Days with Desmond

No, the photo to the left is not of Desmond. It is my beautiful wife, preparing for said Desmond's arrival. Fortunately, by Monday Liesbeth was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (strictly a metaphor). There was no saying her nay; her days of being "sentenced" to the couch were certainly finished. That morning and early afternoon we made a few final preparations to make Desmond's stay with us as comfortable as possible.

These last few days, Liesbeth and I have enjoyed Desmond's company. He arrived in Schiphol on Monday afternoon. (I was quite pleased with myself that I managed to drive to and from without losing the way.) It's taken some time to learn how to get around on the highways. Like in the USA, the highway signs help drivers navigate by giving the names of the cities that lie ahead. If you don't know all the city names, they don't prove very helpful. (And I find the signs to be much smaller and less well lit, but I'll stop complaining.) I'm finally becoming acquainted with the lay of the cities about the land, so driving isn't so difficult as it once was.

It's been a lot of fun to have a guest from home. It's gratifying to share some of the local sights with a friend. Liesbeth is really enjoying his sense of humor, too. Yesterday, we (Desmond and I) visited Gouda together using the quintessentially Dutch mode of transportation: the bicycle. I think one such cultural experience will suffice for Desmond. He was quite happy that when we traveled to Rotterdam today, we took the train. In Rotterdam, we visited an art museum and some shops (namely, a book store). Desmond wanted to cook a meal for us, so he purchased a cookbook and tomorrow we will happily surrender the kitchen to him and our palates will await the delights he'll serve. Flavors don't post so deliciously, but perhaps I'll be able to post some photos of our meal together.

Attitude of Gratitude

After my morning walk, I bought a copy of the VolksKrant. Incidentally, it's big news that the man who tackled Farouk Abdulmutallab on Flight 253 was Jasper Schuringa, a Dutchman. The Dutch Foreign Ministry is no doubt relieved that one Dutchman was able to make up for the security shortfalls of others in Schiphol. This afternoon, Desmond Strooh arrives in said airport. It'll probably be the safest airport around. I'm looking forward to spending some time with a friend from home over the next few weeks as he checks in and out of our B&B on his European travels.

As I read in Numbers over my breakfast, I was struck by how much God values gratitude and hates complaining.

And the people rose all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least gathered ten homers. And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck down the people with a very great plague.

(Numbers 11:32-33)

In the beginning of this chapter, the Israelites aired their grievances over the manna God supernaturally provided them, and they expressed their longing for the free fish of Egypt, and the cucumbers, leeks, and melons they had eaten in the days of their slavery. It's interesting that our vision often gilds the past ("Oh, things were so much better then! I wish I could go back to that point in my life!") and the paints the present in tones of grey. (I think our view of the future somehow moves between these two points of the attitudinal spectrum.)

Too often, we despise God's present provision for us. In the case of the Israelites in the wilderness, God provided them daily with manna, and then after their tirade, He gave them a month's worth of quail. The people gather the quail and lay it out to dry and cure it. And then they eat it. And then God's anger flashes and he sends a plague on the people.

Why the plague? The complaining people gathered God's provision, and then began their dinners without ever once a) acknowledging their sin of murmuring and b) acknowledging God's provision with a prayer or sacrifice of gratitude. Would this story have a different ending had the Israelites expressed gratitude?

I've wondered before why God listened to their murmuring in the first place. Why didn't He ignore them, at least until they asked nicely? The quail seem to be almost a reward for their complaining. But as much as I catch myself murmuring sometimes in thoughts and prayers, I think I should stop asking why and just be thankful God listens to me!

After reading this chapter, I stopped for a few minutes to reflect on God's blessings in my life. Truly, we have been well provided for. We have wonderful family and friends. We are healthy (Lies is feeling much better today) and we have a nice and cozy apartment. Our car runs well; our bills our paid. We have peace in our hearts. As we look back, we can see God's leadership in our lives again and again. Praise the Lord for His goodness to us!

Christmas Day

Christmas Day was special because it was the first time this week that Lies had been able to make it outside. On Monday night, she started feeling sick to her stomach. On Tuesday, she got a fever. On Wednesday, a painful sore throat, and on Thursday a cold. Poor girl. By Friday morning she was feeling well enough to go to church. (But I think she would have been stubborn enough--perhaps zealous is a more positive word--to go, even if she were feeling miserable.) I tell you, my respect for nurses has surely grown over the past week ... sometimes patients can be really strong headed. It took a great deal of supervision to keep Lies on the couch. It was a lost cause for me to keep her lying down, so I had to settle for a sitting position on the couch. After many attempts. she finally permitted me to place a cold washcloth on her warm forehead. Thankfully, at the time of this writing, the patient is feeling much better, save for a cold and a sinus headache.

We celebrated Christmas Day with a special service at church. A few weeks ago, Bro. Ab asked me if I'd minister for the Christmas service--he'd done it the past several years, and was glad to give someone else the opportunity. I spoke from Romans 8:29, that Jesus is "the firstborn among many brethren." Then, we looked at the story of Christ's birth from the book of Luke. I told the story more from the point of view from the shepherds. I imagine the native Bethlehemites were quite put out by Rome's census: their quiet little village was probably flooded with visitors. It was the City of David, and David had quite a large family, not all of whom were the most mannerly.

The shepherds were quite happy to be on the hillside away from their now noisy village. I see them sitting around the fire. Their conversation gradually drifts to the City of David, then back to Israel's golden days under that king. How different from the present, they thought. Oh, for those days to come again! But alas, God had cast them off because of the sins of their fathers. There wasn't much hope left anymore. One shepherd reminded them that they had come out of Babylon, like Jeremiah and Daniel prophesied. However, another chimed in, that was hundreds of years ago. Yes, the temple had been restored, and the walls rebuilt, but that didn't seem to matter so much now that the Romans controlled everything.... But, yes, things would be better if King David were back again.

The fire dimmed as the wood slowly burned out. Someone added another log to the fire, and the flames grew brighter and brighter and brighter. Something unusual was happening. They'd been looking at the fire so long, their eyes could perceive little, but their senses surely felt something. Gradually, they could make out the form of a man standing behind the fire. Fear gripped them, even as his words struck their ears, "Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."

The messenger surely had the shepherds' attention. He continued, "For unto you is born this day, in the City of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." What strange words! A messenger comes to tell a group of shepherds about the birth of a child ... men usually aren't so concerned about childbirths, unless, of course, it's their own. But this was different...this birth concerned the Christ, the long prophesied Messiah. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, filling the once-quiet hills with jubilant song, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men!"

The shepherds rejoiced at the angelic message and made haste to go to the city that they had just berated. The angel hadn't told them the address of the inn whose barn contained the Savior, but the shepherds gave all diligence to find him. And when they did, they worshipped. Then, they left to give testimony of the angel's message to them. Luke says that the people wondered at the shepherds' testimony. I wonder how many acted on their testimony.

I also wonder what happened to these shepherds over the next few years, and decades, as they had to wait for the baby Messiah to grow into manhood and ministry. And when they realized they truly had been sent a Savior instead of the King they hoped for, I wonder what their reaction was. Did they pursue the ministry of the Savior, even as they had pursued the angel's message into a Bethlehem barn thirty years earlier? Or did it get progressively more difficult to follow the angel's words? It was easy to project the imagination on the babe in the manger, and see a coming King. But it was probably harder to accept the teachings of an itinerant carpenter-rabbi. God sends us what we need instead of what we want. As we listen to God's messenger today, sometimes we might want something more kingly or sophisticated; but in a time of convenience and pleasure-seeking, God sent what we needed rather than what we wanted.

Luke gave sure testimony of the birth of God's firstborn in Luke 2. And in Acts 2, he gives eyewitness testimony replete with "infallible proofs" that the Christ had been reborn again and again ... in the lives of his followers. And in Revelation 3:14, John the Beloved, writes that Jesus was but the beginning of the creation of God. The firstborn is the beginning of the father's strength (Deut. 21:17) ... just the beginning. That strength continues to grow and multiply up to the present day, including even people in our own assembly. We ended with a few testimonies of how the Lord had been born in the lives of some of the local believers. It seemed a very fitting way to celebrate the birth of the Firstborn.

In the Netherlands, there is a First Christmas Day (that was yesterday) as well as a Second Christmas Day. (If you guessed that is today, you win the satisfaction of having guessed correctly.) Today, Lies and I are hosting Johan and Suzanne Vanhees (her brother-in-law and sister), and this evening, we're going to eat dinner with Chris and Susanne (her brother and sister-in-law). It should make for a pleasant and delicious day!

SNOW!

This morning, I awoke to the happy sound of children's voices. I got up to look around, and quickly discovered the cause of the (neighbor) kids' celebration: the snow! It seems that even as leaders from around the world gather north of us in Copenhagen to discuss the globe's devastating warming. I remember C.S. Lewis' observation that while children frequently enjoy the weather ("Mommy, can [sic] I please play outside in the rain?") adults usually find something to worry about. This week, Copenhagen has an unfortunate overabundance of adults.

This past weekend was a blur of activity. Liesbeth had long been wanting me to paint the dining table white, and the day finally came. We spent Saturday prepping the table and applying its first coat. My favorite moment of the day came in the shortly after noon, when Liesbeth commented, "Isn't it fun to paint together?" I just laughed and replied, "In the same way that it's fun to bike on the tandem, and canoe, yes, it is fun to paint together!" It requires but little imagination to understand why people laughed at us on our honeymoon when they saw "us" peddling "together" on the tandem bicycle! But a later, Liesbeth really did help us paint the table. Though we lack the corroborating photographic evidence, she painted one of the chairs and part of the table, too. And, I offer the photo to the right as corroborating evidence to demonstrate that, yes, it really was fun to paint together. After much arduous labor (see the corroborating photo to the left) and another full day on Monday in which I applied a second coat to said table and chairs, the project was completed. Of course, the best part was seeing the finished product, of which there is also corroborating evidence. (In case you were seeking an explanation for all the "corroborating evidence" in today's post, I've been reading Lee Strobel's chapter on corroborating evidence of the Gospels in The Case for Christ.)

As a brief postscript, I'm guessing Michelangelo began with something like a dining room table before he graduated to the Sistine Chapel. I can imagine the birth of his "contract" for the Sistine Chapel taking place when the alleged Pope visited the Michelangelo's at lunch time. Said pope was so impressed with the alleged table that he offered the artist the chapel. Of course, I lack any corroborating evidence. But my interpretations probably don't leak nearly so much water as Dan Brown's (of Da Vinci Code notoriety). Hmmm.... the clock has ticked too far for me to continue with a second postscript, but I'll try to address the kilometer tax in a later post! Besides, it probably warrants more than a postscript!

Morning Meditation

After Liesbeth left for work this morning, I went jogging in the Gouwebos park behind our apartment. (Bos = forest; the Gouwe is a river flowing by Waddinxveen.) As I jogged, I had the idea of writing reflections upon my daily devotions. In a person-to-person conversation we often discuss those newsy bits of daily life, but sometimes we go deeper into those things that are of greatest value. Perhaps this blog can also be improved by occasional meditations on our pilgrimage. (It's helpful to think of life as such!) As I occasionally muse on my daily devotions, I warmly welcome other musings to ruminate upon.

I'm currently reading through Leviticus. Chapter 11, verse 44 summarizes today's reading well:

For I am the LORD God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves,
and ye shall be holy; for I am holy:
neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing
that creepeth upon the earth.

Even though the ceremonial laws that chapter 11 describes are no longer in effect, there are certain principles which certainly are. The Law wasn't abrogated, but rather magnified: the Law underscores the existence of Clean and Unclean in the world. That has not changed, though the emphasis is more on the spiritual realm than the natural. What struck me today is how easy it was to become unclean.

The Hebrew pilgrims were surrounded by things that weren't clean (just consider the creepy crawly categories of the Unclean, as well as Rodents and Reptiles). And what about a man's best friend? The four-footed dog that walks on paws is unclean, too. If any of these creatures happens to die in your house, or on your belongings, they become unclean, as well as the person(s) who clean up the uncleanness (and the clothes worn and tools used).

It is still all too easy to become spotted by the world in which we live. That's why God intends His Word to guide every area of our lives, just as the ceremonial law did. Only by walking with Him and abiding in His Word can we fulfill the New Testament call to a holy life (I Pet. 1:15-16).

The unclean is ubiquitous (it's all over the place!). I think that's partly why God desires to permeate every portion of our life: our rising up and lying down, our goings throughout the day, and our relaxation at the end of the day (Deut. 6:5-9). May that which has the power to keep us holy and spiritually healthy gain greater preeminence in our lives!

Nice weekend

Throughout the Netherlands families celebrated Sinterklaas on Saturday. It's a uniquely Dutch holiday. Families gather together in the evening to exchange presents (or in some cases, get them from St. Nicholas, aka the neighborman). The most interesting tradition is writing poems for each other. Ideally, the poem should have something to do with the gift and how you present it. The presents don't have to be anything too expensive, but there is a significant investment of time involved in the presentation that makes it all quite special.

As wonderful as Sinterklaas must be, Liesbeth and I did not celebrate in any of the customary ways. We spent the evening very nicely together. By Saturday evening, I had spent two days studying for the Sunday morning service, so I was ready for a little diversion, which Liesbeth quite happily provided. We spent some time decorating the apartment. A week earlier, Lies put up some lights in the front windows and put a nice red table cloth on the table. But while I was studying, she went out and bought a table runner and some candles. Lots of them. As we sat on the couch that evening, I counted nearly 20 candles in the room. Of course, all of them weren't burning ... just 17 of them. Very nice atmosphere. (I've suggested installing a fire extinguisher beside the couch, but the idea went down in flames.) It's important to open a window when we blow out the candles to prevent the smoke alarm from arousing our neighbors!

This past Sunday afternoon, Liesbeth and I enjoyed the company of Chris and Susanne, along with their two children. (Chris is Liesbeth's brother, and Susanne is his wife, as well as one of Lies' good friends.) They came to view the wedding album, and have some tea with us. After church that morning, Chris told Lies they'd like to come over. It was rather ironic because just that morning, Liesbeth and I had plotted to pay them a surprise visit. But they made the first move, so we played host. It's a good thing someone said something, otherwise we both might have showed up to empty houses! I took a picture of us sitting around the couch ... or, rather, since I took the picture, it's best said that I took a picture of them sitting around the couch. I'll try to do a better job next time by somehow including myself in the photo. (Note the candles....)
Their two boys, Eelco and Jesse, were brave souls. Poor chaps ... when you're a five-and-under, it's rather difficult to visit someone's house when said someone has no toys for you to play with. Their cars occupied them for awhile, and then they went to the races themselves. They enjoy Auntie Lies, but I think the boys prefer if she and Uncle Rapp visit them!

All for now ... perhaps I can write more later this week. There is a lot of talk in the Dutch government about tossing out annual auto taxes and replacing them with user fees ... the more you drive the more you pay (especially at rush hour in areas of high population density). How's that for a cliffhanger?

Happy Thanksgiving!

On this fourth Thursday of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand and nine, I wish my family and friends a very felicitous Thanksgiving. Today, much to my American colleague's chagrin, we have language class from 12:30-2:45 in Rotterdam. (As I return home on the train, I think some turkeys will probably begin to trot around Bresler Reservoir.) Not having experienced the delights of an American Thanksgiving, the Dutch know no better than to go about their usual daily tasks. Perhaps, they weren't too sorry to see the Strangers leave their shores nearly 400 years ago. But, in all fairness, the Dutch have plenty of other holidays to satisfy their appetite for feasts and fun.

After seeing Liesbeth off to work this morning, I sipped my tea this morning and mused over Thanksgivings past. Some of our more recent celebrations are especially memorable. Last year's competition with the socks was a real winner. As I recall, Ashton and I fought off an especially fierce onslaught from Jess, but having vanquished this particularly persnickety aunt-in-law, we made peace. Our objective had been achieved. (But as I recall, I still had both of my socks on, while Ashton lacked one ... for the record.)

I've also enjoyed singing around the piano ... in the past, we've sung "We Gather Together" and "Count Your Blessings." I suppose it'll be harder to sing this year, unless someone discovers that Grandma has a piano hidden in one of the back closets. It did seem a little strange at first to sing, but I've really gotten used to it. It's a nice way to begin the day, doing something completely together, and it also brings our minds back to the One Who for all these years has kept us together.

What a pity I never got around to writing a skit on "The Shakiest Gun of the (Mid)West"! If the weather holds out today, I'm sure the neighbors will be blessed by loud popping sounds reverberating across the fields as the Alpha's go out to prove their mettle. (The real war will be going on inside, though. I wish you all the best, Ashton, as you assail Jess's battlements. Just remember, though she's a good talker, she's likely fall apart like nothing more than a house of cards.) With all the concealed-carry licenses added to the family this year, I think metal detectors should become a regular piece of furniture for large family gatherings.

I also remember participating in some kind of gift-giving ritual. (I don't remember what it's called.) Will gifts be circulating amongst the family again? As I recall, I received a CD one year (the audio kind) that had Fur Elise on it. It is a very pretty song.

Anyone for a game of CatchPhrase this year? Or perhaps Scrabble, Huggermugger, or better yet, Quibbler? If Virginia will be around, I'm sure some word game will find it's way on to a table.

I can see Jaden some years ago playing electrician, as he would move a stool around the house, visiting every light switch, so he could turn them off and on. Esther and Janessa enjoyed playing in the rooms down the hall, that is, until Daniel and Jaden drew them into a ferocious wrestling contest with Ashton, James, Bryan, or me. Might those kids be getting a little big for wrestling?

Now that I've allowed my thoughts to wander over the other side of the Pond, I’ll consider this side, since this is the side I’m on right now. What will Liesbeth and I be doing today? She’s working today, with her colleague Rimka. They are the youngest assistants in the office (the others are 50+), so Lies and Rimka tend to have a lot of fun together. This morning, I’ll go for my walk, and then work on another chapter of Dutch homework. I had one chapter almost finished before my brother called yesterday (it was very nice to talk to you, Bub). Then, I’ll hurriedly grab a PBJ before dashing off to catch the 11:28 train to Gouda, where I’ll wait for about 5 minutes (if all is running to schedule, which it often doesn’t) before setting off on the 11:46 to Rotterdam. Then, I’ll come home and settle in for some studying for this weekend’s special meetings in Germany. This evening, we will eat dinner with Ab and Anneke. (Lies was going to make Chili con Carne, one of my favorites, so I'm rather sorry to be missing that lekkernij!) Then, return home just about the time the food drops from throats to stomachs on 1616 N. Grubb Road.

Happy digesting, and an even happier Thanksgiving!

And, to reward anyone who trekked through this lengthy post, here's a picture of me with the one I'm quite thankful for on this Thanksgiving .... A picture is worth a thousand words, I know, but I couldn't resist adding a few words beneath it, in the great tradition of American romance poetry!

Rozen zijn rood,

En violetjes blauw:
Maar niets is zo lief
Als mijn prachtige vrouw!

Undutchable?

The first week of the Intermediate Dutch classes went well. The American woman (Laurie) and I were joined by a Turkish expat. It's nice to have a small class again. It's also nice not to have class 4 days/week. It was a pretty intensive pace. Now, I'm going just twice a week, which gives me time to explore the job market some.

Last night, I met with a recruiting agency in Rotterdam. The Undutchables specializes in recruiting non-Dutch candidates for jobs in business. The lady who interviewed me is a South African expat (named Petra). I think the interview went well. (It was not an interview for a job per se, but one to gather more information about me and my background so I could be entered into the Undutchables database.) Petra gave me some additional ideas of websites to explore, and she was very positive about the steps I've been taking thus far to look for work. She was impressed with my Dutch--especially given I've not been here very long--and described it in her notes as "good." I think that will help open doors. Next week, I'll probably go to visit a Dutch Reformed School in Gouda. Our wedding photographer's husband teaches there, and he encouraged me to come by. We arranged an appointment with the director of the school so we can get acquainted. Who knows what can happen there....

Legally, I can't work yet (which is nice to remember when an application is politely rejected), but I should receive my residency permit sometime next month. At our first meeting with the IND (Immigration & Naturalization Dept), Liesbeth and I were unhappily surprised that her gross salary was too low for my request for residency to be granted. We had spoken with the IND in May/June, but on July 1, the laws changed, and the minimum income was revised upward. We were 13 euros too short (that works out to about 50 cents per day!). Fortunately, Liesbeth's employer was able to work out a solution by somehow revising the accounting relationship between vacation days and gross salary. The next week, I returned to the IND. (Since we're married, Liesbeth didn't have to go with me; if we we're simply "partners," she would.) I arrived an hour early, because there was no point in returning home from Rotterdam after my class only to leave immediately for the appointment. I was so surprised when I was led directly to an agent who looked over the papers and approved everything for processing. I didn't have to wait one minute to be seen!

This afternoon, I'm going to do some household chores, and then this evening we're off to church. Stefan and I have worked out that Friday evenings are my night to be the A/V man. The sound board isn't too hard, but sometimes song projection can be difficult, as if the songleader goes off his list, I have to find some Dutch song in the listing!

Yes, it really is a post.

Now that I have probably thoroughly trained anyone who did look at this blog not to look at it because of my very infrequent posts, I write again. Liesbeth and I are still (very much) alive, which should discount one possible explanation for the cessation of posts. Four weeks ago, I enrolled in a three-week intensive course in Rotterdam. We had classes four days *** oh my, I just had a kiss from my wife! *** from 9 to noon. Then, we had 2-3 hours of homework to do in the evening. I was quite fortunate, as there were only four students in our class: one Austrian, a Greek, and two Americans (my compatriot was a fifty-two year old woman from Connecticut whose husband had been transferred to Rotterdam). On the last day of the class, we had to give a short presentation in Dutch. I spoke for 5-10 minutes on the history of Lima. Perhaps that seems a rather mundane topic, but there are some interesting links to be made. For instance, in the year of Lima's founding, Darwin began his voyage and the Belgian Revolution ended with Belgium winning independence from the Netherlands. Lima's railroads, oil, and tank plant all make for an interesting story that can be linked to both hot and cold wars. Lost in Middle America provided a nice conclusion.
Today, I began the intermediate Dutch course, which will continue for 5 weeks (I think). Liesbeth has also been doing some studying, taking a diabetes course one evening per week. She had a busy day today at the office because hundreds of people came for the H1N1 vaccination. Not a fun day at the office. But now we are home, and all is well. The tea has steeped, and I shall now depart. But hopefully, I shall return before several weeks have again lapsed.

Happy Birthday!

This morning shortly after 3AM I turned 28 years old. Liesbeth and I had a very romantic breakfast together. While I was in the bathroom, she lit some candles on the dining room table. I went to sit in my chair, only to discover a present there. Inside, I found a handsome new shirt. (Since I am beset by color blindness, I will not hazard a description of said shirt.) I had a nice walk this morning, and then sat down in my office to read my Bible and study some. I'm preaching this Friday evening, so I prepare for service each day. This evening, some of our family will come over to congratulate us (she has her birthday next week, on the 28th) on our long lives, and to eat the cake Liesbeth made last night. The latter reason may take precedence. At lunch today, I asked what happens at Dutch birthday parties. As already indicated, your friends/family come over on your birthday (even if you don't ask them too), and they bring a small present with them. They may sing, but they definitely eat snacks. In fact, there's even one Dutch birthday song to the effect, "Happy birthday to you, we're so happy you had a birthday, though really we just wanted to eat your snacks." (Pardon the loose, unpoetic translation.) The lyrics' practicality more than compensate for their limited sentimentality. But there is also the ubiquitous "Happy birthday to you," to which all ears are accustomed, though to fit the polysyllabic "Gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag" to the tune requires a tongue Peter Piper could be proud of!

Three-week anniversary

Yesterday marked our three-week anniversary. Liesbeth made a nice dinner, of chicken cordon bleu, with potatoes and salad. It was quite delicious. For dessert, we had a kind of yogurt they call kwark, with a fruit sauce. (The dictionary's translation of kwark is cream cheese, but it's not really what we think of cream cheese. It has the texture--that is, it's a quasi-liquid--but isn't as sweet as yogurt, hence the fruit sauce. Sometimes, we put a spoonful (or two) of jam into the kwark. Later last evening, Liesbeth's sister Suzanne, from Belgium, stopped by for a visit. Her husband is working in Germany this week, which provided her an opportunity to visit Holland without the guilt of having abandoned her husband. We had a nice time together; we especially enjoyed looking at the pictures of the wedding that Pamela Cupples from Scotland posted on her website (location unknown to me).

Mom and Dad sent a birthday package last week, and it arrived on Tuesday as Liesbeth was leaving for work. I intended to hide it and give Liesbeth the present on the 28th, but I forgot. So when she came home from work, there were the birthday bags on the table, and there was absolutely to bridling her curiosity. I was a bit embarrassed because I wanted to make a surprise of it, but that didn't work. We were very pleased with our presents. I got a large bag of Mom's homemade granola, and Liesbeth got a Willow figurine of man and wife. She really liked it, so much so that it was promptly positioned in the places of decorative honor, first on her china cupboard and then in the living room's front window, where it still stands. One can tell how highly a piece of, say, artwork ranks with her by where she places it. The living room and kitchen are the high regions of the scale, and my office is on the lower end. If it goes in the living room or kitchen, a person has hit a homerun. If it goes in my office, on the other hand, it's a sign she respects my style. It's a pretty useful compromise, because a lot of the things I like, I'm quite happy to have surround me in the office, whether perched above me on my desk or bookshelf, or looking up at me from my desk top.

Friday is market day in Waddinxveen. It's something like a miniature Square Fair, without the music and entertainment. I'm supposed to go down to the market this afternoon to buy apples, tomatoes, and waffles. (The waffles aren't the breakfast variety. They're about the diameter of a teacup with caramel syrup between the two circular waffle-like wafers. They are a great accompaniment to a cup of tea.) Shopping is becoming a good way to practice Dutch. I went out yesterday, to the City Hall to work on our documents, and then to the shops. I wanted some gloves, but I forgot the word. So I asked the clerk if they had clothes for cold hands, explaining that I didn't know the right word. Fortunately, the conversation stayed in Dutch (most everyone knows enough English that an emigre could get on pretty easily without learning Dutch. But I should be careful not to get too distracted, as the market closes in two hours.

I'm also on deck for dinner tonight, since it's a church night. We're having spaghetti, left over from when I cooked on Wednesday night. I'm just going to make some more meat sauce to go with it. She praised Wednesday's entree quite highly, but I know that food is usually better when someone else cooks it (just like the yard always looked best when Ashton mowed it!). She's going to have to get up earlier to fool me!

Now, I'd best be getting off to the market, as I have some waffles and tomatoes to buy!

Several thoughts of varying interest (for lack of a better title)

For our honeymoon, Liesbeth and I visited one of the beautiful state parks in northern Holland, in Drenthe province. (If you refer to a map of the Netherlands, we were near the town Diever, which is situated close to the city of Assen.) We cycled some most every day, and in the evenings we greatly enjoyed the fireplace, as we sat on the couch with Liesbeth's classic hot chocolate! Here's a picture of us taking a break from bicycling. I used the bicycle as a tripod:


We made the transition to "normal" life (whatever that is) after we returned home on Monday. On Tuesday, I finally purchased a bicycle, with which I am quite pleased. Liesbeth returned to work on Wednesday, and I then commenced my study of Dutch. One of the sisters in the church is a teacher of Dutch to foreigners, and she lent me a textbook. Her name in Nienke. After she saw that I could follow a church service, she suggested I try to teach myself beginning Dutch, and for the intermediate level, I could take classes. I think the idea is a good one. A two-week course costs about $1,000, and I did not relish the thought of spending a few days in such a course with folks who had absolutely no knowledge of Dutch at all. Liesbeth is a good language partner; when she comes home from work at noon and in the evening, we talk in Dutch for awhile, and then move to English. And Sis. Nienke is great for grammar questions. Just today, after service, she told me a rule about word order that shed much light on things for me. (In short, the verb always occupies the second position in the sentence in Dutch. So if a sentence begins with an adverb or adverbial phrase, the subject and verb are inverted; for example, Today, had we a good service. ... Just in case anyone was interested....:)

Yesterday, bought Liesbeth and I a bookshelf and desk chair for my office.=) At first, I thought the regular table chair would be sufficient, but after a few days of working at my desk, I knew I needed something better. Last evening, I put the chair and bookshelf together. Bro. Ab arranged for me to get a set of English Message books from VOG, and I enjoyed unpacking those and putting them and the books my parents brought me onto the shelves. Such great joy to have again a shelf of books at one's side! I enjoyed putting the books in order, and remembering when I had read various ones for the first time, and what they meant to me then. Many such books I'd read in high school, and it was special to recollect the memories they created in me.

Liesbeth is working on dinner now, so it's time to bring this post to a conclusion. I have thoroughly enjoyed Liesbeth's cooking. She warned me time and again that she really wasn't a cook at all, but her cooking belies her words. The fragrances are even now wafting through the hallway and into my office, tempting me to depart and sup with my beautiful wife....

Tot ziens!

Just Married!!!

The wedding was beautiful! Many thanks to all who were thinking of us and praying for us yesterday. The ceremony in the City Hall was nice, but most special was the service in the church. The acoustics in the building were magnificent. We walked into the church to "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," and then sang several congregational songs. The music and voices blended so nicely in the building; the atmosphere was very worshipful and wonderful. Bro. David Eijbersen preached a fine sermonette, and the wedding ceremony went well. At the end of the ceremony, Liesbeth and I knelt at the old-style prayer bench in the front of the church; our fathers came forward and joined Bro. David as he prayed a blessing over us. He really prayed; it was a special time. Then he presented us to the church as Mr. and Mrs. Rapp Crook. I looked back at him rather alarmed ... he'd forgotten the kiss! But that problem was happily remedied, and we were presented more officially as husband and wife to the family and friends gathered together.
Liesbeth and I went with the photographer to a beautiful rose garden in Boskoop (a town nearby Waddinxveen) for pictures. The garden was beautiful. (Pictures will be forthcoming.) Then, we went on to the reception and feast. Her family and friends had prepared a number of special songs and skits that were truly hilarious. (My favorite was Johan and Suzanne's parody of the two of us ... Johan wearing a sweater vest and bushy black, twitching eyebrows!) Mom and Dad had also made a slide show of pictures from Oct 20 1981 to the present. It was a very nice evening.
A very special treat was the car lent to us for the day. Our car for the wedding day was black Lexus convertible (I think an LS or ES 350, or something close to that model number). Boy, was that fun to drive! Liesbeth wanted the top up to protect her hair, but we still managed to have a few moments with the roof down. (That's another picture to come ... an especially nice one should be of the car and us in the rose garden!)
This will be the last post for the next 10-14 days. I won't get out of the habit of writing ... I enjoy it, and also seeing the posts of those who read. So we'll look forward to resuming the conversation in a few weeks.

Tomorrow....

Today has been a whale of a day.... Liesbeth and I had a littany of errands to run this afternoon. After the first errand, we came back to the car, and when I tried to start it ... nothing. Again, nothing. I tried the lights, and when they failed to come on, it confirmed my suspicion of a dead battery. Someone jumped us. We drove on to the next shop. Liesbeth went in while I sat in an idling car. I thought it had charged long enough, so I decided to go inside to check on how transactions were progressing. Of course, as soon as I turned off the car, she walked out. And as soon as I tried to restart the car, nothing happened. Fortunately, Triple A (actually ANBW, but that doesn't mean anything to us Americans) showed up very quickly, as did her father. We had to get a battery replacement quickly, because we needed the car to run, and the shops closed at 5 today. We made a trip over to the Nissan dealership, since they'd be the only ones who would have the right battery and could perform the service right away. The battery did get replaced, and Bro. Ab kindly paid for the service. The Lord was good to us, as we were able to buy the things we needed for the reception, and pick up supper for Mom, Dad, and Daniel on our way home. Amazing. All in all, we were thankful for the battery problem ... better today than tomorrow! And tomorrow, her father might have decided battery replacements are something for husbands to take care of, and not fathers!:) But whatever happens tomorrow, we are getting married! And we're very happy about it!
For Liesbeth and me, wedding events begin at 11:30, when I go to her house for tea. Friends and family will join us at 12:30 ... actually parents will be there at 11:30. From there, we go to the City Hall, and then to a Rose Garden for a break, more tea, and some pictures. Then to church, more pictures of the now-married couple, and finally to the reception and feast. Festivities will probably conclude around 11pm. Since it looks like tomorrow is going to be an even bigger day than today (whales do beget whales), I'm headed to bed, probably an hour or two later than I should have. I wish my family and friends beyond the pond,\ a very good night!

Visiting with Mom & Dad

On Saturday morning, Liesbeth and I drove to Amsterdam to pick up my parents from the airport. We were very excited to see them again. They were very tired, but they made it through the day well. We came home to the flat, and Liesbeth served a nice breakfast, and then we had what seemed like Christmas in September, opening the luggage Mom and Dad brought with them. They carried dishes from Mama (my late grandmother Crook), and most all of them made it. We had just three of four casualties, which really isn't too bad considering you're entrusting fragile items to people who specialize in throwing luggage quickly onto conveyor belts and then into planes. Liesbeth is excited to arrange the dishes in her china cupboard tomorrow.
Yesterday afternoon, we went to Scheveningen beach, and walked along the North Sea. We had a nice, but rather unimpressive dinner at a small restaurant on the beach. We made it home for an early bedtime. Mom and Dad were especially tired, but the sea air makes bed a welcome destination for anyone!
Dad got up this morning to take his walk at the park just behind our apartment building. However, the very heavy fog made navigation difficult. He made it home without a problem, but he was careful to return the way he went. After breakfast, Dad was very interested to examine the map of Waddinxveen. After church this morning, he rode Liesbeth's bicycle around town to orient himself well. While he was riding, Mom, Liesbeth, and I were sitting in the sun on our balcony. It was a very relaxing afternoon.
This evening, Bro. Ab and Sis. Anneke are taking the four of us out to dinner. We'll be eating at a nice Dutch restaurant called Easy Dinner. They have very good salad and meat (lamb, chicken, beef, e.g.). I'm hungry just thinking about it!

Update on streaming the wedding

Liesbeth and I have been very busy since I arrived in the Netherlands nearly two weeks ago. Before I left Lima, I was contemplating what I'd be doing during alone in the apartment. There has been little time for contemplation since my arrival, as my posts on home improvement suggest. While in Lima, I had talked to Bro. Franco about the possibility of streaming the wedding ceremony. Unfortunately, there has simply not been time to further explore this possibility, and the little exploration we did do indicated a significant investment would be necessary. We do plan on recording the wedding, so a DVD will be forthcoming, should anyone wish to watch the ceremony. Above is a picture of the kerk, where the ceremony will be performed.

More home improvement

Liesbeth and I had a very nice trip to Belgium this past weekend. On the way, we made a rather lengthy stop at Ikea, a very large department store specializing in merchandise for the home. The principal item on our list was a mattress, especially since our first guests (Mom and Dad) will be arriving at the end of this week. We bought a nice mattress, and some other smaller things for the apartment. Buying them was the easy part. Getting them in the car was the challenge. We had figured we'd have to pay Ikea to deliver the mattress to our flat. Bro. Ab also gave us a few items to get for him; he thought it'd be a good time to buy them so we could split delivery costs. Well, his items could be gotten in the store (and only barely fitted into the car). We had to drive to another warehouse to get the mattress, and we thought we could give the delivery folks his table at that point. Unfortunately, they couldn't receive merchandise for delivery at that location, so we had to go back to the main store to arrange delivery. At this point, we learned that the items couldn't be delivered until the 23d, four t0o late for our guests, who would be sleeping on the mattress. So we unloaded the table from the car, and then had to drive back to the warehouse to squeeze the mattress into the car. But the mattress fit much better than the table, so we were counting our blessings. Needless to say, after several hours inside and outside of Ikea, we were quite happy to leave the city of Breda to continue on to Belgium.
Yesterday, we moved some of Liesbeth's things from her cottage to the flat, and then we spent the afternoon and evening working on hanging curtains, blinds, coat rods, pictures, and lights around the flat, and cleaning as well. Fortunately, my attempts at home improvement went much better than last week! Liesbeth was very impressed with my handyman skills (probably rather incredible for those who know me or have worked with me before!). Either she's very much in love, or my home improvement skills have improved. But these two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive ... I rather enjoy seeing both as explanations for her very nice sentiments! We got a lot done yesterday, and it was very satisfying work because we made quite demonstrable progress. I will post a few pictures this afternoon of the flat. It's exciting to see the house becoming a home ... Liesbeth is very good at adding those special touches to a place to make it warm and welcoming!
Last evening, I worked on making the acquaintance of our washing machine. We did an initial load with nothing in it to clean the washing machine (thus said the instructions), and then we did a load of laundry. I think we need to set the spin rotation higher next time (it's not all automatically done), because the clothes came out rather soaked. I set them out on the balcony to dry before I went to bed. Unfortunately, it rained during the night. It's overcast and cool today, so I might have to wait for awhile on the clean clothes (I hope she doesn't notice!!!:)

Home Improvement

The de Kogel family valiantly pitched in to help Liesbeth set up house in our apartment before I arrived. The last few days, I've been working on the few projects that remained; among them, installing a light fixture in the bathroom, gluing the linoleum in the hallway, and putting up curtain rods in the spare bedroom and my office. My first light installation was a success; there were no house fires. The flooring job isn't perfect, but I think a black marker will cover up the few little problems. (Fortunately, the problem spots occurred on the black squares of the linoleum's checker-square pattern.) The curtain rods are still a work in progress. I'm learning several things. First, drywall is much easier to work with than concrete. Second, novices can be very hard on drill bits (I like to think that concrete can be, too!). I was nearly halfway done when I ran in to a problem with the drill bit; the tip was already pretty well shot, but I thought I'd see how much further I could go, especially since I didn't have any other bits. The going was pretty tough on that particular hole--perhaps I ran into some rebar, which is also hard on bits--and I ended up bending the bit. But this afternoon, I bought a replacement bit for my father-in-law, and another set of bits for me to use. I thought that purchase might be a wise step to prevent abuses of my father-in-law's generosity in lending me tools.
This evening, Liesbeth and I had a date at a delightful little restaurant called Easy Dinner. The entree was tasty, but my favorite was the goat cheese salad. If you come to Holland, you must try something with goat cheese at least once (unless, of course, you have already tried it, and know you don't like it!). Then, Lies and I went to visit Stefan and Margriet (her oldest brother and his wife). Stefan is the Master of Ceremonies for the wedding, which means he is the organizer of everything that happens fourteen days (less than 336 hours!) from now. All is in order, though there are a few details that still need attending to.
Tomorrow, I will likely take a break from the home improvement projects, as I'm preaching in the evening. And this weekend, we will be going to Belgium to visit Liesbeth's sister and her family, as well as Bro. David Eijbersen and his family, the brother who will minister at our wedding.

Welkom

The flight from Detroit to Amsterdam went well. On Saturday, Lies and I prayed that I'd be able to get an exit row seat, and when I went to check-in online, sure enough, there was one available. It was the last one in front of the doors, which lets one stretch out fully. I got in the plane, took a sleeping pill with a glass of orange juice, read awhile, and then slept for about five hours! That doesn't happen very often. Upon landing, I was able to get through passport control very quickly. As I stood in line, I wondered what I'd say if they asked me why I was coming to the Netherlands. I didn't really want to give marriage as my reason, but the gentleman just stamped my passport and asked no questions. My bags made it through safely, and I received a very warm welcome from my long lost fiancee!

I slept well last night, and today I have busied myself with unpacking and a few odd jobs around the apartment. Sis. Celia from church gave us a bed and two endtables. One of the endtables needed to be put together, and I just finished doing that awhile ago. This morning, I worked on my electrical skills by trying to install a light fixture in the bathroom (after turning the breaker off!). I was only able to do about half the job, as I lacked a drill bit. Currently, "my" household tools consist of things Liesbeth's family has left at the apartment, and though there was a drill, the only bit was one for mixing paint. I talked to Bro. Ab (pronounced Op) this afternoon, and we should be able to get the necessary bit(s) this evening.

On Saturday or Sunday, Liesbeth's niece Anke went into the hospital, and she's been diagnosed with diabetes. She's likely to be in the hospital for the rest of the week. Lies (pronounced lease, so none think I'm prevaricating!) and I will likely visit her this evening, before we meet with the city orator, the person designated to officiate at our civil ceremony. She will want to know the story of how we met, etc. Creativity might prove to be a strong temptation. Good thing I haven't been reading any Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn lately!

I'm working on learning my way around Waddinxveen (pronounced Vod-inks-fain). In a few minutes, I'll pick up Liesbeth from her work, on the way to her parents' house, where we'll eat supper. We had a delicious meal last night of pork loin covered with a nice mushroom sauce, potatoes, and applesauce. (Dessert was vanilla and blackberry ice cream ... she hasn't forgotten my weak spot!) Time to get ready to go ... hope I remember the way!

Thoughts on Family

In less than twenty-four hours, I will be flying over the eastern United States and Canada en route to Amsterdam to be reunited with my fiancee. These last two evenings, I was able to spend some very special time with family. Last night, we gathered at Grandma and Grandpa's to celebrate Grandpa's 69th birthday. There was plenty of good food ... both Mom and Grandma tried to find takers for their leftovers. The food was delicious, but calorie-rich food is only allowable at the party; few want to take it home with them. Just a month earlier, there would have been no question about what to do with leftovers, as I would have gladly taken them to my bachelor pad in Columbus.

This morning, Mom, Dad, and I went running at Kendrick Woods. It was my third time to run there in so many days, but seeing as I'll be sitting a great deal tomorrow, I'm glad for the exercise. Plus, it was really good to spend the time with Mom and Dad. After the run, Dad and I drove into town to buy some larger suitcases at Ollie's (great place for great deals!). Fortunately, I've finally been able to finish my packing. Everything should weigh in at 50 lbs or less (soon I'll be stretching my brain cells to think in kilos). It was a rather exhausting day, but a very nice final day with the family. Ashton and Kara came over for dinner, and we had a great time playing Hillbilly Golf and Quiddler. I think it was one of the best times we've had together as a family.

Speaking of family, while I packed my carry on bags, I thought some about family and came up with the following acrostic (I welcome other acrostics on this topic!):

F: Family is fun.
A: Our family helps us to focus and aim our sights on God's will for our lives.
M: Above all, family is a source of mercy.
I: Our family inspires us to pursue our dreams and persevere through difficulties.
L: Family is a place for love to be shared freely.
Y: How can I forget younguns'? Family is the place for children, who present the opportunity for parents to pass on blessings to the next generation.

Truly family are very special! Farewells are one of the more poignant times to reflect on family, but certainly not the only times. I hope I'll be able to keep up with this blog over the coming weeks and months, so that I can stay in touch with those most important to me.

As the clock now reads a quarter to midnight, I think I'd best turn in so as to get some sleep before the day of departure.