JUL / OKT 2012

Het Najaar is what this time of year is called in Flanders, which means the after year. Even though our summer felt chock full of activities the year is far f r o m o v e r. This fall has been a wonderful time lled with learning, teaching, c o n n e c t i n g, a n d f e l l ow s h i p. We hope this newsletter informs you of some of what God has done through us and sometimes in spite of us here in Gent, Belgium. Worship in Ghent Our brothers and sisters in Ghent continues to meet in our home every Sunday afternoon at 4:30 and then we eat afterwards together. Sharing the tasks of the preaching, lords supper and teaching the kids class together continues to be a blessing, and an opportunity to serve. I (Luk) have been excited as the men have made it a priority to meet, pray, plan and discuss the activities of the church together. Please keep the church in your prayers as we look for ways to reach out as a church to the students in Ghent as well as the people who have just moved into the area. We are also excited to announce that Shareya, one of our young ladies, is engaged and plans to get married next year. Weekly Studies In September the weekly studies started up again. I currently have 2 people that I meet with to have a Bible

Study. Four other contacts have started English classes with me using the New Testament as a text book, which is follow-up work from this past summers Lets Start Talking campaign. Some even are interested in praying together every week. It is great to watch people discover Christ themselves as well as to be challenged by the questions believers and non believers pose during these study times. Connecting in Ghent We were happy to host a neighborhood BBQ in our courtyard at the end of the summer. We had a great time setting up with 25 neighbors, cooking, eating, and sharing. Being a part of the schools P TA h a s proven to be a good way to connect. We honored the teachers with a special breakfast for the day of the Te a c h e r i n O c t o b e r. Holly goes to Gideon and Isaaks school every week to help cut up fruit for the kindergarten classes with other moms. It is another good way to be involved. Directing and Teaching I got to direct the young adults week of Bible camp in July, focusing on the differences in the roles of the sexes. Gert-Jan van Zanten did a great job presenting lessons. Holly took the lead in the kitchen and enjoyed sharing the duties with Shareya from church in Ghent. They

worked as a great team getting all 41 people fed with wonderfully planned meals. The campers helped serve some of the local people in the village and they were very thankful. I was invited to teach 4 sessions at Family camp on the rst 3 chapters of the book of Re ve l a t i o n i n August. Our whole family enjoyed the time of lear ning, fellowship, encouragement and just the fun times at camp, going on walks, singing and playing. We were invited back in October to help with fall camp which hosted 26 people. Fight the good ght was the theme for Fall Camp this year. Luk shared the teaching responsibility with fellow workers and mentors, Scott Raab and Paul Brazle. Opportunities To Serve In September we spent some days working on renovating the Bible Camp making it ready for the winter with church members from around Belgium and the Netherlands. To help our friends Glenn and Vanessa, the young adult group met in October at their new house to plaster, paint, clean, and to help them settle in. We had a blast invading their house with 24 extra hands to help get their home closer to being ready. In september we met several times with people who want to help organize youth events with church kids. We set up a calendar, and I got to send out more than 200 letters encouraging teens, parents and churches to get involved in youth events. In October we were blessed to be able to host a group of students from the Vienna overseas campus for OC and Rochester

college students. They came and helped us distribute yers, poll people on the street, do some follow up work with the teens that we got to meet this summer during a young friends campaign from Ohio. Those teens came to another English Party, where they played, visited, and enjoyed getting to know each other. On A Personal Note We were blessed in September to go back to the States for Luks sister, Karinas wedding. She married Rafael Fluker on a beautiful day in Michigan. So for 7 days in September, we packed up and ew to Ohio, then drove to Michigan for a wonderful week with family. It proved to be precious time with family, but it ew by much too quickly! It was a blessing to also get to see Hollys mom for a few days. Gideon and Isaak started back up with school at the beginning of September. Gideon is now in s e c o n d g rade and loving it. He is learning to read simple books, write and is already working on multiplication tables. Isaak is in his second kindergarten class loves to play with cars and the computer, but is not a big fan of painting. Thank You During this time of year we miss our family a lot, but we are also reminded of the spiritual family God has surrounded us with, as well as the spiritual family around the world that supports us in this ministry. We thank God for you and for the opportunities to serve here in Ghent. Thank you!