FAMILY UPDATE JULY 2005

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. [1 Corinthians 12:12 NIV]

Last Sunday Lydia and I were officially introduced as members of De Meerkerk – the Evangelical (Baptist) church in our hometown Hoofddorp. We are attending this church since September 2004 – after our former church ‘dissolved’ (i.e. all the members of this small congregation in Haarlem decided to join other Evangelical churches – this was God’s timing, we believe. For us, as a family, it was time to join a new church in the place where we live).

We are happy with our ‘new family’ and we already feel at home. In our former congregation we didn’t have a formal membership – it consisted of a small group of Christians that gathered every Sunday and during the weeks at home for Bible studies and prayer meetings. Now we attend a small home group (cell group) as well and we like being part of a big church with small home groups!

Robin (13) is also part of a group of teenage boys from church. We feel it is important for him to have Christian friends in the place where we live and he enjoys meeting his new friends. Our daughters Sosha (11) and Pascalle (8) didn’t have any big problems with the transition to another church. Pascalle always needs some time to adapt, and she still misses the ‘old’ Sunday school, but we believe that she will do just fine.

Robin, Sosha & Pascalle
All our children are healthy and they have good grades at school (they are all promoted to the next class after the Summer holidays). We have many reasons to be thankful!

I am recently elected in the participation council (in Dutch: medezeggenschapsraad) of the primary school where Sosha and Pascalle go. I think this is a good opportunity to help the school, the parents and the pupils. I will give it my best shot!

At Ark Boeken (the publishing house where I work as publisher) we have a busy period - trying to reach many deadlines just before the holidays begin. It's a lot of fun though, because we are looking forward to publishing exciting new books, calendars and greeting cards.

Next month we plan to go on a holiday to Finland – the country where my eldest brother Bob, his wife Leila and their (grand) children live. Bob is a pastor and a teacher at a theological seminary (International School for Bible and Missions) from the Evangelical church in Finland. We are all really looking forward to having this family vacation! We will travel by car and boat (a long boat trip from Rostock in Germany to Hanko in Finland – which happens to be the place where Bob & Leila live!)

I will keep you posted. Feel free to comment or ask questions!