Check out some more pictures from Family Camp
click here
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Friday, August 18, 2006
That’s family
Family Camp is actually a week for all of us to get together who want to know God better. This year, as in past years, the group is made up of families, singles, grandparents and even some kids without their parents. I love seeing how God sees family.
Our lessons this year came from 1 Thessalonians, and one of the things mentioned by one of the teachers this week, Blair Roberts, was that we don’t choose who is in our family – God does the choosing. Our responsibility is to live with each other and help one another to grow. And I know that plenty of people could see and feel that we wanted to do just that. This year included a family from Bulgaria (the girls had been to Benjamin and Teen camp already), an avowed atheist who keeps coming back, and some helpers in the kitchen who really enjoyed the fellowship as well.
What does your family look like? When I became a christian, I gained a whole new family, leaving my physical family behind (for a while). Living overseas, with physical family far away, we have always been aware of the blessing of God’s family. We don’t choose ‘em and it isn’t always easy to live with ‘em (or with us, I am sure), but it is soooo good to have this family God has given us. What a blessing!
Our lessons this year came from 1 Thessalonians, and one of the things mentioned by one of the teachers this week, Blair Roberts, was that we don’t choose who is in our family – God does the choosing. Our responsibility is to live with each other and help one another to grow. And I know that plenty of people could see and feel that we wanted to do just that. This year included a family from Bulgaria (the girls had been to Benjamin and Teen camp already), an avowed atheist who keeps coming back, and some helpers in the kitchen who really enjoyed the fellowship as well.
What does your family look like? When I became a christian, I gained a whole new family, leaving my physical family behind (for a while). Living overseas, with physical family far away, we have always been aware of the blessing of God’s family. We don’t choose ‘em and it isn’t always easy to live with ‘em (or with us, I am sure), but it is soooo good to have this family God has given us. What a blessing!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
PEL
The week between Benjamin Camp and Family Camp this year was filled with some unexpected meetings and encouragements. The Pan European Lectureships were held this year in Brussels. This is a gathering of people, mostly American, who are concerned with reaching the lost in Europe. Those Europeans who can make it (time-wise and financially) are able to report on the situation where they are and meet others who are working in Europe.
Until this year we have not been able to go. It has previously been held in Athens, Rome, Estonia, Poland and several other places, usually quite far from us. It is also usually in the middle of our camp season – as with this year. But this year it was in Brussels, our backyard. Besides which, Dottie Schulz was going to be there! Dottie and Tom Schulz are one of the reasons we are in the Netherlands and Belgium now, so we definitely wanted to see her.
But we were also pleasantly surprised at the spirit and desire of all the people we met and saw and heard during the mornings that we could be present in Brussels. Hearing about people who have struggled to remain faithful in all that they do is always a wonderful encouragement. And that is exactly what we received from people like S.F. Timmerman, Clyde Antwine and others. What was so encouraging was seeing how struggle is not something that goes away – it is something through which God carries you, with His strength.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that those old people in your church are boring or stodgy. Take time to sit down an dlisten to their stories and how God is blessing them NOW. What a blessing God has given us by placing us in His family!
Until this year we have not been able to go. It has previously been held in Athens, Rome, Estonia, Poland and several other places, usually quite far from us. It is also usually in the middle of our camp season – as with this year. But this year it was in Brussels, our backyard. Besides which, Dottie Schulz was going to be there! Dottie and Tom Schulz are one of the reasons we are in the Netherlands and Belgium now, so we definitely wanted to see her.
But we were also pleasantly surprised at the spirit and desire of all the people we met and saw and heard during the mornings that we could be present in Brussels. Hearing about people who have struggled to remain faithful in all that they do is always a wonderful encouragement. And that is exactly what we received from people like S.F. Timmerman, Clyde Antwine and others. What was so encouraging was seeing how struggle is not something that goes away – it is something through which God carries you, with His strength.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that those old people in your church are boring or stodgy. Take time to sit down an dlisten to their stories and how God is blessing them NOW. What a blessing God has given us by placing us in His family!
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Benjamin Camp
Every year the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands organize four weeks of Bible camp down in the beauty of the Ardennes mountains. This site which was wisely purchased more than 40 years ago still serves the church well. Through the years it has been adapted, built up and thankfully used by the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking congregations here. And as I have mentioned so often before, this has been a very important tool here for the kingdom. We are so thankful for those who have gone before and those who are willing to put in a week of heat, or mud, or less sleep in order to make sure that the young people here are built up in their faith, or introduced to God.
This year Shirley and I were camp leader and head cook for the Benjamins. This should be 8-10 year-olds, but this year was a little different. Thanks to the initiative of a brother in Haarlem who works with children in difficult situations, we had five kids who had never been to Bible camp before. As a matter of fact, two of them were moslim. So our week’s theme: “Searching for Jesus Christ” was very appropriate. We had some really great discussions and questions.
Blair Roberts has been visiting this summer from Canada and was able to bring the lessons (with a good Antwerp accent even!) as well as help drive the kids around. Stephan helped as the boys’ counselor and Sean helped out in the kitchen along with our sister, Geesie. We were especially surprised with a girls’ counselor who usually has other responsibilities. Gilda Amssoms is over 60 years old and usually runs the kitchen for a different week, but since we hadn’t been able to find a counselor, she offered her services. What a blessing! It is so great how God fills our needs and surprises us at the same time!
Our 15 campers had a great week learning, playing and being challenged by the activities, the weather and the relationships we formed together. We are so glad that God has given us this opportunity! Keep these kids in your prayers as they continue to grow in knowledge and faith.
This year Shirley and I were camp leader and head cook for the Benjamins. This should be 8-10 year-olds, but this year was a little different. Thanks to the initiative of a brother in Haarlem who works with children in difficult situations, we had five kids who had never been to Bible camp before. As a matter of fact, two of them were moslim. So our week’s theme: “Searching for Jesus Christ” was very appropriate. We had some really great discussions and questions.
Blair Roberts has been visiting this summer from Canada and was able to bring the lessons (with a good Antwerp accent even!) as well as help drive the kids around. Stephan helped as the boys’ counselor and Sean helped out in the kitchen along with our sister, Geesie. We were especially surprised with a girls’ counselor who usually has other responsibilities. Gilda Amssoms is over 60 years old and usually runs the kitchen for a different week, but since we hadn’t been able to find a counselor, she offered her services. What a blessing! It is so great how God fills our needs and surprises us at the same time!
Our 15 campers had a great week learning, playing and being challenged by the activities, the weather and the relationships we formed together. We are so glad that God has given us this opportunity! Keep these kids in your prayers as they continue to grow in knowledge and faith.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
What an example!
Today we went to visit Willemien again. She has been in a care home for the last week and a half after receiving a new knee. This woman amzes me and thrills me every time we meet. She and her husband, Cor (who passed away six years ago) came to the congregation here in 1992, when we had just started meeting. They talked about how they had been searching all their lives for the church. They were both brought up communist, had survived the 2nd World War (Cor in a camp) and had searched through all kinds of groups before coming to us. Willemien was 70 then. Their courage and desire to do what was right, to really follow God and let Him lead – after more than 70 years of doing their own leading – was such an example for us all.
Now Willemien is 84 and probably the healthiest of us all. When the hospital was checking her out to see if she was a good candidate for this new knee, they couldn’t find anything in which she wasn’t healthy. The young man who was questioning her said, “So, besides your knee, you really don’t have any problems, do you?” The operation itself is done in a few hours and the group that undergoes the operation takes the rest of the week learning new exercises, doing therapy, getting the new knee going. Willemien was already walking too well the first day to use the planned walking canes or walker, she just walked!
But her resilience in this situation is part and parcel of her attitude in general. She tells us that she used to be quite depressed, before she had us (the church) as a family (she and Cor had no children and they have no siblings). I can hardly believe it. She is so willing to continue, to move on. Pick up your feet and step on ahead. That is what her attitude seems to be. I think immediately of Isaiah 40:28-31
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
I am so thankful for the example that God has given us in Willemien!
Friday, July 14, 2006
June Newsletter
LIGHT in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentlesness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever greivances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
Sometimes the month just flies by and all of a sudden you are in the next month. Let me bring you up to date on what happened in June in our work and our lives.
Church life
One of the things that thrills me in the church here is how we all differ so strongly in age and yet are able to work together. One of our main emphases in the church is on our youth. Half of the congregation is made up of our teenagers. This is also why we are so involved in the youth work in the Netherlands and Belgium. Scott works together with two or three other brothers in congregations from around the Dutch-speaking work so that we can have a continued good influence on the youth here.
June brought our last youth weekend for the season (since our season runs during the school year - the summer camp weeks cover the summer). The last few years we have tried to have a youth weekend in Haarlem on the Pentecost weekend. There is always a flower market in the middle of the night on that weekend which the young people love to visit (especially since they get to stay up quite late). We had a good group with several visitors as well.
- another great weekend together -
The weekend continued on into the yearly Spring Fellowship of the Dutch-speaking churches, which was held in The Hague, as usual on the 2nd day of Pentecost. This is such a good time to encourage one another and to be challenged. This year the church in the Hague had the Ashford’s from England teach us about Islam and how we can deal with our neighbor - in the Hague a mosque has been built right next to the church building. This brings some unique challenges to the church there and some good opportunities to talk with the young people about what their faith means.
But not everything is about the young people. That is what is so exciting. While the church in Maastricht has quite a large youth contingent, we also have 10% above retirement age - and they are very active! One of the things we wanted to emphasize was how important it is for us to learn from what others have learned in their journey to faith.
To emphasize this we had a sort of Family Reunion where we invited Jim and Ruth Krumrei from the church in Haarlem to come tell us about their lives and struggles. This was a great, relaxed time of listening and learning. But it was also a time of sharing with one another, learning from each other. It was great to see some of the young people really listening and taking in all that wisdom. It is great that God has placed us in a family.
- Listening to wisdom -
Planning ahead
Because we know how important this family life is, we as a church are trying to take advantage of every opportunity. We of course are encouraging our young people to attend the summer Bible camp sessions. But we are also doing all we can to get the shole congregation to a few days of Family camp as well. The last day of Family camp is the “Family Day” which is oprganized this year by our congregation. We will be talking about and emphasizing how and why we praise the Lord.
Working up to these activities, Scott is preparing lessons for Benjamin camp, for Family camp and for a lesson at the Pan European Lectureship (PEL) which is being held in Brussels this year.
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Pray for a good recovery for Willemien, our 84-year-old sister. She gets a new knee in July and will be recovering most of the month. She hopes to be home fairly quickly.
- In July we will be visiting all of the people we study with regularly. Pray that we can deepen our relationship with them and help them to do the same in their relationship with God.
- Pray for our brother and sister Tim and Jane, both of whom are struggling with a depression, and continue to pray for Roger and Yvonne who are both considering giving their lives to Christ.
KID'S KORNER
Look at us!
Sean has always said that he wants to become a movie director. Recently he and Stephan got the chance to do just that. They went outside with the digital camera (which also takes video, took some shots of Stephan skating and Sean playing ball, and then put them together on the computer. You can see Sean’s at:
http://youtube.com/
and search under Sean Raab
What are you up to this summer so far? Is it worth showing on a video? What kind of movie would you like to make? What kind of movies to you like to watch?
e-mail Stephan at: greenleaf@tele2allin.be
e-mail Sean at: dudeis2cool4u@hotmail.com
ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
Last month I told you about our teeth adventures. Those have finally cleared up. Shirley has found a good dentist and has had her tooth completely fixed. As a matter of fact, Scott has also moved to this dentist. His filling fell out again - the last straw.
Enough about teeth - you are probably gritting yours having to read something like that. With the end of June came the beginning of summer. Actually, the boys were already started before the end of the month. They had exams (the first year for Sean) which meant that they were finished each day at lunch time - if you can call it finished. Once they were home they had to start studying for the next group of exams. But they made it through all of that and both of them are on their way to the next year in their studies. And more importantly, they can get moving on summer!
Stephan has always had lots of different interest and now he has plenty of time to indulge almost all of them. He has several different groups of friends: bmx’ers, skateboarders, basketballers, gamers and those who like manga and draw cartoons. Stephan kind of rotates between all these activities. Since it has been so warm, he plays basketball from 8 - 10 p.m. It is amazing to see how everyone finally comes out to the village square after 10 p.m., when it is finally a bit cooler. We have been told that we have already had a heat wave here in Belgium. That means two days above 30 degrees C (86 degrees F). We are surviving just fine.
Sean has been out to ‘the field’ more than enough with his friends. ‘The field’ is where they play soccer together. He had to get enough playing in before July started because several of his friends are heading off on vacation for the summer. He is looking forward to the end of the summer when he will begin in a league again.
But while he was waiting he had the World Cup to watch and enjoy. At one point we all went to Antwerp to watch one of the games on a large screen with the members of the church from Ghana (the USA-Ghana match). Unfortunately the game was not televised by anyone, so we had to watch Italy play. But we did have a great evening of fellowship.
- Who said ladies don't watch soccer?-
Sean went from euphoria when England did well in the group phase to abject depression when Portugal knocked them out. Playing with friends helps take care of most of that. And he has started making videos of all sorts of things (he has for the past three years said that he plans to be a movie director when he grows up).
We have all enjoyed the beauty of the season as well. Scott’s walks with Snuffles in the evening include choruses of bullfrogs and plovers (a type of bird), the flowers and trees in the garden are all blooming, spreading their perfume everywhere, and we are able to sit out in the garden for lunch or coffee.
It has been nice to have more time to do things as a family. The other night Stephan decided to look in his baby book, which led to an evening of reminiscing on the couch. Snuffles even caught the spirit and wanted to be a part, coming closer and sitting at our feet. It is so good to be together.
- Reminiscing -
EXTRAS
What’s coming up?
JULY
Benjamin Camp
AUGUST
PEL in Brussels
Family Camp
Family Day organized by Maastricht
Listen Up! recording
THANKS!
- For the care package from Sue Foster’s kids in Wisconsin
- For your emails and comments on the blog.
- For your prayers for the work here
Enjoy the family you are part of - in all ways!
Love in Him,
Scott, Shirley,
Stephan and Sean Raab
check out the blog for text and pictures: ravenraab.blogspot.com
Raab Family
Kasteelstraat 10
3620 Lanaken, Belgium
reply to: s.raabs@tele2allin.be
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentlesness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever greivances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
Sometimes the month just flies by and all of a sudden you are in the next month. Let me bring you up to date on what happened in June in our work and our lives.
Church life
One of the things that thrills me in the church here is how we all differ so strongly in age and yet are able to work together. One of our main emphases in the church is on our youth. Half of the congregation is made up of our teenagers. This is also why we are so involved in the youth work in the Netherlands and Belgium. Scott works together with two or three other brothers in congregations from around the Dutch-speaking work so that we can have a continued good influence on the youth here.
June brought our last youth weekend for the season (since our season runs during the school year - the summer camp weeks cover the summer). The last few years we have tried to have a youth weekend in Haarlem on the Pentecost weekend. There is always a flower market in the middle of the night on that weekend which the young people love to visit (especially since they get to stay up quite late). We had a good group with several visitors as well.
- another great weekend together -But not everything is about the young people. That is what is so exciting. While the church in Maastricht has quite a large youth contingent, we also have 10% above retirement age - and they are very active! One of the things we wanted to emphasize was how important it is for us to learn from what others have learned in their journey to faith.
To emphasize this we had a sort of Family Reunion where we invited Jim and Ruth Krumrei from the church in Haarlem to come tell us about their lives and struggles. This was a great, relaxed time of listening and learning. But it was also a time of sharing with one another, learning from each other. It was great to see some of the young people really listening and taking in all that wisdom. It is great that God has placed us in a family.
- Listening to wisdom -Planning ahead
Because we know how important this family life is, we as a church are trying to take advantage of every opportunity. We of course are encouraging our young people to attend the summer Bible camp sessions. But we are also doing all we can to get the shole congregation to a few days of Family camp as well. The last day of Family camp is the “Family Day” which is oprganized this year by our congregation. We will be talking about and emphasizing how and why we praise the Lord.
Working up to these activities, Scott is preparing lessons for Benjamin camp, for Family camp and for a lesson at the Pan European Lectureship (PEL) which is being held in Brussels this year.
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Pray for a good recovery for Willemien, our 84-year-old sister. She gets a new knee in July and will be recovering most of the month. She hopes to be home fairly quickly.
- In July we will be visiting all of the people we study with regularly. Pray that we can deepen our relationship with them and help them to do the same in their relationship with God.
- Pray for our brother and sister Tim and Jane, both of whom are struggling with a depression, and continue to pray for Roger and Yvonne who are both considering giving their lives to Christ.
KID'S KORNER
Look at us!
Sean has always said that he wants to become a movie director. Recently he and Stephan got the chance to do just that. They went outside with the digital camera (which also takes video, took some shots of Stephan skating and Sean playing ball, and then put them together on the computer. You can see Sean’s at:
http://youtube.com/
and search under Sean Raab
What are you up to this summer so far? Is it worth showing on a video? What kind of movie would you like to make? What kind of movies to you like to watch?
e-mail Stephan at: greenleaf@tele2allin.be
e-mail Sean at: dudeis2cool4u@hotmail.com
ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
Last month I told you about our teeth adventures. Those have finally cleared up. Shirley has found a good dentist and has had her tooth completely fixed. As a matter of fact, Scott has also moved to this dentist. His filling fell out again - the last straw.
Enough about teeth - you are probably gritting yours having to read something like that. With the end of June came the beginning of summer. Actually, the boys were already started before the end of the month. They had exams (the first year for Sean) which meant that they were finished each day at lunch time - if you can call it finished. Once they were home they had to start studying for the next group of exams. But they made it through all of that and both of them are on their way to the next year in their studies. And more importantly, they can get moving on summer!
Stephan has always had lots of different interest and now he has plenty of time to indulge almost all of them. He has several different groups of friends: bmx’ers, skateboarders, basketballers, gamers and those who like manga and draw cartoons. Stephan kind of rotates between all these activities. Since it has been so warm, he plays basketball from 8 - 10 p.m. It is amazing to see how everyone finally comes out to the village square after 10 p.m., when it is finally a bit cooler. We have been told that we have already had a heat wave here in Belgium. That means two days above 30 degrees C (86 degrees F). We are surviving just fine.
Sean has been out to ‘the field’ more than enough with his friends. ‘The field’ is where they play soccer together. He had to get enough playing in before July started because several of his friends are heading off on vacation for the summer. He is looking forward to the end of the summer when he will begin in a league again.
But while he was waiting he had the World Cup to watch and enjoy. At one point we all went to Antwerp to watch one of the games on a large screen with the members of the church from Ghana (the USA-Ghana match). Unfortunately the game was not televised by anyone, so we had to watch Italy play. But we did have a great evening of fellowship.
- Who said ladies don't watch soccer?-We have all enjoyed the beauty of the season as well. Scott’s walks with Snuffles in the evening include choruses of bullfrogs and plovers (a type of bird), the flowers and trees in the garden are all blooming, spreading their perfume everywhere, and we are able to sit out in the garden for lunch or coffee.
It has been nice to have more time to do things as a family. The other night Stephan decided to look in his baby book, which led to an evening of reminiscing on the couch. Snuffles even caught the spirit and wanted to be a part, coming closer and sitting at our feet. It is so good to be together.
- Reminiscing -EXTRAS
What’s coming up?
JULY
Benjamin Camp
AUGUST
PEL in Brussels
Family Camp
Family Day organized by Maastricht
Listen Up! recording
THANKS!
- For the care package from Sue Foster’s kids in Wisconsin
- For your emails and comments on the blog.
- For your prayers for the work here
Enjoy the family you are part of - in all ways!
Love in Him,
Scott, Shirley,
Stephan and Sean Raab
check out the blog for text and pictures: ravenraab.blogspot.com
Raab Family
Kasteelstraat 10
3620 Lanaken, Belgium
reply to: s.raabs@tele2allin.be
Sunday, June 25, 2006
"Heerlijk" and "Lekker"
I won’t bore you with the pronunciation, but “heerlijk” = delicious and “lekker” = yummy. The German speakers will recognize the latter and may even know about the Dutch and their wierd use of the word. You see, the Dutch can say almost anything is “lekker”. Before going to bed you say to one another, “Sleep ‘lekker’.” If you hit the tennis ball or baseball in just the right way, then you have hit it ‘lekker’. And still, a meal can also be ‘lekker’.
- a 'lekker' nap -
‘Heerlijk’ is a step up from ‘lekker’, just as delicious is a step up from yummy. And just as with ‘lekker’, you can use it for almost anything. When I took Nel and Willemien home after our Saturday “Family Reunion” – which was a time to be together as a Christian family and learn from each other’s expreriences in life – they both said it had been a ‘heerlijk’ day. Mind you, the weather had been ‘heerlijk’ as well, but they meant the fellowship. We spent time listening to Jim and Ruth Krumrei, long-tme missionaries in Haarlem (and Karl Verheijen’ parents, and Scott’s previous supervisors when he spent two years as an apprentice in the Netherlands), as they answered some questions about how God has influenced their lives. It was ‘heerlijk’ to hear their stories and to learn from their wisdom.
- enjoying wisdom -
This morning at the beginning of our worship time together, Nel said that she had slept so ‘lekker’ after such a wonderful time. She enjoys being able to eat with so many people, instead of being alone. We had a ‘heerlijk’ barbecue. Isn’t it great how God puts us into a family! Just like most families it’s not always perfect – how would we ever learn if everything were always perfect – but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. As a matter of fact, my family is everywhere in the world! That is a ‘heerlijk’ thought!
- Nel enjoying the 'heerlijk' pictures -
- a 'lekker' nap -‘Heerlijk’ is a step up from ‘lekker’, just as delicious is a step up from yummy. And just as with ‘lekker’, you can use it for almost anything. When I took Nel and Willemien home after our Saturday “Family Reunion” – which was a time to be together as a Christian family and learn from each other’s expreriences in life – they both said it had been a ‘heerlijk’ day. Mind you, the weather had been ‘heerlijk’ as well, but they meant the fellowship. We spent time listening to Jim and Ruth Krumrei, long-tme missionaries in Haarlem (and Karl Verheijen’ parents, and Scott’s previous supervisors when he spent two years as an apprentice in the Netherlands), as they answered some questions about how God has influenced their lives. It was ‘heerlijk’ to hear their stories and to learn from their wisdom.
- enjoying wisdom -This morning at the beginning of our worship time together, Nel said that she had slept so ‘lekker’ after such a wonderful time. She enjoys being able to eat with so many people, instead of being alone. We had a ‘heerlijk’ barbecue. Isn’t it great how God puts us into a family! Just like most families it’s not always perfect – how would we ever learn if everything were always perfect – but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. As a matter of fact, my family is everywhere in the world! That is a ‘heerlijk’ thought!
- Nel enjoying the 'heerlijk' pictures -Friday, June 23, 2006
World Cup Exchange
Well, we’re out. We went to Antwerp last night to watch the Ghana-USA game with the brothers in the church who are from Ghana. There was actually quite a crowd of Americans as well. We had a projector (a beamer) to watch the game in a big way. Only problem was that none of the channels were showing the game. Not any of the Flemish or Dutch channels, not the Germans, not the French-speaking Belgians or the French, not even the Spanish. Granted, the Italian channel was expected to show the other game (Italy-Czech Republic). So we had to watch Italy beat up on the Czech Republic and hope for an update at half time on the other game. By then it was already 2-1 for Ghana.
Admittedly this was a difficult one anyway. Ghana was the last chance for Africa, and we love our Ghanese brothers and sisters. So we were very happy for them. Especially since Ghana won the game with good play (and a free penalty from the ref – but the Ghanese didn’t have anything to do with that). But that leaves us a dilemma now – who do we root for?
Of course this has never been a dilemma for Sean. He has always said that those idiots back in 1776 ruined our chances for any good football team when they fought for independance. He is still rooting for England. And since we work in the Netherlands and most of our contacts are Dutch, we still have that option. As a matter of fact, we can’t very well get away from all of the orange. Can you imagine orange mayonnaise (which they put on their french fries), orange milk, orange everything you can imagine that usually isn’t orange.
So we are still holding out hope. The Belgians didn’t even get to go this time. You can hardly find anything in any of the Belgian stores that reminds you of the World Cup. It’s like they want to forget that it is happening since they didn’t get to come. Many of them have adopted the Australians – who did well last night. Now all they have to do is beat Brazil.
But it is a great opportunity to meet new people. We had a great time in Antwerp and look forward to the time we will have during some of the other games. Any excuse to get together (who needs and excuse?). And England or the Netherlands could still make it all the way. It could happen.
Admittedly this was a difficult one anyway. Ghana was the last chance for Africa, and we love our Ghanese brothers and sisters. So we were very happy for them. Especially since Ghana won the game with good play (and a free penalty from the ref – but the Ghanese didn’t have anything to do with that). But that leaves us a dilemma now – who do we root for?
Of course this has never been a dilemma for Sean. He has always said that those idiots back in 1776 ruined our chances for any good football team when they fought for independance. He is still rooting for England. And since we work in the Netherlands and most of our contacts are Dutch, we still have that option. As a matter of fact, we can’t very well get away from all of the orange. Can you imagine orange mayonnaise (which they put on their french fries), orange milk, orange everything you can imagine that usually isn’t orange.
So we are still holding out hope. The Belgians didn’t even get to go this time. You can hardly find anything in any of the Belgian stores that reminds you of the World Cup. It’s like they want to forget that it is happening since they didn’t get to come. Many of them have adopted the Australians – who did well last night. Now all they have to do is beat Brazil.
But it is a great opportunity to meet new people. We had a great time in Antwerp and look forward to the time we will have during some of the other games. Any excuse to get together (who needs and excuse?). And England or the Netherlands could still make it all the way. It could happen.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Two times a dad
I have the pleasure, or privilege, or luck to be able to celebrate Father’s Day twice. In Belgium they celebrate on the second Sunday, while in the US and the Netherlands they celebrate it on the third Sunday. So when I am proudly displaying the homemade tie or memo pad or special thing that my sons made (when they were in elementary school), most of the Dutch people we have contact with just shake their heads and make some comment (those Belgians – always different!). But the next week, I receive all the congratulations from the Dutch people.
I have to admit, I have always felt a bit ambiguous about this holiday. It is extremely commercial, and I don’t like that at all. But I also wonder what it really means. Is being a father simply being able to sire children. I don’t think so. There are plenty of men who have sown their seed and never waited around for the wonderful moment of birth, let alone hang around to help raise the children and let them know what it really means to be a man.
I remember both the birth of Stephan and Sean. I do have to admit that I agree with Bill Cosby when it comes to these beautiful creatures. To me and Shirley, those screaming blood-covered, slimy things were the most beautiful beings in the world. Thankfully, most people are willing to lie politely to you when you mention that to them. I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to see as clearly as that when my sons were born.
I remember still how very special and strange it was when we welcomed Stephan into the world. He was born on Halloween, so when I turned proudly to see those waiting to see my wonderful son all I saw were a bunch of people in strange costumes and masks! Sean on the other hand couldn’t wait to get out and gave Shirley early labor signs. When he finally arrived it was with gusto. His ‘big’ brother Stephan held him and didn’t worry about the blood still on his head.
Today I am so proud to be a father of these wonderful boys who are growing each and every day in the love of God. I am so thankful for the little bit of time that I have to spend with them – borrowing them as it were. Stephan is still so full of love. Sean is still wanting to grow up quickly and has a heart of gold. That’s being a father – taking the daunting responsibility of doing your best to show them what is good, what it really means to be a man. I am thankful for my dad, who taught me and four other boys (and my sister!) some wonderful things.
And I get to celebrate this twice! How blessed can you get?
I have to admit, I have always felt a bit ambiguous about this holiday. It is extremely commercial, and I don’t like that at all. But I also wonder what it really means. Is being a father simply being able to sire children. I don’t think so. There are plenty of men who have sown their seed and never waited around for the wonderful moment of birth, let alone hang around to help raise the children and let them know what it really means to be a man.
I remember both the birth of Stephan and Sean. I do have to admit that I agree with Bill Cosby when it comes to these beautiful creatures. To me and Shirley, those screaming blood-covered, slimy things were the most beautiful beings in the world. Thankfully, most people are willing to lie politely to you when you mention that to them. I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to see as clearly as that when my sons were born.
I remember still how very special and strange it was when we welcomed Stephan into the world. He was born on Halloween, so when I turned proudly to see those waiting to see my wonderful son all I saw were a bunch of people in strange costumes and masks! Sean on the other hand couldn’t wait to get out and gave Shirley early labor signs. When he finally arrived it was with gusto. His ‘big’ brother Stephan held him and didn’t worry about the blood still on his head.
Today I am so proud to be a father of these wonderful boys who are growing each and every day in the love of God. I am so thankful for the little bit of time that I have to spend with them – borrowing them as it were. Stephan is still so full of love. Sean is still wanting to grow up quickly and has a heart of gold. That’s being a father – taking the daunting responsibility of doing your best to show them what is good, what it really means to be a man. I am thankful for my dad, who taught me and four other boys (and my sister!) some wonderful things.
And I get to celebrate this twice! How blessed can you get?
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
25 years and going strong
It's wasn't our anniversary - or at least not that one. But it WAS 25 years ago (on May 31) that we first kissed - on the steps of the church building in The Hague!
That wasn't the beginning of our relationship. I have always been glad of that. Shirley and I were best friends. We spent hours sitting talking to each other about all sorts of things. We knew and appreciated each other. So when we both went on that summer campaign to the Netherlands, it was because we had grown in a wonderful relationship with the Lord and with each other. And it was, and still very much is this relationship that we have with the Lord that brought us together.
Yeah, it was that day that we became a "couple", with that simple kiss (and I still remember it well). It would be another three and a half years before we married. In fact, we didn't see each other for about two years in that time. But we kept growing closer. So May 31 is a day to remember for us.
To surprise me, Shirley set up a whole getaway thing (with the help of the boys). We spent a few days alone in Brughe, along the Belgian coast, in the city of Lille, France, and at a spa. It was all terribly romantic and we enjoyed it tremendously. We were even able to forget about the boys for a part of it (they did great!).
We are so looking forward to the next 25 years - each day at a time. God is so good and gracious and we are so glad to know HIS love.
That wasn't the beginning of our relationship. I have always been glad of that. Shirley and I were best friends. We spent hours sitting talking to each other about all sorts of things. We knew and appreciated each other. So when we both went on that summer campaign to the Netherlands, it was because we had grown in a wonderful relationship with the Lord and with each other. And it was, and still very much is this relationship that we have with the Lord that brought us together.
Yeah, it was that day that we became a "couple", with that simple kiss (and I still remember it well). It would be another three and a half years before we married. In fact, we didn't see each other for about two years in that time. But we kept growing closer. So May 31 is a day to remember for us.
To surprise me, Shirley set up a whole getaway thing (with the help of the boys). We spent a few days alone in Brughe, along the Belgian coast, in the city of Lille, France, and at a spa. It was all terribly romantic and we enjoyed it tremendously. We were even able to forget about the boys for a part of it (they did great!).
We are so looking forward to the next 25 years - each day at a time. God is so good and gracious and we are so glad to know HIS love.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Sorry!
Communication is great until it breaks down! I have not been able to get on blogger for several weeks and then my internet went out (along with my phone!). Made for some nice quiet days, but I am sorry that I haven't been in touch. Hopefully things are fixed now (or soon).
April - May Newsletter
LIGHT in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. ... The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 14:8,12
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
It is always so good to be able to sit and talk with you all. I am sorry that it has taken so long to get another letter sent out - especially since there have been so many good things going on. Let me tell you quickly about as many as I have space for.
Outreach and church life
As we try more and more to get to know our neighborhood better, we are excited about the possibilities. As mentioned in the last newsletter, Scott is now working on the local neighborhood newspaper. Not only is this an opportunity to get to know people better, Scott has already had some opportunities to write some articles as well. In May we had some flyers printed up to pass out in the neighborhood and are looking forward to the contacts this will bring through the summer and Fall.
Our youth activities each month continue to be good times of fellowship and good fun for the young people and the parents. This has been a good chance to have family time and reach out to the friends we have as well. We have consistently had children at these activities who are not regular church-goers, and their parents come as well. Pray for these opportunities. We had two youth activites and a youth weekend in these past two months. The youth weekend in Antwerp focused on how we worship God.
In addition to these types of outreach activities, we are enjoying a good family life as well in the church. We have gotten together for lunch or dinner, held the weekly Bible study at a family home, gone shopping together and basically just kept building on the family bond we have. We are so thankful for the family that God has placed us in! He knows how much we all need each other in so many ways (even some ways we don’t like but which are good for us - like learning patience, love or bearing with one another).
Another great opportunity recently has been a Ladies Day held in Antwerp. Almost all of our ladies attended this day of fellowship and study together. It was great to see and hear our sister Nel after this Saturday. She usually cannot make it to these events, but was already wanting to plan the next one when she got back to Maastricht. Fellowship is contagious: get infected whenever you get the chance!
Regular activities
Scott continues to be involved weekly with teaching English through the Bible, teaching English to asylum-seekers at the Red Cross center, working with the local school, Bible studies with International students from the university and working with the local newspaper. These are efforts, some more direct than others, to influence people’s lives with the love and goodness of the only true King.
- some of the international students -
Our efforts also continue regularly with Bible camp. In May a work camp was held to fix and prepare the camp for the summer weeks. We will lead the Benjamin week and Scott will teach at Family camp. The group that administers camp (Scott is the vice-chairman) is working on plans for a long needed renovation as well.
Listen Up!
May saw the beginning of recording sessions for Listen Up! We are so thankful for this opportunity to sing! The songs have been ready for some time and still it can be a wonderful struggle to let them speak. We are especially thankful to be able to work with Kjell, the studio owner. Good conversations about life with God intersperse the moments of singing. Hopefully this second CD will be ready by September.
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Thank God for the further contact we are able to build up through the local newspaper and the efforts from the past few months. Please continue to pray for this contact in the neighborhood.
- Our studies with Angelique, Mieke, Cor and Titia, and Gerard continue. Please keep them in your prayers.
- Pray for oiur brother and sister Tim and Jane, both of whom are struggling with a depression, and continue to pray for Roger and Yvonne who are both considering giving their lives to Christ.
ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
It seems that teeth have taken over the last few months. Everyone needs ‘em, and boy does your face look strange without ‘em, but when they are hurting it can be a real pain (obviously!). Sean has had regular visits to the orthodontist for braces. At the end of May he finally got the braces for the lower part of his teeth. We had been waiting for a ‘baby’ tooth to fall out. In the end we just had to have it pulled. So now Sean has braces on all of his teeth - or almost. Actually, his lower teeth were so crooked, and there was such a gap from the pulled tooth, that the orthodontist only put blocks on the front lower teeth to pull them in line. In June she will look at going further.
But this wasn’t most of the fun for Sean in the past few months. He has spent most of his time with the physical therapist. We thought that this all came from an injury with soccer - and maybe that helped (if you can put it that way), but it turns out that Sean was just growing too quickly. Once he finished with working on the achilles tendon on his left leg, it started up on his right leg. Thankfully it has now all finished. For those of you who have been following this soap opera - Sean finally got to put on his new soccer kit and go out to play with his new ball (JOY!!). He is looking forward to starting back up with a real team in the Fall.
Stephan finished off his braces a while back, but at a regular check-up the dentist pointed out that his wisdom teeth (Stephan’s, not the dentist’s) were already pushing in and would ruin all that good work if we didn’t do something about it. So we made an appointment to have his wisdom teeth pulled. Since he has teeth like Scott’s (who had his wisdom teeth out a few years back) they would need to be surgically removed. Thankfully he recovered quite quickly. In fact, two days after the operation he went off on the train with Sean to visit some freinds in the Netherlands for a birthday party. Nothing could keep him from playing some basketball with his friends. He is looking forward to getting back into a regular league in the Fall.
So then we come to Shirley and Scott. Scott simply had a filling fall out and a cavity needed filling. But Shirley was struggling with major pain. We thought it might be a sinus infection or something wrong with her jaw. The dentist had assured us that there was nothing wrong with her tooth. When we finally got a second opinion, we found a cracked tooth with a damaged nerve needing urgent attention. Thankfully we have a better dentist now who took care of the problem until it can be completely cared for (beginning of June).
All of this could not dampen our enjoyment of the days together and the good things we are offered each and every day. God is so giving! Shirley surprised Scott (with willing help from the boys) with a trip to celebrate their getting together 25 years ago (on the steps of the church building in The Hague!). While the boys stayed home, Scott and Shirley headed off to Brughe, the coast, Lille and a spa for a couple days. We are so thankful for such good young men who take good care of each other (and the house).
KID'S KORNER
Come on summer!
Spring hasn’t even really arrived, but we are looking forward to the summer. Sean is of course looking forward to the World Cup - the matches are being played not far from here. But summer for him also means lots of time outside playing soccer with his friends.
Stephan has returned to playing basketball quite regularly and will look forward to doing more of that in the summer as well. Mostly summer for him means no school, camp - where he can see his friends, and enjoying any and all free time. This summer he might be getting a summer job.
What does summer mean to you? What will you be doing this summer? Let us know.
e-mail Stephan at: greenleaf@tele2allin.be
e-mail Sean at: dudeis2cool4u@hotmail.com
EXTRAS
What’s coming up?
JUNE
Youth activity
Church study day
JULY
Camp weeks
AUGUST
PEL in Brussels
Family Day organized by Maastricht
THANKS!
- For the continued support from the church in Brughe and Roeselare
- For your emails and comments on the blog. It is great to know that you are following what is happening in our lives.
- For your prayers for the work here
Enjoy all that God has given you - today!
Love in Him,
Scott, Shirley,
Stephan and Sean Raab
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. ... The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 14:8,12
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
It is always so good to be able to sit and talk with you all. I am sorry that it has taken so long to get another letter sent out - especially since there have been so many good things going on. Let me tell you quickly about as many as I have space for.
Outreach and church life
As we try more and more to get to know our neighborhood better, we are excited about the possibilities. As mentioned in the last newsletter, Scott is now working on the local neighborhood newspaper. Not only is this an opportunity to get to know people better, Scott has already had some opportunities to write some articles as well. In May we had some flyers printed up to pass out in the neighborhood and are looking forward to the contacts this will bring through the summer and Fall.
Our youth activities each month continue to be good times of fellowship and good fun for the young people and the parents. This has been a good chance to have family time and reach out to the friends we have as well. We have consistently had children at these activities who are not regular church-goers, and their parents come as well. Pray for these opportunities. We had two youth activites and a youth weekend in these past two months. The youth weekend in Antwerp focused on how we worship God.
In addition to these types of outreach activities, we are enjoying a good family life as well in the church. We have gotten together for lunch or dinner, held the weekly Bible study at a family home, gone shopping together and basically just kept building on the family bond we have. We are so thankful for the family that God has placed us in! He knows how much we all need each other in so many ways (even some ways we don’t like but which are good for us - like learning patience, love or bearing with one another).
Another great opportunity recently has been a Ladies Day held in Antwerp. Almost all of our ladies attended this day of fellowship and study together. It was great to see and hear our sister Nel after this Saturday. She usually cannot make it to these events, but was already wanting to plan the next one when she got back to Maastricht. Fellowship is contagious: get infected whenever you get the chance!
Regular activities
Scott continues to be involved weekly with teaching English through the Bible, teaching English to asylum-seekers at the Red Cross center, working with the local school, Bible studies with International students from the university and working with the local newspaper. These are efforts, some more direct than others, to influence people’s lives with the love and goodness of the only true King.
- some of the international students -Listen Up!
May saw the beginning of recording sessions for Listen Up! We are so thankful for this opportunity to sing! The songs have been ready for some time and still it can be a wonderful struggle to let them speak. We are especially thankful to be able to work with Kjell, the studio owner. Good conversations about life with God intersperse the moments of singing. Hopefully this second CD will be ready by September.
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Thank God for the further contact we are able to build up through the local newspaper and the efforts from the past few months. Please continue to pray for this contact in the neighborhood.
- Our studies with Angelique, Mieke, Cor and Titia, and Gerard continue. Please keep them in your prayers.
- Pray for oiur brother and sister Tim and Jane, both of whom are struggling with a depression, and continue to pray for Roger and Yvonne who are both considering giving their lives to Christ.
ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
It seems that teeth have taken over the last few months. Everyone needs ‘em, and boy does your face look strange without ‘em, but when they are hurting it can be a real pain (obviously!). Sean has had regular visits to the orthodontist for braces. At the end of May he finally got the braces for the lower part of his teeth. We had been waiting for a ‘baby’ tooth to fall out. In the end we just had to have it pulled. So now Sean has braces on all of his teeth - or almost. Actually, his lower teeth were so crooked, and there was such a gap from the pulled tooth, that the orthodontist only put blocks on the front lower teeth to pull them in line. In June she will look at going further.
But this wasn’t most of the fun for Sean in the past few months. He has spent most of his time with the physical therapist. We thought that this all came from an injury with soccer - and maybe that helped (if you can put it that way), but it turns out that Sean was just growing too quickly. Once he finished with working on the achilles tendon on his left leg, it started up on his right leg. Thankfully it has now all finished. For those of you who have been following this soap opera - Sean finally got to put on his new soccer kit and go out to play with his new ball (JOY!!). He is looking forward to starting back up with a real team in the Fall.
Stephan finished off his braces a while back, but at a regular check-up the dentist pointed out that his wisdom teeth (Stephan’s, not the dentist’s) were already pushing in and would ruin all that good work if we didn’t do something about it. So we made an appointment to have his wisdom teeth pulled. Since he has teeth like Scott’s (who had his wisdom teeth out a few years back) they would need to be surgically removed. Thankfully he recovered quite quickly. In fact, two days after the operation he went off on the train with Sean to visit some freinds in the Netherlands for a birthday party. Nothing could keep him from playing some basketball with his friends. He is looking forward to getting back into a regular league in the Fall.
So then we come to Shirley and Scott. Scott simply had a filling fall out and a cavity needed filling. But Shirley was struggling with major pain. We thought it might be a sinus infection or something wrong with her jaw. The dentist had assured us that there was nothing wrong with her tooth. When we finally got a second opinion, we found a cracked tooth with a damaged nerve needing urgent attention. Thankfully we have a better dentist now who took care of the problem until it can be completely cared for (beginning of June).
All of this could not dampen our enjoyment of the days together and the good things we are offered each and every day. God is so giving! Shirley surprised Scott (with willing help from the boys) with a trip to celebrate their getting together 25 years ago (on the steps of the church building in The Hague!). While the boys stayed home, Scott and Shirley headed off to Brughe, the coast, Lille and a spa for a couple days. We are so thankful for such good young men who take good care of each other (and the house).
KID'S KORNER
Come on summer!
Spring hasn’t even really arrived, but we are looking forward to the summer. Sean is of course looking forward to the World Cup - the matches are being played not far from here. But summer for him also means lots of time outside playing soccer with his friends.
Stephan has returned to playing basketball quite regularly and will look forward to doing more of that in the summer as well. Mostly summer for him means no school, camp - where he can see his friends, and enjoying any and all free time. This summer he might be getting a summer job.
What does summer mean to you? What will you be doing this summer? Let us know.
e-mail Stephan at: greenleaf@tele2allin.be
e-mail Sean at: dudeis2cool4u@hotmail.com
EXTRAS
What’s coming up?
JUNE
Youth activity
Church study day
JULY
Camp weeks
AUGUST
PEL in Brussels
Family Day organized by Maastricht
THANKS!
- For the continued support from the church in Brughe and Roeselare
- For your emails and comments on the blog. It is great to know that you are following what is happening in our lives.
- For your prayers for the work here
Enjoy all that God has given you - today!
Love in Him,
Scott, Shirley,
Stephan and Sean Raab
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Work Camp
Camp is an important part of our work here. We have four weeks each summer and a weekend in the Fall and Winter where we get together to learn, encourage and grow. Camp has always been a place for all of us because it is a place from all of us. Almost everyone can tell some story about what has happened there or how they helped in making this place.
Each Ascension holiday (when everyone here has a very long weekend from Thursday through Sunday), a group heads on down to camp to clean, fix and basically get ready for the summer. It’s usually a messy time (we have to clean out the gutters, sweep away the cobwebs and clean up the mouse droppings), but also a good time for fellowship. I still vividly remember conversations held on the roof of the dormitory while cleaning off the moss – conversations about who God is and why one would want to follow Him.
This weekend Stephan and I went down to see what we could help with. As you can see it was a bit wet (reminds me of a commercial here from Pearl eyewear: sound of raining in the background and the announcer says “So – it’s summer in Belgium again.”). But since I was working with thr group trying to get the gutter along the road fixed, this was perfect – we could see quite well where the water would run. Later in the day, after shoveling and dumping mud, we were all pretty well ready to stop.
- shoveling 'dirt'? -
This was a special weekend too. We hope to begin this Fall on the renovation of our bilding here – so this may be the last summer that it looks like this.
- the soon-to-be 'old' meeting hall -
Soon it will have a second floor, we will be able to keep it warm in the off-season and we will be able to use it even more for the chuches than we can now. We are excited about the possibilities!
- our 'creek' this weekend -
It was a great weekend. Those of you who have been to camp here before know exactly what we are talking about. And those of you who haven’t yet been – don’t let the rain scare you off. It’s only water (and mud) and although the mud may stay in your clothes, it’s the fellowship that stays in your heart. So come on over!
Each Ascension holiday (when everyone here has a very long weekend from Thursday through Sunday), a group heads on down to camp to clean, fix and basically get ready for the summer. It’s usually a messy time (we have to clean out the gutters, sweep away the cobwebs and clean up the mouse droppings), but also a good time for fellowship. I still vividly remember conversations held on the roof of the dormitory while cleaning off the moss – conversations about who God is and why one would want to follow Him.
This weekend Stephan and I went down to see what we could help with. As you can see it was a bit wet (reminds me of a commercial here from Pearl eyewear: sound of raining in the background and the announcer says “So – it’s summer in Belgium again.”). But since I was working with thr group trying to get the gutter along the road fixed, this was perfect – we could see quite well where the water would run. Later in the day, after shoveling and dumping mud, we were all pretty well ready to stop.
- shoveling 'dirt'? -
- the soon-to-be 'old' meeting hall -
- our 'creek' this weekend -Monday, May 15, 2006
That's easy for you to say
Recounting the past few weeks in our house sounds like a medical history in a hospital ward.
Stephan had his wisdom teeth surgically removed (all four at once) so there goes any hope for a wise son. On the other hand, he’ll have the chance to be just like me (I had mine out a few years back). Is that good or bad? He is recovering very well, in any case. Usually they say that it can be a week or two before they are feeling better. Stephan was up and going the next day and even went to a friend’s birthday party – taking the train with his little brother to get there. A little bit of swelling, the typical beautiful coloring of a bruise on the chin (leads to some interesting conversations) and he’s doing fine.
Sean has been struggling for several months now with his achilles tendon. That is that tight thing at the back of your foot that feels kind of like a bone. Sean lives for soccer and received a kick at the back of the foot. In January we took him to the doctor who prescribed physical therapy. That meant no soccer for about six weeks (imagine trying not to breath for that long and you will understand Sean’s frustration). We had just bought him a set of soccer shoes, ball and shirt with shorts. They sat at the bottom of his bed waiting in eager anticipation for the day he could use them. When that day came, he gladly went back to playing – for about two weeks. Then the pain came back and he returned to the physical therapist. Now it has struck his right foot and the therapist has mentioned that it might be his quick growth that is causing the problems. Sure enough, Sean has been shooting up in the last three months. He is now almost past Shirley.
Shirley is struggling this past week with a sinus infection. Not the kind you get behind your eyes, or in your forehead, but in her cheek – she feels it in her teeth and jaw. When Shirley decides that she has to lie down and do nothing, then you know she really is in pain. There is not much that can stop her. But we have made an appointment with the nose,throat and ear doctor (the antibiotics and nose spray from the GP weren’t helping at all)and hopefully she will be feeling better in a few days.
But I’m okay. And everyone just keeps going on, doing the best they can. We all pitched in to make yesterday the best we could for Shirley yesterday (flowers, breakfast, a list of tasks that can always be called upon, necklaces that matched her dresses beautifully). The sun is shining again and we should make it just fine. Of course I’m the one writing this and I don’t feel their pain, so it’s literally easy for me to say.
Stephan had his wisdom teeth surgically removed (all four at once) so there goes any hope for a wise son. On the other hand, he’ll have the chance to be just like me (I had mine out a few years back). Is that good or bad? He is recovering very well, in any case. Usually they say that it can be a week or two before they are feeling better. Stephan was up and going the next day and even went to a friend’s birthday party – taking the train with his little brother to get there. A little bit of swelling, the typical beautiful coloring of a bruise on the chin (leads to some interesting conversations) and he’s doing fine.
Sean has been struggling for several months now with his achilles tendon. That is that tight thing at the back of your foot that feels kind of like a bone. Sean lives for soccer and received a kick at the back of the foot. In January we took him to the doctor who prescribed physical therapy. That meant no soccer for about six weeks (imagine trying not to breath for that long and you will understand Sean’s frustration). We had just bought him a set of soccer shoes, ball and shirt with shorts. They sat at the bottom of his bed waiting in eager anticipation for the day he could use them. When that day came, he gladly went back to playing – for about two weeks. Then the pain came back and he returned to the physical therapist. Now it has struck his right foot and the therapist has mentioned that it might be his quick growth that is causing the problems. Sure enough, Sean has been shooting up in the last three months. He is now almost past Shirley.
Shirley is struggling this past week with a sinus infection. Not the kind you get behind your eyes, or in your forehead, but in her cheek – she feels it in her teeth and jaw. When Shirley decides that she has to lie down and do nothing, then you know she really is in pain. There is not much that can stop her. But we have made an appointment with the nose,throat and ear doctor (the antibiotics and nose spray from the GP weren’t helping at all)and hopefully she will be feeling better in a few days.
But I’m okay. And everyone just keeps going on, doing the best they can. We all pitched in to make yesterday the best we could for Shirley yesterday (flowers, breakfast, a list of tasks that can always be called upon, necklaces that matched her dresses beautifully). The sun is shining again and we should make it just fine. Of course I’m the one writing this and I don’t feel their pain, so it’s literally easy for me to say.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
A tale of two trees
“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he trims clean so that it will be even more fruitful.”
We don’t have much wine around here, but in our backyard are two cherry trees, a pine tree and a little pear tree. The pear tree looks as though it is probably two years old or so – scrawny, the leaves only grow on one side. We get some pears on it each year, but they are small, stunted. The many footballs that this tree has to endure, being in the middle of the playing field, might have something to do with what it looks like. The tree is actually more than 15 years old. It has never been trimmed.
Behind our house, on the other side of the canal, is an orchard. There are apple and pear trees there. The pear trees there are also quite small. Most are not any taller than I am. During the winter months they look like sad dwarves, huddling in soldier formation waiting for Spring to return. But when Spring returns, they explode in flower. And by the summer they will be full, no, bursting with fruit. The first time I saw it I was astounded (knowing nothing about fruit trees). These pear trees look like Arnold Schwarzeneggar on steroids (or is that double up?).
These trees are pruned every year, cut back to the bare essentials while they wait for the growth to burst forth. This all just hit me tonight as I was out with Snuffles walking along this orchard. It made me think of lots of things, but mostly that being small doesn’t say anything. You can be small (as a church as well) and that could mean that you’ve been neglected. Or you can be small and extremely fruitful. I may not know what I’m really asking for, but I am ready for some pruning - as long as the Father is the one doing the pruning, it will work out great!
We don’t have much wine around here, but in our backyard are two cherry trees, a pine tree and a little pear tree. The pear tree looks as though it is probably two years old or so – scrawny, the leaves only grow on one side. We get some pears on it each year, but they are small, stunted. The many footballs that this tree has to endure, being in the middle of the playing field, might have something to do with what it looks like. The tree is actually more than 15 years old. It has never been trimmed.
Behind our house, on the other side of the canal, is an orchard. There are apple and pear trees there. The pear trees there are also quite small. Most are not any taller than I am. During the winter months they look like sad dwarves, huddling in soldier formation waiting for Spring to return. But when Spring returns, they explode in flower. And by the summer they will be full, no, bursting with fruit. The first time I saw it I was astounded (knowing nothing about fruit trees). These pear trees look like Arnold Schwarzeneggar on steroids (or is that double up?).
These trees are pruned every year, cut back to the bare essentials while they wait for the growth to burst forth. This all just hit me tonight as I was out with Snuffles walking along this orchard. It made me think of lots of things, but mostly that being small doesn’t say anything. You can be small (as a church as well) and that could mean that you’ve been neglected. Or you can be small and extremely fruitful. I may not know what I’m really asking for, but I am ready for some pruning - as long as the Father is the one doing the pruning, it will work out great!
Monday, May 08, 2006
Just sing it!
- in a cavern, in a canyon . . . -This past week I was in the recording studio with Listen Up!, the a cappella group I sing with to spread the gospel. We are recording our second cd, this time in Antwerp in a studio called “Cavern’. It is in the basement of the YWCA in downtown Antwerp.
It has been amazing to see how intense this can be. The setting is interesting: in the middle of a week of beautiful weather we are downstairs in the dark focusing on the songs we have written together, focusing on how we sing them, how we sound, how we work together. It’s amazing how much we all learn from this.
- listening intently -Part of that scares me to death. Suddenly I can hear what my voice really sounds like. And I have to really sing what I am supposed to sing – can’t hide behind a bunch of voices. Even your breathing is evident. (Gets me thinking about how we live. Nothing is really hidden, and we can look pretty good until the focus is put on everything we do.) That is when the studio guy, a Norwegian Antwerpenaar named Kjell, says, “Just sing it.”
- taking a break (in the sun) with Kjell -And that’s what we have to do. Don’t pay attention to the surroundings, your worries about your voice or anything else. Kjell knows why we sing these songs, even though he may not be completely interested. We need to just sing about what we know to be true – and it comes out right. And that’s what we need to do in life as well. Just keep doing your best, focusing on what the meaning is. Just sing it.
- Rob singing it like it is -Monday, May 01, 2006
Queens and labor
This past weekend was a long weekend. That was the most important for most people I think. Saturday was “Queen’s Day” in the Netherlands: lots of orange (the color of the royal house), lots of kids selling things at special markets, special concerts and a visit from the queen to a few chosen towns. Anybody visiting Amsterdam on this day would have been overwhelmed by the mass of people just having a good time. Usually this all happens on April 30, but since that fell on a Sunday this year (and everyone already has that ‘free’), they decided to move it to Saturday.
And Monday is May Day, or the Day of Work (or Labor Day as some of you might call it). In Belgium and Germany this is a holiday. Lots of red (it was originally a socialist holiday and celebration), special activities for ‘workers’ (but everyone can get in on the celebrations – even white collar workers) and closed shops that are usually open.
Since we work in Maastricht – a Dutch city surrounded by Belgium and Germany – the whole weekend is busy in the city. But tomorrow gets back to normal. Sean is already dreading the biology test tomorrow, but he’ll do just fine. Life goes on.
And Monday is May Day, or the Day of Work (or Labor Day as some of you might call it). In Belgium and Germany this is a holiday. Lots of red (it was originally a socialist holiday and celebration), special activities for ‘workers’ (but everyone can get in on the celebrations – even white collar workers) and closed shops that are usually open.
Since we work in Maastricht – a Dutch city surrounded by Belgium and Germany – the whole weekend is busy in the city. But tomorrow gets back to normal. Sean is already dreading the biology test tomorrow, but he’ll do just fine. Life goes on.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Heron thoughts
More than 20 years ago I saw one for the first time. It was on a misty morning on a bike ride to Spaarndam. This little village has a statue of Hans Brinker – you know – the little boy who put his finger in the dike. Never mind that he never really existed or that you can’t put your finger in a dike (we drive on top of dikes here – I always thought they were some sort of wall). But it is a beautiful little village and there was a wonderful park where I could go and be quiet, be alone, get my thoughts straight.
I would bike along the river and canals towards Spaarndam, and there was always a heron sitting watching me as I went. These are gloriously regal birds, in my opinion, especially when they fly. They soar, nose and neck straight ahead, large wings catching the wind. They are quite graceful in flight. Perhaps that, and the fact that they are everywhere, was why they were on Dutch money, the beautifully colored paper stuff. To be honest, I don’t remember which bill they graced (help me out here, those of you who knew guilders), but I really liked that one.
Maybe it is the association with such good moments – times of peace and quite, times of grace – that make me feel good when I see a heron. Whatever it is, I like seeing herons. And there are whole colonies here where we live now. We live along the Meuse (we call it the Maas) river, which forms the natural boundary between the Netherlands and Belgium. Behind our house is a canal. Between the canal and the river is a nature reserve where they allow Scottish cows to graze loose. It is in this area that the herons thrive. You can look up in the trees and see there nests everywhere.
But I get to see one almost every day. When I let Snuffles out in the morning, we walk along the canal. Just under the first bridge, about half way to the second bridge is the regular standing place of a heron. Most of the time he(she?) simply stands watching us as we go by. But the other day I was treated to something special.
It was a bit misty again (somehow that seems to make things stick longer in my mind) and it was very quiet. I hadn’t wanted to go out with the dog. It had been cold and I was so wanting Spring to finally arrive. Everything just felt ‘yucky’. And then I saw the heron. He came soaring in toward me along the canal, wings spread and slightly turned as he came in for a landing. The wind was blowing (another good reason not to be outside). Amazing how he so easily took the wind and used it to set himself so gently down on the top of a pole along the waterside. I can still see it now.
A bit mushy and cliche and all the rest (you can probably hear a song about wind and wings now in your head), but what struck me was that he couldn’t have sttled down so easily if he didn’t have resistance – if the wind weren’t there. It’s the wind resistance that makes a bird able to fly.
It changed my day for the better. God made us able to handle resistance and use it. He turns difficult things into something elegant and beautiful. Amazing what a walk with the dog can do for your spiritual health.
I would bike along the river and canals towards Spaarndam, and there was always a heron sitting watching me as I went. These are gloriously regal birds, in my opinion, especially when they fly. They soar, nose and neck straight ahead, large wings catching the wind. They are quite graceful in flight. Perhaps that, and the fact that they are everywhere, was why they were on Dutch money, the beautifully colored paper stuff. To be honest, I don’t remember which bill they graced (help me out here, those of you who knew guilders), but I really liked that one.
Maybe it is the association with such good moments – times of peace and quite, times of grace – that make me feel good when I see a heron. Whatever it is, I like seeing herons. And there are whole colonies here where we live now. We live along the Meuse (we call it the Maas) river, which forms the natural boundary between the Netherlands and Belgium. Behind our house is a canal. Between the canal and the river is a nature reserve where they allow Scottish cows to graze loose. It is in this area that the herons thrive. You can look up in the trees and see there nests everywhere.
But I get to see one almost every day. When I let Snuffles out in the morning, we walk along the canal. Just under the first bridge, about half way to the second bridge is the regular standing place of a heron. Most of the time he(she?) simply stands watching us as we go by. But the other day I was treated to something special.
It was a bit misty again (somehow that seems to make things stick longer in my mind) and it was very quiet. I hadn’t wanted to go out with the dog. It had been cold and I was so wanting Spring to finally arrive. Everything just felt ‘yucky’. And then I saw the heron. He came soaring in toward me along the canal, wings spread and slightly turned as he came in for a landing. The wind was blowing (another good reason not to be outside). Amazing how he so easily took the wind and used it to set himself so gently down on the top of a pole along the waterside. I can still see it now.
A bit mushy and cliche and all the rest (you can probably hear a song about wind and wings now in your head), but what struck me was that he couldn’t have sttled down so easily if he didn’t have resistance – if the wind weren’t there. It’s the wind resistance that makes a bird able to fly.
It changed my day for the better. God made us able to handle resistance and use it. He turns difficult things into something elegant and beautiful. Amazing what a walk with the dog can do for your spiritual health.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Growin' up in the Lord
This past weekend was another youth weekend. We have had quite a few yout activities in the last couple months, but it is exciting to see how God is using these times. More and more of our young people are not only coming to the weekends, they are also bringing their friends.
And it’s exciting to see these young people searching – in God’s word, in their relationships, in the church and testing – the things they are learning, the things they are told, even our patience at times.
Listen Up! has a song which talks about the frustrations of children and repeats the refrain:
Look at the sons we got.
Sometimes they drive us crazy but we sure love them a lot.
Look at the sons we got.
You and I’ve been blessed a lot.
At the end of the song we talk about the disciples and our lives and end with the refrain:
Look at the Son of God.
Sometimes we drive Him crazy, but He still loves us a lot.
Look at the Son of God.
Yeah, you and I’ve been blessed a lot.
During this weekend we looked at how we worship God. We need to use a filter in what we do and remember where the focus should be. We had a great time playing, learning, traveling and doing.
One of the activities was picking up the trash in a local park. Not the most thankful of jobs, especially when the kids there are laughing at you and making more trash. But we had just talked about who we were doing it for (because God would be happy, noyt necessarily people). We are so glad that God has been able to use us in some ways with these young people and look forward to how he continues to change us and challenge us each day.
- looking for answers -
And it’s exciting to see these young people searching – in God’s word, in their relationships, in the church and testing – the things they are learning, the things they are told, even our patience at times.
- looking at coffee 'thick' -
Listen Up! has a song which talks about the frustrations of children and repeats the refrain:
Look at the sons we got.
Sometimes they drive us crazy but we sure love them a lot.
Look at the sons we got.
You and I’ve been blessed a lot.
At the end of the song we talk about the disciples and our lives and end with the refrain:
Look at the Son of God.
Sometimes we drive Him crazy, but He still loves us a lot.
Look at the Son of God.
Yeah, you and I’ve been blessed a lot.
- travelin' fun -
During this weekend we looked at how we worship God. We need to use a filter in what we do and remember where the focus should be. We had a great time playing, learning, traveling and doing.
- looking for the 'why' of worship-
One of the activities was picking up the trash in a local park. Not the most thankful of jobs, especially when the kids there are laughing at you and making more trash. But we had just talked about who we were doing it for (because God would be happy, noyt necessarily people). We are so glad that God has been able to use us in some ways with these young people and look forward to how he continues to change us and challenge us each day.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
It’s a jungle out there
Watching tv as a family can be difficult. Not everyone likes the same things. Sean would watch soccer all day if it were on all day. Even if it were games that he had already seen and knew the outcome. And Scott and Stephan will zap around for a good hour lookking at two or three things at the same time – even when there is nothing on. But there are certain tv programs that we like to watch together. Sean reminds us that it is about to come on. Shirley gets a video to copy it if someone is not there. And we all enjoy it. Monk is one of those shows.
I don’t know if you know this show. The title song alone is worth turning it on – Randy Newman knows how to write. Adrian Monk is an obsessive compulsive (former) detective who solves cases by observing and thinking (a bit like Agatha Christie’s Belgian detective, Poirot, without the mustache and food – which, come to think of it was pretty OC too). We like trying to figure out who did it, or how to catch them (don’t watch the first five minutes of the show if you don’t want to know who did it!). Monk (and his nurse and the police chief and the goofy detective) always gets his man (or woman), and along the way he and we learn some things about human nature.
I think what we like so much about the show is that no matter how flawed Monk is, he still struggles with getting done what needs done. And boy does he struggle! And he makes the whole world around him struggle along just trying to put up with him. Makes me glad that there are other people out there who are frustrating to others – and survive. Glad that people love me too, almost as much as God does. “I could be wrong now – but I don’t think so!”
I don’t know if you know this show. The title song alone is worth turning it on – Randy Newman knows how to write. Adrian Monk is an obsessive compulsive (former) detective who solves cases by observing and thinking (a bit like Agatha Christie’s Belgian detective, Poirot, without the mustache and food – which, come to think of it was pretty OC too). We like trying to figure out who did it, or how to catch them (don’t watch the first five minutes of the show if you don’t want to know who did it!). Monk (and his nurse and the police chief and the goofy detective) always gets his man (or woman), and along the way he and we learn some things about human nature.
I think what we like so much about the show is that no matter how flawed Monk is, he still struggles with getting done what needs done. And boy does he struggle! And he makes the whole world around him struggle along just trying to put up with him. Makes me glad that there are other people out there who are frustrating to others – and survive. Glad that people love me too, almost as much as God does. “I could be wrong now – but I don’t think so!”
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