One More Note

Hi. One more note from this side of the pond. It is Tuesday evening here. We had an interesting day. We went to the seminary and I presented a class of pictures and narration from my trip to Israel in 2000. It was fun to present. We had good discussions, just didn’t have enough time. None of the students had been there and I was able to show them several interesting places. One of the things we talked about was a major difference between Israel and The Netherlands. Here the whole place is FLAT. There are no hills or mountains here. Israel is one hill after another.
After class there was a chapel service. Then it was the day of a scheduled field trip for the class. In downtown Amsterdam there is a Bible Museum. It is a very interesting place. A Dutch pastor from the 1800s had a large collection of ancient artifacts. He also created an excellent model of the Tabernacle like the Jews used in their desert wilderness experience. It was an excellent tour. They have a good web site and I plan to check in to it more in the future.
Then we did one touristy thing. We took a canal boat ride. There are probably hundreds of tour boats floating the canals of Amsterdam. The trip took an hour. They said there are 60 miles of canals within the city. Everywhere you go in this country, you see canals. It was raining, but that’s ok, for they are prepared. All the tour boats are glass enclosed. They even had heat blowing in the boat.
Driving home we hit a major traffic jam. It was well in to the evening, past what you would think would be rush hour. And, their version of what we would call the Interstate was jammed going IN to Amsterdam, even worse that the road leaving. Not sure where they are all going, but no one was moving very fast.
Tomorrow is my flight home. On the flight schedule it looks like I have a two hour flight, 3:30 to 5:30. But, there is the minor factor of chasing the sun and picking up seven hours. By the time I get home my body clock will be on about 2:00 A.M. It will be a long day. Can you say sleep???????
I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday. I’ll be sharing thoughts from the ministry of the past few weeks. I hope I’m good, I hope I have something good to say. I’m reminded of what our hosts in Ciney said about when their son was young. When he would pray for the meal he would always add, "And Lord, help it to be good". We’ll pray that for Sunday.
The pictures today:
From the Bible Museum, a picture of the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle
One of the 1,000 bridges in the city
A picture of a very low and ineffective railing, the only thing that is between the road and the canals. Note that people park right up to the edge of the canal.
Thanks for reading. See you in about 4,100 miles or so.

Monday

Over here they often talk about rain and more rain. We have had really good weather during this trip. Today it is raining for the first time here in Holland while I have been here. We had some rain in Belgium one day as we were traveling. So, we have had really good weather and I appreciate that. It wouldn’t have been fun to be dodging raindrops constantly.
This morning has been a time for reorganizing, planning the organization of suitcases and gathering a few goodies to bring back home. My plan for the afternoon is study. I have actually gotten quite a bit of study done while I have been here. I’m working on a couple of series I will be doing for Sunday and Wednesday nights. They are - The Battleground Is The Mind & The Family. I’m excited about doing them. I believe they will be very beneficial. I just still have a lot of work to do on them. My goal is to have the complete series done by the time I start. If I don’t reach that goal, I will be close and I will start and work to complete them shortly after I start.
Today, George is teaching classes at the seminary. I could have joined him to learn about the book of Acts, and it would have been interesting, but I felt I could better use the time with study. Tomorrow I will be joining him and presenting pictures I took when I was in Israel in 2000. I organized a powerpoint presentation and showed it at Cornerstone a few weeks ago. Then we will visit a Bible Museum in Amsterdam. The trip is part of their class. I’m looking forward to seeing what they have.
Andrea will leave the hospital today. YEA!!!!! She is looking forward to blowing that pop stand. She will have quite a time of recovery and therapy. Thanks for your prayers for her. I haven’t talked with her today because it is still too early over there. I’m finally getting adjusted to the time difference from this direction - 3 PM here is 8 AM in Wisconsin. I’ll call later and get the latest info.
As I write I’m listening to music on the internet. I recently discovered christianityradio.com. I often listen to it in my office, and, through the wonder of the internet, I can listen to it over here as well. They offer several styles of Christian music, you can take your pick. I enjoy having some light instrumental music in the background as I work.
I have been doing some thinking about what we have accomplished in the past two weeks. I never want to waste time and money on something that is worthless. The first thought that comes is that we won’t really know all of the results till eternity. That’s ok, since we are doing eternal work. My goal was to help pastors and church workers obtain and know how to use the study Bible. We have accomplished that and heard over and over how grateful they were for our coming. I have no idea where all the Bibles will end up. It will be over a wide area. I know that it is an excellent study tool and they will be much better off in their ministry preparation as they use it.
My brother told me of one student who almost gave up the ministry because he had such a hard time knowing what to preach and how to prepare. After he attended the seminary he learned how and was so much happier in the ministry. I believe that the study Bibles will accomplish something similar. One pastor I met had never had any formal Bible training. As I heard about that, I said to myself that he is the exact kind of person Don Stamps had in mind when he wrote the notes and articles. He was in the front row of the seminar following along. I’m excited that we reached church workers with something that will help them out and make them more effective in the ministry.
Another thing we accomplished was encouraging and ministering to people in a few local churches. I spoke from the Psalms and the words of King David. We have hope and encouragement in Jesus. The presence of God is a refreshing oasis in the desert of life and we experienced that in the services. Several people commented on the uplift they experiences from the ministry. Many of them have so little Christian fellowship throughout the week because there are so few people who actively practice the Christian faith. They cherish the times of teaching, praying and visiting with other believers.
The pictures today are of our wonderful hosts in Ciney, Roger and Lilly Myers. They are the most gracious and loving people. Lilly is an amazing cook. It is a joy to visit and work with them. They have a large and loving heart for the people they minister to. On top there is a pic of the Thomassen Three singing. Below is George and me preaching.
Again, thanks for reading and I’ll see you soon.

Back Up North

Did you know that The Netherlands has road construction and large traffic jams? If you didn’t know that, let me tell you that it is true. I have just driven through them. We returned to Hoofddorp today and ran in to lots and lots of traffic, road construction and detours. We made it ok, but there are thousands of people on the roads.
This morning we were in Ciney for church. I was privileged to preach. George was my interpreter. Things went fine. We got in to a good rhythm for speaking and interpreting. It was well received. There was an awesome sense of the power and presence of the Lord in the service. They shared in communion during the service. The presence of the Lord was very strong there. It was a privilege to participate in communion with believers over here. The Lord is the same wherever we go. The folks in the church there really love the Lord.
I believe that the power and presence of the Lord is one of the aspects of this trip that has been most exciting. I have been reminded of the reality of God and His great love for us. Each service or seminar we have been privileged to pray together with the local church and sense that God was with us. We have sensed a spiritual hunger for more of God. This morning, after the service, I was privileged to give our last French Bible to a man who will be baptized in water next week. It is one we used all week in the seminars, and George used it for teaching on Wednesday night. He needed one for what we were doing throughout the week. I didn’t need to take it back with me, (as you know, I don’t parleze French) so we were blessed to give it to him. He was overwhelmed and thrilled to receive it. I know it will get good use.
As we were leaving this afternoon, Pastor Roger strongly expressed appreciation for our being able to be with them for the week. I know that God has used this week to strengthen the church. There is a quotation from a book about Don Stamps, author of the study notes in the study Bible. This thought was written by a friend to encourage him as he was going through some real battles. It speaks prophetically about the impact that Don would have through his future ministry. That, in large part, is the impact of the study Bible. His friend wrote: "Satan is fighting diligently everything you are about because it is a future threat to his kingdom." The help that the Bibles will be to the workers who have received them and learned how to use them will be a threat to Satan’s kingdom. For all of you who have helped in any way to assist me in this venture, you have a part of that reward. Yes, God is awesome.
An update:
I have talked with Andrea today and she is progressing well. Her recovery will be quite a process, but she is doing well for all she has been through. She is working out where she will be for the next few days. When I get home, I get to play nurse and help her out.
Again, thanks for reading this blog. I trust that each post has been helpful in keeping you informed. I’m already thinking about what I want to present next Sunday to give you a live report and update of all the events of these two weeks. That will be fun. Come and hear.
More later.

Saturday

It is hard to believe that I am coming to the close of this amazing trip. Next Wednesday is the day I will fly back. In between there are still a few more ministry opportunities. Sunday morning I will speak in Ciney at the morning service. Again, it’s going to be translated in to French. Friday evening I spoke in Dinant (pronounced DEE - no). There is a hunger among the believers for more of the Lord. That is exciting. It is also challenging that the spiritual need here is so vast. The picture of the building with the large windows is the church. The building has an amazing history. It used to be a brothel and the windows were for the girls to stand and lure in the "customers". Now, the building is used to share the life giving light of Jesus. The building is "new" in its use. That’s what Jesus does to people, He makes them new.
One of the things of personal interest to me is that this area is filled with history. My father served in the US Army in WW II. This is the area where the Battle of the Bulge was fought. My father was in this general area during the war. That battle was very bloody and extremely sad at the vast loss of life – hundreds of thousands of people died. One of the places we visited was Malmedy. A sad events of the war happened there when the SS murdered many U.S. soldiers rather than to take them as POW’s. Some of them survived the shooting. My father was among the soldiers that rescued the survivors. There is a memorial to their outfit, the 99th Inf Btn (sep). I have included a picture of my brother and I at the monument.
Another moving sight is the military cemeteries here. It is something to realize the size of the loss that occurred. We visited two American cemeteries. Between the two there are over 13,000 U.S. soldiers buried there. I am always in awe at the loss and sorrow represented there. And, I am in awe at how they can make the place so perfectly laid out and kept in pristine condition. There are also a few pictures from there.
We also visited Bastogne. This is the city that the Nazi’s surrounded in their push during the Battle of the Bulge. When the Allies were told to surrender, General McAllif simply replied "nuts". They held on and won the battle. There is a memorial and museum at Bastogne. The memorial is shaped like a star and has the names of all the states around the top. It was something to climb it and look out on beautiful and peaceful countryside, knowing that at one time the whole area was destroyed by bombing and shelling.
As we travel around the cities in Europe, we see one narrow street after another. I have also included a picture to illustrate that. It is interesting to drive over here. When the directions tell you to go straight on a street, that is a relative term.
Now, let me give you an update on Andrea. She finally was able to have the surgery on Friday afternoon. She came out of it well. They had to put in pins and screws to repair her arm. They expect a good recovery. She is still in pain and has a long ways to go to get back full mobility. She is not sure when she will return home. In many countries people are praying, and it is appreciated. Thanks for all of your concern.
Sunday afternoon we return to Amsterdam. That means I have to get my suitcase packed again. More work. Well, that’s OK. Thanks for reading.

Thursday’s Blog

The past few days have not allowed me to write in my normal fashion, considering the news of yesterday. I had just started to write last evening when I received a message that my wife had broken her arm. So, I had to hold the presses. We were told that they would do surgery to repair it last night. That didn’t happen. She is hoping that it will happen Thursday afternoon, but no promises yet. So, she still needs prayers. One of the first things she told me was to NOT try to change my plans and get back. I still have some ministry scheduled over here and she wants me to stay and complete it. That makes things a bit more complex, but we are thankful for friends in NR who are helping out.
Let me try to catch up a bit.
Tuesday evening we had a great night. One truth I have heard from others, and it is proving itself true here is this – when you are involved in missions ministry – Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not break. The setting on Tuesday night was in a church, and there were people there from a few different churches. The place was full. We didn’t present the seminar in the same way as the previous times since the people didn’t have the study Bible in their hands. We didn’t have enough for all and so the decision was made by the local church after the presentation who would get them. So, we presented it to them without their being able to see it and follow along. We had to shift our approach a bit. But, that afternoon I had added a few things that fit in perfectly in that setting. I didn’t know at that time that things would be different. It went well. We ended the night with a very powerful and protracted time of prayer. It was awesome. The spiritual hunger among the believers is strong.
Even though it wasn’t what we planned when we got there on Tuesday, it was a great evening. The Lord has helped that pastor to reach out to some really hurting people and see God do supernatural changes in them. Only God can change lives that are completely controlled by sin and make them totally new.
Wednesday night, George spoke in the Bible Study in the local church where we are staying. He speaks French and did a good job. The people were really with him, responding to his questions, etc. Before he spoke, I shared a few thoughts and then we sang some choruses. We chose songs that the people knew, so we had a bi-lingual song service. It was fun.
Friday night and Sunday morning I speak in two different churches. Again, it will be with an interpreter, so that is the fun part of the challenge.
Again, thanks for reading and praying.

It’s Wednesday

Wednesday has flown by. I’m writing well in to the evening.
HOLD THE PRESSES!!!!!
Just as I started to write today’s blog, an e mail that came in to my computer telling me that my wife fell and broke her arm. I have just spent quite a bit of time on the phone with her getting the update and all the information. She is in the New Richmond hospital and will have orthopedic surgery this evening (Wednesday) to repair her left arm. She cracked the ball in her humerus which is the ball in the bone that is situated between the elbow and the shoulder. The orthopedic surgeon was coming to the hospital to do a late hip surgery, so she will be added to the list tonight.
To be honest, after getting this news, I don’t feel like writing all I was going to write, telling about the past few days. I’ll attempt to do that some time tomorrow and get caught up. One of the challenges in being over here is that we are seven hours ahead. That means that, but the time she gets to surgery, it will be in the middle of the night here. I don’t expect the opportunity to talk with the surgeon. Thankfully, I have cheap phone calling here using my computer, so it is no problem to stay in contact.
So, thanks for reading. The ministries here are going well. The Bible Seminar has been very well received. We also have some other preaching opportunities. I’ll talk another time.

Good Morning from Belgium

Monday was a long and tiring day. But, it was a good day. We started out packing for the trip and getting the car loaded. We headed south across the Netherlands in to Belgium. Our destination was about four hours away. Arriving at the home of our hosts, Roger and Lilly, we had the opportunity to rest a bit and get caught up with friends we met last year when Andrea and I were here on our anniversary trip. They have spent the last twenty five years ministering in this general area. They are renting a small house that is set on the edge of town. Across the field we can see cows grazing.
We enjoyed some good old southern hospitality as Lilly prepared a vegetable soup. It was really good. Then we drove for an hour or so to Liege. Liege is a large city. It was good that we had Roger with us to guide us. We would have never found the church without his help. I’m amazed at how twisting and turning the streets are. In fact, he said that years ago he was trying to find the building and asked a man on the street how to get to the address. He thought and thought and tried to give directions and couldn’t figure out how to tell them. Finally, he said, "I know how to walk there, but I don’t know how to drive there." That’s because of one way streets and crazy curves and circles. The church there is right in the middle of that large city. They have a perfect location (because it is where the people are), but are facing real problems because they don’t have enough space. The church is growing and right now they have two services. The pastor and his wife are excited about the things that God is doing. They would love to find a larger facility, but they are not available in that large city. So, they are praying for God’s provision.
George and I got to present the Bible Seminar in French for the first time. It was a challenge for him because he has not spoken French on a regular basis for three year. It was all coming back to him quickly. Roger was there to help out if he got stuck on a word. For some parts of the seminar he did the speaking. For others, I spoke and he translated. It all went well. Again, the people there were very open to hear and learn how to use the study Bible in their lives. They were very receptive and excited at the things they would learn as they study. As the people we present to realize the potential and value of the study Bible, they get excited. I think that they will be good "advertising" for others to use the study Bible.
If you have never spoken or taught through an interpreter, let me tell you that it is a real challenge. You have to speak a sentence and then wait for it to be spoken in a language you don’t understand. Then you have to keep your train of thought so that you can go to your next sentence. Try this some time. As you are having a conversation with a person, stop after every sentence and have a third person make some noise. Then pick up your conversation, again having the third person talk, "interrupting" you. That’s what it’s like to speak through an interpreter.
We arrived back home quite late. It was a long and tiring day, but very productive. So, this morning, because we didn’t have any reason to push things, we just slept till we woke up. Then we had a great breakfast of toast. The reason why it was a great breakfast is first of all the bread. The European bread is really good. Then we had a variety of toppings. One of my favorite is a chocolate spread. It works like peanut butter but is made of chocolate. It’s amazing. They also had another similar spread, but it is the flavor of one of the popular cookies in this area. I love the creativity of the spreads they make for sandwiches. Why can’t we have cookies and chocolate to spread on our sandwiches?
The pictures in today’s post are from last night. You can see the building the church is using. It is right in the midst of the large city. The people really love the Lord. We could feel a strong sense of God’s presence. I ended up the time by praying for them. We had a powerful time of prayer. It was exciting. That’s another of the blessings of this trip, to be reminded that all believers in Jesus are connected through HIM, even if we speak different languages.
We get to present the seminar tonight to another group in another church. We are going to discuss ways to do a better job in the presentation and translation. Each time we try to do it better from what we have learned.
Thanks for reading. I’ll attempt to write again tomorrow.

Good Monday Morning

Just a quick post today as we are packing to head to Belgium. We will present the Bible Seminar tonight.

Sunday night went well. The fellowship where I preached is a new English service getting established and reaching out to English speakers. They are getting things organized and plan soon for some more specific outreaches. Of course they had coffee and cookies before and after the service. That is very important here.

The French Bibles are packed in the car. I have to get some clothes ready for the trip. I hope to have more posts soon. Thanks for your prayers.

A Powerful Memorial

Hi. It is Sunday afternoon here. We have been to church and had Sunday dinner. I just talked with the pastor in Belgium where we will be heading tomorrow. We will drive there in the morning. I know we will be going to another country, but it’s like driving to another state. All the details are coming together for the week. We will do the Bible Seminar on Monday and Tuesday evenings. He is pastor of two churches and we will minister at the Wednesday and Friday night services there. Then we will minister in the Sunday morning service next week. So, we will have a busy week.
The pictures included in this posting today are from our visit yesterday. The one fun food picture shows the amazing cream filled pastries that we had to sample. It was a struggle to eat it, but I forced myself to finish it. It’s too bad I can’t e mail one of them to you. We went to Haarlem and toured the ten Boom Museum. It is the house that Corrie ten Boom grew up in. It is the place where their family hid Jews escaping from the Nazis in WW II. If you have not read The Hiding Place or seen the film, you must read it. It shows the amazing love of Jesus for people. Casper ten Boom was the father, the patriarch of the family. God had so burdened his heart with love for the Jewish people that, when all the Jews were forced by Hitler to wear a yellow star on their clothes, he wanted one for himself.
We sat in the living room of the house and heard how the soldiers raided the house and brought them all in to that room to question them. I was trying to imagine the confusion, probably shouting at them demanding information about where the Jews were being hidden. They were safe in the hiding place upstairs. And, all of them in that secret room survived. The pictures are of the hiding place, the front sign and the alley that leads to the entrance to their house.
I also stood in front of the building and looked at the street lined with stores and houses. Hundreds of people were coming and going. A street musician was sitting at a keyboard playing classical music (she was really good). I tried to imagine what it was like when all the cars pulled up to the house to raid it. That sad day was the complete opposite of yesterday. We had enjoyed beautiful weather and the market at the town square about a block away. That horrible day back then was anything but peaceful.
The amazing thing about all of the sacrifice of the ten Boom family was that God has impacted countless people around the world with the story of God’s love. When Corrie was born, she was extremely small. Today she would have ended up in a special nursery unit in a hospital. Some people back then said it would be better for her to die, for she would always have health problems. One of her Aunties said no, she would do whatever it took to see her survive. She believed that God had something special for Corrie, and she was right.
Again, I encourage you to read the book or watch the film. It will not be easy, but it will show you the depravity that sinful people can reach. And, it will show you the power of God’s amazing love.
Tonight (Sunday), I will be preaching at the English service at Turning Point, where we heard Dutch this morning. I trust that the people will be there, because they made a mistake in the bulletin this morning and gave the wrong time. Another interesting glitch.
Thanks again for reading. I’m trusting that we will have some kind of internet connection available to us this week and that I will be able to continue my posts.

Yes, It Really Happened

Well, it finally happened. I presented the Study Bible Seminar Friday night. We were given the use of a local church in Amsterdam. It is a beautiful setting. The congregation bought an old night club and have transformed it to a great place for church services. It is a large place. The main meeting room is specious and gives much room for a service, for coffee and fellowship and much more. Yes, coffee and talk is just as important to the folks here as it is in the States.
I didn’t count exactly, but about 50 people from several churches and ethnic backgrounds attended the seminar. It was well received. The evening was informal enough so that we had questions and discussion as we went. I think I was successful at pointing out the features and benefits of the study Bible. The people were excited as they began to realize the learning potential of what they had in their hands. Several people ended up getting Bibles for family and friends after they saw it and learned more about it. I think that several churches in the area will have many people in their church with the same study tool. That will add much to their studies and discussions.
We all (my brother, his wife and daughter) felt great as we drove back to their home. We were quite tired when it was all said and done, but well worth it. I now have the opportunity to critique my presentation and get input from my brother. The next time we present it will be a challenge, and a team effort. It will be in French. So, we’ll have to work on that.
The pictures in this post are from the church. I took a few before everything started. I will get some from during the presentation from my brother’s camera some time later.
This trip has also allowed time for study. I am working on two different series for back in Wisconsin. I have been writing them for a while, and still have much work to do. I’m doing this in a different format. I often do a series of sermons or studies, and have the themes worked out ahead of time. Then I prepare week by week as I go. My goal this time, and I’ll see how it works out in the end, is to have it all done and published at the beginning. So, I’m taking advantage of time here to get some of this work done.
This is it for now. More later.

This Is The Day

This is a day I have been looking forward to for longer than I can remember. It is the day I get to present the Bible Seminar to pastors and church workers in the Amsterdam area. I’ll talk more about that later. But, first . . .
. . . Let me talk about another fun part of the day. This is Friday, so it means that in Hoofddorp it is market day. Once a week many vendors set up on the public square and sell everything you can imagine. I was here last year and enjoyed the market and have looked forward to going back to it. We will get our lunch there after a while. Market day is a European tradition and I really like it. You can see by the pictures above that they have some of everything available – food, clothes, flowers. I just did a quick walk through part of the market to get some pictures. I can’t post all of them, just a sample. It is crowded. I’m going to enjoy looking around and getting some things there. Licorice anyone?
Now, to the most important part of the day. My dream to take a missions teaching trip has centered around the Fire Bible. Filled with study materials written by missionary Don Stamps, it is a source of much spiritual insight. I have owned one of these since the early 1990s and I believe it is the best study Bible out there. It is very practical. Many of the people at Cornerstone have one and use them regularly. I trust that more will get one for themselves and learn how to use it. I practiced on them this summer, giving the seminar to get the feel of it. I think it went well. Tonight I get to do it here. We have talked with several people who are planning to come and they are excited about it. I have pulled out the notes I wrote and studied them. I’m ready to go.
My goal is to help people learn how to use this study tool for both ministry presentations (preaching and teaching) and personal Bible study. All who follow Jesus must be students of the Bible, learning how to grasp the teachings and applying them in daily life. That is one of the blessings and benefits of this study Bible. If we can’t apply Bible teaching to real life, what good is it?
The 119th Psalm says that the Word of God is a lamp and light. It guides our path in life. So, more than just going to church and learning to say the right things, the Bible helps us make good choices and decisions in life. It lights the path so we don’t have to stumble in life over temptation and deceit. It makes life worth living.
This is Friday and it will be an awesome experience. I’ll write again and let you know how it all goes.

Here in Holland

I know that I have not been faithful to my blog, so here is another start. This is a good time to do it. I’m writing from "across the pond" as they say. After years of dreaming that I would love to do something like this, I am in Holland about to do some teaching. More about that later.
For those who are wondering, the trip over here was uneventful. Air travelers always appreciate being able to say that about a flight. It was an extremely smooth flight. Yes, eight hours is a long time on a plane, but I had an aisle seat so it was easy to get up and move around. The A330 has tall ceilings so I can stretch. That always helps. I am always amazed that I can be in Europe this quickly. I think of the Pilgrims back in 1620 who came across the Atlantic in that tiny ship, at the mercy of the winds to push them. That would have been an amazingly difficult trip.
I enjoy the travel information that is available on international flights. It is like the GPS many people have in their cars. A few interesting facts from the trip – we had some powerful tail winds that pushed the plane along. The plane got up to 706 MPH, ground speed. And, the tail winds peaked at 169 MPH. That’s an amazing wind at about 37,000 to 39,000 feet altitude. The other interesting statistic is that the outside temperature stayed between 50 and 60 degrees BELOW ZERO. I always find that interesting that just a few inches outside the window it is that cold.
Even though they offer a variety of entertainment on demand on the small personal screen in front of each passenger, their selection of things to watch is kind of pathetic. I ended up listening to music, following the path of our flight, getting work done and also attempting to sleep. Attempting to sleep is a good description, as it didn’t really happen. I just can’t sleep on planes.
After we landed in Amsterdam, it felt like we taxied forever to get to the terminal. They should put the runways closer to the terminal.
I don’t know how the pictures in this blog will line up, but included are a few shots from around here. When you are in Holland you see canals everywhere. Amsterdam has many tour boats you can take. I hope we get to take one of the tours before I head back. Also, I have looked forward to enjoying some of the local fries, called friets. They made a great lunch.
The primary focus of my trip here is to teach on using the Full Life Study Bible as a study tool. We will have a group, hopefully large, on Friday night. I will get to do this one in English. Next week we will be in Belgium and it will be in French. No, I don’t parleze the French, my brother does and we will tag-team the presentation. We will also have some other ministry opportunities.
Well, this is a start. I will attempt to write about my journey over here again soon to keep you up on what is happening. Thanks for reading. Check in again soon.