neighbors, interns, teams, police

We have been in Brussels for eight weeks now. One friend said, “It is like you never left!” Sometimes it feels that way to us, and sometimes everything seems different. We have reconnected with many people we knew before, but in some cases relationships and circumstances have changed. It is interesting to see which old friendships are being renewed and also to make new relationships. We met a neighbor from the apartment upstairs when he rang our doorbell to ask if we would help him bail out the cellar that was covered in a couple of inches of water from a flash flood.

This week our three summer interns arrived. Sara is here for four weeks, and Jazmyn and Whit are here for six weeks. Pray for them as they adjust to the culture and as they make friends and serve and learn.

On July 9 a large team arrives from our churches in Tennessee. We always love welcoming teams. When we had returned to the states, the first time I was really homesick for Belgium was when a team was preparing to go, and I realized we would not be there to welcome them. This team is special for us because our son Josiah and daughter-in-law Becky are leading. In addition to the original team of adults that had planned to come at this time, this group will include several of the students who were scheduled to come in March but were unable to because of the terror attacks. The team will be participating in “Serve the Church”, working with other teams from the U.S. along with local volunteers, to support several churches in the Brussels area. Please pray for safety traveling and for all the activities they will be involved in.

We continue to settle in to life in Belgium. Last week workers came to refinish the hardwood floor of our living and dining area. It looks beautiful! We still have to get dining room furniture. Our residency has been approved and we are now waiting for our identity cards. Other bits of bureaucracy are gradually being worked through.

One part of the approval process is a visit from the local police to verify that we are actually living here. That visit happened at the exact time that Dan was returning from a day trip with four teenage boys in a rented car. He called ahead to let me know they were almost back, and I heard him open the garage door to bring the car through into the courtyard. At the same time the buzzer for the main door to the apartment building rang. Thinking that he had let the boys out to come in from the front, I picked up the phone and said “come on in!” then opened the door to our apartment, and went on with whatever I was doing. Soon there is a policeman in uniform standing at my door, wondering I am sure, what kind of person opens the door without finding out who is there. In the meantime, Dan who was tired from mountain-biking, was throwing a plastic water bottle at the kitchen window to try to get my attention to come and help him carry things in from the car. They approved us anyway!

Blessings!

Elizabeth & Dan