Week 4

Prayer candle's, Amsterdam, originally uploaded by cutjas.

Hey all,

It was another full and exciting week. Honestly, I don’t know how many more of these I can take, just kidding. I love all these new experiences and wouldn’t have it any other way. Here is what went on this last week.

We had our “First Serve” sign up this past weekend. “First serve” was an opportunity for folks in our congregation, who are not serving, to have a chance to try out a ministry by serving once with no commitment. The sign up went well we had a good response of people who were interested in serving inside and outside of Crossroads church, which is very encouraging. Now the real work starts. We are organizing and getting people plugged in to their different service opportunities. That will take some work.

It has been good for me to help this initiative and see a positive response from it. I am excited to see people get plugged in serving and see how it changes them and changes our community. We heard a wonderful sermon from our very own Andrew Perriman about leaving our mark in the world. Andrew challenged us to be vulnerable as believers in the world and to make a statement about who we are as followers of Christ. This was a good word for myself and for our community here. If you are interested in listening to it, you can access the talk through itunes. Search for “Crossroads Church The Hague” or go to http://www.crossroadschurch.nl/ and you will find a link to the sermons. Be aware that there is a slightly “Dodgy” joke so you might want to be weary of letting small children and most barn yard animals listen to the sermon, other than that enjoy.

This past week we also had our “Thinklings” meeting. Thinklings is a gathering of Missionaries who wish to think through issues of the Christian faith on a more concentrated. The topic we had this past meeting was “What does it mean to proclaim ‘Jesus is Lord’ in a modern day pluralistic society?” I had a great time at this meeting; it was a fun exchange of ideas and experiences surrounding this topic. I presented on the church’s role in relation to “worldly power” and how the church as institution has to reject any type of power over positions that are offered to it by the world and that through this position of service as an institution the church will be proclaiming “Jesus is Lord”. I was challenged by several people on this topic and actually was able to change and refine my position a bit on this topic, which is what I was hoping to get out of this weekend.

We heard from people from all around Europe and even a professor from Trinity University in Deerfield Illinois. The weekend was filled with good conversations, challenging presentations and a lot of good time thinking. I walked away challenged, encouraged and very tired. I found this valuable because it is not that often that you can set apart several days to think about a pressing question. This was intense, but also was valuable for my work here in Europe.

Sunday went well I am starting to feel a little bit at home here. I can go to the Sunday service and I know people, I can see friends and people know me. I was happy to be able to walk around the service and the halls and see people that I could talk with and am getting to know. I am starting to “belong.”

With that belonging comes a level of responsibility. For instance, now that people know me, they can ask me for help, which I am more than happy to give. This Sunday I was able to help with the “Tear Down Team.” After the service we stacked chairs and packed up all the equipment that is used during a Sunday service. I honestly really enjoy this kind of work. I couldn’t do it every weekend, but I do like getting my hands dirty and doing some good ole manual labor.

While working I was able to meet Wim, a Dutchman who works with developmentally disabled children in The Netherlands for his full time job and helps tear down after the service on Sunday. He was a very gentle humble man this became clear right when I met him. We had a good time joking and working. I was impressed with his service mentality and his humble demeanor. This was a man who had spent his life-serving people, some of whom need a tremendous amount of physical help. I admired him and also was challenged by his life. While I don’t know if I could do what he does, I do know that I was challenged to do my part, the part I have been trained for and the part I am gifted in. This again brought to light my calling and challenged me to live out the life I had been called too, just as Wim was living out his calling.

Monday I spent the day with my good German friend Klaus. Klaus is a violinmaker originally from Hamburg, but now living in Berlin. Klaus had stopped by The Hague on his way to Paris to visit some of us CAI folks. Klaus is also a very humble man who loves people. Klaus is the type of person who has a friend in every town all around the world, and if for some outside chance he comes to a town where he doesn’t have a friend, just give him 5 minutes and he will have 10. Klaus has a way about him that draws people to him. He is not a big presence, but has a very gentle and inviting way about him, which is disarming and allows him to meet people everywhere he goes.

Monday was a great day. We went up to Amsterdam and met with a Swedish friend of Klaus’s, Michael. We spent a couple of hours talking, they were catching up and exploring what each of them had been up too for the last 2 years. I jumped in when I could, but mainly listened to their conversation. I had a good time making a new friend and hearing about what the two of them had been up too. We met in the YWAM café in Amsterdam, which if you haven’t been too you should check out because it was a magnificent café.

From there we went to the Graf’s house, also in Amsterdam. We showed up there and the beautiful chaos began. The Graf’s live in this tornado of a world that seems to work quiet well. They are some of the most hospitable and welcoming people I have met and today was no exception. We were there for 5 minutes when the invitation for dinner came; we ended up staying till 10pm (22:00). It was a fun night with great food, discussion, sharing, and prayer. Laina Graf is a professional caterer so a meal at her house is always a treat. I swear she could make dirt taste good. Fortunately, we had pork, rice, bread, and a few other things that were very tasty.

Both Phil and Laina have a way of probing into who you are as a person this causes me to reflect. As a couple they seem to be able to see things in you that are not evident when you look at yourself.

As Klaus and I drove back from the Graf’s to The Hague, I was reflecting on the day. I felt a distinct nudge toward Sweden. I keep meeting Swede’s, two now in one week. I don’t know if this is a sign from God or mere coincidence. I was sitting there on a highway from Amsterdam to The Hague, which was in itself not something I saw myself doing a year ago. What could be next in my life? This question I have been wrestling with over the past couple of months.

At this point I want to share some sad news. Two of my good friends have lost someone dear to both of them. Monica Holm’s father Bruce Elmer died this past week from cancer. Although, I never met Bruce, I know that Josh, Monica’s husband, couldn’t stop talking about Bruce since the day they met. Josh always raved about how Bruce’s abilities on the golf course and his generousness nature as a person.

I saw from a distance as Monica struggled with watching her father slip away over the past few months, virtually helpless. It was very evident that Bruce was a great man who loved his family and made a positive impact on those he met. I would ask that you keep the Elmer’s in your prayers this week, as loss is never easy. As the scripture says, “we laugh with those who laugh, and we cry with those who cry” and here we support those who mourn. Monica and Josh I want you to know that even though comfort seems distant you are not alone during this difficult time.

Danku wiel, Thanks,
Jason

p.s. I changed my settings so anyone can comment on this blog so feel free to share you thoughts, questions and/or challenges.

Prayer requests:
1) I am starting a ministry geared toward 25-35ish year olds. I need leaders and people who are interested in this age group. I am starting the process of gathering those interested. I wish that God’s spirit is driving this ministry and that we would be able to make a difference in people’s lives.
2) What’s next? Continue to pray about what is next for myself after graduation. There are lots of opportunities and I need some good discernment.
3) Monica and Josh Holm, as well as, the whole Elmer family for the loss of there father Bruce.