Holland for my birthday

Ruth, Sharon/me, Jacques on my birthday

Who knew even three months ago that I would be in Holland on my birthday?  Life has been such a sweet and challenging adventure over the past 6 months that it's hard to believe that I am here.  I woke up after a very good sleep (with an electric blanket mind you), to the sun and a peaceful morning.  Ruth and Jacques prepared a nice breakfast and had a few gifts waiting for me.  As they gave me a hug and wished me a happy birthday, I thought that I didn't feel any different today that I did yesterday.  But what a special place to celebrate a birthday.  While I miss my family and celebrating with friends, I'm so blessed to be with two very special and godly people.  After breakfast finished, Jacques announced with a smile, that instead of continuing on in the study of Luke, that we would read the Psalm number corresponding with my the age of birthday.  So we read the Psalm and talked about patience and how patience is a fruit of the spirit.  And patience makes us more like the character of Christ.  I enjoyed and could get used to studying the bible after meals.

Shortly after breakfast we headed to their son Steven's house to meet his family and children.  Along the way we stopped at a bakery and Ruth picked up little cakes to celebrate my birthday.  She said that it is a tradition in Holland.  We had a very relaxing time and enjoyed our cakes and with Steven's family.  Steven and his wife had met at the bible school in England.  They were very welcoming and also lived very simply.  And it was nice to be around a 12-year-old, a 10-month-old and a 2-year-old because it reminded me of being with my family.  While I was there a few neighbor children came by speaking Dutch.  It's so strange to go from German-speaking to Dutch-speaking people.  We stayed until lunch and headed off to a small fishing village.  Along the way, I just soaked in the scenery looking at thatched-roof houses, pastures, windmills, and tree-lined streets.  It's very beautiful.

We arrived in the village and Jacque explained that the brick walls just past the water to the canal were for putting up a blockade if the water got too high.  Once in the village, I just loved it.  A quaint little Dutch village with boutique shops, restaurants, and buildings as old as the 1400's.  One of my favorite things to do is to go to small villages so this was such a pleasant surprise and treat.  We had some fried fish for lunch and this was not your typical fried fish -- it was very light and the fish so tender.  We walked along the canal and enjoyed the slow pace.  They thought that we were walking slow because of them, but I laughed (because they are so young at heart) and assured them that I enjoyed just taking in the scenery.  There were old wooden boats parked in the canal and there were so many bikes parked on their kickstands.  That's one thing that Holland has is bike paths along the road.  And not just along the road, there's grass between the road and the bike path, and it's everywhere.  I saw so many bikes along the roads as we had traveled, both cyclists in full gear and others taking a more leisurely pace with baskets on the front.  We headed back to Apeldoorn after stopping at the grocery store for items for dinner, including several different types of cheese. 

Before dinner, we chatted outside, enjoying the sun and the very peaceful afternoon.  They live in an area where there are wooden fences and horses, and lots of greenspace.  So it's very, very quiet.  We talked about their time as missionaries in New Guinea and other stories that showed of how God has worked in others lives as well.  We had a Swiss meal for dinner -- 6 kinds of cheeses on a cheese plate, boiled potatoes, olives, radishes, and a salad.  And a white wine from South Africa.  Such a simple meal, but very good.  We prayed for the suffering church after dinner and read from a daily bible book.  I can't say enough how nice it is to go to the word after a good meal and before going on to the next thing in life.  It keeps you focused on what's important. 

After dinner, Jacques and Ruth shared a slide show of their 13 years as missionaries in New Guinea.  When you see pictures of people who were so primitive -- they could only be reached by plane, it's amazing to think that Jacque, Ruth and other missionaries there could share the gospel to people who spoke a different language and didn't know anything about the civilized world.  As we went through the pictures, they shared how difficult is was at times, but that God had called them there, so they did what they needed to do to spread the good news.  And as they figured out how to connect to the Dani tribe, the people went from killing, raping, stealing, and other strange practices to very free and loving people who they themselves wanted to share the good news with other tribes around them.  And they had many of their four children in New Guinea.  While Jacques and Ruth were spared, other missionaries were killed and eaten by the unsaved tribesmen.  But in the end, the gospel saved 22,000 of the 25,000 people there.  Just amazing at what the power of Christ can do to change and free people.  I was really engrossed in the slide show and just marvelled at what a step of faith by Jacque and Ruth led to -- even though they didn't know completely what they were getting into.  I asked them if they were afraid, and Ruth said yes, but you just did what you needed to do.  What a testimony to really living out the Christian life and making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). 

We chatted for a bit more and then headed off to bed.  What a wonderfuly unexpected way to spend my birthday.  So peaceful and relaxing.  I'll be sad to leave tomorrow, but so thankful that I was able to spend time with two very inspirational people who were once words in an email, but now are friends.