1) HOP & Couples Groups:
We met with the leaders of our church here, Vrije Evangelisch Gemeente Paulus, a few weeks ago to see where they want to use us. They've asked that we focus on 2 groups: leading HOP (youth ages 12-15) and co-leading a small group of married couples. Our first HOP meeting is next week, so we will have more to share on this subject next month. There are 5 couples in our small group who have been married as little as 1 month to as long as 42 years. We are super excited to see where this group goes!
2) SportQuest:
At the beginning of September we had a staff retreat with the SQ-BE team. It was a great time of relaxation, team building, vision sharing, and planning for the upcoming year. It was also a great way to spend some extra time wth Rance, Stacy, and Jaxton before they moved back to the States last month. Belgium is a better place because of them and we miss them!!!
 
3) Baptisms:
In the August newsletter I shared that 4 youth from our church decided to be baptized during our SQ Genk project!! In September, 2 of the 4 were baptized, Loorke and Dorina. We are so blessed that we arrived in time for one of the most fruitful times for our church community.
4) School/Language:
I have completed my first module in the quest to learn Flemish! Actually, my teacher told me that I should move up to the fastest class available because I catch on really quickly and she thinks I can handle it. This was a huge compliment and very exciting for me because this means that I will finish about 1 1/2 months sooner than expected. I will be done by the end of the school year! I'm in school for 4 hours a day and my teacher speaks only Flemish. It's very intense and exhausting, but I feel like I'm learning a lot. I'm just excited to get to a point where I don't feel like a baby here anymore. It's hard for me to only be able to have child-level conversations being an intelligent adult, but I know I will get there soon.
5) Basketball:
Kevin is loving being back on a team in Belgium!! He plays, coaches, and officiates, so it takes up a lot of time, but he loves being able to use his passion for basketball to minster to both the youth he coaches and the adults he plays with I've really enjoyed getting to know the families. It's a fun thing we can share. (I thought I'd never say that!) Unfortunately, both of his teams are injury-prone so if you could pray for safety that would be great.
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6) Apartment:
Last time I shared you found out that we have found a place to live! Two months later, we are fully furnished and it's starting to feel more like home. Po is settling in well and really likes the space he has to run, but he's a bit lonely without Zeus. We are contemplating getting another cat in January, but aren't sure yet.
7) Friends:
In case you didn't know, I'm kind of a social butterfly. ;) The hardest part of leaving the States was leaving behind my family and friends. My biggest fear was that I wouldn't find or make friends in here and that my friends in the States would forget about me because of the distance and time difference. I am happy to say that my fears were broken!! Immediately a very special woman, Naomi, just totally adopted me. In fact, she told me that I was her new little sister! I had been praying for someone like her and I am so glad that she chose to be my friend. Her whole family has kind of taken Kevin & I in, so that's really great. I've also met two great women through school, Jenna & Minttu. We get along so well and it's really nice to have other immigrants to talk to when things get frustrating with the culture or we want to talk about home.
8) Medical Insurance:
Speaking of frustrations... we have been trying for two months to get accepted on the Belgian mutuality and it's not going so well. I'm not going to get in to details because, frankly, I don't really understand the full situation. Please be praying for our acceptance and for clear guidance on what to do.
9) Support:
Short, sweet, and to the point. Our goal for monthly support was $3250, which has proven to be more than we would need at this point. Our new goal is $2800 per month. As of October 1 we are at $2225 per month. If you'd like to join our team as a financial supporter, let us know and we will get you set up.
10) SURPRISE:
We will be back in the States the end of October/beginning of November!! SportQuest has a worldwide staff conference Nov 2-6 that we need to come back for, so we decided to extend our trip! We arrive in Indy on October 27, will be in Oklahoma Nov 1-6, and will be back in Indy November 7-10. We would love to see as many people as possible, so make sure to set something up with us if you have time. I've got a lot of foods that I miss, so if you'd like to help me eat my way through my list I'd love to share a meal with you. ;) We also have a list of items we to bring back that aren't available here, so a shopping date is good too. We will both be celebrating our birthdays while there, so that's really special. PS - If you have an extra vehicle and would be willing to let us use it while we are in Indy, please contact us!! Renting a car is too expensive, but we don't want to have to rely on people to get around. See you in a few weeks!
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