What do you do when your parents leave you alone for a week?
While we were off with Listen Up! in Switzerland, Stephan and Sean were home alone. Of course this has its benefits: eat what you want when you want, no worries about cleaning up your room, the possibility (if you disobey your parents) to have as many friends over as you might want, doing what you want when you want. We wondered how things might go (and trusted of course that they would be just fine).
We were only able to call twice while we were gone. The first telephone call was on Monday after we had left on Saturday. One of the biggest complaints was "I'm bored!" So maybe they don't mind us around after all! Everything else seemed to be going well. Shirley had left a list of which foods could be cooked. When asked what they were planning to eat Sean replied, "Macaroni and cheese of course. It's on the list!" Why come up with something when the work has already been done for you?
The next time we were able to call was Friday, at the end of the week. We found out that Stephan had taken the basketball team jerseys home to be washed but wasn't sure how he was going to get them back on game day since he could only take the bike. Sean had also had to go to his soccer game on the bike (a trip of a good 40 minutes). How would this all work out?
When we arrived early Sunday evening Sean met us outside and warned us that we could not yet enter. "You guys weren't going to be home until 8!" He wanted to make sure that things were cleaned up. Stephan had figured out a way to get to the ball game with the jerseys, and both boys (young men) looked quite healthy. There may have been some things happening that we don't know about (and some of you might know more - don't tell us), but all were healthy (even the dog), the house was still standing and we were glad to be back home.
We have been sharing big hugs the last week - we really did miss each other. It is good to be back together again
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Amazing grace!
I am continually amazed at how God surprises me. I shouldn’t be – amazed or surprised. He has done it so often in the past, showing how good and mighty He is. I imagine He enjoys surprising us, giving us way more than we could even imagine. That is just what He is like. I get lost in my everydayness, forgetting that He has created each of those days so that He can surprise me with what He can do.
What amazed me was our recent trip to Switzerland. Listen Up! was asked to come sing for five congregations – Bern, Thun, Lucern, Zurich and Schaffhausen. (Shirley got to come with us and the boys stayed at home alone – but that is another story). We were looking forward to singing for them, being able to sing about Jesus – but I was surprised by how we were encouraged and challenged by those wonderful brothers and sisters.
At each city we were welcomed and showered with love.
The natural beauty (every direction you look seems to bring another amazing shot of God’s creation to view) and joyful sharing (chocolate, cheese, fellowship) showed us what we were singing about in each city. These people know God and know what it means to be part of His family!
In Bern, Lucern and Schaffhausen Shirley and I stayed with families willing to give up their living room so that we could have someplace to sleep. In Thun the members took a day off work so that they could follow a song workshop and help with the concert and outreach.
In Lucern we sang in the streets as the members handed out flyers inviting people to the concert. The concert itself was in the small room where the 10 members meet to worship and which is usually used for teaching karate on the fourth floor. But all of the 12 visitors came because they had been given a flyer in the streets of Lucern.
In Schaffhausen the young people who had come for the singing workshop sang with us in the market to invite people and then helped change a dungeon into a fairy tale theater for more than 100 people who were willing to sit in the cold for two hours listening to our ‘preaching’.
All of these people opened their homes and their hearts to us, sharing their positive attitudes, their love for God. We went expecting to encourage and help and we were the ones encouraged and challenged to live what we saw in them. God is so wonderful and His family continues to amaze me!
Now we are looking forward to hearing how God will continue amazing us as they talk to the various visitors to these concerts. We are so thankful that we had this time with them – to get to know them and to be challenged to live with their faithfulness. God is truly amazing – and so is His family when they are following His lead.
(I am still uploading pictures, but if you want to see some from Schaffhausen, you can check out the ones from Anina - click here.)
What amazed me was our recent trip to Switzerland. Listen Up! was asked to come sing for five congregations – Bern, Thun, Lucern, Zurich and Schaffhausen. (Shirley got to come with us and the boys stayed at home alone – but that is another story). We were looking forward to singing for them, being able to sing about Jesus – but I was surprised by how we were encouraged and challenged by those wonderful brothers and sisters.At each city we were welcomed and showered with love.
The natural beauty (every direction you look seems to bring another amazing shot of God’s creation to view) and joyful sharing (chocolate, cheese, fellowship) showed us what we were singing about in each city. These people know God and know what it means to be part of His family!In Bern, Lucern and Schaffhausen Shirley and I stayed with families willing to give up their living room so that we could have someplace to sleep. In Thun the members took a day off work so that they could follow a song workshop and help with the concert and outreach.
In Lucern we sang in the streets as the members handed out flyers inviting people to the concert. The concert itself was in the small room where the 10 members meet to worship and which is usually used for teaching karate on the fourth floor. But all of the 12 visitors came because they had been given a flyer in the streets of Lucern.
In Schaffhausen the young people who had come for the singing workshop sang with us in the market to invite people and then helped change a dungeon into a fairy tale theater for more than 100 people who were willing to sit in the cold for two hours listening to our ‘preaching’.All of these people opened their homes and their hearts to us, sharing their positive attitudes, their love for God. We went expecting to encourage and help and we were the ones encouraged and challenged to live what we saw in them. God is so wonderful and His family continues to amaze me!
Now we are looking forward to hearing how God will continue amazing us as they talk to the various visitors to these concerts. We are so thankful that we had this time with them – to get to know them and to be challenged to live with their faithfulness. God is truly amazing – and so is His family when they are following His lead.
(I am still uploading pictures, but if you want to see some from Schaffhausen, you can check out the ones from Anina - click here.)
Friday, October 12, 2007
September Newsletter
LIGHT in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:23
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
I want to take the time to tell you about a few of the people we have been meeting with, studying with, learning from recently.
Telling the truth in love
We have known Leon and Mariette Christoffels for quite some time. Their daughter, Patricia, came to camp as a teenager. Leon and Mariette attended a congregation in Lanaken that taught some things that were not Biblical. We had looked at working together with this congregation when we first arrived, and have kept the door open at all times, working with youth and trying to encourage where possible.
After some frustrating years and a time without a congregation, due to teaching, Leon and Mariette called us about something else, looking for some information and consolation. I invited them to worship with us and they have been an encouragement from the very first day. They want to know Jesus and his death and resurrection. They want to continue to grow in faith. And their desire is infectious.
We are so glad that we have kept communication open throughout the years, that the door has always been open. This is something we want to continue because we grow and are encouraged by it.
Another aspect of this same situation are our concerts with Listen Up! This month we held a concert to release our second cd. The concert was held in Haarlem and we made a major effort to invite all of our contacts. It was thrilling, then, to see so many people come to hear about who Jesus is and how we should respond to him.
The audience was not completely a believing audience. There were co-workers who simply like the music. There were parents whose children have ties in some way with one of the singers or the church. There were young men who came to help with the catering because they knew one of the singers. It was an amazing group of people, brought together to tell people about Jesus. And that is what happened. We know that when people say, “Beautiful music. I don’t know about the message, but I loved hearing you.” that they did hear the words.
Of course, the next step is to keep contact, to keep doors open and to continue talking about live with Jesus. Music alone will move people to think and act. We need to be ready to listen and communicate in love. That is what we are praying for with the church in Haarlem - and in Switzerland where we will be singing in October.
But how far do you go?
Sometimes you can talk and talk and talk - and you wonder if anyone is listening. It is not always easy to decide when to move on from a study, to allow the relationship to change. My studies with C and T often include some very clear language about Jesus, but this is not always accepted. After several years, they know what we think and we know what they think. Mrs. M. has been reading the Bible with me for almost 13 years! We have become friends, Shirley and I with her and her husband. But perhaps it is time for the relationship to change - not that we would end our friendship, but that we would shift the focus of our time. This is a difficult question.
Some people want to know more - now! LJ and Mr. W. are like that. Although I have not heard from LJ in September, we are planning to start studying again in October. Mr. W. is intrigued about what the Bible says about so many things. Although he feels he knows God, he is willing to re-examine what he knows in the light of the Bible.
And there are more people in this area who are also looking, wanting to know God better, to give their lives to Him. We need to figure out how best to spend our time. Although, as we are spending more time with the various groups, we see that this problem tends to solve itself. In addition to Mr. W. and LJ, we are also increasingly busy with the growth of our own youth in the church.
The men in the congregation decided to get together twice a week on a Friday evening for a devo. Now “devo” is a strange word for anyone here, but the evenings have already become a favorite. Plenty of singing (and really thinking about the words) and then some time to hear what God’s word says and talk about it. It has been so good to have a place to encourage one another as brothers. This has been great for Leon, Stephan and some of the young men we meet with from Tongeren.
As we continue through this year we want to continue to remember how patient God is with us and let that guide us also. It is so great to have such a wonderful, righteous God who is making us holy because He is holy!
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Give thanks for our concert in Haarlem! Thanks to so many for praying and working hard.
- Please keep our families in your prayers as we are away from them and want to help in so many ways.
- Pray for our outreach among the young people here. There are several who are growing into faith and need continued guidance and strength.
- Pray for Listen Up! as they plan for a tour through Switzerland to assist the churches there with evangelism.
- Pray for Mr. W. and LJ as we try to get back to our studies. Also for upcoming plans for classes and outreach.
On the family side . . .
September is the beginning of school and for Sean that has meant a real new beginning. He decided to change schools this year. When he left elementary school, most of his friends went to the Catholic middle school, but he went to the school where Stephan was (a combined middle and high school). Although this was not a problem academically, he has struggled with missing his friends. Now he has moved on to this new school. It is much smaller (200 students instead of 850) and only students in his academic area, which makes things a bit better. He has been a lot happier about school in any case.
Sean is still enjoying his soccer - although it is a lot muddier here than while we were in the States. He has only twisted his ankle slightly once, so he is also staying healthy. Along with soccer he is also showing more interest in his personal fashion. He makes sure that he gets good advice from Shirley - who does a good job teaching the boys about fashion, but also about buying well and not putting too much emphasis on your outside.
Stephan has been listening to Shirley’s advice for years. This is now his senior year and he wants to make a good impression all around. He is trying to stay focused on his studies, is taking part more in school activities, and is showing who he really is as a person. His visit to the States this year showed him how much of an advantage good grades can be, giving you more opportunities. Of course others had told him this before, but this summer it sank in.
In addition to his school work he is trying to make sure he is ready for the ACT test which he will take at the end of October. The most difficult part of these tests is not really the material, but the fact that he is a third culture kid with no mother tongue. We speak English at home, but his school is in Dutch. Imagine trying to figure out what an ‘isosceles’ triangle is (named after the mathematician rather than the property of the triangle), or if something is ‘congruent’ or ‘diffuse’. These are all very specific math or scientific terms. Since his maths and sciences are in Dutch, he has never encountered these terms. So now he is practicing for the ACT, studying on top of his studying. We are proud to see how he is taking it all to heart.
On top of his school work Stephan is still enjoying his basketball – he plays on the men’s team now. He is also a real friend to his friends here. When the devo’s started (see News) he has taken part enthousiastically. At church he offered to be the one to help send the list of prayers around to the men who will be praying (the ‘prayer warriors’ – doesn’t that sound like a bunch of guys?).
Scott and Shirley are enjoying each day with each other and these wonderful boys. Not every day is wonderful of course, but you pick out the good points and try to move past the difficult times, learning as you go. They are looking forward to being able to be together when Listen Up! goes on tour to Switzerland. Usually Shirley would stay behind with the boys. Now the ‘boys’ are young men and well able to deal with Shirley being off with Scott for a week (keep them in your prayers ;-)
EXTRAS
What’s coming up?
OCTOBER
Listen Up! tour of Switzerland
Fall camp
Youth outreach
NOVEMBER
WoW course
Youth weekend
THANKS!
- For the prayers for the work here
- For the good books
- For your encouragement in emails, calls and comments on the blog
DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
(Official) Religion
Recently (5 years ago) Belgium decided to choose some ‘official’ religions which would then be sanctioned by the government as ‘official’. These are: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Orthodox, Anglican, Islam and humanism. The Dutch have quite a history of religious reformation, persecution and tolerance. There are no ‘official’ religions, although there are several which do receive government finances. Less than 40% of people in the Netherlands adhere to a church and less than 50% of Belgians consider themselves religious. Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know.
Have a wonderful day today, growing up in the Lord!
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:23
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
I want to take the time to tell you about a few of the people we have been meeting with, studying with, learning from recently.
Telling the truth in loveWe have known Leon and Mariette Christoffels for quite some time. Their daughter, Patricia, came to camp as a teenager. Leon and Mariette attended a congregation in Lanaken that taught some things that were not Biblical. We had looked at working together with this congregation when we first arrived, and have kept the door open at all times, working with youth and trying to encourage where possible.
After some frustrating years and a time without a congregation, due to teaching, Leon and Mariette called us about something else, looking for some information and consolation. I invited them to worship with us and they have been an encouragement from the very first day. They want to know Jesus and his death and resurrection. They want to continue to grow in faith. And their desire is infectious.
We are so glad that we have kept communication open throughout the years, that the door has always been open. This is something we want to continue because we grow and are encouraged by it.Another aspect of this same situation are our concerts with Listen Up! This month we held a concert to release our second cd. The concert was held in Haarlem and we made a major effort to invite all of our contacts. It was thrilling, then, to see so many people come to hear about who Jesus is and how we should respond to him.
The audience was not completely a believing audience. There were co-workers who simply like the music. There were parents whose children have ties in some way with one of the singers or the church. There were young men who came to help with the catering because they knew one of the singers. It was an amazing group of people, brought together to tell people about Jesus. And that is what happened. We know that when people say, “Beautiful music. I don’t know about the message, but I loved hearing you.” that they did hear the words.
Of course, the next step is to keep contact, to keep doors open and to continue talking about live with Jesus. Music alone will move people to think and act. We need to be ready to listen and communicate in love. That is what we are praying for with the church in Haarlem - and in Switzerland where we will be singing in October.
But how far do you go?
Sometimes you can talk and talk and talk - and you wonder if anyone is listening. It is not always easy to decide when to move on from a study, to allow the relationship to change. My studies with C and T often include some very clear language about Jesus, but this is not always accepted. After several years, they know what we think and we know what they think. Mrs. M. has been reading the Bible with me for almost 13 years! We have become friends, Shirley and I with her and her husband. But perhaps it is time for the relationship to change - not that we would end our friendship, but that we would shift the focus of our time. This is a difficult question.
Some people want to know more - now! LJ and Mr. W. are like that. Although I have not heard from LJ in September, we are planning to start studying again in October. Mr. W. is intrigued about what the Bible says about so many things. Although he feels he knows God, he is willing to re-examine what he knows in the light of the Bible.
And there are more people in this area who are also looking, wanting to know God better, to give their lives to Him. We need to figure out how best to spend our time. Although, as we are spending more time with the various groups, we see that this problem tends to solve itself. In addition to Mr. W. and LJ, we are also increasingly busy with the growth of our own youth in the church.
The men in the congregation decided to get together twice a week on a Friday evening for a devo. Now “devo” is a strange word for anyone here, but the evenings have already become a favorite. Plenty of singing (and really thinking about the words) and then some time to hear what God’s word says and talk about it. It has been so good to have a place to encourage one another as brothers. This has been great for Leon, Stephan and some of the young men we meet with from Tongeren.
As we continue through this year we want to continue to remember how patient God is with us and let that guide us also. It is so great to have such a wonderful, righteous God who is making us holy because He is holy!
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Give thanks for our concert in Haarlem! Thanks to so many for praying and working hard.
- Please keep our families in your prayers as we are away from them and want to help in so many ways.
- Pray for our outreach among the young people here. There are several who are growing into faith and need continued guidance and strength.
- Pray for Listen Up! as they plan for a tour through Switzerland to assist the churches there with evangelism.
- Pray for Mr. W. and LJ as we try to get back to our studies. Also for upcoming plans for classes and outreach.
On the family side . . .
September is the beginning of school and for Sean that has meant a real new beginning. He decided to change schools this year. When he left elementary school, most of his friends went to the Catholic middle school, but he went to the school where Stephan was (a combined middle and high school). Although this was not a problem academically, he has struggled with missing his friends. Now he has moved on to this new school. It is much smaller (200 students instead of 850) and only students in his academic area, which makes things a bit better. He has been a lot happier about school in any case.
Sean is still enjoying his soccer - although it is a lot muddier here than while we were in the States. He has only twisted his ankle slightly once, so he is also staying healthy. Along with soccer he is also showing more interest in his personal fashion. He makes sure that he gets good advice from Shirley - who does a good job teaching the boys about fashion, but also about buying well and not putting too much emphasis on your outside.
Stephan has been listening to Shirley’s advice for years. This is now his senior year and he wants to make a good impression all around. He is trying to stay focused on his studies, is taking part more in school activities, and is showing who he really is as a person. His visit to the States this year showed him how much of an advantage good grades can be, giving you more opportunities. Of course others had told him this before, but this summer it sank in.
In addition to his school work he is trying to make sure he is ready for the ACT test which he will take at the end of October. The most difficult part of these tests is not really the material, but the fact that he is a third culture kid with no mother tongue. We speak English at home, but his school is in Dutch. Imagine trying to figure out what an ‘isosceles’ triangle is (named after the mathematician rather than the property of the triangle), or if something is ‘congruent’ or ‘diffuse’. These are all very specific math or scientific terms. Since his maths and sciences are in Dutch, he has never encountered these terms. So now he is practicing for the ACT, studying on top of his studying. We are proud to see how he is taking it all to heart.
On top of his school work Stephan is still enjoying his basketball – he plays on the men’s team now. He is also a real friend to his friends here. When the devo’s started (see News) he has taken part enthousiastically. At church he offered to be the one to help send the list of prayers around to the men who will be praying (the ‘prayer warriors’ – doesn’t that sound like a bunch of guys?).
Scott and Shirley are enjoying each day with each other and these wonderful boys. Not every day is wonderful of course, but you pick out the good points and try to move past the difficult times, learning as you go. They are looking forward to being able to be together when Listen Up! goes on tour to Switzerland. Usually Shirley would stay behind with the boys. Now the ‘boys’ are young men and well able to deal with Shirley being off with Scott for a week (keep them in your prayers ;-)
EXTRAS
What’s coming up?
OCTOBER
Listen Up! tour of Switzerland
Fall camp
Youth outreach
NOVEMBER
WoW course
Youth weekend
THANKS!
- For the prayers for the work here
- For the good books
- For your encouragement in emails, calls and comments on the blog
DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
(Official) Religion
Recently (5 years ago) Belgium decided to choose some ‘official’ religions which would then be sanctioned by the government as ‘official’. These are: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Orthodox, Anglican, Islam and humanism. The Dutch have quite a history of religious reformation, persecution and tolerance. There are no ‘official’ religions, although there are several which do receive government finances. Less than 40% of people in the Netherlands adhere to a church and less than 50% of Belgians consider themselves religious. Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know.
Have a wonderful day today, growing up in the Lord!
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Off to Switzerland
This Saturday Listen Up! heads off to Switzerland for a tour of five cities there, singing as part of evangelism from the churches in those cities. We are so looking forward to meeting the brothers and sisters there, being used to reach people in those cities, singing!, and sharing this life that God gives. It is GREAT being a part of such a family!
We will be back by the 21st and I hope to share some news then of how everything went. Thank you for your prayers for us, for the churches there and for the people who will be listening. Sing of His great love today!
We will be back by the 21st and I hope to share some news then of how everything went. Thank you for your prayers for us, for the churches there and for the people who will be listening. Sing of His great love today!
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Let's sing!
Last weekend Listen Up! held a concert and party to present their new cd - "Yesterday is coming". A lot of work went in to the day itself - a ton of snacks and drinks, organizing and decorating the place we rented, making sure everyone was made welcome etc - it was such an encouragement to see how so many helped to make this day special!
This was a special day for a lot of reasons:
Listen Up! wanted to let more people know how much God loves them. We do our best to let people know how good it is to be with God and know Him. Not only our songs, but also our attitudes and what we say. With this concert we continued a project we started before the summer where we encourage people to compliment one another.
This was the first time that 'In Hymn' sang for a larger audience and with microphones. This is a group that Listen Up! has taken under its wing to encourage and help in doing the same thing - reaching people's hearts and minds with the word of God.
Listen Up!'s cd was presented to the general public - and well accepted. We are so encouraged by how many people have told us that they listen regularly to the songs we sing and are encouraged by the words, the message, and the music.
Visitors came from congregations from around Belgium and the Netherlands (from as far as 3 hours away)! And there were many visitors from outside the church - people who don't believe but who love music, or know one of the singers, or heard about us from the radio. It is exciting to see how God uses these opportunities!
So many people have been praying for this day and for the people who would be coming. Thank you!! Continue to pray for those who were present, who helped (some of our helpers were also non-believers, and we have already heard how they were impressed by the spirit during this busy evening), and who will hear the music. God is gracious and great and is so very present in this world!
This was a special day for a lot of reasons:
Listen Up! wanted to let more people know how much God loves them. We do our best to let people know how good it is to be with God and know Him. Not only our songs, but also our attitudes and what we say. With this concert we continued a project we started before the summer where we encourage people to compliment one another.
This was the first time that 'In Hymn' sang for a larger audience and with microphones. This is a group that Listen Up! has taken under its wing to encourage and help in doing the same thing - reaching people's hearts and minds with the word of God.
Listen Up!'s cd was presented to the general public - and well accepted. We are so encouraged by how many people have told us that they listen regularly to the songs we sing and are encouraged by the words, the message, and the music.
Visitors came from congregations from around Belgium and the Netherlands (from as far as 3 hours away)! And there were many visitors from outside the church - people who don't believe but who love music, or know one of the singers, or heard about us from the radio. It is exciting to see how God uses these opportunities!
So many people have been praying for this day and for the people who would be coming. Thank you!! Continue to pray for those who were present, who helped (some of our helpers were also non-believers, and we have already heard how they were impressed by the spirit during this busy evening), and who will hear the music. God is gracious and great and is so very present in this world!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Back in Belgium
There are so many things that we missed while in the States - and so many things we didn't miss! Looking at what you have at the moment - and appreciating that - is something that we continue to learn. This trip and return to Belgium has helped along the way.We are back to sweaters and coats (the shorts went straight from the suitcase into the closet - ready for next year!), back to carrying the umbrella when you walk the dog AND back to rainbows almost any day at just the moment you need one (a promise from God!) and escape from stifling heat.
Getting up at 7 in the morning to go to school is a lot different than lounging in bed with friends and family close by with whom you can play BUT school means being back with your friends on this side, playing basketball and soccer, riding your bike, setting up your room with new team emblems.
Back to walking the dog every morning, rain or shine IS back with our wonderful little dog who missed us so much, to morning mists rising on the canal or impressionist sunsets painting the clouds and peaceful walks and talks with God.Missing family who live so far away, BUT being back with family who are so glad to see us once again and whom we so missed. God continues to amaze us with how big, how loving, how giving his family is - because they are his.
These are the blessings of everyday, blessings we never want to miss, wherever we are.
July/August Newsletter
LIGHT in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
July/August 2007
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:10-11
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
Wow - what a wild and wonderful summer! It was great to be able to see so many of you and to get to know so many new people as well. God continues to surprise and bless us.
Furlough tales
Many of you have been able to follow our travels around the States from the blog, so I will not go into detail on everything. I simply want to highlight a few things from each stop - things we learned or experienced while there. We flew or drove through 8 states and visited 12 cities in the 8 weeks we were traveling. We are so grateful that we were able to not only visit our church family, but were also able to spend some good time with relatives. This was only possible because so many of you were willing to sacrifice, risk letting us drive your cars and keep us in your homes. Thank you!
In Minnesota and Wisconsin we were touched by an eldership and church family that was concerned about wanting to be sure that we had the chance to rest and be built up. What wonderful hearts - from just making meals to playing discgolf.
In Iowa we were blessed to help with the VBS, so Scott was Elijah and Jesus, Shirley was Mary and Salome, Sean was Lazarus (which sounds really weird in Dutch!) and Stephan helped conduct the kids each evening. While in Iowa we also drove over to visit Scott’s brother and family in Indiana - meeting our nephews/cousins for only the second time. It was great to get to know them a bit better.
In Omaha, Nebraska, we spent some wonderful time with Shirley’s family. We have been praying for her sister’s family and it was good to see how God is working there. Our nephew is serious in sharing his faith and growing further. We were also able to visit a congregation where Shirley had been baptized so many years before. The links that God makes in peoples lives are so wonderful to see!
In Colorado Scott was able to have fun at Kamp Koinonia as well as present a lesson and sing some old songs with good old friends. But family is the most important thing when we come through this way. We celebrated Scott’s birthday, together with his younger brother, talked about his mom’s upcoming move and deepened the already tight bonds in Christ. It was hard to leave, knowing that there was still so much we wanted to be able to do.
California brought us new family. We stayed with a family which didn’t know us and vice-versa, but which has taken a special place in our hearts. With Kerry and Marisol Jablonski we worked together, shared, talked and learned. It was thrilling to see how God can make such a difference in relationships - something we know, but were able to experience once again.
In Texas we were once again overwhelmed with the love of a congregation wanting to give us an opportunity to recharge our batteries. Abilene always brings a sense of ‘coming home’ when we pass through. It was great to see the boys hook right in to the youth activities as well.
Meanwhile back at the ranch ...
This was one of the first times that we didn’t really leave our work in Belgium and the Netherlands behind. With internet everywhere (or almost) we were able to keep up on how things were going. This also meant that some of our work could follow us around the US as well.
It is exciting to see and realize (and be reminded) that God can use more people than just us. Sometimes we think quite highly of ourselves, but God shows us that He is the one in charge. In July the summer camp weeks went great, with some really good groups meeting. Once again we had several visitors to these weeks from outside the church - young people who were touched by the gospel and other young people who want to know God.
There were also some concerns and difficulties, but our brothers and sisters have the same mighty Father as we do. It has been good to come back and hear how they dealt in a spiritual way with these difficult moments. When we left at the end of June, there was no one to organize the usual Family Day at the end of camp. But this too was taken care of - the young church in Ghent took it on themselves to organize the day. Although the weather didn’t always cooperate, it was a great time to be challenged.
We always see September as the beginning of the year and we are excited about what is on our path this year. As we look back at the summer and see how richly God blesses us, we know that He will continue to strengthen us through the task before us.
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Give thanks for our safe trip in the summer and all the wonderful meetings we had with God’s family.
- Please keep our families in your prayers as we are away from them and want to help in so many ways.
- Praise and thank God for the summer camp weeks - there were several young people from outside the church who experienced God here.
- Pray for Listen Up! and their upcoming concert in Haarlem - this will be for a largely non-Christian audience.
- Pray for Mr. W. and LJ as we try to get back to our studies. Also for upcoming plans for classes and outreach.
ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
Our summer furlough trips are always a bit of a blur - so much happening in so many places! We were so glad to be able to see so many people. We only wish that we could be in more places and in each place longer, but then we would have to hang around in the States for much more than a summer. And we were missing all of our family here as the summer came to a close. What a wonderful dilemma - to have so much family that you want to be everywhere!
Our traveling went basically without too much trouble. We had a bit of a hiccup on the way over (“What do you mean, we’re on ‘standby’ - I bought those tickets months ago!”), but arrived safely and with all of our luggage. Here are a few of the things that hit us as we traveled around the country and visited family and friends.
Sean was thrilled to be able to play soccer in so many places. Most of the places he was able to play it was with girls teams. This gave him a different respect for girls. In Iowa and Texas he trained with some pretty good girls teams. He was glad to be able to play. And in the meantime he bought shoes - cool shoes, soccer shoes that cost way more in Europe, shoes that he chose.
Stephan had a good time meeting new friends and seeing old friends. He seems to be able to get along no matter where he goes. And he still loves being with his family as well! But this trip was different since we were also looking at the future. Hearing college recruiters tell you about there school and what you can do there, what it will be like - it all brings the future awfully close, awfully quickly (or was that just the parents’ reaction?)
Scott was able to go discgolfing in every city they stopped in (except Indianapolis - next time!). Most of the time he went early in the morning with Stephan. New discs were part of the luggage making its way back to Belgium. Shirley enjoyed finding garage sales (remember - we don’t have garages in Belgium, let alone garage sales). She was able to find some super deals and have a good time as well.
We saw fields and fields of corn, vast stretches of Colorado nothingness and mountains climbing to the clouds. We stayed in beautiful old homes, family homes with voices we love hearing and even a little place that seemed to be more of a resort - but was definitely a home. We were able to visit almost all of our family and even met some friends from the past who we hadn’t expected to see. We were blessed to stay with people we just met, and people we had never met before - simply because we are family in Christ.
The boys went to Universal Studios, Scott and Shirley went to Santa Monica and beautiful downtown Burbank. We were blessed with swimming pools, discgolf courses, fireworks, Bible camp activities, guitar playing, VBS and evening walks with good conversations. And we were challenged with family needs and desires. We may live far away from so many, but we are not removed. Some pain and frustration, a need for encouragement - God wants to use all of us anywhere we are. And He is able!
Thank you all for such a wonderful visit! What a wonderful family we have in Jesus Christ!
DID YOU KNOW?
Politics
In the United States people are used to the 2-party system. Politics in Europe is much more complicated.
Belgium has three different governments: Flemish, Walloon and the federal government. There are at least 5 different parties in each of the two regional governments. Then they also have to work together in the federal government.
The Dutch have at least 6 different parties making up the government (not counting the really small ones). They have had to learn to compromise.
Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know.
WHAT'S COMING UP?
SEPTEMBER
Listen Up! concert
OCTOBER
Listen Up! tour of Switzerland
Fall camp
Youth outreach
NOVEMBER
WoW course
THANKS!
- For all the help with this summer and your special gifts
- For so many who put us up and put up with us
- For your encouragement and care of the guys
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
July/August 2007
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:10-11
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
Wow - what a wild and wonderful summer! It was great to be able to see so many of you and to get to know so many new people as well. God continues to surprise and bless us.
Furlough tales
Many of you have been able to follow our travels around the States from the blog, so I will not go into detail on everything. I simply want to highlight a few things from each stop - things we learned or experienced while there. We flew or drove through 8 states and visited 12 cities in the 8 weeks we were traveling. We are so grateful that we were able to not only visit our church family, but were also able to spend some good time with relatives. This was only possible because so many of you were willing to sacrifice, risk letting us drive your cars and keep us in your homes. Thank you!
In Minnesota and Wisconsin we were touched by an eldership and church family that was concerned about wanting to be sure that we had the chance to rest and be built up. What wonderful hearts - from just making meals to playing discgolf.
In Iowa we were blessed to help with the VBS, so Scott was Elijah and Jesus, Shirley was Mary and Salome, Sean was Lazarus (which sounds really weird in Dutch!) and Stephan helped conduct the kids each evening. While in Iowa we also drove over to visit Scott’s brother and family in Indiana - meeting our nephews/cousins for only the second time. It was great to get to know them a bit better.
In Omaha, Nebraska, we spent some wonderful time with Shirley’s family. We have been praying for her sister’s family and it was good to see how God is working there. Our nephew is serious in sharing his faith and growing further. We were also able to visit a congregation where Shirley had been baptized so many years before. The links that God makes in peoples lives are so wonderful to see!
In Colorado Scott was able to have fun at Kamp Koinonia as well as present a lesson and sing some old songs with good old friends. But family is the most important thing when we come through this way. We celebrated Scott’s birthday, together with his younger brother, talked about his mom’s upcoming move and deepened the already tight bonds in Christ. It was hard to leave, knowing that there was still so much we wanted to be able to do.
California brought us new family. We stayed with a family which didn’t know us and vice-versa, but which has taken a special place in our hearts. With Kerry and Marisol Jablonski we worked together, shared, talked and learned. It was thrilling to see how God can make such a difference in relationships - something we know, but were able to experience once again.
In Texas we were once again overwhelmed with the love of a congregation wanting to give us an opportunity to recharge our batteries. Abilene always brings a sense of ‘coming home’ when we pass through. It was great to see the boys hook right in to the youth activities as well.
Meanwhile back at the ranch ...
This was one of the first times that we didn’t really leave our work in Belgium and the Netherlands behind. With internet everywhere (or almost) we were able to keep up on how things were going. This also meant that some of our work could follow us around the US as well.
It is exciting to see and realize (and be reminded) that God can use more people than just us. Sometimes we think quite highly of ourselves, but God shows us that He is the one in charge. In July the summer camp weeks went great, with some really good groups meeting. Once again we had several visitors to these weeks from outside the church - young people who were touched by the gospel and other young people who want to know God.
There were also some concerns and difficulties, but our brothers and sisters have the same mighty Father as we do. It has been good to come back and hear how they dealt in a spiritual way with these difficult moments. When we left at the end of June, there was no one to organize the usual Family Day at the end of camp. But this too was taken care of - the young church in Ghent took it on themselves to organize the day. Although the weather didn’t always cooperate, it was a great time to be challenged.
We always see September as the beginning of the year and we are excited about what is on our path this year. As we look back at the summer and see how richly God blesses us, we know that He will continue to strengthen us through the task before us.
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Give thanks for our safe trip in the summer and all the wonderful meetings we had with God’s family.
- Please keep our families in your prayers as we are away from them and want to help in so many ways.
- Praise and thank God for the summer camp weeks - there were several young people from outside the church who experienced God here.
- Pray for Listen Up! and their upcoming concert in Haarlem - this will be for a largely non-Christian audience.
- Pray for Mr. W. and LJ as we try to get back to our studies. Also for upcoming plans for classes and outreach.
ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
Our summer furlough trips are always a bit of a blur - so much happening in so many places! We were so glad to be able to see so many people. We only wish that we could be in more places and in each place longer, but then we would have to hang around in the States for much more than a summer. And we were missing all of our family here as the summer came to a close. What a wonderful dilemma - to have so much family that you want to be everywhere!
Our traveling went basically without too much trouble. We had a bit of a hiccup on the way over (“What do you mean, we’re on ‘standby’ - I bought those tickets months ago!”), but arrived safely and with all of our luggage. Here are a few of the things that hit us as we traveled around the country and visited family and friends.
Sean was thrilled to be able to play soccer in so many places. Most of the places he was able to play it was with girls teams. This gave him a different respect for girls. In Iowa and Texas he trained with some pretty good girls teams. He was glad to be able to play. And in the meantime he bought shoes - cool shoes, soccer shoes that cost way more in Europe, shoes that he chose.
Stephan had a good time meeting new friends and seeing old friends. He seems to be able to get along no matter where he goes. And he still loves being with his family as well! But this trip was different since we were also looking at the future. Hearing college recruiters tell you about there school and what you can do there, what it will be like - it all brings the future awfully close, awfully quickly (or was that just the parents’ reaction?)
Scott was able to go discgolfing in every city they stopped in (except Indianapolis - next time!). Most of the time he went early in the morning with Stephan. New discs were part of the luggage making its way back to Belgium. Shirley enjoyed finding garage sales (remember - we don’t have garages in Belgium, let alone garage sales). She was able to find some super deals and have a good time as well.
We saw fields and fields of corn, vast stretches of Colorado nothingness and mountains climbing to the clouds. We stayed in beautiful old homes, family homes with voices we love hearing and even a little place that seemed to be more of a resort - but was definitely a home. We were able to visit almost all of our family and even met some friends from the past who we hadn’t expected to see. We were blessed to stay with people we just met, and people we had never met before - simply because we are family in Christ.
The boys went to Universal Studios, Scott and Shirley went to Santa Monica and beautiful downtown Burbank. We were blessed with swimming pools, discgolf courses, fireworks, Bible camp activities, guitar playing, VBS and evening walks with good conversations. And we were challenged with family needs and desires. We may live far away from so many, but we are not removed. Some pain and frustration, a need for encouragement - God wants to use all of us anywhere we are. And He is able!
Thank you all for such a wonderful visit! What a wonderful family we have in Jesus Christ!
DID YOU KNOW?
Politics
In the United States people are used to the 2-party system. Politics in Europe is much more complicated.
Belgium has three different governments: Flemish, Walloon and the federal government. There are at least 5 different parties in each of the two regional governments. Then they also have to work together in the federal government.
The Dutch have at least 6 different parties making up the government (not counting the really small ones). They have had to learn to compromise.
Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know.
WHAT'S COMING UP?
SEPTEMBER
Listen Up! concert
OCTOBER
Listen Up! tour of Switzerland
Fall camp
Youth outreach
NOVEMBER
WoW course
THANKS!
- For all the help with this summer and your special gifts
- For so many who put us up and put up with us
- For your encouragement and care of the guys
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Jet lag
After five days back in Europe we are all starting to get back into the swing of things - although it IS still vacation! Some are still having a bit of trouble getting up in the morning, but that will change as soon as school starts on Monday (not that anyone will be less tired, just that they will have to wake up).
I have also now loaded the pictures from Texas for those of you who would like to see them. Thanks again for all the care, love and prayers while we traveled and visited. What a wonderful family we have in God!
I have also now loaded the pictures from Texas for those of you who would like to see them. Thanks again for all the care, love and prayers while we traveled and visited. What a wonderful family we have in God!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Safe and sound
Today we received our luggage! It is fun to get everything together, open up all the bags and remember what we forgot we had brought back with us. But I am getting ahead of myself - we are home safe and sound! We made it home Saturday after a long day of flying and driving, stayed awake until about 9 p.m. and pretty much made it through Sunday as normal.
Our flight from Minnesota over Philadelphia was delayed. This meant that we barely made our transfer for the flight to Frankfurt - but we DID make it! That flight was great: pleasant service, good food (they even had metal silverware!) and long enough to get a little sleep in (although we didn't). Once in Frankfurt we saw what we had expected - our luggage had not made the transfer. Now, we had planned to be picked up by a brother in the church using our car and a trailer, knowing that we would have lots of luggage. Now the trailer wasn't necessary, but I couldn't cancel it. Still, now the airline would send all our luggage on to our house, saving us the trouble.
So our bags arrived today, mostly without any damage and containing all of our things. Which is a good thing, since we had taken quite a few of our clothes with us (or at least the important parts). In the meantime our wait for our ride from Franfurt meant that we stayed awake on Saturday, Sunday brought a wonderful homecoming with our church family in Maastricht (and Scott already started rehearsing again with Listen Up!) and we can sleep in our own beds again. God takes such good care of us! It is wonderful to live with Him. Thanks for your prayers for our trip.
Our flight from Minnesota over Philadelphia was delayed. This meant that we barely made our transfer for the flight to Frankfurt - but we DID make it! That flight was great: pleasant service, good food (they even had metal silverware!) and long enough to get a little sleep in (although we didn't). Once in Frankfurt we saw what we had expected - our luggage had not made the transfer. Now, we had planned to be picked up by a brother in the church using our car and a trailer, knowing that we would have lots of luggage. Now the trailer wasn't necessary, but I couldn't cancel it. Still, now the airline would send all our luggage on to our house, saving us the trouble.
So our bags arrived today, mostly without any damage and containing all of our things. Which is a good thing, since we had taken quite a few of our clothes with us (or at least the important parts). In the meantime our wait for our ride from Franfurt meant that we stayed awake on Saturday, Sunday brought a wonderful homecoming with our church family in Maastricht (and Scott already started rehearsing again with Listen Up!) and we can sleep in our own beds again. God takes such good care of us! It is wonderful to live with Him. Thanks for your prayers for our trip.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Imagine that!
For the last week we have been in Abilene, Texas - temperatures in the high 90's, so you stay inside. Sean has gotten to practice with a soccer team twice, putting up with the inability to breath in order to get some soccer in. And then it started to rain! Yesterday dropped a good 5 inches (12 cm) in a few hours in this place that barely has gutters since it hardly ever rains. Suddenly the city discovers how many creeks run through the city, how many roads become rivers, and how hard it is to get from one side of town to the other. Imagine not coming to work because it rained (those of you living in Europe)!
This means that I may not get to go discgolfing today. So far we have golfed in every city we stayed in. Stephan and I went the other day here in Abilene, too, so that's okay. It has been great to be able to get out of the house, get a little exercise and see the cities we are in. We usually go quite early (to avoid the heat). Today we planned to play in a mini-tournament, but hole 13 had a water hazard and is now probably UNDER water. We'll see - the play is in the afternoon, things can clear up quite quickly in Texas.
In the meantime we are talking about the different schools we have seen along the way. It is hard for us to imagine that Stephan will soon be gone from home. We want him to have some good opportunities and have visited a few Christian universities here in the States. As we have said goodbye to people along the way of our furlough ("See you in three years."), we realized that Stephan will not be with us the next time. Imagine that!
Friday, August 17, 2007
Southern Cal sights
Furlough stage 5 part 2
One of the things most of our supporters want for us is that we get some time to look around, do some vacation type things, chill out. This isn’t always possible – we also want to see a lot of people who we haven’t seen in so many years. But as in the other States we have visited, here in California the church family took good care of us. The boys were hooked into the youth group almost right away and had a great time. Sunday afternoon they went eating visiting, played guitar hero and were just plain goofy together. Later in the week was a youth evening at the Jablonskis. The end of our stay in California was closed off with a visit to Universal Studios with our home family (Kerry, Marisol, Zoey and Tiger). But that was just the guys – Shirley and Scott had other plans.
One of the days that the guys were off having fun, Shirley and Scott headed off to Santa Monica. That evening they would be able to visit with a wonderful church family in “beautiful donwtown Burbank”, but before getting there they decided to do some sightseeing. Scott even got stuck in an Apple store (now how could that happen, I wonder?). So we saw Warner Brothers, Disney Studios, the place where Nickleodeon and Cartoon Network are made and the Santa Monica pier (with PCH running next to it).
The last full day in California was reserved for a visit to San Diego for Scott and Shirley. Scott’s sister-in-law and nephew live just 2 hours from Long Beach, so we jumped in the car and headed down. Although we only had a few hours together, it was great to see Pricila and Matthew again. It is always good to see family and to be able to renew those bonds each time we are in the States. A great meal together (we get to eat out so much while we are here!) and some good conversation gave us a little more for the next few years (though not nearly enough!).
Thanks again to all those who made this financially possible (support, shared cars, putting us up – putting up with us, feeding us). God can do so much through so many – it is wonderful!
California Cool, part 1
Furlough stage 5
Flying in over Los Angeles, we all got that California feeling:
“Look at all those pools!”
“Did you see the ocean?”
“Okay, the 405 to the 5, or was it the 10? Traffic looks pretty good.”
We were met by David Cron with his familiar smile and welcoming heart. Then we went out to the palm trees of southern California. We were wondering what this stay would be like since we were staying with a family we had never really met before – Kerry and Marisol Jablonski and their two kids, Zoey and Tiger. But we have always been warmly welcomed by our brothers and sisters in Christ and this was no different. Isn’t it great to be part of this family!!
As we walked into the Jablonski home and through the kitchen to the back yard Sean asked, “Am I dead, cause this sure looks like heaven.” Palm trees, banana trees, a pool with waterfalls all welcomed us in. Even better, Kerry and Marisol opened their hearts as well as their home to us. We have been so blessed with the families we have stayed with at each stop – all of them truly making us feel at home while being in their home. This house and family was no different. The first evening included some time for the boys in the pool and the hot-tub, and then off for a really good nights sleep.
One of the things the church in Long Beach wanted us to be able to do while here was to relax. Naturally there were many families who wanted to see us again (and who we wanted to visit) and there were those who wanted to hear about the work, but the idea was also to get plenty of down time. Our first week was a perfect example of this. We were able to go over to the Cron’s house and eat some great home-made pizza while visiting about the work and our lives together. During the day we had plenty of time to lounge around the pool, sit in the cool pool house working on emails or go garage-saling (that sounds interesting – can you imagine a sailing a garage?).
One of the nice things about staying with the Jablonskis was that they allowed us to be part of their family whiel there. They ahd planned a wedding reception for Kerry’s brother and new bride and we were able to help set up and take part. It was a wonderful evening of family and fun (check out the hula dancers and cake pictures on the flickr site). We were so honored to be able to expereince this together with them. The boys even got to earn some extra spending money and gain some experience serving as waiters during the reception.
Which brings us to shopping. Since we were worried earlier in the trip about how many bags we could fit in the rental car, we kept purchases to a minimum – even though we usually plan on buying some things while in the States (shoes, jeans, towels are usually cheaper here). So far we had found a few things at garage sales and had crammed them into spaces in our current luggage. Butu now we could expand a bit – and we did. Sean was especially happy to find soccer shoes (football shoes) at a MUCH better price than at home, while Scott got some shorts (he had packed at the last minute and didn’t have any warm weather clothes). This would of course mean repacking with wisdom, but we were ready for that.
While here we have also spent plenty of time with the church family. Scott preached on Sunday morning and the boys headed off with the youth group Sunday afternoon and evening (check out some of those pictures as well). But we also had plenty of time swimming in the pool, visiting downtown Long Beach, getting to know the kittens in the house, and just relaxing with this church family.
Next time I will talk about the rest of the time in California (San Diego, Santa Monica, Universal studios and beautiful downtown Burbank).
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Goodbye California, Hello Texas!
We are now down in Texas after an exciting exit from Los Angeles. Our flight from LAX was at 6:40 a.m. and we thought that 1 hour before time would be enough - we JUST made it on the plane!
We arrived in DFW, rented a car (by now it had to be a small SUV, since we have grown to 5 big bags) and drove out to Abilene. It is great to see that some things don't change that much - everything is still where we left it three years ago in Abilene :-)
We will put up the update on our time in California in a few days, along with all the new pictures. Thanks again for all the prayers and for the communication while we have been traveling!
We arrived in DFW, rented a car (by now it had to be a small SUV, since we have grown to 5 big bags) and drove out to Abilene. It is great to see that some things don't change that much - everything is still where we left it three years ago in Abilene :-)
We will put up the update on our time in California in a few days, along with all the new pictures. Thanks again for all the prayers and for the communication while we have been traveling!
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Luggage swap and birthday bash (stage4, part 2)
During this leg of our trip we have had a rental car (picked up in Minneapolis and to be dropped off in Denver). This car was quite nice (air-conditioning, satellite radio etc), but the trunk was just big enough for the suitcases we had, with one sitting between the boys. But we came planning on returning with more suitcases than at the beginning. This is one opportunity to purchase some well-needed clothes and shoes for growing boys. But as long as we were using the car, we could not expand our luggage. Now we were in Colorado, however, some of that shopping could begin (although more may be done in California and Texas). So Shirley and Yumiko had a great time looking for garage sales, going to the stores and looking around.
- the flour war at Kamp Koinonia -
One of the highlights of the Colorado visit was the day up at Kamp Koinonia. Scott’s search for Jesus began many, many years ago at this camp (though not this campground). And many of the things that he now incorporates into his camp weeks in Belgium had their origin at this camp. So it was a sort of homecoming for him. He and the boys arrived in time to take part in the flour war and later that evening helped with and took part in the Jewel Hunt. In between Scott sang with his ‘brother’ Bret and reunited with the old ‘Four on the Floor’ – a quarrtet formed more than 25 years ago. Amazingly, the songs came out pretty well! What a joy to see old friends and experience new places all at the same time!
The end of our time in Colorado Springs was another highlight in this trip. Scott celebrated his birthday with almost all of the siblings (his brother Mike was still in Indiana).
Scott’s brother, Marc, has a birthday a few days after Scott’s, so it was a double birthday with all of the siblings and almost all of the nieces and nephews present. Scott’s sister, Barb, hosted everyone and helped organize the whole thing. Plenty of guitar playing, reminiscing, laughing and getting to know one another. It is great to have family!
Before we left Colorado, we did a few interesting things:
Scott went shooting with his brother John (John had recently bought a Romanian AK-74 and wanted to try it out), we all drove up to Denver and visited with Scott’s second family (Ron and Jean Carter and the Carter clan present) and spent some good time with Scott’s older brother Chris and his wife Lynette. It is amazing how good and filled two days can be! We were so thankful for all the time with so many people we love so dearly. 
We finished up the CO leg by spending several hours in the airport in Denver with Bret. The car had to be returned by 10 and our flight left at 4 p.m., so we had plenty of time to talk about movies, books and the future. Then it was through security (shoes off, don’t forget to take the fluids out of your carry-on) and off to California!
- the flour war at Kamp Koinonia -The end of our time in Colorado Springs was another highlight in this trip. Scott celebrated his birthday with almost all of the siblings (his brother Mike was still in Indiana).
Scott’s brother, Marc, has a birthday a few days after Scott’s, so it was a double birthday with all of the siblings and almost all of the nieces and nephews present. Scott’s sister, Barb, hosted everyone and helped organize the whole thing. Plenty of guitar playing, reminiscing, laughing and getting to know one another. It is great to have family!Before we left Colorado, we did a few interesting things:
Scott went shooting with his brother John (John had recently bought a Romanian AK-74 and wanted to try it out), we all drove up to Denver and visited with Scott’s second family (Ron and Jean Carter and the Carter clan present) and spent some good time with Scott’s older brother Chris and his wife Lynette. It is amazing how good and filled two days can be! We were so thankful for all the time with so many people we love so dearly. 
We finished up the CO leg by spending several hours in the airport in Denver with Bret. The car had to be returned by 10 and our flight left at 4 p.m., so we had plenty of time to talk about movies, books and the future. Then it was through security (shoes off, don’t forget to take the fluids out of your carry-on) and off to California!
Rocky mountain high (stage 4, part 1)
Colorado gave varying welcome messages to each of us. The first was that we should have tanked up in Nebraska! This went together with the other thought that Sean had: “Where are all the people?” After leaving Ogallala (yes, that’s a real name) and turning southwards to Colorado, there is literally nothing (okay, not literally, otherwise we couldn’t be driving, breathing, etc), just vast amounts of open country with not a house or mark of humanity in sight (other than the road we were on). So when we needed gas and a gas station finally showed up – well they could ask just about anything they wanted for gas, couldn’t they? But in the end we got to Denver, passed along the airport and drove down to Colorado Springs where Pikes Peak welcomed us.
Sean: “Now where is Pikes Peak?”
Scott: “The big one shrouded in cloud at the top over there.”
Sean: “I thought it was bigger.”
Scott: (a bit flustered, this is ‘his’ mountain) “Yeah, it’s only 14,000 feet.”
Sean: (a few minutes later) “WHICH one is it?”
Scott: “See those black mountains? Look past those to the clouds. The mountained crowned by the clouds is Pikes Peak.”
Sean: (with a sudden recognition) “Oh! Is that the peak! I thought it was one of those black mountains in front.”
Our ‘task’ in Colorado Springs was to relax and spend time with family. Scott was going to speak up at Kamp Koinonia, but other than that there were no obligations. We settled in to the well-ordered cave at John and Yumiko Raab’s house and just sat back. John and Yumiko have a house with a lovely basement, nice and cool on the warm days. They give us the basement to ourselves – the boys in one room, the adults in the other bedroom. What a luxury! But even more is just being able to sit with everyone in the livingroom and enjoy the conversation, the laughing, the time together. No matter what happens, we know we are family.The day after our arrival Scott went with his brother John to get John’s kids who were up at camp. Kamp Koinonia is up in the Colorado mountains just southwest of Denver (Sedalia for those who know the area). In addition to seeing the kids, Scott got to see several people he had not seen for many years (one from about 30 years ago!) and got a tour of this facility with its 140 acres. The following week Scott would come up with the boys to spend a day here at camp – that would be a treat!
One of the things we love about traveling and that we have mentioned everywhere we go is that we get to see all of our brothers and sisters in Christ in so many different places. It is so good to know and experience that as Christians we have family everywhere! A Sunday morning is such a wonderful time – even if you don’t know the people and are just meeting them. But we were coming home to this congregation. It was great to see so many who are supporting us in so many ways. Thank you Father for such a wonderful way of helping us, linking us together, making us one.
Shirley's family
Come meet Shirley's family - check out these pictures of our visit to Nebraska. We weren't able to meet everyone, but it was great to spend time with those we could.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Iowa pictures
I have finally gotten some of the pictures uploaded from our time in Iowa and Indiana. Click on this picture to go to our photo site and check those out.
I hope to get the pictures from Nebraska and Colorado loaded very soon. We are so thankful for all the family and friends who are sharing so much of their time and themselves with us. What a blessing you all are!
I hope to get the pictures from Nebraska and Colorado loaded very soon. We are so thankful for all the family and friends who are sharing so much of their time and themselves with us. What a blessing you all are!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Family and hotel cool
If you have never been across Iowa, then you do not know how beautiful farmland can be. Some people find this state boring, but I have always pictured God gently forming its beautiful rolling hills with care (as opposed to the force and fun necessary for, say, the Grand Canyon). And it is also an amazing place to hear an awful lot of talk radio. Our drive across the state to Omaha, Nebraska, where Shirley’s family live was full of snacks (Lucky Charms and pretzels), talking, snoozing and waiting.
Once in Omaha (although we actually stayed across the river in Council Bluffs, Iowa), we settled into our hotel and made some phone calls. It was great to be able to call, thanks to the hospitality and forsight of the church in Muscatine who bought us a phone to use while in the States. So we made oru calls and planned the coming days with family and then settled in to hotel life. This is the one section of the trip that we stay in a hotel. This one had a fitness room, pool and was in close proximity of plenty of fast-food restaurants and stores.
Omaha, Nebraska is the largest city in Nebraska (though NOT, as Sean mentioned, the capitol). With a population of about half a million it is large, but still doesn’t feel that way. It has all sorts of cultural activities (opera, dance, music concerts, art galleries etc) and, most importantly, also has lots of discgolf courses! We played on one hot morning while Shirley was off at the mall having a good time.
The best part of this section of the trip is of course getting to see family. Shirley’s family lives in an around Omaha. Years ago, when we first lived in Abilene, Texas, Shirley’s sister, Mary and her two kids, Chris and Nikki came to live with us. This gave us a very close relationship and it is still so good to be able to spend time together. While in Omaha we also want to visit a congregation, usually on a Wednesday evening. This time we went with Mary to a congregation in North Omaha. This was the congregation where Shirley was baptized. The evening we arrived was an evening for singing, so we enjoyed the time together. Afterwards Shirley saw someone she recognized and there was a great reunion with some of the very members who had been there when she attended so many years ago. And the next day, even after we had traveled on to York, Nebraska, we received a phone call from a woman Shirley hadn’t seen in so many years but who had been influential in her life! God’s family is so good!
As mentioned we moved on from Omaha to York. We were able to stay with some people we had met while up in Minnesota. They had stopped in at the people’s home we stayed with in Minnesota, but lived in York. They offered then to put us up for a night since we had to be in York early to show Stephan around the campus and talk about the possibility of him attending there next year. It is always so refreshing to be refreshed by the saints. These are the kind of people we want to be as well. God blesses us and teaches us at the same time!
Even better, while with the Lynn’s, we realized that there were several old friends in York who we hadn’t seen in years. Shirley and Scott first went on a campaign with 12 other students from York College (and Tom Schulz) back in 1981. Two of these students lived just around the corner from where we were now staying – so we got to reminisce and catch up on how things were going in their lives. The next day, while being shown around the campus (amazed at all the changes and constantly mentioning “When we were here . . .”), we ran into several others who we had not seen in so many years. It is great to know that we have a relationship together that transcends distance and years (that of being brothers and sisters in Christ – although the York bond is awfully strong too).
After a quick tour and information, we headed out for Colorado Springs – a 9 hour drive across Nebraska and the north corner of Colorado. Scott was able to drive 75 mph (just about 130 km/h) most of the way, we had plenty of snacks, could listen to Sequel to Adam’s cd once again (the boys love it!) and stayed awake through the unending miles of nothingness stretching away from the highway. It had been a wonderful visit full of all sorts of family in Nebraska. What a blessing!
Once in Omaha (although we actually stayed across the river in Council Bluffs, Iowa), we settled into our hotel and made some phone calls. It was great to be able to call, thanks to the hospitality and forsight of the church in Muscatine who bought us a phone to use while in the States. So we made oru calls and planned the coming days with family and then settled in to hotel life. This is the one section of the trip that we stay in a hotel. This one had a fitness room, pool and was in close proximity of plenty of fast-food restaurants and stores.
Omaha, Nebraska is the largest city in Nebraska (though NOT, as Sean mentioned, the capitol). With a population of about half a million it is large, but still doesn’t feel that way. It has all sorts of cultural activities (opera, dance, music concerts, art galleries etc) and, most importantly, also has lots of discgolf courses! We played on one hot morning while Shirley was off at the mall having a good time.
The best part of this section of the trip is of course getting to see family. Shirley’s family lives in an around Omaha. Years ago, when we first lived in Abilene, Texas, Shirley’s sister, Mary and her two kids, Chris and Nikki came to live with us. This gave us a very close relationship and it is still so good to be able to spend time together. While in Omaha we also want to visit a congregation, usually on a Wednesday evening. This time we went with Mary to a congregation in North Omaha. This was the congregation where Shirley was baptized. The evening we arrived was an evening for singing, so we enjoyed the time together. Afterwards Shirley saw someone she recognized and there was a great reunion with some of the very members who had been there when she attended so many years ago. And the next day, even after we had traveled on to York, Nebraska, we received a phone call from a woman Shirley hadn’t seen in so many years but who had been influential in her life! God’s family is so good!
As mentioned we moved on from Omaha to York. We were able to stay with some people we had met while up in Minnesota. They had stopped in at the people’s home we stayed with in Minnesota, but lived in York. They offered then to put us up for a night since we had to be in York early to show Stephan around the campus and talk about the possibility of him attending there next year. It is always so refreshing to be refreshed by the saints. These are the kind of people we want to be as well. God blesses us and teaches us at the same time!
Even better, while with the Lynn’s, we realized that there were several old friends in York who we hadn’t seen in years. Shirley and Scott first went on a campaign with 12 other students from York College (and Tom Schulz) back in 1981. Two of these students lived just around the corner from where we were now staying – so we got to reminisce and catch up on how things were going in their lives. The next day, while being shown around the campus (amazed at all the changes and constantly mentioning “When we were here . . .”), we ran into several others who we had not seen in so many years. It is great to know that we have a relationship together that transcends distance and years (that of being brothers and sisters in Christ – although the York bond is awfully strong too).
After a quick tour and information, we headed out for Colorado Springs – a 9 hour drive across Nebraska and the north corner of Colorado. Scott was able to drive 75 mph (just about 130 km/h) most of the way, we had plenty of snacks, could listen to Sequel to Adam’s cd once again (the boys love it!) and stayed awake through the unending miles of nothingness stretching away from the highway. It had been a wonderful visit full of all sorts of family in Nebraska. What a blessing!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
VBS, FSC and IN
The second installment - pictures may be delayed since an internet connection is not always available.
After a wondefrul time up in Minnesota and Wisconsin we got our rental car and headed down to Muscatine, Iowa (just take I-35 south and turn left at I-80). The car had airconditioning and that was definitely necessary. We know that some of you have been praying for rain, while others have been praying for sun – we got the sun. But it has been warm and wonderful – no complaints here (we just smile and sweat).
If you have never been to the Pearl City, you need to go. Muscatine is a sleepy little city along the Mississippi that is full of industry (4 or 5 Fortune 500 companies) and some wondeful people. We were able to see old friends (Rudy and Pam Schellekens) and past students who have worked with us (Jimmy Schellekens and Sue Foster). And we were encouraged by God’s family in Muscatine. It is so great to see how large our family is!
While we were here we stayed with a family who had also opened their house to us last time. This time they were even here, so we got to know the Huddlestons better. And since they had cable, they also had 1001 channels – none of which mattered except FSC – Fox Soccer Channel! If there was one thing Sean would like to take back it would be this channel (Shirley would take HGTV). But there was an awful lot going on in Muscatine.
We arrived on a Monday – the day the VBS started. For those who don’t know (and that included our boys) VBS means Vacation Bible School. This is a time when a congregation can invite local young people (and their parents) to learn more about the Bible, Bible stories and the gospel in a friendly, fun way. Muscatine was presenting crafts, puppet shows and short plays and we got to help. Scott got to play Elijah and Jesus a couple times, Shirley played Mary (sister of Martha) and Salome (check it out in the gospels), Sean got wrapped up and came back to life as Lazarus and Stephan helped a group of kids go through the various stations. For three evenings it was busy, but fun. And you get to know people pretty well when you work with them (Sue’s mother and father, Connie and Ed, also played characters in the plays, Sue did puppets, Rudy narrated and Pam was Mary, the mother of James). Check out the pictures if you don’t believe it (when I get the pictures uploaded).
At the end of the week we were able to jump over to Indianapolis (a 6 hour drive) where Scott’s brother Mike and his family live. We had not seen Mike, Amy and the kids for 6 years, and of course all the boys have grown. It was great to spend time watching the boys do tricks on their bikes, playing chess, playing pool or just walking and talking. We are so thankful for these opportunities to see each other and we are so thankful for many of YOU - it is because of you and your love for God that this has been possible. Thank you!
While in Muscatine we were also able to play some discgolf and soccer. Jimmy Schellekens is the city soccer coach and took Sean and Stephan along for some training sessions as well as a fun session behind the Muscatine church building. Scott, Stephan and Jimmy went discgolfing. Scott has been trying to find some courses in each place they travel to and so far it has been pretty easy. So we are staying active as well as meeting, learning and encouraging (and being encouraged). Our last evening in Muscatine was a Sunday evening with a wonderful church family. It is so good to see how God blesses us with His family!
More next time on our trip across Iowa to Nebraska.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
We have arrived, alive and well
It is amazing how quickly time moves on – how much can happen in such a short time. It has aonly been a few days since we left Belgium and already it seems like so much has happened.
Most importantly of all, we continue to see how faithful and good God is – even if we do not always see it at the time. Our trip over was safe, albeit NOT uneventful. We saw an airport in Frankfurt wityhout any chairs to sit on (with a three hour wait), things on our flight not quite as planned (but a safe trip!) and some short worries in the middle of our trip when we were somehow put on “standby” (even though we had bought our tickets months in advance). Still, as mentioned, God is still God and we arrived safely at got into bed after a good 25 hour trip.
The very next morning, after about 7 hours of sleep, the ‘boys’ got up to go discgolfing! There was no way they were going to pass this opportunity up. Some great brothers from the church in MN know all the courses around the city (there are a lot of them – and they are all free!), so for the next few hours we walked around a park throwing frisbees into metal baskets. You may think it sounds very interesting, but we had a great time! (and if you DO think it sounds interesting and live in Europe, we need to get together and see what we can do about it!).
Shirley in the meantime went for morning coffee with our host and stopped by a rummage sale or two on the way back. One of the things that we are always so thankful for on these trip are the more than giving hearts of t=all the people we stay with. Dale and Vicki Hawley have us at their home – even though their kids are around, half of the band (from one of their sons) is still living in the basement and summers are prime time to end up with visitors passing through. This family is willing to help out however they can. What a blessing!
We are working up to the 4th of July – which for us tends to be forgotten, since no one in Europe celebrates it of course (the 4th of July is ‘Independence Day’) – but the town we are staying in also has their ‘Booster Days’ which end with fireworks. We went out to the river beach Sunday evening (along with most of the families of Hudson, WI) to watch the spectacle. It was fun to see all the families out together and to hear our boyus laughing the whole time. We were all very tired that evening and have slept well the last several nights.
This week we are still in Minnestoa, visiting with families here, getting to know more brothers and sisters. Isn’t it great that as Christians we have such a large family! I have said it many times before but will reiterate here once again: when you are traveling – anywhere, MAKE the effort, PLAN to meet with your brothers and sisters in Christ. It is such a blessing to see how God is working all over the world and to get to know your family. What a wonderful family God has placed us in!
Next week we will be moving on to Muscatine, IA. In the meantime, check out some of our pictures here once I get a chance to load some pictures.
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