Hallo again from Holland, It is difficult to summarize the past four weeks in the Netherlands, but I have become convinced of God's desire to use prayer to reveal Himself to others. Here are a few stories to share how God has used some of our prayers here.
A few weeks ago during the homeless ministry we have been serving every Monday and Friday night, a women named Clare came. I was playing some worship songs outside when I started a conversation with her. From Poland, she had landed in Amsterdam without a job or a home. I shared what I had been doing in Amsterdam and some of who Jesus is. By the end of the conversation, she said that she did not believe in God, but I offered prayer anyway. She was looking for a job, so I simply asked God to provide her with one. I did not see her for two weeks after this conversation.
The next time I saw her, she looked much happier than before. In the two weeks after getting a chance to pray for her, she did find a job and a place to stay, at a Christian hostel! In that time, other fellow believers had shared the love of God and the Gospel. She was resistant, but the love of God broke through her doubt. She had asked for God's Spirit to fill her and everything changed in that moment. She was now convinced not only that God was real but that His Holy Spirit was amazing. After introducing her to some of the girls on the team, they met with her a few times. The discipleship process had begun. Unfortunately she had to return to Poland, but not without coming to meet the Lord. Now we must continue to pray!
This past week, my team has been partnering with a church in the city of Groningen, about 2.5 hours outside of Amsterdam by train. While partnering with a local church, we were meeting college students during the day to share the Gospel. Wednesday afternoon, I approached a group of students with Amanda, a student from California. After sharing what they were studying we shared why we had come to Holland. A couple became interested as we shared. Rebecca was a Christian but her boyfriend, Yenz, was not a believer. He said he believed there was "something out there" but could not be sure of a one way. We continued to share the Gospel and listen to who he was. He was open for us to pray for him at the end of the conversation but not ready for life with Jesus. We prayed for the love and Presence of God to reveal itself to him and left.
Rebecca had invited us to her Bible study the next day. I went with Amanda and Elizabeth to the Bible study. When we got there, Rebecca shared how Yenz could not get the prayer out of his mind from earlier in the day. She said he was more open to Jesus and interested in God than at any point in their relationship. It was so encouraging to see the way God moves after our simple prayers. Who knows how many have been impacted through prayer here in Holland?
There are many more stories and testimonies of God's goodness here in Holland and I cannot wait to share more on the next update! God bless, and keep praying!
