Mixed Feelings

In a few days I'll be leaving Minneapolis to return to my home in Holland.
I'm excited and I'm sad.
I'm looking forward and I'm regretting.
I'm ready and I'm not.

Yet, I know it is right for me to move on. I know it's God's plan that I leave my family for now. But it is still hard to leave. Doing the right thing doesn't means it's the easy thing.
Mom's health is somewhat stable though she is certainly weaker than when I arrived eight months ago. She courageously faces each pain-filled day and just takes one step after another. She lives each day by the grace of God and this is how she worships Him.
Our family met together the week before Christmas and discussed how we can continue to care for mom in the days ahead. We're pulling together to make it work and, in doing so, showing our love for mother and for one another.

I will miss my family, especially my mother.
I will miss my home church, especially the closer friends God has given me there.
I will miss many other friends and our rendezvous for coffee.
I will miss the climate and culture of my home state.

I look forward to my own home in Holland, my friends, my church, my life and purpose there with Youth With A Mission, the Dutch culture.

There is a time for everything, and a right season for every activity under heaven:
... a time to plant and a time to uproot,
... a time to weep and a time to laugh,
... a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
... a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
... a time to stay and a time to go (Ecc.3)

Proposal!

Well, it is not my proposal but the next best thing: my sister's.
Barbarah's boyfriend, Kent, invited me to the Christmas play they are both part of - "The Gospel according to Scrooge". He piqued my curiosity by saying he had a surprise planned for Barbarah. I figured it could only be one thing so I came, armed with my camera and wasn't disappointed. Enjoy this short video clip of his proposal to Barbarah.
Blessings,
Belinda

Funeral at YWAM Denver

Of all the YWAM bases in the USA, the YWAM Denver base is the base I know the best. My friends, Peter and Linda Warren lead the base and had even invited me several years ago to join their staff. I've been there several times, as recently as 2 years ago, to teach in their schools. So, in a real sense, I'm sharing in their grief and pain these days.

I'm posting this video clip from our YWAM Proclamedia site.
This is not what you'd see on the regular TV networks about the shootings recently at the YWAM base in Denver, but it's the most important message of all.
This video is only 13 minutes long and worth taking the time to see.

Thanks for your prayers for the YWAM family!
Belinda

Pow - Wow

To Americans the Indian term "pow - wow" is familiar and it means a gathering to discuss important matters. That's what my family is doing these days because in 3 weeks I'll be flying back to Holland.

Eight months ago I arrived here with the purpose of caring for my mom and spending valuable time with her. It was God's grace that I could be here, especially during the extra care that was necessary after she fell and broke her foot early this summer. God has really taken care of the details and there is no reason to believe that will change now. I know it's right for me to return to Holland and I trust God is in control.

Many people have commented to me that they're amazed and blessed that I'd care for my mom like this. As I face my imminent departure the questions are being raised about mom's care. Are we considering assisted care living, a nursing home, or home health care, etc... It seems that we are in the minority when it comes to caring for an elderly parent. Probably 95% of the time here in America the most likely option is a nursing home.
Most of my 3rd world friends understand the responsibility of caring for an aging parent - to them it is "normal".

When Mom, Barbarah and I were "pow-wowing" about our options this evening, we each felt that it is important that somebody shows a different way of caring for their parent. Many people don't seriously consider it because they've never seen someone else do it. Next week we'll pow-wow with the rest of the immediate family about how we can continue to be family for one another in the days ahead.

Frankly, I totally understand that it's not always possible to care in this way for one or both parents... my father's care is a case in this point. When it was apparent that dad needed extra care and assistance, we siblings had a "pow-wow". I remember praying about it and asking God to speak to me clearly about whether or not I should leave the mission field for a time to care for dad. The answer was "no"... in my heart of hearts I knew, we all knew, that dad (known for his stubborness) would never have listened to any of us, thereby short-circuiting any care we could have given him. No, for dad it was better to include an unbiased 3rd party, the Good Samaritan nursing home. Dad's last days were the best we could provide, with lots of involvement and visits from each of us. This was absolutely the right scenario for dad.

With mom it's different - she is a team-player and the one who instilled in us the basics of what it means to be family. So, it's not just caring for her, but how we care for one another - that's family.