Nr.159 ended with: “We have to honestly admit that there are many things about God and His ways we don’t understand, but we know that He is and “that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Hebr.11:6. He has proven Himself many a time to us, we’ll tell you more later……………….!” (See richardandmarina.net).

Over the years I have learned to not go by the things which I don’t understand, and there are many, but rather to go by what I do understand, and I understand a lot. I have found that when I walk in the light that I have, more light is given and more is understood.

Last month I wrote 1982, ten years in Belgium and 16 churches started, all praise to God. But as with children, it’s one thing to have a baby, but quite another to raise that child to maturity. So also with individual Christians and with churches. Starting a new church is exciting, but then after a while the difficult work starts, teaching these new believers to get along with each other. That’s exciting too, but it is also a lot of work and takes a lot of time. And we had three daughters who were now getting into their teenage years. I cut back on some of my activities and started on Saturday evenings taking Rosa, the oldest one, together with a few of her friends out to go bowling or to music concerts, even a couple in Holland, always ending the evening with good old Belgian French fries!

In the fall of 1981 Rosa went to Bodenseehof Capernwray Bible school in southern Germany for the winter semester. There she became ill and should have come home, but she enjoyed the time there so much that she stayed and actually never fully recovered from the mononucleosis. In the spring of ’82 she went to spring school in England (Capernwray Bible school), and then in the fall of that year she went to work at a Christian youth hostel, called Ebenezer in Amsterdam for 9 months.

On May 18, my birthday, friends took us out for the noon meal and then for a walk in the woods. There I all at once collapsed and an ambulance was called and I was in the hospital for four days. I had a real burn-out, which was not surprising after having gone in overdrive for some ten years. I had to stop my activities and we went to Canada from July until December ’83. In the fall Rosa went to Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills, Alberta for a year. She tried going back in 1984 but her health had gone very much downhill and she had to return home after a couple months as she just could not continue.

We were back in Belgium end 1983 and continued to witness the work of God’s Holy Spirit in the lives of people, and the growth of His church, exciting indeed…………! (Go to Musings).