Boonaerts Henki MaryEsther 1981 Belgium

7/24/2019 Boonaerts Henki MaryEsther 1981 Belgium

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Medaryville Christian

Church

Box

140,

South Jefferson Street

Medaryville. Indiana

U.S.A. 47957

3 01S3I

FIELD ADDRESS

Henkl

Boonaerl s

Loui s Me r ci e rl aa n 1 3 5

Maasmechelen

3640 BELGIUM

BELG IUM FO R

CHR I ST

Vol. XI,

No.

1

MEETING

Congregational

Non-Prolit

Organization

U.S. Postage

PAiD

Medaryville, Ind.

PERM IT 4

FORWARDING

AGENT

MelvIn

Loue l la Ro l le r

Route 1,

Bo x 92

Burnettsville,

Indiana U.S.A.

47926

J an . June

Since the congregation in Maasmechelen is still young

and

small,

and

there are no men with the qualifications

specified in I Timothy and Titus to be elders, they

have

been

constantly

in search of what would be the most

Scriptural way of deciding various things in connection with

the

church. Instead of a BOARD MEETING with

th e elders, deacons,

and

preacher of the congregation gathering to discuss

and

decide activities, the Christians

have tried several things. We are

convinced

it is no t right for th e church to be thought of as or be called

Henki's

church

so

have

done what we

can

to

involve as many

of

the

men

in decision making as Scripturally

possible.

With more

growth i n the

past

years, and more

things to be done, decisions made, and responsibility

designated,

several methods have been experimented

with.

A brother's meeting was called, for al l Christian men to attend

that

were

able

and

interested

in

helping with several items

that

needed discussing,

while

bringing their

own

ideas

and

suggestions.

In order

to

help

give

an idea

of

this area

of development

and advance,

we d like to share some of

th e major things discussed and the decided outcome.

Though other

meetings

had been held we ll begin with the October 14, 1980 meeting.

Since

th e

men

had taken

turns to

preach,

lead

the

services, and

teach the

Bible

study

in our absence for our

summer

furlough,

they

felt

this

should

be

continued. Henki was

asked

to set

up

a schedule

once

again

l is ting men who'd

continue taking turns

with this. This

helps

more

men to

be active while at

th e same

time

lightening Henki's

preaching/teaching load

so

he cou ld do more

evangelistic work.

Since Pascal Vandendriessche had

extra time, was

willing, and

saw

the

need,

he

offered

to

hold a

Bible

s tu dy Monday mor ni ng s fo r those unable

to

attend

the

Wednesday ones.

Unfortunately,

no one showed up, and this

was discontinued. (I n

th e meantime,

with

changing work shifts, and other

factors,

Henki

has

begun

a

second

study

Wednesday mornings. There

have

been

about

10

in attendance

for

the

earlier service, and around 15 at

the

evening one.

The highest

we'd

had before was

around

21,

but

not

very often )

While we were in the

States

we were able to see the latest Jule

Miller series

on the thf w dnelday mor mbiTSdy^

entire

book of Acts. Henki , thinkingit would be

a

further tool in

reaching

people

fo r

several

ofthenewer Christians attend

Christ andnurturing

young

Christians, ordered theset

The Maasmechelen

group

f muraTfaces^ofo f

chriS^^

agreed to pay for these slides. Henki has already

recorded

some

narration

to weii

accompany these

slides. The 16 mm movie projector we had bought, while still

attending

College,

from

th e

Ferguson

(Mo.) church

needed

repairs. The

congregation also

agreed to pa y for the

repairs

on

this.

It

was

also decided to have Sunday

evening

services once a

month alternately in the Genk

and

Maasmechelen congregations.

The new slides and

repaired projector

have

been used

for

these services.

(See

article on Carry-in-dinner .)

To show

their

continued concern

fo r

th e

weaknesses

of

others,

this

following

suggestion is

rather

special.

One

of

our oldest members, Johan Hetterscheide shakes badly,

especially

when with

many people.

He

almost always

asks

for half-filled

cups

of coffee as he spills

badly.

You

can imagine the

trouble

with small communion

cups so it

was decided to buy

a slightly

larger cup fo r him and

fill

it less so

he'd

have less

embarrassment We

rejoice in this

bearing one another 's burdens

being

put

to practice.

In

order

to

tr y

and evangelize

even more,

and

bring religious music into th e homes of

Christians, it was

suggested

to

try

to

get r ad io t ime on some

local

station. I t

was

agreed

on ,

but

it was

not

allowed

by

th e

stat ions around

here.

That is one of t he s ti gmas on non-Catholics, and usually anything Spi ri tual even w ith

no

denominational

leaning. The Chri st ians

realize

th e

need

and t oo l for evangelism, but it is

a

closed

door

in

Belgium.

Steps

have been

taken

t oge t

a

group

organized

to form

a

non-profit

organization

fo r legal matters that will need

to be handled when the congregation gets property and builds their own worship hall. With the help of

information from th e sister congregation in Genk, and men who know

more

about such things, th e first meeting

was

held.

Things

concerning legal

matters

like

drawing

up

th e

blue-print,

etc.

were discussed.

The Christ ians

are

still waiting

for definite

information

from

the township

of Maasmechelen concerning

the exact piece

of ground

we'll

be

receiving fo r the building.

The next

brother's

meeting

was

held

November

10th

and several things were discussed and

decided

on. In order

to help in announcing the songs

to

be

sung,

two

blackboards

have been hung in th e front ofthe church. S ince we


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don't have bulletins

as

customary

in

most churches

in

th e

States,

this was

a

helpful suggestion. In case someone

doesn't

hear

the song announced,

or

doesn't understand Dutch

well,

they can

see

the

number

posted.

We

have

folks

from

many

nations, including American

visitors

sometimes

Friends ofrecentconverts in Maastricht , Hol land were

in

physical

need so

this was

brought to the attention

of

th e

congregation.

The Christians decided to give

funds

for

three

weeks, and provide the

opportunity

to give food

stuffs and other things to

help

these in need.

The

family has

since

been able to provide for themselves. They have

seen

several

of

th e

slides on

the plan ofsalvation

and

seemed

interested both

before

and

after

ou r

helping

them

but

contact with

them has

slackened off.

Possibly you could keep Hans

and Fien in

your

prayers,

that the Word that

has

been

planted may bring forth

fruit.

Cleaning the church

has

been a

bi t

of a problem through the

years . When

we had services in

our

home, Mary

Esther was

responsible

for

keeping the

hall clean,

preparing the communion,

etc. Once we moved to

the

hall in

Maasmechelen,

and we had

our

second child, folks realized she couldn't keep it up herself. Sincemostof

the ladies

who thought they should be doing the cleaning were elderly, and the group

didn't

feel someone

should

be hired to

clean, th e men decided to take turns. The women were to give the place

an

extra good cleaning about every two

months.

Since

the

group has grown they decided to have couples who are willing to take turns. Now those who

clean only have to take a

turn

about once in two months, and

since

there is usually a woman involved, the church

is looking pretty good.

It's great

this load can be

shared

also, and

that Christians

are willing toparticipate in

this

way. (Yours truly still take

their

turns, too )

There

had

been some troubles

with the

oil

burning

stove

that

has

been used s ince

the

congregation

was

begun.

Sometimes th e

soot build-up

was

so

bad there

wasn't

much warmth. Maybe there were

complications

due

to

inferior quality fuel as well.

It

was decided to designate one man to be in charge ofbeing surethere is fuel, that the

stove is cleaned, and whatever else is needed to keep the hal l

warmed.

The

following

meeting

was

held

December9th and fewer matters were discussed.

Insufficient

tables are available

fo r

the studies and other

activities

when

there

ar e

tables

needed.

It had been

hoped

to

tr y

and

getsomething hke

the

banquet

tables used in the States. However, since the congregation is also trying tobe thrifty, they decided

to make do

with

what is

presently being

used It was, for the same

reason,

decided instead of buying more

chairs,

to

loan some from

th e Genk church. A

few other

things

were

decided

including

what to do about Chr is tmas

services .

A man

recently worshipping

with

Maasmechelen

Christians (see Finding the

Way

on Joseph

MOORS)

suggested an information board being posted.

This

was

at

the January 22meeting and the men felt it was a good

idea.

The board

has

been pu t

up in one of

the

windows

with days

and

times

of services

and

phone numbers

for

further information. The added Wednesday service

has

been included, a long with

th e

other services formerly

he ld

Since

the hal l

is

getting

sort of crowded with more attending, and there are more

Hipf children which

are

hard to keep quiet foraA to2ourservice it was suggested to

try

and

provide nursery facilities. This has been a

matter

ofdicussion

many

times,

' '

for years,

but

we'd

just

never found the cheapest and best solution.

This

time it

was

m

decided to

try

and find

some

kind ofhouse trailer or movable building that

could

be

I

placed

on the church's parking lot. But,

because

ofthe

efforts

to

be

economical, it

I was decided to wait with this. (Sincethen, it was decided to takeBoonaerts upon

our offer to le t children gather in our kitchen

until

something else can be provided.

Laurette

Hermans helping

the

first Atfirstitwasmeanttobejustnursery/baby-sitting ofthe

younger

children. Ithas

Sunday

with the

watching

of

children developed

into

morc

of

a

Sunday school,

and

several

women are taking

turns

to

eight haTehe p^ed^ai^ha^d^S teach and watch the children. Possibly,

as

the idea gets

a

hold

-

quite different and

from two

to eleven children

present.

hard

fo r

t hose w it h Catho lic

background

to

accept

it may

develop into an

pape^ nd evangelistic, tool, as well as getting families to bring

their

children and attend

we've been

working

on for years )

services ins tead of

missing because

of their small

children.

Of

course, hopefully

after we have another

building

there

will be facilities for

different

classrooms

and

more classes can be provided

for

the different groups.)

The congregation has shown

her

concern fo r our

financial

needs

on different

occasions. They have decided to provide us with at least $55.00 monthly for . hi

gasoline

and car expense. This is a great

help covering

about

half

of

our gasoline

expenses.

The car

we were driving at

the time of

writing

was

given to us,

bu t

uses

rather a

lo t

of

gas-per-mile

so we are considering trying to

find something

else that

will

run more economically

yet meet our varied needs,

both personal

and

mission. ||fl|H||||H

But the Chris t ians didn ' t

stop

there.

They

also made

a

point

that

almost

everyone,

including those

on

unemployment

and

old

age pension get one month 's paid johnMarkcieaningthewvthathad

vacation

money . They

thought i t not more

than

right to

take

up a special offering 9'

y 1 ui

-x r spnng beforethe leaveshadcome. We

to help

toward

somethmg similar. 1

hough

well probably not be using i t

to r

a are

hoping

to seiiihiscarsoon, as we

vacation,

it

will

help

towards travel

and car

expenses also. That offering

is to

be something that

. . T J

1

i_ i.i_

ni

i.-

-n

ISa bit more economical.

taken up in June, so we are curious and anxious to see how

the

Christ ians will

respond

in this

gesture.

The final

thing

decided in thi s mee ting

was that

it would be possibly appropriate

and

beneficial fo r

th e interested

women

of

the

congregation to help

in

th e

decision

of the

group. Therefore

th e

following meetings

have

been called

congregational meetings open

for

al l interested Christians who can attend. The f ir st such meeting was held

February

10

and it tu rn ed out to be

a

real blessing according

to

some

who attended.

Another

visiting Christian brought

up

several

problems

in

more than

one o f the

meetings.

It

was hoped

they

had

been cleared

up

in

th e

November

discussions, however

th e

one involved

brought

other

matters

up.

During

the

February meeting it was decided to

wait until

Henki could prepare

himself

specifically in th e matter.

Unfortunately it turned out to be a matter of disruption and pain

for

many involved. (See

article

Finding the

Way

on

Joseph and J eanne

STIERS.)

Henki's concern,

especially for

th e deteriorating condition in th e Genk congregation,

led

him

to want to tr y

and

John Mark

cleaning

th e

VW

that had

been given to us on e warm

day

this

spring before the leaveshad come. We

ar e

hop ing to

sell

this

ca r

soon, as we

have

been able to f ind something that

is a bi t

mo r e e c o n om i ca l


3/8

evangelize and nurture Christians inGenkona regular basis. Heasked the Christiansif they wouldbewillingfor

him to spend one day a week calling in Genk, excusing him if he

didn t

call on them (and with them) as often,

possibly. They were most gracious,

and

stood behind him in letting him do what he felt best

and

necessary Since

then, Henki

has spent

Monday afternoons

and

evenings in the Genk area. He

has

shown the plan of salvation

slides, and

has made other

contacts

and

visits. We

anticipate

decisions

and growth

for

the congregation,

hoping

God's

spirit

may begin working in a mightier way in the

near

future. Mary

Esther

appreciated being able to go

with him one time while the boys

stayed

with family, during the Easter

break.

It

is a

joy

to

know there ARE still

people

interested in

searching for

what

God

wants in

their life.

We hope

this resume

will

help you

see what

some

of

th e things are that

keep

your brothers and sisters

in Belgium

occupied. Hopefully

they

give an idea of

the growth

and development in both physical and spiritual realms of

the

local

church.

It is a lso hoped you will remember the Chris tians in their further meetings

as

folks become more

sensitive

to

th e

Spirit s

leading, suggesting things to

help

the spread of th e

gospel.

We

also hope

it

has helped

you

see

some ofthe

differences in

serving

in

Belgium,

and what has

kept

us

busy sinceour return from th e States.

Pray

a ll the Christians will become actively involved in His kingdom

using

th e various talents the

Lord

has provided.

FINDING

THE

WAY

As

one

of

ou r

older

brothers so

often prays

when

there

is an

immersion,

we

are g lad

to

report that

more

have

found

the

way to God in

Jesus

Christ.

In ou r last newsletter we just made

mention

of the nine

more who were

immersed. At

this

time we'd like to

name

them individually and tell of some others who

have

worshippedwith us

in Maasmeche l en

Some of you probably read of the surprises awaiting us upon our return to Belgium last fall, reported in the

Horizons. Part of that surprise

was

that two more, GEORGE and ELLY,

had

been immersed by the Christians.

They live

in

Maastricht,

Holland

so have

quite

a

long way

to come to keep in fellowship

with the

Christians.

Through witness and contacts

at work,

another couple has

also

been won to Christ.

ALEX

and

LILIAN BEKERS

live in

Leut, not far from the church. They have

two

small children,

so

take turns coming

to services.

The son

of

earlier converts, DANNY VOORJANS, decided tofollow the example ofhis parents. His girlfriend, VIVIAN, had

also wanted to be immersed, but her parents forbade it since she is still living with them and is under age. Pray

con tinued contac t wi th her

and her

family

will

eventually

bring

new

life

in

their

home

as well.

Th en the

brother

of

Pascal,

WILLIAM

VANDENDRIESSCHE,

was

a lso immersed.

He lives

in

northern

Belgium, and

has

no church home , so, being isolated will be very hard for him. His parents range from neutral

to

antagonistic

to the gospel, so

his struggle

will be gYeat.

LUCY;

a friend of Anika

Cartuyvels (mentioned

in

the

last

prayer-request insert) also contacted us wondering ifwecould immerse her. She

had

cometo believe through

the workofevangelical churches in the area, but they refused toimmerse her, sayingit was unimportant. Reading

th e

Scriptures, sh e decided otherwise,

and wanted

to

be

obedient in th is

act.

To begin the new year, in January there were also two immersions. ANKIE ABRAAS,

daughter ofElly by a formermarriage, read surprisingly much in the Scriptures for her young

years (12).

Though

her sister was completely

against

the idea of ever becoming aChristian

^^

then,

Ankie

didn t

mind being immersed alone. Then

LAURETTE HERMANS,

wife

of

one

of I

our very first converts, understood the teachings

ofthe Scriptures better after seeing

the Jule

I

Miller

slides.

Joy in

her

being won

was

truly great

as

she d been

witnessed to for years.

Anki s

I

sister is the most recent to have

been

immersed. IRMGAARD ABRAAS

(older than Ankie)

I 1

slowly began to be drawn to the truth in the gospel, without pressure from her parents, and S

begantosearchfor the way also.

We

continue tobeoverwhelmed in the

tremendous

spread of H

His Kingdom here

in the

Maas river area

as

people

find that

Jesus

is the

Way,

the

Truth, and C-L-.

r yJ

the Life.

Irm gaard A braas

Recently

amiddle-aged

bachelor

moved to Maasmechelen

and

has

been

attending

services.

He gTh ThTr^ch^ by

had evidently been immersed by Pentecostal folks, and was anxious to worship with

Christians.

JOSEPH MOORS

has already

been

a

benefit

to the

congregation,

as he

limTTo^r

somVt?me

participates in the brothermeetings mentioned in another article,

and

his gentle, kind spirit another of

the more

is

appreciated.

Pray

for

him

as

he

adjusts

tohis

new

home

in

our

area,

works,

and

witnesses

for

Roglr

vist^pLn

h is

Lord.

has donethis but was

sick on this particular

occas ion

Also a former convert of non-instrumental missionaries, Roy

and

Rita Davison, and his wife

had

been driving about a half hour to attend services with

us

in Maasmechelen.

JOSEPH and

JEANNE STIERS had been to services several times previously, and weknewofhim through Davisons and their

work

in Hasselt.

With

his non-instrumental and some Jehovah's Witness background, hesometimes broughtup

questions other, especially newer,

Christians

hadn t faced before. He disrupted several of the brother s

meetings with some of his questioning and quarrelsome spirit. He made demands on the congregation

concerning several things. We

had

hoped he would sincerely search the Scriptures

and

accept them instead of

man-made doctrines or his own convictions, but as suddenly as they began coming they discontinued

fellowshipping with us. Yetwefeelall thingswillwork together for the advancement ofHiskingdomeven ifsome

circumstances

seem

t roublesome and unkind a t the t ime.

Unfortunately on the same note, we probably should mention another sad development. Before going to the

States wehad anticipated infiltration offalse teachings fromsomewho came from the Brethren congregation.

They had influenced Eugene Kilbiczek so that he and his wife no

longer

attended services in Maasmechelen but

began worhsipping with a new group in their townofLanaken. We werefearful for the others living in Lanaken,


4/8

page

4

Pascal, Josian, Harry,

and

Elizabeth. At first

Pascal

seemed strongly convinced that their teachings ofonce-in-

grace, always-in-grace,

etc. were false. Not unt il short ly

before

the birth of their son did it become apparent

that

he, too,

was being

influenced and misled

by

t hese teach ings . Without actually

knowing

how to explain

the

situation,

we

are

sad

to

say

they

no

longer

attend services in

Maasmechelen or even associate

much with

these

Christ ians

any more.

Har ry a nd

El izabe th cont inue

t o come fo r Sunday services and

we

surely

hope

their

faithfulness

and continued leading and convict ion of the Spiri t

will

awake the others to their errors. This is an

especially

sad

loss

as Pascal had

been

mighty in

the spirit

in his

teaching

and

witnessing.

Unfortunately

the

Devil found

his

soft

spot,

and the leaven

of falsehood did its work in hi s li fe . We t ry not to become discouraged in

such

situations,

and encourage

the young Christians

as

well,

to keep

looking

to

Jesus the author

and

f inisher

of

u fa i th

CARRY-IN-DINNER

To

add to th e nurture and evangelistic opportunities

for

th e

Belgian

Christians, Sunday evening services have

been held monthly.

The Christians hoped it

may

provide

an

encouragement to the diminishing congregation in

Genk,

give more chances to

fellowship

with other Christians,

and

maybe even provide an opportunity to

witness

to

non-Christian fr iends

and

family aboutChrist.

Al l

these have also been

fulfilled in

the times that these

services

have

been

held

so far .

Unfortunately

th e

week for

holding them, originally se t

to be

the second

Sunday

each

month, has not

been stable. I t seems

in

th e

winter

sickness, holidays,

and

otherhindrances caused

the

services

to

be,

in the Belgium expression, shoved

up

a

week or

two; while in th e summer warm-weather

activities both

in

th e form of work

and

recreation b ri ng about t he same postponements

The f ir s t such service held in December, saw

around

80 gathered

fo r the

first s lide series on

the

book ofActs. The

groups that

gathered for the following services were

lesser

in number though no less

blessed

and strengthened for

being present. The month ofMay

was skipped

due to

several

extenuating

circumstances, and i thas

been decided .

to discontinue during

the

summer

months. The month

of April, however, was a very

special

occasion.

Formany years, th e Christians

in

Holland have invited all Dutch speakingChristians from Belgium and Holland

to

attend

a one day

conference

that is

held annually

on what's

called

Second

Easter day.

It is a custom in

European

countries to have Easter Sunday and

Monday

as holidays, thus th e first and

second

Easter days.

(This

is also tru e o fChristmas

and

Passover, thus providing a

free

work-day

when

Christ ians

from

several countr ies

can gather, whereas

otherwise

there are

conflicts )

It

had

often been suggested

to

have such

a

Second

Easter

day service

in Belgium one

year, with th e

Genk

and Maasmechelen

churches

hosting. Things justnever

seemed

to be

worked

out,

but

especially the

close

relat ionship with the

Utrecht congregation

led to something

similar.

The small congregation there joined services with us in Genk, and the three congregations gathered for all-day

fellowship. A

bus and car

load of folks came from

Utrecht

(totaling about 35)

and

th e

Genk and Maasmechelen

congregations made

preparations for activities

in

the

Genk church

(larger building ofthe two). Christians here

were encouraged to bring cold dishes (covered dishes) while soup, drinks, and, for the evening, sandwiches were

provided. It

was the

first time for

many

of

the

young

Christians

to

have

experienced such, so that

had

it s effect on

several

NOT coming

For those

of us who

did stay

for th e whole day of activities

planned, i twas

indeed a lovely

day.

n

After the morning service

around

the Lord s

table

with

Sunday School and nursery

rovided for children this service,more in Genk's traditional way, the noonmeal

was

served.

Several

carried-in dishes,

but

didn't stay

for

th e

meal,

so

there

was

more

than

enough for the guests who traveled from afar,

and

those who decided to

stay though didn't bring food. While a fewdid the clean-upjob,the rest went for a

tour of the open

ai r

museum called Bokrijk. It was a sunny, dry

day

so quite enjoy

able viewing the old houses

and

things of interest together, while most of the

^ children (who'd seen everything before) enjoyed the large playground area. Back at

Linda Messimer (co-worker in Genk i i i n i \

and

Beringen

getting inonthecarry- th e church building in th e

evening

a

lighter

meal was served, but

with

all

the

left-

h eiped^hlmsehles ^The^Sorrfrom overs there was still enough

for everyone

tofill

up

easily. Everything was quickly

Holland

are

mostly seated on the table

cleared away,

and

the

hall

once

again

transformed into

the gathering hall

for

the

to

the right

behind

her. evening service.

A Moody science

and

faith film was shown, and the day was ended with fellowship and farewells around coffee

and pie. The following weekseveral of the Genk/Maasmechelen Christians participated in the SecondEaster

Day conference hosted by the Utrecht Christians in the Haag, so fellowship is continually strengthened with

Christ and His body on earth. We hope you Christians in the

States

who are over run with

an

abundance of

opportunities to fellowship, study, worship, and evangelize with those of like precious faith with your local

congregation, will remember the Christians, often isolated as only believers in miles, here in Belgium

that

need

similar opportunities for nurture and evangelism. Remember them in a word of prayer, or a word of

encouragement through your letters ofcorrespondence. It's all a foretaste

and

preparation for the marriage feast

of the

Lamb, and what

a feast

and

fellowship THAT will be

The

TELEPHONE

NUMBER

was m isprin ted in th e last newsletter.

It

used

to

be 76 53 27; was

incorrectly announced

in

th e

last

newsletter

to be

76 0337; but should be

correctly

noted as

76 03

27

Please excuse

this

printing

error.

BELGIUM

FOR

CHRIST is wri tten by Mary Father Boonaer ts . edited an d

mailed

by

th e

Melvin Rollers,

and

printed by MissionServices

Association,

Kempton,

Indiana. It is distributed to

inform

and encouraf^H' support of

th e work being done

in

Belgiumfor

Christ

by the

Henki

Boonaerts

family. All

funds made payable

to Medaryville

Christian Church, designated

to

Boonaerts

work,

are tax

deductible.


5/8

MedatyvMIe Christian

Church

Box 140, Sout h J ef fe rs on S tr ee t

Medaryville,

Indiana

U.S.A. 47957

Please

rumfy

Forwarding

Agent

if .

.

thin addrvHfi is

incDrrcct.

t hi s ma i li ng

is n ot

dcsirvd.

DEC

2 2 1381

Non-Prollt Organization

U.S.

Postage

PAID

Medaryville,

Ind.

PERMIT 4

FIELD

ADDRESS

H e n k i B o o n a e r t s

L o ui s M e r ci er la a n 3 5

Maasmechelen 3640 BELGIUM

B E L G I U M F O R

C H R I S T

FORWARDING

AGENT

Melvin & Louella

Roller

Route 1.

Box 9 2

Burnettsville,

Indiana U.S.A. 47926

Vol.

Xi, No. 2

Juiy-Dec.

HOME

S W E E T

H O M E

Basedon theinformation in this newsletter,weareplanninga slidesetforthoseinterested.

We

hopeas youread

this review of the work in Belgium since 1970 you will rejoice in the spread of the gospel and signs ofnurture-

advancement among the Christians here. It is also hoped youwillpray forfurther work here,and supportefforts

financially as youmay beledand are able. We greet you fondlyin Jesus Christ, and hopeyoumay receive a rich

blessingas youread this report. Maythe God of

hope

fill youwithall joyand

peace

as you trust inhim,sothat

you

may

overflow

with

hope by

the

power of

the

Holy

Spirit. (Romans

15:13 NIV)

Henki

and

Mary Esther

C h i i d h o o d

h o m e s :

Henki was born and reared

in Genk, a coal

mining

town in Eastern Belgium. Genk

was

once an artists'

resort

and is nowcalledthe GreenCity becauseof its many parks,gardens, and lusciousgreeneverywhere.Aschildren,

both of his parents moved from Holland,

growing

up in the provinceof Limburg, so it

became

home for

Henki

also.

Aslong as Henki can remember they wereactive in the Baptist church during his childhoodyears. Already in the

years ofthe first worldwar, men such as Ralph Nortonofthe Belgium

Gospel

missionweremaking the pleasof

various Pratestant churches felt in this small, strongly Catholic country. In

the

town ofGenk. several mission

works

were

begun byworkers from manycountries. It washerethat

Don

Casteleinalsocamein 1956 tobeginthe

spread ofN.T. Christianity after his conversion and training for the ministry. Henki's folks were among the

ch ar t e r m e m b e r s o f

th e

Genk ch u rch o f C h r is t

Even in thoseyears after the Protestant workshad grownto includethe Schoolwith theBible (agradeschool

where

Henki and his brothers and sisters attended) and manywere converted, non-Catholics were persecuted in

many ways both subtle and outright So,Henki went to work,instead ofbeing discriminated againstin the local

technical school that favored Catholics. After several yearsofdifferent jobs, including ayear's apprenticeship to

a

baker, Henki

followed thefootsteps ofhisfatherand older brothers,

going

down intothe

coal

mine ofWinterslag.

Also during those years he was drummer and leader of a small jazz band.

The Lord however

was preparing him

for

other

things

and

during the summer of

1967

several Christian college interns |

helped missionaries

working in the

Church

of Christ in ^ jD

Genk. Greatly through the

influence

of Ross Duff, t hen o f

the St. Louis Christian College, Henki

was

encouraged and ^

led to be trained for the ministry

at

the

same

college. He

and

sister, Kina Surfus), were to

know

someone

In

the meantime

God had been

working in the

life of

Mary

Esther, then

Roland,

to

leave

her training at

Lincoln

Henki

shortly after

arriving

n the

states

studying n th dorm

room

he

Christian

College to

transfer

to

St. Louis

Christian

College

shared

with

Ross

Duff.

(i967)

to

finish her

preparation fo r Christian

education.

She had

grown up

in

India,

after only l iving in

t he S ta tes

two

and a

half

years after her birth

in

Cincinnati, Ohio. Her parents,

^ ^

William

and Jean Roland,

were mis si ona ri es w it h h er

grandmother,

Zoena Rothe rmel . Mos t of those

years

were

spent separated from her parents, in

order

to attend an inter- J

denominational American

boarding

school

in the

Himala-

yan mountains

of

northern India. Unknowntoher,

this

was

,

f l

preparation

fo r

years

of separation

in

ye t another l and as

Though the

Rolands made trips

to the States for

furlough,

and Mary

Esther

was

born an

American

citizen, spoke Eng- Esther s father.

Willlam Roland

teaching in the

BIble college n

lish, and attended American schools, she was just as much

^ain

now

working

at home with theIndians who were herplaymatesand childrenofherparents' converts. ShelearnedHindi, oneof

the

languages

ofIndia, as well as

many

ofthe

customs

and

practices

ofthat great

land.

Always shethought she

was

being prepared bythese circumstances to returnto India toevangelize - maybe

like

hermother had,married

and with

a family.

Mary

Esther's father.

William

Rolandteaching Inthe BibleCollege In

Bllaspur, Indiawhere they served 6 years and are again now working.


6/8

Setting Up HomeTogether:

Even afterHenki and Mary Esther first met at St. Louis Christian Collegethey often considered India as a field

of service, sincethey knew ofthe need andMaryEsther's childhood experiences. Asthe yearsadvanced,

however

they felt they could be better used in Henki's homeland where he already knewthe language and culture - there

was such a great need,and so

few

willinglaborers. Afterthreeyears ofstudying,

work,

preparation, and a short

ministry with a rural congregation in

Headyville,

Illinois, support wasraised and plans

made

to spend a year

internship with Henki's homecongregation in Genk. They left with their year oldson, John Mark, hoping not

only

to work a

year with the

church, bu t

better

understand

the

need,

and

discover

what further studies

should be pursued upon return to college

the

following year.

They came now to set up home in a continent of rich history and exciting human development

to Europe,

where Paul the apostle had first preached to Jews, then Gentiles in Philippi, Macedonia. No longer were the

Romans in power, though the Roman Catholic church had developed through the years to incorporate and

overpower

other prevalent

religions. Old Bibles that

had

been translated

and

printed years

before

could be viewed

in

museums

and locked up in church

basements.

How

often

the flood of spiritual

literature

just s its on the

shelves or isn't read and put to practice Cathedrals werebuilt and furnished - but howmany tothe gloryofGod?

Or did they

just

add to

the

confusion because of all

the

divisions and sects

that

continually flood mankind?

The BoonaertsmovedtoEuropetobring the simplegospelofChrist, to settle and liveamongits

people

and try

to

share

a different way of l ife --Life in God s Son They hoped to show

that

through th e

church

the manifold

wisdomofGod might bemade known (Ephesians

3:10).

They came to Belgium,the heart ofEurope, hoping to

bring Christ into the heart ofBelgians.

Would

theybeable todo it?

Would

they befounddoingwhat Christ really

expected ofthem? WouldHebless their efforts in His name or would they fail? This next section ofthe reportwill

show the answer of how they feel they have indeed, through Christ, been able to spread His kingdom in Belgium.

Chr is t

at Home in Belgium:

The

one

year

in Genk found Henki busy calling, preaching, leading some Bible studies,

and

helping with

the

youth. Physical work was also done on the church building: an

area

cleared for parking, a cry roomprepared, and

several smaller projects.

jj jjjjjj

ry

sth r

w s

mostlybusy

etting used to living in I -

' another country, learning 1^9 I I ' '

Dutch,

prepanng Sunday

HBH

schoo l

mater ia l s fo r t r ans la

tion,

doing some cal ling ,

and

generally

y ea r th e doors

for to begin a

ith asm ll group of Christians the Church of

new

CCmgregation TheBoorsemgroupgrewandmadethemoveto

Christ was begun onChurch Street inBoorsem. family from th e Crenk church the hall in Maasmechelen. The

group

has grown

This was their home and work p lace for over two o mir- lene

n f Violiovoi-e

'fOf 12 the first

Sunday

to over 70 member s,

years. (1972) nucieub

oi

oeiievers

f rom v a ri o us d e n om i n a ti o ns

Instead ofreturning toCollege

and

the States, they set up home this time inBoorsem, a farming community south

ofGenkabout 25

miles.

This homewas a store-fronton the cornerofChurchStreet, the larger

room

beingusedfor

th e

gathering hall. After over

two years

of teaching and 12 immersions, another

move

was made to a hall in

Maasmechelen

and the

Boonaerts were able to purchase a duplex

type

home which was originally a coal mine

home

of

the

Eisden mine.

They

then returned to the

States

for

their first

furlough

Home this time

was

a

little white

house on a piece of land

belonging to the

St. Louis

Christian College near Interstate

Highway 270. For nine months Henki studied, completing

requirements for the

Certificate

of the Ministry. During this

time they

also reported

to several

churches,

raised

additional support,

and

Henki

was

ordained

to

the ministry

a

by

th e

St .

Charles

Christview Church. James, their second

son,

was born shortly before their return to

Belgium in

1974,

so th e Roland grandparents could

see

him. Then

th e

Boonaerts went back to continue the

work

with the

Maasmeche len congregat ion that Dennis and Linda

Messimer

had led

in

their

absence. R emodelin g

and ^

repairing

the hall

on th e Rijksweg

had

been completed

before going to the States, so work consisted mainly in ^

nurturing the

Christians, evangelizing

th e

lost thousands

in

communities

surrounding Maasmechelen - and -- making Boonaerts two children.

John Mark

(now 12) and James

Matthew

. i_ . .

l

T

/ ii (now

7).

with

a

proud Grandma Roland, just before returning

to

Belgium

the ir h ome mo re l iv ab le and comfortable.

m

1974

The Boorsem

group

grew an d madethe move

to

the hall in

Maasmechelen.

The group has grown

from 12

the

first

Sunday

to over 70

members.

(1980)

Boonaerts

two children.

John Mark (now

12) and

James Matthew

(now

7). with a

proud

Grandma

Roland, just before returning

to

Belgium

in

1974

Coming

down

the street

where

the Boonaerts

live, Louis Mercierlaan,

there

is a complete

housing

development

called

the cite, t h at had

been

built just before the

second

world

war.

These

brick

duplexes (o r three and four block

homes) built

in several styles had

housed coal

mine

workers

for

decades.

Just a living room and kitchen

with two

bedrooms

upstairs, the home the Boonaerts

were

able

to

buy

left

much

to be des ired --bu t

there was plenty

of


7/8

ground for expansion, and with a little imagination, there was so much todo with the original building. Indeed,

there

w as much

to

be

done The

roof

was

repaired against

leaks

and the

old

electrical wiring

renewed

and

strengthened to accommodate modern living. The storage room and outhouse were remodeled into a

comfortable bathroom

with

flush toilet and bath tub. An

architect

was hired to

make

plans for the

added garage,

kitchen-dining room and entrance hallway.

Work

with

that

began after Maria Gearing began living with the

Boonaerts. Personal living conditions weren't the best in such crowded conditions, but the cramped quarters

posed

other

problems

as

well.

Often studies

or gatherings

in the ir home

crowded 15

or more in the ir

12

by

15

foot living-dining room. Without

plumbing in the kitchen,

water

had to be hauled and emptied in the bathroom. With only a coal oil stove

downstairs,

th e bedrooms were often

wasted space

only

being

used for sleep, and conducive to

much

sickness in

the cold, damp Belgian climate. Probably

the

biggest problem

was

inadequate studying space. Without

an

office,

the

dining

or

kitchen table

had to be used for a desk --between meals, visitors, Bible studies, and

children's games,

etc. Slowly

various

book

shelves appeared

to

accommodate their library

of

commentaries

and

other

reference

books. Boxes

stacked

around were filled to file awaymail and otherthings needed with church and missionwork.

Often however, Henki would escape

to a

cafeteria

or tearoom

and tr y

to

hide in

a quiet

corner,

hoping no one

would

discover him while he would study

fo r

a sermon

or

prepare

fo r

a

lesson.

It

was almost compulsory to convert

one of

the

rooms

into

a

study

so

efforts

were

made

to

complete

the

work

of remodeling and

rebuilding

after two

years of working at it. During the summer of 1981 much of ^

Spring

of 1979,

they

were

aware

of

spiritual growth

and

changes,

often after t imes of cri si s and problem. Some

fell

The

summer

of 9 saw Henki

wallpapering

the

kitchen

and getting

, r . P t

r th ings ready so

th e

f ron t room

c ou ld b e u se d

for office-study

area.

away

and

were

unfruit ful or

completely

conformed to

th e

world. Others

had

grown

and were

a

great source

of

joy and

encouragement.

Boonaerts spent time in di ff e ren t ways

teaching,

nurturing

an d evangelizing. Seen

he re

ar e

Leon H e rm a ns a nd Karl Krones

c onve rt e d b e f o re

1979

Something

that

had

also

taken

much t ime to develop

was th e home

Bible

study method,

with Jule

Miller's visualized Bible

study

slides.

Translation, re

cording, dubbi ng i n

suitable

background music, and

making some

needed

changes cost many long

hours

ofwork.

Again inadequate office and

recording

space brought complications- and

de lays . When th e

series was finally

completed and

appointments set

up

with

prospects,

a wonderful

too l for evan

gelism was discovered

Since

th e

Spring

of

1979 there

have been over for ty

immersions, and t he number is continually

changing

Each one has been

an

exciting

and wonderful

example of

how Christ

works

in strange and personal

ways

to

bring people

to

obedience

in Him.

In

the

slide

presentation you will be

taken into th e homes

of

a few ofthese in whose hearts Jesus is

now

making His

home. Hopefully

in

future

newsletters reports

can

be made of some of

these

convers ions

a s well .

Future Hopes a nd P la ns :

The Boonaerts plan to continue with the Maasmechelen congregation. Their trip to the

States

in the summer

of

1980

laid

the

groundwork

for

the Christian men

to

grow

in

leadership and take responsibilities, freeing Henki

some to concentrate more on evangelistic

work. He

continues

to

use

th e

filmstrip ministry, with th e Visualized

Bible studies, and he

is

trying

to

enlist others

to

ge t involved in t hi s and other ways

of

service.

Christians are

encouraged

to

witness

to

family and friends, visit

and

nurture each other, and gather

for worship and

study as

often

as

possible. More

are being

won

and there

is a

wonderful and unusual spirit

among

these brothers and

s i s te r s in Chr is t

It is also a time

of

transition for

the

group now as they will be

leaving the

hall on

the corner

of

the

Rijksweg

and

th e Oude Rijksbaan . The build ing was

to

have been destroyed

to

widen

the nearby road, but that

has

been

postponed until

1984. The

owners

of

th e hall, however,

now

plan

on

selling,

so

until their own building can be built

(hopefully to

begin sometime

the

summer

of 1982),

Maasmechelen

Christians

will be

renting

a room

in

the

Cultural Center (similar

to a

Community Center

in

the States)

for

temporary gathering. The city

has

promised

ground for th e Christians to build on, and the a rchi tect 's p lan has

been

approved by the authorities. The

Christians are enthusiastic, and have already saved

over $5,000.00

towards the forthcoming

building

With

a new building it is hoped they can

accommodate

adequate

space

for classrooms, nursery and cry-room,

and their own baptistry,

and

a

slightly larger gathering hall. Then

facilities

can

be

better put

to

use

Sundays

and

during

th e week for

various

meetings,

possibly youth

gatherings,

and other

functions

to

help

build

the Christ ians

in their fai th

and

service. Work

among the

children of

the congregation

was also begun in 1981. As opportunities

arise

using the Cultural

Center and

later

their own building,

it is

hoped this

may

develop

into a

good evangelistic

tool as well. Presently two groups ar e

meeting

in

the Boonaerts '

home, one with older children being led by

different

Christians,

b oth men

and women,

and a nursery.

A ministry

of

encouragement is also being extended. After two and a halfyears with thecongregation inGenk,

Sam an d Kina Sur fus returned to t he S ta tes. That left th e

group

without a minister

until

Dennis and Linda

Messimer

again began

to work with them. (They

had

come to Belgium the same year as the Boonaerts, a nd


8/8

moved to

Beringen

afterhelping

with

the

Maasmechelen

congregation,

hoping

to

begin

awork

there

as

well.)

The

attendance had

been

falling off in Genk

for

several

years,

and

though

that is

only

an

outward sign,

it was

significant cause for alarm.

The

Christians inMaasmechelen have

shown concern

for thesituation bycalling on

some

inactive Christians, and freeing

Henki

to

help

in Genk as he has the opportunity. They have alsohelped

withbuilding thetopstoryoftheparsonage. It ishoped furtherwork onthebuildinginGenk will be completed, to

house more

Sunday

school classes andan apartment for someone to live

on

thechurch

premises. Above

that,itis

hopedthrough calling and other acts ofencouragement, the spiritual enthusiasm among Genkbrethren willbe

rev ived and His work advanced

There are also small, struggling congregations, and what the Boonaertscall pocketsofChristians towhom

encouragement also needs to be extended. The groups in Landen and Antwerp,and the couples in Brusselsand

Koln,

Germany are examples ofplaceswhere moreworkcan bedone in the future. Other contacts near Leuven

may also lead to another similar situation. AbrotherinAntwerp is still awaitingsufficient funds to begin full

timeministering, sothismaybean avenue ofservice forthecongregation.

They

alsocontinue tosupport William

and Jean

Roland in India encouraging that work in a fine way.

It's good

for

the

Boonaerts

toget

back to

the

States,

like

for

their

furloughs

in1973 and

1980.

It'sjust

like

being

back

home

again And, it's

good

to get back to their home on the

Louis

Mercierlaan in Eisden, Maasmechelen.

This iswhere their childrenare growing upand their

work

forthe Lord has ledthem.

Yet

we all know that

life

is

more tobecompared to camping

out .

We are in transit ,

pilgrims,

or

refugees

living only temporarily

here

on

the wonderful, great planet earth that

God

has created and heldin existenceforus.

Like

Abraham saidwhilehe

was living

in

tents on

the

plains

ofPalestine: We are looking forward

to

that city not

made

with

human hands,

that God and

Christ

are

preparing

for us. Not only for us, but allwho

believe

and will

rejoice

atChrist's coming

Yes, it's always good tobeback

home,

whether it's homefora few weeks, months,or even years. Yetthis

world

is

not our

home,

weare just traveling through. Won't youdeepenthis attitude in your life, and join the thousands

who

area living

sacrifice

for theirLord,

which

isthe acceptable and perfect giftfor our

perfectly acceptable Lord

and Savior

r

Henki

immersing Irmgaard

Abraasin the

Genk

churchearlyin

1981.

Not everyone is faithful following Jesus so pray for the Belgian

Chris t ians

uRANT ^

EE--CE.NTRUM

ii

III

i i r

Atemporarymoveis to bemade to thegrounds inEisdenthat has this

restaurant the cultural center and recreat ional facilities.

BELGIUMOR

CHRIST

is

written

by Mary Esther

Boonaerts. edited

and mailed by

the

clvinRollers, and printed by Mission

Services

Association, Kempton, Indiana. It is

distributed

toinform andencourage support ofthe

work

being done inBelgium for

Christ

bvtheHpnhi

Boonaerts family. All funds made

payable

to

Medaryville Christian

Church,

designated

to Boonaerts

work

aretaxdeductible

Documents

Boonaerts Henki MaryEsther 1981 Belgium