Hospitality Transfer, and Sickness Round 3

Yesterday, Desmond embarked to his next destination (Spain). Now, the responsibility for our poor guest's health lies in the hands of a couple of Spaniards. We're hoping he has great health, great weather, and a great time. (It's amazing how important health has become to us these last few weeks!) When Desmond would get up in the morning, we'd bypass the peremptory "good morning's" to ask the real important question: are you still healthy? From the sound of his first blog entry from Spain, he'll need some rest when he returns to the more tranquil Crook household next week. (I have gathered that Spaniards go to bed a little later than the average Crook.) We look forward to hosting him again; we've had a lot of fun together, and we'll miss his helpfulness and humorous travel reports. We consider ourselves quite lucky as we have usually gotten the First Debriefing, which is always the best one, as my mother has oft observed when she talks to Ashton or me on the phone after Dad.

Sickness has continued to make the rounds of Waddinxveen. Marieke, one of my sisters-in-law, had the flu very badly yesterday. And this morning, the sword of Damocles fatefully fell on me: I woke up around 2 o'clock with an upset stomach. It has only now, some twelve hours later, recovered its respite. Liesbeth has been a very caring and helpful nurse. She even read me a story this morning as I lay down to attempt once again to sleep. She just left a few minutes ago to buy some more bananas (we've hit the bananas pretty hard in recent days). Her departure means the patient is no longer supervised; hence, this venture Beyond the Pond. But she's returning soon, so I'd better go before I blow my cover!

Sickness: Round Two

When I first began writing the previous post last night, indeed everyone in the Crook household was feeling very healthy and chipper. But the morning brought bad news, of the viral variety. Lies awoke at 5 this morning with a stomach ache, and the virus exacted its revenge over the next two hours. This morning, the virus also afflicted Lies' sister Ruth, mother of the now healthy Micha. Desmond, fortunately, is still healthy. In fact, he was quite happy that his plans for the day featured a day trip to Amsterdam. He's probably hoping he can keep his distance from us so he can stay healthy for his trip to Spain, for which he embarks on Friday. Thankfully, the author of this blog is still healthy, much to the amazement (and perhaps consternation) of his wife and guest. The words of the Apostle Paul seem fitting: "Brethren, pray for us" (I Thess. 5:25).

Sickness, (Snow) Showers of Blessing, and a Flat Tire

Both of my patients are finally on the road to recovery. Liesbeth, who had a bad case of the flu before Desmond's arrival, has regained her strength. (In the picture to the right, she's looking very sweet in her warm new hat!) And yesterday, we took Desmond to the doctor, who confirmed he was recovering, but cautioned that his cough might stay with him a few weeks. On Monday, Liesbeth's sister Ruth stopped by with her two boys, Micha and Tom, to have lunch with us. Poor Micha had complained all morning of a tummy ache, but Ruth is a good mother and refused to give in. Young Micha went to school. He complained of the same during lunch, but none of us fell for his act. Instead, his teacher bore the brunt of the sickness when he vomited that afternoon. Fortunately, no one has fallen sick again in the Crook household. We all reflected on our harsh thoughts we had harbored about the poor child's "act." And I must say, I think of Jess when I consider this story, who probably knows a bit more than she'd like to about children's sicknesses at school.

Lies and I traveled to Nieuwpoort, Belgium on Friday afternoon to help with the Belgian Youth Convention. I was a member of the video team, and Liesbeth was the sister of the wife of the camp song leader. About 150 young people from about 11 countries gathered in Nieuwpoort. We had four services, and we enjoyed Bro. John Andes’ ministry. The highlight was perhaps Saturday evening, in which he focused on social networking media. He showed how the social networking websites, etc. simply indicate humans’ need to connect. Unfortunately, they often become black holes for time, leaving little to nothing left for Jesus Christ, the One we should have the strongest connection with. I liked how Bro. John handled the topic: he understood why so many young people like sites like FaceBook, MySpace, Blogger, etc. But we must have a strong connection with Jesus Christ. That is exceedingly important.

The host church had rented a hostel that looked over the beach onto the English Channel. Lies and I took a nice walk along the beach before we went home. The youth conference happened to coincide with a gathering of kite enthusiasts. We enjoyed seeing the variety of kites darting about the skies about the beach. When we arrived back at the hostel’s parking lot, we discovered one of our tires was flat. We managed to change the tire without trouble and we departed after this minor delay. We took the tire to a friend of the family last evening, and we’ll learn if it’s reparable this evening.

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!