After four months of living together with two other families in one house, our house is now empty again. We had ten extra people in the house for most of that time. It’s special to see that this went so well. Yes, we had to give up some privacy and that was not always easy to do. And it was often very busy to take so many people into account. But it was also a blessing that there were people who helped in what was not an easy time for us. Now the house is empty again and it is especially quiet here. What a change, we could hardly imagine what it was like to be with the three of us. We enjoy it and at the same time we are grateful for the time we had and the extra seeds that could be planted by the presence of these families in Aruba. Are we going to do this again for four months? No, we can say with near certainty that it is not good for us as a family to do this in the same way again. Not because we do not want to be so hospitable again, but simply because good self-care is essential in this 7×24 hour work. Yet gratitude for living together with thirteen people in recent times prevails. God has given us all enough peace, grace, wisdom, strength, service, humor, and perseverance (read: love) to do this together in a good way.
How good it is, how wonderful to live together as brothers! There the Lord gives His blessing: life forever.
