Miracles in our midst

I read this line recently in an article about TCKs (third culture kids). “I love that they go deep quickly.  They understand so well the value of right now.  It doesn’t take them years to make friends because they may not have years.” http://www.thecultureblend.com/?p=2035  Having been around TCKs for the last 20+ years as I’ve been involved in cross cultural ministry outside of the US, I am fascinated by how TCKs work and think, and how they mature and embrace life and language and diversity in ways that I’ve never experienced before in my years of living.

But I find myself reflecting that these same words apply to the people who are a part of my immigrant and refugee world here in Belgium.  Case in point:  last Sunday we hosted a home group of new believers here in our home. People from different countries who speak a common language; people who are also now speaking a new common language, that of following Jesus Christ.  I literally watched miracles in our midst, as a pot of chili that was cooked to feed 10-12 made it all the way around the table for 17 of us!  It’s as though Jesus was there in my living room, feeding the 5,000 that had arrived on our doorstep.  We didn’t even have to say FHB to each other: (“family hold back”, a lovely phrase that I learned from my missionary colleague Karen Benson, which translated in this particular setting meant that Steve and I weren’t going to get a bowl of chili).  In the end, there was enough to go around.  We didn’t have any baskets left over, but then we weren’t feeding the crowd fish either! (Read from the New Testament in the Bible, Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-14 if you don’t know the story!)

Cleaning up the chili pot!

Jehovah, Jirah, our provider

Then I watched this group of new believers, most of whom have just met each other in the last several months since learning the truth about Jesus, come together and go deep very quickly as tears began to surface.  Tears of joy for some as they shared the good news (and cream filled éclairs to celebrate!) that they had received permission to stay and begin a new life.  Tears of great sorrow and sadness and fear for others, as they shared the sobering news of upcoming appointments and needs for documentation.  And that’s when the second miracle of the day happened.  Our friends needed a very important paper for their appointment which was scheduled for the next day.  But it’s Sunday afternoon in my home here in Belgium.  There is no way possible for us to get that paper in time for them to bring it to their appointment.  So we all decided to go deep quickly, because we didn’t have time on our side.  We needed the paper now!  But we had God on our side, and it was such a teachable moment as we prayed together and asked God to release the document.  Thirty minutes later, my husband Steve walked in the door to announce that they had gone to the office, there was such a nice lady working at the front desk (the only person there on a Sunday afternoon) and she was able to print the document.  Happy friends went home and slept well that night and God had provided another opportunity to prove Himself as Jehovah, Jirah, our provider to these babes in Christ.

Celebrating miracles in our midst.

Make sure that you keep your eyes open.

God is at work!

Indispensable part of happiness at Christmastime

“To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness."

I want to be home for Christmas.  And it’s not even in response to that familiar song that lands on the radio station at this time of the year “I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams”.  I want to be with family, with traditions that are familiar, in a language that is familiar.  And yet, as I wake up this morning in my Belgium world, a mere two days before Christmas, I realize that I’m already home for Christmas.  I’m with family: my church family, many of whom are new believers who are celebrating Christmas for the very first time in their life with an understanding of the true meaning of Christmas, Christ’s coming to earth. How cool is that!  We’ve celebrated these last weeks of Advent with traditions that are familiar: Advent calendars, lighting the Advent candles each Sunday as we wait in anticipation of Christ’s coming, heading over the border into Germany with friends to enjoy a Christmas market, making Christmas cookies with my women friends for their children’s celebration of Sinterklaas on December 6^th, celebrating the festival of lights with remembering the Swedish tradition of Santa Lucia on December 13^th.  And I’m celebrating in a language, actually in languages (English and Dutch/Flemish) that are familiar, or are becoming more familiar with each day/week/month/year that I live in this land.  

My Chicago/Indiana family that I'm missing... The Boca girls ~ Sonia, Char and Barb

Making Christmas market memories

My new family here in Belgium

My Minnesota family

Go back to the quote at the beginning of this blog post, please….

“To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness”.  Now, having learned a few languages over the years as God has called me to many corners of the world where English is not the first language, I have learned to grow quite familiar with using dictionaries.  But today I consulted an English language dictionary to make sure that I could grasp the larger meaning of the word “indispensable”.  It means: not subject to being set aside; absolutely necessary.  My favorite part of that definition is the word “absolutely”, like it automatically has to be done.  And then in the list of synonyms to indispensable: all-important, critical, imperative, essential, integral, must-have, required, vital.  I think I’ll take away from this list of synonyms the words “must-have” as a personal favorite.  In our modern winter holidays world, where everyone is busy with shopping and getting those last minute sales, which have already been going on since before Thanksgiving (for real?!),  so often it is said how people are looking for happiness.  But it seems to me that we are looking in all the wrong places.  Happiness is not found in an iPad, or in a Nintendo Wii video console unit.  Happiness isn’t even found in all the busy holiday preparations, cookie baking, Christmas tree decorating, or carol singing.

It’s when we are separated from some of the things that we want, then we find that must-have, absolutely necessary part of happiness.  For when we are separated from the “things” that we think bring us happiness, it causes us to stop for a moment and realize that it’s not “things” that bring true happiness. It’s the people, the life experiences that we share together, the tough times of building community and recognizing our brokenness while asking for forgiveness that is accompanied by its’ close friend, that friend that has to be knitted together to the hip of forgiveness….forgetfulness.  When we are separated from the things that we think bring us happiness, we are forced to look elsewhere for happiness.  And perhaps, like in my case here in Belgium, happiness has already shown up all over the place:  in the smiles of new friends faces, in the questions that are asked about the Advent candle by a new follower of Jesus Christ, who is celebrating Advent and Christmas for the very first time and has so much to learn. (Here was an important question the first week of Advent:  why do we light Advent candles, and when do we blow the candles out?)

Many hands make for light work...and great Sinterklaas cookies!

Even the windows are celebrating Advent in Germany

What is Christmas without a Christmas pageant at AIPC?

Here’s my Christmas wish for us all:  that the life situations we find ourselves in would give us moments to ponder where true happiness comes from.  Especially in those moments when life keeps us away from the family, traditions, and languages that we love.