, knowing that, whatever happened, we would be okay. We looked for things that Sean and Jill might see on a regular day, names of places we had heard them mention. We thrilled at crossing the Verazzano Narrows bridge. And when the van came to a car-pool lane and passed by all the still-standing traffic, we all breathed a sigh of relief. 

In the end, we – as the last ones out of the van, after the driver had to undo his toy-stack with each departing passenger – arrived at our terminal, ran to our gate and stood in line for the security check (shoes off, belt off, change out, computer out etc). It was 5pm and our flight would board at 5:05pm. In the row in front of us, two women jovially discussed their work. They too, were on their way to Minneapolis and seemed not worried in the least. 

It turns out the plane was slightly delayed and we had time to grab something to eat from an airport store. We even enjoyed another sit down watching the people who would board with us. This would be a slightly shorter flight and we were planning on sleeping. It had been almost 24 hours since we woke to go to the airport. When we arrived in Minneapolis, we were met by Dale Hawley’s friendly face. He took us to our hotel (we would be leaving for Iowa the next morning), gave us the keys to his car and bade us good night. 

We had survived and enjoyed another amazing adventure. We have learned, time and again, that even if things do not work out as we expected or hoped, they work out. God is with us wherever we go. Which is why we simply look out for how we can be an encouragement to those around us and enjoy the ride. But the ride – that is the next tale. 

Tales of Travels

In the coming days I will attempt to update you on our travels and visits why we are in the US. I am still learning how to use a smartphone and have never been good at selfies, so any pictures you see of us were probably taken by others. But we will try to share some pictures as well, so keep an eye on our photo site if you are interested in those. 

We start with “The Tale of the Hotel/Motel” 

Our trip began before we ever stepped foot on an airplane. First we had to get to the amazing flying machine. This is the tale of how that came to be and what ensued. 

Early in the morning we were already rushing about, scrambling and scurrying as one does at the last minute. The house had to be made ready to lay dormant for two whole months. 

Surprisingly, an amazing amount of work needs to be done for dormancy – perhaps a bear would know about things like that. Everything needed vacuumed (well, not everything, but you get the idea), foodstuffs had to be put away or eaten, dusting, wiping, scrubbing and bed-making-upping had to be finished. You see, the vacancy will only be partial. Halfway through our absence, the house will receive guists. At the end of our time away, just before we return, good friends will also enjoy the house. So everything had to be ready to use, but as empty as possible. 

By midday we were as ready as we were going to be, and anyway our ride to the train station had arrived. Yes, we were taking the train to the airport. Once at the station we figured out how best to motivate our bags along – this was something we would be doing a lot of, so we had to discover the best method. We had done well in keeping our bags to a minimum, though not a bare minimum – we were after all going to be gone for two months, beginning in the Spring and ending in the heat of summer. But balancing one little bag on a big bag and rolling the other two worked quite well. 

On the train we had to be careful tht the rolling bags didn’t run away, but we arrived at Schiphol with no real drama. It had been a pleasant if not quiet ride (we sat in the area meant for bicycles). At the airport we had arranged to have our hotel pick us up at the airport (yes, we were already doing a hotel and had not even flown one foot). Since our flight was very early, and we would have to be very very early to be on time, we had decided to spend the night in Zwanenburg. 

A city of swans – that is what one imagines. And once we found the water, we were not disappointed. Which was more than we could say about our hotel, which was actually a motel. Mind you, the town itself is very quaint and quiet. Our room at the hotel had to be accessed via an outside door, past other hotel guests enjoying the late evening sunlight and then opening our door into our room. But we had a room and we were thankful. 

Plus, we had swans, and shoarma, and seats. This was important after we had taken a short walk around Zwanenburg and then into Halfweg, walking halfway into Scott’s memory of when he used to bike past this area on his way to Dutch lessons in Amsterdam. Walking down memory lane is always energizing, but we hadn’t eaten since leaving home, so we were very pleased to find a shoarma restaurant open and serving. 

Back at the hotel we were frustrated to find the internet not working. Most of society today runs on the internet and we still had to check in to our flight. But that would have to wait for the next day, which was fast arriving and would come even faster for us. We awoke at 4:30 and got everything ready for the bus to the airport which would leave at 5:30 for our flight at 7:30. Sitting near the check-in desk meant that we had internet, so all was right with the world, just as the bus arrived, loaded our luggage and we departed in the cool morning sunrise of the Netherlands, on our way to America, via Great Britain. But that is another tale. 

Family!

As we prepare to head off for two months, we are reminded again of the things that are so important and real in our lives. The apostle Peter said to Jesus, “We have left all we had to follow you!” Jesus replied, “No one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of Godwill fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

People here are almost flabbergasted when we mention that we will be gone for two months – until we explain where we will go and who we will see. Then it is often surprise that we are welcomed in so many placesby people we don’t even know. And truly, it is wonderful to know that we have family all over the world. And while we are very much looking forward to hugging on our boys’ necks, seeing our daughters-in-lawagainand seeing our blood relatives, we are also so thankful that we will be able to see brothers and sisters in Christ whomwe have not seen for quite a while and meet new parts of the family all over the US.

But before we get to see everyone on that side of the water, we have been spending time with our family here. As I wrote earlier this year, blessings come in all sorts of packages, including painful ones. It has been beautiful to see how we as a family in Maastricht can help one another when a member loses a loved one, when a dreaded diagnosis is given, or when a daily reality of living with a spouse antagonistic to faith hits again. We are here for one another. 

We have also been spending these last couple weeks trying to take care of everything that needs to keep going while we are gone. We will jump into a week of camp three days after we arrive back in Belgium, so lessons and plans need to be in place already. We want to make the most of relationships with people we have been talking to about God’s love, so we have spent time around the table in conversations. And the grass finally needs to be mowed and the weeds on the driveway pulled. 

In March Shirley enjoyed the ladies retreat in Germany. Scott held another singing workshop, this time in Eindhoven where Scott and Shirley go every third Wednesday for singing. We enjoyed several Monday evening studies with brothers and sisters as well as several other Wednesday studies at our home. 

These are the kinds of things we also look forward to in our travels in the coming months. Scott will offer a song workshop in Muscatine and Denver, will share thoughts and views on Bible camps and missions and will, together with Shirley, talk about how God has brought us this far and how He wants to use all of us. We look forward to seeing you in the US. Please let us know if we can hook up when we are in your neck of the woods. Family is very important to us. 

Changes to our schedule!

We have made some slight changes to our schedule while in the US. The front end will switch Nebraska and Iowa around. I know - some of you probably would switch them around without knowing anyway. But for our good friends and family there it makes a difference.

And this will make it possible for us to offer a singing workshop at the Muscatine church of Christ - so if you are in the area, come on by Saturday, May 18 for some great congregational singing and learning how to sing together. Or learn about writing new songs. We will also be offering this workshop at Miller Street church of Christ in Wheatridge (Denver) on June 8.

The poster here has the new changes.

Will we see you?

From May 14 - July 9 we will be traveling in the US, visiting congregations and family. We would really like to see you if that is possible. Check out the places we will be and let us know if we can get together.

May 15 - 18 in Omaha, NE

May 18 - 23 in Muscatine, IA
We are looking at the possibility of a Singing Workshop at this stop.

May 23 - June 2 in Minneapolis (and area)

June 3 - 10 in Colorado, first in Colorado Springs and from the 7th in Denver.
The Miller Street congregation (in Wheatridge) is hosting a Singing Workshop with us on June 8!

June 11- 17 in Abilene, TX
We will be mobile, so let us know if we can get together. We stay the night of the 17th in Dallas if you would like to meet.

June 18 - 23 in Indianapolis, IN

June 23 - July 4 in Long Beach, CA and area

July 5 - 9 in New York City

We look forward to seeing old friends and building new relationships. We are so thankful that God is making this possible through your generosity!

Where do blessings come from?

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

Serve

The washing of the feet by Ghislaine Howard

Years ago when I met RW he told me: “We should not be talking to people about God. Everybody has their own picture of who God is and it just gets confusing. We need to focus on Jesus!” We had met when he first attended our ‘Wiser on the Way” course learning how to read the Bible. After the three day course he asked to continue reading together. We have been reading together ever since. 

Along the way, he had some other things to say that have stuck with me. One of them was that the most important thing one can do is to serve. That is my view of being a follower of Jesus as well, so it hit home. At the time, my colleague, Ruud, and I were caring for our dear sister in Christ, Willemien, as she entered the last days of her life here on earth. She left here to wait for us there at the beginning of April. But I often thought of that idea brought up by RW – serve. 

As RW has gotten older, he too has needed help. This past year, after Willemien passed away, it was as if we were given another opportunity to care once again. RW was diagnosed with Alzheimer and we, together with his girlfriend (who is 87), cared for him as he waited for a nursing home to take him in. His health steadily deteriorated and I found myself spending more and more time serving and less and less time being able to talk with him as we did in the past about God’s word. 

At the very beginning of this new year, he finally heard that there is a place for him in the nursing home that was his first choice. So now he has moved. I will do my best to empty his rental house of 40 years of life and living – in a month. But that will mean that he and I can perhaps return to a relationship of talking to one another and learning from one another. 

This year has been a year of caring. We are nowhere near our parents (Shirley’s parents have both passed away, Scott’s live in New York and Florida) but this is a season of life that comes with these challenges and blessings. I pray that we will never forget to be servants. That, after all, is exactly what Jesus showed us and told us to be. And He is the one we want to resemble and follow. 

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

With heart and soul

Looking back on 2018 I see that we have a lot of activities that have to do with song. Every first Friday of the month we sing with the French-speaking brethren from Liége. Each 3rd Wednesday Shirley and I are with the congregation in Eindhoven for their singing. In March and October Scott organizes a Song Workshop to help members learn how to sing or learn new songs. This year in October that meant that several new songs were even written by members. In September the church in Maastricht gets together with the church from Cologne, Germany for fellowship and song. 

In addition to these moments, there is a camp meeting in January which is also a Family Day with congregational singing. And at the end of the summer Bible camp weeks we have a Family Day where we sing some more. And in the congregation in Maastricht, we love singing. Most Sunday’s the worship service will end with one of the members humming the last song and others joining in and re-singing the song, or someone beginning a new song while others join in around the coffee. 

Singing is essential to our spiritual well-being. We are made to sing, created by the wondrous Creator with the capacity to put emotion to word and thought and so encourage and teach one another. And although there is a rich Dutch-speaking history of hymnody, much of it is quite classical. Newer songs tend to be in English – and then perhaps translated into Dutch. That is why we are so excited about the opportunities to add to the church hymnody with our own members developing the talents, sharing the inspiration that God has given them. 

In the coming months Scott will be getting a group together from around the Netherlands and Flanders and recording as many of the songs that have been written by our own members as possible. These will be presented online as recordings and in music notation so that other congregations can learn them. Many of these songs are designed around texts straight from Scripture, so that members will be able to carry God’s word in their hearts and minds daily. We will pass on the site address once it is online (although most of the songs will be in Dutch). Until then, if you are interested in some of the previous projects we have had, you can hear the songs by linking through the Maastricht church website here. 

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns andspiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God.Colossians 3:16 (RSV1885)

... for all the little things

I was recently reminded of various moments in my life that were pivotal. What amazed me is that when I recounted these moments to the person or persons who made the moment such a turning point, they didn’t even remember it. For them it had simply been part of who they were. A comment about what it means to be a follower of Christ, a listening ear when times were difficult, a word of encouragement when I needed it most – these moments in time had printed an image on my memory, but not on theirs. 

A few months back when we had a singing here in Maastricht, people came from Cologne and from Eindhoven. One of the visitors from Eindhoven was a Syrian refugee who has given his life to Christ. At one point, after the singing, he shared his story with one of our contacts who is considering giving her life to Christ, but is scared to death of water. His story, which includes a near-drowning and a similar fear of water, concluded with him showing a video of his own baptism and how beautifully simple and tender it was. 

He didn’t know how important showing that video was. The woman watching wanted to see it at least three more times. And she asked how he ahd overcome his fear. “I knew I was safe with these people.” T. is still struggling with her fear, but those words and that video have stuck with her. I wonder how God will use her in the future as he used the brother from Eindhoven. 

I am so thankful for the little things we all can do in our daily lives. But I am mostly thankful for how God can turn those small things into mighty deeds with His grace. It reminds me that this is the One who took a boys lunch and fed more than 5000, who turned jars for washing into the best wine at the party, who took 12 misfits followers and spread the good news of life all over the world. Of course that last bit is still happening – through you and me. 

Enjoy this weekend (we will be celebrating “Thanksmas” on December 1, which is when most of us will be free and can get together) and remember how mightily God can use your simple words of thanks, your simple deeds of kindness to touch people all over the world and through eternity. Thank you for your prayers for us and for your faithfulness if you are following the One who showed us all how life is to be lived. 

Rejoice always,pray continually,give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Colours of the Seasons

Autumn is a favorite season for me. I love the smells, the colors, the variety in the days. Every day can be different, every week brings new changes. And God’s beauty shows through each day and each change. That is how I experience our Fall activities as well: a varicoloured variety of challenges and changes. 

We do a lot with singing. This is a gift God has given me that I want to continue using in every way possible. At the end of September we got together with the church from Cologne for our annual singing – but this time in Maastricht (the previous times has been halfway between the two cities in Aachen). We invited people from the neighbourhood and were thrilled to welcome visitors in the groups that came from Maastricht, from Cologne and from Eindhoven. The singing was great, but the conversations during the day were even better. 

A few weeks later we were in Eindhoven for our monthly third-week Wednesday singing there. One of the visitors from the singing with Cologne was also present at this evening. And a few weeks later, at the Song Workshop, she was present again. Singing is a time to speak truths to one another and share the emotions that God’s grace puts in our hearts. We are so thankful for those moments. 

At the Song Workshop midway through October we focused on writing new songs. This is the 5th time the workshop has been organized (twice a year, but started in the Fall of 2016), but this time we focused on writing instead of on learning how to sing. In Maastricht we have over 30 songs in our songbook from members of the church in Belgium and the Netherlands, so we know that this is possible. At the end of the day (the workshop is one day, from 10:30am – 4:00pm) we had 8 new songs. We figure at least half of those will wotk their way into the congregations in the coming months. 

(Interested in hearing some of the [very] rough work? Listen to the first recordings from the day here.)

In between all the singing, we went off to play some indoor soccer at the annual tournament for Dutch and Belgian congregations. Scott got to play with some other old guys (and a few young ones: they were the good ones) and both of us were able to have some good conversations. This is a time to encourage members and visitors from outside the congregations. 

In the meantime we also put Sean and Jill on a plane to New York City. We do not know how this adventure will turn out, but we put them both in God’s hands where we know they are safe. We have been very thankful to be able to talk with them every week and get pictures from their adventures there. They will be back in January, but we do not know for how long. 

And so we continue to enjoy the astounding beauty of what God can do – unexpected colours, scenes that take your breath away and the certainties of the seasons. The symphony of colours correspnded with a chorus of activities which continue into the next season. We are thankful to know that God’s beauty shines through all of these moments and we look forward to how He is going to use us in the coming days. 

Would you pray for us in the coming months as we continue with some singing activities, but also with a group that is following our “Meeting Jesus” sessions in Maastricht. And let us know how we can be praying for you. 

Radio Silence - pure enjoyment

This morning is the first time in 10 days that I have been out walking with Chester (our dog) in the morning. After having dropped Stephan and Natalie off at the airport early this morning, I am enjoying the sun that seems only to be shining here in the south as I remember the beautiful moments we have had these past days. 

We tried hard to keep away from appointments and social media because we wanted to make sure that we were soaking up the time with our kids. It is strange to call them that: kids. Stephan and Natalie have now been married for almost 6 years and Sean and Jill are past the 6 month mark of their marriage. But this was the first time that we were all together. It was the first time for Stephan and Natalie to meet Jill and vice-versa. So radio silence at this time was more than appropriate. 

We are so thankful for the opportunity we have had to get to know each other in these days. It has been thrilling to see how our daughters-in-law have shaped our sons, to see how our boys are men, and to see thee couples shaping, forming, becoming. The time was too short (is it ever enough?), but we were thankful for every minute. 

We had time with all four down at camp on the 15th, where church family could also get to know our kids. Stephan and Natalie visited Sean and Jill in Brussels for a day as well. And then we all met up for a day in Brughe. We are thankful for the little bits of conversation that we could have, for the moments to discover more about each other. The boys have heard all of our stories about them, but now the girls could hear some of them too. And now we, as parents – with the safe distance of time – could hear some of their stories that we didn’t know.

We also got to spend some tourist time with Stephan and Natalie in Amsterdam, Haarlem and Oxford – all because of church family who took care of us as well (Jim and Ruth Krumrei and Johan and Ludwin Huyghebaert - and the Boonaerts family who watched Chester). Take the time to look at as many of the pictures as you dare and feel free to ask us any of the stories that go along with the visits. Here are our pictures of the time together. 

We are so thankful for the time that the kids made for us, for the financial ability to make this possible and for the life and love that God gives us in this family. 

What does love look like?

The past month has seen us preparing for and enjoying our weeks at Bible Camp. We are so thankful that we get these kinds of opportunities to encourage and be encouraged by people at camp. It is our fervent desire that these moments bring young people closer to Jesus, encourage brothers and sisters to see how God can and is using them in His kingdom, and enjoy the challenges that God brings us to help us grow in faith as well. 

At the end of July Scott directed a week of Teen Camp with the 12-14 year-olds. What an amazing age, with young people who are wanting to change the world and who are willing to see and accept the challenge that God gives them in changing the world. Our theme was “Living Upside Down” and we talked about being willing to swim against the stream, being willing to stand up for what is right. 

What always amazes and encourages me is how God presents immediate opportunities to put all of the lessons we are learning into practice. Not only did we have a few campers who are not believers, but we had to struggle with what it means to differ in opinions and still try to love one another and get along together. Of course the setting always helps – the fantastically beautiful nature, getting to work together at ‘kp’ (kitchen duty), playing sports and games together. And struggle is good. 

The following we were both down at camp for Family camp – Scott directing and Shirley directing the kitchen. I am always thankful to be back together as a team – I depend immensely on Shirley’s ability to run a kitchen well and very efficiently. But we are also then able to share our thoughts, feelings and prayers at the end of the day – preparing for the next day. 

This week was centered on prayer, and it was the question from our young brother in Christ, Mathias van Ginneken that stuck with me from his lesson on the Lord’s prayer (“Our Father” in Matthew 6:9-13): What does love look like? He pointed out that in this prayer – the most important thing Jesus teaches his followers concerning prayer – Jesus mentions forgiveness as the most important thing we do (it is about ‘us’, not ‘me’). After the Lord’s prayer (verse 14 and 15) he reiterates this essential element: forgiveness. That is what love looks like. 

This struck me because we were blessed with families in this week who were so grateful to be away from struggle, away from angry neighbors or strident ex-partners fighting for kids, or difficult relationships with family members. Here at camp, although no one is perfect, we work together, we share, we encourage one another. It was like another world. And isn't that exactly what God intends? 

It has stuck with me since that week. God’s greatest show of love is in forgiving us. That is what Jesus came to do and what he modeled for us as well. It is the hardest thing we will have to deal with in our lives – nigh on impossible. And yet God asks us to do the impossible – with His strength and might. He makes the impossible possible. 

So as we head into September and many more activities and wonderful discussions and studies, we hold on to that thought: What does love look like? It looks like us forgiving one another, striving to live together. What a blessing! 

Head on over to our pictures and taste a bit of what the weeks were like. You can see Teen Camp here. You can see Family Camp here. Thank you for your encouragement and desire to live for Him every day!

Remember. Celebrate.

This past weekend I saw signs of "May the 4th be with you." And sombrero's and more for "cinco de Mayo". In the Netherlands the 4th and 5th of May are special. They say: On the 4th we remember; on the 5th we celebrate. The 4th of May is to remember the soldiers who gave their lives in World War II to make the country free. The 5th of May is a celebration of Liberation Day - the day the country was freed from occupation. 
On the 4th we were together with church members during our first Friday singing day - together with members from the French-speaking church in Liege. At 8pm we spent a moment of silence (two minutes) and we thought about those who had gone before us, fighting the good fight of faith. Then we sang of the liberation brought to us through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are free! 
I thought about several people who have been influential in my growth and life as a child of God. Here in Maastricht we recently said "See you soon" to our sister, Willemien. She and her husband were two of the first visitors to the church when we arrived in Maastricht. Willemien was a grandmother to our boys and to many in the congregation. Our sister, Roos, was taken by cancer in the early years of our time here in Maastricht. She was not only a part of our team, but I had known her in my years as an apprentice in Haarlem, 10 years before. We look forward to singing with these two women soon. 
But then my thoughts went on to the family members in the congregations who support us. My father in the faith, Ron, who taught me so much, well before I was a child of God. Or the elders from 11th and Willis in Abilene who were our first experience as a married couple and what they meant to our lives in Christ together: Dub, Neil and others. 
In each of the cities we visit when we go on Home Assignment, we always have a place to stay. In Minnesota that was first always with Susan, who also helped establish a wonderful, loving family. In California it was Wanda who often made sure things were organised. Both sisters went Home quite unexpectedly. 
But it is the celebration that reminds us that we will see them all again. We will sing the new song (and even if it IS a new song, we will all know it) as we gloriously celebrate the Lamb and His victory. So we know, even now, that we are liberated. We are made free. We are made new. And we live as people who know that we do not belong here, but we will bring the liberation of the King here. That is why these and many other of our brothers and sisters have taught us. 
Remember. Celebrate. 

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.  Hebrews 11:13-16

Now that's family!

I have used this space before to talk about family. It's one of my favourite topics. Shirley and I both grew up in large families, although we did not always know our extended family. But once we became Christians, we found out what family really means. I remember the first time I read Jesus' words in Mark 10:29-30 about leaving family for Jesus. I was already experiencing this truth in my Christian life and it would only be emphasised even more through the years. 

God loves family. He created it. It is His design. And it is amazing. So when we have opportunity to experience family, we enjoy it completely. And the last months have been full of family moments. 

On March 15 our Raab family added a daughter-in-law as Sean married Jill Verhaeghe just outside of Brussels. Both Sean and Jill work and live in Brussels. Jill joined us on a trip to Prague in January as we got to know her better. Now we look forward to getting to know her and being there as family for her and Sean. On May 26 we will hold a reception for the church members and friends in the area so that the broader family can get to know Jill as well - and vice-versa. We have been so thankful for the help that our brothers and sisters have been. 

At the end of March we spent a day with church family from all over the Netherlands and Belgium singing, learning new songs and getting to know one another. This was the 5th time a Song Workshop was organised and we had about 25 participants. The church in Rotselaar hosted us for the first time and we saw several first-time participants. 
We are so thankful for brothers and sister who so desire to spend time together and to spend that time singing to the Lord, our Father. Since I was leading the workshop, there are not many pictures, but we had a great and upbuilding time. We were able to record some songs that were new for some. And we learned some new hymns that I hope more in the church will be able to learn as well. 

At the beginning of April we said goodbye to our sweet sister in Christ, Willemien. She was 96 and has been patiently waiting to go Home for years. Her spirit of sharing, of patience in the Lord, of strength in His promises has always been an encouragement to me. Our life will be very different with her gone and we will miss her. But we so look forward to the time we will sing with her again around the throne. 
We were thankful that her passing was also a time of coming together, sharing as family, remembering how good it is to be children of God. He designed family for these very purposes. 

Take time this week - on Sunday and the days in between the weekend - to experience and remember how good it is to be part of His family. 

The manifold wisdom of God

We have been blessed in our lives to travel quite a lot and see all sorts of different places. In the US we have lived in the Midwest, in the West “and even in Southern California,” he said with a wink in his eye. In Europe we have had the opportunity to travel all over most of western Europe and much of Eastern Europe. But we have realized that there is an amazing variety of beauty and information wherever we are. Look in your backyard (or on your terrace or balcony) and pay attention to what you can see, hear and smell even there.

In all of this variety, God wants to share with us His will, His word and His beauty. I have seen God’s beauty and truth in deserts, in coastal waters, in forests of pine trees or oak, in the rolling plains and the Grand Canyon. In each place there is something else to see, something else to learn.

In the same way, the various people we have in our lives are all opportunities to learn about God’s grace, love and patience – with us and others. This is how our weeks and months pass, in a variety of conversations, studies and activities – just like yours.

With the congregation in Maastricht we are working through a study of ‘The Mighty Deeds of God’ and how we proclaim them. On most Wednesday’s we are reading in Acts to discover and be encouraged by the way the church belongs to the Lord. This ties into a mentoring study that Scott is working on with a brother in the north of the country.

At least three times a month we meet with members from Belgium and the Netherlands to sing together and learn new songs. In March we are organizing a Song Workshop for the 4th time – a day to learn new songs for all the congregations, encourage one another in the beauty of singing together for the Lord. We are also recording these songs so that members can learn and teach them to others.

But each day also brings us back to our time together, what we have been reading in the Word, what God has been teaching us in our daily struggles. And we try to be aware of what we can learn and share. This is no different than the many ways that God has been working in your lives as well.

Would you like to share with us what you have been learning and experiencing? We would love to hear from you and share together, encouraging one another. Drop us an email, leave a message here on the blog, connect with us on facebook. The world is much smaller today than ever before. 

On the Family Side ...

We are so thankful for technology and what it makes possible. Almost every Monday evening we are able to sit down to eat with Stephan. It is his lunch as he comes home from work, it is our dinner before we head out to a study. But we get to spend at least 30 minutes together just checking in. Stephan and Natalie are doing well in Indianapolis and we hope to continue this good contact.

Sean used to be home from Brussels for sure every

© Joost Paulussen

weekend. But now that his band is past-tense, we cannot always count on seeing him. Some of you may have seen that ‘Wooly Mammoths’ pulled the plug (I am imagining the mess that will leave in the bathtub!). If you are interested in hearing their music, check it out here. This does not mean that Sean has stopped working on his music. It simply means that the guys were going different directions in their lives.

In the meantime, Sean continues working on and evolving his music. If we understand correctly, more news will follow in March when he presents a new project. So, although he does not come home for rehearsals on the weekend, we do still get to see him regularly. When he had two weeks vacation around Christmas and New Years, we planned another get-away together for a few days. This time we visited Prague and his girlfriend came along.

Shirley and Scott are both enjoying technology and people as well. Scott talks with his best friend almost every Sunday evening – something they decided on after the reunion at York College in October last year. Shirley uses her iPad to research, discover and communicate: the world at your fingertips.

We enjoyed family time around the holidays and especially the time in Prague. A quick trip (two and a half days) is short but sweet. We are thankful that there are so many interesting things close by. And many of the things far away can be brought close through some technology.

Oh - and Chester is still doing great. Any time we put Sean's music on, Chester starts 'singing' along. He guards our house and is a balm to our hearts (even when he doesn't listen or do what we wish). 

Thank you for sharing your joys and pains with us, making it possible for us to be part of your life as well. We are so thankful for the family that we have in Christ all over the world. If you would like to see some pictures of what we do at times, surf on over to our picturesite.

Living Stones

In December we always enjoy the people that make the month so special: Shirley’s birthday brings to mind how we met and our many adventures together, our wedding anniversary speaks to how we have grown together, Stephan and Natalie’s wedding anniversary is the very next day (it has already been 5 years) and Christmas brings us together with all sorts of family. So we share meals and moments and enjoy the end of the year looking forward to the beginning of a new year.

As January approaches we shift our focus to new and continuing activities. What is exciting about these moments is how we see God working in us all together to do His will. Shirley and I welcomed 2018 with members of the church from Eindhoven and otherwheres. Later in the month we held our first Wednesday singing on a Friday and decided to make a meal of it. We met with 22 people from our congregation in Maastricht and the church in Liége to share together and sing – in whatever language possible. It was great to see how ‘Aunt Nel’ (as we call our sister from Maastricht) made such an effort to fellowship, even though she can speak no French or English and they could speak no Dutch. The 3rd Wednesday of the month found us singing again, this time at our monthly singing in Eindhoven.

As the year progresses we will be working on various projects that include members from around the Netherlands and Belgium. At the end of the month we hold our annual Ardennen Bible Camp meeting and Family Day. Much has changed down at camp because of a generous legacy from our sister from Brussels. In February there will be time at the Advanced Bible Study Series (ABSS) in Germany and I will work further on a mentoring program with a brother in Haarlem. March will bring a new song workshop for the Dutch-speaking congregations – learning new songs and encouraging members to sing by offering tools to sing and lead singing.

Buildings in Belgium are made of brick – stone by stone. Each stone matters. Peter understood this image well and emphasizes how we all are being used to build this temple of praise for our Lord. Let yourself be used, wherever you are, together with those around you, for a building of praise.

As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:4-5

Where were you born?

The baptism of Gijs in 2015 - washed clean!

I remember the births of my two sons very well – as should be. Although both of them were born in a hospital, they were both unique in their ways. Stephan was born on Halloween. If you haven’t heard my story yet, you probably will if you talk to me long enough. Sean was born in Genk, Belgium, which was different in it’s own right.

Just as we remember the births of our children well, we also remember the births into Christ that we have experienced. The ‘usual’ way might be in a baptismal pool, but there are all sorts of variations. Our Stephan was baptized in the (very) cold creek at Bible camp in the Fall. Sean was baptized in the outside pool of friends in a night in January (we removed the ice from the pool covering).

For some, there was quite a crowd (a whole congregation). For others it was something more intimate. But for all of us, we can remember (I hope) that choice that we made, the thrill of knowing that we were washed clean, the wondering about what our life would look like now.

On Monday afternoon, Tulay emailed that the baptism we had talked about recently (she called us and said she had recently come to faith in Jesus, and did we know anything about baptism) would not leave her thoughts. She went to bed with the thought and awoke with the desire to be washed. We had just seen each other the day before and worshipped Jesus as Lord and King.

In Maastricht we meet in an upper room, but do not have a baptismal pool. Sometimes we are able to go to congregations close by and use theirs (in Liége or Genk). But this time, it was going to take too long. So we made other plans. A few years back, we had bought an inflatable pool – the kind you put in your back yard for the kids to play in (bigger than a little splashing pool). We have used it once for a baptism and it did well. Now was the time to use it again.

I took a bicycle pump, a tarpaulin, our garden hose and towels along. We stopped at a DIY store and bought the kind of pump and hose you use to empty your cellar of flood water. We didn’t have an electric pump, but I figured the bicylce pump would work just fine to blow up the pool. It didn’t. So I started blowing. The room needed to warm up anyway, so we had gone early to get things ready. How long could it take to blow this thing up?

Thankfully, Ruud came with a pump that pumps when you pull and when you push. Now (15 minutes before people would arrive) we could start filling the pool with water. The hose was hooked up to only cold water, so we filled buckets with hot water and dumped them in. This was going to take longer than expected.

In the meantime, Tulay arrived. Have you read what Cornelius’ house looked like when Peter arrived? (see Acts 10:24-27)This is what I was reminded of. There were 5 of us from the church who could be there – including sister Nel who does not go out in the evening (it was 8pm) and sister Kitty who had gotten permission from her non-believing husband. But Tulay brought her 7-year-old daughter, her mother and father, her best friend (who was now also a Christian) and her friend’s daughter, and the woman who had first introduced her to Jesus. Tulay understood how important this was and she had invited the people nearest her to hear what God had to say.

We sang, we looked at examples of this same birth in the book of Acts, and we saw a woman rise from the dead to new life in Christ. Now, as with all of our births, life would begin. Now would begin the learning, the struggles, the glorious little victories made possible only in Christ. Now we had a new sister. And we shared our hearts in prayer to the God of all who alone makes this possible.

Tulay went on her way that evening tired, but excited for her new life. Do you remember your birth? Where were you born?

Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized? And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Acts 8:35-39