I slept a full eight hours last night, so I’m now in the rhythms of the Netherlands; but tomorrow is our last full day here, so another time adjustment is coming upon me quickly.
This morning, the weather was cold and miserable, and the rain was coming down hard. We all gathered in the large kitchen/living area of our facility and Apostle Shirley continued her teaching on the strengths and weaknesses of some of the various functions of an Apostolic or New Testament work, of which a church would be a part. This is typically called a Five-Fold Ministry team, whose leadership would include prophets, apostles, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. It’s good to be able to openly discuss the challenges that are guaranteed to present themselves! Nancy and I got dropped off in Bennekom by Pastor Mike Sainz from Oleans, New York, and we had a nice quiet lunch and did a little looking around the town. We walked back to our facility just outside the town limits. This evening, we went to Mirella and Willem’s beautiful home in the next town where we had dinner, and watched a documentary about the 14-week outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Lakeland, Florida. As mentioned in another blog, Willem is a film director and works for an evangelical television network paid by the Dutch government. It was a very fair assessment of the situation that came down when Todd Bentley, who was leading the healing crusade, fell into an adulterous affair, left his wife, and was removed from the pulpit that had been attracting tens of thousands of people from around the world. The film showed the facts fairly, exactly as a documentary should do – the good, the miraculous, the bad, the joy and sadness, the failures and the faith of people who know and believe that even when people can fail, God never does. Willem had also filmed Apostle Shirley Arnold the last time she and her husband Steve were in Holland, at the Corrie Ten Boom home in Haarlem. It was a one-take, one-camera, unscripted, unrehearsed shoot that turned out fantastically! Both Willem and Apostle Shirley are "naturals" and both love God, His plan, and His people. This kind of cooperation can – and does – create the miraculous. Tomorrow is our last full day here, and we will be going to Rotterdam to support a small church there. Can’t wait!
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Today, as we traveled to Haarlem, we talked about our responsibility as Christian leaders. I know that when I started the church arm of Northern Praise Ministries in 2010, my husband Ian said that he’d go along and support me if I "didn’t tell anyone what to do." I kept that promise and I found that, in so doing, I allowed intelligent people to make wise decisions based on the Word of God as I taught it. So, for controversial issues that some may be struggling with, I have found this to be true: if you give people a solid foundation of God’s unfailing Love, they will, in time, choose what is right. It won’t often happen overnight, but eventually God’s Spirit will override the heartache and pain of life, and lead to freedom.
Today was a bitterly cold day with fierce winds, and there we were, standing on a street in Haarlem, at a corner house owned by the Ten Boom family. The house is 600 years old! There are about four floors connected by a narrow, winding staircase, and the house has many small rooms and a couple of larger rooms. This is the house that courageously housed Jews who were being rounded up and taken to extermination camps. This is the house where everyone was welcomed, and where music and Bible study was an ongoing activity. This is the house that had a perfectly constructed secret compartment; just two feet wide and eight feet long, that would hide six adults at the same time, as Nazi soldiers searched every inch in response to rumours that this house had something and someone to hide. This is the house where another Dutch person betrayed – for money – the secret, which caused the whole Ten Boom family to be arrested. Within ten days, "Opa" would die and the family would begin to learn to forgive over and over again. Our tour in the Corrie Ten Boom house was a life-changer, and I’m so glad I got to go. The family lived a life of true Love. Talk about Love! Nancy and I had another Divine encounter today. We were getting some lunch after our tour, and a darling young woman next to us asked if we would help her with a school project by giving her our personal definition of "love." I answered: “Love is being unconditionally accepted in the state I’m in, right now.” It was a day of Love. This evening, we had another casual meeting with the people here in Bennekom and area. Sweet, sweet people who love God with all their hearts and love this land! Today, as a group, we took the day off to be tourists. We traveled by car to Brugge, Belgium. Oh my! What a beautiful place. What beautiful countryside we saw on the way. The old walled city is ancient; it has been an international commercial centre since the eleventh century.
There were a lot of students in the town centre. Because we got lost several times, we found the young people and the not-so-young people very polite and helpful. We were surprised by how many tourists were in town, seeing as it’s January and the weather was cold – but it was still clear as a bell. It was probably because of the sales in all the stores…mostly 50 to 70% off most stock. Having broken up as a group upon arrival, we rendezvoused for dinner at a wonderful Belgium restaurant right in the old town. It was great. Tomorrow is busy….we are going to the home of Corrie Ten Boom in Haarlem, The Netherlands. If you don’t know who Corrie Ten Boom is…she is the author of a famous book entitled The Hiding Place. Corrie’s father was a Dutch watchmaker who made the brave move to hide Jews in a secret compartment that he’d built in his home during the Nazi invasion. When they were eventually caught, the Ten Boom family was sent to a concentration camp, as were many Christians who did the right thing during a very wrong time. The story is one of incredible faith and enduring strength and courage. Goodnight! It was raining pretty hard this morning, so much so that the horses in the neighbouring field would not come over to the fence to get the apple I had brought for them to share. Around 9:30, the Revival People Network International gathered to fast for the day and pray for the Netherlands, specifically for the men and women that had come out for the conference we hosted on Saturday. We prayed for their churches to receive the power of the Holy Spirit to set a fire in their people.
We took a break around 11:30, and Nancy and I decided we would walk into the nearby town of Bennekom. It took an hour. We were to meet again as a group at 1:30, so we headed back almost right away. I asked Nancy, who was the only one of us that had any money on hand, if she could get me a banana as I waited on a bench. Almost everyone here rides a bike. That’s likely why most people look so healthy! Suddenly a woman about my age stopped her bike right in front of me – perhaps 10 feet away – and said something to me in Dutch. I told her that I only speak English. Then she said, as she looked directly at me with a smile on her face, “You are a beautiful spirit. You are more beautiful than any statue in Holland.” Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever had that happen to me before. I have, many times, given random words of blessings to strangers, so I guess today I simply reaped what I had sown. I must say, it was really nice. In the afternoon we gathered again and Apostle Shirley did a conversational teaching on the apostolic culture of living and running a ministry; basically, the New Testament, empowered by the Holy Spirit growing in an environment of order and peace, while honouring each other in Love. It’s about the Lord bringing together people with different gifts and functions, committed to, and willing to covenant with, the vision of the Apostle who leads the way in that particular work. An apostolic ministry will train, equip, and release its people from bondage, for the work of serving the furtherance of the Kingdom of God. It was also explained that there are different types of Apostles. Some chief Apostles are called to build the Kingdom and launch churches; some are Father Apostles; some are more Prophetic. I wonder what I am called to? I’m not sure, but I do know this: that I love all people and that I know love is the foundation needed for people to heal and be restored to God’s original plan for them. I don’t know how or when God will send the people who will covenant with this dream, but I’ll just keep moving ahead until I have the people needed for Northern Praise Ministries to come into her fullness. All in all, another great day! It’s the end of a good day. In the morning we stayed at our facility, and the planning committee for the establishment of Revival People Network Netherlands met. I was invited to sit in to listen and learn, so that when the time comes to establish RPN Canada, I will have a good idea of how it’s done. I am excited by the possibilities!
This afternoon we took a train into Utrecht, a Medieval town situated between Bennekom and Amsterdam. The train is quick, quiet, and clean. There is an underground mall at the station, which we visited for a bit, and then we went our separate ways with a planned time and location for dinner. Nancy and I found that we like the same things: leather wear, interesting clothing, shoes, architecture, ancient churches, and people. Just as we were heading into the Gothic Domkerk (church), whose first stone was laid in 1254, a man asked me to take his picture against the giant back wall of the church. It took a couple of minutes because the church is so tall. I had to get the man to cross the street so I could get a decent shot. He looked a little concerned, so I told him not to worry – that I wasn’t going to run off with his camera. After the shot, he asked where the train station was. We pointed in the direction from which we had just come. He said he was new and that he didn’t have or know anyone. I asked where he was from, and he said Syria. I asked if he's a refugee; he replied, "Yes." I said that Nancy and I were from Canada, and that our country has just taken in 10,000 refugees. He knew about that. He was a lovely young man, maybe in his mid-20’s, but he looked very alone. I asked if I could pray for him. He said he didn’t understand very much English, so I put my hands together in the universal sign for prayer and he eagerly said "Yes!" So Nancy and I prayed. I prayed for friends, family, for love in his life, for a job, and so on. He was so very grateful. As we were making our way back in the late afternoon to rendezvous for dinner, a 40-something-year-old woman approached us and asked if we had any money to spare. I silently prayed and asked God is she was legit or not. I reached into my wallet and pulled out a 20, and asked if that was good. She was overwhelmed, and tears poured out of her eyes and down her cheeks. I asked if I could pray for her. Through her streaming tears she nodded up and down. When I held her and prayed, I noted that she was clean. Her hair was clean, and her skin was good. I knew that she would not be off to buy a bottle or get dope. And frankly, even if she did, that would not be any of my business. Nancy and I quickly started hiking it to get back to meet the others in time. We eventually asked someone where the train station was. Surprise, surprise! We were going the exact opposite direction! I am falling in love with the RPN international team. Spending ordinary time with extraordinary people is a great way to see real character and real motive. We just heard that we are fasting and praying tomorrow from 6 am to 6 pm. We are thinking that a midnight raid on the kitchen may be necessary! :) Today we journeyed by car – three cars, actually – into the beautiful city of Amsterdam. Nancy and I had the pleasure of driving with Mirella and her wonderful husband, Willem. Willem is a professional cameraman and film director for a Dutch government Christian Evangelical television network. He travels the world and films documentaries on all kinds of subjects, with stories of hope intertwined in them in an interesting way.
Amsterdam is built on water; the buildings are built on deep, deep pylons. The city, which has 200 bridges, is about six centuries old and sits at the harbour that leads to the North Sea. It was not hit hard during the Second World War, so many of the buildings and streets are ancient and fascinating. The newer buildings are ultra-modern. It's a nice mix. The people are nice, and the city is clean. However, in order to go on a boat excursion around the city, we had to walk through the Red Light District. The smell of marijuana was strong. The sour, pungent smell is nauseating. It made me sad that Canada is going to legalize marijuana. Stupid! Beautiful women, dressed seductively – that is, mostly undressed – were standing like beef in body-length windows at sidewalk level, advertising themselves. I saw nice young men, completely undone in spirit, and high on drugs. I saw a young couple with their toddler running around. I saw a man handcuffed and being led to the police station by an undercover cop. I saw a lot of uniformed police officers. I saw the contrast between the people passing through, and the ones stuck there in their addictions. It was very sad. People of Canada, please don't be naïve. We ate dinner in Amsterdam and returned to Bennekom by 8:30 pm. It was a full day of getting to know the other members of the team. Everything is allowed in The Netherlands. This morning we had the honour of being guests at Hope House of Praise Church in Ede (pronounced "Ada"), with Pastors Bruce and Angelique. This is Mirella’s home church. The congregation is a mixture of little children, older adults, families, youth, and everything in between. I like the worship team. What I mean by that is that I like the people in the worship team; nice people, good musicians. Michael Sainz from Oleans, New York, was helping them out this morning. Apostle Shirley spoke about the long, arduous, and often miserable journey that King David had to take from being a young shepherd boy, to becoming the anointed King of Israel, and then actually being in the position of King of Israel – the years of disappointment, loss, hurt, rejection, and plenty of opportunities to do wrong. This is called process and, although seldom fun, process is necessary for all of us to get us ready for our God-place in this world. Part of the process includes the constant battle of whether each of us will fight for and with God to get to our destiny, or will fight against Him! (It's all part of the journey!)
At the end of the service, all of us on the RPN team had the honour of praying for anyone who wanted prayer. Because these times are private and intimate between God and the recipient, I will not share the details. We enjoyed a dinner back at our facility with 15 of us around the table, including Pastor Dave and his wife; they run a Bible College in Spain, and their vision for revival for Holland has been rekindled. It reminds me again of Pastor Henry and Grace Verrier who came to Oakville in 1982, as mere children in the Faith, and started an amazing work in which I was the first and only convert! They taught and trained me. I will pursue, I will recover, and I will fight to rekindle the flame they lit. I will choose to contend for the seeds of revival that have been planted over the generations! I am here in the Netherlands (also called Holland) with Revival People Network, which is headquartered in Lakeland, Florida, and led by Apostle Shirley Arnold. I met Pastor Shirley in 2007 when I attended a Women in Ministry Conference in Cleveland, Tennessee. She recognized something in me that I had formerly assumed had died: the call of God.
So, nine years later – and now fully revived myself – my friend Nancy and I are, by invitation, part of the RPN launch in the Netherlands. The first thing I noticed upon arriving here is that almost everyone is very, very tall, and very healthy-looking – robust, clear-eyed, and even rosy-cheeked. At 5'9” I seem rather short for a woman. I have seen many women over 6 feet tall, and many of the men are at least 6'4”. My Dutch friend Mirella has been offering up prayers for years now for this secular nation; prayers for revival, for the people to come to know Jesus as Lord – not only as Saviour – and for the churches to be on fire with the power of the Holy Spirit, so that God will be glorified as much-needed miracles will become the norm. The Netherlands has already witnessed three revivals during the course of its long history, but the country is in desperate need of another. At the heart of RPN is the desire not only for a revival to hit, but also for it to stay to ignite the nation. The Netherlands is known as the gateway to Europe. Over the centuries, God’s Spirit has travelled through Europe and then on to North America. In the early 1900s, the Pentecostal revival spread quickly this way. Imagine what could happen today! Today, the RPN Netherlands launched its first conference. It was attended by 58 church leaders, some of whom traveled three hours to get to our rented facility to Bennekom, about 90 minutes east of Amsterdam. Like Canadians, the Dutch are not accustomed to just being told what to do, but they are also very hospitable and friendly, and it is easy to get them to laugh heartily. Pastor Shirley talked about the heart that God has given her for both Mirella and now all of Holland, and how, last year, she and her husband Pastor Steve visited this country three times within a span of six months. They fell in love with the nation. Nancy and I helped with hospitality, and we used one side of the room for intercession prayer over the attendees and the facility. What an honour! The main topic today was the seeds of revival, which have been buried over the years by a religious spirit and secular, man-made rules. These now need to be dug up through prayer, through perseverance, through determined revival, and the breath of God being evident in the church; this is the will of God. This reminded me of how, 34 years ago this February 23rd, I received Christ as my Lord and Saviour when Pastors Grace and Henry Verrier came from British Columbia to Oakville, Ontario, and prayed with me. Revival was promised to them. Although things didn’t necessarily turn out as we intended, the seeds of revival are still in Oakville, and I intend to keep praying, keep loving, and keep believing my God. He will breathe His life back into all the churches of my beloved town and the surrounding areas. Amen. |
AuthorMichelle Sim - licensed Christian minister, speaker, author, founder of Northern Praise Ministries Inc., and supporter and connector of creative people. Archives
June 2016
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