Musings

MUSINGS OF AN OLDER MAN.

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AMAZING THINGS. (7)

Bad news”, Jesus was not born on December 25. But, AMAZING news, when He WAS born and knowing that may thrill your heart as it did mine. In the gospel of Luke, chapter 2, the shepherds are watching their flocks, not in the winter, but starting about half of March-begin April. That’s the Hebrew month of Nisan. Why were the shepherds outside during the night? Because it was the time for lambs to be born. Interesting, what a time for God’s Lamb to be born. Isn’t something that shepherds looking for newborn lambs were chosen by God to be the first ones to see God’s newborn Lamb? AMAZING. Lambs born around Bethlehem were used to be sacrificed in the temple. What a picture of God’s sacrificial Lamb born in Bethlehem. AMAZING. In John’s gospel, 1:14, it says that the Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us. One of the best pictures of Christ in the O.T. is the tabernacle. How long did it take to build the tabernacle? Nine months. How long was Jesus in Mary’s womb? Nine months. AMAZING. When was the tabernacle finished, when did God come to dwell among them? On the first day of the first month, the month Nisan, the biblical New Years day for the Jews. Every important event in Jesus’ life fell on a Jewish holy day. His triumphant entry on Palm Sunday when the people would bring their lambs to Jerusalem, so God brought His Lamb also. His death on Passover. He rose on the day of the First Fruits. He sent His Spirit on the Jewish feast of Pentecost. Jesus fulfills the feasts, but he also fulfills the theme of the feasts. Is there a day on the Hebrew calendar that would fulfill the theme of the Messiah’s birth? What does His birth mean? A new beginning. What special day would fulfill this? If there is one, it would be Nisan 1. In the O.T. on the first of Nisan God came to dwell among His people. In the light of all this, wouldn’t be reasonable to think that Jesus also came to dwell among us on the first of Nisan? Quite AMAZING isn’t? The coming of Jesus, a new begin, a new calendar, the old has passed, the new has come. Praise God. Now, don’t let this dating thing spoil your Christmas, the date is interesting but not most important, His coming is, and we celebrate that on December 25. He was born in a stable, has He been born in your heart? Why not let Him in? Merry Christmas to all with much of God’s peace and presence. (To be continued).

God's Lamb

 

 

 

 

 

MUSINGS OF AN OLDER MAN.

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AMAZING THINGS. (5)A

A mouse trap and the universe.

You may wonder, what does a mouse trap have to do with the universe? What is so amazing about that? Let me explain. When you have problems with a mouse or with mice in your house, you need a mousetrap, (see image). To have an effective mousetrap, three things are necessary, first, you need all five parts. When one part is missing, the trap won’t work. Secondly, all the parts need to be exactly in the right place. To have them just placed here and there makes the trap useless. Thirdly, an intelligence is needed to assemble the parts, so they are in the right place. What a simple, yet wonderful illustration of the universe and our planet earth. To have a livable planet, we need, just like with the mousetrap, three things. First, all the parts. We need planet earth, a sun, a moon, other planets, stars, and several other things. Secondly, we need these to be in the right place. For example, the distance between the sun and the earth needs to be just right, otherwise, the earth is not livable. And, the distance between the moon, which is exactly the in the correct position, and the sun and the earth must be just right. We need to have the earth in the right place in the universe, with the right size, with the right tilt, spinning with the right speed, and having the right combination of nitrogen and oxygen, plus small amounts of other gasses. Thirdly, we need an intelligence to put this all in place, just like with the mousetrap, or the earth will not be livable. Is it all in place? Is it all working? Is planet earth livable? Oh yes, it certainly is. ISN’T THIS AMAZING? Who was that Intelligence? Did everything after a so-called “Big Bang” come together, just right, by itself? Could the five parts of a mouse trap assemble themselves? Of course not. You see, that’s why I believe in an Intelligence, that’s why I believe in God and that’s why I worship Him.

MUSINGS OF AN OLDER MAN.

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AMAZING THINGS. (3)

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” Psalm 19:1.

Have you ever looked at the insight of a clock or one of these modern-day watches? How fine and complex everything is? And all the little parts must be exactly in place, otherwise, the thing does not work. That’s the way it is with our universe and earth. The universe is extremely fine-tuned or designed. There are 122 constants, things that do not change,that are continues, eternal, persistent, unceasing and so on. (“I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist,” page 106). It is not possible to cover all these in this short article, let me just show you a few and I’ll come back to them in a later article. I just want to mention some that have to do with our planet.

Our earth is EXACTLY the right size. We are aware of the effects of reduced or increased gravity on the other planets in our solar system. There is either too much or too little. The earth is just the rightsize for its inhabitants. Because of this, water remains in a liquid state. Lesser gravity and the water would be lost to space due to the greater evaporation of cold water caused by lower atmospheric pressure.

The earth spins at EXACTLY the correct speed. The spin of the earth is ideal for producing day and night. Longer days would cause a greater warming-up effect and, conversely, longer nights — colder. A faster rate of spin would produce constant violent weather conditions.

Notice the EXACTLY correct orbit of the earth. It only varies slightly in its distance from the sun, causing relatively small variations in temperature. A more elliptical orbit (as some other planets have)would be devastating for life on Earth.

EXACTLY the perfect distance from the sun. If we were 10 percent closer to the sun, the earth would have furnace-like temperatures, and 10 percent farther away would produce icy deserts. Also, the oceans would boil off or freeze solid respectively so there could be no life as we know it.

And finally, EXACTLY the right construction of the earth offers a vast supply of resources, such as wood, metals, animals, plants, and a host of others that are useful for mankind. In addition, Earth has the right conditions to permit the formation and maintenance of the ozone layer in the atmosphere to protect us. It has a magnetic field which helps deflect harmful radiation from the sun. The magnetic field also aids navigation for man and beast. Our atmosphere is composed of just the right gases, unlike some of the noxious combinations found elsewhere in our solar system. In other words,everything is JUST RIGHT, isn’t that absolutely amazing!? Doesn’t that just thrill your heart?

 (Bates, Gary. Alien Intrusion (p. 113-114). Creation Book Publishers. Kindle Edition.)

Now, what does all this mean that everything is exactly right? To what conclusion do we come? It’s been designed that way. And every design has a designer. The universe and the earth have a highly complex design. Therefore, the universe has a Designer. As Antony Flew, the world’s most notorious atheist has said, “We must go where the evidence leads us, THERE IS A GOD.”

AMAZING THINGS. (1)

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The Hummingbird. Someone has called it, “Creation’s superhero,” I call it, “God’s little hero.”

It is an absolutely amazing creature, judge for yourself.

Hummingbirds are native species of the New World and are not found outside of the Western Hemisphere except in a few zoos or aviaries. There are no hummingbirds found in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia or Antarctica. There are more than 325 unique species in the world.

Hummingbirds cannot walk or hop, though their feet can be used to scoot sideways while they are perched. Roughly 25-30 percent of a hummingbird’s weight is in its pectoral muscles. These are the broad chest muscles principally responsible for the flight. A hummingbird’s maximum forward flight speed is 30 miles per hour. These birds can reach up to 60 miles per hour in a dive. A hummingbird’s wings beat between 50 and 200 flaps per second depending on the direction of the flight, the purpose of their flight and the surrounding air conditions. They can fly forward, backward, upward and downward. Amazing little helicopters. Millions of dollars have been unsuccessfully invested in biomimetic engineering attempts to duplicate this complex system of biomechanical wonders. However, evolutionists believe that random mutations, natural selection, and millions of years can do better than brilliant engineers. It makes more sense to explain the brilliant hummingbird design as created by a brilliant divine Designer.

An average hummingbird’s heart rate is more than 1,200 beats per minute. In comparison, a human’s average heart rate is only 60-100 beats per minute at rest. At rest, a hummingbird takes an average of 250 breaths per minute. Their breathing pace will increase when they are in flight. To support such ‘breathtaking’ metabolism, this marvel must eat almost constantly to get the energy needed. Every day, it extracts nectar from up to 2,000 flowers. In addition to nectar, these birds also eat many small insects and spiders, and may also sip tree sap or juice from broken fruits. Hummingbirds do not suck nectar through their long bills, they lick it with fringed, forked tongues. Capillary action along the fringe of their tongue helps draw nectar up into their throats so they can swallow. It can lick 10-15 times per second while feeding. It digests natural sucrose – the sugar found in floral nectar – in 20 minutes with 97 percent efficiency for converting the sugar into energy.

The Rufous Hummingbird has the longest migration of any hummingbird species. These hummers fly more than 3,000 miles from their nesting grounds in Alaska and Canada to their winter habitat in Mexico. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird flies 500 miles nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico during both its spring and fall migrations.

This little bird is absolutely amazing and evidence of our great God, the Creator.

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MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.199.

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Nr.198 ended with: “There were so many people going with the train that day, that they had to add two carriages. That took a little time, enough for us to get there and get on the train……..! Praise the Lord! And then we started laughing…..! And we still laugh when we think of that……!” (See richardandmarina.net).

From the train on the plane and off to Canada. Leaving our family behind was hard on all of us, but knowing we were all in the will of the Lord and in the hands of our God made a difference. And so we arrived in Canada on Thursday, October 15, 2009. For the first two weeks, we stayed with friends while our condo was being painted and new rugs were put in. I had rented a car to shop around for one. Because of my back problems I needed a car that sits quite high. New ones were too expensive and the right second hand one was hard to find. I don’t know how many car dealers I visited but I was sure getting tired. Saturday came and I drove to Guelph and, to make the story short, within half an hour I had found the right car for the right price, $500.- less than what I received for our car sold in Belgium, wonderful! Our daughter Rosa told me later that she had asked the Lord to “drop a car into my lap.” I believe He did, praise Him!

We moved into our condo and a couple weeks later our boxes from Belgium arrived. While the fridge, couch, bed and TV were bought new, the rest of the furniture was all second hand. We had a great time visiting Salvation Army stores in Kitchener/Waterloo, where we were able to pick up some real good things for a cheap price.

We have been her now for almost seven years, unbelievable how fast time goes. It was great to be able to make a 9000 km trip out West to visit Marina’s family and also friends and churches that had been supporting us from time to time. Except for the last 1½ years, I preached every Sunday and also at some weeknight meetings. Marina spent much of her time phoning and writing cards to folk in Belgium. Last year I had a serious breakdown and had to stop all activity, but slowly I am improving and preaching again. Marina had colon cancer surgery last year December but is now completely clean. She also received a new pacemaker, just in time. I had prostate surgery in May, which went well. We do not have the strength anymore which we used to have and that is frustrating at times, but we have to accept our limitations, this is life. The Lord continues to provide for us, at times in amazing ways, for which we praise Him.

Next week will be episode 200 and the last one for the time being………..! (Go to richardandmarina.net).

MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.197.

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Nr.196 ended with: “After more discussion with our friends there, a few days later I was on a plane to Toronto………….!” (See richardandmarina.net).

Why the hurry? Because there were others interested in this condo. Our friends had asked the person responsible, to wait and give me a chance to see it. I arrived in Toronto, was picked up and together with our friends went to see the place. I walked through it, took a good look at it and knew this was for us. The financial side had to be arranged which took time and then, on the fourth day I flew back to Belgium owning a condo in Elmira, praise the Lord! Marina and I decided not to move until the fall as I had a lot of speaking engagements lined up yet and we had to get rid of a lot of things. We had arrived in Belgium in December 1971 and were leaving in October 2009, so after 38 years there was a lot to leave there.

Just to mention this, we bought the condo in April and moved in the end of October, but from April until October another missionary couple, Les and Sharon Frey, who were working in Spain, were on furlough and were able to make use of our condo, it fitted all so well, praise God!

Quite a number of our churches in Belgium organized farewell parties for us, either alone or with a couple others, and there was a final farewell of all the churches together before we left. These meetings were wonderful but also painful, as we were saying goodbye to many spiritual children whom we dearly loved. Many were in tears, as we were at times. In one place a woman came to me in crying and telling me that her father had died just recently “and now, you, my spiritual father are leaving me too.” It wasn’t easy, but I assured her that we will meet again, if not down here, then “up there.”

I had quite a library, hundreds and hundreds of books, and since I could not take all of them with me to Canada, I took a number of boxes with books along to the meetings, put them out on tables and told the people they could take them and give whatever they wanted.

Slowly we were getting rid of things, selling some of our furniture and giving away some. Our daughters helped us pack boxes and boxes full of dishes, clothes, and many other things. We had all kinds and sizes of boxes. A friend had an export company and arranged the moving of our stuff by boat to Canada. We agreed to meet a certain day, bring all our boxes and pack them into eight large and strong cartons our friend brought. But now, could we get everything into those…………? (Go to Musings).

 

MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.196

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Nr.195 ended with: “In 2008 we made a trip to Canada to see how the Lord would lead……….!” (See richardandmarina.net).

There were several reasons for why we were thinking of returning to Canada. Already mentioned was our physical condition, we were really tired, I guess the result of years going in overdrive. Another one was the fact that we did not feel right about being fully financially supported, while we were not able to be as active anymore. On top of that, our health insurance was running out, or in the case of Marina, had already run out. We were with a company in Canada that insured missionaries, but only up to the age of 70, then they were expected to return to Canada and be covered by government insurance. Our church graciously covered the monthly premiums. Staying in Belgium would mean getting private insurance which is very costly. And then, of course, there was our daughter Rosa, who, because of her debilitating illness, has had to be without us, without her sisters and her nieces and nephews for many years. We felt we should be near her now.

We prayed a lot about this and talked to the elders of our church. They were in agreement with our returning to Canada and were ready to give us a letter of commendation for full-time work in Canada. We also asked the advice of good friends who were in accord with our move back. Because of Marina no longer being covered by health insurance and having heart problems, we felt we should go ahead with planning our return. We were at perfect peace about all of this. So we started looking for a place to live and after driving all around Elmira I found a house on a quiet street that was up for sale. The elderly lady who owned the house showed me around and it looked real good. However, the next time I went to see her, there was a note on the door which said that she had changed her mind and was not selling. It was sort of disappointing, but we left it in the Lord’s hands and returned to Belgium.

In April 2009, we received a call from good friends in Elmira telling us that there was a condo for sale in a seniors building, which had 27 condos. Our friends took pictures of the condo and emailed them to us. We thought they looked great and were quite excited, even though some years ago we had visited other friends who were living in that building and I had told Marina afterwards that I would never want to live in a place like that! We really prayed about it and felt perfect peace. After more discussion with our friends there, a few days later I was on a plane to Toronto………….! (Go to Musings).

 

MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.195

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Nr.194 ended with: “And then, finally, shortly before leaving for Canada, we moved into our “dream house” provided by the Lord, what a joy………!” (See richardandmarina.net).

It had been about 3 years since last being in Canada and now after several months of visiting family and friends there and preaching about 30 times, we returned to Belgium. But during the summer of 2006 we went back to Canada, and this time with our whole family as there was going to be a Funk (Marina’s) family reunion. It had been many years since the last one and our granddaughters had never yet met their Canadian relatives.

The Lord was so good to us and provided for us. We flew to Calgary, in Alberta, where one of Marina’s brothers had rented two cars for us. We drove to another brother of Marina who had a farm just out of Three Hills, AB. Our granddaughters were so impressed with the outstretched landscape and the long roads. While driving on one of those, one of the girls said, “Is this road never going to end?” Imagine their surprise when a day or so later we drove from the farm to the highway, turned left and stayed on that road for about 500 km through part of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and then turned right, into Pike Lake Provincial Park where the reunion was being held. It was a wonderful weekend indeed with at least 110 family members. Marina comes from a family of eleven children.

After the reunion, we drove back to Calgary and spent some time in the Rocky Mountains. Living in Belgium means being only a day’s drive from Switzerland and Austria. We find the Alps very beautiful, while the Rocky Mountains are very majestic. We were all very impressed with God’s wonderful creation.

Then our children and grandchildren flew back to Belgium, while Marina and I took a plane to Toronto to spend some time with our oldest daughter Rosa who, because of her illness, had not been able to be at the reunion. The next three years were spent in preaching, teaching, visiting and meeting with church leaders, while Marina continued with encouraging women, through visitation, and over the phone. At the same time, we were getting more and more tired and I was starting to find it difficult to deal with some of the problems, so we began to wonder about our future. There were some 24 churches now and quite a number of workers, so, should we continue in Belgium, even though we were not able to be as active anymore as before? Was it right for our home church and others to keep supporting us financially, should that support not rather go to younger workers?

In 2008 we made a trip to Canada to see how the Lord would lead…………! (Go to Musings).

MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.194

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Nr.193 ended with, “But now we had about six weeks to find another house and move, to us that seemed almost impossible, but God………………!” (See richardandmarina.net).

We were very thankful that our house was sold overnight, but we were not looking forward to driving all over the place to look for a house to rent, having to fix it up, as usually is the case, then moving, and all this in 6 weeks.

As I drove to the store one morning, I came to the street where I was to turn left, but “something” inside me said, “Turn right.” I hesitated for a moment but then turned right. Just a little down the road, again “something” said, “Turn left.” I did and after about 150 meters I saw a nice bungalow with a sign in front, “For rent.” I took the phone number, went to the store and then drove home and told Marina about this. I asked her whether she would like to go and see this house. She agreed and we drove over. I rang the doorbell and a lady opened the door. I asked her about the house which she herself was renting but was soon moving out. We looked it over and it was just right, Marina said right away, “That’s for us.” That morning we had read Ps.25 en verse 12 had touched us, “Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.”

There were several suitcases standing in the hallway and the lady told us that she was going on holidays to Spain the next day, “You caught me just in time.” We talked things over and were able to buy her curtains, her dishwasher and several other things. We went home, phoned the owners, had a meeting with them that evening and rented the house, unbelievable! The rent was a bit high, but the wonderful thing was that we did not have to do any fixing up at all, no painting, no wallpapering, no new rugs to put in, etc., etc. We could move right in without spending a cent. This was the first time that we were able to do that, all other times, we had to spend a lot of money and a lot of time fixing up a house. Now everything was just perfect, what a relief and what a provision from the Lord!

Before the moving we had to get rid of a lot of things we didn’t need and which had been collected over the years. Thank God for Robert, a dear Christian brother who helped me much of the time. I don’t know what I would have done without him. And then, finally, shortly before leaving for Canada, we moved into our “dream house” provided by the Lord, what a joy………! (Go to Musings).

 

MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.193

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Nr.192 ended with, “When I told her what had happened, she was absolutely amazed………..!” (See richardandmarina.net).

“Well, she said, I have never heard of anything like that.” I had told her that we were part of an evangelical Church or community and that two couples had given us interest-free loans so that we could buy the house. Everything had been paid back by now and I offered to give her the names and addresses of these couples so she could check up to see if this was true. But she shook her head and told her secretary that he didn’t need to do that because she believed and trusted us. Maybe reading our wedding booklet had touched her heart. We had to prove that we were married, and unlike in Belgium where people have an official marriage booklet, in Canada, many people are married in a church and the minister has a license and can sign the marriage certificate. We had this certificate inside a booklet with the wedding vows and order of the service. One of Marina’s sisters who has a beautiful voice sang a song based on the words in Ruth one, “Wherever thou goest I will go.” The lawyer smiled when she saw that and told us that was sung at her wedding too. Interesting.

She then told us that it would take three months to check everything after which the deal would be official. I told her that we were going to Canada on September 27 for a 3 months visit and we would very much like to have things settled before then. It was about the middle of August then, so it seemed almost impossible to have things finished by that date. She looked at us, smiled and told us that she would give us priority and that she was quite sure we would have our money before we left. And we did, a couple days before leaving for Canada everything was cleared, unbelievable.

There was something else we had sort of worried about. In Belgium, as in other countries, when deals are done, often people will do things under the table so they don’t have to pay as much tax. When we bought this house, the owner wanted to do part under the table, but I refused and instead gave him extra money. Now we were the ones selling. What if the buyer insisted on doing that too? Well, that problem never came up, as the buyer was chief of police and I imagine he couldn’t risk doing something unlawful, ha! So we rejoiced and thanked the Lord.

But now we had about six weeks to find another house and move, to us that seemed almost impossible, but God………………! (Go to Musings).

MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.192

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Nr.191 ended with, “We had no idea that several miracles were about to happen………….!”(See richardandmarina.net).

Marina opened the door and greeted the lady standing there who said that they had heard from our neighbor that our house may be up for sale? Marina was quite surprised and answered her that I was not home, could she come back later? The lady said she would come back with her husband as they were interested in our house. Later on that day they returned, he was the police commissioner for southern Ghent. Their unmarried daughter was also with the police and they were looking to buy a house for her. We showed the whole house, garage and yard and they said they were definitely interested and could come back the next morning to meet our realtor. After they left I phoned him and told him that we had some folk who were interested in our house. When I told him their name, he laughed and said not to expect much, as he had shown them a number of houses already and every time they were interested, but then changed their minds.

The next morning the couple returned and also the realtor. He went through the whole house with them, left them upstairs, came down to us and asked us again how much we wanted for the house. I told him that he knew that already and that we were sticking to that price. He frowned and went back upstairs, and a little later the three of them came down with a smile on their faces, yes, they wanted the house and agreed to the price, unbelievable! Not only that, but I had a list of some 23 things that needed to be done to the house before we could sell it. The policeman told us not to do anything whatsoever, as they themselves would fix up the house the way they wanted it. He had also studied to be an architect and loved to fix up old buildings. What a relief, as I was quite worried about all the work that needed to be done and how I would get it all done.Talk about a miracle, the realtor was so impressed that he and his wife took us out for a very expensive dinner and we had a great opportunity to witness to them.

Miracle number two: together with the buyers we went to a lawyer to get all the legal paperwork done. She was a very nice and friendly lady who had a young man, her secretary present too. She had a list of fourteen things that needed to be looked into and checked. I was asked about mortgages and I answered that we didn’t have any. She looked surprised and asked how we were able to buy the house. When I told her what had happened, she was absolutely amazed………..! (Go to Musings).

 

MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.190

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Nr.189 ended with, “We arrived at the large hotel where the conference was held and the organizers showed us a quiet room at the end of the hallway, at least they thought it was quiet! We arrived quite late and went straight to bed, but then……..! (See richardandmarina.net).

All of a sudden there was a tremendous noise from below us, musical instruments and loud singing and shouting. What we didn’t know, and I don’t think the organizer knew either, was, that there was another floor below us with a ballroom. The noise was so overwhelming that Marina’s heart started acting up. I left our room to see what was going on and discovered that a group of handicapped young people were there to make music, dance and have a ball. The rock and roll music was very, very loud and it came right up into our room. I’ll let Marina tell you in her own words how she felt, “It started with the feeling of a train’s wheels going through my body, starting at the stomach through the heart and ending up in my throat. I tried to sing and pray, but it kept on and on. We read in the Bible, “The troubles of my heart are enlarged, O Lord, bring me out of my distress”, this was my inner cry. Richard prayed with me, and finally the music and noise stopped and there was blessed quietness.”

I went looking in the hallway for some help, but it was late and everyone was asleep, besides, we didn’t know where “our” people were as there were other guests in the hotel too. And since I do not speak French, I didn’t want to talk to someone at the desk. It took quite some time yet for Marina’s heart to be at ease and beat normal again. We did sleep for some hours, but were up early and decided to go home as we felt the busyness of the meetings, meals and discussions would be too much for Marina, who needed quietness. We arrived home and called our cardiologist and had an appointment made. He had Marina do a stress test and he said everything seemed to be all right, but Marina knew it wasn’t.

A week or so later Marina was not feeling good again and we returned to the cardiologist who put a monitor on her for a week. The day after we returned it, he called and asked me to come and see him as soon as possible. In his office he told me that they had found something irregular and gave me some special medication for Marina and also told me that if anything abnormal were to happen, to go to emergency immediately. Saturday night at 11.45 pm Marina felt miserable again and I took her blood pressure which was 83/33 (normal = 120/80) and her pulse 22 (normal = 70)……………! (Go to Musings).

 

MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.189

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Nr.188 ended with, “Thinking I had another heart attack, she (Marina) jumped up and cried out, “My husband is dead………..!” (See richardandmarina.net).

No, I wasn’t dead. After a few moments I opened my eyes, lifted up my head and saw a lot of people standing around me. I asked, “Was I away for a bit?” They nodded their heads. I felt very weak and was trembling. Someone brought a glass of water and I slowly got to my feet, shaking quite a bit. Most of the people had gone downstairs for coffee and after a bit I went down too, with someone helping me. I realized that I wasn’t up to preaching and the folk told me to go to the hospital and get checked. I was still feeling pretty miserable, and so, Marina and I drove to the hospital in Listowel where a doctor examined me, concluding that it had not been a heart attack, I had fainted, likely due to overtiredness and the warm weather. The last 6 weeks had been very busy, first in Belgium getting everything arranged for the time we would be away. Then coming to Canada, and after settling in, having our 40th wedding feast with our family and Marina’s relatives living in Ontario. Our assembly also had a come and go tea for friends and others. The doctor had wanted to keep me in the hospital overnight, but I refused. Marina drove us home where I went to bed.

The next day I still felt very weak and tired and we realized that it was not possible to make the long trip out West now. So we phoned and emailed all our contacts and new dates were set. We were able to stay in a house in Gorrie, On. belonging to missionaries who were on the mission field right then. It was a very quiet place and we were able to get rested up and after I got my strength back, we started out for the West. We had a good trip, wonderful meetings and great times with family and friends. We returned to Elmira and after spending time with Rosa we flew back to Belgium.

We continued to help the assembly in Mariakerke, Ghent, while I also gave Bible studies and messages in other churches. Time was spent in meeting with men who were or would become elders in the churches. Marina was on the phone a lot encouraging people and she also spent much time writing cards and letters. Towards the end of August 2004, we drove to France to attend the yearly Foreign Workers Conference. We arrived at the large hotel where the conference was held and the organizers showed us a quiet room at the end of the hallway, at least they thought it was quiet! We arrived quite late and went straight to bed, but then…………..! (Go to Musings).

MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.188

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Nr.187 ended with, “I doubt whether this man had ever heard the gospel, but he sure did that afternoon as I did not beat around the bush, but as I was speaking I sure wondered what his response was going to be…………….!” (See richardandmarina.net).

A reception was held after the meeting and the Mayor came to me and thanked me for my words, he was very positive, incredible! His wife was really enthusiastic and thanked me several times, telling me how much she had enjoyed everything, especially my speech. I asked her whether she had a Bible, which she didn’t, so she went home with one. She told me that a few times while ironing clothes, she had watched the Evangelical Broadcast from Holland. The seed has been sown, eternity will reveal what has happened to it. In the entrance hall a plaque is on the wall with the words: “On May 5, 2000, this building of the Evangelical Christian Church was officially opened by Mr. Frank Beke, Mayor of the city of Ghent.” We praised God for this. And so, rejoicing in the Lord we went on with the work of the Lord.

When one is busy and has much to do, time just flies and two years were gone in no time. In August 2002 we went back to Canada for our 40th wedding anniversary. This time we had our second daughter Lily and her husband, Bart, plus their three daughters come over too, this was the first time for them. Our youngest daughter Rini was living in Israel at the time and was not able to come. Rosa, who was still fairly well at that time, together with Carol, Marina’s youngest sister, who lived in Chatham, ON, planned the whole party. It was such a wonderful time in every way and we all thanked God for His blessings.

While Lily, Bart and the three girls returned to Belgium, Marina and I stayed to speak in different assemblies in Ontario and then drive west, holding meetings along the way in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, while also visiting family. The meetings and visits were all lined up and we were going to be starting out shortly after September 15, our wedding date. On that day we drove to an assembly in Ethel about 45 minutes from us. I was to speak there that morning. We started with the Lord’s Supper and different ones took part. Then the bread and cup were shared to remember the Lord Jesus. After that the collection plate was passed around to receive gifts of thanksgiving. Marina looked at me and saw that my head was down, my eyes were closed and my face was as white as a sheet and when she touched my arm, it felt as cold as ice. Thinking I had another heart attack, she jumped up and cried out, “My husband is dead……………!” (Go to Musings).

 

MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.187.

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MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.187

Nr.186 ended with, “The building would not be officially opened until the next year and then there would be another totally different surprise……….!” (See richardandmarina.net).

While in Canada for several months, Marina and I were able to stay in the home of Allan and Helena Hoffman, who were going out of the country on a mission trip. They even let us use their car. We thanked God for them and for another one of His provisions. We had a precious time with our daughter Rosa and also with our home church and other people and churches that supported us. I was speaking in a different assembly every Sunday and at some week night meetings.

And then, as many of you will probably remember, came New Year’s Eve of 1999 and the Y2K bug, also called Year 2000 bug or Millennium Bug, a problem in the coding of computerized systems that was projected to create havoc in computers and computer networks around the world at the beginning of the year 2000. Quite a few people, especially in North America had taken precautions as they were afraid of power failures and all other kind of things happening. So some bought generators, stocked up on groceries and other items. I didn’t believe much of this, but to be honest, I did take the car out of the garage, in case the power failed and we wouldn’t be able to get the garage door open. That night we sat watching TV and saw how there were New Year’s parties in Australia, while nothing had happened. And nothing happened here either, ha!

We flew to Belgium the beginning of January and were glad to be back and able to continue with our ministry there. The new building wasn’t finished yet as there were many little things to be done. After painting the whole place we were able to start using it, which was a real joy. We had also planned an official opening where we could invite the neighbors and other folk. We talked about inviting the Mayor of Ghent, but someone laughed and said that he would never come as he is a real socialist and never, really never enters a church building, not even when the King visits Ghent.

However, one of our church members, a doctor, was a city councilor and he talked to the Mayor, who accepted the invitation. So, as the building was filling up with Christians and non Christians, we really wondered whether he would keep his word. And sure enough, there he came, with his wife! What an unbelievable surprise, who would have ever thought that! We had a wonderful meeting with singing, speeches and also having the Mayor speak, after which I spoke, or rather preached. I doubt whether this man had ever heard the gospel, but he sure did that afternoon as I did not beat around the bush, but as I was speaking I sure wondered what his response was going to be…………….! (Go to Musings).

 

MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.186.

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Nr.185 ended with, “The deal was made and now the renovations began, but there was one problem, we were pretty well out of money, so now what? We would soon find out that the Lord had a couple surprises for us………….!” (See richardandmarina.net).

The first surprise was four men coming from the UK organization Brass Tacks, an organization with the following mission: “Our mission is to relieve missionaries and full-time Christian workers of their maintenance, mechanical and building work. We build new or renovate existing buildings.” The four men helped us for two weeks free of charge. They did a tremendous amount of work and really knew what they were doing. I don’t know how we ever could have gotten things done without them, it was a real provision from the Lord.

The second surprise was almost unbelievable. These men encouraged me to write to another Christian organization in the UK which goal was to give financial support. Seeing that I had spoken in several churches and at a couple conferences in the UK, I was no stranger to them. I wrote them and told them very honestly what was going on and how that we had come to the end of our finances. Within a week or so I received a very, very large cheque, enough to cover almost all of the renovations. The Christians in Ghent were so surprised and amazed that people in England would send money to people they had never met. It was indeed the Lord providing for His children through His children. It was wonderful, but that’s how the body of Christ, the family of God works.

So, very much encouraged we carried on with the renovations, and a lot of work needed to be done. New floors, new ceilings, new roof, new toilets, new sewage, new electrical wiring and lights, etc. etc. I could write a book about it all. And all the work was done by our own people, except for the four men from England. Marina and I were planning a trip to Canada as it had already again been three years since the last time. We would be leaving in September and returning toward the end of the year or the beginning of next year. By the end of August the large hall was ready enough to hold a meeting there and so we did. For one Sunday morning we did not meet in the old building in Gentbrugge but in the new building and what a joyful meeting it was. The main work was done but there were so many smaller things still to be done, and very often they take the most time. The building would not be official opened until the next year and then there would be another totally different surprise……….! (Go to Musings).

MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.185.

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Nr.184 ended with, “We are at nr.184 now and I am thinking of stopping at nr.200. So I will tell you yet about some of the high lights of the following years and how the Lord led us, saved Marina and provided for us, very interesting, just wait…….!” (See richardandmarina.net).

One of those high lights was how we experienced the Lord providing for His children through His children in such wonderful ways. God had called us to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ and plant churches. According to the Bible, a church is not a building, but a group of believers. However, when such a group becomes too large, a building is needed. When we began in Belgium all meetings were held in living rooms, but when people became Christians and were baptized, a church needed to be started. That was done in our home several times, until we outgrew our house and had to look for some kind of building. The first time was in Antwerp, where we fixed up an old store and started meeting there on Sundays. We discovered that besides preaching and teaching, we also were in the building business. In total I worked on 7 buildings, some for a few months, others much longer. The last one and the biggest job, in Ghent.

There were two assemblies in that city, one in the south end, in Gentbrugge, and one in the north, in Mariakerke. But as mentioned before, the one in Mariakerke had to change buildings a number of times. And now they had to again move out of the building which they were using. There was no other place to go and it was decided that for the time being the two churches would meet together on Sunday morning. But of course, this was not a satisfying solution and so after much prayer and discussion, it was decided to have the two churches buy a building together, as one alone could not afford that.

But we needed to know how everyone thought about this and how much money we could count on. So we made up a letter to give to all the believers and some in other assemblies, asking whether they could give a onetime gift and/or an interest free loan. The results were amazing, enough money was promised for us to start looking for a suitable building to buy. It was clear that the Lord was in this and we praised Him. I can’t go into all the details, suffice to say that we found a building, a house with a large hall behind it which used to be a print shop. The deal was made and now the renovations began, but there was one problem, we were pretty well out of money, so now what? We would soon find out that the Lord had a couple surprises for us………….! (Go to Musings).

 

MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.184.

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Nr.183 ended with, “Jesus was building His church in Belgium, step by step, and that, right then, without me, wonderful………..!” (See richardandmarina.net).

The Lord had added several new workers to our team. In 1990, Rosario and Anita Anastasi became very active in Limburg. In 1991, Eric and Lut Rutten came from Limburg to help in West Flanders, doing a great work, teaching Bible studies, preaching and counseling. Eric Schrapen and his wife joined us in 1992 for 5 years, being active in evangelism and teaching mainly in Limburg. And more would follow later. We were very thankful for all these, especially after my two heart attacks and back operation, as I noticed that I did not have the same energy as before. It took quite some time to get some strength back.

That fall, of ’94, a small group of believers left the assembly in the south of Ghent over doctrinal differences, it was very painful as those folk were very dear to us. But these things happen, even two great apostles, Paul and Barnabas differed on something and went their separate ways.

It was so good to have Pete and Joanna Gifford working with us in Ghent. They were mainly involved in the Gentbrugge assembly, while Marina and I were helping in the Mariakerke church. Pete was very active in youth work, youth weekends and camp work too. Marina was also for many years very much involved in camp work, both in the children’s camp as well as the youth camps. Of course, her accordion always went along and not only did she often play for the singing, but some of the children and youth used to enjoy playing with it too.

In 1996 we went back to Canada for a home assignment from April until July. It was wonderful to see Rosa again after almost 3 years, and also spent time with our home church and other supporting churches and friends. It was always so good to be able to tell them what the Lord was doing in Belgium through their prayers and financial help, so encouraging for them.

Some time ago I wrote the following, “The original purpose of “Musings” was not so much to write a story about the work, but rather about our personal lives, which of course includes the work. It is “our” story on how we experienced the reality of the living God, His presence, His guidance, His provisions, His protection, His faithfulness and His blessings.” We are at nr.184 now and I am thinking of stopping at nr.200. So I will tell you yet about some of the high lights of the following years and how the Lord led us, saved Marina and provided for us, very interesting, just wait………………..!

 

MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.183.

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Nr.182 ended with, “After ten days I was allowed to go home, but not for long, we didn’t know then that I would soon be back here…………..!” (See richardandmarina.net).

My cardiologist had told me that I had lost 20% of my heart and needed to rest a lot and take it easy. It was very difficult for me to have to cancel a whole lot of Bible studies and speaking engagements. My dear wife Marina, sure looked after me well. One afternoon I was pulling some weeds from our lawn and while bent over I turned a bit and heard a pop in my lower back and as I straightened out it started hurting, but it wasn’t too bad and I could sit and bear it while we had company from Antwerp.

But when I got up the next morning and was putting on a sock, something popped again, and this time it really hurt. When I stood up I could not get my left foot down to the floor. It was really bad. Marina phoned the doctor who came and gave me a needle for the pain. He looked at me and said, “I have never seen anyone so white.” For a whole week I lay in bed with my legs high up on pillows, but it did not improve and so the doctor called an ambulance which took me back to the hospital. I was there for a week while they did some tests and came to the conclusion that I had a herniated disc in my lower back and I needed surgery. The day after the operation, in the evening, an alarm sounded and the nurse quickly turned the end of my bed up so that my head was lowered and my feet up. Blood was taken and soon the news came that I had a second heart attack. So back to intensive care. After about ten days I was allowed to go home but had to stay in bed. And to keep the story short, altogether I was flat on my back for 55 days. “God never promised us an easy journey, but He has promised a safe arrival.” 🙂

However, while I was laid up, the work of the Lord continued, people were still being saved and added to the churches. But things were changing, the first 20 or so years had been the pioneers phase when many came to the Lord and many assemblies were started, but now we entered into the stabilizing phase. More structure was needed, leaders had to be trained and believers needed to grow. As exciting as the conversion of many people had been, this phase, seeing people mature and becoming active in Sunday school work, camp activities, leadership in the church and other activities was just as rewarding. Jesus was building His church in Belgium, step by step, and that, right then, without me, wonderful…………….! (Go to Musings).

 

MUSINGS OF AN “OLDER” MAN”. Nr.182.

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Nr.181 ended with, “He (the doctor) said to lie down and call him in an hour if things did not improve. And things did not improve, so he came back, wrote a note and told us to go to emergency…………..!” (See richardandmarina.net).

When we arrived at the hospital I gave the doctor’s note to a nurse who read it, grabbed a stretcher and told me to lie down. I had a smile on my face and she looked at me and said, “Mr. Haverkamp, you’re having a heart attack and that’s no joke.” I think I smiled even more and told her, “Don’t worry, if anything happens, I’m ready to go and I know where I am going.” She looked at me very surprised and said, “Well, we have never heard those words here before.” I was taken to the intensive care unit and hooked up to all kinds of things. The second night, I woke up in the middle of the night, tore off everything that was attached to me and got out of bed. Of course, the alarm went off right away and a nurse came running and asked me what I was doing. I said that I was going to take a bath. “You can’t do that” she said. “Oh yes, I can” I answered, “I’m old enough to make my own decisions.” (I didn’t realize that I was hallucinating).

Another nurse came walking in and said, “Mr. Haverkamp, we have the authority here in the hospital.” That word ‘authority’ struck me and I thought, “Oh yes, the Bible says we are to submit to authority.” So I said, “OK” and turned around and got into bed again. The next morning I remembered everything and apologized to the nurses, but they laughed and told me that this happens quite often, it’s the medication that does it. So we all had a good laugh together.

Thank God, Marina had been able to get her Belgian drivers license when we had returned from Canada and for a brief period were living in the church building in Eeklo. Right across the road was the drivers school and she had gone there and done both her written as well as her driver’s test and passed. A friend who was an instructor had told me that Marina would never make it because of her age and her language problems, as the questions are very tricky. But she made it and testifies that the Lord helped her through this. And what a blessing now as she could get around and also come and visit me in the hospital.

After ten days I was allowed to go home, but not for long, we didn’t know then that I would soon be back here…………..! (Go to Musings).

 

Musings – richardandmarina