So grateful for another trip to the Netherlands!

My fifth trip to the Netherlands was a fruitful and memorable time of ministry. Since 2017, I have traveled to the Netherlands every other year. To see what God is doing in the country is such an encouragement, and I’m grateful to be able to play a small role in the Kingdom work there.

Saturday: Filadelfia Conference

On my first weekend, students from the Filadelfia part-time Bible school came to the Hebron Mission property for a full day conference. I was given two themes, one for two sessions in the morning and the other for two sessions in the afternoon. The two morning sessions were for all the students and I taught about the nature of addiction and how to get free from a biblical perspective. I shared my own story of what I have learned through experience as well as principles I have gleaned over the years helping people in addiction. The afternoon sessions were for the men and were about the battlefield of the mind and how to overcome unbiblical thought patterns. The students really appreciated the teaching and we had several great discussions during the break as well as at the end of the day.

Sunday Morning: Ermelo

That weekend, I traveled to Ermelo to speak at a church that I ministered the first time in 2023. It was a blessing to be back with their congregation. Before the service, we had a time of communion. One interesting aspect was that when they handed out the elements, they had a tray split between grape juice and wine. I find it fascinating to see how different churches and church cultures handle various aspects of ministry. I preached a message from the book of Judges about several failures of the Israelites in taking the Promised land. Each of their failures is a warning to the New Testament believer about the importance of being true to God’s expectations of our lives. It was a blessed service and I am grateful for how the Lord spoke to the hearts of many.

Sunday Night: ACR Rotterdam

I spent the first Sunday evening with Pastor Hugo and the congregation at ACR in Rotterdam. I have spoken at their church every trip I’ve taken, so I have developed many friendships in their congregation. That evening, I preached a message about making sure that the presence of God is a priority in our lives. I talked about the importance of taking intentional time to seek the Lord. At the end, we had a time of seeking God’s face, and there was a special move of the Holy Spirit. It was a blessed night.

Monday: Heart for the Family- Oudekerk aan de Ijssel

On Monday, the leader of Heart for the Family named Job and I traveled to a town that I had visited on previous trips. We were invited to be guests in the home of a family in the community. After enjoying some great traditional Dutch food, we headed to a local church for a meeting for families. The topic was about salvation and the tension between God’s responsibility and our responsibly as seen in Philippians 2:12. I listed several promises from God about what He does for those who are truly born again as well as what His expectations are of us. We had a time for questions at the end and had some good discussion. Afterwards, a young man came to me to share his story. The last time I had been in the Netherlands, he was very convicted about his secret life after hearing my testimony. At first, he refused to open up about it to his wife, but through a series of events, his sin was exposed. Because of that, he was able to get free and the Lord has done a great work in his marriage. He was really grateful, and it was a blessing to hear how seeds that were planted on previous trips are bearing spiritual fruit.

Tuesday Night: Heart for the Family- Men’s Meeting in Hebron

We had a powerful night of ministry with a group of men who came to Hebron for a Heart for the Family meeting with Job. The topic of the night came from a tract written by C.T. Studd about the difference between a true man of God and a “chocolate soldier.” The term describes a man who might look strong on the outside, but they fold under pressure when things get tough in their faith. I shared several principles with examples from the Bible of the different qualities of a man who is strong in the Lord, and those who aren’t. We had a great time of seeking God at the end, and many prayed on their knees as they rededicated themselves to the Lord as men. It was a special evening together.

Tuesday-Thursday: Gospel Mission Bible School

I spent three days with the full-time Bible school students, teaching on the topic of “The Crucified Life”. Those teachings dig into some challenging subjects and the questions and discussion after each lesson really showed how the students were trying to process the teachings and apply them to their lives. We talked about the topics of surrendering our personal rights, plans and finances, fasting, being crucified to the world, sin and the opinions of people. I always enjoy getting to know the students and hearing their personal stories over coffee or lunch. It is refreshing to be around young people who have dedicated a year of their lives to discipleship and ministry training. I look forward to hearing what God does through them in the future.

Wednesday Night: Men’s Meeting in Middelburg

I traveled with Leander to his hometown and spent some time with his family. Since my last trip to the Netherlands, he had become the pastor of a church in the south of Holland. It was such a blessing to see his family, visit his church and then speak at a small gathering of men at the house of one of his members. I shared my testimony in detail with about 25 guys and then also gave some principles about walking in freedom. At the end, I opened it up for questions and comments and no one said anything. We almost moved on with the meeting, but then one young man raised his hand and shared some of his personal struggles with the group. That gave boldness for another one to talk, and eventually we had a long time of people discussing, confessing and encouraging one another. It was an intimate time and we were all very grateful for how the Lord moved. When I saw Leander later that week, he told me that some of the men had decided on their own to start meeting together in small groups for accountability. 

Friday: Anne Frank and Holocaust Museums

I had the opportunity to spend time in Amsterdam with Pastor Hugo. We went to two historic sites in the city. The first was the Anne Frank museum and the second was the new Holocaust museum. While I’ve been to the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C., the story of the war is told from the American perspective. In Amsterdam, I got to hear the story from the Dutch perspective, who experienced German occupation and had a direct impact in the war. Across from the Holocaust museum was a theatre that had been used during WWII to rescue 500 children from going to the concentration camps. It was sobering to think about walking the same streets and seeing the same buildings that stood there during the war. 

Saturday: ACR Rotterdam Conference

We conducted an all-day conference for the congregation in Rotterdam. Pastor Hugo asked me to share two messages about the role of a believer in the church. I spoke about four aspects of a believer’s life: a disciple, a spiritual family member, a witness and a priest unto God. We had a time of fellowship during lunch and then at the end of the day, we gathered together in a circle to pray as a sign of unity. The church was very grateful for the teaching and Pastor Hugo told me that they would take the teachings and the Scripture references and use them to speak to the church about each of those areas to help mature the church as a Body. It was a great day!

Saturday Night: Youth Q and A

I was asked to be a part of an event for young people from around the country at Hebron. Arjan, Leander and I were part of a question and answer panel. After a time of worship led by young adults, I opened the meeting by sharing about God’s ability to set people free from sin, and shared my testimony of God’s goodness in my own life. We then opened up for questions and answers about anything the young people had on their hearts. The three of us fielded questions about theology, how to walk with Jesus, getting free from sin and many other topics. I had some great discussions with several of the young people after the meeting who were really interested in the idea of forming spiritual accountability groups. I was grateful for the opportunity.

Sunday Morning: Boskoop Service

On Sunday morning, I spoke at a church that I had never been to before. It was in a town called Boskoop, a part of the country known for its greenhouses. The church also founded a Christian school and I had an opportunity to talk to the founder and hear about how he and his wife had seen the work grow over the years. My message was from the life of King Josiah. I shared about his radical reformation in the Old Testament and how he destroyed idols and reinstituted the worship of God in Israel. I encouraged the church to make sure their lives are free from idolatry of the heart and to seek the Lord through His Word on a regular basis. Afterwards I had a chance to go to one of the elders homes for lunch and fellowship with his family. It was a blessed time together.

Sunday Night: ACR Rotterdam Service

The final service, I spent in Rotterdam with our friends at ACR. I shared a message about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and then prayed for anyone who needed a touch from God. Many people came forward at the end of the message for prayer, including many children. Afterwards, one of the elders told me that he couldn’t remember ever seeing so many kids wanting to be prayed for in their church. Many were grateful for the message and I believe the Lord ministered to many on that last evening of ministry.

As I traveled home, I was exhausted but had a heart full of gratitude for all that the Lord accomplished. As you can see, the trip was packed with opportunities for ministry and God was so faithful to help along the way. I often needed His anointing, grace and strength, and because of the prayers of so many people, I was able to minister in every setting. Thank you so much for all who are supporting us along the way. To make a one-time or recurring donation to make ministry trips like this possible, please visit our Donate page. I recorded a five-part Vlog of the trip. You can watch the first one below. In it, I give updates about the daily ministry and also include clips of the worship times. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/aAiN5SKvFc8