Day 10: Church and Packing up

This morning Milt preached on Psalm 51 about guilt over sin and forgiveness. The praise band sounded great! Thank you for praying for them. We got to talk with some of the families of the children in the VBS program. They were so appreciative of the past week that we spent with their children. The kids have been asking if we are coming back next year!

Jeb rocking the drums

Milt preaching with Rita translating

In the afternoon, Sheri & Stephanie went to the nearby city of Genk to see a coal mine museum and art exhibition. Jeanine has several paintings and sculptures on display there.

Jeanine with her work on display

Treating our host family to dinner

Tonight we had our traditional Mexican Train Dominos Goodbye Party. We had four tables playing and after a few rounds, we would rotate to another table so that you would get to visit with everyone. Last year, a new additional tradition was started. The players with the top four scores have to battle it out for the title of Winner by playing a round of Jenga. Milt and Sheri were both in the top four! And Milt won!

Dominos!

Milt wins!

We said a lot of goodbyes today, but the hardest ones will be tomorrow. We will be leaving our houses at 5:30am (11:30pm Sunday EST) for our 12pm flight, and arriving at Dulles at about 2:15pm Monday EST.

Praise: We have become very close to our host families, church members, and the children. We were blessed with these relationships.

Prayer: Pray for safety as we travel to the airport by car, and for the flight. Pray for energy as we are getting very little sleep tonight (It's already 1:00am here!) and have a long flight! Pray for the church here, that they will continue to grow and show Christ's love to the people of Diepenbeek.

Stephanie & Sheri

PS
Als ik meer wafels eet, dan ontplof ik!
(If I eat one more waffle, I'm going to pop!)

Day 9: Brugge and the North Sea

 

 Today we visited Brugge  in celebration of our great week at VBS.  We walked a TON and got to see and experience many sights.   We also were treated to a surprise dinner by the North Sea.  We're very tired after 4 hours of driving, so enjoy our pictures ;)

Resisting the chocolate temptation!

Swans on the canal

Ivan & Stephanie :)

Organgrinder

Our Brugge tour group

"We're standing in the North Sea!!"

Praise: We're very thankful to Marc & Rita and Vivianne & Ivan for driving us to Brugge for a relaxing day and good fellowship.

Prayer: Milt will be preaching again tomorrow; pray for the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of the believers. Pray for any new people visiting the church from the VBS program that they would feel welcome.  Pray also for Jeb as he joins the praise team on drums again, and that the team would play well together. Pray for our last full day in Belgium (tomorrow) that we would be purposeful with our remaining time.

Stephanie & Sheri

Day 8: Jezus is Vriend

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Luke 19:10

Today was the last day of VBS. Claire taught the Bible story of Zaccheaus. She came up with an interactive way to show the kids how tax collectors weren't fair. She dressed as Zacheaus, had Nathan be the tree, and Jeb was Jesus for a skit of the story. Val used the whiteboard to teach the Bible verse. She erased a word each time they went through it making it more challenging, and the kids loved it!

Zaccheaus skit

Val erasing parts of the memory verse.

 For recreation we returned to the field to play with the parachute and also to play our adaptation of corn-hole using inner tubes as the targets. Today's snack clue was "they like to build sand castles." It was kids on the beach (vanilla pudding with graham cracker crumbs and a sour patch kid). The craft was a tree with Zaccheaus in it. At the closing, Jeb reviewed what they had learned about Jesus each day, and the kids knew it well. He also gave an invitation for them to accept the gospel. We haven't heard if any children have accepted Christ during this week, but we know that many seeds have been planted and relationships formed with the Belgian team members. Two brothers from a non-Christian family have asked to come to Sunday school after coming with their friend to VBS and their mom is going to let them!

Corn-hole with inner tubes

Kids on the Beach

Zaccheaus tree craft

Group photo with all of today's kids and helpers

In evening, we had the barbeque at the field near the church. It was well attended by both kids and parents. There was a moon bounce, face painting, frisbees, and soccer, as well as a live band, and a presentation of what the kids learned during VBS. The powerpoint slideshow was greatly enjoyed! It was exciting to hear the kids telling their parents about the week as they watched their pictures in the slideshow. Thank you for praying for the logistics for this event! There was enough food, great weather, power for all the drink freezers, sound, lights, and powerpoint, and lots of fellowship and deepening of relationships.

Lots of people eating barbeque

Dinosaur face paint

Chaos in the moon bounce!

Jamming (notice the fan club in the back!)

Tomorrow we will leave early to tour around Brugge, an old beautiful city, with several friends from the church. It will be good to relax and fellowship with them as they show us more of their beautiful country.

Praise: During this week, a total of 25 kids came to the VBS. Two boys desire to come to Sunday school now after coming to VBS.

Prayer: Please pray for safety while traveling to Brugge tomorrow. Pray also for energy for everyone. Pray that Sheri's allergies continue to improve. Pray for a man who Milt talked with tonight about Jesus being both God and man. 


Sheri & Stephanie

Day 7: Jezus is Redder

"For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."   John 3:16

Today was Gospel day!!  Thank you so much for your prayers all week, but especially on such an important day.  Valére taught the parable of the Prodigal Son emphasizing the Father's forgiveness, and Claire used Dean Chollar's gift cube in order to share the gospel with the children and explained that Jesus is our Savior.  They were all mesmerized by the cube and were able to recall and retell components of the presentation throughout the day.  During Bible application, we made gospel (wordless book) bracelets for the children to wear and explain what they learned to their family and friends.

Valére teaching the lesson.

Claire sharing the Gospel.

Intently making their bracelets

Yet again, God has given us another beautiful day to be outside for recreation! Jeb and Nathan organized an obstacle course in the field today using a variety of materials.  They also had help from Michael and Jochen, Luc's sons, in constructing and demonstrating the course.  Each of the kids were timed (the fastest time was recorded as 56 seconds). It was a huge hit! The kids kept saying "Again! Again!" Each day, the group has been given clues and has had to guess what animal they will be eating. Today's snack was Sea Turtle sandwiches.  In craft, the children turned empty water bottles into piggybanks to remind them to be wise and save their money unlike the prodigal son, and also because of the pigs he had to feed in the story!

Hop into hula hoops, duck under the limbo beam, then blow a bubble...

run between the tables, then throw rings, and hop on one foot to the finish!

Sea Turtle Sandwich

Making piggybanks

For lunch, the team went to Amadeo for pannekoken and waffles (obviously we are very nutritious). The woman who owns the shop is very kind and offered to open an hour early to accomodate us. Milt and Val usually eat here at least twice a trip, and for 14 years, she remembers them by now! Our afternoon mainly consisted of VBS prep for tomorrow. Jeb also worked with Bert to put together a sideshow for the barbeque tomorrow so the parents and church members can see what the children learned this week. Our hope is that non-church families will get connected and come back and also that the church members might be inspired to join in to run a VBS next year on their own.

Pancakes for lunch!

In the evening, our team split in several directions: Milt and Jeb attended the Diepenbeek church's elder meeting and praise team practice, Sheri rested at the house due to her allergies flaring up, and the rest of us went swimming at an indoor water park. There was a wave pool, lots of slides, and something similar to a lazy river, but faster and with no innertubes. (Sorry, no pictures! We were wet!)

Praise: Three new boys came today, and we had a total of 17 kids again!

Prayer: Sheri's allerigies have been acting up recently; please pray that she can breathe and not be tired.  Please pray for one child who is distracting others during the lesson and not listening to the leaders.  Pray that tomorrow, we will be able to better assess each child's spiritual condition through the Belgian team members having one-on-one conversations.  As we have an extremely busy and packed day tomorrow, pray for effective time mangement during VBS as well as during the set-up for the barbeque. Pray for logistics with the barbeque tomorrow: setting up, enough volunteers, good weather,  and enough food :)  The gospel will be presented to roughly 100 people, so please pray for the Holy Spirit to work in unbelievers' hearts.


Stephanie & Sheri

Day 6: Jezus is Dokter

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.'"  John 11:25

We have now reached the midpoint of our trip and weariness is starting to take its toll; thus, many cups of coffee have been consumed! Appropriately, our theme for VBS today was "Jesus is Healer."  Luc taught the story of Jesus bringing Jairus' daughter back to life, and Jeb reinforced the lesson by adding that all of us are sick with sin and only Jesus can make us well.  It has been wonderful to see how excited and determined the children are to learn their Bible verse each day! Nathan and Jeb had a blast with running the water games which consisted of water ballon toss and "Drip Drip Drop!" (A version of duck duck goose with a soaked sponge). To our surprise and delight, some of the Belgian volunteers wanted to play as well :) The craft today was a treasure chest first aid kit filled with jewels, gold coins, band-aids, and cotton balls. We did hit a small snag with the snack as we found out that Jello is not a popular food here! Overall, it has been so encouraging to watch the kids and volunteers alike respond with enthusiasm and gratitude for the VBS.  Several people from the church have begun to comment on wanting to organize another event next year!

Sheri and Luc reviewing the Bible verse.

Building treasure chests

Jello snack with submerged (and disintegrated) Swedish fish

waterballoon toss: Did they catch them?

Drip, Drip, Drop in action

Jeb and Nathan had a rather interesting conversation with a man named Kahrl who used to attend the Diepenbeek church. Here's more details in their own words:
"While Nathan and I were setting up the recreation station on a field, a Belgian man come up to us and stated talking in Flemish.  He knew just enough Flemish for us to gather the following:  He was a fellow believer who was very bitter towards the church.  The only way we could communicate well was just by citing verses in the Bible.  I tried to point him to John 17 where Jesus prays for the unity of believers.  He understood completely yet still held onto his bitterness.  We need to pray that he humbles himself before the Lord."

After a slew of sightseeing afternoons, we decided to take a break and relax a bit.  It was refreshing to be able to sit, talk, and spend the day together as a whole team.  Several of us stopped at Colruyt, a grocery store, to stock up on some essentials - primarily Belgian chocolate.  On our drive home, we found an unusual sight- strawberries in a vending machine located in a neighborhood!  Vivianne took a slight detour to drive us across an old cobblestone Roman road which proved to be quite bumpy at 60 km per hour!  Back at the house, we trimmed the photos Sheri had taken of the kids on Monday and fitted them in the decorated frames.  Val also recruited our assistance in prepping tomorrow's craft (shhh it's a surprise!).  On another note, Jeb and Sheri have been recruited for the SWAT team - that is fly swatting.  For some reason, all the flies here in Belgium like to visit Vivianne and Ivan's house.  We think it has something to do with the delicious cooking. For dessert we had strawberries and creme. As you can tell from the picture, it's Milt's favorite!

Jeb - the fly killer, with all his kills (look close to the right of his weapon)

Milt enjoying the Creme to the last spoonful!

Tonight, we had Bible study with the Belgian cell group.  Jeb gave a message from the book of Joel about humbly returning to the Lord individually and corporately in repentance and worship.  He used an illustration about a coal fire.  Just as the coals need to be touching each other to maintain their intense heat and color, Christians need to consistently gather together to strengthen our faith.

Jeb teaching

Praise: We currently have 96 people have signed up for the barbecue on Friday!  So far, we have had 2 new kids per day for VBS with a total of 21 kids we've seen in all.

Prayer: Pray for communication within our group, power sources for barbeque (we need power for music, powerpoint slideshow of the VBS week and fridges), and healing of the heart for Kahrl (the man Jeb and Nathan talked to). Please also pray for the elder meeting here tomorrow. Milt and Jeb will be meeting with them and sharing from the heart.
***An addition: It's 1am in Belgium, but I just got out of bed to write this because I feel it's that important: Tomorrow is the day that we share that Jesus is Savior. Please pray for this! Pray for the children to pay attention and understand the Bible story and to put their trust in Jesus. We have been feeling the spiritual warfare going on as we've been trying to coordinate plans for tomorrow. Pray that our team will continue to be unified, keep short accounts, and rely on God for strength. We so value and appreciate your prayers for us and for these children!

Stephanika and Sherika - as Vivianne likes to call us!  It's a term of endearment :)

Day 5: Jezus is Leraar!

"Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on a rock."  Matthew 7:24

Our VBS theme for the day was "Jesus is teacher."  Another Belgian team member, Claire, taught Jesus' parable about the wise and foolish men and their respective foundations.  We sang the children's song "The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock" in Flemmish and ate "octopus" for snack!  During recreation, we were able to use the field today for outdoor games!! Thank you so much for your prayers as we were not sure it would be available.  For craft time, the children decorated wooden picture frames with colored pebbles and glow-in-the-dark sand.  We've been impressed by how meticulous the Belgian kids are with their crafts! 

Clair teaching the Bible lesson.

Fùtbol in the field

Octopus hotdogs for snack

Signing together

Decorating picture frames (the one silent moment of the day!)

Helping the kids add glow-in-the-dark sand to the picture frames

We spent the rest of the day together as a team :) After lunch at Vivianne and Ivan's house, we drove 1.5 hours (perfect nap time!) to a WWII museum across the border in Luxembourg about at the seige at Bastogne.  Then we drove back to Belgium to see the monument in Bastogne dedicated to the American soldiers who defended the Belgian people during the Battle of the Bulge.  Our last stop was the Henri-Chapelle American cemetery where thousands of white crosses marked the graves of fallen American soldiers.  It was a very sobering experience as we realized the enormous sacrifice that had been paid so that we might be free.

Val driving in Belgium for the first time! It's legal; they checked :)

Staring down the German soldiers in the museum

Jeb & Stephanie in front of the Bastogne monument

Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery

The team on a tank!

One of our team's handicaps is our inability to speak Flemmish.  However, we have been taking opportunities to learn Flemmish words and phrases - some useful, some not so useful, but we find them amusing!  At several points during our car trip, we had Vivianne, our driver, in stitches and tears at Jeb's pronouciation of "De Haan slaat terug" which translated means "The rooster strikes again!"  This is of course in reference to the evil bird mentioned previously.  Ivan also taught Jeb "Melk voor elk" a rhyming prhase meaning "Milk for everyone" which has been quoted throughout the day. 

Praise: We were able to use the field today! We had 17 children again today and 2 new attendees.

Prayer: Pray for organization of supplies and good weather for water day tomorrow during recreation.  Please continue to pray against discouragment and attack especially against the Bible teachers. Pray especially for the children coming from outside the church, especially Seth, Luca, and Sam, that they will continue to grasp the gospel message.

Stephanie and Sheri

Day 4: Jezus es Koneng! 

"And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Hom in swaddling cloths, laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for him in the end."  Luke 2:7

On our first day of VBS (or Kindercamp as it is called here), we had 17 children attend, several of whom were invited from the community! Nine helpers from the Belgian church joined with our team of six to run all the activities.  We were all very excited and nervous about how the day would unfold.  Luc taught the Christmas story in Flemmish emphasizing Jesus' role as king and his sovereignty over human events.  We were very thankful for Luc, his daughter Ruth, and Claire (another woman from the church) as they served as our heavily relied upon interpreters during each activity!  Recreation consisted of parachute games and crab soccer.  Both sets of games seemed to be a hit with the kids.  The snack for the day was "oysters," and for craft time, the kids decorated crowns.  Overall, the children seemed to have a fantastic time participating, and we're looking forward to a fun-filled week!

Devotion time before everyone arrives.

Luc teaching the Bible lesson.

Bible application time

Parachute game

"Oyster" cookie. Can you find the pearl?

Decorating crowns

 After lunch, Jeannine drove Sheri and Stephanie to see some castles nearby Liège.  We were able to walk around the grounds of Kasteel Rullingen which dates back to 1640.  Today was also our turn to visit Tongeren.  While we were there, two girls from Greenpeace, a global environmental organization, approached us, and we struck up a conversation.  Interestingly, one of the girls was from Diepenbeek! We explained that we were staying there with some friends from church, and she was curious as to its name and location.  Although neither of us could give very specific directions, Jeannine had the church's card with her which we were able to pass along. As we went to walk away, the other girl followed us asking if we are Protestants. We told her that we are Christians. She said she used to go to church but is not relgious now, but there is a large youth church called Revolution somewhere nearby, and she encouraged us to find out about it. It was cool to have conversations with these girls when we weren't expecting it. We realized that by being purposeful in our conversations, we are seeing more opportunities in front of us. And, sometimes the person who is interested is not the person you think it will be.

Kasteel Rullingen

Statue in Tongeren (notice the Greenpeace sign in the front)

Jeb and Nathan went with Ivan to Alden Biesen, which is a German castle in Belgium. There they met a Peruvian soldier who was eager to take a picture with two very tall Americans! During that time, Val prepared crafts and snacks for VBS for later in the week. Jeb and Nathan did their part by drinking lots of seltzer water to empty bottles for a future craft! And, Milt met with a man to encourage him in his walk with Christ. Nathan and Jeb went on another long walk and explored the area. The roosters pictured have been dubbed Nathan's nemesis. They wake him, and some of the others too, up at 5am every morning. And they crow all day long. We've begun to hear plots of fried chicken wings for the end of the week barbeque! Their house finished the day by eating dinner outside (to the sound of mooing cows and the incessant roosters) and enjoying fondue!

Alden Biesen

Jeb and Nathan with the Peruvian soldier.

Earliest form of Skype (or a museum display with audio)

Horses Jeb & Nathan came across on their walk

Evil Rooster that torments Nathan

Praise: 17 children came today! The team worked well together.

Prayer: Pray for the details of the rest of the week to come together. Pray that we would get permision to use a nearby field for recreation and the end of the week barbeque. Pray for the Belgian team to grasp what running VBS could look for them to do on their own in the future. Pray for all of us to get adequate rest.

 - Sheri & Stephanie