Now serving in Belgium, Koen and Anne-Laure Verdonck are both active in their new ministry with ‘Connect’ and churches within Belgium.
December was a busy month at Connect. They participated in a ‘Grief Recovery’ weekend, which addresses not only the loss of a loved one but also losses such as work, ministry, divorce, or friends moving away. It was very encouraging and they highly recommended it. Individual coaching sessions were also held for those making a change, starting something new, or needing guidance on how to proceed.
Guests continue to visit the facility for rest, retreats, encouragement, or holidays. ‘Connect – Rest, Coaching, and Silence’: Connect: Info@ChConnect.be (They also accommodate English speakers.)
At church this year they helped a little with the Christmas service. Koen acted as the set designer and the uncle in the story of the family with a stable in their backyard where Mary and Joseph had their child, and Anne-Laure sang in the occasional choir. The choir sang at the retirement home across from the church on the Friday before Christmas. After the Christmas service, the choir was invited to the Christmas programme at the prison. There was a testimony from a former prisoner, shared songs, and afterward coffee and sweet bread with the locals.
Winter has been an adjustment with the short days, the cold, and snow – they haven’t seen snow since January 2010 as they have mainly lived in PNG. Christmas was also celebrated with their children in Belgium; their son and family in PNG were missed but they plan to visit Belgium this June, and their family will be reunited after almost nine years – they are so grateful.
On Sunday, January 11, a large missions conference was held by Ethnos360 in Germany and they invited Koen and Anne-Laure to participate under the banner of Ethnos360 Aviation Europe. They had virtual reality glasses and shared about Ethnos mission work worldwide.
In March, they plan to attend the REACH conference in England, where they will have the opportunity to share about Ethnos360 Aviation Europe. Anyone aged 18 – 30 who desires to learn more about world missions is welcome to sign up. https://www.ntm.org.uk/event/reach-2026/
Thank you for your prayers.