Mike and Anita James

The way that our missions organization works, we serve four years on the field and one year in the States raising money to come back.  Sometimes it’s a bit of a hassle going back and forth, but there are some pros as well.  For example, we don’t get to see family too often.  It’s not cheap to fly back to America all that often, so we usually do about once in the middle of our term.  That means that it’s been two years since we’ve seen most of our family.  Skype and Face Time are good, but they’re not quite the same thing.

The last time we were in the States for the year, we had someone who lived in our house, so we came back to the same place.  This time, we’re putting everything into storage.  At the moment, we have boxes in every room.  In 13 days, everything will be taken away to storage.  When we packed up everything to move here, I remember how important everything was to me.  When you have to camp out or borrow furniture, you realize that people are important.  The other is just stuff and can be replaced.  As much as I don’t like moving for only a year, it always helps me to keep a good perspective on what is really important and what I can easily live without.

Boxes ready for storage

This year is Grace’s last year in elementary school (basisschool) here.  I’ve seen several lasts.  She’s gotten her last book from the library.  She will have her last gym day soon.  She is sad about leaving friends, but it helps to know that we will be back, and she will continue on to secondary school with many of them.

Goodbye bowling party with friends

I’ve seen a lot more “lasts” while I’m packing up the house.  For example, I’ve bought the “last” of several items i.e. toothpaste, toilet paper, etc.  I need to use up the last of the food in my pantry as well.

Today is the last Queens Day in The Netherlands. Queen Beatrix will step down, and her son will become the new king.  It’s an exciting day, and you can’t believe the amount of orange things that have been for sale here.  Orange is the official color of the royal family. I bought these donuts for Grace.  I usually get them for her every Queens Day.  That’s pretty much the only time she gets donuts, so she always enjoys Queens Day!

People are allowed to put Dutch flags out on special holidays, but for days like today, you’ll also see an orange streamer hanging from the top of the flag.  Since I really can’t handle huge crowds, we’ll be gathering around our television to see all the events.

Even though it’s a season of lasts, I’m excited to see what the future holds.  I’m sure I’ll be able to make a list of firsts coming up. So much of our lives have been spent trusting God to take care of us through every season of life.  I’m so glad that I can depend on Him to always be there – no matter where we live or what we’re going through.

Have you ever had a to-do list that keeps growing?  We’re definitely in that moment in life. Honestly, I like making lists, and I like crossing things off my list even more.  When we leave for America in May for a year, we are going to put our things into storage, so you can imagine the list involved with that i.e. box things up, cancel cable, electricity, etc. We also have to take care of our car and tags during this time.  We need to de-register with the government as well. Besides that, Mike is calling churches in America to book services, we’re taking care of responsibilities with ICL, a church in Leiden, as well as with the national church.  It’s hard to imagine that in less than two months, we’ll be on a plane going back to the States.  When we get there, we’ll have a totally different to-do list.  Some things are already on it.  It will be things like: find a car, find a place to live, get furniture for said place to live, get Grace registered for school, start speaking at services, get everything in order for the camps we’ll be speaking at in North Texas and Arkansas.

The last time we went back for a year, I had a hard time adjusting back to American life.  A friend had told us that while you are gone, the country changes, and so do you.  I had heard it but didn’t really think it would feel that different.  After all, I grew up in this country.  It was different. Things that at one time was normal was glaringly different to me.  One of the first things that I noticed was all the restaurants.  It was shocking to see how often Americans went out to eat.  We have restaurants here in The Netherlands, and we occasionally go.  By occasionally, I mean about once every three or four weeks.  I found that most Americans go three or four times per week.  One of the traits I adapted to in The Netherlands was being a bit more direct.  I offended my friends and family without thinking.  I remember people saying that financial times were so bad that they couldn’t go out to eat as often.  Still thinking like I was in The Netherlands, I said, “Well, you shouldn’t go out to eat so much anyway.  It’s bad for you and costs way too much.  Besides, if your financial crisis means that you have to eat at home more often, it’s not that much of a crisis!”  Response? Blank stare and hurt feelings.  Whoops!  So, I know this time that I have changed even more and am not exactly like the people I left behind.  I think that knowing that will help the reverse culture shock a little bit easier.

We’ve been gone from America for four years.  In that time, I’ve gotten used to knowing where to go for certain things.  For example, in my quest to be healthier, I’ve started adding flax seed to some of my food.  As I added it to my hot cereal (which I can’t get in the US), I thought to myself, “Where do you buy flax seed in the US?” I’m sure that it’s at every grocery store, but I don’t even know where to look when I get there.  I guess that I’ll have to spend time going down store aisles slowly to learn what they have and where they put it.  So, if you happen to be in the same grocery store that I’m in, please don’t be irritated if I don’t move quickly enough for you; be patient with me.  I’m trying to feel normal in my home country again.

Now, I’m playing a little game with myself when I think about going back to America.  I’m calling it “I Wonder How Long It Will Take Before…”  Here are some of the categories:

I don’t complain about driving more than 5 miles to go to a store

I get used to the heat outside

I get used to the air conditioning inside

I get used to the huge stores in America

I stop running up to anyone with a foreign accent because I feel like neither of us are truly from this place

I stop having a reaction to the huge sizes of things like a gallon of milk, drinks (especially at restaurants), etc

I offend someone by saying something that I didn’t think was offensive

I’m sure there are plenty of things that I could add to this list, but right now, I need to get to work getting things marked off my list for this Sunday.  There is an egg hunt to organize, and the things aren’t going to mark themselves off my list!

We moved to The Netherlands in July 2005.  At that time, Grace was only 3 years old.  The way that our mission works is for us to go and raise funds to go back after a few years.  We were planning on going back in the summer of 2008.  We noticed some changes in Grace and asked her if she had any questions about the move.  She said that she did.  Here are her questions and our answers:

1. Question: Where will we live in America? Answer: I don’t know. (We had to find an apartment that was close to family to rent for the year, and we started looking when we got there.

2. Question: Where will I go to school in America? Answer: I don’t know. (We had to explain that in America, where you go to school is determined on where you live, and we would know when we found a place to live.)

3. Question: Where will we live when we come back to The Netherlands? Answer: I don’t know. (At that time, our landlord had our house for sale, and we didn’t know where we would live when we came back.)

4. Question: Where will I go to school when we come back to The Netherlands? Answer: I know this one! (We told Grace that she would go to the same school even if we moved.  We wouldn’t move so far away that she would have to change schools.)

It was funny that even with so many ‘I don’t know’ answers, she felt peace because we were going through it together.  Mike and I realized that we are the constant in her life.  When we’re in The Netherlands, and she’s left family and friends behind in America, we are always there with her.  In America, when she’s left her friends, dog and home behind, we are always there with her.

So, here we are again with the same questions and the same answers. In prayer today, I realized that we are our constant for Grace, but God is really the constant for all of us. He is always there no matter where we are.  We can always go to Him and feel secure even in uncertain times. I am so thankful that He truly is the Rock on which I stand!

If nothing else, God never lets our lives become boring.  I’m reminded that if I had all the answers, I wouldn’t need God so much, and the uncertainty reminds me to turn to Him. This all made me think of a Jesus Culture song that sums it all up for me:

One Thing Remains

Higher than the mountains that I face
Stronger than the power of the grave
Constant through the trial and the change
One thing remains 

Your love never fails, never gives up
Never runs out on me

On and on and on and on it goes
It overwhelms and satisfies my soul
And I never, ever, have to be afraid
One thing remains

In death, In life, I’m confident and
covered by the power of Your great love
My debt is paid, there’s nothing that can
separate my heart from Your great love

It’s hard to imagine that we’ve been here in The Netherlands almost four years, which is the length of our term.  We’re scheduled to go back to America this summer.  There’s so much in that statement that it is hard to think about all that needs to happen before then.  Michelle Chapman is coming to work here in The Netherlands for 2 years.  She is going to keep the house group of our church going for the year we will be raising funds in America.  We are so thankful that she will be coming and can do this for us!

So, that bit is covered.  Mike now gets to start calling churches to try to get services booked.  This is when his telemarketing skills get honed.  Grace will finish up (almost) her year of school here.  They don’t officially get out of school here until July 19.  She’ll have to leave a little early so we can move and start the itineration process before she starts her school year in America.  She’s pretty excited to go back to America and be with family.  It’ll be a big adjustment for her.  Her current school has one class per grade. She’ll be going into 6th grade there, which means middle school. Imagine the adjustment that happens between elementary school and middle school but throw moving from another country into the mix.  It should be interesting.

This is what we looked like the last time we came back for a year in America:

The last time we were in America, it took me a while to adjust back to American culture.  I didn’t think that would happen because I’m an American.  In the time we were in The Netherlands, I changed and so did America.  I think it helps me to know that I can expect to feel strange going back again.

So, coming back will feel a little strange and be a big adjustment (especially where schooling is concerned) for Grace.  It’ll also be a lot of work and more traveling than I care to think about, but it has it’s upsides as well.  We’re really looking forward to being with family. What else are we looking forward to?

Mike: 1) Mexican food and 2) the ease of doing things in my native language

Anita: 1) Target and 2) warmer weather (I’m pretty tired of the current weather here: freezing and very snowy.)

Grace: 1) Sonic and 2) American TV

For most of my life, I lived in south Arkansas and Texas.  The climate is about the same.  In the winter, we might have a few days that are pretty cold.  We can even get a day or two of snow each year.  If we’re honest, it’s more ice on the roads than actual snow, and when it actually happens, they close school down.

In 2005, we moved to The Netherlands. As you can imagine, the climate is a bit different that where we came from.   Normally, Dutch weather can be described as rainy. It gets cold, but we don’t get excessive amounts of snow here. It feels colder than it actually is in the winter because of the humidity and wind. It usually snows every year, and this year, it hit a little earlier than normal.

Last week, we had a couple of days of snow. I think that it’s so beautiful – from inside my house. When it snows, school doesn’t shut down.  You have to plan more time getting to school. I’ve gotten a bit more used to driving in the snow, but that doesn’t mean that I like it.

Outside our house in the snow

In our time here, we haven’t gotten winter tires yet, but I told Mike that this might be our year to get them. I honestly didn’t know such a thing existed. I told that to some friends from Michigan and Canada and nearly lost friendships over it.  I had always heard of chains on tires, but I learned that there are actual tires made just for the winter.  In fact, in Germany, you legally have to have them on your car in the winter.

Life definitely doesn’t stop  when it does snow. I still have to take my dog for a walk. He actually loves walking in the snow. I think it has something to do with the fact that his breed is originally from Scotland. Last year, we had a bit of a problem with walking him though. He got ice stuck in the pads of his feet, and it caused him a lot of pain.  That could have something to do with the fact that I thought we could still go on our normal hour walk.  So, this year, I’m taking him for shorter walks.

Footprints in the snow

I saw several people walking their dogs in the snow. You can always tell the dogs that like chasing after tennis balls. The owners throw snowballs, and the dogs jump up to catch them. It’s pretty funny to watch. It made me want to start throwing tennis balls with Boomer just to see the same reaction from him the next time it snows.

I don’t know if we’ll have a white Christmas or not, but I’m going to guess that we’ll have some more snow though before the winter ends.  I guess officially that it hasn’t started yet. When the snow comes, I hope to be inside drinking a cup of tea or enjoying some soup.  I guess I’m still a Southern girl who likes the warmth

Yesterday, 11 November, was Sint Maartensdag (Saint Martin’s Day).  We were told about this holiday when we first moved to The Netherlands.  Children make paper lanterns attached to a stick and go door-to-door singing songs about Saint Martin and then get candy.  When we were told about it, we thought that it was a bit like Halloween.  Our first Halloween in The Netherlands, we actually had kids show up to trick-or-treat.  They scared me because we had our window open and saw these painted, gory faces looking in at us.  They had heard that we were Americans and knew that we would have candy for them.  Sint Maartensdag showed up, and we didn’t have any kids come by…for 7 years.

Then, we moved to Hoofddorp. On Halloween, we had no children at all.  We thought that we might since people know that we’re Americans.  We had some chocolate coins and various American candy.  No one came.  So, we didn’t get any more candy since we assumed that no kids would come for Sint Maarten.  We were wrong.

When the bell first rang, Mike said, “It’s Sint Maartensdag!”  He and Grace ran over to her candy stash and pulled out what we had.  The bell kept ringing and kept ringing.  We live in a neighborhood full of young children.  When all the candy was given away, we switched to homemade brownies leftover from church.  I put each one in a snack size Ziploc bag.  When larger groups started coming, I realized that we would have to get something else.  We were definitely scrambling!  I ran out to our freezer outside where I had some cookie dough that I was saving to make for church next week.  Fortunately, I had rolled the dough into balls before freezing it, so I dumped all the balls of dough onto a cookie sheet and threw it into the oven.  Then, I had to wait about 15 minutes before they were done.  Kids kept coming, and my cookies weren’t done yet.  Mike grabbed an opened bag of Dutch cookies and let the kids get some from the bag.  I said that it wouldn’t have been taken if we were in America.

Finally my cookies were done, and I took them out to cool.  They weren’t totally cooled when I bagged them up. When Mike came to get some of those, I heard the people say, “Wow!  These are still warm!”  I just hope the kids who pulled cookies out of an open bag don’t talk to the kids who got cookies hot out of the oven. We had 10 cookies left, and I was really worried.  After that, I was going to grab some oranges to give out.  We made jokes about sending Grace out with a flashlight so she could get something to bring back for us to then give out.

I decided to google and see how long kids normally go around for Sint Maarten.  What I found said that they go around 6:00 – 7:00 pm.  I was holding my breath and hoping that we had enough to make it that long.  We counted up how much we had given out and realized that about 40 kids came by.  We have 10 cookies left over.  Grace is happy since she had to give up her brownies.  I think I’ll be hearing the “Sint Maarten, Sint Maarten” song in my head for quite a while.  All in all, it turned out really well, and we all had fun.  We definitely made a family memory and will be ready the next time 11 November rolls around!

On Sunday, iChurch Hoofddorp had it’s official first service.  We met at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Hoofddorp.  We are so blessed to have such great support from ICL (International Church Leiden).  Not only do they support us monthly, they also are sending people to help us.  We’ve got people helping out with greeting and hospitality afterwards.  While Mike was speaking, his phone kept getting messages.  When the service was over, he saw that he had 70 text messages from people at ICL who were praying for us.  We thought that was pretty cool.

Grace was pretty happy to not be the only child at church. She was the oldest child, but after church playing with a 3-year old, she was a very happy girl.  She was also pretty confident in her computer skills for the service.  We thought that one of us should sit by her in case anything went wrong or she needed our help.  She kept telling me, “Mom, you don’t have to sit here.”  She did a very good job, but I was happy to be next to her – if she needed my help or not.

Vanessa & Sietse were practicing for worship, and Grace was also practicing on the computer.

Now, it’s all a little more real.  We’re meeting every week, and there’s a lot more responsibility with it all.  Of course, we’ve done a lot of work getting to this point, but there’s a lot more work to come.  We keep believing that we will do as much as we can and God will do the rest.  It’s a really exciting (and sometimes scary) time, and we’re excited to see what God does through our church.

When we began meeting about starting iChurch Hoofddorp, we wanted to be a church that did nice things for people.  It’s such a novel idea for a church to do something for people without a hidden agenda.  Sad, right?  So, I had the idea to pass out homemade cookies to people.  I’ve found that Dutch people LOVE American cookies.  It’s also a bonus that you can’t buy anything like that here.

Earlier this year, we spent four days passing out 1,000 cookies.  It was great to have people from America send chocolate chips and help bake and package them.  At that time, we just went out to do something nice for people.  It was so nice to see the smiles it brought.

Last week and this week, I’ve been alone in my baking.  I made a little over 750 cookies.  Once I lost count and went a little over.  Including that and making cookies for church on Sunday, I made around 800 of them.  I never thought that I’d be sick of the smell of cookies in my house, but I’m there.

This is a good sign that baking is about to begin.

Cookies ready to be packaged

I might be sick of making cookies (for now) and tired of the smell, but I’m never tired of the smiles it brings to people’s faces when we’re passing them out.  We usually pack up two boxes and head to the city center.

All packed up and ready to go

We were very fortunate to not have any rain during the cookie pass-outs.  We did have some pretty strong wind yesterday, but it didn’t stop us. This time when we’ve been passing out our cookies, the bag included a note to say that we’re going to begin weekly services at a hotel in Hoofddorp.  One day last week, a man came back after eating cookies with his family.  He was asking me what type of church we would be starting. He said that he was a Christian and he was so excited about our church.  I think my favorite quote of the day came from him.  He said, “A cookie is good, but a new church is even better!”

Last Sunday, we had our “Coming Soon” Sunday.  It was in preparation for our launch this Sunday. We decided that it would be a good idea to have a service with our team in the new location to make sure that we knew what to expect.  Here are some pictures from the service.

Mike sharing Paul’s “Twitter feed”

Sietse and Vanessa leading worship

Grace is now in Group 7.  That’s 5th grade for Americans.  She was so happy to go back to school; sitting around with us all summer wasn’t that fun.  Her summer here is 6 weeks long.  Imagine how she would’ve felt if she had an American summer break.  :)

One thing she started in Group 6 was a garden. Each child is given a small plot, and every Tuesday, they went to plant seeds, pull weeds and harvest vegetables.  They are told to bring their rain boots in case it is raining or the ground is really soft from rain.  If you don’t know much about The Netherlands, that’s pretty much all the time.  Here is something she got in Group 6.

Lettuce from Grace’s garden

I had to do a bit of research for some of the vegetables.  For example, curly endive (andijvie) is really common here, but I’d never made it myself.  I also had to learn how to cook beets.  It’s a good thing that I like cooking and experimenting with new things!

Over the summer, their vegetables continued to grow. They did have quite a bit of weeding to do after a six-week break.  We’ve been treated to some delicious, organic vegetables, and Grace is much more willing to try everything since she grew them herself. Look at some of the bounty we got this year so far.

Grace’s group 7 bounty

I never know what she’s going to bring home on a Tuesday, so I usually make a plan for cooking her veggies on Wednesday. I was pleasantly surprised to have flowers from her garden as well. I was shocked at how long they lasted in the house.

Flowers from Grace’s garden

I think that they have a few more weeks of harvesting.  She said that she’s got a yellow squash growing, which is something you don’t find too often here in The Netherlands and is one of my favorite vegetables.  I won’t have to work to hard to figure a way to cook that one.  Just thinking about it makes me hungry.  Is it Tuesday yet?

Following a move that seemed like it would never happen, we hit the ground running.  On Tuesday and Wednesday (31 July and 1 August), we moved into our house.  I first need to say a huge thank you to the people who helped us move.  We had big, heavy furniture to get out of a second floor window, and it was a challenge to say the least.  They didn’t bat an eye.  In the rain, they helped steer things down a ladder balancing furniture on their heads.  Amazing!

Just when I thought I’d seen it all…

We worked for several days organizing and putting furniture together, and on Sunday (4 August), we had church in our house.  We had the bottom and middle floor basically put together. That afternoon, we picked up Mike’s parents and headed out on vacation with them the very next day.

Having church in your house, our dog feels the need to join in. Here is Boomer as “part” of the worship team.

After Mike’s parents left, we finished up the attic.  I’ve been working on clearing out the back garden, which is a long process.  I am thankful that the green trash (all food waste, leaves, weeds, etc) comes every week until the autumn. We’re getting used to a new city and neighborhood.  Hoofddorp is definitely different than Voorschoten, but we like it very much.  Grace is getting ready to start playing basketball here and starting a music class.  We were told by a friend not to become Hoofd-dorks.  It’s probably too late for that.

Outside the new house