We have been in Brussels for a short period of time (60 days) but we have tried to find inexpensive things to do on Friday evenings as a family. We have set ourselves a budget of 10 euros or less. Our family prefers free these days, but we know getting out and having a Coke or a coffee cost euros.

Here are a couple of the Friday night fun times we have had together.

Go to a local Christmas fair and walk around observing new cultural goods.

Going to IKEA and having .50 euro hotdogs and looking at all the compact living paraphernalia.

Ride the Metro to see local attractions at night. This trip was to see the Atomium.

Eating frites at a local stand is a hit with the family. (My mouth is full.)

Getting 2 desserts and a large bottle of water and sharing between 5 people. (I caught Peyton off guard.)

All in all, it is about our family being together and moving around the city that is the most fun. Friday night has already become a favorite time and something to look forward to after a hard week of language study.

What does your family do together that is inexpensive and leads to great memories?

The Metro is vital to life in the city. It is the main form of transportation for thousands of people commuting to and from work each day and for moving around the city. The subway system is a safe, clean, efficient and usually reliable form of transportation for a family. There are usually signs similar to this one at each entrance to the Metro. The blue sign signifies transportation is near.

My view while waiting on the next Metro train. (not during rush hours)

Some of the many stairs and escalators utilized to enter the Metro system.

Preparing to board the Metro at a slow time during the day.

There are snack stands in many of the Metro stations/stops for the person who is in a hurry and needs to eat while commuting.

The view exiting one of the Metro stops.

Jet Set London // Aaron Coe from The Upstream Collective on Vimeo.

Joseph Biden, the Vice President of the United States of America, made some pretty remarkable statements recently when he addressed the European Parliament.

“As you probably know, some American politicians and American journalists refer to Washington, D.C. as the ‘capital of the free world,’” Biden said. “But it seems to me that in this great city, which boasts 1,000 years of history and which serves as the capital of Belgium, the home of the European Union, and the headquarters for NATO, this city has its own legitimate claim to that title.”

I knew God was calling us to a city that was influential and strategic but “the capitol of the free world.”

What do you have to say about this?

Read the whole article here.

I will leave on this Sat. (3/20) with a team of 10 people for Brussels, Belgium. This trip is for the team members who are relocating in January to help start a work of LifePoint Church.  We are desiring to see French speakers come to know Christ and multiply churches that will multiply into more churches. Please pray for our team that we will have eyes and ears to see all that God wants us to see. This is the last time any of our team will travel to Brussels before we move there in January 2011. I am planning on updating as often as I can while I am in Brussels. Thanks for following along and for praying for the team and for LifePoint as we seek to follow what we know God has called us toward.

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.

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)