Sunday, May 29– We rode our bikes to church- International Christian Fellowship– for a time of worship with about 25 believers. The singing was led by John, a student from Ghana. It was wonderful being able to sing English songs! He prayed long, heartfelt prayers that rose to a loud pitch and then descended to a mere whisper. We saw our American friends, the Wares as well. We met Samson, a student from Ghana, who was going to ask around to see if he could find a Dutch translator for my Backyard Bible Club idea.
Sunday, June 5- Amid the rain, AGAIN!– we rod our bikes to the Baptist church. They provided headphones for simultaneous translations. We felt very alone, though. After church, we were not greeted by anyone. Nix that church. No wonder many unbelievers do not want to attend church. We were welcomed to this house by our neighbors, presumably unbelievers, better than the people of this church! It was obvious we were visitors since we used the headphones. Cute little Corey fell asleep on Mitch’s lap during the service, but it did little to attract any kind of welcome. What does this say about Christianity? Obviously not much!
Sunday, June 12- We tried a new church today, Kerk on Huis, and found it much friendlier. We wore headphones for translation. The kids enjoyed Kinderdienst (Sunday School). We met a wonderful person, Marije, . We went to the Vellemas for coffee and sandwiches. It was a great day.
As I reread my entries from the 2005 sabbatical, I marveled at how God provided while in the Netherlands.Other entries included a description of Frans and Gisela, also church friends, who still send us Christmas cards. He also provided a Dutch translator for the Bible Club held in our sabbatical rental.
Now, here in Caledonia, God provided again. Today, I learned that a person I met at church mentioned my name to a school principal. He and I met to discuss substitute teaching. God provides. I just need to watch and wait. He is faithful.
A Journey Worth Remembering 