Probably it's our imagination, but
we have the idea we have been trendsetters: we received a >friendsletter= from several people this year.
This English translation is quite late, but
we hope you still value it to hear about our >pilgrimages=. And just like always, we first tell something about
our (grand) children.
Martyria & Jan Pieter(Almere) Marty
reached the age of 40 and it was celebrated with family and friends from all
over the country. Many things change, but she still is a faithful secretary of
the Order of St. Luke (www.lucasorde.nl). She has her own website now (www.beelddicht.nl) where she publishes poems, combined
with beautiful pictures.
Jan Pieter
had a job-change and travels to Utrecht daily now. Doing youth work for the
local church is his passion besides many other activities.
Amy (16)
has a boyfriend and introduces her Donald at different occasions in the
family.
Calvin(12) left primary
school and is doing all he can to improve his archery.
Stephen & Bianca.Stephen
studies - apart from his job - to keep up with the developments in the world of
IT.
Bianca works part-time to help adults (with problems) to find a place to live and it gives her much
satisfaction.
Iris (14) goes to
secondary school and on Saturday she works in a supermarket.
Amber (12) is a first grader in
secondary school and likes to play and write (Facebook) at her computer.
Eva (10) was doing gymnastics
this year, but exchanged it for participation in a musical group. We can't wait
to see her on stage!
Pepijn (9)
received his A-certificate swimming and is making progress in school. We are so
proud of him!
Lisa & Richard (Landsmeer) Richard has a new job in Amsterdam
since January 2010.
Lisa
continues her work in the week-ends (every fortnight) with problematic
youngsters and is free (to be housewife and mother) during the week.
Reno (9) attends class 6 and
does very well in athletics and running.
Jonna (6) received her
A-certificate swimming and is practising for B now and she likes to do
gymnastics too.She attends class three
now and enjoys learning to read very much!
Maarten & Marieke (Amsterdam) Marieke looks for a job closer to
where she lives and Maarten lost his new job within a few weeks
(due to the crisis). We're very happy he found a job in April 2010.
Norah (4) attends group 1
(kindergarten in the past). She is very wise in answering the phone!
Elize (almost 10) is fond of sports.
She plays soccer and does gymnastics every week. Since several weeks she has
France lessons and likes it very much.
Anna (Amsterdam).
There is work enough in the caring profession and until now Anna survives all
the organizational reconstructions.
Neeltje Rauwerda
At a long distance from the fireworks
we began the New Year in Heleen=s barn in Diepenheim. So sorry the flu
hit me afterwards, so I could not accompany Aag, Arthur and Door (they
made a trip to the Netherlands to be able to skate) at their skating tour. The
night of the 15th of January Rob was hit by a car on his way to a
meeting. Happily he was allowed to leave hospital in the night, he had a
bruised vertebra, but no nerves damaged.... the glass of his pair of glasses
appeared from his cheek after several days. So my sick leave became a leave to
care. A violent start of 2009. In April Rob was so much better that we could
travel to Heidelberg (Germany) to visit Doortje. In July and August we
made a journey to the U.S. and Canada. We stayed the first week in Washington
with Aagje en Arthur. Alexandria is colourful: wooden houses, old
shops. And within fifteen minutes you're in the heart of Washington by metro.
After that we drove to Fred en Edi Dole (colleague and friends of Rob)
in Connecticut. We slept in a real log-cabin amidst the antique teddy bears of Edi
and above the impressive railway-station of Fred.
Via Niagara-falls we drove past an enormous
queue to Toronto.Then we headed north
to Pembroke (100 km from Ottawa). We stayed with Ankie Engel en her
son Neals at their self-built farm. A warm reunion after 20 (?) years. Well
protected against the mosquitos, we walked through the forest for ages, looking
for a beaver-pond. It was a pity that the family had moved away, but the dam
and their house was a fine reward for our trip. A beaver-dam can easily hold
several adult persons.
Via Ottawa, where we attended a memorial-event for fallen soldiers in Afghanistan, we travelled through the state
Vermont (mountains and forests) to Boston. There we paid a visit to Martha
again.
In September we had a great celebration in Muiden: Heleen celebrated
with friends and family her 70th birthday.
In the building of the sailing-club many friends were invited
at a dinner where memories were recollected. The event ended with a spectacular
concert in the historic church of Muiden by the Nederlands Blazers (blowers)
Ensemble.
Aagje stayed
with us in Delft in the end of November. After a busy week full of appointments
she returned to Alexandria, her luggage full of St Nicolas sweets. Doortje
celebrated Christmas in Delft. It was nice so chat together after such a long
time.
Work/Music
It gave me lots of pleasure to teach music at two locations
of the Public Dalton Schools in Overschie (Rotterdam). The development of the
Dalton method of working is a challenge for the teaching of music too. The
Rotterdam school of music started a project: ‘An instrument for every child.
‘Instrumental music teaching during two years to a whole age group (5th and 6th
grade). I hope that, despite the financial problems in school education, money
is set aside for the teaching of music.
Rob rejoiced the children again, playing Saint Nicolas, at
one of the two schools.
The Tollens Ensemble
(in which I play the violin) gave a concert in June in Rijswijk (baroque music)
and participated in a jubilee concert of the Delft Big Band in October. A real promenade concert with music from
movies and arrangements of classis melodies: Over The Rainbow, Ai't No
Mountain High Enough, Time Of my Life, Why Tell Me Why etc. To accompany
the Big Band it was necessary to have microphones for the players of the
stringed instruments. While we played the Ensemble was lightened with red, blue
or green light. It did not harm the quality of Tollens...in on the
contrary! See and listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgHkC0ZI5KA)
Jan en Charlotte moved to the Rotterdamse Rijweg in
December. The house is beautifully reconstructed, with an office and a newly
added kitchen.
Jan travelled as a bailiff through the
Netherlands, while Charlotte directed her customers - in her travel agency - to far off
regions. In summer Charlotte travelled
to Ghana with her father, to be present at her grandmother's funeral. Jan
climbed Mount Kenya and in October he visited a Marronvillage in Suriname.
Willem decided
in January to settle as a dance-teacher and manager of a dance-school. Who knows if he shall accomplish to write his
thesis during 2010 ... He closed the year with a working-tour (giving dance
presentations) through the USA and Canada. (www.dancalegria.com)
Aagje en Arthur enjoy residing in Alexandria (Washington). Arthur likes his job very much and
is fluent in American-English. Aagje studies for her American accountant exam
and teaches at a college. They both like sporting. Aagje is also singing in a
close harmony choir. They closed the year with a cycling vacation through
Panama.
Doortje worked at the intensive care unit of the Kopfklinik' of the university hospital of Heidelberg
(Germany). In December she started in another department, where she has a
less busy night schedule.Despite the
hard work she found time to visit friends in Switzerland and to make a cabin to
cabin walk in the mountains. In spring she started to row in a rowing-club. In October
she visited Melbourne for a congress and further research. Of course she used the
opportunity to make a splendid walk.
Rob van Essen
Laakchapel, The Hague - Protestants Church, Rijswijk
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This year we pursued our efforts to be a welcoming and open
congregation. In spring we started a weekly 'Neighborhood Coffee' on Wednesdays,
where people just can join to have a chat and a listening ear. At Pentecost we
again organized, after the celebration, a street lunch hour. In September, together
with humanitarian organizations, welfare workers of the city and the Roman
Catholic parish we started a monthly 'Alone Cafe'. Every month men and women who grieve the loss
of a loved one can meet fellow sufferers and receive information. This 'Cafe' fills an important need. In October
Pastor Marinus van den Berg introduced
his sensitive book:>'Mourning enduring time'
In a morning radio broadcast attention was
given to our 'church and neighborhood' ministry and a national newspaper
interviewed me about the 'Alone Cafe'. With a colleague of a neighboring parish
I organized meetings about religious education for young parents. It's a fine
example of the possibility to join hands in our town. In September our cluster
of seven parish churches published a booklet with many of the activities of the
different churches (including the Lutheran church). In December I had the privilege
to baptize a 72 year old lady. All her life she took part in church activities,
but now time had come to take this decisive step, she thought. An Advent-celebration for the neighborhood,
organized together with the Salvation Army had to be cancelled. Winter, snow
and ice made it so slippery that nobody was able to leave home. In Delft it was
not possible to walk or drive over the steep bridges crossing the canals.
In Rijswijk we celebrated
two ecumenical services. In the Old Church an African Choir was singing and
dancing, even during coffee after the service. In the New Church we organized a
Welfare Market in September, opened by the alderman of Rijswijk. A music- and
singing group of homeless people The Streetclinkers
generated great enthusiasm. One day later we had an ecumenical diaconal
celebration in the New Church where we could offer at least 40 boxes with food
to workers of the local 'food distribution point'(Voedselbank). In the year to
come we want to give special attention to diaconal care for and by young people
(together with the Roman Catholic parish of course)!
Order of Saint Luke:The theme of our summer conference in June
was: >'Healing in the shadow of God - faith generating healing'. We were
guests again in Emmaus in Helvoirt and the lectures reminded us how important faith
is as a source of inspiration to be present in society. Rev. Folly Hemrica told
about pastoral care in jail and Frits ter Kuile told about a community - the Jeannette Noelhuis' where people live together with immigrants
without legal documents. We had
bibliodrama (frightening enough I was appointed to play the role of Jesus (now
I know for sure why I don't want to be a Messiah) and we had great singing
times with the assistance of our St Luke's trio.The 10th of October, our yearly meeting near
to St Luke's Day, the rev. Piet Schelling introduced he newly published:
Prayer is a healing experience’ (Daar word je beter van).
Publicity: In the monthly
ecumenical newspaper >'Church in The Hague'= I write my
column ('Impressions'). Last year I contributed to a 'Biblical diary' (2010). I
received positive reactions from readers to my meditations in the 2009 edition.
Theology for laypeople: I decided to stop teaching
at the Utrecht location, but continue my lessons in The Hague: Church in the global society. Man, how I
like to do that!
Personal: In January a car
hit me while I crossed the street in the dark and an ambulance with a loud
siren transported me to the hospital. Except
a very painful neck and a damaged face (look for the picture) it was a miracle
I survived. For some weeks I was not
able to do anything: so strange that your agenda is emptied in a single
moment. Until summer I received
physiotherapy, it gave some relief but there is persistent pain. I was quite busy too with the house in The
Hague, which we could not sell due to a leakage of the sewage system! In
October repair work to sewage system and rotten floor was finished and we put
the house for sale. (June 8, 2010 I handed it over to the buyer!)
April 5 I was
at the celebration of Annekee Kramer's 50th birthday.In 1977 I met her (as her pastor) and after
Betsy’s death she comforted me a lot just by being there at difficult moments. From May 27 till June 1 Neeltje and I visited
Heidelberg, to see Doortje. Memories came back to the Rhine/Mosel
journeys I made in the early eighties with my Amsterdam Elthetochurch
parishioners. After returning from Heidelberg Peter Rauwerda delivered his
marriage gift at our home: two painted portraits. We had posed several times in
France in the workshop of Madelaine Rampling (http://www.madramp.com/).
The result you can see on the picture sheet. From the 19th of July
till the 9th of August we made an unforgettable journey through the
USA and Canada. We visited Aagje en
Arthur in Alexandria, were guests in Fred and Edi Dole's home in Connecticut, visited Niagara
Falls and drove through Canada. From Boston we returned home. Directly after
homecoming I led the funeral service of Chris Diepgrond, a parishioner
of Eltheto in Amsterdam. Through the
years a lasting friendship with him and his wife Louise has developed. A
sad and good opportunity to share many good memories and to meet many old
friends.
We hope that the year to come may be a season to sustain good
friendships and to surprise one another. We love to hear from you, by (e)mail,
phone or face to face!
Many, many greeting and we wish you peace and happiness in the months
to come!
Rob van Essen & Neeltje Rauwerda , Kolk 11,
2611KC Delft
email: robvan.essen@hccnet.nl
Email: njrauwerda@yahoo.com
website: http://www.facebook.com/robert.vanessen
Website: www.robertvanessen.nl
weblog:http://kijkbijrob.blogspot.com
weblog: http://opdekolk.spaces.live.com
pictures 2009