The KJ's in the Hague

Gone to the Dogs Part 2

2008-11-24T00:47:00.000-08:00

For Part 1 see: (Kevin's take on Holland dogs),

If we would have been a little more savvy when we first arrived 3 1/2 years ago, we would have gotten our puppy right away. But we finally have become Holland dog owners. As our good friend Eric says, "If I were reincarnated as a dog I'd want to come back to Holland". Though we don't have a yard for our dog to run in, we do have lots of open fields and "dog runs". The city maintains areas between canals where dogs can run and play with other dogs off leash. We take our dog to the dog run regularly, though recently a local shepherd took his sheep to the dog run for its bi-annual mowing, which has been problematic since dogs love to flop on their backs and roll around in strange smelling things. We've been avoiding the dog run since the sheep were there, unless we want to go straight home and give Sammie a bath.

The Dutch don't greet one another on the street, unless you each have a dog. Dog socialization is very important here, so you are guaranteed to be greeted and have a friendly chat with other dog owners anywhere you go walking, consequently we've met more Dutch neighbors in the 3 months we've had our puppy, then in our first 3 years. We even have a daily doggie playtime every afternoon between 4:00 and 5:00 when several neighbors meet in the little park in our neighborhood. The dogs play while the adults visit. Conversation starts with the different traits of each dog, but quickly moves on to other things. It sort of reminds me of days gone by when I would take my preschoolers to McDonalds playland with another mom, except that doggie play time is supervised by both male and female, young and old.

Dogs have it good here, and we are enjoying our little pup. Sammie is half lab and half friese stabij (a Dutch breed similar to a spaniel).

If you took a peek at Kevin's post "Gone to the Dogs" I can give you an update. Kevin pretty much got his wish, a Dutch-American breed, she obeys but is a fun rascal too, he didn't even have to train her to chase the ducks. I get a little grin on my face everytime she chases the ducks and birds, remembering Kevin's wish.

posted by Kathy

The Simple Truth

2008-09-19T04:22:00.001-07:00

I (Kathy) read a book recently by David Baldacci called "The Simple Truth". After years of covering up the murder of a young girl, the simple truth of what really happened was at long last revealed. In an era when racism held a tight lid on the facts, an innocent man on death row finally gets his justice.

Sometimes we spend so much time questioning, doubting, and being cynical, that the simple truth of the gospel gets lost. In an age of post-modernism, both here in Europe and in America, a lot of great questions are being asked. I am all for digging deep and having the courage to probe, but I wonder if part of the price tag has been a cover up of the simple truth.

My daughter Kristi witnessed a very unsettling event in Seattle this past year. A man stood in a park yelling a gospel to an unlikely audience including a woman without shoes and a man who didn't know where his next meal would come from. I say "a gospel" rather than "the gospel", because, as Kristi put it when describing this event to me, "his gospel is not the gospel that I know. Christ's love met needs. It gave away shoes and food and a place to stay."

So the questions get asked and the answers seem elusive. But today it all seems so simple to me. I was reading in Revelation 2, about hanging onto our first love. And as I studied the word love, I found very simply that Jesus said "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself". Pretty simple. We don't only love God, and we don't only love people. We love God. We love people. The simple truth.

A day with IJM

2008-09-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. They have 4 facets to their work: rescuing victims, prosecuting perpetrators, providing victim after-care, and working towards policy change within the legal systems of countries where slavery abounds. Kevin met the Director of IJM Europe, Terry Tennens, at the Christian Associates leadership conference in Portugal this past February. Kevin's interest in bringing justice issues to Crossroads was sparked. He spent many hours during the last several months recruiting and meeting with a team of Crossroaders who have taken the vision on with a zeal. Many team meetings as well as meetings between our team and various attorneys and government officials culminated this past weekend with a visit from Terry Tennens along with the COO of IJM, Scott Lewis (from Washington D.C.). They spent a full day with several local pastors, Europol, and the former chair of the Christian Democratic Party of the Netherlands. The day ended with Terry and Scott in our home for dinner, joined later by our Crossroads team. By the end of the evening our committee was given the green light to pursue next steps in setting up an affiliate office here in the Hague.

To quote Peter Luttik, a key player in our Crossroads IJM team, "the excitement about what we discussed last friday doesn't seem to ebb...". That sentiment is shared by many others as well. Kevin feels very privileged to have played a role in what may become a pretty significant force right here in The Hague in the fight against slavery.

Warfare versus Vacation

2008-08-04T07:06:00.000-07:00

We just got back from the annual Christian Associates Conference in Sopron,

Hungary

, where Kevin was instrumental in bringing Greg Boyd over as the keynote speaker. The CA crowd loved Greg and the message he brought. He spoke at 5 main sessions on The Kingdom of God: “Revolting Beauty”, plus held some extra Q and A seminars.

One of Greg’s talks focused on spiritual warfare, his first point regarded the need for a “Warfare versus Vacation Worldview”. I was struck by the realization that even out on the mission field I can get caught up in a “vacation” mentality. Meaning I can all too often primarily be looking out for my own comforts and interests, rather than being continually aware of the spiritual battle we face. As we begin another year in The Hague, our desire is to be kingdom bringers by the love we show and by looking like Jesus to the world over here. Thanks Greg, for sharing your heart for the kingdom with us.

Throughout the week both Kevin and I relished the experience of bringing our worlds together. It was great to share Greg and Shelley with the CA folks, and to share the CA crowd with them. We also had the privilege of taking Greg and Shelley into Vienna one day and had a great time touring.

Hello, Goodbye, Goodbye, Hello

2008-07-19T04:33:00.000-07:00

We arrived back in Holland this week, after saying goodbye once again to family and friends in the states. Kathy babysat Kayden for 9 glorious weeks, giving Kari a couple months of working without using Day Care. The bonding that took place between Grandma and baby was a gift never to be forgotten.

Grandpa and Kayden bonded pretty well too!

Kristi flew in from Seattle mid-June, with Kevin and Kenny following shortly after. Following are a few snipets of our summer highlights:

Pictured below are photos of a weekend at Kevin's sister Kathy's lake cabin. Kayden liked the water splashing on his feet.

Just being together was the best. We went out one evening to celebrate a nice promotion Kari received at work.

More pictures from our weekend at the cabin:

Being grandparents in awesome!

Kenny enjoyed two afternoons of paintball at our house.

We had great times connecting with our families.

We are very grateful for family and friends who made the summer possible. We were hosted by Kathy's mom Phyllis, Kevin's sister Kathy, and our friends Paul and Dolly Smythe. Our friend Dianna McCartan opened her home all summer for Kathy to watch Kayden during the days. Pictured below is Eric McCartan enjoying time with Kayden.

Kenny had lots of good times connecting with his friends Jeff, Ryan, and Spencer.

After a great 9 weeks for Kathy, 3 for Kevin, and 4 for Kenny, we said our goodbyes in Minnesota. We are still saying our hello's in Holland, but in the midst of that we said goodbye to our good friends the Husthwaites. Bill and Margo and their 3 kids Rachel, Hannah, and Joel have been at Crossroads for 8 years. Bill, Margo and Joel are moving to Singapore where Bill will be working.

Life abroad is marked more by the hellos and goodbyes than it is by the seasons. We wish Bill and Margo all the best as they venture out. Its been great to have them be a part of our lives.

Four Things

2008-05-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

Our bodies don’t work as well as they used to. Caring for a baby 9 hours a day didn’t leave me with sore shoulders in my 20’s and 30’s, but it does now. Kevin’s eyesight used to be a source of pride, but not any longer. Now reading glasses perch themselves in several places throughout the house. I can eat less, exercise more, and gain weight. Kevin’s body protests when he treats it like it was still 30.

What has happened? It’s the FIFTEYS! Yes, they have hit us both. And we are finding that the body does age and neither of us is crazy about that idea.

After a bit of time bemoaning the AARP mail and the new aches and pains, Kevin decided to do something constructive. "What are the top four things I want my 50’s to be about", he asked. I was so inspired by his short but profound list, I thought I’d do the same.

You may not be in your 50's, but whatever decade you are in, what are your Four Things? Here are ours, perhaps they’ll inspire some more lists.

Kevin - Four Things I want my 50's to be about:

Surprise people with genuine love.
Order my inner world so that I can listen well - to others and to God.
Boldy bring forth new life.
Be more playful than I was in my forties.

Kathy - Four Things I want my 50's to be about:

Love Well.
Foster a spirit of gratefulness.
Have an impact amongst the poor and/or oppressed.
(my secret - after all, this is a blog. You can have your secret too)

Let's go forth and make a great world in this decade. Who says getting old is no fun?

On Living Well (and dying well)

2008-05-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

"Not again" was my second thought upon receiving the news about the Adrian’s. My first thought was grief, knowing all too well what lies ahead for this precious family. Pam and Alan Adrian, along with their 2 children Meghan (5), and Zach (12), moved to the Hague 8 months ago, leaving their home in Calgary, Canada for a 4 year assignment with Shell Oil. Two months after their arrival Pam’s health declined, but doctors were suspecting colitis or allergies until recently.

Two weeks ago a colonoscopy revealed a massive growth in Pam’s colon and more tests revealed advanced colon cancer which has already spread into the lymph nodes and ovaries. Her prognosis is six months to live without treatment, one to two years with treatment. In the midst of tests Pam boarded a plane for her home in Calgary, followed by her husband and kids a few days later.

I walked alongside Deela and her family during her last 18 months of a 3 year battle with ovarian cancer, aided my mother in caring for my father during his last months of life, stood at my father-in-laws deathbed, journeyed through the grief of my brother-in-law’s horrific accidental death, and buried my own brother as a young child. I am far too familiar with loss and grief.

Prayers of Crossroaders have beseeched the throne of God for the lives of three other members with a terminal cancer prognosis in the time we have been here, and wept as they buried each one. One sure thing in this life is that one day we will look death square in the eye. Whether it happens when we are old or young, from a killer like cancer or another cause, our death is one of life’s few guarantees.

Pam’s diagnosis came as a shock. Thursday’s life held an adventure in the Netherlands as a family of four. When the sun rose on Friday morning a new life greeted the Adrian’s. A life to prepare a family for death.

There is no surety of how any of us would react to news like this. I pondered how I might respond. What would I choose? How I would I prepare for death?

One week ago I left Kevin and Kenny at home in the Netherlands to help my daughter out with Kayden for a couple months. I asked them what they needed from me before I left. I also asked myself what preparations were important to me. Kevin wanted a big batch of homemade pizza sauce, some Italian sausage from a specialty meat market and clean sheets and towels. Kenny was pretty easy-going about the whole thing, didn’t ask too much. We all wanted some special time together, so we had a pizza feast and a "24" marathon on one of my last nights. I was compelled to cover all the upcoming details for the remainder of the school year with the guys, and have some last words of instruction and encouragement for Kenny.

How would I prepare my family to leave them forever? Pizza sauce and clean towels would be irrelevant.

Jesus knew what was important before his death. In his final days he shared his heart with his friends. He tried to prepare them, to comfort them, and to encourage them to remain in him and to love each other (John 14,15).

Jesus lived well. He didn’t have any regrets to patch up or issues to resolve. He lived a life of integrity, he knew who and whose he was. He poured his life into his friends. He knew his mission and finished the work given to him.

Satan wins many skirmishes in our lives. I don’t believe that death, disease, and tragedy are a part of God’s plan. But I can do my best to live a life of integrity, to know who I am and whose I am. I can "live at peace with everyone" as far as it depends on me (Romans 12:18). I can strive to know and fulfill my calling, and pour into my loved ones. Perhaps then should tragedy raise its ugly head there will be grief and sorrow yes, but no regrets. Perhaps then my legacy will live on and peace will reign.

My heart is heavy for the Adrian’s. I pray that whether it come in the form of physical healing or not, that the next few months and years will be marked by one evidence after another of God’s intervention and mercy. And I pray that somehow Pam can leave this earth well, whether it is far too soon from this deadly cancer, or someday many years from now after living through her present nightmare.

True Love Prevails

2008-03-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

posted by Kathy

Have we mentioned that we have 2 kids here in Holland? Besides Kenny and his friends, that is. Miriam and I found each other spring of 2006. We shared a tent together at Soul Survivor and there began a most gratifying friendship. My girls were far away, and she, a young 19 year old, was alone in Holland having left her parents one year earlier. Miriam, though Dutch, grew up in in Papau New Guinea with her parents, who are Bible translators with Wycliff, her brother and two sisters. She was the 2nd to the last to leave home to continue her studies in Holland. Miriam and I enjoyed lots of movie nights together, and she often spent the night on Saturday's and attended church with us on Sunday. Miriam was a little lost in the world with her parents being so far away, but equally as difficult was being separated by an ocean from her boyfriend. Not a conversation went by that didn't include a lot of talk about Andy.

We met Andy in the spring of 2007 when he came to visit Miriam. They became engaged druing his trip, and we instantly approved. In fact, when we found out that Andy was going to be moving to Holland that fall we offered him a place to live. He took us up on that offer and lived with us for 3 months, until he could no longer remain in the country because of work permit issues. We provided Andy with a "safe" American type haven in a new culture, while he provided us with many warm memories, lots of laughter, and was a wonderful big brother to Kenny.

I've never seen anyone so sad as Miriam, the Sunday after saying goodbye to Andy at the end of those 3 months. Having said so many hello's and goodbye's over the past 2 1/2 years, that last goodbye was just too much. She would not see him again until 2 weeks before their wedding. After 2 1/2 years of long distance phone calls and skype, wading through stacks of red tape and bureaucracy trying to convince one of their countries to allow the other in, Andy and Miriam were finally married on March 18.

Dutch weddings are very different than American weddings. The festivities last for an entire day. Their day began at 10:00 am when the day guests (30 of us, including the family, wedding party, and a few close friends) arrived at Miriam's parent's home (they moved to Holland this fall to be near to their 3 children who left Papau New Guinea). Miriam got dressed and ready in her room, after which Andy arrived and the couple had a few minutes to be alone. They came downstairs and were greeted by the day guests. Of course tea and treats were served.

Next, we all proceeded to the town hall for the civil ceremony. In Holland the church wedding is not a legally binding ceremony. Only Christians will continue on with a church wedding, others just have the civil ceremony. While the woman officiating the event did a beautiful job of telling Andy and Miriam's story, it was quite a godless ceremony and I understood why Miriam said she "only felt half-way married" after the service.
Next we all headed for our home, where we had a luncheon plus the wedding cake for the day guests. Caroline, our youth director, coordinated all the food and we only supplied the house. Andy and Miriam prepared a surprise video for their guests, paying tribute to each and every one of us. It was really special to have the bride and groom in our home for this part of the day.

Then we headed for dinner! Yes, a mere 3 hours after this spread came another. The day guests were treated to a lovely dinner and a slide show of the couple.

Now it is finally time for the real wedding. Kevin performed the ceremony, Kenny and 2 of the other youth, Jamie and Timmy, were ushers, and the rest of the wedding guests came to take part in their marriage and party afterwards. A great end to a perfect day.

Hidden Blessing

2008-03-04T17:03:00.001-08:00

Kathy's reflections:

I'd like to dedicate this post to what I am calling our "hidden blessing". Todd and Katie have been renting our home since we left for the Netherlands August of 2005. Todd and Katie had sold their home a few months prior to our move to Holland, without knowing what was to come next. They acted in obedience to a sense from God that they were to sell, downsize, and rent for a time. God acted in their hearts preparing them to fill our need. As an added blessing, Katie and I have developed a special friendship, sprung up through our shared common interest, the house. Katie has been a huge source of encouragement to me, and hopefully I to her.

We contracted with Denny to do a walk through every so often, checking up on the house, fixing problems or finding someone to fix them. It only took Denny a couple of months to write us saying he couldn't in right conscience take our money for doing this anymore, as Todd did such a wonderful job with the house. Todd keeps things up meticulously, as though he were the homeowner taking high pride in his property. It is their home now, and they consider it a ministry to us - caring for it while we are away.

A little about our home, we have a 1931 home that was in Kevin's family since 1981 - the woods behind the house was in the family since the homes in that area were built, sometime in the 1930's. When we bought the home it was quite small, and Kevin labored many hours building the patio and retaining walls, and helping the contracters with the addition wherever he had the opportunity. Our kids have spent many hours going through grandma and grandpa's attic, snow sliding down the back hill, and ice skating on the rink across from the house. Our house has always been a ministry home, starting before we owned it when Kevin's parents used their home for ministry and continuing on today with Todd and Katie and their family. Our home has hosted many a bonfire, stogie night on the patio, and small groups for youth and adults. Its been a haven for those in need and a safe place to drop by and process life. We'll always remember the night we arrived home about 11:00 pm to find a biffy on the front lawn. Later that evening we were awakened around 1:00 am to the hushed sounds of the Life Challenge ministry setting up tents in our backyard - just to have a camp out and play a joke on us. Our home has ushered in new life, and said tearful goodbye's to loved ones passing on.

I miss our home in Minnesota, but am eternally grateful for Todd and Katie, who treat that little cedar shake house with tender loving care and make it possible for us to serve the Lord internationally without having to say goodbye to it forever.

Thank you Todd and Katie, may God bless you richly for ever and ever for your hearts of service and love toward us.

New Life

2008-03-03T16:37:00.000-08:00

I've always heard it said that being grandparents is the best, but now I know "they" are right. I (Kathy) was waiting outside the surgery doors (c-section) for Kayden's arrival. What I didn't realize beforehand was that those maternal instincts kick in with grandchildren. This little guy is certainly the most adorable baby ever born. I watched my daughter bond with her baby, witnessed the two of them get to know one another during those first hours and days, a memory I'll treasure forever. In true Grandma form (a term I have grown to love), here are some pictures of Kayden.

New Year Contemplations

2008-01-01T06:06:00.000-08:00

I, Kathy, have my own ideas of what this New Year will entail. My own dreams, aspirations, plans, hopes, wishes and purposes fill my mind and prayers much of the time. But as I enter 2008 I ask God what HIS dreams, aspirations, plans, hopes, wishes and purposes for me are. And my prayer in entering this New Year is that God will interrupt me, will in fact, re-set the navigation system if any of my settings are off course.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer challenges me to start out my New Years thus:

"We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people, claims, and petitions. We may pass them by, preoccupied with more important tasks...When we do that, we pass by the visible sign of opportunity raised in our path to show us that, not our way, but God's way must be done. It is a strange fact that people frequently consider their work so important and urgent that they will allow nothing to disturb them. They think they are doing God a service in this, but actually they are disdaining God's 'crooked yet straight path.' But it is a part of the discipline of humility that we must not spare our hand where it can perform a service and that we do not assume that our schedule is our own to manage, but allow it to be arranged by God". Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German theologian, murdered by the Nazis during WWII.

On a lighter note, our "schedule" was interrupted in a most delightful way this past weekend. We had 3 young men in their early 20's (kids of Kathy's cousins) stop by to see us during a 10-day European tour. We were able to give them a little taste of legalized anarchy on New Years Eve, when our usually quiet little neighborhood housing somewhere between 600 - 1000 people (covering a territory equal to approximately 3 square city blocks) turned to bedlam. Millions of dollars go up in smoke in Holland between 10 pm and 2 am every December 31, when anything, anywhere, is legal. The net effect is, you get the kinds of fireworks displays going on 360 degree around you, similar to public shows on the 4th of July in the states. Here are a few pictures of the carnage about 12 hours later, noon on New Years Day.

Brian Nuth, Brent and Randy Johnson

A few clips of our summer

2007-08-02T07:42:00.001-07:00

Kristi had one dream for her 21st birthday - and here it is. We all went to Baldwin and watched her get on the plane, watched the dot fall out, and she landed right in front of us. Awesome!

Kevin's family got together one weekend at his sister's lake cabin.

The 3 kids, happy to see each other again.

Father's Day

2007-06-23T08:42:00.001-07:00

Kevin had two of his three kids home for Father's Day, and got to talk to the third on the phone (in the 15 minutes he was home, good job Kari on timing that call). We started the day out at church, then the church picnic, you can view pictures on the previous post. What he really wanted to do for Father's Day was to watch the sunset into the ocean with his family. So we all headed for the beach. Here are some pictures, enjoy.

Crossroads Annual Picnic

2007-06-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

Great food, water balloons, a pool, and a silent auction to raise funds for Omallas who will be heading off to Uganda in three weeks (2400 euro was raised) made all the work well worth the while. Kevin doesn't often lose, but he lost this battle, as you can see!

Anybody from Woodland Hills recognize the face on the last picture? I got a tap on my shoulder on Sunday morning at church, and there stood Terri Christopher. He was in the country on business, which he is every once in awhile, but he still catches us by surprise every time. Kristi has been home since the 3rd week of May, Terri gave her quite a shock.

Our New Director of Youth Ministries

2007-06-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

Its been a long time coming, but finally Crossroads has a new Youth Director! Caroline is from the Dutch Antillies, and has lived in the Antillies, Holland, and the United States. She is full of energy, loves kids, and is deeply passionate about God. And... here she is....

2007-05-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

Last week we were at Al’s house for a barbeque. Al, Daniel, Bobbie, and Katie are amazing. They have bonded together as a family since Deela’s death, and are doing really well. Our small group along with a few other people from Crossroads gave Katie an “extreme room makeover”. Her favorite television show is “Exteme Home Makeover”, she watches it religiously every Sunday evening. We gave her a makeover, mimicking the show starting with the makeover team surprising Katie after school and ending with a little bus attached to a string in front of her door and the team shouting "MOVE THAT BUS”. We gave her a room based on a “Secret Garden” theme. She even has a very real looking tree in her room, a labor of love by Mariel Geven. I’m not sure who was more blessed, Katie or all of us who worked so hard on the project.

Tim and Wilma Omala were on Crossroads stage this morning, and we’d love to tell you about them. We first met Tim and Wilma and their two young boys about 14 months ago when they had us to their home one evening to share their vision for Uganda. Tim is Ugandan, Wilma is Dutch. They met in Uganda at an orphanage where they both were serving on a short term missions trip several years ago. As their relationship developed so did the stirring in their hearts for the orphans in Uganda. Now finally, years later, their dreams are soon to become reality. Crossroads is sending them to Uganda where their hope is to birth an orphanage for a few of the 3.4 million orphans presently in the country. Through “Child’s Destiny of Hope”, Tim and Wilma have a vision to equip these young people with skills that match their own passions, interests, and abilities. The 7 minutes on stage this morning came after months of preparation to get ready for this huge undertaking. They have a board of directors from our community who have worked endless hours helping with all the details and preparation to send them off.

A Tour of our Holland Home

2007-05-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

We thought you might enjoy a little tour of our Holland House. We are located in a typical Holland neighborhood. Situated right in the middle of busy streets, tram tracks, and a train station, our neighborhood offers a quiet respite from the hustle and bustle. The streets are very narrow, room for only one car at a time to pass. In Holland you can drive on the curbs or sidewalks when necessary, so when 2 cars need to pass going in opposite directions, one simply pulls over onto the curb allowing the other to pass. Each building contains four houses, with a parking lot nearby. Our front garden is pictured here.

The next four pictures are taken right inside the front door. We have a small entry way, then the dining area and kitchen. To the right are a set of stairs going up to the 2^nd level, which has a loft, 2 bedrooms, and a bathroom. The last of this set would not be remarkable in the USA, but here in Holland it is a real treat when Kenny gets some good American cereal as a gift from a visitor! He is loving his Reeses Puffs.

Now we walk through the kitchen to the living room.

We’ve now ascended the stairway inside the front door. Pictured here is the loft, just big enough for our computer. A small hallway leads to the bathroom on the left (where the washer and dryer are located, Kevin and Kathy’s bedroom on the left, and Kenny’s bedroom straight ahead.

We’ll go up one more flight, another winding staircase very typical of Dutch homes. Here we have 2 more bedrooms, plus a little nook with a sloped ceiling for a bit of storage. Pictured below is our narrow, winding stairway, and then one of the bedrooms. What used to be Kari's room now serves as a great guest room.

This home, though small by American standards, is very nice and we are thankful that we have the space for our girls whenever they want to come home, and the room to have visitors very comfortably. We hope you enjoyed our tour, and we’d love to show you the place in person!

Did you hear the one about the Rabbi, the Imam and the Pastor?

2007-05-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

Originally posted by Kevin, October 14, 2006

They were sitting at lunch one day, and the first one says…

Actually, there is no joke here. It actually happened to me last week. Because of my role as a “spiritual advisor” I am required by the Dutch government to go through a series of classes. It is an attempt to have leaders of diverse spiritual communities integrate into Dutch society, thereby helping their followers do the same. Frankly, it is designed for immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East, but to be fair all are required to attend.

So there I sat in the first of this seven day class with a Hindu Sikh priest, a handful of Pentecostal pastors from Nigeria, a Muslim Shiite imam, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, a few Catholic priests from India, a rabbi from Israel and a Coptic Orthodox priest from Egypt. It was mind boggling. It also made me glad I was there. With all these religions coming into Europe I am eager to bring the Good News of Jesus and his beautiful Kingdom.

At lunch time I sat down with the imam. Shortly after that the Jewish rabbi joined us and the three of us had lunch together. It turns out the imam is from The Hague. He lives among and works with Indian Muslims. Neither guy was very fluent in English so the conversation was quite stilted. I hope the future classes provide lots of opportunity to talk in depth with some of these people. As I sat there I was thinking that the folks back home are never going to believe this.

The people of the big US of A often carry an unconscious assumption that they, by virtue of being American, are at the center of the universe. I am guilty of that idea – and only see it by being away. But now I bring the same idea over here. This tiny European nation, of which you could put several into the state of Minnesota, holds within its bit of land recovered from the sea a microcosm of almost all the world has to offer. It is like a crucible of so much that is going on in the world. So pray for this nation, the people here and our ministry to them in Jesus name.

Kevin

Whether You Like it or Not

2007-05-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

originally posted by Kevin May 3, 2006

January, the heart of winter in northern Europe. I dress for my commute by bicycle as follows: Jeans, tennis shoes, a t-shirt under a long sleeve shirt followed by a zip-up hoody sweatshirt under a rainproof windbreaker. Could be worse I suppose, but that is the gig.

Fast forward to June 1, 2006. My dress for the commute is as follows: Jeans, tennis shoes, a t-shirt under a long sleeve shirt followed by a zip-up hoody sweatshirt under a rainproof windbreaker. Something is wrong with this picture.

Today, I conceded. Kathy and I have had a months-long argument about just how bad the weather is here. She has tended to remember every day as a gloomy, windy, dark and wet event. I have tended to point out the two minutes of sunshine that occurred sometime last week as a prime example of things not being so bad. This should come as no surprise to those of you who know us well – but Kathy is right and I am full of baloney.

Yesterday I biked home to go for a jog before dinner. Warm-up pants and a t-shirt seemed in order for the last day of May. I wasn’t out there five minutes. The cold and wet driving wind turned me right around and that was that.

Then later in the evening, when gathering with several others at the ministry centre for a night of prayer, I was asked what I thought of the weather. “Well, to be truthful,” I said, “it turned me right around when I tried to go for a run tonight. But that doesn’t usually happen.” I was expecting them to say something like: “No but it is uncharacteristically nasty of late.” Instead I got: “Well you didn’t think the two weeks of sunshine earlier in May was going to last, did you?” (I’m the eternal optimist. I can always hope.) “It’ll most likely be like this the rest of the summer.”

That was it. The weather is the weather whether I like it or not. And, there isn’t a lot to like. In church on Sunday Albert, the worship leader, thanked the Lord in his opening prayer for the rain that makes everything so green. To be honest I have no idea if he was being sincere or sarcastic. The people who chuckled must have been with me on that one.

The Empty Nest Begins

2007-05-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

Originally posted May by Kathy, 12, 2006

The Empty Nests Begins…
Reflections of a Mothers’ Heart

This entry is taken from my journaling in January, after saying goodbye to my second daughter. We put Kari on a plane for the US in November, and sent Kristi on her way to England in January. We are not empty nesters yet, we still have the blessing of our son Kenny who is an utter delight to us, but losing both girls, during this year of transition, really gets one reflective. I got to thinking that a lot of you out there go through similar experiences, or may just be just starting out on this ride called parenthood, and decided to share a few portions of my journaling with you, breathing a prayer that God’s Spirit uses it in your life for whatever encouragement you may need.

Reflections from a Mother’s Heart

Today I sent my second daughter off into the world on her own. I realize that in less than 5 months time I have said goodbye to my family, friends, my mom, my home and country, all which is familiar and comfortable, my swing in the front yard, walks around Lake Phalen, and the anticipation of Kenny finishing elementary school at Edgerton. And now I've said goodbye to both of my daughters. It gets me pretty reflective, thinking of the last 22 years. It was another sad parting on Sunday at the airport, and yet a proud parting. I am proud of Kristi as she follows her hearts’ dream of the last year, to go off on a 6 month stint with YWAM. I’m proud of Kari as she is back home now, pursuing her goals of working and finishing school.

I look to the past with gratefulness. I am so grateful that God granted me daughters. How else can a mom extend her own "girlhood"? Through the years I've enjoyed painting nails, shopping, trips to the hairdresser for up-doos, and going out for lunches together. I've been a confidant, and at times the enemy. I've enjoyed many a movie night in pj's and robes with a chic flick. There have been little notes passed, phone calls when only “mom” will do. There were tea parties and make-overs. I remember with joy the little game I played when it was time to make the bed and 2 little girls wanted to hide under the covers. We played “there’s a lump in the bed”. I would playfully try to make the bed with them in it, finally having to push the “lump” out of the bed and straighten the bedspread.

I smile when I think of the knowing glance that passes between mother and daughter at times. No one else notices, but that glance says a million words. That glance can empathize with the other or see the light bulb go off in the others’ mind triggering some funny memory.

It seems only yesterday that I was changing diapers, making play dough, teaching them how to ride a bike, arranging sleepovers, being a taxi driver, watching them take off on their first solo drives after getting their drivers’ licenses, buying prom dresses, and visiting colleges.

I’m glad I treasured the time. I’m glad I took the time. I’m thankful for the gift of being home with them while they were little. I don’t regret one minute that was chosen to spend with them instead of the myriads of other things clambering for my time and attention. I’m thankful for the relationship we have. I’m thankful that we want to see each other, and that they want to talk on the phone with me. I’m thankful for email, I’m thankful that they have grown to be capable, strong young women.

I’ve watched our relationship change over the years, from mother/child, to mother/teen, and now to mother/adult. I don’t have it all figured out yet, but I’m working on it. I’ve been able to share my heart and soul with each of them, and allow them both to speak into my life, each in their own unique way. I am learning new ways of speaking into their lives now that they are adults, and hopefully they will continue to have grace with me as I figure that out.

Now that the girls are gone the house is quieter. I miss the giggles of the girls. But, its also cleaner, I don’t have to share my makeup and I always know where my mousse and comb are. I can use the washer and dryer whenever I want without moving someone else’s clothes out. I have 2 guest rooms (no – they will always be Kari and Kristi’s rooms) but I have 2 available rooms for guests.

Those two girls got me here, to the Netherlands. If it weren’t for their challenge “you guys will never do it” who knows? Well, I proved them wrong, but now here I am – and off they are. What’s up with that?

I think I am one lucky mom. Even after watching my first two leave the nest, I still have lots of years ahead to enjoy raising a boy! Now I watch Hidalgo and Lord of the Rings instead of Anne of Green Gables and Step mom. More fun to come…

Life in Community

2007-05-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

Originally posted May 6, 2006

LIFE IN COMMUNITY
The hands and feet of Jesus
Kathy’s reflections

As I reflect on the last twelve months of our lives (actually I should start back about 24 months), I am struck by the ways in which God works through His people for His people.

Two years ago our journey to Holland began with our own small group in Minnesota. They sensed God’s desire and Kevin’s desire, for Kevin to be ministering as a lead pastor in some capacity. They sought the Lord together with us for many months.

After the job was offered and our decision was made, about the end of June of 2005, the hard work of making a transition to another country began. All of us living in homes in the USA know what it is like to move from a home one has lived in for several years. It isn’t an easy task. Add to that, the task of storing 4/5 of our things, deciding what essentials to bring to Holland, finding places to store things, finding people to give things away to, finding renters, getting the house ready to be rented, etc. and we had no small feat to be accomplished in two short months!

We were amazed as dozens of people come forward, offering their help. Scraping and painting, pulling weeds, cleaning, and packing. In retrospect I think we were a little nuts to try and do it all in two months. But, God provided, through His people, and we made it. I will never forget one of my dear friends from WHC asking me to give her the dirtiest area in the house to clean. When I objected, she just said “Doesn’t Jesus want into our messes?” Pat was Jesus to me that day as she took on the task of cleaning the old cement walled, furnace style basement and transforming it.

We were almost giddy towards the end of the packing job, giving TV’s and furniture away and being able to bless others.

God provided us with the most awesome renters in the world. If they had not been obedient to God’s call in their lives, to sell their home and begin renting, without knowing any details, I don’t know what kind of situation we would have with the house today.

After many parties, nights around the campfire, and tearful goodbye’s the five of us boarded a plane for the Netherlands. Sounds nuts! I felt like we were this package that had been carefully and lovingly bundled up and sent on its way.

Then on the other end of the journey we were met with another community, again being the hands and feet of Jesus. We were greeted at the airport with a huge painted sign, saying WELCOME, complete with windmills and cows. We were taken to Lisa and Charlie’s home, who have since become our family here in Holland. Five weary and somewhat and shell-shocked people came in through the doors, and each was met with their individualized warm welcome. We each had welcome signs on our bedroom doors. Lisa had done research to find out our individual interests and made sure to include those on our signs. We immediately found a safe haven in their home. I have called Lisa my own personal angel over and over again. She just always knows what the emotional needs are for all of us – and she is right there with the answer.

Lisa and Charlie have become Aunt and Uncle to our 3 kids, and remain Aunt and Uncle to even Kari who was only here for 3 months, and to Kristi who was here for 5 months. They will remain Aunt and Uncle for a lifetime. They are family to us, and when we just need a place to let our hair down and be ourselves, we know where to go.

When one moves to a new country, the logistics are incredible. Herbert has been there from the first day, solving problems – and he still solves them today. He filed all our paperwork for Kevin’s work permit, our residency permits and our rental agreement. He comes and picks us up whenever we need an appointment with the Alien Police or the municipality. He spent hours getting our wireless internet connected. He solved a big problem with our driver’s licenses and car insurance just last week. I’m not sure what one does moving to a foreign land without a Herbert. Herbert and his wife Caroline are our neighbors and friends as well, which lasts longer than all the paperwork!

Walter put together an amazing crew of folks who helped us do everything we needed to move into our home. We’ve written about this before, but moving in Europe is like moving into new construction – minus the flooring and light fixtures and wiring, and still needing paint. After six weeks of hard work the place was ready to move into, and then came the Ikea furniture assembly. Imagine an entire house full of assembled furniture! No small task. Kari assembled almost all our furniture, single handedly.

Mariel saved the day for Kenny. She turned his room into a Lord of the Rings room – and turned his mourning (over moving from Lisa and Charlie’s) into dancing (over an extreme makeover in his new room).

We have been loved and welcomed with open arms by the entire church body here in Holland, and our community from home (Minnesota home), still surrounds us with prayers, support, email, slow mail, and even visits! We love our community in Minnesota just as much today, probably more actually, than we did the day we left.

When Kristi started her DTS with YWAM, one of the girls still needed money for her visa. As the kids were praying for her, one of the leaders said to the team; “When you pray, be prepared to be a part of the answer”. And they were.

We have been blessed abundantly, and are thankful for each one who has played a part in God's answers to our prayers.

It Happened Last Saturday

2007-05-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

Originally posted by Kevin, February 23, 2006

It happened last Saturday…

A family of five, each person in a different country. Now, leaving the cozy confines of the Midwest for a new home in a new city across the Atlantic is one thing. But to have each family member dispersed to a different nation - that for us is a little weird.

Kari, as you may know is back in the USA, resettling in the Twin Cities. And Kristi is in Harpenden, England completing a discipleship school with Youth With A Mission. Last Saturday while Kathy was home in The Hague, The Netherlands Kenny was in Switzerland with a large group of missionary kids at a Christian Associates snowboard camp and Kevin was over in Belgium with a buddy from Minnesota. Five family members in five different countries all at once.

Okay, for some of you world travelers, that may not sound like a big deal. But for the stay-at-home-Johnson’s, realizing that was a bit strange.

In one sense it is a reflection of living in Europe. It wouldn’t be noteworthy back in the US to have us all in different states. Kenny skiing in Wisconsin, Kari at school in Iowa (like that would happen), Kristi at school in Colorado and Kathy at a conference in Chicago. (Notice that in this example I am the stay at home guy.) But it is also a reflection of our new life.

One of the hardest transitions for Kathy and me, and we did see this coming, is the impact this move has on our daughters. At a time when they are stretching their wings in big ways it is nice to have the old familiar nest to return home to from time to time. We can no longer reasonably provide that. We aren’t sure how much that matters to our girls, but to us it’s a big deal. It creates in Kathy and me a greater sense of letting go than we would otherwise embrace. A greater sense of trusting God to be that home base in our daughters’ lives.

Five on five. Maybe next year we’ll go for continents.

I am An Alien

2007-05-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

Originally posted by Kevin, February 1, 2006

I am an alien. I have never felt that before. I think it is good for me. My legal status here in The Netherlands is fine. And no, I am not a fleshy headed mutant from the fourth sector (dumb line from Strange Brew). But for the first time in my life I begin to understand the words of the apostles when they write of this world not being our home.

Life has been good to me. I have had my share of mess ups, big and small, and painfully experienced the consequences. But by and large I have really enjoyed my 48 years on this planet. It feels like home. I take an approach to life that says whatever you are up to – have fun. We Christ followers ought to be the most joyful people on the earth. Not that I don’t take life seriously. I just think it ought to be fun. And I have mostly found it to be so.

So when Hebrews 11:13 and 1 Peter 2:11 talk about our being aliens and strangers on this earth, and when preachers have preached about that (or “praught” as my daughter insists), I have nodded agreement like a good seminary graduate knowing that that is a theologically correct concept. But it never really landed. I like it here. Earth suits me fine. I can move about in it quite comfortably. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness can feed my soul more than a month of sermons. Last week I was able to end a conference in France by spending a day up in the alps. You should have heard me whooping it up standing above the clouds gazing at the morning sun painting the snow covered peaks in soft orange. I like my Minnesota house; sliding down the back hill with Kenny in winter; raking the leaves into the woods in spring and fall. I love sitting on my patio around a fire talking with friends past midnight about life and God. Alien-schmaelien.

Then I up and moved to a place where I really don’t belong. People are glad I am here. It is not that they don’t like me. And if there is any foreign language country in which to fit with only English this is it. I know I may feel differently once I make some history here, but this is not my home. I am a stranger. For the first time I can relate to Paul saying (Phil 3:20) that our citizenship is elsewhere.

It’s a good lesson to learn. In my familiar surroundings, which I’ve enjoyed to the max, I am prone to forget that I am primarily a spiritual being with eternity in my heart. Now the longings I feel are to me a beacon, a signal, a reminder for yearnings that run deeper than this dusty earth.

Being an alien isn’t always fun. But it creates a heavenly yearning that those who walked with Jesus 2000 years ago understood well. Jesus, come get us.

Christmas and New Year in Holland

2007-05-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

Origianally posted Jan 10, 2006

The holiday season in Holland begins with great anticipation of “Sinterklaas". Sinterklaas makes his arrival by boat from Spain on November 23rd, bearing gifts. Each Dutch child puts a wooden shoe out on the doorstep, and every few days from the 23rd to the 5th of December Sinterklaas leaves a small gift in the shoe- candy, a book, maybe some crayons. With each gift is attached a small poem personalized to each child about the gift they've received. The big gifts are left for the kids on the night of the 5th- the night all the children anticipate the most! These gifts are the ones most like the ones American children would be given on Christmas. Kevin's sister Kathy was here visiting us for Thanksgiving, and she left us all with (stockings, not shoes) full of Sinterklaas gifts for December 5, complete with poems attached to each gift. So thanks to our first US visitor, we enjoyed our 1st Dutch holiday quite nicely!

After Sinterklaus has come and gone, the shopping frenzy dies down and Christmas comes quietly. Christmas in Holland is quite different than in the USA. It is far less commercial, and thus a lot less stressful, though we missed the sights and sounds of Christmas out and about. We did go for a one day trip to Munster, Germany where we spent the day at one of the many German Christmas markets. It was fun to be in the outdoor market and see all the lights and decorations.

We spent Christmas Eve first at church, then home just the 5 of us, Kevin, Kathy, Kristi, Kenny and Kristi's visiting friend Kristina. Al and Deela and the kids came over and Christmas Day after the morning service at church, and we had a great meal and an afternoon of fun, including spending a lot of time dancing with Kenny’s new “Dance, Dance Revolution” play station game. Even Kevin and Al joined in the fun! The day after Christmas, Kristi and Kristina's friend, Dani, joined us for another week and a half.

New Years Eve is something unlike you would ever see in the USA. We were told there would be a lot of fireworks, but our minds sure didn't conjure up the picture of what the night was actually like. At midnight we went outside, and were completely surrounded with fireworks from every direction. It sounded like a war zone and the place was thick with smoke. Any and all kinds of fireworks are legal, from 10 am until 2:00 am, and every kind of firework imaginable goes off in every direction and from every direction. It is quite a sight. I think most dog owners must need to put their dogs on tranquilizers. We’ve been told that about 50 million euros go up in smoke during those four hours. So, our New Year came in with a bang.

Another holiday tradition here is a food called Oliebollens (oil balls). These are clumps of dough deep fried and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. The history of this treat goes way back in years when people were quite poor, but wanted to find something economical yet festive that would fill the stomach. The tradition has stuck. One man from the church fried up 250 oliebollens the day before New Years Eve, and brought some over to our home on New Years Day.

Holiday Open House

2007-04-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

Originally Posted January 3, 2006

We hosted an open house for the neigbors a couple of Sunday's prior to Christmas. It is pretty customary here for people to leave you alone when you move into a new neighborhood unless you make the first move. If you do not, they will figure you want your privacy and will not make much eye contact or say hello. So, we threw a big open house and invited over 38 families. It was a great success. We had over 40 people come and most stayed all afternoon rather than just dropping in. When we weren't engaged in conversation or refilling the food tables, we just watched in amazaement. We heard some neighbors telling one another that they had lived here for 7 years, or even 20 years - and had not met any neighbors yet. They were all very appreciative of the initiative we took in getting everyone together. By the end of the afternoon, some were even pondering other neighborhood gatherings that might happen in the future.

Journal Entry - Kathy

2007-04-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Originally posted December 1, 2005

After 6 weeks, we finally were able to move into our home. It was actually hard to leave the Allmon's place, we had grown quite comfortable there. We all enjoyed one another a lot. One nice thing is that when we go over there to visit now, Einstein (the poodle), greets us as one of his own. We get to "dog sit" Einstein next week while Charlie and Lisa are away. We want to get a dog sometime in the future, so we'll have to make sure we get a dog that Einstein will get along with.

Yesterday we got our phone, television, and internet connected. It is wonderful to be connected to the world again. We also bought a car that I just love. Its a cute little Red Ford Focus and even has CD controls on the steering wheel! I'm sure Kevin would describe the car a bit differently than I, but that's what I love about the car.

Mostly, I am amazed at what God does each and every day. Every day I could list the tangible things God has done. Sometimes it seems that all I have to do is give the Lord my request and it is met supernaturally within a day or two.

I put out a prayer request about 3 weeks ago for God's grace in the tremendous amount of building, construction, assembly, and clean up that needed to be done in order to get into our home. Just 12 hours later, Charlie (who we were still living with) sensed my weariness at the incredible mess. The next day he showed up at the house and was busy cutting boxes down from all our furniture assembling and hauling them away for us. That same day a crew of about 5 new people showed up at the house and were busy with wiring, construction, painting, you name it. This continued on for a week and we were able to get into the house. True Community in action!

Before we moved into our home Kenny was feeling very sad about leaving Allmon's home. He had grown to really love them, their home, and Einstein. I asked a few people to pray with me that the move would go well for him. Within 24 hours a wonderful young woman from the church called me and said: "With your permission I'd like to turn Kenny's room into a Lord of the Rings room." Needless to say I said a hearty "Yes". Kenny was so thrilled at his surprise and made the transition wonderfully, thanks to Mariel!

Two days ago in my Mom's In Touch prayer group (a prayer group of moms who pray for one specific school, the teachers, and their children weekly) I prayed that some nice kids would begin to reach out to Kenny. The next evening Kenny got an invitation to a sleep over with 2 other boys.

Almost daily, at least several times a week, there are stories like this. I watch God do so much around me. I can only think that at a time in my life when the "internals" are challenging that God lets his presense be known in incredible ways with the "externals".

Journal Entry - Kathy

2007-04-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

Originally posted November 4, 2005

Last week we sent Kari back home to the states. It was very sad to say goodbye, but it is time for her to get on with her goals, get a good job, save money and get back to school in the fall. We are so thankful for the time she was here with us. Kari brought so much joy to the home, was great moral support and a wonderful resourse for so much. She painted, shopped, helped picked colors for the walls, assembled furniture, taught me how to navigate busses, trains, and trams. And mostly, she was just a joy to have with us. Next month we will say goodbye to Kristi when she starts YWAM, it is hard to think of both the girls being gone. I am savoring the rest of this month with Kristi, and I'm thankful she will be on the same continent and we will be able to see her once a month or so.

Yesterday, Sunday, December 4, we were invited to a farewell taco feast for a young couple at Lisa and Charlie's house. The group saying goodbye was the Antillian Community from chruch. We absolutely had a wonderful time meeting lots of people in our Crossroads Community that we haven't gotten to know yet. Towards the end of the afternoon, out came the keyboard, bongos, guitar, and tamborine and we had a sweet time of worship. If any of you reading this have heard Ephram Smith's sermon entitled "A Sneak Preview of Heaven" - this time of worship exemplified his sermon to be sure. For each song we sang first in English, then in Dutch, then in Spanish, and finished off in the native tongue of the Antilians - the language is called Papiamento. It's a combination of Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, Dutch, African & Indian dialects. Thankfully we had words in all the different languages typed up, and we really enjoyed attempting worship in all the languages.

Today I needed to run some errands at the store and get some groceries. Here is a typical day of errands. I got out my shed key and took out my bike. I made sure I had a jacket with a hood on, because even though it was sunny when I left, you never know when that will change. Today was no different. It started raining half the way to the mall. The weather is warmer today, though my hands were a bit cold when they got wet in the rain. I should have brought gloves.

The mall is very close, within walking distance, but I prefer biking because I have saddlebags on my bike and I don't have to carry so much home. I only take the car if I will have too much for the saddlebags or pull cart. In terms of ease of driving and finding a parking spot, it is a bit like driving around Rosedale mall, so biking or walking is much faster and easier. I leave my bike in a gated security place outside of the grocery store, as my American bike would be a target for bike theft, which is quite big here. I have another bike that I take when I want to go somewhere that does not have a secure area to leave it, but the ride is much more difficult (probably better exercise though). I have a cover for my bike seat so that I don't have to sit on a wet bike seat when I am done shopping. People bike all through the winter here, in the rain, sleet, hail, and cold.

Hope you enjoy another little taste of Holland.
Totziens (which means goodbye).

Kathy

Everything I Needed to Learn About Life in Holland

2007-04-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

Originally posted November 1, 2005

Everything I needed to learn about Holland I learned in the first 6 weeks.
(from Kathy's perspective)

Actually, I’ve still got a lot more to learn – but it sounded like a catchy title. What I have learned so far:

I have learned that bicycles rule, over cars and pedestrians, and probably even airplanes.

I have learned not to walk on the red bricks lest I get the little “ding” from a bicycle bell.

I have learned how to make guttural sounds when pronouncing the “g” sound.

I have learned that "Doorgand Verkeer" means "the way out", which is good to know when one is lost on the road.

I have learned that even people who have lived in Holland for 10 years get lost in Den Haag.

I have learned to always have an umbrella or raincoat with a hood handy.

I have learned the difference between pink strippenkarts and blue strippenkarts.

I have learned that it is safe in this country to allow my 12 year old son take city busses to and from school and ride his bike long distances in an urban setting.

I have learned that 19 and 21 year olds are much better at figuring out how to navigate busses, trains, and trams than 40 plus year olds.

I have learned to appreciate the memory of sufficient electrical outlets, and how to get along with extension cords and buzz bars instead.

I have learned that European homes have nicer bathtubs than United States homes, and that they help to soothe a stressful day.

I have learned that small cars are easier to wiggle around the streets with than mini-vans.

I have learned to say: “May I speak English?” anytime I enter a shop or make a local business phone call.

I have learned that alstublieft means “here you are”, “your welcome”, “have a good day”, “please” as well as other meanings that I am most likely not yet aware of.

I have learned to say things like: “I had a lovely time” and the “meal was very nice”.

I have learned that “basterd suiker” means brown sugar.

I have learned to take a food dictionary with me to the market.

I have learned to take lessons from my 3 children:

From Kari – I am learning what true servant hood means. Kari is serving her family each and every day; whether it is assembling furniture, figuring out how Kenny can take a bus to school and teaching he and I, offering moral support in the low times, pitching in with any project she can bite off and do around the house, riding her bike to the market for groceries, and always putting a good spin on things that go wrong.

From Kristi – I am learning what faith and trust in God is all about. She is an inspiration to me. Read her latest website entry and you’ll see what I mean.

From Kenny – I am learning what true courage looks like. I am amazed as I watch him starting a new school in a new country with a great attitude. I am amazed as he tackles city busses when it is 7:30 am, pitch dark, rainy, and cold. He amazed me as he boarded a tour bus with a few hundred other kids for a week long field trip after being in a new school for only 4 days. He amazed me just 2 days ago when he saddled his own bike (that was just assembled the day prior) and rode quite a distance along bike paths in a new country - all alone. He amazes me as he interacts with confidence with so many new adults as well as kids.

I have learned that God reaches down in very tangible ways over and over again, through his people. (Read more about this on a future web-posting).

What I have not yet learned is how to take all of this wrapped up together and let it sink deep into my soul. I am learning that it is a lot easier to talk of giving my life away and of following Jesus when I am in the home I love, surrounded by the familiar, residing in the country that I know how to navigate, and doing life with family and the friends I have grown to know and love over many years of time.

Most of all, I have learned that God is very good, and that He definitely answers prayer.

Kristi's reflections

2007-04-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

Originally posted on Oct 26, 2005

Sitting here at the computer, I look around and see that I’m missing a few things. I’m missing a pair of shoes. I don’t remember which pair, but I’m fairly certain I packed one more pair than I unpacked.

I’m missing Target. I miss wandering the long aisles, finding things I’ve never seen before and suddenly realizing I can’t live without them.

I’m missing my friends. I’m missing the freedom to be myself without running the risk of making some sort of impression on someone.

And I’m missing my comfy relationship with God. The one I’m experiencing right now is scary, uncertain, and at times it even seems treacherous. Back in Minnesota my life was going well, and God fit comfortably into the picture. Nowadays my life is completely turned upside down, and I’m finding that God needs to be the whole picture. I’m not used to this state of utter dependence, and I am not yet sure how I feel about it. In this time in my life I am reminded of C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, in which Lucy asks Mr. Tumnus about Aslan, “Is he-is he safe?” Mr. Tumnus replies, “Safe? Course he isn’t safe. But he is good.”

In my loss of my former life, and the uncertainty of my future, right now I feel anything but safe. But my God is good. The past months of me and my family’s lives are living proof that God like Aslan- he is not safe, but let me tell you- he is good!

I see his goodness when I stand and watch the support of the Crossroads community here. Support in painting, assembling furniture, and other random acts of kindness. My mother was blessed to tears the other day when a woman in the church came by with a bagful of “American” cooking items that can’t be found here- Crisco, chocolate chips, and various other things. An older lady came up to me in church a few days ago and handed me an envelope with “pocket money” in it for me, Kari, and Kenny, with the message to be happy. She simply said that she knew this had been hard for us, leaving our friends, and she wanted to give us a gift. She ran away without saying her name before my shock could wear off.

“Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard: he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. For you, O God, tested us: you refined us like silver....we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance....Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” Psalm 66:8-12, 20.

I see his goodness simply by the fact that I have strength to remain standing, not standing in fear and defeat but standing in victory!

“For we know that in all this we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

......here’s to the goodness of God!

The Dunes

2007-04-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

The Dunes are on the coast of the North Sea by The Hague. It is a beautiful area. We enjoyed a Sunday afternoon here with some new friends

Gone to the Dogs

2007-04-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

First posted October 25, 2005

Have you ever sat in a room at the veterinarian clinic and looked at one of those posters of all the different dog breeds? I have. And I have wondered, in a world of Golden Retrievers, Black Labs and an occasional poodle where are all these other types of dogs? I mean the weird ones like the wiener dog with long, coarse boar bristle type hair. Or the goofy looking white thing with black spots that doesn’t really have a head. On the end of its neck is a big snout with two eyes on the side and a mouth underneath. I don’t know the breed names. I couldn’t tell you what to call the big polar bear fur rescue dog (not the Saint Bernard). Wouldn’t know what to call the midsized long haired thing with no visible eyes that the old lady walks late at night. But I have found them all. And they are doing quite well in the Netherlands.

Cats must have it rough here. Since I do not like cats don’t take that for sympathy. In fact my favorite bumper sticker over here so far is “I like cats - they taste like chicken.” But this place is pooch central. Big dogs, little dogs. Skinny little sticks and massive things held back by a cable. Hairy Chewbacca types and dainty fluff balls. If you want to make friends here, walk a dog. The Dutch love their doggies. And they will like yours too.

But, typical for Dutch culture, we’ll have no dogs out of line. When walking in The Hague Forest one notices dogs everywhere. Almost all of them off leash being well behaved. I have always been a dog lover. And I have always enjoyed that dogs can sense who likes them and that they immediately warm up to me. But here when a pooch is on the trail in the forest twenty paces ahead of its master even if we look eye to eye and I tap my leg in an invite to a rub on the head they just saunter right by like I don’t exist. They are so well behaved they don’t even chase the ducks. That’s a little disappointing. The ducks and geese here are fat and lazy.

Our good friends, the Allmons, have a very American dog. Einstein is a poodle mix with a mind of his own. Ask him to come and he looks the other way. Ignore him and he’ll jump on your lap. Basically, he does what he wants when he wants. But he is so darn cute doing it that you can’t help but love him. In the forest one time, Einstein was on leash. He’d be dead in a minute if it were otherwise. A very Dutch woman watched him for a while. When the person walking him brought him near the lady quipped, “We have schools here for dogs like that one.”

We’re thinking of getting a pooch when things settle down. I am hoping for a Dutch-American breed, one that obeys when I want it to but is a fun rascal, too. Or maybe I’ll just train it to chase the ducks. Then when I get scolded for its misbehavior I can pretend to be appalled. But the next time your sitting at the vet’s staring at the chart, they are over here. All dogs go to Holland.

A Day in Den Haag

2007-04-30T08:20:00.001-07:00

First posted October 14, 2005

A Day in Hen Haag from Kathy's Perspective

Unlike Kevin's day, my day starts quite early. I am up by 6:30 am, not too unreasonable. I am showered and dressed by 7:00 and rouse Kenny at that time. Thirty minutes later he and I make the adventurous trek to his school. His school is located in a little village called Wassenar. Wassenar is about a 12 minute drive in the middle of the day, but in the morning the drive can range from 25 - 50 minutes long, one way. Eventually Kenny will bike in decent weather. We still have to get his bike assembled and "dutched" up. He should be able to bike to school in about 30 minutes.

On days that I don't have to be somewhere right away at 9:00, I come home and have breakfast and a cup of tea before starting my day. Every day has a different set of tasks to be done. Today the first 90 minutes were spent on the phone (the first 60 minutes I was on hold) with the internet company. We hear that everyone has a difficult time getting their internet service hooked up, and it looks as though we are not escaping this common plight.

After this accomplishing this phone call, I went to our house and took a stack of mail to a neighbor to translate for me, which then prompted another set of
business to take care of. After taking care of that business, I successfully found a "house doctor, or hoisart" to register with. Next I went to the store to buy bedding for our newly assembled beds from Ikea. After 6 hours of shopping, working at the house, and phone details - I head back to Wassenar to pick Kenny up from school.

Tonight was spent getting together with some friends and a nice dinner, and as they would say here: "we had a lovely time".

That was today, and most days are quite full with tasks helping us to move closer to living in our home. Moving into a rental property here is somewhat like being in the final stages of building your own home. You acquire the keys to your place that will have cement walls and cement floor, kitchen sink and
cupboards, and wires hanging from the ceiling for light fixtures. That is it, nothing else. We were lucky and able to purchase the carpeting from the
former renter. We did put in a kitchen floor and did some remodeling in the kitchen - projects which are still in process.

We need to buy what they call "kaasts" of various sizes and shapes in which to store our things. There are no closets here, so you need to buy your closet
space. So much of my time is spent taking measurments and shopping.

Every day also entails a daily trip to the market. I walk to the market, carrying my own shopping bag or pull cart, and buy groceries for the evening meal and whatever else we need. I must say that I enjoy being able to leave the house for the store and have dinner on the table 40 minutes later, if I choose an easy meal to fix. The small stores without so many choices are nice. No Cub Foods grocery lines to battle, though a lot of guess work goes on in the grocery
store aisles trying to figure out what products are. I look at the pictures and try and figure out the words based on the few I have learned so far. I have
learned that you need to always have 50 cents with you so you can get a shopping cart, and that you return all your bottles to the back of the grocery store and
get a slip of paper giving you $ off of your purchase.

Every day I learn new things. At the dinner table we all can ask one another: "what did you learn today"? I love to learn new things and daily life is always a learning experience, whether it is dutch customs, language, banking, trams, customer service issues, the metric system, or finding my way to a new place.

I am learning to take care of most of our "business". All the banking is on-line here, it is a paperless system. You have a little thing that looks like a toy
palm pilot that you use to interact with the computer and move your money from your own account to whoever you may owe money to. You pay all your bills on-line and all other banking business. As soon as you use your pin card (like a debit card), your balance changes on-line. The entire site is in Dutch, so a
woman from the church sat with me and taught me how to navigate the web site and I have made myself an extensive dictionary to help me each time I work with our finances.

I haven't done as much biking, busses, trams, and trains as the others, because I usually have the car. I have learned to never turn right on red (a very
strict law here), always look over my right shoulder for bikes when turning on a green, and looking 360 degrees anytime I switch lanes to make sure there are
no bikers in my path. I have played chicken with the trams, accidentally driven on a tram only street, and been lost on numerous occasions.

Directions are very interesting. No one uses street names to tell you how to get somewhere, which is because streets change their names about every 3
blocks or so. Plus the street names are typically 15 - 25 letters long. So I find my way around by looking for landmarks and signs that point me in the direction of a general area. There are no square blocks. If you miss a turn you can not simply go "around the block". Instead you weave in different directions and may or may not ever land back where you started from.

I also find time every week to schedule some fun activities. Lunch or tea out with a friend (yes, I am beginning to make some friends), a weekly prayer group
with some women from Kenny's school, and a weekly meeting for international people to teach things one needs to know about while living in this country. The other thing that has been wonderful is staying with our most gracious hosts, Charlie and Lisa. Charlie and Lisa have been putting up with our crazy family of five since we have arrived. We have become one big happy family, and I'm afraid we will all go through a bit of separation anxiety when we move out, hopefully in just a day or two now. We enjoy relaxing in the evening, many times over a meal, then in the living room. It has been wonderful to have them as we transition into life here before being all on our own.

The biggest stretch for me is probably the "urban-ness" of The Hague. I am more of a "country girl" than a "city girl". Thankfully, there are pockets of green spaces that I am able to find during the day for some "breathing" space and refreshment of my spirit.

I hope this gives you a little taste of daily life for me, here in The Hague.

Kathy

A Day in Den Haag

2007-04-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

First Posted on Oct 12, 2005

A day in Den Haag (Dutch for The Hague) from the Perspective of Rev Kev

One of the things I like most about the start of a day here is it is later than in the States. Kenny would argue about that because he is off to school sometimes before I am even up. But I am usually the first one in the office at Crossroads. Being a night owl, that is unusual for me. I get in between 8 and 9 and no one else shows up until 9:30 or later. But I am ahead of myself.

Breakfast almost feels American. A bowl of cereal, usually a granola type thing, a piece of fruit, maybe a piece of toast and a glass of juice. I can't find my favorite cereal - Honey Bunches of Oats - but the granola is good. If we have run out of fruit, not to worry. I simply take a different route to the office. Instead of walking straight down Bezuidenhoutsweg (I won't even try to type the pronunciation), normally a five minute walk, I cruise one block over to Theresiastraat, walk by a fresh fruit stand and buy a peach, plum or banana with my pocket change and finish breakfast on the way to work.

I have to say I really enjoy the walking or biking most places. The distances are not long. The break is invigorating. And with the type of rain we have had here, you can just wait a bit and the sun pops out and then you can get to your next place.

The office is well, an office. But if we have a meeting tea or coffee is a must. One very small cup and a biscuit (cookie/cracker type thing - really more of a large crumb). And only one of those, even if you are starving because it would be rude to have two. At my last place of ministry, put a large platter of cookies out and they are gone in two minutes. Here you'd toss the leftovers after two weeks.

I get to work in a cool Dutchy building. I know nothing of its history, or whether it even has one. But it is of typical Dutch architecture. My office has a tall ceiling, one big window, another small one and a nice damp smell they can't get rid of. The big window is funky in that it opens two ways. Turn the handle half way and it swings wide open on two left hinges. Turn the handle all the way and it opens from the top about six inches as a vent. The Dutch are clever with a lot of things like that.

Last week I was sitting in my office with my associate, Jack. All of a sudden out the big window a SWAT team van pulls up and stops. Out pile a dozen decked out officers with helmets, shields, the whole nine yards. They run from the back of the van and spread across the sidewalk and street in combat ready position. Jack kinda freaked. I couldn't get him out from under my desk. And there wasn't room for both of us. Then they started walking out of view. Just then we notice several more SWAT vans pull up.

Turns out it was a training exercise. We went out the door in Jack's office and there were people everywhere. I so wanted to get a picture of me standing with my hands in the air right in front of a row of them but no camera was to be found. You'll just have to picture it in your mind's eye.

Across the street from our office is The Haagse Bos, or The Hague Forest. Think of it as Central Park. (The Queen, Beatrix, lives there which is why we speculate the SWAT training was on our side street.) It is full of trails for biking and walking. It even has a few horse trails. There are open spaces with little lakes, a canal/river or two and lots of woods. When I want to pray or clear the cobwebs from my brain, I will scoot across the street and walk for a while. Some days Kathy will join me for a walk. Then I'll take an hour or so. We are finding it very important to be intentional about our marriage. It takes more work to be a good spouse in a strange culture than in your own. So we are trying to keep it an every day priority.

For lunch I will bring in leftovers or a sandwich. Or head back to Theresiastraat for something to make a sandwich. This little shopping street has all you need - a cheese shop that wreaks of cheese we'll never eat, a butcher, several fruit and vegetable shops, flower shops of course, and a couple of small grocery stores. The groceries can be a challenge. Sometimes you have to guess what kind of meat you are getting. But it is always fresh and good quality. If the produce is being sold by weight and not unit you have to weigh it and put a ticket on before getting to the check out. I found this out the hard way. People were rather annoyed that I was holding up the line, but I was having trouble understanding that the checkout girl was telling me to go over there and weigh it and get a ticket. I had previously shopped at a big store that weighed the stuff right at the scanner, just like in the States. Fortunately, the guy behind me recognized me for the ignorant newbie that I was and helped me out. Outside the store afterward we had a nice little conversation and he gave me some more pointers. Back to lunch. If I am feeling particularly indulgent I walk to either the fish and chips stand or the loempia (Filipino egg rolls) stand.

Both are very much my grease quota for the month and very much worth it.

Back at the office I fill my days with sermon prep, digging into the details of what our team is working on and planning for the growth of this spiritual community. I love it.

These days, after work I hop on a bike and bike over to our house. Currently I am assembling a bunch of Ikea furniture. I had no idea a headboard for a bed could come in a bunch of pieces. But Kari, Kristi and I are getting good at slamming stuff together. We should be in our place by this weekend. But you have heard that before.

Biking is great. You basically rule the road. The law is simple. Hit a biker, you're at fault. The locals have gotten used to and take advantage of this policy. I question the logic. I mean, even if a car driver is at fault I see the biker as a bit more vulnerable. The one thing I have yet to see is a biker defiantly flying down the wrong side of the road. But just about anything else goes. Many streets have separate bike lanes next to the sidewalk. We about got run over several times the first days here by bikers who did not like us pedestrians being in their lane. The funny thing is all they give you is a little ding of their bell. I have come to understand, however, that it means a bit more than a quick tap of a car horn. The ding is more of a polite middle digit.

The other night Kristi and I did a very Dutch thing. After a night of assembling furniture I gave her a ride back to Allmon's (our unbelievably patient and gracious hosts) on the back of my bike. There she was sitting sideways on that little flat watchamacallit-for-hauling-stuff with her ankles crossed looking like a Dutch girl out for a ride. We were a scene.

Every Sunday I bike to the church services because I go in earlier than my family. I score big points with the locals who see me. I just find it refreshing. But then again the weather has been fabulous.

The evening meal here is much later than the States. For us back home 6:00 was late. Here 7:30 or 8:00 is more normal. We are eating well. We have figured out how to enjoy our favorites like fajitas, lasagna and even homemade kung pao chicken. TV is not really a draw. But we have enjoyed popping in a movie a few times.

I hope that gives you a snapshot of our life here. Stay tuned for more in the days ahead.

Cricket

2007-04-30T08:11:00.001-07:00

First posted on Sept 9, 2005

Hey this is Kenny, today is Friday and I just got back from Hans and Frans a bakery that's like a 5-minute walk from the place we are staying. (And wish we were livivg there also) I don't have school today because I just got back from what they call project 6 which is like a 4 day field trip!!!!!! My arm is really sore from playing so much Cricket. what you've never heard of cricket!!! Well I'll tell you about it then. Cricket is the British version of baseball or maybe the other way around I'm not sure which one but one of them. Anyways there is a bowler, which is like a pitcher who will try to knock the wickets off of 3 poles sticking out of the ground by bouncing the ball off the ground before the batter from behind the other side of another set of wickets. There are also 2 batters, one at each set of wickets and to they'll try to hit the ball and score a run. You get 1 run for each time each batter get to the other set of wickets. To get an out you need to hit a wicket off the poles you need 3 outs to get your team up at bat. Cricket is a very, very high scoring game.

See Ya,
Kenny