A friend told me recently that I need to write a record of everything that happened on every day, otherwise I'll quickly forget. Don't worry, I won't do that here. But before I forget, here's Post 1 of 2 about Leiden and Amsterdam.
I went with a group to visit Leiden, a university town north of Rotterdam and south of Amsterdam. When we arrived in Leiden Centraal and stepped into the streets, I thought we'd stumbled onto a movie-set. As if the buildings were all facades somewhere in Hollywood and we were in a movie about European espionage. The town is beautiful, a great day trip if you're staying in Amsterdam. In Leiden, the Agape staff serve the Netherlands' oldest university. Before we got to campus they treated us to dutch apple pie and coffee at De Bruin Boon (The Brown Bean).
Throughout our trip I've been impressed by the way God provides for his people. Christians feed, house and clothe each other. I use to think "depending on God for everything" meant never asking for anything and politely refusing any gifts offered to you. What a foolish thought! Thanks to the hospitality and care of people who loved us before they ever saw us, we experienced the providence of our great God in abundance.
At the university, I partnered with staff member Einke. After several rejections, she and I found a man named Joshua in one of the cafe areas of Leiden University. We talked for over an hour, beginning with a series of questions from a survey about religious/spiritual beliefs. Joshua really wanted to know about the experiences that believers of different faiths have. Einke and I shared our testimonies, in Dutch and then English. He didn't make a decision about Jesus with us, but I believe this conversation helped him to know God better by getting to know more about the real lives of Christians.
- Peter
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