This past weekend I was down in Gemunden, Germany for the Fall European Single's Retreat. It is always such a privilege to be asked to teach at this retreat. This is a group of exciting people - young and older - who are in love with the Lord and wanting to know how better to serve Him. What an encouragement!
The theme this Fall was "Fight the good fight of Faith", based on the armor of God from Ephesians. We also had a knights and ladies theme running through the weekend and that was fun. It was exciting that we had quite a group from the Netherlands and Belgium. It is so great that all of these people are able to make so many contacts from all over Europe. It was a real blessing to experience this place of encouragement once again - gives some real strength to fight the good fight!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
A wedding and a weekend
In September every weekend has an eventful activity. Last weekend we had the honor to take part in the wedding of Robin Huyghebaert and Joyce Agyare. 
Robin has been involved with camp weeks from a very young age. When he was 16 he decided to organize a winter camp, because he wanted one and no one else was organizing it. Joyce has always been active in the church in Turnhout and has also helped out with camp the last several years. What a team these two make!
But last week it was just wonderful to see how beautiful they were. Listen Up! sang, several people form their lives took care of parts of the wedding, and we all had a wonderful time sharing this day with them.
The very next weekend we were welcoming a group of young people for our youth weekend in Maastricht. We talked about "A Body Lives", but we did more than just talk about it. We also took the time to put the ideas (a body works together, has to be active, and helps others) into practice at a local playground. We cleaned up the area, then went back and helped each other get ready for dinner. A good group having a good time with an important concept. Fun with friends and learning about God - that's what a youth weekend is all about.
The next few weekends are also full - but more about that as the time comes.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Summer News
LIGHT in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
Summer 2008
But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Jude 20-21
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
Where in the world have you been? This is what I hear some of you thinking, especially if you don’t have facebook, flickr or a blog (is he speaking English?). So let me tell you where we’ve been all summer!
Singing, France and Camp
In June we focused on the youth weekend in Maastricht. We not only talked about but also practiced telling others about Jesus. This concluded with a concert by Listen Up! So exciting to see the young people talking and serving others.
This theme continued as we took a group of young people down to Marseille, France for a week. In Marseille we served, learned, sang and put faith into practice. It was an amazing seven days! Scott went with two Verheijen girls, Stephan and Sean, and Isha’s friend, Valéri.
It was so good to see how excited they were to be learning, to be serving at an old-folks home, to be singing - and all of this in French! All of them have mentioned that they plan on returning next year and we have been seeing the fruits of this week ever since in their daily lives.
Back in Belgium July brought the camp season, but before that started ...
... we welcomed a group of high school students from Canada.
Former missionary to Antwerp, Blair Roberts and his wife Susan brought these students to work with several different congregations in Belgium. First they held a Young Friends week in Antwerp, teaching English using the Bible. They also helped out with evangelism in Ghent and went down to camp as counselors. Stephan spent time with them for this whole time and also helped out at camp. In Maastricht we waited for the beginning of August when the students would head over our way for a few days. It was exciting to see how they were helping in so many different places.
By the end of July it was our turn down at Bible camp. This year we had the Teens (11-14 year-olds). We talked about turning the world upside down, as Jesus presents it to us.
It was a great week and started out with a bang:
David van Ginneken, one of our teens, gave his life to Christ on the first day of camp, and that evening Isha Verheijen did the same at home (she had been at Youth camp the week before)!
It is exciting to see new life and the pleasure and determination that these young people bring to that new life. They know how mighty Jesus is and trust that. What an example!
Following Teen camp we continued into Family Camp where Scott presented three lessons (of the 12 or so total lessons) on the Holy Spirit. This was a really challenging week with good discussion, good lessons and challenges, and fantastic examples of the Spirit working in our lives.
As always with camp, the real challenge comes when we have to go home and live as we have just been taught - in our own homes, towns, schools and churches. We are so thankful for the opportunities we have to challenge and encourage one another during the camp weeks. This is a very important time for equipping the Dutch-speaking churches. This summer session of camps was completed with our annual Family Day. We were especially excited that the French-speaking members also came during our fellowship time.
Back in Maastricht we welcomed the Canadian students and were blessed immensely by a short but intense few days of encouragement.
We had talked to our young people about being an example for the students, and we challenged the students to be the same for our young people. Both took up the challenge. We cleaned, played soccer, cooked, visited, talked and distributed - all the while getting to know one another better.
It was especially good to hear our young people share their stories about their lives with God, and vice-versa with the Canadian students. Everyone opened up and was willing to be seen and help each other. We have already seen some real growth an openness in our young people because of this time together.
A new year begins
As the summer ended, we headed into the new school year, planning for several weddings, a youth weekend in Maastricht, a Single’s Retreat, and Fall Camp all coming up. But the summer was an immense encouragement! Thank you Father!
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
Continue to pray for Valéri and her parents. She wants to give her life to Christ, but her parents aren’t too sure.
Praise God for our new family members in Maastricht - Isha Verheijen and Susanne Dela!
Pray as we start up our weekly Bible studies with Mieke, RW, LJ and C&T.
Please pray for our upcoming activities including a youth weekend in Maastricht, Single’s Retreat, and two weddings.
Pray for our continuing outreach through the Wiser on the Way courses in the Fall
Pray for guidance for world leaders, also here in Europe.
EXTRAS
Did you Know?
Olympics
Everyone was watching, but we were blessed to be able to root for more than one country. So we were thrilled with the US victories, but also with those from the Netherlands and Belgium. Sometimes we had to shout and cry during the same event.
Michael Phelps was master - Pieter van den Hoogenband was completely out.
Te Dutch took gold in women’s water polo, and the US surprised in the final of the men’s water polo.
The Dutch also won gold in women’s field hockey, jumping and rowing.
Tia Hellebaut brought the gold home for the Belgians in the women’s high jump. (I almost saw her at the airport the day she returned to Belgium)
THANKS!
For sending the Canadian students
For your prayers for our work! New life is coming!
For your good care of Stephan - he is in good hands
What’s coming up?
OCTOBER
Marriage weekend
Fall Camp
NOVEMBER
Youth weekend
ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
So much can change in such a short time - although to be honest this newsletter is covering a relatively long time period. Let me tell you about the summer.
At the end of June the boys (including Scott) had an adventure in France. Their car broke down on the way to Marseille, so they got to try their hand (tongue) at French with the gendarmerie and AAA before they were finally able to get to Marseille. They had a great week in Marseille singing and sweating. It was a lot warmer there than it was back in Belgium!
When they returned we got the feeling that Stephan was trying to prepare us for his impending departure (or were we trying to prepare him?) by being gone quite a bit. He left for a week to Antwerp to be with some Canadian students, and then headed down to Youth Camp.
Sean knew that he had Mama and Papa to himself, so we went for a special day to Cologne to look at guitars. Sean has been really active in teaching himself guitar, learning new songs and getting a band together.
Check out his band (konverse) on his facebook site.
When we got the chance, we went back to the music store with Stephan as well and since it was near Scott’s birthday, Scott got an early birthday present - a guitar to complement his good ol’ Yamaha (which he bought back in 1983).
For a few short days there was plenty of guitar playing in the house!
After a few weeks of camp we all welcomed the Canadian students to Maastricht, which meant that the guys stayed with us. The last day was also a going-away party for Stephan and Shareya (Shareya is our colleagues’ daughter) as they head to Harding University. It was a beautiful and a beautifully hard evening for us. Scott went to Arkansas with them, to help get Stephan settled in.
Shirley survived all these trips with her typical strength. She went shopping with Mieke (who reads the Bible with Scott ) while everyone was down in Marseille. When Scott and Stephan were checking out the Wal-Mart in Searcy, she was shopping with Willemien, Geesie and Sean - building relationships and getting the necessary done.
Now the new school year has begun. Sean mentioned that he expects it will be better than last year. The new home situation will take a bit longer to get used to. Setting one less place for dinner, making less food, Sean sleeps in Stephan’s bed sometimes. We miss him, but we are so excited for him as well. Stephan is doing great - getting to know lots of good people and learning who he is and will soon be. We are so thankful for a wonderful Father and family!
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Wonderful words of life!
This evening we witnessed the birth of Susanne Dela. Our births here are always so very special. Every birth is special - because we get to see God in His saving grace and power raising a loved one from the dead of sin to the newness of life. But in Maastricht, because we do not have a place to baptize people, we are especially blessed. We usually call up the church in Liege and ask to have the birth with them. This makes for a very special relationship. Although most of us in Maastricht speak very little French, and most of the members in Liege speak next to no Dutch and only a few speak English - we both understand the joy of new life. So we sing, pray and are witness to the mighty power of God!
This evening was doubly special. Susanne and her husband have lived in Liege in the past, so the church there know her struggles and journey to this point. So it was especially good for them to be a part of this wonderful birth. And the two families (Maastricht and Liege) were able to renew their ties again. How wonderful it is to be part of the family of God!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
A great team
The high school students from Western Christian College in Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada came with Blair and Susan Roberts for several weeks to help with the church in Belgium and the Netherlands. They gave conversationl English lessons in Antwerp, distributed flyers offering courses in Ghent and helped out down at camp for several weeks.
In Maastricht we would only have them for a few days, so we wanted to make the most of the opportunity. We decided to use the time to challenge our young people to also be an influence and example on these young people in living for Christ. It was a great time of learning and encouragement!
We did a few different things that all involved working together so that we could encourage one another. We cleaned up the building in order to give our ladies a well-deserved rest. Many hands make light work - and it was fun too!
The team was also split up into two groups - each group made up of Canadians and our own young people. Each group had to plan a meal on a minimal budget, buy what was need, cook the meal and decorate the table - for everybody! This was a real challenge, but well-met by these young people.
We also spent time simply playing. Getting out on the local football (soccer) field was a good way of getting to know one another and letting others see how fun it is to do things together. This will be a good example for the future with our young people and their friends.The most encouraging time for me was the evening we spent some time telling our stories. Everyone has a story - the story of their life and how Christ has touched it. Although this was quite a confronting time as well, it was very encouraging for our young people.
And all of this (inclduing a bit of distributing in the rain) was completed in just four days of being together. In these four days our young people also developed some good relationships with the students. Now that is encouraging!
Family Day!
Family Camp always ends with a Family Day - a day for the churches in Belgium and the Netherlands to get together for learning, encouragement and fellowship. This year was organized by the churches in Brughe and Roeselare. Johan Huyghebaert, who was also the camp leader for Family Camp (and had the help of his son, Robin, Robin's finacee, Joyce, and Johan's mother, Jose), got the day going with some good singing and announcements.
This is always a day of wonderful fellowship - sometimes the only time you might see someone from a congregation further away. It is always esepcially nice when some of the French-speakers from the church in Belgium are also able to attend. And this day was amply blessed with beautiful sunshine until everyone was on their way home again!
(click on the picture for more pictures of the visiting during this day)
This is always a day of wonderful fellowship - sometimes the only time you might see someone from a congregation further away. It is always esepcially nice when some of the French-speakers from the church in Belgium are also able to attend. And this day was amply blessed with beautiful sunshine until everyone was on their way home again!
(click on the picture for more pictures of the visiting during this day)
Family Camp
Every year we put together four outstanding weeks of Bible camp for all ages. These weeks are often some of the only times for young people in the church to get together with other Christians. But this is also a time for families. We see the week of Family Camp as a time to provide some needed Biblical training and encouragement. This is a time when families can not only enjoy good textual studies, but can discuss what they mean for daily life - ready to head back into their daily lives encouraged and armed.This year we focused on the Holy Spirit - in all His aspects. Although several of the teachers ended up stepping on information already presented earlier, it was always a good review and reinforcement. It was especially exciting to be able to discuss how God wants to help us, lead us, make us His own through His Spirit in our lives. As we head into September it is exciting to be watching and waiting for how God will use us, will have changed us and challenged us to live in His might.
A
s always during this week we have plenty of time to be together and do some fun things as a family in God. For our family this was just about the last time we had to be with Stephan. Sean enjoyed the time he was able to spend with his brother, although he might not have let on that he was going to miss him.Take a moment and check out some of the pictures of Family Camp and be thankful with us for such times that God gives us. We are so glad that we are able to help in this way and take part as well. That is how a family works!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Tienerkamp 2008
Check out the pictures for Teen Camp. I know that it was back at the beginning of August, but I am glad to finally be catching up a bit. Hopefully the pictures for Family Camp qill be up in a few days.
This week was such a joy. We worked for the first time with a new couple - Daniel and Caroline Boonaerts. We saw David van Ginneken resurrected to new life. We learned about living upside down, had lots of fun and deepened our relationships together. You can see quite a bit of this just by glancing through the pictures.
We are so thankful to be able to work with these opportunities! It is great to see God working in people's lives! What a mighty God he is!
This week was such a joy. We worked for the first time with a new couple - Daniel and Caroline Boonaerts. We saw David van Ginneken resurrected to new life. We learned about living upside down, had lots of fun and deepened our relationships together. You can see quite a bit of this just by glancing through the pictures.
We are so thankful to be able to work with these opportunities! It is great to see God working in people's lives! What a mighty God he is!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Catching up
It has been a while since I was able to keep this blog up to date - the summer season tends to take me away from the computer more than most times. Thank you for stopping in and wanting to know what is going on with our lives. It is especially encouraging to us to know that you are checking because you are also praying for us.
At the moment I am in Searcy, Arkansas bringing Stephan to Harding. But I have so much I still want to tell you about the summer! We have put up some of the pictures from Teen Camp, but we still want to tell you about the week. And we had a great week at Family camp as well. After that a group of students from Western Christian (in Canada) came through Maastricht. Lots to talk about, so be patient. I hope to get some of this information up this week or next.
At the moment I am in Searcy, Arkansas bringing Stephan to Harding. But I have so much I still want to tell you about the summer! We have put up some of the pictures from Teen Camp, but we still want to tell you about the week. And we had a great week at Family camp as well. After that a group of students from Western Christian (in Canada) came through Maastricht. Lots to talk about, so be patient. I hope to get some of this information up this week or next.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
New life!!
Many of you have been praying for the people in our lives here - for their growth, their struggles and their joys. We have mentioned Isha and Valéri - two of our teens - and their search for and desire to know the Lord. They both went with us to Marseille at the end of June and have been talking and praying sincerely for the last weeks.
On July 27 Isha decided to give her life to Jesus, dying to herself, being buried in baptism and raised in life with Christ! She was with her family at home, but now she has a larger family - and that includes many of you! We are so excited for her and her new life. She has also not been able to stop smiling. What a wonderful joy and what a wonderful sister she is already becoming.
On the same day, but down at camp (which is where we were when we heard the news about Isha), David van Ginneken - one of the teens who regularly attends our youth weekends and Bible camp as well (they are members in Ghent) also decided to give his life to Christ. You can read more about his decision and see some pictures over on Luk Brazle's site.
Thank YOU for being part of this wonderful family, for sharing in this joy with us, and for taking part in the growth of these two young people. Continue to pray for them and for the church here in Belgium and the Netherlands as God does mighty things - changing peoples' lives.
On July 27 Isha decided to give her life to Jesus, dying to herself, being buried in baptism and raised in life with Christ! She was with her family at home, but now she has a larger family - and that includes many of you! We are so excited for her and her new life. She has also not been able to stop smiling. What a wonderful joy and what a wonderful sister she is already becoming.
On the same day, but down at camp (which is where we were when we heard the news about Isha), David van Ginneken - one of the teens who regularly attends our youth weekends and Bible camp as well (they are members in Ghent) also decided to give his life to Christ. You can read more about his decision and see some pictures over on Luk Brazle's site.
Thank YOU for being part of this wonderful family, for sharing in this joy with us, and for taking part in the growth of these two young people. Continue to pray for them and for the church here in Belgium and the Netherlands as God does mighty things - changing peoples' lives.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Guitars!
I know it has been a while since I wrote. It's not that life has not continued, but that I haven't had much access to my computer (and that other things were more important at the time). But let me update you a little bit - and thanks for checking in anyway - even when nothing was happening over here!
We have been doing our best to cram all that we need to get done into the few weeks we have in the summer, along with cramming as much time together as a family before Stephan heads off to Harding. It hasn't been easy, considering there are so many different priorities. Sean just recently realized how quickly the time was passing and commented, "Stephan's leaving in a week!" I reminded him that he had already known that. "Yeah!" he said, "but Stephan's leaving in a week!"
Before that had hit home, however, we had spent some time together - mostly around the area of Cologne, Germany.
Sean has been looking at buying an electric guitar for a little while now (he and his friends have started a band called "Konverse" - check out the band page on facebook). In Cologne there is a music store called The Music Store (inventive name, eh!). They have pianos and things like that, but more importantly, they have guitars! 
So we spent some time there, first without Stephan, then on another day when he could come along. Sean bought his guitar and the second time was near Scott's birthday - so he arranged one as well.
And guitars are no fun unless you play them, so Sean got right to work. He has enjoyed playing - all day long if need be. And it has been neat to see him teaching others how to play as well (even though he has only taught himself to play). Down at Family Camp we even got to play together. What a great time!
Stan en Bertha
Our neighbors down the street recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. We were thrilled to be able to celebrate this with them. Our street regularly gets together for a yearly summer barbecue or some other activity, but this was especially nice.
It is so good to see how a couple can love one another and allow their love to grow for such a time. Of course these two also have their health - which is essential if you want to reach that milestone! We were glad that Stan and Bertha invited us to share in this time, along with the rest of the neighbors. Good to have good neighbors and to be able to share truly good times.
It is so good to see how a couple can love one another and allow their love to grow for such a time. Of course these two also have their health - which is essential if you want to reach that milestone! We were glad that Stan and Bertha invited us to share in this time, along with the rest of the neighbors. Good to have good neighbors and to be able to share truly good times.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
French week
Last week Scott took five young people down to Marseille, France for a week of "Christians on Mission". This is a program set up by the church there in Marseille to encourage young people to learn more and be practical in their Christianity. There are lessons in the morning and in the afternoon and evening there are opportunities to serve, reach out, share and live what we have heard about.
Scott, Stephan, Sean went with Isha and Kyana Verheijen and Valéri Ubachs in Ruud Verheijen's car (a Fiat Multipla seats 6 and has room for baggage) down to Marseille. Or at least, that was the plan. The car broke down about 90 minutes from Marseilles - in the left-most lane of the highway in the middle of traffic. (Wanda Martin and Dino Maisano are already going "Aahh!") But the car really didn't have too big a problem (it was taken back to Belgium and has already been fixed) and that meant that we began a great adventure without the worry of a foreign car in a big city.
And it was definitely an adventure! We finally got to Marseille and into bed around 3 a.m. But it was a great beginning for a week of learning how to be flexible, how to share and how to keep each other focused on what really matters! Lessons were often in French (translated into English), it was almost always hot, we did a lot of walking, a lot of singing and a lot of helping - and it was all great! Amazing what a right attitude will do for your days.
In the meantime we have made it back home and everyone is sad that it went by so quickly. We all made new friends, stretched our view of what is possible in our lives, and grew in faith. We are looking forward to what God is doing with us each and every new day!
Scott, Stephan, Sean went with Isha and Kyana Verheijen and Valéri Ubachs in Ruud Verheijen's car (a Fiat Multipla seats 6 and has room for baggage) down to Marseille. Or at least, that was the plan. The car broke down about 90 minutes from Marseilles - in the left-most lane of the highway in the middle of traffic. (Wanda Martin and Dino Maisano are already going "Aahh!") But the car really didn't have too big a problem (it was taken back to Belgium and has already been fixed) and that meant that we began a great adventure without the worry of a foreign car in a big city.
And it was definitely an adventure! We finally got to Marseille and into bed around 3 a.m. But it was a great beginning for a week of learning how to be flexible, how to share and how to keep each other focused on what really matters! Lessons were often in French (translated into English), it was almost always hot, we did a lot of walking, a lot of singing and a lot of helping - and it was all great! Amazing what a right attitude will do for your days.
In the meantime we have made it back home and everyone is sad that it went by so quickly. We all made new friends, stretched our view of what is possible in our lives, and grew in faith. We are looking forward to what God is doing with us each and every new day!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
I made it!
After 12 years and lots of hard work, tonight was Stephan's night. Students here have to wait until the day before the graduation to find out if they have passed or not. so yesterday was a little tense, but this evening was all fun.
It was amazing to feel how proud we are of Stephan and what he has done. To see him walking down the aisle, knowing that this is just the next step - but a big one! It was great to be able to talk to some of his teachers afterwards who said they would miss him.
And now on to the next step - quite a scary one, according to Stephan. He leaves for Harding on August 18 - to a place where he really doesn't know anyone (except for Shareya, who will also be attending there). He has met his roommate and is looking forward to that new life - but it is a new life. Making daily decisions without the push or help from parents. Scary, exciting, challenging!
It was amazing to feel how proud we are of Stephan and what he has done. To see him walking down the aisle, knowing that this is just the next step - but a big one! It was great to be able to talk to some of his teachers afterwards who said they would miss him.
And now on to the next step - quite a scary one, according to Stephan. He leaves for Harding on August 18 - to a place where he really doesn't know anyone (except for Shareya, who will also be attending there). He has met his roommate and is looking forward to that new life - but it is a new life. Making daily decisions without the push or help from parents. Scary, exciting, challenging!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Orange!
For those who have been following the Euro 2008 games it cannot have been missed - the Netherlands is doing great! And everything is orange: milk, cheese, chips, bandages in the hospital, the fountains in Bern (where the "Orange Legion" fans are stationed). You can tell when the Dutch are playing by looking at the stadium - more than half will be completely orange!
What has impressed me the most about this team is that, for the first time in a long time, they play as a team. And, perhaps because they are winning and things are easier, they seem to want to put things in a right perspective. This picture is perfect (copyright PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty Images) - orange everywhere and the players - who are also husbands and fathers - spending time with their children at the end of the game.
Go Holland!
What has impressed me the most about this team is that, for the first time in a long time, they play as a team. And, perhaps because they are winning and things are easier, they seem to want to put things in a right perspective. This picture is perfect (copyright PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty Images) - orange everywhere and the players - who are also husbands and fathers - spending time with their children at the end of the game.
Go Holland!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Good news!
This past weekend was a youth weekend in Maastricht. The theme was "Telling the good news" so we put that into practice in lots of different ways. In Maastricht the young people personally handed out invitations to the Listen Up! concert, handed out "compliment cards" or distributed invitations to the concert. After spreading some good news, they also took some time to get to know Maastricht.
The next day, Sunday, the young people who could stay for the concert helped Listen Up! spread the good news. While Listen Up! was singing, they were helping at the door, talking to visitors, serving food or drinks, helping in the concert, or setting up and cleaning up. What a great opportunity to grow!
We had a wonderful turnout for the concert in Maastricht. There were visitors from our street, from the boys' school, from the local paper Scott works with, from the university students and from the local neighborhood as well as from other churches in the city. It was quite an international group as well. We are so thankful that God gives us these opportunities and look forward to the conversations we will be having in the coming days!
The next day, Sunday, the young people who could stay for the concert helped Listen Up! spread the good news. While Listen Up! was singing, they were helping at the door, talking to visitors, serving food or drinks, helping in the concert, or setting up and cleaning up. What a great opportunity to grow!
We had a wonderful turnout for the concert in Maastricht. There were visitors from our street, from the boys' school, from the local paper Scott works with, from the university students and from the local neighborhood as well as from other churches in the city. It was quite an international group as well. We are so thankful that God gives us these opportunities and look forward to the conversations we will be having in the coming days!
Monday, June 09, 2008
April-May Newsletter
I know it has been a while since the last newsletter, but here is what has been happening in our work and lives.
LIGHT in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
April/May 2008
There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
I don’t know how the time can move so quickly, but once again a month has flown by so quickly that it has become two and a bit. But life is great in the Lord!
Busy and busy
One of the things I struggle with is deciding how busy I should be - or with what I should be busy. Committees can seem quite depressing (especially in the middle of a long meeting) and I am involved with quite a few. I help with committees on Bible camp, financial assistance, school and a local newspaper. I will be adding a community activity committee in July.
Sometimes it all feels like a bit much. At the same time, I know that many of these activities are the things that connect me to people i my life and in the community - and I like these things! So I continue to pray that God is able to use these moments to reach hearts as well.
In the meantime, we also continue with our studies and church activities, including youth days, a Ladies day, studies with univerisyt students and camp work days these past two months. You will have seen some of these on the blog, but I want to tell you a little bit more about a few of these - moments that were really exciting, seeing how God is working.
I have often mentioned how important our work with the youth is. I am proud that our young people are struggling to hold on to their faith - and are growing. So many young people today are simply abandoning their faith, often without even considering. We are trying to make sure that our young people have the tools they need to grow in faith and love.
In April we had the opportunity to go to Switzerland to play soccer. But the trip was much, much more than that. We ended up getting a group of 25 people together (definitely not all “young” people) to go play against teams from Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland (it sounds like the matches going on now!). But we also sat in a car together on the trip there and back, spent time worshipping together and got to know one another better. It was great to see the commeraderie in the teams. We had four teams there along with some great cheering sections.
Even more, we met and got to know Christians from all over Europe. One evening the young people stayed up late singing (wonderful music to fall asleep to). On Sunday we worshipped God together - in several languages. What a privilege! It was a wonderful opportunity. Now we are planning to do something of the sort at home (in Belgium and the Netherlands) before going again next year.
In May, on the weekend of Pentecost, we planned a weekend down at camp for the congregation. Once again, this was not a time just for young people, but rather a time that all ages could encourage one another. It was absolutely fantastic, passing all expectations.
Everyone helped one another, we were all able to learn from one another and we grew closer as a result - closer to God and closer to one another. Once again we got six new songs - what a blessing! Each time since last year that we get together, we challenge the young people and any present to write a song based on a text from the Bible. And they do! (you can hear these by going to www.gvcmaastricht.nl and clicking on the “Liedjes” tab).
In June we will be putting some of this closeness into practice when Listen Up! sings after a youth weekend. Everyone is inviting their friends, colleagues and classmates to the concert. It is exciting to see how many people (connected through all those committees!) have said that they will attend - wanting to know who we are more closely. It will be exciting to see what God will do with these opportunities in the coming months.
A funeral, a wedding, a birthday and a dinner
In these months we have also had many chances to share joy and sadness with our brothers and sisters. Our friend and colleague in Eindhoven, Roel de Gruyter, lost his mother (his father is now in the hospital - please pray!). On the other side, one of our former student members, Linda N., got married and we were able to share in her joy.
With RW I was glad that we could help out in any way. He had a birthday dinner with his whole family - a yearly family reunion - but didn’t have enough tables. We were able to help out - although the weather didn’t. And we have spent some very good times with LJ, just eating dinner, sharing coffee, or sitting in the garden, but always getting to know one another better and learning more about who God is.
God has given us all a family - His construction - in order to live and grow. We are loving living this real life and all the busyness it brings!
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Pray specifically for the youth weekend and concert - our outreach to the city in June! Many of our friends, neighbors and co-workers will be attending!
- Continue to pray for Mr. W. and LJ as we continue to study together. your prayers for them and for me mean a lot!
- Praise and thank God for the wonderful times we are experiencing as a church family! We want to use this to continue growing in faith and love.
- Pray for our regular visitors A., S.,V. S has mentioned that she is ready to take the next step!
- Our high school seniors need your prayers as they finish their final exams and get ready to move on in their lives.
- Please keep our summer Bible camp preparations in your prayers. This is a very important time for our young people and for the church in Belgium and the Netherlands.
DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
Art!?
From the Renaissance to Impressionists, both Dutch and Belgian painters are well-known throughout the world. Taste varies, of course, but in the Netherlands and Belgium you can find almost any kind of art you might like. From Rembrandt , Frans Hals and Vermeer (Dutchmen), to Rubens, Brueghel - both Jans and Pieters (Belgian). The Dutch gave us Van Gogh, M.C. Escher and Mondriaan, while the Belgians offer James Ensor and René Magritte (the heads with apples). Even the bunny “Miffy” (her name in Dutch is Nijntje) is from Dutchman Dick Bruna.
Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know. s.raabs@tele2allin.be
What’s coming up?
JULY
Canadian students
Marseille trip
Camp weeks
AUGUST
Camp
Listen Up! concert
THANKS!
- For your emails and comments - it is good to hear from you!
- for your prayers and encouragement
- for good advice and help for the future with Stephan
ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
You would think that two months would present plenty of time to do all sorts of things. And I am sure that all sorts of things happened, but sometimes the days seem to be very normal - so you wonder, when you look back on them, what happened.
As far as school goes, the boys have been soldiering on, trying to make sure that homework gets done and tests passed. This being Stephan’s last year, he is especially aware of the need to make sure things go well. He has been busy getting things ready for Harding in the Fall - but first things first. He will need to pass this year, of course. Sean has completely gotten used to his “new” school from this year. And it has even been interesting to see the guys helping each other with various school problems.
Stephan has been working on his GIP which is a sort of research paper covering all of his disciplines. The preface needs to be in French, the acknowledgment in English (the rest in Dutch, of course) and the various parts covering Biology, Chemistry, Economics, etc. All of this with the theme of “bread” (one of the themes they were allowed to choose from, as long as it had to do with food). This has covered all year and is finally coming to an end.
For a weekend in April all of the “guys” left for a weekend. Scott, Stephan and Sean went with about 20 other people (youth and adults) from the church in Belgium and the Netherlands to an indoor soccer tournament organized by the church in Switzerland. Friday evening driving down, Saturday all day playing, Sunday worshipping and driving home after the final games. It was intense and fun. It was pretty quiet back at the house, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing!
At the end of May we welcomed Anina Zingg for a few days. She is one of the organizers this year of the soccer tournament; she is a 19 year-old from Schaffhausen. Since she was traveling all over Europe (getting in some travel before she starts back to school) and was doing the Belgian/Dutch wing of the trip, we were glad to be able to host her here for a few days. It got us thinking of all the traveling and meeting that Stephan will soon be doing in the States. It’s good to know that there are people who will care well for him.
One of the more interesting, exciting, but at the same time slightly scary things has been our house. We have never really been able to do too much to fix parts that needed fixing, but recently we became more and more aware that something had to be done to one of our walls. As a result we have torn out a closet (exposing how wet one of the walls really was!) and have starting talking to an architect about what we can do to remedy the situation. It is exciting to look at what might be in the future. It’s slightly frightening to think of the extent of changes needed to make this possible. But it will be a good adventure - one we take together.
We pray that you have been able to enjoy and survive the challenges in your life these past two month and more. With God in our lives it will always be a good day!
Have a great day today!
LIGHT in the Lowlands
Reaching out to the people of Belgium and the Netherlands
April/May 2008
There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24
Dear brothers and sisters, family and friends,
I don’t know how the time can move so quickly, but once again a month has flown by so quickly that it has become two and a bit. But life is great in the Lord!
Busy and busy
One of the things I struggle with is deciding how busy I should be - or with what I should be busy. Committees can seem quite depressing (especially in the middle of a long meeting) and I am involved with quite a few. I help with committees on Bible camp, financial assistance, school and a local newspaper. I will be adding a community activity committee in July.
Sometimes it all feels like a bit much. At the same time, I know that many of these activities are the things that connect me to people i my life and in the community - and I like these things! So I continue to pray that God is able to use these moments to reach hearts as well.
In the meantime, we also continue with our studies and church activities, including youth days, a Ladies day, studies with univerisyt students and camp work days these past two months. You will have seen some of these on the blog, but I want to tell you a little bit more about a few of these - moments that were really exciting, seeing how God is working.
I have often mentioned how important our work with the youth is. I am proud that our young people are struggling to hold on to their faith - and are growing. So many young people today are simply abandoning their faith, often without even considering. We are trying to make sure that our young people have the tools they need to grow in faith and love.
In April we had the opportunity to go to Switzerland to play soccer. But the trip was much, much more than that. We ended up getting a group of 25 people together (definitely not all “young” people) to go play against teams from Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland (it sounds like the matches going on now!). But we also sat in a car together on the trip there and back, spent time worshipping together and got to know one another better. It was great to see the commeraderie in the teams. We had four teams there along with some great cheering sections.
Even more, we met and got to know Christians from all over Europe. One evening the young people stayed up late singing (wonderful music to fall asleep to). On Sunday we worshipped God together - in several languages. What a privilege! It was a wonderful opportunity. Now we are planning to do something of the sort at home (in Belgium and the Netherlands) before going again next year.
In May, on the weekend of Pentecost, we planned a weekend down at camp for the congregation. Once again, this was not a time just for young people, but rather a time that all ages could encourage one another. It was absolutely fantastic, passing all expectations.
Everyone helped one another, we were all able to learn from one another and we grew closer as a result - closer to God and closer to one another. Once again we got six new songs - what a blessing! Each time since last year that we get together, we challenge the young people and any present to write a song based on a text from the Bible. And they do! (you can hear these by going to www.gvcmaastricht.nl and clicking on the “Liedjes” tab).In June we will be putting some of this closeness into practice when Listen Up! sings after a youth weekend. Everyone is inviting their friends, colleagues and classmates to the concert. It is exciting to see how many people (connected through all those committees!) have said that they will attend - wanting to know who we are more closely. It will be exciting to see what God will do with these opportunities in the coming months.
A funeral, a wedding, a birthday and a dinner
In these months we have also had many chances to share joy and sadness with our brothers and sisters. Our friend and colleague in Eindhoven, Roel de Gruyter, lost his mother (his father is now in the hospital - please pray!). On the other side, one of our former student members, Linda N., got married and we were able to share in her joy.
With RW I was glad that we could help out in any way. He had a birthday dinner with his whole family - a yearly family reunion - but didn’t have enough tables. We were able to help out - although the weather didn’t. And we have spent some very good times with LJ, just eating dinner, sharing coffee, or sitting in the garden, but always getting to know one another better and learning more about who God is.
God has given us all a family - His construction - in order to live and grow. We are loving living this real life and all the busyness it brings!
PRAYER WARRIORS
Please keep the following in your prayers.
- Pray specifically for the youth weekend and concert - our outreach to the city in June! Many of our friends, neighbors and co-workers will be attending!
- Continue to pray for Mr. W. and LJ as we continue to study together. your prayers for them and for me mean a lot!
- Praise and thank God for the wonderful times we are experiencing as a church family! We want to use this to continue growing in faith and love.
- Pray for our regular visitors A., S.,V. S has mentioned that she is ready to take the next step!
- Our high school seniors need your prayers as they finish their final exams and get ready to move on in their lives.
- Please keep our summer Bible camp preparations in your prayers. This is a very important time for our young people and for the church in Belgium and the Netherlands.
DID YOU KNOW?
Tidbits of information about Belgium and the Netherlands
Art!?
From the Renaissance to Impressionists, both Dutch and Belgian painters are well-known throughout the world. Taste varies, of course, but in the Netherlands and Belgium you can find almost any kind of art you might like. From Rembrandt , Frans Hals and Vermeer (Dutchmen), to Rubens, Brueghel - both Jans and Pieters (Belgian). The Dutch gave us Van Gogh, M.C. Escher and Mondriaan, while the Belgians offer James Ensor and René Magritte (the heads with apples). Even the bunny “Miffy” (her name in Dutch is Nijntje) is from Dutchman Dick Bruna.
Have you come across something typically Dutch or Belgian? What did you think of it? Let us know. s.raabs@tele2allin.be
What’s coming up?
JULY
Canadian students
Marseille trip
Camp weeks
AUGUST
Camp
Listen Up! concert
THANKS!
- For your emails and comments - it is good to hear from you!
- for your prayers and encouragement
- for good advice and help for the future with Stephan
ON THE FAMILY SIDE . . .
You would think that two months would present plenty of time to do all sorts of things. And I am sure that all sorts of things happened, but sometimes the days seem to be very normal - so you wonder, when you look back on them, what happened.
As far as school goes, the boys have been soldiering on, trying to make sure that homework gets done and tests passed. This being Stephan’s last year, he is especially aware of the need to make sure things go well. He has been busy getting things ready for Harding in the Fall - but first things first. He will need to pass this year, of course. Sean has completely gotten used to his “new” school from this year. And it has even been interesting to see the guys helping each other with various school problems.
Stephan has been working on his GIP which is a sort of research paper covering all of his disciplines. The preface needs to be in French, the acknowledgment in English (the rest in Dutch, of course) and the various parts covering Biology, Chemistry, Economics, etc. All of this with the theme of “bread” (one of the themes they were allowed to choose from, as long as it had to do with food). This has covered all year and is finally coming to an end.
For a weekend in April all of the “guys” left for a weekend. Scott, Stephan and Sean went with about 20 other people (youth and adults) from the church in Belgium and the Netherlands to an indoor soccer tournament organized by the church in Switzerland. Friday evening driving down, Saturday all day playing, Sunday worshipping and driving home after the final games. It was intense and fun. It was pretty quiet back at the house, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing!
At the end of May we welcomed Anina Zingg for a few days. She is one of the organizers this year of the soccer tournament; she is a 19 year-old from Schaffhausen. Since she was traveling all over Europe (getting in some travel before she starts back to school) and was doing the Belgian/Dutch wing of the trip, we were glad to be able to host her here for a few days. It got us thinking of all the traveling and meeting that Stephan will soon be doing in the States. It’s good to know that there are people who will care well for him.One of the more interesting, exciting, but at the same time slightly scary things has been our house. We have never really been able to do too much to fix parts that needed fixing, but recently we became more and more aware that something had to be done to one of our walls. As a result we have torn out a closet (exposing how wet one of the walls really was!) and have starting talking to an architect about what we can do to remedy the situation. It is exciting to look at what might be in the future. It’s slightly frightening to think of the extent of changes needed to make this possible. But it will be a good adventure - one we take together.
We pray that you have been able to enjoy and survive the challenges in your life these past two month and more. With God in our lives it will always be a good day!
Have a great day today!
Thursday, June 05, 2008
An Italian, French-speaking Belgian, Philipino Christian
When Mishell first visited us, we asked which language she spoke.
You see, she came with Philip and Susanne. Philip is from Togo, but he has lived quite a while in Germany and speaks German in addition to English. His wife Susanne is Aramean, but is born and raised i Germany, so speaks German. But she also speaks English. They have two children who speak German, but who are now learning French, since Philip and Susanne have moved to Belgium and settled in the French-speaking city of Liege.
Mishell is in French class with Susanne. She was looking for a church to attend and "happened" to be in class with Susanne, who just "happened" to know of a church where they attended. So Mishell came along on the 30-40 minute drive (a long drive for people here) Sunday morning. Mishell speaks English (and French now, of course). We were intrigued how she got to Belgium and learned that she had married a Belgian - an Italian Belgian.
You see, the area where we live is coal mining country. Back when the mines were open, there were a lot of guest workers, in Belgium and the Netherlands. in the area where we live that meant Italians, Turks, Greeks and Poles. The same has been true in Liege. So there is a rather large group of Italian-speaking, French-speaking Liegeois. And one of them is Mishell's new husband. They have been married just short of two years.
We were also interested in Mishell's faith. She obviously loved the Lord, since she was searching for a place to worship, was willing to go to the trouble of a longer ride, and do this with a family she was only just getting to know. It was also obvious in talking with her that she knew her Bible and saw the importance of not only reading the Bible but putting it into practice in her daily life. What an encouragement! It turns out (and I still want to learn the rest of the story) that she came to faith in Hong Kong and was baptized in the sea! But now she is our French-speaking, Italo-Belgian, Philipino sister in Maastricht.
Where we come from is much less important than where we are going.
You see, she came with Philip and Susanne. Philip is from Togo, but he has lived quite a while in Germany and speaks German in addition to English. His wife Susanne is Aramean, but is born and raised i Germany, so speaks German. But she also speaks English. They have two children who speak German, but who are now learning French, since Philip and Susanne have moved to Belgium and settled in the French-speaking city of Liege.
Mishell is in French class with Susanne. She was looking for a church to attend and "happened" to be in class with Susanne, who just "happened" to know of a church where they attended. So Mishell came along on the 30-40 minute drive (a long drive for people here) Sunday morning. Mishell speaks English (and French now, of course). We were intrigued how she got to Belgium and learned that she had married a Belgian - an Italian Belgian.
You see, the area where we live is coal mining country. Back when the mines were open, there were a lot of guest workers, in Belgium and the Netherlands. in the area where we live that meant Italians, Turks, Greeks and Poles. The same has been true in Liege. So there is a rather large group of Italian-speaking, French-speaking Liegeois. And one of them is Mishell's new husband. They have been married just short of two years.
We were also interested in Mishell's faith. She obviously loved the Lord, since she was searching for a place to worship, was willing to go to the trouble of a longer ride, and do this with a family she was only just getting to know. It was also obvious in talking with her that she knew her Bible and saw the importance of not only reading the Bible but putting it into practice in her daily life. What an encouragement! It turns out (and I still want to learn the rest of the story) that she came to faith in Hong Kong and was baptized in the sea! But now she is our French-speaking, Italo-Belgian, Philipino sister in Maastricht.
Where we come from is much less important than where we are going.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Our weekend together
During the weekend of Pentecost (the second day of Pentecost is also a holiday), we organized a study weekend for the church down at camp. God obliged with be-a-utiful weather and it was an amazing weekend!
Everything was centered around the letter to the Romans - the lessons, the activities and even the food. It was great to see how everyone pitched in to make it a special weekend. Scott and Ruud did some exegesis and practical lessons and Stephan gave his first sermon on Sunday morning.
Several of the young people helped out with our workshops: on nature, art and language. Shareya and Isha helped with the art by teaching the participants how to make Roman sandals and mosaics. Stephan did a workshop on nature photography (see the results here). Philip Dela taught us some sign language and Scott got his participants to write new songs (another six for our book! Go here and click on the "Liedjes" tab to hear our songs. The ones at the end are the ones from this weekend.)
We endeavoured to do things together - even making our food. So we made a huge bowl of fruit salad and quite a few vegetable skewers for the Saturday dinner. Add to that all of the great times just playing, walking, sitting and talking and you end up with something we are definitely planning on repeating! (click on the picture above to see more from the weekend)
Everything was centered around the letter to the Romans - the lessons, the activities and even the food. It was great to see how everyone pitched in to make it a special weekend. Scott and Ruud did some exegesis and practical lessons and Stephan gave his first sermon on Sunday morning.
Several of the young people helped out with our workshops: on nature, art and language. Shareya and Isha helped with the art by teaching the participants how to make Roman sandals and mosaics. Stephan did a workshop on nature photography (see the results here). Philip Dela taught us some sign language and Scott got his participants to write new songs (another six for our book! Go here and click on the "Liedjes" tab to hear our songs. The ones at the end are the ones from this weekend.)
We endeavoured to do things together - even making our food. So we made a huge bowl of fruit salad and quite a few vegetable skewers for the Saturday dinner. Add to that all of the great times just playing, walking, sitting and talking and you end up with something we are definitely planning on repeating! (click on the picture above to see more from the weekend)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Football for a weekend
This past weekend we took a group of almost 30 people to Thayngen, Switzerland to play football. Luk and I heard of this opportunity, organized by the church in Switzerland, while we were in Switzerland last year singing. We thought we might be able to get a few people from Belgium and the Netherlands interested. Turned out we were able to bring four teams!
This was a weekend of great moments. We had to drive all night Friday to get there, played all day Saturday and drove back on Sunday, but in between we had some great fun, built relationships with the youth in our churches, made new friends from all over Europe, practiced our French and German, worshiped God together, sang, shared good food and fellowship and were wonderfully blessed!
If you want to see some of the pictures you can click on this picture or you can go here (from Luk Brazle) or here (from Christian Goebbels) for more.
This was a weekend of great moments. We had to drive all night Friday to get there, played all day Saturday and drove back on Sunday, but in between we had some great fun, built relationships with the youth in our churches, made new friends from all over Europe, practiced our French and German, worshiped God together, sang, shared good food and fellowship and were wonderfully blessed!
If you want to see some of the pictures you can click on this picture or you can go here (from Luk Brazle) or here (from Christian Goebbels) for more.
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