Observations From Europe

Sky and I got back from Europe last Friday. We were there from June 3^rd – June 14^th (with the last day being just travel). We stayed in Netherlands for eight days and visited Amsterdam, Utrecht, Haarlem, The Hague, and Volendam before going to Bruges, Belgium for two days. We had an amazing time!

The purpose of the trip was to bless Sky before we start having kids. I know that once we have children our future vacations will be need to be planned around the kids (aside from maybe a two day getaway) for probably the next 30 years of our lives. That is pretty intense when you really think about it. So a while ago I asked Sky where she would really like to go and she said she wanted to return to Europe. She had been there before for a study abroad, but hadn’t gotten to visit Netherlands or Belgium. So with the help of my older sister Katie and a couple Dutch friends we were able to put together the trip.

Here are some of my observations from the trip…

– Sky and I had a great time because we knew what we each desired. She desired “to see pretty things” (her words), to take a lot of pictures, and to visit as many markets as possible. I desired to eat good food and to explore (I like maps). This trip was for her, so I took her to every market there is in all those cities we visited. And thankfully, markets tend to have good street food. So every now and then I would look for the longest line among nearby cafés/food stands and go get some delicious apple cake or other wonderful food for us while Sky would be busy navigating through every part of the market. It was also fun exploring different areas to get great backgrounds for Sky to take pictures of. We got some great pictures! Happy wife = happy life. =) 

– I really learned the power of rest through this trip. My wifi access (a Dutch lady called it “Weefee” ^^) was limited, especially during the day, so I didn’t have internet/e-mail to distract me (I also purposefully don’t have any games on my phone). Sky and I agreed to not let work back in Korea distract us during the trip. Because of this my body really began to relax as each day went by. It felt good just entrusting all the ministry/stress to the Lord and knowing that when we return it will all be okay. This trip was like an extended, sweet Sabbath for us. The night we got home I slept for over 12 hours. While that was partly due to jet lag (I rarely can sleep more than eight hours), a lot of it was due to how rested my mind was. Sadly after a full day back in Korea my mind got overrun by all the things on my To Do list and I didn’t sleep well the second night (so the jet lag actually didn’t help). God is faithful and I’m continuing to learn the need to rest myself on that truth of His faithfulness like I did during the trip.

– Sky and I had the blessing to meet up with some old friends, Joel and Jenni Lutz, for a portion of the trip. They are living in Germany now and came up to visit us in the Netherlands with their 3 year old twin daughters and their 1 year old daughter. It was a pleasure being with them again, and it was also sweet for Sky and I to see how they interacted as a family knowing that we will hopefully soon have some little ones of our own as well. Jenni emphasized to us how raising kids is really based on grace. The time, energy, wisdom, patience, and everything else spent on them is beyond human capability (especially for having twins + 1) but by grace everything somehow works out. God is good! Having a lot of kids, especially close together in age, is a huge investment that most people aren’t willing to make. But as time passes the kids (and later the grandkids) pay back in memories and love far more than any amount of invested time, energy, and money that was put into them. I know Joel and Jenni absolutely love their three daughters and may even have more kids, and that is a testimony to God’s love and grace in their lives. Selfishness views kids as hassles, but love views them as treasures. Selfishness breeds isolation, and sadly that is the state of many elderly people without children/family. Love produces endless fruit and blessings for generations.

– Sky and I noticed in Netherlands and Belgium a lot of families with adopted kids. We saw a number of African and Asian kids with white parents, with some families having three or more kids of different backgrounds. We also noticed how well the elderly and the mentally disabled were taken care of in the two countries. While some other European countries don’t have such great reputations, these two countries (at least where we toured) seemed to be clean of segregation and racism. Sky and I also noticed how the immigrants in Amsterdam were very friendly and trusting. You could see it in their eyes. People who have endured racism or bigotry tend to have distrustful eyes that can be intimidating. It’s amazing how trust and acceptance can relax a nation.

God bless!