You won’t beli
eve where I am. I can hardly believe it myself! Like a wealthy heroine in a 19th century novel, I’m on a Grand Tour of Europe. But this trip isn’t purely for pleasure, although I’m certainly having a lot of fun! My husband Ken and I are here in the Netherlands after a stopover in Copenhagen to watch as our son Benjamin is awarded his PhD in Biblical Studies from the University of Leiden. You can’t imagine two prouder parents.
Leiden is a beautiful, ancient city with scenic canals and art museums and buildings that date from the Middle Ages. Even the graduation ceremony is like something from another era, with scholars in majestic robes and my son in a tuxedo.
Now the three of us are cycling for a few days on Holland’s amazing bike trails, something that has long been on our “bucket list.”
Corrie Ten Boom’s House from “The Hiding Place”
A few days from now, we’ll begin the next stage of our Grand Tour. We’ll travel by train to Paris where my husband Ken, who is a professional trumpet player, will meet up with the other members of the American Legion Band to perform for the 70th Anniversary of D-Day. For the next ten days, the group will travel and perform in ceremonies and concerts to commemorate the Allied landing in Normandy during World War II. I’m thinking I might find some ideas for a future novel as we tour France, Luxembourg, Germany, and the Netherlands, visiting famous cemeteries, museums and battle sites.
Then on to the final stage in my journey. My German publisher, Francke, has invited me on a week-long book tour with fellow authors Tamera Alexander and Elizabeth Musser. We’ll have lots of stories to tell and plenty of pictures to share when we return home.
I take none of this for granted. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined an adventure like this—and I have a wild imagination! Ken and I met as college students when he was a very gifted trumpet player who wanted to serve God with his talents—and now he’s doing that. When God first called me to write, I merely dreamed of serving Him here in the U.S., let alone in foreign countries—yet here I am. And after countless prayers and a 7½ year battle with infertility, our son Benjamin was finally born thirty years ago. We couldn’t have known that this long-awaited baby would one day serve God as a Bible professor, training future pastors from a multitude of nations, as he has done at Tyndale Seminary here in the Netherlands. The God we serve “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).
Ken and I have experienced times when our prayers seemed to go unanswered and our plans and dreams weren’t fulfilled the way we’d hoped. But in the end, God’s plans always turned out to be better than ours. Always. And those struggles drew us closer to Him.
And now we’re off to rent bicycles to enjoy the magnificent Dutch countryside. You can bet I’ll be praising God with every breath I take, every mile I travel!
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gefeliciteerd vanuit Delft ook een mooie oude stad
Delft is a lovely town, Rita!
Ephesians 3:20 is one of my favorite verses. Enjoy your trip. Thanks for sharing.
Mine, too! Our God is so amazing!
I’ve been to Corrie Ten Boom’s house, too! I lived in Prague for a year when I taught English as a Second Language. I was able to travel quite a bit throughout Europe when I was there, and I was so glad to see Corrie’s house. It just so happened that I was there on April 15th, the day she was born and died. I couldn’t believe it!
These days I am a stay-at-home mom of a darling twelve-month old boy, so my wild jet-hopping times are over for now, but life is no less special- in fact, it is more so! Enjoy your travels, and may you enjoy coming home again, too, just as much.
The tour was very moving. Corrie’s story made a huge impact on my spiritual life when I first read it. It was wonderful to see her home.
Oh Lynn! I am living vicariously through your travels! You’re living a dream of mine, traveling through Europe. I’m so excited that you and Tammy and Elizabeth will be meeting up there! The continent won’t know what hit it! 😉
That’s for sure! Maybe you can join us next time, Deb.
Wow. I love Europe. Have a great time. I can’t wait to see more of your pictures. Also, congratulations to the graduate.
Oh, WOW!!! Your photos gave me chills. Especially to see Corrie Ten Boom’s house. Her book The Hiding Place played a part in my coming to know Christ as Savior, so it is very, very dear to my heart. To visit her home needs to be added to my bucket list.
I hope you get a chance to see it, Robin. Her book changed my life, too. We also visited the Anne Franck house and a museum that told about the Dutch Resistance during WWII. Amazing!
Sounds like a wonderful trip, Lynn! 🙂 So happy for you all, and look forward to seeing more photos later on.
The photos never do justice to the real experience. This trip has been such a treat.
I’m so happy for you. What a wonderful trip! And congratulations to your son!
Sounds like a wonderful trip. Congratulations to your son. I’m sure it has been a long hard journey for him. Those PhDs don’t come easy.
Great post! Blessings on your travels, Lynn, and I’ll see you soon!!
Have a wonderful trip, Lynn! It’s so much fun to live your adventures with you vicariously. Loved this thought, “Ken and I have experienced times when our prayers seemed to go unanswered and our plans and dreams weren’t fulfilled the way we’d hoped. But in the end, God’s plans always turned out to be better than ours.”
Amen!
Have a GREAT time with your family in Europe!!!
I’m looking forward to meet you during the Francke-Tour
and excited about this future book and hope you find lots of inspiration 🙂
Fantastic trip and experience! I envy you. Continue to enjoy your time together as a family. It’s great!