My daughter took these on a recent journey to Belgium. These were taken at the Grand Place (Fr) or Grote Markt (Fl).
People were gathering in the square in front of the above build to watch the light show reflecting on the building.
More new pictures are uploaded to my Flickr site.
Our day began with a 7 a.m. Metro (subway) ride to the train station for an 8 a.m. train to Namur in the French region of Belgium. After a one-hour train ride our partners and friends in Namur met us to transport us to their new home. We spent the morning talking and praying together about what is happening in their lives and how life has changed since moving to Namur. The major differences are being away from team members who speak English and living in an all French-speaking region. Major adjustments to say the least are happening in their home.
After a time of talking about what we could possibly expect to go through in our transition to Belgian life the ladies on our team walked with E to the local school their children attend. Wednesdays are half days for school age kids in Belgium. We had a great meal together and then prepared to go into town to walk, pray and meet new friends.
Namur is what I would call a quintessential European town. The buildings are close together with narrow alleyways that open into courtyards with cafes and sideway tables filled with people gathering to meet and discuss. People where moving everywhere. As we walked along the streets we did attract onlookers as we spoke an entirely different language that isn’t often heard on these streets.
Jordan and Cassi had the assignment to try and engage people for directions to a local attraction, the Citadelle. Each one of them took off and walked up to people and began trying in their best English to communicate with locals who spoke French. People were very friendly and helpful even though there was an obvious communication gap. They both overcame the gap and found out how to get to where we needed to be as a team.
After along walk (which we have had each day) we reached the overlook of the city from the Citadelle and we took time to pray a blessing over the city and ask God to move powerfully.
On another note, our team was able to reconnect with a friend we made on our last journey to Namur in March. Some of our team members have been communicating with her back and forth through Facebook. They were able to meet and spend a few hours together meeting face to face and then I had an opportunity to see her also. What a great time of being able to develop our friendships through technology and also seeing each other again in person. I am praying we get to see her again soon.
Great day. Continue to pray for us.
Our day has been spent walking the streets of two different communes (neighborhoods) that we are surveying. During the times of survey we are looking for points of interest such as where people will gather and trying to find clues as to who might live (groups of people) in the communes.
One of our team members was able to begin a conversation with a mom from the Ivory Coast as she was waiting to pick her child up for the lunch break at a local school. We took time to prayer walk a local park where families gather and asked God to give the M’s that live in that neighborhood influence and the ability to connect with people for God’s glory.
It has been very important for the people on this trip to see what life will be like when they re-locate here in Jan. 2011. So, we went through a local grocery store and priced common items and noticed the differences in taste. Del Haize is one of the local grocery stores people shop in Brussels. Del Haize also happens to be the parent company for Food Lion.
We have been able to see into a few apartments and get a glimpse of what life will be like once we move here. The apartment we were in today was 120 sq. meters (approx. 1200 sq. feet) and the monthly rent is $1200.00 Euros or around $1680.00 US dollars. We were able to see another apartment in a separate area of town yesterday that was around 90 square meters (appox. 900 sq. feet) for a monthly rent of $1100.00 Euros or around $1540.00 US dollars. Our team members have been asking God to help us find the right places to live and at prices that are affordable. Please add this to your list of prayer request for this team.
While passing through the communes today we passed a very large Catholic church that averages less than 100 parishioners with lass than 10 people under the age of 65. The average age of a Catholic priest is 67 years old in Belgium and there are no replacements in sight. The younger generations have no desire to attend Catholic churches. We are asking God to give us an ability to connect with college students and young adults with children in culturally relevant ways so as to help them understand the need for a relationship with Jesus. The average person here does not understand a relationship with Jesus. We must help people understand the Bible as relevant and our relationship with Christ is real.
We are sensing the Holy Spirit at work in this city but we know greater things are yet to be done. So, tonight as you pray remember Jordan, Tim, Cassi, Dan, Elizabeth, Rob and me before the Lord and ask Him to pour His Spirit out on this country and would He use us in His plans.
Sorry about not updating on Sunday.We were so tired from flying all night and then staying up all day that we went to bed as soon as we could. We attended church on Sunday morning at Vineyard Brussels. There was a wonderful time of worship and then we were off to try and stay awake for the rest of the day so we would not fall asleep in the middle of the afternoon.
One really cool thing happened last evening (noontime for Middle Tennessee) was to have small group experience online from Belgium back to Smyrna, TN. Our small group meet yesterday afternoon and the other half of the small group is with me in Brussels. We talked about Sunday’s message, talked about our day here in Brussels and then those of us in Belgium prayed for our small group folks back in TN and the folks in Smyrna prayed for us in Belgium to have a productive trip. Incredible to see each other through Skype and then talk, pray, and encourage on another. Thank you Lord for technology.
Today, we have had team meetings (nothing new for Monday’s), meet with other M’s and prayer walked a neighborhood that could be a possible spot for our team to live. We purchased cell phones for our team to communicate with as we divide up and cover more territory. We went to a local gathering place for people (a mall) and divided into 3 teams and engaged locals in conversation about spiritual things so we could begin to learn about their worldview and their ideas about spiritual topics. We ended our day with a tour of a huge cathedral that is basically a tourist spot.
Please pray for us as we IPOC, I pray, I observe, I connect. We are asking God to grow our vision, grow our passion, and break our hearts for the people of Brussels. He is at work in this country and we want to be used by Him for His glory.
(You can see pictures on www.facebook.com/kylegoen)
The picture below shows both of the church planing teams from LifePoint Church together on the platform with Pat. This past Sunday, Pat, introduced both the Bangkok team and the Belgium team to the church so they could see who they will send out and so they could begin to pray for each family.
There are 30 people LifePoint is going to commission in the next year to go the nations to plant reproducing sending churches so others might know and respond to the Gospel of Christ.
Please pray for these teams.
We have been singing this song in our small group preparing for our time when God plants our team in Belgium. This is a beautiful song in English and French. How Great is our God by Chris Tomlin. Not sure who the group is that is leading but worth the listen.
Vois la splendeur du roi,
Vêtu de majesté ;
La terre éclate de joie. (bis).
En lui est la lumière,
L’obscurité se cache,
Elle frémit à sa voix. (bis)
Car Dieu est si grand!
Chantons tous: “Car Dieu est si grand!”
Et tous sauront que Dieu, oui Dieu, est si grand.
Car d’âge en âge, il règne.
Les temps sont dans sa main,
Commencement et fin. (bis)
Il est le lion, l’agneau
Les temps sont dans sa main,
Le Fils, le Saint-Esprit (bis)
Belgium is a country of influence, being the capital of both the European Union and NATO. Yet less than .5 percent of the nation’s 10 million people follow Christ.
© Greater Europe Mission 2009
What do chocolate, lace, diamonds, micro-brews, and the European Union have in common? All of these are found in Belgium.
The Goen family has been on an incredible journey here in Tennessee over the last several months and we love every moment. Amy is in her fifth year teaching fourth grade at Providence Christian Academy. Jordan is fourteen years old and a freshman at PCA. Peyton is twelve years old and entering the seventh grade and his younger brother Evan is ten years old and heading toward the fifth grade. We have all begun learning French recently in anticipation for our next step with God.
God has called our family to move to Belgium to help plant a reproducing sending church that will reach Western Europe for the glory of God. Our church is sending us to the land of chocolate, lace, diamonds, and beer to live and teach what a growing and reproducing relationship with Christ looks like in a Western European culture. Our family is excited about what God has done in our own lives and in our church. There are four other families who are following God’s call to plant their families in Belgium as part of our team.
Belgium is considered a Catholic country. Over 90% of the people consider themselves non-practicing Catholics and rarely attend any religious services of any kind. Evangelical Christianity is virtually non-existent in the southern region of Belgium. In the city of Namur, which will be a target city in south Belgium, there is one evangelical church. The church consists of 25 Congolese refugees in a city with over 100,000 people. Our entry point into Belgium will be the city of Brussels where we will begin to minister.
LifePoint Church, where I serve, is our sending church. We are being sent as church planters to represent Christ, our church, and you, our family and friends. Please pray with us as we seek to obediently follow the call of God for our lives.
We began last year challenging ourselves as a body to follow the vision that God had given us to become a church in multiple locations. We did not realize how quickly that would come to fruition. God began to call people from our church to go and plant their life and their family in other locations around the globe to see God’s glory revealed in places where a true picture of Biblical community is not understood.
In January 2010 a group of families and singles will begin training in Atlanta, GA in preparation to move to Bangkok, Thailand for the purpose of planting a church. Another group of people are beginning to meet regularly in preparation for moving to Brussels, Belgium to plant a reproducing sending church for French speaking people of Belgium. Wow…this has happened quickly in our body.
Last evening our church voted unanimously to receive another church in our area into our body and accept all of their property and liabilities for the purpose of uniting to spread the fame of God in Middle Tennessee. The former Stonebrook Church will officially become LifePoint Church on July 1, 2009. God lead the members of Stonebrook to unanimously dissolve and become a LifePoint campus. It is going to be an incredible sight for a lost community to see two churches become one for the Glory of God.
In less than one year God has lead LifePoint Church to move from 1 campus in 1 location to 4 campuses in 4 different locations. We are asking God to give wisdom for next step in the journey and to raise up new leaders for His kingdom enterprise.
We want you to join us in this prayer and get involved in leading out.
