Het verzorgen van zakelijke

(Taking care of business)

Megan has fallen ill (we're pretty sure it is her allergies - she's allergic to chocolate I think) and so it falls to me to blog tonight. Ergo, no pictures, sorry. We're both wiped out, tired, and she is the picture expert (I'd choose the ones she'd probably decide were inappropriate or something :)).

Today was an awesome day for getting stuff done. The weather was excellent - yet another day of awesome weather that God blessed us with in the land of frequent rain and an unusually long winter this year. We got a lot more painting done (the building wall facing the driveway needed more paint/coats and there was a wall on the other side of the driveway that needed painting) and so we're pretty well finished the driveway area now. In the back of the building, the reconstructed wall near the roof is almost done, and painting has commenced on the side and rear of the church - a good percentage of that is now done, as well. I myself was savagely yanked away (just kidding) from flyer distribution to help with the manual labor. I think Don was given the mistaken impression of potential when I lifted a couple of huge stones yesterday to haul away. Me man. Me move stone.

Ik Ladders Beklimmen

(Translation: "I climb ladders" (seriously))

My back is grateful that more stones were not in need of my manly moving prowess, but painting was the ticket for me today. While yesterday was Erin's turn on the high ladder, today it fell to me ("fell" being carelessly used in the authorship of this sentence) to ascend, following the example of Jesus after Pentecost. The ladder looks high in the picture from yesterday's post, but once you get up there you realize that it's not just high, it's horrifyingly high. I think I saw my house from up there.

But it was all good - "is good" is a phrase we hear a lot, and have all picked up. We got a lot done as a team, and had good fellowship while doing so.

Tonight was a bit of a "foreign exchange" of sorts - we went to different families for dinner and fellowship before a study delivered by Milt (and Luke, his translator) on Marriage (which is what bwings us togethwah). It was encouraging to share testimonies with more of the Belgium believers and hear how God is working, continuing to build up His remnant here in Belgium.

I use the word "remnant" because that seems appropriate here. Belgium really is spiritually dry and dark, and it is oppressive and depressive. When I consider the lives of these believers here over years and decades of living the Christian life in this dark and lonely place, my heart goes out to them in sympathy for the hardship it is to live a Christlike life here. On the other hand, I see the truth of God's presence in their lives and, indeed, "greater is He that is in them than is in the world!" Praise God for the grace He has shown and is continuing to show here in Belgium!

One last bit before I sign off for the night. I have really been convicted of my own lack of preparation for this trip. Sure, we were not expected to learn Flemmish, but in the few conversations I've had with folks so far this week outside the church, I was really frustrated by how hard it was to communicate. I guess I was just assuming that I'd be talking with people who had a working knowledge of English or else I'd be with someone who could translate. But resources are scarce - translators are not always available. I would love to have invested some time at least getting the basics of the language down (sounds, basic words) - something to give me maybe some chance at even understanding the mispronounced English words that have been said to me. There were two conversations this week that ended with the note of "well, ok, we can't understand each other, so... bye!" That is frustrating. I think that if there is a next time, I hope to benefit from some preparation in this area. The longer we stay here, at least I'm picking up bits and pieces and am slowly being able to hear the nuances in the different sounds from the English language. That's a start!

Sorry for the lack of pictures - be assured that Megan took many, and will post more soon.

-Scott