Eva Maria

I have to show you this great picture from my little niece
EVA MARIA. Born on May 12, 2005 and already smiling!
Girl, you are pretty. GOD, YOU ARE AWESOME!

Congratulations to her proud parents:
Gabriëlle & Bram Doesburg-Smits!

Delirious?

More pics? Check this out!
© Photo: Brian Elings (published here with kind permission)
Click here if you want to read my concert review in English
Click here for a concert review in Dutch by Harco Ploegman

Everyone counts

This is a part of yesterday’s Pentecost message that I really want to share with you:

Whenever you think that you are ‘a grey mouse’, a ‘nobody’ who is not able to make a difference, this is what you need to know:
-It is not right to think like that
-It is not true at all
-It is like ‘cursing in the church’ - especially during a Pentecost sermon!

Everyone counts – was the theme of yesterday’s sermon. Eleven 'foreign' members of our church read John 3:16 in their own language. It was like being part of the first church gathering (2nd Chapter of Acts - The Continued Story). Wow! What will the Church look like if you could see this beautiful bride through the eyes of Jesus...? We are anticipating a great wedding - really can't wait to be part of it.

‘In the Last Days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people: Your sons will prophesy, also your daughters; Your young men will see visions, your old men dream dreams.’ (Acts 2:17 - The Message)


This picture was taken during one of the BreakPoint youth events from our church. The teens gathered in the former church building. Yesterday they have kicked off their own Youth Church - which will take place in the new church building, simultaneously with the 'sermons for boring grown-ups' (my phrasing!)

Talking about excluding / including people… Wigle Tamboer also told us about his own teenage years. Tamboer, born in 1955, was the first teenager in his home town wearing a real Afghanistan coat (hard to describe what that looks like, - I am from 1961 - but according to Tamboer this was the coolest thing to wear for teenagers back then. His mum paid almost 200 guilders for it = approx. 100 euros for an awful looking coat). So, our pastor used to be a Joseph type, I guess. Anyway, he was so happy with this expensive piece of clothing that his mother gave him, that he wore it every day. He showed us this old worn-out coat. It was not looking very attractive at all and – according to Tamboer – it didn’t smell nice either. (I take his word for that). But, you could also see a little red heart that was attached to it. A picture of this heart shaped add-on was projected on the screen. This was what the little red heart was proclaiming: ‘Jesus Loves You!’ Now we know for sure that our pastor used to be a member of the Jesus People. Far out, man!

Tamboer explained: ‘My parents accepted my long hair and my extravagant taste for clothing. They didn’t care too much about that. They looked at my heart and they knew that God was looking at my heart as well.’

I think this is great! Look how the Lord has used this man: today he is a servant of the Lord, ministering a fast growing church in a new area with a young, well-to do, well educated, but highly secularised population. The majority of the inhabitants of this area don’t care about church at all. They care more about their careers and about earning enough money to live in expensive houses and drive fancy cars. Sure, they also care a lot about their children. They want to make sure that they will all have the same standard of living in the future. They don’t want them to stand out in the crowd, they must fit in and become even more successful than their parents. They must all have the standard teenage gear, consisting of cell phone, MP3 player, a scooter, the right clothes etc. And, of course, they must develop the same materialistic attitude as ‘the rest of us’.

Yesterday we had the first official meeting of our Youth Church. In a fenced of part of the church building they now have their very own meeting place to ‘be church’. All kids were asked to sign their names on one of the freshly painted white walls. During our Pentecost celebration all these 12+ boys and girls stood up to go to their very own sermon in the same building. Their exodus was filmed, transmitted ‘live’ and projected on the huge screens on both sides of the stage. The congregation watched how the next generation kicked off their own Youth Church. I couldn’t help crying. Lord, I am so thankful!

While we were watching ‘our kids’ on the screens – trying to look as cool as they possibly can – we were all listening to a recorded song performed by Kees Kraayenoord (worship leader and youth pastor, now acting as a modern day's Joshua - leading the next generation into new teritorry...) I don’t know if all my brothers and sisters were able to understand the English lyrics, but these words really touched my heart. Especially because I could also see my own son Robin projected on the big screens, looking a bit insecure, but proudly wearing his ‘Do U Have A Problem?’ T-shirt.

Picture this, and imagine listening to these words while all the grown-ups are applauding and encouraging their teen kids, exiting and exciting the ‘adult’ church:

We worship you together
Our hearts have been restored
What a privilege to share in
The forgiveness of the Lord
And to see your children dancing
Celebrate your grace
What a joy to be at home
We’ve come into the
Father’s place

(‘The Father’s Place’, written by Kees Kraayenoord and Henk Pool, from the CD called ‘Broken’ – highly recommended!)

I know, I am an oversensitive guy, but it touches me again while I am typing these words. It is a good thing that my face is not projected on a huge screen now!

Need I say more? I want to pray with you – just to thank the Lord for what He is doing in my little hometown called Hoofddorp:

Thank You, Father, for providing this beautiful place for our teens. Thank You for entrusting us with the care of your children. You are taking some risks with us, vulnerable people! We don’t want to disappoint You, we want to be generous and forgiving parents, just as You are, Father! We want to witness this miracle that is taking place right before our very eyes. We want to see a new generation that is singing your praises and that is completely and shamelessly devoted to you. We want to learn from our kids, we want to become more like them in order to see more of You. We need your Spirit to understand their language, to guide them, to feel their pain, to answer their questions to the best of our abilities. We want to share their burdens. Bless your children, Father. Build your Church in our midst. Transform us into One attractive Family. Make us an undisputable sign of your miraculous power. Help us to be kind and open minded and teach us to reach out to EVERYBODY. I love You and I love your kids. Amen!

It's a big, big house

The title of this posting is taken from Audio Adrenaline's song Big House: "Come and go with me - to my Father's house..." This song (about Heaven) came to my mind after reading an interesting discussion that is going on at Messychristian's blog about X-Large church buildings. Certainly worth reading!

Why should church buildings get so much financial, physical, and social attention that is rightly due to the needs of Christians and others?-Kofo Olomu, Cotonou, Benin

source

I attend a big church (big for Dutch standards!) in Hoofddorp. We don't have a giant cathedral, but a multi-functional place that used to be a barn (for bringing in the harvest!).

I just want to inform you about the interesting discussion at MessyChristian's blog - I am reading all the comments on her posting without adding a reply myself. I know that there are some churches in the Netherlands with ambitious plans for huge buildings. It may be necessary to build big houses for God's people, but this is the kind of situation where you could ask yourselves: WWJD?

Visit Kerstin Hack

Last Friday German blogger Kerstin Hack paid us a visit – together with two of her Dutch friends. It was really nice to meet each other in real life, after getting acquainted through our weblogs on the internet. And yes, Kerstin is a nice and inspiring person in and outside cyberspace, I can assure you. Thanks for your visit, Kerstin!
It was good to talk about our experiences in the Christian publishing business (Kerstin is managing her own publishing house based in Berlin, and I am working as a publisher at a Christian publishing house in Amsterdam). It turned out both of us published the same book: Imagine by Steve Turner (a must-read for every Christian with brains and creative gifts - so who's excluded?)


Dutch and German edition from Steve Turner's book Imagine

DELIRIOUSLY DOUBLE DUTCH

Acts 2:12-13

The One that God sent speaks God's words. And don't think he rations out the Spirit in bits and pieces. [John 3:34] Hij die door God gezonden is, spreekt de woorden van God, en God schenkt de Geest in overvloed. [Johannes 3:34] Denn er ist von Gott gesandt und verkündigt Gottes eigene Worte, weil Gott ihn den Geist ohne jede Einschränkung gegeben hat. [Johannes 3:34] El que viene de arriba está por encima de todos; el que es de la tierra, es terrenal y de lo terrenal habla. El que viene del cielo está por encima de todos [Juan 3:34] En effet, l'envoyé de Dieu dit les paroles mêmes de Dieu, car Dieu lui donne son Esprit sans aucune restriction. [Jean 3:34] Sá sem Guð sendi, talar Guðs orð, því ómælt gefur Guð andann. [Jóhannesarguðspjall 3:34] Perché lui, che è stato mandato da Dio, parla da parte di Dio, che dà il suo Spirito senza limiti. [Giovanni 3:34] Denne man, som är sänd av Gud, talar Guds ord. Gud har gett honom sin Ande i obegränsat mått. [Johannes 3:34] Thi han, hvem Gud udsendte, taler Guds Ord; Gud giver nemlig ikke Ånden efter Mål. [Johannes 3:34]

This is my Deliriously Double Dutch Pentecost Poem... Just try to make sense of it in your own language! If you can't understand my funny language, read my comment or try this

tongentaal

laat mij
over woorden vallen
lachwekkend grijpen
naar ontastbaar leven
ik wil machteloos
benoemen
wat onvoorstelbaar is

geef me de muziek
van uw liefde
bestook mijn hoofd
bespeel mijn hart
la, la, la, laveloos

laat maar gaan
dronken zal ik dansen
schreeuwen zonder schroom

schilder alle kleuren
van uw ongekende wijsheid
op wat zal ik zeggen

vang me in de geuren
laat mij snuiven
van hoe noem je dat

raak mij aan
ontsteek de vlam
brand door

laat mijn tong
maar dubbelslaan
mijn ogen barsten
van onbeschrijfelijk licht

lippen als een eeuwig o
ademloos happend naar u

zo wil ik weer
schaamteloos verliefd zijn
huilend juichen en omhelzen
van regels loskomen
mezelf en iedereen
schandelijk verbazen

hemel gooi de deuren open
engelen schuif opzij
ik wil erbij

This poem was written for Pentecost Grid Blog, May 15, 2005. Check the details at the Pentecost Grid Blog. This is one of many blog entries around the globe, and you can go here for a full list. For an English translation of my poem, click on comments!

Preparing for Pentecost

Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted. Ephesians 4:30 The Message

TallSkinnyKiwi / Luctor et Emergo

What on earth is the connection between New Zealand, 'Old' Zeeland, Andrew Jones and the emerging church movement?
Just read this posting and you will find out...

Andrew Jones is a New Zealander living on this side of the globe (in the UK to be more precise). Recently I have been reading about the emerging church phenomenon and several times I noticed that people were referring to TallSkinnyKiwi's blog. I have added his blog to my growing recommended blog list. Check it out!

Talking about Zealand... Last week our family had a nice vacation in Renesse in Old Zealand: the Dutch province Zeeland (the name says it all: sea-land).


Zeeland (satelite picture)

For the past 2000 years, the inhabitants of the Netherlands have often had to cope with flood disasters. The name 'Netherlands' gives a clue to the problem: 'Nether' means 'low'. It literally means 'The Low Countries'. When a storm develops and the wind stirs up the waves, the Dutch coastal area can become flooded. The last time this happened on a large scale was just over fifty years ago. Almost 2000 people died following the flood disaster of 1953.

Source

In Zeeland we have visited the Deltawerken ('Delta Works') - an enormous project with dikes and so called storm surge barriers to protect the southern part of the Netherlands against flooding. Visit this site if you want to know more about this 'eight world wonder'.


Keeping dry feet thanks to drastic measures...

New studies point out that the level of the sea might rise dramatically due to a rise in temperature caused by the greenhouse effect. At this moment the Dutch government is developing new plans to build higher dams and stronger dikes along our coast line.

But what on earth is the connection between New Zealand, 'Old' Zeeland, Andrew Jones and the emerging church movement? Well, take a look at this:



LUCTOR ET EMERGO is the motto from the Dutch province of Zeeland, meaning 'I wrestle and emerge'. I think this credo is also very appropriate for the emerging church worldwide. Sometimes it feels like the church is struggling to survive and (almost) drowning in a sea of secular culture. Maybe we have to re-think church and take advantage of modern technologies and management methods - if we want the church to survive. Well, I guess that is exactly what the emerging church movement is all about. Not because we want to protect our buildings, but because we want all souls to be saved...

Sssssshh.... can you hear the Lord's still small voice?
I never expected him to sing THIS song!

The tide is high but I'm holding on
I'm gonna be your number One...

The church is not a passive entity. We are told that the gates of Hades will not prevail, or as Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message:

...a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out!

[Matthew 16:18, The Message]

I believe Christians should turn things around: let's not be afraid of the flood waves of postmodern, secular culture. We must try to make some waves ourselves. Jesus never told us to stay safely within our comfort zones. Our Lord is the Master of the wind and the waves and he told us to go OUT! If we obey his voice, we will make some exciting new discoveries.

Please let me know what you think about this...


Are we afraid of huge waves? Come on! Let's have some FUN!

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It's way over our heads. We'll never figure it out.

Is there anyone around who can explain God?
Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do?
Anyone who has done him such a huge favor
that God has to ask his advice?

Everything comes from him;
Everything happens through him;
Everything ends up in him.
Always glory! Always praise!
Yes. Yes. Yes.

Romans 11:33-36 The Message

Talking about stumbling blocks

Holocaust monument in Berlin, Germany
On this page you can watch a video fragment from Dutch RTL television about this new monument (just click on the 'monument for holocaust' video link).

Today I saw a photograph in a Dutch news paper depicting the new Holocaust monument in Berlin. It did remind me of the things I discussed with German blogger Kerstin Hack from Berlin. I didn't know about this monument until today... so it is a strange coincidence that I mentioned 'stumbling blocks' in my posting (referring to the wounds of the past inflicted by World War II). Read my posting about this here and - in German - this entry from Kerstin on her personal blog. I am looking forward to meeting Kerstin next Friday. She is in Holland to attend a rememberance ceremony in Rotterdam*. Blessed are the peacemakers!

*On May 14, 1940, Nazi warplanes bombed Rotterdam, decimating the city center.

In September 1939, when World War Two broke out, the Netherlands mobilized its army. The Netherlands hoped and expected to stay out of the war, as it had during World War One. The government adhered to a policy of strict neutrality, and the country was totally unprepared for the German attack of May 10, 1940. On May 14, 1940, after the bombing of Rotterdam had swept away the entire center of the city, the Dutch army capitulated. The bombing of Rotterdam cost at least 600 people their lives, and 80,000 people were made homeless. During these first days of the war, 2,300 soldiers were killed and more than 2,000 civilians perished in war-related violence.

source

Ajax & Oranje fans from Germany

German Oranje fans

Oranje fans and Ajax supporters in Germany? Of course they do exist! If you truly like football, what other options do you have when you live in Germany or somewhere else on our beautiful blue planet?

Oranjefans in Deutschland? Ja, es gibt sie wirklich - und nicht nur eine Handvoll. Abgedrehte Spinner, Vaterlandsverräter, Exil-Kasköppe, oder gar Deutschlandhasser? Nein, ganz im Gegenteil. Es sind ganz normale Fans, die wie Millionen andere Fans auf der Welt auch, den Fussball lieben. Sie haben sich halt nur für ein anderes Nationalteam entschieden, dem sie bei Länderspielen und großen Turnieren die Daumen drücken.

Source: www.oranjefanclub.de

What!? You still don't believe me? Well, visit these sites and check it out for yourselves: Oranje supporters Germany and Ajax supporters Germany


German Ajax fans

You can't decide not to love

License plate Jim McGough, Publisher and Founder Ajax USA

Check this out! Yes, this is an American-based fan site for the best football team on the planet! (I am talking about soccer, dudes).

Guess what... I was looking for a picture from the Feyenoord stadium - of all places - when I came across this US Ajax website! I guess I have to agree with Jim McGough's description of 'De Kuip' - nick name of the impressive Feyenoord stadium in Rotterdam: 'The best stadium in Holland? As much as we hate to admit it: probably so.'

Maybe it is because I am not a die-hard Ajax supporter (I just happen to believe that Ajax is the best football team in the Universe, no matter how they are performing at this particular moment in time) - that I like Jim McGough's words about 'the enemy camp':

Feyenoord fans are proud of other things. Such as their impressive home ground, officially named 'Stadion Feyenoord', but known to everyone as 'De Kuip' ('The Tub', literally), generally regarded as the most authentic football temple in Holland. Quite typically the 'Legion' built its home itself: the stadium was an unemployment relief project during the economic crisis of the 1930s. The Legion is passionate and, at the end of the day, more devoted and faithful than the Ajax support. Feyenoord's official anthem is the most famous football anthem in Holland: the incensive Hand In Hand, Kameraden!, which includes Feyenoord's eternal motto, 'no words, but deeds!'

The 'deeds' of their team weren't always impressive. More so than Ajax fans, Feyenoord fans know what it's like to go through really, really bad times. In the late 1980s, after - how ironic - Ajax icon Johan Cruyff had brought Feyenoord its first championship in ten years, the proud Feyenoord Legion saw their team fight against relegation several times. They won a string of Dutch Cups in the former half of the 1990s, but the Eredivisie championship became a battle between PSV and Ajax. The most painful thing for Feyenoord, however, was a string of stunning home defeats against the Amsterdam arch-enemy: a series of 0-3, 0-4, 2-4 and even two 0-5 defeats in De Kuip.

Of course, McGough's last words in this quoation put things right again. You must always love your enemy, but one should never exaggerate it... Wish them well, but not too well - is my motto ;-)

I always support Ajax, but if another Dutch site takes on a foreign legion - I always hope 'our' team wins, even if they are called PSV, Feyenoord or AZ and even if there are more Dutchies playing in the foreign team LOL*.

I also have to admit that I am a lazy supporter. I have the best seat in front of my Philips TV from Eindhoven whenever I watch a match from the British Premier League. I also drink Grolsch beer from Twente while watching Roy Makaay score his next goal for Bayern München or Ruud van Nistelrooy hitting the target once again for Man United. So, whatever you think of me, I am not narrow minded. And yes: I am still trying to recover from the last minute defeats suffered by PSV Eindhoven (against the highly respected site from AC Milan - who just had a very lucky escape!) and AZ Alkmaar (Dutch courage and fighting spirit against the southern skills from Lissabon). Sometimes life is not fair! But hey - let's forget about it and look forward to the great things new Ajax coach Danny Blind will do next year with his team from Masterdam... (no, this is not a typing error). And if your national squad is going to play against Marco van Basten's finest selection of oranges during the World Cup tournament, there is one piece of advice I can give you: be afraid, be very afraid! (Or move over quickly to cheer for Holland with the rest of us).

Check out the Ajax USA fansite by clicking on the picture below.


Front page Ajax Usa

Jim McGough, Publisher and Founder Ajax USA:

How did I become an Ajax fan? One of the most common questions I get in email is, "Why Ajax? You're not an Amsterdammer. You're not even Dutch!" The thousand-plus non-Dutch members of Ajax USA will probably agree when I say, with all due respect... "What a dumb question!" ;-) You want a less-lame answer? I don't blame you. Okay, here goes...
In the early to mid-1990's, ESPN showed live soccer from the Netherlands on Sunday mornings. It became my weekend routine to wake up early to watch the games on television. Most of the games featured Ajax.
Well, I had played soccer all my life, but I never had any teams to support. Watching Ajax was a revelation. They were so calm and confident, so fluid and well organized. The way they kept possession of the ball, how they made the other team stand around and watch them play, it was like they were thinking, "Why do you want the ball? Wouldn't you rather just stand there and watch us perform? It's really quite beautiful, isn't it?" The Ajax players loved the ball, coveted it, and refused to share.
I was too late to see Cruyff, Van Basten or even Bergkamp in an Ajax shirt, but I saw Overmars, the de Boers, Edgar Davids and (my personal hero) Jari Litmanen in their Ajax-primes. I saw Kluivert, Finidi George and Kanu. I even saw the last great hurrah for Frank Rijkaard, with his assist to Kluivert in Vienna. I traveled to Holland twice for the sole purpose of seeing Ajax play in de Meer.
For me, it was a lot like falling in love and getting married. You think you are in control, you think you get to choose, but you really don't. Your heart chooses for you. And if circumstances dictate that you can't have her, can't even watch her from a distance, tough luck. You can't decide not to love. You're stuck with just wanting her. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," they say. I'd have to agree.

* LOL = laughing out loud!

Delirious and double Dutch

Martin Smith (Delirious?) © Photo: Brian Elings (published here with kind permission)

Following a nice family holiday, we had a great time together last Saturday. Pascalle (7) stayed with her Opa and Oma (= Granddad and Grandmum in Dutch) - so she had a great time as well - and the rest of us went to a Delirious? gig in Barneveld. It is so nice to go to a rock concert with your kids - as long as they don't mind to be seen there together with their parents...

Several years ago I was standing right behind a father and his son who were clearly enjoying an Eric Clapton concert at the Feyenoord stadium in Rotterdam. I remember how they looked at each other during each intro and how they shared their enthusiasm for Mr Slowhand's music. Back then I could only dream that there would come a day that I could also share my love of music with my own kids. Back in the old days parents and kids hated each other's music, but in this postmodern age you can bridge the generation gap with music - at least, in our case we still seem to be able to do that. Maybe in a couple of years we will hate each other's taste in music, because that is of course how it ought to be between parents and teenagers ;-)

Anyway, Robin (13) and Sosha (11) enjoyed the music just as much as we did. Delirious? played a couple of their well-known 'older' songs and several tracks from their latest release 'World Service'. I think they were absolutely fantastic and I've enjoyed every single minute of their performance.


!Kboemm © Photo: Brian Elings (published here with kind permission)


Kees Kraayenoord © Photo: Brian Elings (published here with kind permission)

We also quite liked the support acts - both Dutch bands featuring some members from De Meerkerk (the Baptist church we attend in our home town Hoofddorp): Kboemm and Kees Kraayenoord & band. Kboemm is a new band - singing in Dutch - and I think they had quite a challenge on their hands (being the opening act for Delirious? - I mean). I bought their cd Zoon a couple of weeks ago and I think that it is a good sign that new Christian bands are emerging in our language area.

Especially Kees Kraayenoord made a huge impression. His lyrics are in English, so if you are interested in contemporary gospel music from the Netherlands, check out his website where you can also listen to some audio samples from his latest CD Broken. If you like Mat Redman (Heart of Worship) and Tim Hughes (Here I Am To Worship), you might be in for a Dutch treat... I think Kees Kraayenoord's music is just as good. Okay, I may be slightly biassed. Check it out for yourselves!

May 16, 2005
Update: read a concert review here (only in Dutch - I'm sorry) and look at the fantastic pictures here - visible in all languages ;-) Photos Brian Elings & United Live © 2005

The greatest sacrifice

Today US President George W Bush visited our country. Together with his wife Ms Laura Bush, our Queen Beatrix and Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende he paid tribute to the thousands of young American and Canadian soldiers who gave their lives to liberate Europe from the terrible Nazi regime (1940-1945). This picture shows just a small part of the enormous green fields at Margraten with thousands of white crosses and stars of David. If you look at the next picture, you get an impression of the size of the graves area.

Years ago Lydia and I went on our first summer vacation together. We had decided to go to Limburg - the part of the Netherlands that is squeezed in between our eastern (Germany) and southern (Belgium) neighbours. It was great to spend this romantic holiday together on a camping site in Epen. I remember our bicycle trips from Maastricht to Epen and from the camp site in Epen to the city of Aachen in Germany (quite a climb for untrained cyclists like us!).

We were 18 (Lydia) and 22 (Paul) years old and of course it was great to go camping, cycling and hitch-hiking for the first time together! But I also know how we stopped at the memorial site in Margraten and how shocked we both were by the sight of thousands of white marble graves. Of course we knew what happened in our little country during the Second World War and of course we were aware of the fact that many young soldiers from friendly countries came to Europe to end the Nazi terror. But being there - at the beginning of our first holiday together - and seeing the names (and the ages!) of all these young foreign soldiers made an unforgettable impression on both of us.

I especially remember having a feeling of guilt - strange as it may seem. Here I was: a young Dutchman, ready for his first vacation with the love of his life, but fully unprepared for this terrible sight: thousands and thousands of graves. These fallen soldiers were young and hungry for life as well and every cross or star of David represented a name, a person, a loved one. Suddenly it seemed not right to have this worriless, joyful time together. How could I have a great time on the same soil where so many young guys paid the highest price: the sacrifice of their lives?

I thought about that for a while. Then a thought came to my mind (I guess God was whispering to me…): I can have a great time in a free country because of the sacrifices made by these young men. I was able to study, start a family, pursue a career and enjoy political and religious freedom in a democratic country because of these heroic sacrifices. It would have been unthankful not to have a great time.

Still, I can only think of our freedom as a precious gift and I will never take this gift for granted. I am highly thankful for the sacrifices made by so many American, Canadian, British and Polish families (to name just a few of the countries where our liberators came from).

If you are an American, a Canadian, if you are from Great Brittain or Poland - and if one of your ancestors is among the people who gave their lives for the liberation of our country - please accept my little sign of respect and gratitude and may God (who gave his only Son to liberate us all from evil) bless you and your family!

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Colorful Pascalle

Hi there! I've got some catching up to do... We're back from a nice family holiday in Zeeland. We all enjoyed the beautiful beach and the old towns like Renesse, Burgh Haamstede, Zierikzee, Veere and Middelburg. I will post some pictures later.
When I was downloading some pictures from our camera to my laptop, I saw this beautiful portrait from Pascalle (our youngest daughter). This picture was taken last year during our summer holidays. She is lovely - with or without a painted face... And I am so proud to be her dad!