Getting to Know the Kleins

Editor's note: It's so good to hear from Jan and Geerte Klein, a well-travelled and wise couple!

Jan

I was born in the Netherlands, a few years before the start of WWII, in a town west of Rotterdam, the oldest of four children. Grade school and high school were based on Reformed teachings—the schools were even named after the famous Reformers Dr. Abraham Kuyper and Groen van Prinsterer. After military service (during the cold war period), I obtained a degree in Mining Engineering/ Exploration Geophysics from the Technological University of Delft. Field work was often outside the Netherlands which laid the roots for my travel bug.

Especially working for considerable stretches of time in non-Christian countries showed me that many cultures have high ethical standards, even though we hear otherwise. Working with Muslims (before the influence of hate-filled Osama bin Laden), I saw their respect for other religions. For example, a devout, educated Muslim went out of his way to drive over an hour over a dirt road in eastern Turkey to show me the remnants of an old Gregorian church.

My work allowed me to visit many parts of the various continents. Each region has its own beauty, from desserts like the Sahara or the Atacama, where one can only work in the morning, to the jungles of Brazil and Central Africa. From the hot to the cold, like the NWT where the crews work in the field till the temperature drops down to -30° C (no wind!) and stay in tent camps!

Photography becomes a natural hobby for those working in mineral exploration; I may not be as avid a shooter as before but still take lots of pictures. I am a good weather bike rider, read a lot, and work on the family tree for our grandchildren.

Both Geerte and I were involved in the Burnaby CRC as elders (we were members for over 30 years) and still have contact with a group of “Burnabites” whose children grew up with ours. We shared our experiences and supported each other; we still have our monthly get-togethers, although these days the topics are about our issues as seniors and not raising teens. 

The challenges we face today take place in a cyber-linked world where extreme opinions are the norm and reasoned discussions are nearly impossible. Most people think that their view is the dictum! To present a Christian view is a threat to many, especially when education is more and more aimed at specific job training or very liberal philosophy rather than readying people to live and work in a complex world of many points of view, opinions that we cannot support but should not always condemn. It is very difficult not to have over-heated debates or dialogues about the environment, abortion, gender, life on other planets, to name a few. 

As a scientist/geophysicist years involved in research and challenged about creation, Psalm 146 has been a great support.

Geerte

I was born in the Netherlands in a small village, the fifth child of eight children. My parents were hardworking people, and they expected the same from us.

I always wanted to be a nurse, so I started my training in a sanatorium for TB patients for 2 1/2 years. I graduated in 1958 from my training/study in a hospital in Delft. That year, I went with two friends on a bus trip to Italy and Switzerland where I met Jan.

After a year of casual dating and taking a course in midwifery, I went to England for one year, first of all to improve my English but also to find out if I really wanted to continue dating Jan, since I knew that his study would take many years. It was in England that I gave my heart and life to the Lord Jesus.

We got married just two days before my 30th birthday!

Jan was offered a job with a Canadian company, which had many projects in Europe.

So we lived a short time in Ireland and then in France for 14 month, where our daughter Ingrid was born (she now lives in Oslo, Norway). Then it was Tunisia for a while and finally we could start in Canada, in the Northwest Territories. But after a short year we had to move again, this time to Ontario where our other three children John, Barbara, and Ursula, were born.

Again we enjoyed friendships, the beauty of nature, and our young family, although I was often alone, since Jan also worked outside Canada. We lived in Ontario for seven years before we moved to BC. We lived in Burnaby for two years, and then moved to Richmond and back to Burnaby again, all the while attending Burnaby CRC.

We became members of LCRC when we moved to Ladner 15 years ago. We very much enjoy being part of this church; our role is more supportive than anything else.

Jan and I go for a walk every day, I love watching the many birds in our backyard, and between napping and daydreaming, I read, knit, and putter in the garden.

For me, the challenge of being a Christian is to listen well and being able to use the moment to share my faith in a non-preachy way.

My faith needs to be nurtured every day, so I take time to read the Bible, to be still, meditate, and pray. For us older people that is not so difficult. I know that it is quite a challenge with young children or a demanding job to find that special time but keep on trying even if it is only five minutes. The Lord will bless you!

One of my favorite Bible passages is John 15:4-5: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”