Belguim Branch

Friday 6.4.10

In the morning I lock my bags in the locker room at the hostel an set off to find the Bethel. I have an address... on the map I have there is a place called "USE IT", supposed to be helpful for young travelers like myself. I wander there, bout 20 min away... awesome place! People who speak english, computers with free internet, coffee, and answers to any travel questions I had. They helped me find bethel. It's in a small town called Stockel at the end of one of the metro lines. I get Google directions and head off.

When I get to Stockel, 25 min by metro, I follow the directions I had written to the T. Exactly. yeah, wandered for 3 hours. In the hot sun. I am no longer white, rather pink. Yes I asked for directions, but because the streets are like ~~~ and change names at every curve, no one knew where 'Potaardestraat' was. Oh, also, all the street names are in both Dutch and French. Alot of the people I asked directions from, only spoke Dutch. So, after 3 hour (i wouldn't give up) I found a UPS man, yay! Story is way more complex but lets just say I made it to the Bethel/Branch offices of Jehovah's Witnesses, yeah it was just down the road. Kinda..., not really.

An older brother named Luey gave me a tour. Small bethel family of 20. They take care of the regional building needs for the Kingdom Halls, receive shipments of literature (watchtower, books, bibles) printed at the branch in Germany, and also take care of many medical correspondence issues for Missionaries in other lands. I had the privilege to meet a couple serving in Cameroon who were at the branch after medical treatment in Belgium. They were on a motorcycle and hit by a large truck. It happened at 730am in Cameroon and they had been flown to Belgium on a medical plane by 1130pm that same night, the multiple branch offices had arranged everything. Unfortunately that one day in hospital in Cameroon, the doctors there took out the sister's spleen, where if they had been in Belgium it would have been repaired. The brother may still need a new hip. They were in hospital for 8 months.

They're doing well! Didn't mean to end on a sad note.

A market I found in the Center of Stockel while wandering

A park I found while wandering

The Branch!! Found it :-)

The library/family room

Dining room other side of the family room

Laundry

Behind the main building is a garden and the residence building

Luey and his wife

He made me espresso!!

mmmmm, so good

this brother a jokester, had to get a bad shot of him for laughs

Luey invited me to stay for dinner with the bethel family! It's friday night so family style, w/ lefftovers :-) alittle bit of everything -the way I like it!

Tried to take a photo - video instead