Bits from Belgium! (From various e-mails sent out in the past week :-)
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Wow. 9 days already!
I just returned from a wonderful, long walk. I think I walked 3-4 miles, down near the next town and back. I listened to music and meditated, and it was so nice! It stormed just before I left, with a little bit of hail even! But once it stopped, the skies cleared and it was beautiful. It's chilly today and windy, (maybe low 60's?). There is a children's festival going on behind the Petrie's house (there's a school there), and I am currently listening to many happy children's voices (and parents), music, and the lively sounds of a festival. During the week, I can hear children out playing, and it's always funny to me to hear the little French voices - I usually can't make out what they're saying. Schools here won't get out until the last week of June.
Tomorrow morning a friend of the Petrie's (who I've met a couple times) will be arriving from the states to help out with the Mid-East meetings this week. The big event is Tuesday at the Parliament (we will go Tuesday night), and then a large group will travel to Oslo, Norway to continue their usual annual conference - although Paul will stay here. Another friend from Ohio will be arriving Monday, also for the conference. Visitors are always fun here, although it will be busy, I'm sure! :-)
Sunday, June 19, 2011
It turns out that one of the guys that was supposed to be coming today missed his flight yesterday (like I almost did!), and won't be in until tomorrow morning. Soooo... the dinner with the visitors tonight is being pushed to tomorrow night, and the rest of today is restful, peaceful, and quiet. Just another typical day in the Petrie house; where flexibility and adaptability is one of the most essential characteristics! :-)
Monday, June 20, 2011
Phew... what a day! It was wonderful, exciting, quite a change in routine, and tiring! But I am happy and well, no doubt a testament to your prayers!
The morning started a 7 with helping Rebecca get up and have her quiet time with the Lord (she loves to get at least an hour of quiet Bible reading, prayer, and just "being" with the Lord EVERY morning!). Once she was in her wheelchair and settled, I got her breakfast and tea and stayed in the kitchen (next to her room) in case she needed anything. I made banana bread, unloaded the clean dishwasher and loaded dirty dishes, and had a little time for reading and prayer myself. :-) Then the physical therapist (called "kine" (key-nay) came and I had a few minutes to finish readying myself for the day. Right after kine, the hairdresser came to wash Rebecca's hair (she comes weekly), and I helped get the water, etc. for her. While we were doing this, Dennis Coll (the pastor of our "sister" church in Lancaster, and Bill Hightower (from Alabama) arrived. They're both long-time friends of the Petries and have been here many times. I have met and know both of them a little. I helped get lunch together and we all ate, then Annie and I took the shih tzu's to the groomer. Then everybody was ready for naps, so I helped Rebecca get comfortable, cleaned up lunch, and had an hour or so to read and rest. I did both, although again, actually napped, which is somewhat uncommon for me. Guess I was tired again! It's nice to have that restful time, "if needed"!
Later, I helped Annie prepare dinner for a possible 12 people, (dinner at the Kopechek's? :-) and eventually the guests arrived. The dinner was casual and laid-back, which was nice (the Petries can throw some very fancy dinners, which are quite a bit of work and I feel a bit more out of place :-) The two guys who had arrived from the states were here (They're staying in the Petrie home), plus the songwriter Michael Hunter Ochs, and an "ambassador"-ish guy from Israel and his "deputy". Another music-writer person from Oslo, Norway also came. He was baptized in the Jordan river by Dennis Coll a few years ago. (!!!) The two Israeli guys were from Jerusalem and Galilee. Can you imagine! These guys LIVE where Jesus lived!!!!! Amazing! They were fairly quiet, but very nice, and it was fun to listen to the conversation between them all.
I am in an interesting position of being very interested in all of this, but also wanting/having to make sure my role as Rebecca's caregiver never gets pushed out of the way from my own desire to hear more or ask questions, etc. In many ways, I am like a volunteer servant here... and how incredibly rewarding and wonderful it is! Jesus was not joking when He talked about the importance of "being a servant". I think one of the highlights of the evening was hearing one of the Jewish guests talking about his Palestinian friends from this group, and talking about radical muslim-hating people and how upset that made him. Can you believe it? A Jewish person upset over people hating his Palestinian FRIENDS? It gave me chills!
The final special part of the evening was the CD's the guys left. The group of top Middle-Eastern, Scandinavian, and American performers and song-writers have formed a "band" and produced a CD called "My Favorite Enemy". I have a copy that I can bring home! I can't wait to share it with you! It contains traditional middle-Eastern music, some very poignant songs about peace, and is very, very cool!
Tuesday is the big event at the Parliament, and it will be fun now that we have met a few
Tuesday, 6/21/11
Happy first day of Summer!
Phew! What an evening! I think I said that yesterday too, but wow... today was another wild and wonderful day! :-) This morning was somewhat the usual, but with a bit of added stress and "anticipation" for the evening. Poor Rebecca was really tired and I think stressed and nervous about the thought of having to get ready and go out. Anyhow, we had lunch and I made a couple nectarine/strawberry tart/pie things with some fruit that needed eaten ASAP. Rebecca took a long nap, and I took a bit of one also. Once she woke up, it was a flurry of activity getting clothes ironed and on, her make-up done, everything together, etc. We finally piled into their van (Rebecca, Annie, a friend, Laura, and Bill Hightower, from Alabama driving). The van is small, so Annie and Bill were in the front, Rebecca and her wheelchair took up the back of the van, and Laura and I sat on cushions on the floor, facing Rebecca. It wasn't the most scenic or safe way to travel, but it worked, and we enjoyed it. :-) We got to the Parliament with plenty of time to spare, despite a bit of "confusion", and Paul met us and helped us get through the security (much like airport security). They let us in really smoothly (I think they knew we were coming, and Paul gets around pretty easily there), and then we were headed up to the performance. I of course don't know anybody (other than those who came over last night), but it was weird to be among these "famous" and really important people. I always feel so out of place! Nevertheless, the environment was relaxed and fun, and the music performance was AWESOME! They played songs from the CD, but watching them perform in person was so cool! They all were so happy and goofy and just having a good time! I caught several clips on my camera to share later. :-) It was, as expected, so amazing to see Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Americans, and Norwegians not just "co-existing", but thoroughly enjoying eachother, and obviously very good friends! And these aren't just "anybody's" in their culture - they're top musicians!
During the performance, servers from the Parliament came around offering wine, champagne, and fancy little finger foods. I again, felt so out of place! :-) I thoroughly enjoy events like these, but also recognize that God did not program me to spend my life in that kind of atmosphere. Somehow, I'm more at home in the big open spaces of the outdoors, with mud, boots, jeans, t-shirt, and animals!
We got home around 10 or 10:30, and Paul went right to bed (he tries to go to bed at 9 p.m. prompt every night). Rebecca is more like me, and stays up. :-) Anyhow, a bunch of us were hungry because we hadn't had a proper dinner, so at 10:30 last night I was scrambling eggs and making toast for Rebecca, and eating left-over lasagna. :-) After all that, Rebecca was exhausted, so I helped her get ready for bed, and had a about 30-40 minutes to wind down and get ready for bed before the midnight turn.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
I just finished a deathly-delicious dessert of Belgian chocolatey goodness. Mmmm. I also received a most enjoyable letter from my sweetheart today, addressed to a "mademoiselle Mary Elizabeth Kopechek". I felt very important and distinguished... :-)
Today was another very "Belgian" day, and relatively relaxing - especially after the last two! This morning and most of the afternoon was cloudy, with a mix of rain and clearing periods with sun. It has been chilly (in the low 60's), but is supposed to warm up this weekend. Laura (Rebecca's friend and the same lady who went to the Parliament with us last night) comes on Wednesday mornings to help with Rebecca and to visit and be with her, so my morning was free. I slept great last night and slept in (much needed after all the excitement the last two nights!). In the afternoon I called home and got to talk to Mom and Dad for a nice long-ish while. I had not talked on the phone with them since... Hmmm... can't remember? I talked to Daniel on Friday, but neither Mom nor Dad were home. Anyhow, it was nice to visit and hear their voices and get filled in on some of the goings-ons... although there is so much more I missed and could have gone on asking about! Afterwards, I took a walk to the bank to try to get my money exchanged (how's that? 13 days in a foreign country and still hadn't exchanged my money... or used any! The Petries are very generous! :-) Anyhow, turns out the bank I went to is under construction and I got to try to use a little French with a lady to see if I could exchange money. She spoke a little English and explained that they weren't able to right now, and I would have to go to another bank. So... I still have no exchanged my dollars for euros! Hopefully tomorrow! Nevertheless, the weather was nice for the moment, so I took a brisk, short walk instead.
The evening was fairly quiet. I found out that Paul's secretary/assistant, who visits often, is going to be having knee-surgery next week and has asked the Petries to keep her dog (a friendly, small/medium-ish terrier mix). I've met Penny many times as Mary usually brings her here when she visits. Anyhow, she's asked if I might help take care of her (in other words, mainly just let her sleep with me at night :-) You certainly don't have to ask me twice! While I would be a bit overwhelmed with having to take care of a high-maintenance dog in this situation, Penny is low-key, and I believe will be a blessing to have! It will give me company in my lonely room and something soft and furry to pet and snuggle.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
I have had a good day, although my days off can be a little "odd" for me. It's hard NOT to "work" when I am around, and when I leave, I can't wait to get back "home"... although at the same time, I recognize the importance of taking advantage of a day off in order to help myself be more mentally and physically able to serve my best the rest of the week. The concept is both important and healthy, and I appreciate having a day off each week. You can pray that I will be able to take advantage of them to rest, recharge, etc... although so far I haven't felt I "need" a day off.
I was awakened once in the night to help Rebecca get more comfortable, but other than that, slept great! When I got up, I had another leisurely morning and was able to take a shower, read and write some e-mails, and play the piano a bit before Diana arrived. I also walked down to another bank to try to exchange my money, but alas, I am not a bank "member" and the lady was giving me a hard time about exchanging my money (and didn't seem to speak any English either), so I left with my American dollars in my pocket still. I exchanged some dollars for euros with Paul to get me by for awhile. My Dutch friend Diana arrived at 11 and we went down to the grocery to get some foods for lunch, and then drove down to a beautiful, large park a few miles from the petries (I think it's about 3-4 miles away... it's where I walked nearly to on Saturday). We had a delicious picnic lunch and got caught up. It was beautiful out, though a bit chilly. It has rained off and on every day this week, and today was the first sunny morning. I was so thankful! After lunch we took a few photos around the Chateau and garden, and then she drove me over to her house, nearby. At Diana's house we looked at pictures from various trips and of family members. We ate some more and talked some more, and then she brought me back to Petries. I took a quick walk as it was still lovely out. I listened to music as I walked, and am finding this very peaceful and soothing. I like to walk quickly so as to get my heart beating faster, (but yet, not running), and just take in the sights, sounds, and smells. I walked by the school/daycare that is behind the Petries' house and past a playground full of little children playing and fighting. It's amazing to see so many children under the care of so few adults. Yikes! At the same time, I do have to say the sound of their little French voices is simply adorable! I wish I could somehow walk by and record them. :-) They are very, very cute!
Shortly after getting back to the Petries, guess what? It started to rain! First time today! Yes, God is good! I smile again as I think about how beautiful the weather was all morning and afternoon, until I was safe and sound and dry at the Petries. God doesn't have to do that for me... and yet He does! I feel so loved! :-)
The rest of the afternoon has been spent "organizing", writing, looking up some recipes, and relaxing. It is still hard to not "work", but I am "working hard" to relax, and looking forward to another full day with Rebecca and the Petrie household tomorrow :-) It will be Annie's day off tomorrow, so I will be busy - and I don't mind!
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