After about 6 months living on the campsite in tents and with our old little cozy caravan, the campsite was almost closing for the coming winter. Short after our wedding we started to break off our camp with the help of our brother Dominic, preparing to leave The Netherlands up to go to Mexico! We didn’t know yet how to come in Brussels airport and where to sleep, but we believed the Lord would guide ‘nd provide!
We asked the people from the shed, this is the church (Christengemeente Altena) we love to visit in The Netherlands, if someone was able to receive us for one night and bring us to the airport. A lovely married couple, which we didn't know before, offered to pick us up at the church and receive us in their house for the night ànd to bring us to the airport in Belgium the next day! We were very thankful and our first mission trip as a family started by Gods Grace, with again “a good shaken and overflowing cup”:
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom”
Luke 6:38
(The key here is that we can never give too much for God's glory! Thinking of: your time, your listening ear, helping hands, your prayers in secret (which the Lord rewards us for openly) After all, Jesus came to to serve and not to be served :) being the best example to us, that we should follow in His footsteps) !
Back to the couple ;)
They had a lovely house, with cozy different guest-rooms and even a “salt water pool” in their garden! (Which the husband made for his wife's practices for a recovering). They received us with so much hospitality, love and kindness, that we got totally refreshed from the last very busy weeks :) we could also share testimonies and pray together! She served us like a mother and she also made us a lovely breakfast. We could even have a healthy swim before she brought us to the airport :)
I could re-order our luggage, (I packed a bit to much) and even leave some things at their house, because we were only taking hand-luggage! And we were not even knowing for how long the Lord God would send us :) They were such a blessing to us! Praise Yeshua! (His Hebrew name, also none as Jesus). “Those who DO the will of our Father are my mother, my brother, my sister,.. yes my Family“:
“And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
Matthew 12:49-50
This we were able to experience again, just at the very beginning of our journey! (And later many times again by Gods lovingkindness;) And thinking about "Who leave houses or land or mother receives an hundredfold":
“And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”
Mark 10:29-30
She took a picture of us before having a long flight:
It was a very long but good and cozy flight to the first (all year very hot and humid) place in Mexico: Cancun! Here some beautiful creation pictures taken in the sky and at the airports:
When we arrived in Mexico Cancun a brother picked us up and brought us to a close hospital of his family, because they were going to share the Gospel first in the city. So we rest/slept there on the ground and a couch (for us it was like about 3 in the night and we were so very tired). Dominic went with the brother to do further prepared works of the Lord by witnessing of Him! After some hours later they picked us up and we could sleep all together in the girls room of our (in faith) brothers family.
The next day we were the whole day waiting in a very very humid and hot shopping mall and we had the so called "jet lag", so I felt actually very weak and very tired. We did read the Bible together, ate and drink and just waited patiencely to be picked up again... THEN the Lord provided again suddenly for us unexpectedly the following; The pastors wife picked us up and said that there was suddenly an quite big apartment empty and available for us, for the rest of the week! The couple that was in this appartement just suddenly left! The pastor there is renting out different places, but we could go in for free by Gods Grace.
We were very very thankful! It was a beautiful and protected living area with a wall around it, a controlled entrance and a few outside beautiful pools in the garden (at night lightened). Here a picture of the view from this appartment:
Here Samuel had private swim class with first some tips of the pastor and classes from his daddy instructed by the pastor :) I could ask the pastor many marriage questions, while Gerard teached Samuel swimming :) I saw this experienced pastor got a lot of wisdom from above and my heart really rejoiced herein! One question I love to ask all married couples is:
“What do you wish (that you know NOW) that you would love to knew in the first months (or years) of your marriage?”
Samuel did conquer his fear in one evening and learned the next day to stay under the water and to dive and to swim! He could not get enough of swimming, yes he truly LOVED it :)
We also went to the church meeting (where Gerard and Dominic were used to sleep, in other years when they went there to witness together, if they did not put up a small tent somewhere :) A photo from their tent , somewhere hidden in the city another year!
Also we went to a fellowship after church in a house of a sister and ate, sing and prayed together, that was also a blessing! Another couple bought us some chicken and said very hospitable: “My house is your house“, a very welcoming Family HalleluYah! As we all should strive for, to (learn) be hospitable like we read in Matthew and Job:
“...I was a stranger, and ye took me in”.
Matthew 25:35
“The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller”.
Job 31:32
One day we went to share the Good News with Dominic at a party location in “La Isla” and I really wanted to practice and learn to witness among the almost naked women, who nowadays increasingly dress like the whores. (However, God wants women to dress/cover themselves modestly and keep our treasures only for our own husbands:) He clothed Adam & Eve Himself, with more then only some fig-leaves! I think He might have clothed them in (lams)wohl, pointing to Yeshua, the Lam of God and being clothed with Christ :)
“The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, CHASTE, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.”
Titus 2:3-5
But by Gods Grace and goodness I could handle this in peace! Gerard and Dominic are already well trained herein and practiced this al lot, before we met. But I still need to learn this more, also to fully trust Gerard. But I saw a lot of unfaithfulness, so this probably takes some more time, prayer and practice :) Knowing that His love cast out ALL (kinds of) fear! Trusting in Abba's protection, because "HE IS OUR SHIELD".
I could have a good and open conversation with brother Dominic, before evangelism! He encouraged me with the testimonies about Gerard and he working together for the Lord in sinful places. I did ask him to pray with me beforehand and Gerard also stood by me, and everything worked out BLESSED :)
“The prayer of the righteous availth much” (..more then we think- I always say) “Pray+Believe=Receive”:
“...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”.
James 5:16
This last part is a testimony about witnessing :)
So we went to a big shopping mall in La Isla at Mexico Cancun. Gerard and Dominic met a man they knew from another year before! He was so happy to see them again and had many questions now. At the end we could pray for him, and we knew we were at the right place on the right moment for Gods glory!
I went together with Samuel joyfully asking around for a paper box and a marker to write a question or Bible verse on. That was nice because here and there we could already testify about Yeshua! When we found one we decided together to write down these questions:
"Who do you love most?"
"Do you follow Jesus òr the satan?"
Here a photo that the happy man took:
We could have our sign for some hours, but then a bodyguard told us we were not allowed to! So when he walked away we left the sign on the table, where all passengers still could read it clearly.
Then I saw another sign with "Here is where magic begins", that was probably allowed for a very long time... So I really wanted to bring light in the darkness! We went al together and there was a young lady working there behind the sign. We spread the Good News in a little Spanish mixed with some English (she understood:) and she was very open for the Truth. I asked her if we could pray with her and she was actually happy with that, so we did!
"We give our best and God does the rest"
"If we are willing to testify, the Lord is willing to arange very special meetings fs for us". HalleluYah!
Here another picture that was made the same day:
“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”
Psalms 92:12
Prayer: "Let us become as fruitful and good rooted beautiful palmtrees, growing to You and be transformed like You, for Your glory" amen!
If the Lord will, and we if we are alive (James 4:13-15), then we hope to leave December 7th on a mission trip for about ten days in the North of Mexico. Going together with different churches to a very big city to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our God and our King!
We were confirmed by His lovingkindness actually! Because we asked if we could join the mission but when we didn’t hear soon we thought that we would probably not go anymore. Then on December 4th I said to our friends/brothers and sisters: "If God wants us to go, then someone will say we have 3 places left for you in the car and if it is not His will, then there is no place" and then the very next day we got a text message via the organiser (we dont know them yet) with literally our joyful confirmation: "we have 3 places left for you in our car" HALLELUYAH!
"Do the good works that He ordained for us that we might walk in them":
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10
Afterwards we hope to testify all about what God has done on this trip!
Please pray for us, specifically:
For a safe travel first through the dessert (about 12 hours driving).
For boldness and Grace of His Spirit For building up the body of believers
For regret and repentance in the city
For His joy, our strenth
For love, peace and Truth among the believers, unity
For the children who are joining us in the work of the Lord
For His angels around us
That we will worship in spirit and truth
That we will pray in faith, with expectation
For protection
That we will grow, by His grace and for His glory, because we still have so much to learn :)
THANKS and bless you all in Yeshua's Name!
Gerard, Anna, Samuel & ................. :)
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